PROJECTS - MIDDLE EAST | INSIGHT


REGION REPORT: MIDDLE EAST


A regional report on the construction market, focused on tunnelling, in the Middle East. Report by Colin Foreman, Editor of MEED, and Yasir Iqbal, Construction Writer. MEED is a sister publication of T&TI and focuses on projects in the Middle East


TUNNEL VISION GUIDES REGION Gulf cities are buzzing with economic growth. Populations are growing, real estate values are rising and project activity is ramping up as developers launch real estate projects. From a construction point of view, economic success


is best represented by the high-rise towers stretching across the skylines that now define the region’s modern urban identity. While towers continue to be developed, how Gulf


cities perform in the future will depend more on what is built below the ground rather than above it.


As buildings have become taller, population densities


have increased, putting huge pressure on infrastructure networks. This is most apparent on the roads, with cities blighted by crippling traffic in peak periods. More investment in infrastructure is needed to


overcome this challenge, and crucially, with space on the surface limited, the solution is to build more roads and utilities networks underground. This has been done before with projects such as the metros in Dubai, Doha and Riyadh, and the deep gravity sewerage network built in Abu Dhabi, and in each case, demonstrating the value of underground infrastructure.


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