Construction Sites | August Issue no. 85 by Qatar Construction Sites

SITES C o n s t r u c t i o n

I ssue N o .85 - A ugust 2014

Monthly Construction news, tenders, project focus, and forthcoming exhibitions in Qatar

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Construction

SITES

Qatar

Ashghal prequalifies contractors for dewatering on construction sites

he Public Works Authority (Ashghal) has released a list of contractors who have been qualified to work on groundwater dewatering on construction sites. This was announced at a conference organized by Ashghal as part of an initiative that aims to improve the standards and procedures of groundwater dewatering on construction sites across Qatar. Addressing the conference, Ashghal Assets Affairs Director Hamad Mohamed Al Tamimi explained what the authority would expect from its partners in this area and the best cooperation methods. The conference saw the par-

ticipation of 23 prequalified groundwater dewatering contractors, in addition to the manager and representatives from the Drainage Networks Operations and Maintenance Department in Ashghal. The prequalified contractors will be able to request permits to use groundwater and surface water drainage networks operated by the Public Works Authority and work in partnership with it. The goal of prequalifying these contractors is to enhance and accelerate the groundwater dewatering processes and standards and provide both Ashghal and the contractors with the opportunity to work

in partnership to exchange expertise and put more efficient processes to use. Ashghal has confirmed that there is room for improvement in how construction sites, where groundwater dewatering works take place, are managed and for increasing its contribution in reducing the effect of these works on environment. The conference provided an opportunity for discussions between both parties about how the permit process works and how standards could be raised to ensure the protection of Ashghal’s assets and environment, together with the effective management of projects being supported.

Mr. Hamad Mohamed Al Tamimi, Director of Assets Affairs addressing attendees

Ashghal begins sewerage renovation in Najma area

he Public Works Authority (Ashghal) has started renovation of the sewerage network in inner Doha, specifically in Najma. It is estimated to be completed in the fourth quarter of next year. The Najma area has seen a large increase in population that requires renovation and expansion of all its sewer facilities and replacing them with a higher-capacity network that will be sufficient for the next 50 years. The project’s short-term goal is to find a permanent solution for the sewerage water overflow and accommodate the increase in population in Najma. The old sewerage network, which was built earlier to meet the requirements of a limited number of residents, is not sufficient for the current bigger sewerage flows. The project’s long-term goal is to rehabilitate the sewerage network in inner Doha, especially the southern areas where the population has reached close to one million. The project will support the economic and social development in those areas through increasing the current networks capacity, developing them and connecting them to more efficient, environment friendly pump stations with fewer emissions. As part of the project, all old sewerage pipelines measuring 150 to 400mm in diameter will be replaced with new pipelines

with a higher capacity between 200 and 1,200mm in diameter. This will result in the improvement of the sewerage network efficiency in the area and subsequently lead to controlling the environmental dangers that are caused due to sewerage overflow. In addition to improving the social life of residents, the project will considerably contribute to sustaining the environment. The project is located in south of Doha and is bordered by BRing Road in the north, C-Ring Road in the south, Al Matar Street in the east and Najma

Street in the west. Works will include replacement of 20km of pipelines and about 500 sewer access manholes that allow access to the sewerage pipelines for maintenance. In addition to this, about 1,000 house and commercial connections in the area will be renovated. Ashghal is now working on several major sewerage projects with an aim to provide the entire country with an urban sewerage network, in addition to expanding and building pump stations while maintaining and rehabilitating existing ones.

C-Ring road development work is progressing fast

The Public Works Authority (Ashghal) has made considerable progress on the construction of the first phase of the C-Ring Road development project. The Umm Ghuwailina Roundabout, also known as the VIP roundabout, has been removed and converted to an intersection. Ashghal is now laying the prefinal layer of asphalt on the newly-added lanes on this intersection and will soon start installing traffic lights and connecting them to the Intelligent Transportation System (ITS). As part of the project, Ashghal has diverted and protected the existing infrastructure utilities

in the area and upgraded them, in addition to laying asphalt on both sides of the road stretching from Umm Ghuwailina Roundabout to Najma intersection. The first phase of the project, which started in May this year, stretches from Umm Ghuwailina Roundabout to midway between Najma and Al Mansoura intersections. It aims to widen the road to four lanes in each direction and convert Umm Ghuwailina Roundabout to a signal-controlled intersection. The full works on the first phase of the project are expected to be completed as per schedule in the third quarter of this year.

Laying the base layer of asphalt for phase 1 of the project which stretches from Umm Ghuwailina Roundabout to midway between Najma and Al Mansoura intersections. The project aims to widen the road from 3 to 4 lanes.

Diverting, protecting and upgrading existing infrastructure utilities in the area

The project involves a 6.3km stretch from C-Ring Road’s intersection with Salwa Road (Jabur bin Ahmed intersection) to Umm Ghuwailina Roundabout and consists of widening CRing Road from three lanes to four and converting a number of roundabouts to signal-controlled intersections. This is in addition to adding three new Uturns with pedestrian crossings before the intersections. To keep the public fully in-

formed about this vital project, Ashghal has implemented an integrated awareness program. Before the start of works on the project, project brochures in English and Arabic were distributed to all businesses in the area to inform people about the details of the project and a designated community liaison officer was appointed to respond to any related requests and enquiries. Since the commencement of

the project, Ashghal has solved a number of issues raised by the local community such as providing alternative parking space for businesses and coordination with companies to remove signage in the street to allow for construction works. A specialized company has been appointed to remove and relocate the Clock Tower at the VIP roundabout without damaging the structure. The Clock Tower will be reinstalled at a

location designated by the Ministry of Municipality and Urban Planning. The C-Ring Road development is part of a series of projects implemented by Ashghal to improve the network of local roads and expressways across the country. Road enhancement works include converting roundabouts to signal-controlled intersections and widening roads to increase capacity.

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Construction

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Qatar

SC tests open-air cooling system at World Cup Fan Zone The Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy (SC) enjoyed a successful launch of its cooled, open-air fan zone last month, as fans from across Qatar and the region turned up to watch the last 16 of the FIFA 2014 World Cup Brazil. The Brazil 2014 Fan Zone was cooled to an optimal temperature below 30oC during the scheduled match times utilizing a range of technologies. “Not only will the technology be used at the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar, it will also allow for

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countries with similar climates in the region to host major sporting events,” the committee said in a statement. Four cooling columns, located at strategic points within the venue, deliver cooled air into the fan zone. The flexible cooling system then responds to different climatic conditions, using a range of delivery methods, including: • Dedicated ventilation units providing sufficient cooled air to meet the internal condition across all of the occupied zones; • High-level jet nozzles restrict prevailing winds, while low level diffusers provide comfort for the spectators; • Mechanically adjustable dampers regulating the air with an external weather station providing real time data; • Cooling mist injected in to the venue, enhancing the evaporative cooling effect.

Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS)

According to the SC, the application of various cooling technologies in the Fan Zone will help SC engineers develop an understanding of how to create the perfect energy efficient system ahead of the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar. Over time, the system will be further enhanced and refined as other technologies are developed, with SC engineers investigating the feasibility of utilizing cooling capabilities for a variety of environmentally beneficial purposes. The fan zone features a fully retractable roof, allowing for the SC to test and research the cooling technology in a range of climatic conditions. The data collected during this testing phase will help ensure that efficient cooling technology is in place during the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar and that the technology developed will leave a lasting legacy for the country and others with similar climatic conditions.

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SITES Working together to build a legacy for future generations 6

Qatar

Construction

“What we are trying to do is encourage, through dialogue, the government to effectively nationalize the migrant labor supply”

he Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) conference, “Building a Legacy for Future Generations”, held in June in Qatar, was dominated by two main themes: infrastructure and how Qatar is developing world-class projects. This was balanced against the “Respect for People” agenda which looked at how large-scale projects should maintain high standards of health, safety and welfare of workers. The conference, attended by senior officials in Qatar and construction experts from across the globe, featured panel sessions on some of the key issues facing the construction sector worldwide. CIOB’s new President, Ghassan Aouad, commenting on the conference, said: “This is a great opportunity for Qatar and construction professionals from across the globe to share knowledge and to work together. Connecting CIOB members with the work that is going on here can only be a good thing.” Aouad was inaugurated as the president at the CIOB’s AGM in Qatar. Speaking about his appointment, Ghassan said: “It is a privilege to be presiding over an institute that’s the world’s largest and most influential body for construction management and leadership. I am fortunate to start my tenure as president in Qatar, a country that is very close to my heart and that has undergone

major development through creative and innovative construction and infrastructure projects in recent years. “However, we shouldn’t shy away from the well-publicized problems that face construction workers here and throughout the world. And during my presidency it is my aspiration to help stimulate change and promote a culture of respect for people and professionalism in our industry globally.” To learn more about how the CIOB can play a role in solving problems that face construction workers in Qatar and elsewhere, Construction Sites spoke to CIOB Senior Vice President-Middle East Andrew Robertson. What does it require for a professional to be approved as a CIOB member? There are a number of categories and criteria that has to be satisfied by people who haven’t got an accredited degree, but even the accredited degree itself isn’t assuring for the charter membership. You have to be able to exhibit and express and prove that you are a professional in whatever field in the construction environment you are working in. We go across a complete field of professionalism within the built environment and that’s great because we are driving people upwards and part of the process of becoming a chartered member means that you have to be pushed and do some hard work and

