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    Dubai was a flourishing trading entrepot, but the rapid transformation of the city was aided by the wealth brought by the discovery of oil in 1966 which enabled the then Ruler of Dubai, the late Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum, to build the foundations for today’s modern city. Oil revenues were deployed to maximum effect, which allowed the development of an economic and social infrastructure, with education, health, roads, housing and women’s welfare all given major priority.

   That progress is continued today by the present Ruler, His Highness Sheikh Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum, and Dubai’s Crown Prince, HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, who have taken Dubai into the new Millennium with far-sighted plans to build on an already vibrant tourism industry and embrace the new global economy with projects such as Dubai Internet City and Dubai Media City.

   At the forefront of the development of Dubai has been Al Habtoor Engineering Enterprises, which has made a significant contribution to the city’s growth through the construction of landmark buildings - ranging from the world’s first seven star hotel, the Burj Al Arab, to hospitals and other social amenities.

   Managing Partner Riad Sadek recalls the days when the company first started in 1970 with a couple of small projects not exceeding 150,000 dirhams in value. Since then Al Habtoor Engineering Enterprises has grown from strength to strength as it acquired the confidence of clients and steadily built on a strong base of dedicated staff.

   “In 1970 the company had a workforce of no more than 100 people and today that number has grown to more than 8,000,” Mr Sadek said.

   The development of Dubai has gone hand-in-hand with the development of Al Habtoor Engineering Enterprises, which has played a major role in many of the city’s accomplishments.

   Few would doubt the phenomenal success of Dubai’s tourism industry, which has grown from nothing to become one of the world’s favourite upmarket destinations in just a few years. However, in order to develop a tourism industry you need the infrastructure in place to welcome guests from around the globe.

   Al Habtoor Engineering Enterprises made its name in the hospitality sector with the construction in 1994 of the prestigious Holiday Centre complex on Dubai’s Sheikh Zayed Road, which includes an office block, shopping mall, residential apartment block and a luxury hotel. Since then it has gone on to build some of Dubai’s most famous hotels – the 321 metre high Burj Al Arab (which was completed as a Joint Venture with Murray & Roberts), the 600-bedroom Jumeirah Beach Hotel, the Metropolitan Palace Hotel, the Dusit Hotel and many others.

   Another essential requirement in developing a tourism industry is having an airport which can handle a substantial influx of passengers, and the Dh 540 million Sheikh Rashid Terminal Concourse at Dubai International Airport is another impressive structure completed by Al Habtoor Engineering Enterprises as a Joint Venture with Murray & Roberts. The development has elevated the airport’s status to one of the most modern in the world and the envy of many cities across the globe.

   Dubai’s now diminishing oil revenues have seen the city diversify its economy to prepare for the days when the black gold runs out. Already 75 per cent of the emirate’s GDP is non-oil, which has been brought about through wise leadership and the foresight to develop not only tourism, but also commerce and, more recently, e-commerce.

   The new digital age has been welcomed by Dubai and Al Habtoor Engineering Enterprises played a major role in the construction of Dubai Internet City, which is home to the regional offices of the world’s major technology companies, as well as the budding programmers and entrepreneurs who are driving the digital economy forward.

   With the economic growth of Dubai has come a rapidly expanding population whose social needs have been cared for by the State with modern education and healthcare facilities. Again Al Habtoor Engineering Enterprises has been at the forefront of this development with the construction of, among others, the New Dubai Hospital, Rashid Hospital and the Al Wasl Maternity and Paediatrics Hospital.

   Housing is another major factor and the company completed the 29-storey Dubai Creek Tower, an impressive high-rise residential and office complex, in 1995, and has also constructed a number of other residential towers, as well as villa complexes and worker accommodation blocks.

   The needs of citizens and residents has also seen the construction of part of the ongoing expansion at the Jebel Ali Power Station and Desalination Plant to provide increasing amounts of electricity and water, as well as shopping malls and office buildings, including the impressive Kendah House skyscraper on the Sheikh Zayed Road.

   The company’s well-earned reputation in the Dubai market has seen it expand its operations into other emirates with the construction of high-rise towers, palaces and military works in Abu Dhabi, major new shopping malls in Sharjah and Abu Dhabi - including the capital’s Dh 255 million Marina Mall - while ongoing projects include ADNOC’s new headquarters on the Abu Dhabi Corniche and a new headquarters for the National Bank of Abu Dhabi.

   One significant success has been the astonishing Officer’s Club in Abu Dhabi, where an estimated 60,000 square meters of quality wood and marbles have been laid under the largest shell span of its type anywhere in the world. In concept and size, the roof structure of the club could well be a candidate for the Guiness Book of Records. “The company has undertaken many landmark projects, both in the UAE and abroad”, says Mr. Riad Sadek, “ However my favourite is the Armed Forces Officers Club, which is by any standard an engineering achievement.”

   There has also been a major expansion overseas. Mr. Sadek explained: “Al Habtoor Engineering Enterprises has had a presence in Jordan since 1982, where it has undertaken many projects of sizeable magnitude, Bahrain where the company has undertaken the construction of the Gulf University, currently we are working in Egypt and we are participating in tenders in Qatar and Lebanon. In general, we primarily look at the regional market, which includes the Gulf countries, Egypt, Sudan, Syria, Lebanon and Jordan.”

   The company is currently engaged in a number of major projects at home and abroad including the constructing of the Dh 825 million San Stefano Residential Complex in Alexandria as a Joint Venture with Murray & Roberts and Egyptian partner SIAC as well as the Alexandria City Center for Majid Al Futtaim, while closer to home the Joint Venture is continuing its work in the leisure industry with the Jaber Complex/Shangi-La Hotel on Sheikh Zayed Road in Dubai, which is due for completion next year at a cost of Dh 302 million.

   There are also a number of exciting new projects in the pipeline with Al Habtoor Engineering Enterprises having recently won a number of major contracts, including the Al Raha Hotel Building Complex at Raha Beach in Abu Dhabi, where project manager Mohammed Sadek will oversee the Dh 164 million construction of a 80,000 square metre shopping center and 78,000 square metre hotel within 14 months. 

   Other new contracts include the construction of staff accommodation blocks worth Dh 117.28 million for ADCO at Bu Hasa; a new Dh 84.38 million VIP grandstand and other work to upgrade club facilities at the Al Ain Sports Club; the refurbishment of a hangar at Dubai International into a mail distribution center; the Dh 275 million expansion to the Bur Juman Centre and most recently the new Higher College of Technology for men in Dubai, at a value of Dh. 113.3 million.

   According to Mr. Sadek, the company relies on the basic principles of quality and professionalism as it continues to contribute to the development of Dubai and the United Arab Emirates.