Gulf Cooperation Council construction market to hit a record $144 billion in 2016

DUBAI: According to the EC Harris report - Middle East Major Construction Programmes - mega-projects in the GCC will reach $1 trillion by 2030.

The report pegs the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) construction market hitting a record of $144 billion in 2016, driven by mega-projects like World Expo 2020 in Dubai and FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar.

The UAE has $90 billion in capital development projects, according to EC Harris, while Qatar is the fastest-growing construction and infrastructure market in the GCC, set to spend $24 billion on infrastructure in 2015, according to BMI Research.

"The GCC being one of the world's fastest-growing construction markets demonstrates the potential for how technology will enable the region's architects, engineers, and field managers to drive innovation, collaborate and meet strict code compliance across the design, build, and operation of the country's projects," said Paul Wallett, area business director, Tekla Middle East.

Middle East projects that have used Tekla Building Information Modeling (BIM) technology to deliver precise and complex planning and fabrication include the Abu Dhabi Airport and the King Abdullah Financial District and King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture in Saudi Arabia.

Tekla Structural Designer enables engineers to analyse and design multi-material buildings.

GCC member states are Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.