Professor Ghassan Aouad: CIOB’s new president

Ghassan Aouad: CIOB’s new President

that’s what we demand from all our chartered members. Ethical practice in engineering or construction was stressed by CIOB speakers. How do you judge that about your members? We don’t judge our members so much. I could say that because we are an all encompassing professional body, we bring people in from every aspect. We have people who are trained, experienced and who are qualified in each of these disciplines who revise the applications and judge them from a knowledge perspective, not just a box-ticking exercise. These are people who know what they are talking about because we are able to pull in all this expertise from our own organization and they submit it to the membership committee where they review submitted membership ap-

plications and all that. They know the level of expertise they are looking for. I think this is what we do, we keep moving the professional benchmark. We keep lifting it higher and higher all the time because we want to be seen and we are very jealous of our reputation as a very demanding professional institute. Our membership has to be the best. Workers conditions were among the topics discussed during your conference in Doha. Do you think that hosting conferences and discussions is the way to go to handle this issue? Not on its own, absolutely not. What we are doing of course is that we are fully supportive of the work that’s been made by Qatar Foundation. I think they are doing a great job in driving that forward. These

are the things that we are not seeing recognized outside and what I meant when I said “I want you to come here and listen” not “lecture to us. Come and listen to us”. We will take people to look at Barwa Al Baraha project to see the new accommodation built there for workers and to learn about Qatar Foundation’s workers charter. All of these are issues that we want people to take away, but we have to remain in constructive engagement with all those parties and influence them. It’s true there are some efforts to improve workers conditions that go unrecognized by other countries due to the stereotyping of Qatar, but it’s also true that most of the initiatives you mentioned are taken by government or semi-government organizations. How about private construction companies? What we are trying to do is encourage, through dialogue, the government to effectively nationalize the migrant labor supply. You get a lot of people from oversees, particularly the Indian subcontinent. Sometimes they are bringing in people to Qatar based on false promises and those sort of things, abuse them and make them live in accommodation that quite frankly isn’t fit. It’s then too late for workers when they come here. They can’t afford to go back on their own. Now if that is controlled by the government, the government can police and can ensure that all of the workers are catered for at the minimum acceptable levels.

Professor Ghassan Aouad, Vice President for Academic Affairs at the Gulf University for Science and Technology (GUST), has been inaugurated as the 111th president of the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB), succeeding Peter Jacobs. Prior to his role at GUST, Ghassan had spent 20 years at the University of Salford, holding several roles including Pro Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation. During that time he successfully supervised 24 PhD students, authored three major research books and published 92 papers in top rated journals. His experience has seen him teach and research subjects related to Information Modeling and Visualization, 3D simulation and process mapping within construction. He has an MSc in construction and a PhD in construction IT from Loughborough University and was also president of the University of Wollongong in Dubai. Ghassan was born and raised in Lebanon where he first studied for a degree in civil engineering at Beirut Arab University. He has worked and trained extensively in both the UK and Arab markets and has recently been named as one of the top10 academic leaders shaping education in the Middle East by the Middle East Economic Digest. Ghassan took over from outgoing president Peter Jacobs on June 16 this year.

Legal

Construction

SITES

Claims for disruption under Qatar Law

Introduction Disruption occurs where there is disturbance of the Contractor’s regular work and economic progress and/ or delay to a non-critical activity resulting in lower efficiency or productivity than would otherwise be achieved. It is a term used to describe adverse changes in working conditions to those anticipated at the time of entering into the contract. Common causes of disruption are out of sequence working, work area congestion, access restrictions and insufficient supervision. This article discusses advancing claims for disruption under contracts governed by Qatar law from a Contractor’s perspective. Disruption and delay Disruption can, but will not necessarily, cause delay to completion; as mentioned above, the impacted works may not be on the critical path to completion and/ or the Contractor may overcome the disruption by, for instance, mobilising additional resources. Productivity losses arise because the work progresses more slowly and irrespective of whether this causes delay to completion. If float is consumed then delay is caused (hence why matters of delay and disruption are often considered together). Disruption differs from delay in that it may not be immediately apparent that it is occurring. Loss of productivity may be apparent after the event, for example when the Contractor prepares his financial reports. Delay and disruption also arise from a differing nature of events. Delay claims commonly relate to events such as adverse weather or access denial which individually cause defined periods of delay. Disruption tends to deal with more indefinite matters such as difficult working conditions or short interruptions. This will lead to a different method of analysis being appropriate for each of the two types of claim. The costs that arise from disruption may differ from those arising from delay. Disruption commonly results in loss of productivity, and consequently the cost of engaging the additional labour, plant, equipment and materials required to progress and complete the

works. The costs arising from delay are those that increase as time elapses, namely, overheads, financing, utilities and plant costs. The loss caused by disruption can be considerable and can on occasion be the true cause of loss on a project. It also has the potential to increase the value of a claim advanced on the basis of delay. Disruption Claims A Contractor’s disruption claim must establish the following: (1) That there was, in fact, disruption of his activities; (2) The cause(s) of disruption attracts liability under his contract or for its breach; (3) How much disruption was caused; and (4) The sum that is required under the contract or by way of damages its breach to compensate him for the disruption. Disruption claims are notoriously difficult to establish due to the high evidential requirements for demonstrating disruption losses. Legal bases and causes of disruption There are two principal legal bases for a disruption claim: (1) claims pursuant to the terms of the contract giving a defined contractual entitlement; and (2) claims for breach of contract or a legal obligation, resulting in an entitlement to damages. The cause of disruption may differ depending upon the legal basis of the claim. 1. Under the contract. Contracts do not often expressly deal with disruption. Claims under express terms of a contract are therefore commonly claims for “loss and expense” or “payment of cost” resulting from a set of Employer risk events (for example, delayed possession or incorrect information). These matters may be dealt with in a number of contract clauses and may overlap with the list of events that entitle a Contractor to an extension of time. Using the FIDIC Red Book 4th Edition as an example, a disruption claim could be based on, amongst others, GC-6.4 (failure to issue design information or instructions); GC12.2 (unforeseeable physical conditions); GC-42.2 (delayed access); GC-52.1 (variations).

Laura Warren Laura Warren is a partner of the International Law firm, Clyde & Co LLP, in Doha. Laura has a wide ranging contentious and non contentious construction practice involving projects in Qatar as well as in the UAE, Oman, Bahrain, Libya, Egypt and Tunisia Laura is Co-ordinator for the Society of Construction Law (Gulf) in Qatar.

These clauses permit recovery of additional costs incurred or to be incurred (but not profit). 2. Breach of contractual/ legal obligation. Contractors often base disruption claims on Employer default. If an Employer disrupts the Contractor’s progress by breaching the terms of the contract (for example, by interfering with the Contractor’s methods or sequence of working or failing to deliver components he is bound to provide), the Contractor is generally entitled to claim additional costs resulting from disruption. It is important to identify a clear breach of contract. For example, in relation to access, an Employer’s access obligation may be limited to making physical access available at relevant times. If a third party prevents the Contractor from taking advantage of the availability of access, this does not necessarily constitute a breach by the Employer of his access obligation. Similarly, instructing a contractual variation is usually an Employer’s contractual entitlement rather than a breach of contract, and the Contractor should receive additional payment for executing the varied works, including compensation for any disruption he suffers as a result of the variation. A disruption claim may be advanced in the form of a breach of the legal obligation not to cause additional cost to the Contractor. This might be pursuant to Article 172(1) of the Qatar Civil Code which enshrines good faith as a fundamental obligation of parties to a contract under Qatar law, and Article 172(2) which provides: “(2) A contract is not restricted to binding a party to the contract to what is recorded in it, rather it deals with his obligations in accordance with the law, custom and equity, according to the nature of the obligation.” The other additional obligations are not specified in Article 172(2) but depend

