Building contracting in Dubai Production City (formerly IMPZ) 

Building contracting in Dubai Production City (formerly IMPZ): local context

Dubai Production City, formerly the International Media Production Zone, is a free zone near Al Khail Road combining residential and office towers with light industrial and media-production facilities. It was largely developed from the mid-2000s. Manolia completed MEP for a 2B+G+15 tower with gym here. Plots here are mid-sized and tightly spaced, with towers sharing service roads and neighbouring construction sites.

• Projects fall under the Dubai Development Authority (DDA) approval channel, with Civil Defence review of fire and life safety systems.
• Office and media spaces require flexible electrical distribution, UPS-backed circuits and dedicated cooling for equipment-heavy rooms with high sensible loads.
• The area is inland and dusty, so condenser cleaning and filter access are planned into the design.

Building types we serve in Dubai Production City (formerly IMPZ)

For mid-rise residential and mixed-use buildings, the work concentrates on compact plant on the roof, car-park ventilation in podiums, metered apartment DBs and tight ceiling voids that make coordination drawings decisive.

Scope of work

• Site mobilisation, hoarding, temporary power and water, site offices and HSE set-up under our HSEMS, with logistics planned around crane positions, deliveries and neighbouring plots.
• Excavation, dewatering where groundwater requires it, shoring and foundations, including raft or piled foundations as designed by the structural engineer.
• Building envelope packages including curtain wall or window systems, cladding, shading elements and sealants, coordinated with specialist subcontractors.
• Finishes, joinery, external works and landscaping interfaces, with MEP installed and commissioned in sequence by the group's MEP companies.

Systems we install

• Reinforced concrete frames with post-tensioned or conventional slabs as designed.
• Basement waterproofing with membranes, waterstops and protection boards.

UAE site and climate challenges

• Concrete poured in summer heat loses water fast, risking plastic shrinkage cracks and lower strength. We schedule large pours for night or early morning, use chilled water or ice in mixes as specified, and keep wet curing going on slabs and columns.
• Facades face extreme solar heat and thermal movement between day and night. Sealant joints, bracket fixings and glass selection follow the facade engineer's movement and performance criteria, and water tests are carried out on sample areas before full installation.
• Facade system choice: unitised curtain wall installs faster with factory quality control, while stick systems are more flexible for complex geometry, smaller buildings and late design changes.

Relevant Manolia projects

Frequently asked questions