Mirdif City Centre opened on 16th March, on time, marking yet another successful project delivered for client Majid Al Futtaim Properties, and a partnership with Mace that has lasted over 11 years. Mace provided project management services to this new Dhs3bn (£534m), 196,000 square metre mall.

With 85% of 430 retail stores open for business on its opening day, the mall was completed in just over two years: a major achievement for the construction industry in the UAE region.

The Mirdif City Centre journey started for Mace in January 2007 with the approval of the master plan. Mace project director Mark Kennedy said, "To design, procure and construct a 3,000,000 square foot mall, 7,000 car park spaces, 132 Kv substation, nine 11kv substations, a 54MW district cooling plant, the local road network, a major motorway interchange over a 12-lane highway and have more than 350 shops trading by the opening day of 16th March 2010 is a major challenge, even in one of the most dynamic cities in the world where everything can seem possible."

One of Mirdif City Centre's distinct points of difference is its approach to sustainability and the environment. The mall will be the first shopping centre in the Middle East to achieve a gold rating for LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design): the sustainability rating system developed by the US Green Building Council.

The mall has also opened the family entertainment centre, Magic Planet, as well as the leisure facility Aquaplay. Aquaplay is a water-based edutainment facility featuring water games and rides aimed at children aged between two and eight. At the other end of the mall will be Playnation: an entertainment zone for children and adults with interactive leisure concepts such as iFLY Dubai, an indoor skydiving centre, Soccer Circus, a fully interactive football attraction, Cite des Enfants, an interactive learning zone for children, and Yalla! Bowling, a 12-lane cosmic tenpin bowling alley.

Mace has worked with Majid Al Futtaim for more than 11 years, providing project management services on more than 30 projects across the UAE, Oman, Bahrain and Egypt.

Mark Kennedy added, "It is a credit to the whole of the Mace team which, in true Mace spirit, rose to all the challenges to deliver this large, high quality project and ensured a very successful opening for our long term client Majid Al Futtaim Properties, which continues to raise the bar in shopping mall standards."