upon the circumstances and might include requiring cooperation or an obligation not to hinder or prevent the Contractor from performing the contract. A “breach” based claim will be for compensation under the Qatar Civil Code. Such compensation may encompass delay costs (if completion is delayed) or the costs of overcoming the disruptive events. The Qatar Civil Code contains a number of provisions that may be appropriately used to found a disruption claim. In particular, Article 256 provides: “If a debtor does not fulfil an obligation in kind or he is late in doing so, he will be required to compensate such loss as is incurred by the creditor, unless he shows that the non-fulfilment or delay is the result of an external cause not of his making.” The basic principle in the performance of obligations is that the obligor must do so specifically, unless it is impossible for him to do so, and he will be liable to pay compensation unless it is established that the impossibility arose through an external cause in which he played no part. This rule may apply to delay by an Employer in the performance of his obligations resulting in the Contractor suffering disruption. Article 263 also provides: “(1) The court will determine the compensation if it is not determined by the contract or by a provision of the law. (2)The detriment will be considered a natural result if it was not possible for the creditor to guard against it by the exercise of reasonable effort.” The amount of compensation is assessed on the basis of the harm suffered by the Contractor, and his loss must be sustained as a “natural result” of the alleged wrongful act of the Employer. Equally, Qatar law imposes a duty upon a Contractor to mitigate his loss by exercise of “reasonable effort”. Disruptive events may not result in financial loss for a Contractor if his mitigation measures are entirely successful, and an Employer is entitled to argue that even if they were not, they should have been. Causation It is essential for a Contractor to identify the disruption attributable to each cause relied upon and then particularise and prove the same. Arguably, Qatar law has less stringent requirements and less jurisprudence relating to causation and damage that the common law. As noted above, assessment of compensation is a matter for the discretion of a judge rather than a matter of law. However, it is risky to simply present a series of complaints and a schedule of increased costs, and in the event of arbitration, an arbitral tribunal would likely require a Contrac-

tor to show that the disruptive events complained of caused the loss of productivity. As mentioned above, the evidential requirements for proving causation are high. The success of a disruption claim and the extent of recovery is dependant upon the quality of available supporting records and documentation. This is because the basis for a disruption analysis is understanding on a retrospective, and preferably day by day basis, what work was carried out, when it was carried out and what resources were used. (In fact, good record keeping usually gives rise to a better chance of recovering disruption costs during the course of the project in addition to any subsequent arbitration subject to complying with the relevant contractual notice/ procedural requirements). Records that are useful in analysing a disruption claim include, inter alia: site diaries, logs, daily returns, requests for information, written records of oral instructions, photographs and written witness testimony recording the day to day difficulties of carrying out the works. Proper allowance must be made for disruption caused by matters which are the Contractor’s responsibility including lack of adequate supervision, insufficient appropriately skilled labour poor site management and insufficient plant, equipment or materials. Quantification The Contractor should select the best method of making a sound assessment that reliably measures the value of a claim for grouped disruption events and this selection will largely be governed by the nature of the available records. In making any valuation, the Contractor should consider the cost structure of the priced Contract and in particular, the cost of labour, plant, materials and subcontractors directly related to execution of the works, along with preliminaries, overheads and profit. Commonly used methods include: the “measured mile” approach (which compares the productivity achieved on an un-impacted part of contract with that achieved on the impacted part); an “earned value” method (which uses standard outputs or norms to measure the productivity of a particular activities); use of model productivity curves and factors to estimate productivity losses; the “total cost” method (which is tantamount to a global claim for the difference between actual cost and contracted cost irrespective of causation); and the “modified global claim” which involves making allowances for tender inaccuracies and contractor inefficiencies or risk items. Conclusion Presenting and establishing a disruption claim is difficult. Primary evidence is required

Alexa Hall Alexa Hall is an Associate with the international law firm, Clyde & Co LLP, being based in the firm’s Doha branch, part of the Middle East Projects and Construction Group . She is also a member of the Society of Construction Law (Gulf) in Qatar. Alexa has experience of a mix of contentious and non-contentious construction and projects work spanning across a broad spectrum of sector specialisms including transport, development, financial institutions, local government, leisure & retail, education and healthcare. Clients include major contractors, sub-contractors, professional consultants, developers, institutional investors, local authorities and educational institutions.

to explain the nature of the disruption and its cause. To the extent that evidence is available and compelling, considerable work is then required to measure the extent of the disruption and its financial effect on the Contractor. In addition to these inherent difficulties, the approach taken by an Employer mirrors the method of establishing the claim; he will likely exploit the difficulty a Contractor has in establishing causation and quantification by any or all of the following: (a) Demonstrating the Contractor’s failure to show how the disruption complaints actually caused loss; (b) Advancing a positive case on how the disruption occurred due to matters that were the Contractor’s responsibility; (c) Attacking the claim for a lack of substantiation by records; (d) Relying on lack of notice of the claim in breach of contract. For these reasons, it is essential that a Contractor presents his best possible case on the legal bases, cause and effect for his disruption claim. Note: All Qatari Laws (save for those issued by the Qatar Financial Centre (QFC) to regulate its own business) are issued in Arabic and there are no official translations, therefore for the purposes of drafting this article we have used our own translation and interpreted the same in the context of Qatari regulation and current market practice. Should you have any questions in connection with this article or the legal issues it covers, please contact Alexa Hall of Clyde & Co LLP at alexa. hall@clydeco.com.qa or Laura Warren of Clyde & Co LLP at laura.warren@ clydeco.com.qa

SITES Safety milestone for Dukhan Highway Central project 8

Construction

Qatar

he Public Works Authority (Ashghal) and its contracting company CCC/Teyseer, working on Dukhan Highway Central expressway, have celebrated a key milestone achieved by reaching 25 million man-hours without loss time injury (LTI). “This achievement comes as a result of Ashghal’s comprehensive and stringent health and safety measures which are included in the pre-qualification process for contractors applying to work on any of the Authority’s projects,” says an Ashghal release. “Ashghal follows a strict procedure to award contracts only to companies that assure compliance.” To comply with Ashghal’s health and safety requirements at work zones, the contractor CCC/Teyseer raised the safety bar by introducing a robust program of safety and traffic management, which has been highly effective in delivering Ashghal’s health and safety objectives, the release says. The program included the provision and use of the first crash cushion, European-approved and -tested temporary barriers both metal and concrete including accredited installation, specialist road side working safety training accredited to UK and European standard and certified accordingly. These initiatives included intensive health and safety discussions and awareness sessions,

weekly management inspections, access control for subcontractors, emergency support vehicles, site notice boards and other related procedures. Ashghal says it lays major emphasis on achieving high standards of health and safety at work zones to ensure a secure working environment for workers across all of its projects. “The Authority imposes a number of health and safety mea-

sures as prequalification prerequisites for all contractors wishing to apply for any of its projects’ tenders,” the release points out. “Contractors are required to submit a clear health and safety plan detailing their health, safety and environment (HSE) guidelines to be considered in the tendering process.” Targeted communication campaigns are regularly rolled out

every month across the Expressway Program to focus attention to areas that promote improved health and safety standards for workers. Ashghal’s Expressways Program has set of health and safety procedures and policies across all projects to ensure commitment and compliance from all contractors to achieve zero per cent incidents, inju-

Canadian firm to help organizations in Qatar meet their security needs

ancouver-based company Avigilon Corporation has given a presentation at the Canadian Embassy in Doha on its innovative end-to-end security solutions. The event was attended by security personnel from several companies in Qatar as well as public sector organizations. The presentation demonstrated what Avigilon can do for organizations in Qatar to help them meet their security needs. “Avigilon is reinventing video surveillance with their products,” said John Rodney, the Chargé d’Affaires at the Canadian Embassy.

“Their end-to-end security solutions are leading the industry and there are simply few firms, if any, that can do what they do. We’re proud to have this Canadian firm to help keep Qatar safe for its citizens and residents.” Avigilon has provided security solutions to its customers in a variety of industry sectors in Qatar and the Middle East, including government, critical infrastructure, education, healthcare and others. Avigilon is also a major security solutions provider for over 100 stadiums worldwide including Rogers Stadium in Toronto, Canada (50,000 seats) and

First Direct Arena in the UK (13,500 seats). Avigilon Corporation is defining the future of protection through innovative end-to-end security solutions. Avigilon’s industry-leading HD network video management software, megapixel cameras, access control and video analytics products are reinventing the security market. Canadian companies have been involved in many infrastructure projects in Qatar, including Hamad International Airport, Sidra Medical and Research Center, the National Library, Msheireb Development, Lusail Marina and Lekhwiya Stadium.

shall monitor the effectiveness and compliance of the theme. This is in addition to imposing a group of mandatory requirements for laborers’ accommodations and health services. Last June, Ashghal announced achieving a similar milestone at the Lusail Expressway project that reached 10 million manhours without LTI. Ashghal’s HSE reports ob all projects show a considerable reduction in work accidents. The Dukhan Highway Central project is an integral part of Ashghal’s Expressway Program that will create one of the world’s most impressive urban road networks. The project is managed by KBR as the program management consultant and WS Atkins as the supervision consultant. A substantial section of the Dukhan Highway Central has already been opened to the public. The Dukhan Highway Central project includes the construction of 15km of a new highway starting from west of the existing Al Wajbah Interchange and ending east of the town of Al Sheehaniya. The project comprises a dual carriageway with four lanes in each direction, service roads and a cycle track in both directions. Commenced in the second quarter of 2011, the QR1 billion project is estimated to be complete in the fourth quarter of 2016.

