HanmiGlobal is embarking on a large-scale new city development project in Kuwait. On the 26th, HanmiGlobal announced that it had won the construction project management (PM) service contract for the Abdullah New City project from the Korea Land and Housing Corporation (LH), which is in charge of overall project management for the development of Abdullah New City in Kuwait.
Abdullah New City is located 30 km west of downtown Kuwait, with a site area of 64.4 km² (approximately 20 million pyeong), which is three times the size of Bundang New City. The desert land currently used for grazing sheep and camels is set to be transformed into a residential-centered new city with about 46,000 households. The total project cost amounts to 24 trillion KRW.
HanmiGlobal will be responsible for the PM of the residential complex site and infrastructure development project in Abdullah New City until January 2027. The service fee is 9.7 billion KRW. Key tasks include establishing the project budget, creating the master schedule, building the Project Management Information System (PMIS), and supporting procurement and technical operations.
The Kuwaiti government announced 'New Kuwait 2035,' a mid- to long-term development strategy including new city construction, in 2017. Housing supply is one of the biggest challenges in Kuwait. Due to the current shortage of supply, the waiting list for free housing provided to citizens upon marriage reaches 90,000 households.
At that time, LH secured the master plan establishment and detailed design service contract for Abdullah New City and completed it last year. Recently, LH signed an overall project management contract for Abdullah New City with the Kuwait Public Authority for Housing Welfare and has been negotiating with HanmiGlobal to perform the PM services.
HanmiGlobal has accumulated extensive project management experience and know-how in the Middle East, including Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. It is currently undertaking eight construction projects related to NEOM City in Saudi Arabia and is managing the PM for a large-scale mixed residential complex development project in the Diriyah area. In Kuwait, HanmiGlobal executed the construction project for the Korean Embassy in 2009 and the integrated security system installation project for oil well facilities across Kuwait in 2010.
Abdullah New City will be developed as a smart city featuring townhouses, apartments, community facilities, public facilities, and advanced technologies such as home Internet of Things (IoT). Future collaboration and market entry by LH and domestic construction companies are anticipated.
A HanmiGlobal official stated, "Winning the Abdullah New City project will serve as a catalyst to establish a new local corporation and actively expand our business in Kuwait. We also plan to expand our Saudi Arabia corporation to continue advancing into Kuwait and other Middle Eastern countries."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
