Satyendra Pathak
Doha
Almost 65 percent of the Qetaifan Island North project is complete and all projects related to the first phase of the development will be ready before the end of the third quarter of 2022, Qetaifan Projects Business Development Department Head Sheikh Nasser bin Abdulaziz Al Thani has said.
Talking to Qatar Tribune during a media tour to explore different projects that are being built on the island, Sheikh Nasser said, "Work on the first phase project package including the construction of a hotel, water park, the Icon Tower, the salt canal, the retail plaza, the mosque and the Beach Club is going as per schedule. All the facilities will be operational well before the start of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.”
"Much of the construction is complete, and we will begin a phased opening of the facilities from September, beginning with the luxury Beach Club. Once we get the required approvals from the government, we will start welcoming guests and residents before the start of the world cup,” he said.
In addition to being an iconic tourist, hospitality and entertainment destination for Qatar, the island will accommodate fans flocking to the 2022 World Cup in a blend of temporary and permanent accommodation.
Qetaifan Island North is the first offering by Qetaifan Projects, a subsidiary of Katara Hospitality. It was established in 2017 to support Qatar’s economic vision by building sustainable, intelligent cities.
Located off Lusail City, Qetaifan Island North is a 1.3 million sqm development which will provide a new waterfront destination for Qatar.
The island is considered as a unique development due its diversified projects, including a linear park which weaves throughout the island, and a 1.2 km salt canal linked to the sea, waterfront shopping and restaurants promenade, a waterpark complementing the theme of the oil and gas industry, a 15,400 sqm retail plaza and a 5-star hotel comprising 335 keys and 10 chalets.
Alongside these retail and leisure facilities there will be mixed-use residential buildings including 107 villas and over 3,650 apartments and penthouses. In addition, it will have a school, medical center, and a mosque.
Talking about the investment opportunities on the island, Sheikh Nasser said, "The Qetaifan Island project offers investment opportunities worth more than QR15 billion. The construction of the Qetaifan Island will cost the company over QR4 billion which includes development of 100 percent infrastructure and community facilities.”
Once fully operational, he said, the total capacity of the island will be almost 30,000 including visitors and residents.
"We believe the number of residents will be around 15000 in addition to daily visitors of almost 15000. The water park capacity will be almost 6500 at one given time,” he said.
"We have sold all the villa plots in two phases and we are currently in negotiation with certain real estate development players in the market locally, regionally and internationally to build residential complexes on the island,” he said.
Rixos Doha Qetaifan Island North Managing Director Stefano Capaccetti, who also accompanied the media during the tour, said Rixos Doha Qetaifan Island North will open on time for World Cup 2022 to welcome business, leisure and family guests into the luxurious property.
Rixos Doha Qetaifan will feature a 335-key hotel including a Souq of 11,000 sqm of leasing space, a Beach Club, a theme park and a waterpark, where visitors can enjoy panoramic views of the Arabian Gulf.
"This development is an excellent opportunity for us to expand our footprint in the region. This will be the first Rixos in Qatar and with the world cup taking place in 2022, we expect it to become a landmark for hospitality and leisure hotels in Doha,” he said.
Among other exciting attractions, guests will experience an adrenaline rush in the Icon Tower, the world’s highest tower of its kind with a height of 85 meter and 12 slides.
Sheikh Nasser said that the development of Icon Tower on the island is significant as it has already been registered for two world records attempts of tallest waterslide and most waterslides from a single tower.
Providing technical details about the waterpark project, Engineer Mustafa Al Cherkawi, construction engineer of the project, said, "The plot area for the waterpark project is 250,000 square meter. It has 21 towers, 26 buildings, 15 pools and 45 cabanas.”
Qetaifan Projects Chief Operating Officer Hesham Sharaf said that while family entertainment is at the heart of Qetaifan Island North, one of the most prominent development plans is the establishment of a private K-12 school and a medical center in the center of the island, one of the most important factors attracting investments.
Located on a 6,010sqm plot, the new premiere healthcare center, will provide 8,500sqm of state-of-the-art medical facilities and cutting-edge healthcare services.
The new British school will provide a 30,245sqm campus with a built-up area of 17,000sqm, comprising classrooms, main school hall, campus library with lounge areas, science and technology building, sports hall and school canteen/restaurant.
The school’s extensive playing fields, tennis courts and grounds will front on to the waters of the salt canal, and it is envisaged that in true British style, students will be able to learn Oxford and Cambridge style competitive rowing and leisurely riverboat punting on the canal.
Construction of both projects will start in parallel in the first quarter of 2022 and each will have a 24-month construction programme.
Providing an overall view of the project, Hisham said, "On an average 7,000 workers work onsite 24/7. We have completed 15 million man working hours. On an average 4,000 cars and vehicles enter and exit the site every day. We intend to finalise construction of all the assets at Qetaifan Island North soon and make them operational by September 2022.”