Dubai Sports City, the world’s first integrated sports city and cornerstone project of Dubailand, today announced the award of contracts for the design and build of two major sporting venues.
Arabtec-Max Bögl, a joint venture partnership, has been contracted to design and build a 60,000-seater multi-purpose outdoor stadium and a 10,000-seater multi-purpose indoor stadium.
The contract, worth 830 million Dirham, would see the indoor stadium completed in April 2009 and the outdoor stadium by the end of that year.
Designed by gmp, the architectural practice made famous for its work on the Olympic Stadium in Berlin and the Commerz Bank Stadium in Frankfurt, both stadia are set to be recognised internationally for the elegance and ambition of their design.
Taken together, they will become key venues at Dubai Sports City, capable of hosting the most prestigious sporting and entertainment events and firmly positioning Dubai Sports City, and Dubai, as a leading sports and entertainment destination.
The 60,000 multi-purpose stadium will fully comply to specifications for international football, rugby, American football and athletics events, while the 10,000 seat indoor multi-purpose stadium will allow for a wide range of sporting events including ice hockey, basketball, tennis, and volleyball. In entertainment mode, the venue will be capable of hosting concerts and other major public gatherings.
“Dubai Sports City aims to partner with the world’s most advanced designers and developers in the construction of this pioneering project, to ensure that we create a dedicated environment capable of playing host to spectacular sporting events,” said Khalid Al Zarooni, President of Dubai Sports City.
“Arabtec-Max Bögl brings together a wealth of experience and vision that will ensure that our new stadia are recognised as representing the pinnacle of sporting architecture,” he added.
Both construction partners have strong track records in the development of internationally-renowned projects. Arabtec is one of the companies responsible for the development of the Burj Dubai, the world’s tallest tower, and Max Bögl has more recently constructed football stadiums in Frankfurt and Cologne, as well as the spectacular roof structure of the Munich arena, for the 2006 FIFA World Cup.
“Dubai Sports City is one of the most exciting construction projects in the world today, which will further propel Dubai onto the world stage as a global leisure destination,” said Riad Kamal, Chairman of Arabtec-Max Bögl.
“The stadia we are building will be landmarks in their own right, not only in Dubai but in the region as a whole. Visitors and residents alike will be able to enjoy some of the most exciting live sports and entertainment events. It is very rewarding to play such an integral role in this unique project,” added Johann Bögl, Company Owner, Max Bögl.
“The quality of the partners we are bringing on-board for the development of these new facilities demonstrates the scale of Dubai Sports City’s ambitions. These will be world-class venues, capable of hosting the world’s premier sporting events,” said U. Balasubramaniam, CEO, Dubai Sports City.
Once complete, both venues will add to the advanced sports infrastructure of Dubai Sports City. A 25,000 capacity cricket stadium and a 5,000-seater hockey stadium, both of which are due for completion in early 2008, complete the quartet of major stadia.
Dubai Sports City is laid out to ensure easy access to the major stadia for high numbers of visitors, while at the same time ensuring that residents retain the calm and peace of their specific communities.
Executives are confident that the FIFA-standard multi-purpose outdoor stadium and the indoor stadium will both prove worthy venues for international sporting events and world class entertainment shows and concerts.
About Dubai Sports City
Dubai Sports City (DSC), the cornerstone project of Dubailand, is a $3 billion, 50 million square feet mixed use metropolis which will be the world’s first integrated purpose-built sports city.
The development will be centred around four magnificent stadia:
• a 60,000 capacity multi-purpose outdoor stadium for football, rugby, track and field and other sports and non-sports events
• a 10,000 seat multi-purpose indoor arena suitable for all hard court sports as well as concerts and other events and also including a removable ice rink
• a 25,000 capacity dedicated cricket stadium
• a 5,000 seat field hockey stadium
In addition to the stadia, Dubai Sports City will feature a series of major sports academy facilities including:
• the first purpose-built Manchester United Soccer Schools anywhere in the world
• a David Lloyd Tennis Academy
• a Butch Harmon School of Golf, the first such facility outside the United States
• the International Cricket Council’s own ICC Global Cricket Academy
• top class multi-sport training facilities including gymnasium and a 50 metre swimming pool
• the WorldHockey Academy, a first of its kind partnership with the International Hockey Federation
• a world renowned sports rehabilitation centre
About Dubailand
• A unique project spread over 3 billion sq. ft. will attract millions of tourists annually from all around the world
• Several projects under Dubailand are under construction with investments by UAE, GCC and international investors in the existing projects reaching AED 35 billion
• It is expected that the total investments will reach AED 65 billion during the next 18 months with the announcement of more projects which are under study
• The diverse projects under Dubailand include leisure, entertainment, theme parks, eco- tourism, shopping malls, restaurants and residential units
• Dubailand will play an important role in catalyzing the position of Dubai as an international hub of family tourism attracting 15 million tourists annually by 2010
About Arabtec
Arabtec Construction LLC (Arabtec), the leader in the UAE Construction Industry, was established in the UAE in 1975. Since then, Arabtec has undertaken a substantial program of construction.
• One of the Top Construction Companies in the UAE, Arabtec is committed to providing high quality work, on time and within budget.
• The Company boasts a large multinational workforce in excess of 30,000 and owns a huge fleet almost 1500 pieces of the latest plant and equipment.
• All of this is under the supervision of a highly qualified and professional team among 3,000 dedicated and experienced staff.
About Max Bögl Group
Founded in 1929 by Max Bögl, the group based in Neumarkt, Germany, can look back upon a successful company history of more than 75 years.
• With annual sales in 2006 of Euro 1 bn and more than 5,000 staff worldwide, Max Bögl is not only to be found among the top 5 of German construction companies, in its third generation it is also the largest privately owned construction company in Germany.
• Over the decades, the Max Bögl Group has continually developed from a mere construction company to an internationally operating technology and service company through innovations in technology and organization.
About gmp
The architectural practice founded by Meinhard von Gerkan and Volkwin Marg in 1965 now consists of eight more partners. gmp is active internationally and has more than 290 employees in seven offices.
• gmp is one of the few offices with a generalist position, which takes responsibility for a project from the design idea and its realization right through to the interior design.
• gmp has succeeded in winning more than 370 prizes in national and international competitions, among them more than 170 first prizes and numerous awards for exemplary architecture.
• At present, gmp is involved in projects in China, Taiwan, Russia, Vietnam, Italy, Germany, Latvia, Luxemburg, Turkey, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. gmp is currently designing stadia in South Africa for the FIFA World Cup 2012 and in India for the Commonwealth Games.