ries, environmental harm, and no security breaches on the expressway projects. In parallel to this, a campaign titled “Raising the safety bar 2014” has been launched across the Expressway Program which includes six monthly themes to be implemented by construction contractors every month. The supervision consultant

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Viewpoint

Infrastructure projects planning and scheduling: challenges and opportunities More robust scheduling methodologies should be used to overcome the challenges facing the Qatar construction industry By Hassan Emam and Peter Farrell Projects in many industries suffer from time and cost overruns. Construction projects, in particular, have a bad reputation for frequently exceeding their budget and falling into delay. The most frequent cited cause of delay is attributed to ineffective planning and scheduling of projects. The ambitious infrastructure plans announced by the Qatari government will magnify the impact of the time and budget overrun, if projects are not planned and controlled effectively and efficiently. This article discusses the shortfalls in current scheduling practices and recommends alternatives. The vast majority of construction planners use the Critical Path Method (CPM). Moreover, on most large projects in Qatar, the use of CPM is mandated in contracts. CPM is an activity and networkbased deterministic time optimization technique that was developed in 1959. This definition reveals three aspects of the technique, that lie in the terms “Time Optimization”, “Network” and “Deterministic”. The anatomy of these three terms will be defined to illustrate the problems lying behind them. Time optimization Usually planners and construction practitioners define the critical path as the sequence of activities that cannot be delayed if projects are to finish on time. The main problem lies in the time orientation of the technique and ignoring other factors that affect projects. These factors can be summarized as uncertainties, objectives (i.e. cost optimization and resource leveling), constraints (i.e. resource availability), or more advanced factors that can be traded-off such as time, cost, quality, safety and environment. Network-based technique Construction projects in general and infrastructure projects in particular have repetitive operations. Examples of types of projects with repetitive operations are: roads, highways, tunnels, pipelines and railways. The aforementioned project types with their specific repeti-

Hassan Emam Hassan Emam MBA, PSP is a planning and scheduling professional with diversified experience in construction. His has a diversified industry experience in variety of projects such as residential, commercial, airports, bridges, marine, and railway. Currently, he is PhD candidate at the University of Bolton. he2mpo@bolton.ac.uk

tive properties are usually referred to as “location-based projects”. The repetition in such projects emphasizes the cons of modeling them using CPM. The current practice of producing schedules is breaking down projects by location (every constant distance), creating sub-networks of activities for each location then creating relationships between the subnetworks. The described process leads to extremely large schedules that require a lot of professional time to maintain. Consequently, project planners’ attention is diverted to managing schedules rather than managing projects. Deterministic scheduling The term “deterministic” refers to certainty in schedule assumptions. In real-life scheduling, there is no certainty about assumptions. In reality, the vast majority of assumptions are uncertain. Examples of uncertainty are: productivity rates of equipment and manpower, delivery dates for materials, weather, and laws and regulations. The traditional CPM method ignores the aforesaid uncertainties and deals with all assumptions as deterministic. In some instances, CPM schedules are subject to schedule risk analysis; however, this is a separate process done in isolation of

schedule preparation. Recommended practice In the previous section of this article the weaknesses of traditional CPM scheduling methods are investigated. It is the intention of this section to propose solutions to the earlier identified disadvantages. Scheduling techniques are not limited to CPM. There are a plethora of methods and algorithms developed to satisfy different scheduling requirements, e.g. Program Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT), Line-of-Balance (LOB), and Linear Scheduling Methods (LSM). The decision to be made is to select the proper scheduling method that fits your purpose. There are decision-making algorithms that are suitable for trade-off problems. Trade-off scheduling problems consider conflicting objectives such as time and cost. Whenever time is reduced cost will consequently increase. The schedule objectives can be to minimize or maximize any of the following: time, cost, quality, safety, and interruption time. Meanwhile, trade-off will be a combination of two or more of the aforesaid objectives. Constraints Satisfaction Prob-

Figure 1: Line-of-Balance vs. Linear Scheduling representation

lem (CSP) is scheduling problems that seek feasibility rather than optimality. The regular constraints can be project completion date, resource availability (i.e. manpower, equipment, budget and materials), resource leveling, and resource allocation problems. The selection of the scheduling methodology shall be mandated by objectives and constraints in the scheduling problem. Location-based scheduling technique The problem of network scheduling in repetitive projects as discussed earlier can be resolved by changing the schedule representation. Several studies have established that using alternative methods to the traditional methods can be more efficient and effective. These studies proposed two methods: LSM and LOB. LSM is derived from LOB with minor differences in representation. The LOB is usually used in non-linear projects with repetition such as high-rise buildings or housing. Meanwhile, LSM is preferred in linear projects with repetitive activities. A sample of both methods is shown in Figure 1. Considering Uncertainty

Uncertainties in schedules exist in almost every element. Productivity rates, manpower availability, activity duration, equipment breakdown and material availability are examples of schedule uncertainty. Dealing with uncertainty requires that we change scheduling methods from being deterministic to what is called stochastic (probabilistic) scheduling. The uncertainties are accounted for by specifying a range of uncertain parameters in schedules. An example is duration, where schedules are computed with stochastic durations in a range such as optimistic, most probable and pessimistic. These estimates are then used through different methods such as PERT, Monte-Carlo simulation, and chance constrained programming to calculate schedule completion dates along with a level of confidence. Conclusion Existing scheduling practices are naïve and cannot be used to manage complex projects effectively and efficiently. The shortfalls of current practice, identified in this article, should be considered a driver for change. More robust scheduling methodologies should be used to

Dr Peter Farrell

Dr Peter Farrell MSc FCIOB, FRICS is a Reader at the University of Bolton. He supervises research and teaches in construction and commercial management. His industry training was in planning and quantity surveying, whilst most of his post-qualification work was as a contractor’s site manager.

overcome the challenges facing the Qatar construction industry. The adaptation of the proposed methodologies - among others that are not mentioned here due to space restrictions - can be a considerable opportunity for companies to gain competitive advantage over their rivals. *Hassan Emam and Peter Farrell may be contacted on e-mails at: he2mpo@bolton. ac.uk and P.Farrell@bolton. ac.uk respectively.

Region

Construction

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New ceiling enables buildings to handle GCC’s harsh climate

Dutch firm Hunter Douglas has launched a new ceiling that can safely handle the GCC’s harsh climate while promoting sustainable building design. Sustainable building is booming in the Middle East and is set to grow from $17.9 billion in 2012 to $23 billion by 2016, according to Green Middle East. The UAE is the region’s leader in sustainable design, hosting more than two-thirds of the GCC’s 1,236

LEED-certified buildings, driven by Dubai’s Green Building codes and Abu Dhabi’s Estimada initiative. Unlocking the potential for Middle East developers and architects to design stunning and sustainable buildings, Hunter Douglas has developed a unique ceiling that resists corrosion, handles wind velocities of up to 150 km/hour and can last for 50 years without inspection. Hunter Douglas has success-

fully installed the2,500sqm ground floor ceiling for De Rotterdam, the Netherlands’ largest multifunctional building, designed by award-winning firm OMA. The ceiling stretches from outside to inside and is separated by a glass façade. Kees van Casteren, Associate-in-Charge, OMA, said: “We wanted the building’s exterior to cross over into its interior as seamlessly as possible. It was not a system

readily available on the market. Hunter Douglas took up the challenge to create a ceiling that matched our ideas.” Hunter Douglas developed a storm-proof construction mounted above the ceiling panels, gave the aluminium exterior ceiling a corrosion-resistant coating and produced reports on strength and wind load to ensure the ceiling will last for at least 50 years without inspection. Terry Woudenberg, Project

Dutch firm Hunter Douglas has launched a new ceiling that can safely handle the GCC’s harsh climate while promoting sustainable building design, following installation in De Rotterdam, The Netherlands’ largest multifunctional building.

Advisor, Hunter Douglas, on the banks of the Meuse said: “The building is situated River, which means it will face heavy winds, moisture, and corrosion factors. We applied aluminium grids with Middle East’s green a corrosion-resistant coatbuilding market set ing and anchored the ceiling to reach $23 billion with a more stable back construction, making the ceiling by 2016, with the storm-proof.” UAE as region’s To meet strict lighting and acoustic requirementsfor the leader interior ceiling, Hunter DougDutch firm Hunter las produced the ceiling with Douglas launches two layers. ceiling that resists The top layer’s reflective pancorrosion, handles els hide lighting and ventilawind speed of 150 tion systems while the lower layer’s grid ceiling has perkm/h, and lasts 50 forated panels that absorb years without insound and minimize reverberation. spection In between are fluorescent lamp holders, with light bouncing off the reflective surface and spreading inside the building.

