Arab Contractors, the Egyptian construction firm, has said that it has poured the concrete foundation of the new parliament headquarters in the country’s anticipated administrative capital city.

Covering a total area of 148,000sqm, the new headquarters is located in the ministerial district, which will also include ministries, government agencies and the president’s office.

The new headquarters consists of an eight-storey main building, with two domes spanning more than 18,000sqm, Mohsen Salah, chairman of Arab Contractors, said in a report by Amwal Alghad.

“Our volume of businesses in the new administrative capital city is worth more than $567.1 million, as it involves utilities works, 78 residential buildings, roads, and some major facilities in the ministerial district,” he explained.

In 2015, Egypt announced plans to construct a new metropolis 45km east of Cairo. The project is one of several announced by President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to help develop the economy and create jobs for a growing population of 91 million people.