Building The Future

City Diamond Contracting is a part of many sustainability projects in the UAE, including the ones at Expo 2020 Dubai. Deepak Arora, Managing Director, takes us through the journey of the company

Can you provide a brief history of City Diamond Contracting?

City Diamond Contracting is over 30 years old. We are specialised in design and build projects and currently are a market leader in the industry. We have worked with major clients such as Emirates, ENOC, Volvo, Nissan, Black & Decker, P&G, Daimler to name a few. We have also built the India Pavilion at the Expo 2020 Dubai, which has a dynamic facade. We also built the Emirates Airline Pavilion, which showcases the future of aviation and has an extremely special interior package.

As the main contractor for the world’s first LEED certified gas station, what are the activities that City Diamond Contracting has planned?

City Diamond Contracting is the main contractor of the ENOC petrol station of the future at Expo 2020 Dubai. Our major activities are the structural works, glazing, MEP, interior fitout and finishes as well as the external works.

What does this project mean for City Diamond Contracting?

The project holds a special value in the history of CDC, we have been continu-ously working with the ENOC Group over the past decade and really value their trust in us by awarding their most prestigious Petrol Station to us. The project is also a one of a kind structure and we are proud of being able to deliver the project in a short timeline despite the challenges we faced.

With over 30 years of experience, this project marks a new phase for the company — sustainability. How does this resonate with the com-pany’s mission?

The company’s main mission is to Care — for the employees and families that work with us, as well as the world around us. We have carried out several LEED Gold and Platinum projects in Dubai and a project of this nature falls well into our values. Looking forward, sustainability is going to be a major driver in the way people design, build and operate their businesses and assets. Being a design and build contracting company, we closely monitor the progresses in tech-nology that we would be able to use in projects in order to help both us and our clients achieve their sustainable goals.

What are the challenges that you have faced while working on the ENOC project? Key takeaways?

The project was unique and challenging in terms of design, goals and timeline. The major challenge was to collaborate and ensure all project stakeholders are able to complete their works within the timeline and the required quality. The major takeaway is the confidence to carry out any kind of project by our team. We always look to push boundaries and add value to our clients’ projects and this project really encompasses this.

What are the upcoming projects in the pipeline for City Diamond Contracting?

We are very busy in the industrial and logistics sector, several prime luxury mansions for HNWI clients and are also building a Hindu Temple in Dubai. The project is located in Jebel Ali and will be a landmark building to represent the large Hindu diaspora from the Indian Subcontinent and beyond.