Building contracting in International City 

Building contracting in International City: local context

International City is a large low- and mid-rise community off the Al Ain Road and Emirates Road, organised into country-themed clusters of apartment buildings with ground-floor shops, alongside trading and warehouse areas such as Dragon Mart. Built from the mid-2000s, it offers some of Dubai's most affordable housing and is densely occupied. Maintenance and refurbishment are a big part of the MEP workload here.

• Low-rise apartment blocks typically run split or packaged units, so refurbishments focus on replacing ageing outdoor units, fixing condensate drainage and upgrading electrical distribution.
• Approvals may run through Dubai Municipality or Trakhees depending on the cluster, with Civil Defence review for fire systems in retail and warehouse areas.
• The open inland setting brings dust and heat, so outdoor equipment needs regular coil cleaning and adequate shading.

Building types we serve in International City

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

• Pre-construction review of IFC drawings, specifications and soil reports, flagging buildability issues, missing details and conflicts between structural, architectural and MEP drawings before mobilisation.
• 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.
• Finishes, joinery, external works and landscaping interfaces, with MEP installed and commissioned in sequence by the group's MEP companies.

Systems we install

• Curtain wall, window wall or punched window facade systems with thermal performance specified.
• Fire-rated walls, doors and penetration sealing for compartmentation.

UAE site and climate challenges

• Basements in coastal Dubai and Sharjah often sit near or below groundwater with saline content that attacks reinforcement. Dewatering is planned with permits, membranes and waterstops are inspected before backfilling, and concrete cover is checked against the design.
• Sand and wind carry dust into fresh plaster, paint and MEP equipment. We sequence wet trades and finishing so building envelope closure comes first, and protect installed equipment until handover.
• Separate main contractor and MEP contractor versus a combined package: a combined package removes interface disputes and aligns programmes, while separate contracts give the client more direct control and visibility of each trade.

Relevant Manolia projects

Frequently asked questions