Laing O’Rourke bags $180mn Expo 2020 contracts

Construction firm to build two pavilions and an access road

Expo 2020 Dubai has awarded two major construction contracts worth a combined AED 670mn ($182.4mn) to Laing O’Rourke.

Under the terms of the agreement, the UK-headquartered firm will build Expo 2020’s Leadership and Media Pavilions, and the event’s ‘Hammerhead’ access road to Al Wasl Plaza.

The company will also be responsible for carrying out associated mechanical, electrical and plumbing works.

Al Wasl Plaza will form the centrepiece of Expo 2020’s 4.38sqkm site in Dubai South. It will include a massive steel trellis dome, the contract for which was awarded to Cimolai Rimond ME in November 2017.

Ahmed Al Khatib, Senior Vice President of Real Estate and Delivery at Expo 2020 Dubai, said: “We are delighted to announce Laing O’Rourke as the main contractor for these important two contracts. The company was selected from among strong international competitors due to its keen understanding of our technical and commercial requirements. It has a long and prestigious history within the UAE construction sector.

“These projects will be constructed in close proximity to the UAE Pavilion and other pavilions. This area is already a hive of construction activity, with all of these projects being built simultaneously. With this in mind, close collaboration between construction companies on site will be vital to coordinate logistics and ensure that work continues according to our schedule.”

Expo 2020’s Leadership and Media Pavilions will be transformed into hotels post-Expo, as part of the District 2020 legacy development project.

The Hammerhead, so called because of its distinctive shape, will house a ramped access road for Expo 2020’s truck tunnel – a subterranean road that will run underneath Al Wasl Plaza. It was designed by Pasadena-based Parsons Corporation.

Construction related to Expo 2020 is expected to reach its peak towards the end of 2018 and early 2019. There are already about 12,000 people working across all projects on the site; this figure is expected to grow to 35,000 by early 2019.