Any successful construction project starts with good site work. This step is extremely important as it literally lays the groundwork and helps minimize or eliminate potential future problems. There is no doubt that site work firms and GC’s across Boston have dealt with their share of tough conditions when starting a job, but how many of them can say they have built an island? Mounir Matraji of Terratec has spent nearly three decades handling site work, general contracting, and project management across the globe. After earning a degree in Civil Engineering from Manhattan College, Mounir went on to earn his Masters in Construction Management from Middle East Technical University in Turkey. He stayed in the Arabian Gulf and gained a wealth of experience during the height of the building boom working on everything from mega skyscrapers to key infrastructure, before heading to the US. Let’s take a look at his resume of sorts, covering some very complex, unparalleled experience.

Das Island, Abu Dhabi, UAE

Das Island, a small piece of land, about 100 miles north-west of the UAEs is primarily utilized for oil production and is inhabited by about 6,000 oil and gas industry personnel on a rotating schedule. The site work team worked to extend the small island by .8 square miles to make space for a new runway along with major residential buildings to house this workforce when on the island. To build this island addition, massive dredging and reclamation were required followed by stabilization of the newly formed land. Several methods were used to ensure stability including Vibro compaction, dynamic compaction, and Rapid Impaction compaction down to a depth of around 85 feet.

An aerial view of Das Island

Doha Cultural Development Project (KATARA)

The Katara Cultural Village is the largest cultural project in Qatar. With beautiful theatres, concert halls, exhibition galleries, and cutting-edge facilities, Katara aims to become a world leader for multi-cultural activities. To get this site ready for construction of these new facilities, Mounir worked on major bulk fill and soil stabilization for around 6.5M square foot of beach area along with the construction of two 105 foot mountains that created a one of kind landscaped terrain on which luxury homes were constructed. During this project, the team used an innovative technique to build the mountains in 12 ft lifts. They replaced the traditional method of fill compaction of 1 ft lifts using standard roller compacting with Rapid Impact Compaction saving time and money on the massive project.

Ghazlan II Power Plant Projects, 2,400 MW capacity

To meet increasing demand in Saudi Arabia The Saudi Consolidated Electricity Company constructed a new  2,400MW power plant at Ghazlan, on the coast of the Arabian Gulf. Mounir’s work on the project included major excavation, soil replacement, and mass bulk filling. The team performed dredging to lower the sea bed by 22 feet, then handled the massive soil exported needed. They also constructed a 2,500 ft breakwater dike that acts as a basin of water intake structure for the turbines. 

Al Kaheel Equine Park

At around 9 million square feet in total area, the Al Kaheel Equine Park was a key piece of the Dubai Land Development. Located in the Dubai Desert, the site was set to include a mix of uses including 400 luxury homes, a 150 room hotel, plus a world-class Equine Park. Although the project was never constructed due to the financial crisis of 2009, extensive earthwork and infrastructure on the site were nearly complete.

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With this wealth of unique experience from across the world, Mounir is now situated in Massachusetts and his team at Terratec has been handling complicated site work locally since 2003. His largest local project to date involved excavation, new infrastructure, retaining walls, and pavement across a 34-acre site in Middleborough in preparation for a multifamily complex. The Woodlands, on which Terratec also served as the GC, is now open featuring over 230 modern residences across 10 buildings. While they offer a full range of GC and project management services, Terratec began as a site work company and is always ready to assist in site work, foundations, concrete, and utilities. The Terratec civil team is led by highly professional and experienced personnel that have over 35 years of diverse experience in the field.

For more information Visit Terratec’s website to learn more or contact Mounir directly at mounir.matraji@terratecconstruction.com.