Construction

SITES

Qatar

Qatar unveils design for World Cup stadium in Al Khor

Al Bayt Stadium and Precinct to accommodate 60,000 football fans and provide local residents of Al Khor and Al Thakhira communities with retail and leisure facilities

The Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy (SC) and the Aspire Zone Foundation revealed the name and design for a new 60,000-seat stadium and precinct in Al Khor at a press conference held at Al Khor Sports Club. The stadium and surrounding precinct is officially known as Al Bayt, Al Khor City. The unveiling of the name and design was marked by an event for the local community which focused on the future vision of Al Khor for the local residents and the neighboring communities. Early works have started on the new stadium, a proposed semifinal venue for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. With an expected completion date of 2018, the stadium design is an entirely Qatari concept, reflecting the country’s proud history and culture. The stadium has a modular design, which includes an upper tier of removable seats. After the 2022 FIFA World Cup, the tier will be removed and the capacity of the stadium will be reduced to 32,000 seats. In consultation with FIFA and the global football community, the removed seats will be reconfigured and donated to other countries to leave a legacy for international football development. Surrounding the stadium, a new precinct will serve the wid-

er Al Khor community. In addition to retail space and restaurants, the precinct will include landscaped paths for residents to use as horse-riding, cycling and jogging tracks. There will also be dedicated women-only facilities. “The launch of Al Bayt Stadium and Precinct will honor Qatar’s past while fully embracing the country’s global future,” SC

Secretary General Hassan Al Thawadi said. “The launch of the design for our second proposed stadium for the 2022 FIFA World Cup is another milestone of progress, demonstrating our deep commitment to delivering an amazing experience in 2022 and beyond,” Al Thawadi said. Al Bayt Stadium and Precinct will be located close to the

coast, but it will also introduce fans and visitors to the culture of the desert. The name and design of the stadium is modeled after Bayt Al Sha’ar, a black-and-white tent used traditionally by nomadic people in Qatar and the region. For those travelling through the desert, the sight of such a tent on the horizon meant an invitation to receive hospitality.

Inside the tent, the red-patterned sadu fabric will represent the traditional Qatari textile design to the international visitors and remind the local community of the heritage and tradition of producing sadu fabric, which is also reflected inside the stadium. “Just as Bayt Al Sha’ar continue to remain central to family life in Qatar today, the precinct

surrounding Al Bayt Stadium – which will include space for local businesses and restaurants as well as landscaped paths for the community for exercise – will become a focal point of community life long after the 2022 FIFA World Cup has concluded,” Aspire Zone Foundation President Hilal Al Kuwari said. In order to support the SC’s goal to host a sustainable 2022 FIFA World Cup, and in order to comply with the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) and Global Sustainability Assessment System (GSAS) ratings, Al Bayt Stadium and Precinct will incorporate best practice in energy-efficiency measures and use green building materials. Renewable energy will also be generated within the stadium and surrounding precinct. Construction of Al Bayt Stadium and Precinct will be carried out in alignment with the Workers’ Welfare Standards which were recently released by the SC. The Aspire Zone Foundation and the SC will also make sure that the residents of the Al Khor community are kept up-to-date on the progress of the construction work through its local engagement program, which will include regular majlis discussions – traditional local gatherings in Al Khor – and town hall events.

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KnowCrete by Specifying Concrete for Durability Do’s and Don’ts of Ready-mixed Concrete British Ready-Mixed Concrete Association Placement and Vibration Ready-mixed concrete should be placed as close as possible to its final resting position and vibration should only be used to compact the concrete rather than move it. In general terms the transportation and discharge of ready-mixed concrete should be completed within two hours from the time of batching. Placement by pump: When utilizing a pump to place ready-mixed concrete, it is essential that the pump supplier is informed of the pumping distances involved. Additionally, please ensure that the readymixed concrete company is also informed of the placement technique being applied.

Figure 1 – Truck mounted concrete pump Delays between ready-mixed concrete deliveries should be avoided when pumping, and it is therefore advisable to discuss and agree suitable delivery rates with the ready-mixed concrete supplier prior to placing an order. Common (squeeze) pumps can transport ready-mixed concrete distances of up to 90m horizontally and 30m vertically, depending on the mix constituents and design, with more specialist (piston) pumps able to transport ready-mixed concrete distances in excess of this, but again dependent upon the mix constituents and design. However, sharp bends and sudden changes of pipe section size/type should be avoided. In both cases, the pipe diameter must be at least three times the maximum aggregate size specified for the concrete. Prior to placing ready-mixed concrete by pump, please ensure that it is primed with sufficient grout to allow the free flow of concrete through the pipes. Pumping of lightweight ag gregate ready-mixed concrete can be achieved by using special admixtures (pumping aids) to overcome loss of consistence/workability due to absorption. However, technical advice should be sought before ordering this type of concrete. Placement and Vibration into the Structure: It is essential that ready-mixed concrete is placed into the structure with due care and

attention and that it is vibrated fully to ensure good compaction. The following provides guidance on how to achieve this: • Ready-mixed concrete should be placed in uniform layers, not greater than 500mm and not in large heaps or sloping layers. • For most applications, slump class should be specified. • Ready-mixed concrete should not be allowed to ‘free fall’ more than 2m. • The rate of placing and compaction should be equal. • Walls and columns should be filed at a rate of at least 2-3m (height) per hour, avoiding delays and cold joints. • Each layer should be fully compacted before placing the next one, and should be placed whilst the underlying one still plastic. • A layer of concrete should be placed on the kicker and vibrated before placing any more concrete. This will absorb the energy if concrete is discharged from the top of the form, and thus prevent segregation. This method may be sufficient provided that the concrete does not pass through reinforcement, however in general terms placement by pump hose or tremie is advisable (please see Figure 3). • In order to remove entrapped air, the poker vibrator should be held vertically in the layer below and brought up slowly whilst placing the additional layer. • The poker vibrator should be moved around within the wall or column in order that the concrete is vibrated every 0.3 to 0.5m, and for a sufficiently long period of time to visually witness air being expelled.

Figure 2 – Use of a poker vibrator Alternative methods to internal vibration are available and include: • External vibrators (advice should be sought from formwork manufacturers and/or specialist services contractors). • The use of self compacting concrete (technical advice should be sought). • Hand compaction (only to be used in small pours and/or thin sections). Dropping form height: As a general rule, to avoid segregation, readymixed concrete should not be allowed to ‘free fall’ from the transfer equipment (e.g. pump or skip) more than 2m.

An over-sanded or pump design should be specified when dropping ready-mixed concrete from any height as this will reduce the risk of segregation.

Figure 3 – Discharge into a wall via skip/ chute Placement of concrete on a slope: When placing ready-mixed concrete on a slope, always specify a low consistence/workability such as slump class S1 and place the concrete from the bottom of the slope working upwards.

Figure 4 – Placement of concrete on a slope Use of a tremie: Placement by tremie is particularly suitable for deep forms where standard placement and compaction methods are not possible. High consistence/workability concrete is fed by gravity through a vertical pipe which is then gradually raised. The tremie may also be used for placing concrete underwater, but in this case the tremie tube remains immersed in the fresh concrete to minimize wash out of cement. Use of specialist self compacting concrete (SCC): SCC is suitable for most types of construction, but specifically where standard methods of placement/compaction are not possible. For instance where heavily reinforced structures are in use or access is difficult. Slipforming: Slipforming is a specialist continuous process of placement and compaction, using relatively low consistence/workability concrete. Both horizontal and vertical slipforming can be performed, offering a very high rate of production. However, this should only be undertaken by specialist concrete contractors. To be continued…. info@greymatters.ws www.greymatters.ws

