Six of the best: Top GCC education projects

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The future of a country lies in its youth. With that in mind, GCC countries have set out to establish world class educational institutions. Here are six active education projects you should be involved in.

Princess Noura bint AbdulRahman University for Women
Developer: Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Higher Education
Estimated budget: US $11.5 billion

Description: Princess Noura bint AbdulRahman University for Women is a massive undertaking, covering a reported 8 million m² and with a total built up area of 3 million m². It will have administration and faculty buildings, a 700-bed student hospital, laboratories, research centres and residential buildings. It will also have its own light railway system.

Saudi Oger was awarded the first and most valuable package worth SR12.5 billion; Saudi Binladin Group and El-Seif Engineering & Contracting won subsequent packages valued at SR10 billion and SR8 billion respectively. The contracts cover the majority of construction on site, including low-rise faculty buildings, infrastructure and associated works.

A fourth package, valued at SR1.5 billion, covering an 11-km monorail network to link the facilities, was awarded to a consortium led by Saudi Binladin Group and Ansaldo STS and AnsaldoBreda, part of Italy’s Finmeccanica Group.
Saudi Binladin Group has awarded Vision Electro Mechanical Company an SR1.31 billion (US $349mn) MEP sub-contract.

Next: 200 schools and Masdar Institute of Science & Technology

Saudi Arabia 200 schools project
Developer: Ministry of Education
Estimated value: US $535 million

Description: In July 2009, Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Education contracted China Railway 15 Bureau Group to build 200 schools around Saudi Arabia. The contract award is part of a wider plan to build 3200 new schools at a projected cost of SR 20 billion.

Masdar Institute of Science & Technology (MIST)
Developer: Masdar City
Estimated value: US $500 million

Description: Despite talk about the rest of the Masdar project being scaled down, MIST is under development and scheduled for completion in 2010. A joint venture of Al Ahmadiah Contracting & Trading and Hip Hing Construction Company was awarded the main construction contract in August 2008. ETA Ascon and WSP Group are listed as consultants on the project and CH2M Hill is the project manager.

Next: King Saud and Ras Laffan

King Saud University Housing Project
Developer: King Saud University
Budget: US $450 million

Description: Rashid Trading & Contracting was appointed in 2009 to build twelve new towers and several hundred villas for the university in Saudi Arabia. The project is scheduled for completion in early 2012.

Ras Laffan Emergency & Safety College
Developers: Qatar Foundation; Texas A&M University; Qatar Petroleum
Estimated value: US $302 million

Description: Ras Laffan Emergency & Safety College is being to built to house around 250 students and 150 staff. It is designed to allow the realistic simulation of various accident scenarios, including an emergency at a petrochemicals factory, a shipping incident and road crashes. Black Cat Engineering & Construction and SEG Qatar are the main contractors and Tebodin is the main consultant. Construction is underway and scheduled for completion in early 2011.

Next: New York in Abu Dhabi

New York University in Abu Dhabi
Developer: Mubadala
Estimated budget: Not disclosed

Description: New York University in Abu Dhabi is due to move to its permanent home on Saadiyat Island in 2014. Construction of the campus is expected to begin this year, with contract awards still pending. Rafael Vinoly Architects and Philip Habib & Associates are the consultants on the project.

The project grabbed headlines when New York University (NYU) insisted that all companies involved in the construction of the campus follow strict guidelines related to treatment of workers.

These include set working hours, that overtime is paid and voluntary and that workers are entitled to paid holidays. Employers must cover or reimburse any recruitment costs accrued by employees and companies are prohibited from withholding personal documents such as passports.