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News / May 06 2011 - Baha Mar Resort Complex Breaks Ground
An aerial rendering of the 1,000-acre Baha Mar resort complex.
Baha Mar Resort Complex Breaks Ground
On February 21, 2011, ground was broken on the US$3.5 billion Baha Mar resort complex on the Bahamian city of Nassau. Totaling 3.3 million square feet the Baha Mar resort complex comprises four associated but separately branded resorts, a 20-acre beach and pool experience, a 150,000 square foot convention center, retail village, three world-class spas, and a Jack Nicklaus golf course.
When completed in 2014, the resort complex will be the Caribbean’s largest single-phase destination resort. In total, the four resort properties – a 25-story casino resort hotel, a 25-story convention hotel, a 16-story lifestyle hotel, and a 12-story luxury hotel – will provide approximately 2,374 guest rooms, suites, residential units and villas.
Since November 2009 Rider Levett Bucknall has been providing construction cost advisory services to the lender on the project, the Export / Import Bank of China. Rider Levett Bucknall’s Initial Audit Report and constructability review provided verification of the project budget and schedule and focused on resources to control or contain project costs during construction. Rider Levett Bucknall’s role continues with monitoring the progress of the project’s aggressive 44-month construction schedule and processing payment of work complete against US$2.5 billion construction loan.
Gordon Glen from the Rider Levett Bucknall London office is heading up the on-site project monitoring team, which includes a schedule specialist,a contract advisor, and cost engineering specialist. Work on the project to date has revolved around the relocation of a main arterial beachfront highway, several office buldings, and a police and fire station which are being rebuilt in a new, commercial village before construction on the resort can commence. The completion of this portion of the project is critical to allow the construction of the four hotels,convention center and resort to commence.
“This project has been in planning and negotiation for many years,” said Martyn Bould, Rider Levett Bucknall’s Project Director for the Baha Mar project. “There is definitely an air of excitement, particularly in the community in Nassau, since the groundbreaking ceremony on this landmark project. Bahamians will benefit greatly both from the jobs created during construction and from permanent jobs at the completed resort.”
To date, 600 jobs have already been created on the project, with over 80 local contractors awarded work on projects involving the construction of the new commercial village and work to reroute the arterial infrastructure. Upon completion of the resort, Baha Mar will create over 8,000 permanent jobs for Bahamians, representing over $305 million in salaries and wages each year.
Speaking on Rider Levett Bucknall’s work to date, Tom Dunlap, Executive Vice President of Development and Construction at Baha Mar Ltd, said, “Since [Rider Levett Bucknall’s] initial mobilization they have been able to provide a fresh, skilled and independent review of the project statistics including budget, schedule and contractual content.”
“They have assisted not only here in the Caribbean with their on-site presence, but in Beijing as well where we are supported with their local and language-proficient network. We look forward to the continued collaboration over the months ahead,” added Mr. Dunlap.
News / May 06 2011 - Baha Mar Resort Complex Breaks Ground