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con c rete & ready mix

2014 Most Innovative Products Award winners

Held annually at Hanley Wood’s World of Concrete, the MIP Award program allows attendees and audiences of CONCRETE CONSTRUCTION, MASONRY CONSTRUCTION, AND THE CONCRETE PRODUCER an opportunity to vote for the products they judge as innovative. A panel of industry experts, many of whom serve on the World of Concrete Educational Advisory Board, reviewed and selected MIP Award winners. The editors of CONCRETE CONSTRUCTION, MASONRY CONSTRUCTION, and THE CONCRETE PRODUCER reviewed and selected the products based on the innovation they bring to the industry. 2014 MIP Awards went to: Business Tools and Software Industry Choice: WebClock, About Time Technologies Experts’ Choice: Construction Software for Project Collaboration, Viewpoint Construction Software Editors’ Choice: The NexTraq GPS Fleet Tracking Solution, NexTraq Concrete Construction Equipment Industry Choice: OMNEX 2-Way Remote Control with Color LCD Display, Eaton/OMNEX Experts’ Choice: Nano-Lok Edge Self Retracting Lifeline, Capital Safety Editors’ Choice: Porta-Pit, Washout Watchdog Concrete Construction Materials Industry Choice: DUROCK EcoCap Self-Leveling Underlayment, USG Corp Experts’ Choice: Hilti HIT-Hy 200 Adhesive Anchor System, Hilti, Inc. Editors’ Choice: E-ZBar, E-ZBar Decorative Concrete Materials and Equipment Industry Choice: KRazor EDGE, KutRite Experts’ Choice: StarSeal PS Ultra Stain, Vexcon Chemicals Editors’ Choice: One Piece 7 1/4” Cantilevered Step Liner, Butterfield Color, Inc. Demolition, Repair Tools, and Materials Industry Choice: Track-O Mini-Dozer M-27, Movex Innovation Experts’ Choice: PAM_DEK, RNP Industries, Inc Formwork Industry Choice: Prinsco PROFORM, Prinsco Inc Experts’ Choice: C.O.R.K. Concrete Opening Repair Kit, Construction Midwest, Inc. General Tools and Equipment Industry Choice: D-1800, BW Manufacturing Experts’ Choice: PB184BAT, Packer Brothers Editors’ Choice: BN Hydro Hoe, BN Products Masonry Materials and Equipment Industry Choice: Greenstar BLOX, Mason Greenstar Experts’ Choice: Bosch Mortar Knife, Robert Bosch Tool Corporation Editors’ Choice: PC912 Dust Control Power Cutter, iQ Power Tools

Cement demand drops by 40% in Qatar during Ramadan

Domestic cement demand has plunged 40% during Ramadan, which has prompted cement companies to start maintenance work, Global Cement reported. Mohamed Al Sulaiti, general manager of Qatar National Cement Company, said that the company has utilised this as an opportunity to conduct maintenance of equipment in its plant. Maintenance work will enable it to meet the busy season starting from mid-August, when demand will increase. Qatar National Cement Company is setting up a new plant in Umm Bab, Jariyan al Batnah Municipality, which is expected to start production in 2016. The new plant, which is its fifth, is being set up to help the company meet demand of the construction sector. Al Sulaiti said that the capacity would be 5000t/day of clinker and 5500t/day of cement. FCB has been given the contract for setting up the plant.

Tata Power may export fly ash to West Asia

According to Global Cement, Four Qatari companies have shown interest in buying fly ash from Tata Power, which operates a 4000MW plant in Mundra, Gujarat, India. The plant consumes about 40,000t/day of imported coal and generates around 1600t/day of fly ash. Currently two cement makers in Gujarat and one from Rajasthan collect 100 – 200t/day of fly ash from the Mundra plant.

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Falcon Ready mix combines excellence of service with timely delivery Nasser: Construction industry poised for an unexpected boom

upporting sustainable move in Qatar’s construction industry and balancing between economic prosperity and social responsibility, Falcon Ready Mix is the first Ready Mix Company in Qatar to be NRMCA Sustainable Concrete Plant certified. With its silver level of certification, Falcon Ready Mix today tops the lists of the world’s sustainable batching plants. A Subsidiary of Investment Holding Group – Al- Hodaifi Group, the company has cemented it’s name in the market as one of the fastest growing ready mix concrete companies in Qatar. Established in 2011, with the first cubic meter of ready mix produced on the 1st of March, Falcon ready mix has given the first and major priority to produce a superior quality ready mix thus has gained the reputation of the company that combines excellence in services, delivery of superior quality products, using the most advanced technologies, coupled with the company’s commitments to sustainability. Committed to adhere to Qatar’s sustainable development practices, Mr. Assad Nasser, General Manager of Falcon Ready Mix, talks to us about the current construction market situation and shares his forecast for

the coming period. As usual, how is business at the moment as compared to 2013? The business comparing to year

2013 has improved with more projects being approved by the authority concerned. The approved projects have been awarded and some are on

the pipeline. How is the construction industry market situation getting on, do you see any improvements?

Yes of course, there is a vast improvement in the construction industry. The market situation is too improving. We are receiving inquiries for

projects such as Infrastructure, Road Constructions etc which is a positive sign for the industry. As of now, the construction industry is facing an acute shortage of raw materials, how do you face this challenge? In the past few months there was a shortage of gabbro and washed sand which are the two very important factors for the ready mix and construction industry. The shortage was due to standardization by the QCS (Qatar Construction Standards) to assure that the material is of good quality. Currently, the supply is smooth with the prices going up steadily. Have you secured any new projects other than those acquired last year? Yes we have secured some projects and negotiations are under way for other big projects. How is the financial situation in the market? The financial situation in the market is slowing, and is expected to recover in the coming day. As others, we too are feeling a gradual increase in our sales than the last year. What is your forecast in the coming years for the construction industry? As the days are nearing for the grand event the construction industry will boom unexpectedly. In the final days the world will see a new flourished State of Qatar which will not be so easy to forget. In addition, I request the other industries involved in the supply of ready mix , construction etc to contribute their best effort in preserving the environment clean and green as the Ministry of Environment is thriving to achieve. Any other message that you would like to convey through this article? I would like to express my sincere thanks to Lusail Real Estate Development Company, the Ministry of Environment &Qatar General Organization for Standards & Metrology for all their support extended to us in every aspect and lets join hands to contribute our efforts in making this event a success bringing fame and pride to are beloved nation “ The State of Qatar”.

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con c rete & ready mix

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Cementitious materials - indispensable for Qatar’s projects

ith its National Vision 2030, aimed at improving life quality for its inhabitants as well as becoming a leading business center and an attractive tourist destination, Qatar has launched an unprecedented infrastructure spending program for the coming years. Project owners believe that their country “deserves the best”, requiring lifetimes of a 100 years and more for key infrastructure projects (e.g. Doha Metro).

Difficult climate and soil conditions to be overcome Especially for underground structures, these lifetime requirements are an enormous challenge for civil engineers. Sulfate and chloride rich environments paired with high temperatures (in Qatar 28 Celsius average for ground water) multiply the intensity and speed of chemical attack compared to regions with

moderate climates. Mix designs for long life underground concrete solutions are therefore based on a high content of so called admixtures or more precisely “cementitious” products (typically fly ash and/ or ground granulated blast furnace slag). Reacting with excess lime in the concrete mix, these products reduce concrete porosity and bind aggressive chlorides. Other beneficial effects in fresh and hardened concrete are lower hydration heat (less cracking) and higher long term strength. Fly ash additionally improves workability (pumping, self-levelling) due to its amorphous structure (particles are small spheres). The somewhat lower early strength (especially after 7 days) compared to OPC is often regarded as an inconvenience. However, this indicator’s relevance for structures built for the next 100 years is questionable.

Europe and the US as cementitious pioneers In Europe and the US, fly ash has been a standard ingredient in concrete for decades, but it is not yet widely used in Qatar or the Gulf. The main reason is the price differential of some 30-40 USD per ton in favor of OPC. With no domestic sources available, fly ash has to be imported from overseas, requiring rather expensive logistic solutions, whereas OPC is produced locally at low energy prices. In Europe, especially in Germany, domestic availability and rigid environmental disposal regulations for industrial by-products triggered a strong marketing push towards ready mixed concrete producers at prices well below OPC. Increasing environmental awareness and latest European emission trading, first introduced in 2006, penalizing industrial CO2 emissions with up to 30 USD per ton, also convinced cement producers to push their product

portfolio from emission intensive OPC towards lower emission blended cements, based on fly ash (CO2 neutral), GBFS (low emission) and other components.

Fly ash Fine, powdery ash from burning coal in power stations, caught from flue gas in electrostatic filters

cement with min. 95% clinker content

Cementitious products Mineral admixtures for ready mixed concrete (or cement) adding additional GBFS High market potential in Granulated Blast Furnace characteristics for demandGCC countries Slag, from steel factories, ing applications, e.g. fly ash, It is unlikely that Qatar and through quenching liquid (G)GBFS GCC markets will undergo a slag with water similar radical change in a *The author is General near future. However, ambi- GGBFS tious infrastructure projects Ground Granulated Blast Manager of Hawar Power will further push demand for Furnace Slag, powdery Minerals, a Qatari/German cementitious materials, as GBFS after grinding in ball JV, specialized in marketing fly ash and other cementithe value equation between mills capital cost and durability OPC tious products. becomes clear. Original Portland Cement, Given their obvious technical advantages, these prod- Beneﬁts Summary Of Cemen11ous Materials In Ready Mixed ucts additionally need in- Concrete Compared To 100% OPC Solu1ons novative supply chains with GGBFS Fly Ash reduced logistic costs and √ √ further improved reliability •  Improved resistance against chemical a4ack (sulfates and chlorides) of supply. Finally, the governments’ •  Reduced hydra<on heat (e.g. mass pours) √ √ intentions to substantially reduce greenhouse gas •  Increased long term strength ( > 90 days) √ √ emissions could be a game √ -‐ changer, if they lead to ra- •  High early strength (7 days) tionalized pricing of energy, •  Be4er workability (concrete ﬂow) -‐ √ the most important cost √ √ driver in cement production. •  Higher sustainability (CO2 footprint)

HAWAR POWER MINERALS – ADDING PERFORMANCE TO CONCRETE SOLUTIONS Hawar Power Minerals offers a complete portfolio of cementitious materials under permanent quality control and management. Reliable and seamless supply is ensured by end-to-end logistic solutions to clients in Qatar, the GCC and beyond. We build our business on long term relationships with clients, sources and service partners. • Cementitious products for better concrete performance • End-to-end supply chain solutions • Continuous quality control and management • Professional application support

Hawar Power Minerals W. L. L., 9th Floor, Al Aqaria Building, Al Muthaf Street, Old Salata Area, P. O. Box 8822, Doha, Qatar +974 40192 665, info@hawarpowerminerals.com www.hawarpowerminerals.com

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con c rete & ready mix

FBA set to open new facilities in Mesaieed before December

he Fahd Bin Abdullah (FBA) group is planning to officially open its new facilities in Mesaieed before the end of this year. The Mesaieed expansion is part of the company’s strategy to be closer to the customer by opening facilities in areas seen as construction hubs in the country. The Mesaieed facility will be a comprehensive complex for the manufacture of concrete products, including precast, hollow core, curbstone, blocks and, of course, ready-mix concrete. “The factory is complete and we are now waiting for the municipality to come back to us with some of their concerns. It should be operational before the end of this year”, Mostafa Hagag, FBA MIX general manager for industrial Sector, said. The group of Fahad bin Abdullah is divided to 4 sectors: Real Estate, Service, Contracting and Industrial Sector. The company’s industrial sector includes ten companies as follows: 1. F.B.A MIX ( Ready Mix Concrete) 2. F.B.A Block ( Block , interlock , Kerbstone) 3. Autorent ( Transportation Heavy Equipment ) 4. Exalco |( Aluminum Factory)

5. Wood stock ( Carpentry ) 6. Metal Preparation ( Steel structure and decorative steel) 7. F.B.A Preacst ( Precast , Hollow core slabs , ready mix concrete , blocks , interlocks , kerbstone , etc ) 8. F.B.A Steel ( Vessels , Steel structre , water tanks , etc ) 9. Rome Marble & Granite factory 10. Cladding and fire rated doors factory

FBA has an existing ready-mix facility in the Industrial Area, but the company foresees that the New Doha Port project in Mesaieed is expected to increase the level of construction projects in the area and they want to have a facility in close proximity to the port. “Mesaieed is expected to be a hot hub for construction, even after completion of the port project,” Hagag pointed out. “There are a lot of projects in the pipeline related to the FIFA World Cup. It’s only a matter of time until these projects start and FBA is eager to fulfill the government’s commitments to that event,” he said. The Mesaieed complex, built on an area 100,000 m2, will include three parallel factories. The production capacity of the complex for curbstone includes

600 linear meters in one shift, with block factory production capacity reaching 50,000 blocks per shift, 2000 m2 of interlock per shift. The complex has the capacity to produce 60 cubic meters of hollow core blocks and 120 cubic meters of concrete/hr. It includes a stockyard and a

modern workshop for maintenance besides an administrative office. FBA is also building a steel factory near the concrete manufacturing complex. The group’s existing facility in the Industrial Area has a concrete factory with production capacity of 240 cubic meter per hour, a

blocks factory 80,000 unit and a kerbstone of 1000 meter production capacity. Hagag explained that FBA group, like many companies in Qatar, started in the real estate field, later evolving into a construction company. The company then turned to a group with production facilities for aluminum, steel, ready mix and a transportation company, to support its construction operations as well as to cater to the huge volume of works available in Qatar’s rapidly developing building sector. FBA has a special interest in precast works, which is gaining popularity in Qatar. According to Hagag, precast concrete is ideal for residential construction because a house can be built from scratch with precast and be ready in two months. This makes it ideal for the construction of residential compounds. In addition, it is environmentally-friendly, cost-efficient and modular. The precast slabs can be taken apart and reconstructed elsewhere if necessary. It also provides excellent insulation. Another application is in fencing. FBA is a subcontractor with China Harbour Company for the New Doha Port project. The company’s scope of work for that project includes pouring

4mn cubic meters of concrete. FBA added two new machines to speed up the concrete “bumping” process, including the TeleBelt machine. “Used for the first time in Qatar, TeleBelt is a German made machine that has many advantages. TeleBelt uses a belt instead of a bump to pour concrete. This means you can pour more quantity in shorter times,” Hagag said. It can also be used in transporting gravel, backfilling, and handling of other materials, such as soils, beans, wheat, or any solid/semi solid materials its environmentally-friendly machine with very high transporting capacity which reach 250 m3 of concrete/hour, which could be converted to any other materials to transport, considering the density. FBA is optimistic and has put many plans in place to take advantage of the opportunities that the new infrastructure projects present. FBA has just concluded and signed an agreement with a Croatian construction company, called Engineering Construktor Qatar (ECQ), to enter into joint ventures. ECQ has already completed a project related to the construction of Salwa Road and is assured of a FIFA-construction related contract.

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c o n c r e t e & r ead y m ix

Concrete Market Outlook with Rabih Fakih

Designers can positively contribute in lowering the total cost of the structure and extending its life service by smartly designing elements with higher strength and durable concrete. Given Qatar’s ambitious construction plans; and a growing demand for concrete is one of the first priorities for the industry players. CS spoke to Rabih Fakih, Founder and Managing Director of Grey Matters, on the main challenges for the sector and how the industry can meet a vast demand. With a huge number of large-scale projects to be delivered in a short timeframe in Qatar, what are the main challenges for concrete sector, according to your opinion? Let’s start with raw materials, ingredients of the concrete. Qatar imports all of these materials except cement and sand. Logistics associated with this subject imposes major challenge on the market. The existing sea port is currently not positioned to accommodate such abrupt increase. Aggregates are imported from UAE and it is highly expected that UAE’s construction sector will boom in a very short period. This will leave smaller room for aggregates’ export to Qatar, which leads to increase in prices. Another major challenge is the concrete delivery. It is expected that roads will be congested in the coming years with respect to mega road construction (rail, interchanges, new highways, etc.). Restrictions on the roads and loading weights per truck are getting firm leading to lower delivered volume of concrete per truck and higher cost per cubic meter. As for the quality concern, it is very likely that quality might be compensated when projects are on short timeframe delivery. Minimum quality control is performed on delivered concrete and less control on placed concrete is implemented (less time dedicated on consolidation, finishing and curing concrete). Sudden increase in the volume of concrete requires deploying skilled resources. The market has relatively laid off major number of skilled staffs in concrete industry due to recession. This is another challenge on hiring the right person as quick as

possible. How the concrete quality issue can be tackled in this market conditions? Designers should be stricter in specifying quality concrete. Supervision at production and site should be tight. After all, it is essential to deploy qualified personnel and set continuous training programs to elevate the quality control levels. In the view of international and regional experience and your expertise in the field, is there any scheme to follow for intelligent use of concrete in large-scale projects? It is time to seriously consider performance specifications over prescriptive ones. This will leave more freedom for readymix producer to optimize

Rabih Fakih: Founder and Managing Director of Grey Matters.

his mixes; thus, improve its efficiency. As a result, less restrictions and bureaucracies are exercised and the operation will smoothly take place. Which improvements/ changes are expected in the regional concrete sector?

It is very essential to get rid of the common paradox in considering concrete as commodity. This starts at the level of the readymix producers themselves. Readymix industry is of intensive capital demand. It is of no wisdom to operate with very low margin. Readymix pro-

ducers should consolidate their efforts to educate the construction industry in this regard. As a result, producers will be keener to invest on new technologies to introduce in the market. This is the basis to start with. All other potential improvements and changes will follow ultimately. What’s the role of sustainability in the local concrete sector? Sustainability has been theoretically introduced in the regional market so far. At present, no tangible efforts and specifications have been considered ending up with sustainability as a Buzz Word only. Switching to performance specifications will be the cornerstone for the major role of sustainability in the local market. Moreover, setting up minds that sustainability

should serve the ultimate usage of the structure is essential to fight the myth of high cost associated to sustainability. What could be a solution to control the prices of raw materials needed for concrete production, when construction activity in Qatar will be in its full swing? It is certain that prices of raw materials will increase. It is a fundamental supply/demand effect on the end product. The construction market should be ready to absorb this increase. Otherwise, quality will be definitely compensated. Designers can positively contribute in lowering the total cost of the structure and extending its life service by smartly designing elements with higher strength and durable concrete.

Workers Rights

Construction

QF report addresses workers’ rights Qatar Foundation (QF) has issued a report called “Migrant Labor Recruitment to Qatar” which seeks to ensure that all contractors, subcontractors or suppliers who work with QF are upholding proper standards in their treatment of employees. The report, commissioned as part of the Qatar Foundation Migrant Worker Welfare Initiative, is a 160-page document aimed at addressing the current issues surrounding low-skilled migrant workers’ rights. Compiled by Dr Ray Jureidini, Associate Professor of Sociology at the Institute for Migration Studies at the Lebanese American University, and Director of Research at the Center of Design Innovation at Qatar Foundation, the report is based on a study conducted to ascertain the financial and procedural circumstances that give rise to basic human rights violations during labor recruitment in “sending countries”. Based upon the study’s findings, the report aims to offer recommendations for reform that will reduce or eliminate labor and human rights violations - and stimulate discussions on the issues raised. Commenting on the release of the “Migrant Labor Recruitment to Qatar” report, Jassim Telefat, Group Executive Director of Qatar Foun-

dation’s Capital Projects and Facilities Management, said: “The Qatar Foundation Migrant Worker Welfare Initiative is dedicated to addressing the issue of low-skilled migrant workers’ rights in a comprehensive and transparent manner as part of Qatar Foundation’s continued support of the Qatar National Vision 2030. “It seeks to ensure that all contractors, subcontractors or suppliers who work with QF are upholding proper standards in their treatment of employees, a crucial element of which is the recruitment process. “As this impressive report demonstrates, many people are currently being forced to make illegal payments to unscrupulous employment agents in their home countries in order to secure Qatari work visas. “The result is that these individuals are placed in longterm debt. We are not prepared to tolerate this type of arrangement, and are working to address the issue as a matter of priority.” Published by Bloomsbury Qatar Foundation digitally on qscience.com, the “Migrant Labor Recruitment to Qatar” study was conducted to provide a clearer understanding of various people, institutions and issues involved in recruitment and hiring prac-

Minister launches devices for workers to file complaints

E the Minister of Labor and Social Affairs Dr Abdullah Saleh Mubarak Al Khulaifi has inaugurated self-service multi-lingual devices for workers to file complaints on labor issues. Built using latest hardware and software, the devices use an innovative system to facilitate the process of registering a worker’s complaint. A worker will be able to lodge his complaint in his native language in a simple form which requires just three steps. He can then take a printout of the complaint with all relevant data and submit it to the Labor Affairs Department where the dispute will be resolved amicably. The new devices support Arabic, English, Nepalese, Hindi, Bengali, Urdu and Tamil languages to cater to the needs of a wide section of expatriate

tices of migrant workers to Qatar. The report examines ways in which reforms that enshrine workers’ rights and employment conditions, according to international labor and human rights standards, could take place. The results of the qualitative study comprise interviews and discussion groups with migrant workers, government representatives, recruitment agencies, academics, NGOs and international agencies in each of the five main labor sending countries – the Philippines, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and India. Key discussion topics in-

cluded recruitment, regulations, financing, contracts, pre-deployment preparation, recruitment agency policies and practices, visas, remittances and wage rates. The discussions led to key findings in all five countries visited, where workers reported common rights violations in advance of arrival in Qatar. The discussions resulted in 10 key recommendations outlined in the “Migrant Labor Recruitment to Qatar” report, including governmentto-government collaboration; standardized financing rules prior to coming to Qatar; the use of accredited ethical recruitment agencies; labor

suppliers contracts in Qatar; standardized contracts and procedures; visas; wages; transfer of employment, exit visas and passports; and pre- or post-departure orientation and financial, health and family preparation. Some of the findings from the early stages of the study have already resulted in reform measures being enshrined in Qatar Foundation’s Mandatory Standards for Migrant Worker Welfare for Contractors and Subcontractors, known as the “QF Mandatory Standards”, which have been hailed by international organizations such as the United Nations, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch for their enlightened approach. As Qatar Foundation seeks to identify and take action against unlawful employment agents in sending countries, a series of field trips has been planned to assess specific issues in each territory.

Interview

he Minister of Labour and Social Affairs welcomed the Government’s recent progress on labour law reforms, following the introduction of new measures to improve the status of expatriate workers. He also called for continued cooperation with the home countries of expatriate workers to ensure the safety and fair treatment of those working in Qatar. Recent measures introduced by the Government of Qatar include: · Approval by the State of Qatar Cabinet of the Wage Protection System (WPS), which will require that companies pay all wages electronically via bank transfers and within seven days of the due date or else face punitive action · Introduction of an electronic complaint system in English, Arabic, Urdu, Hindi, Tamil, Bengali and Nepali for expatriate workers in Qatar · Approval by the State of Qatar’s Cabinet of changes to regulations governing workers’ living conditions, including an increase in the space allocated per worker from 4 square meters to 6square meters, as well as improvements to the requirements for health and safety, such as the provision of a full time, onsite, nurse in every site that houses 100 workers · Implementation of sum-

mer working hours, which prohibits outdoor work between 11:30am and 3pm, from midJune through the end of August; with a ban of up to one month for companies found in breach of the rules, as well as a hotline number for whistle blowers, and provision for the public naming and shaming of violators · Steps taken to increase the number of safety inspectors from 200 to 243 · Inspections of labour accommodations and field visits made (4335 in May, 5083 in June) · Closed 33 sites for violations of labour laws · Building new facilities for expatriate workers at Industrial

City and BARWA City; Companies specializing in property management and leasing will run the two cities, which will eventually accommodate approximately 150,000 workers These measures are part of a commitment to wide-ranging reforms of Qatar’s labour laws, as first announced by the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, and the Ministry of the Interior in May 2014. “The reforms announced in May will replace the kafala system with a modern contract between worker and employer. There will, of course, continue to be consultation – including with business groups, workers

Christopher Newman, Welfare Manager at Qatar Foundation’s HSSE Directorate, recently returned from a fact-finding trip to the Philippines, where he uncovered considerable evidence of malpractice. “The recruitment process in sending countries such as Philippines is a complex one,” said Newman, “and many potential employees fall victim to such complexities as they are unaware of Qatari law which prevents illegal payments for visas, for example.” He said: “We are working to identify and ban any agents who engage in such practices and, at the same time, make prospective workers fully aware of their labor rights before they even arrive in Qatar.” To access the “Migrant Labor Recruitment to Qatar” report please log on to: www. qscience.com/page/books/ MLRQatar

Qatar Minister of Labour Details Progress on Labour Law Reforms

workers. The ministry has set up the multi-lingual devices to remove communication barriers and enable workers hailing from different countries seeking redress on labor issues in their native language. This initiative is to protect workers’ rights in Qatar and offer public services efficiently using modern technology, the official Qatar News Agency (QNA) quoted the ministry as saying.

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groups and NGOs. However, the direction we are taking is firmly set and every effort is being made to put in place the reforms as quickly as possible – as these most recent measures show”, the Minister of Labour and Social Affairs, His Excellency Dr. Abdullah Saleh Mubarak Al-Khulaifi said in a statement posted on the Ministry web site. “We welcome the recent scrutiny, as it helps us identify shortcomings and drive our wider progress. That is why we commissioned an independent report from respected UK law firm DLA Piper earlier this year - the most rigorous analysis of issues around labour laws undertaken in the region. “We know there is much more to do, but we are making definite progress and are determined to build momentum and drive leadership on the issue in the region. “Our ambitions for change are not just restricted to within our own borders. That is why we are also stepping up our efforts to work with expatriate workers’ home countries to ensure there are fair standards in place before workers even arrive. “The decision of the Nepali Embassy in Qatar to ban 55 Nepali recruitment companies found to have been exploiting migrant workers, shows how important effective action from all parties can be.”

Construction

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Safety

HSE concerns

Last year over 41,000 registrations to take NEBOSH examinations came from the region. According to the International Labour Organisation (ILO) at least 60,000 people are killed every year on construction sites. Worldwide that’s around one death every 10 minutes. In fact, the construction industry accounts for almost one in 5 of all fatal workplace accidents. Having personnel on site that are NEBOSH Certificate qualified always makes a big difference to safety standards. Around 1000 people achieve a NEBOSH Diploma each year. CS spoke to Sir Bill Callaghan, the Chairman of NEBOSH about NEBOSH certification and its importance in the region. According to Sir Bill, NEBOSH certified personnel are equipped with the right knowledge and set of skills to manage health and safety properly. He has strove to put health and well-being more firmly on the occupational health and safety agenda. In addition, Sir Bill spearheaded the HSE’s sensible risk campaign, which set out to debunk myths and show that health and safety is about protecting people from real harm rather than trivial. Sir Bill will be delivering a keynote speech at the 10th Annual Forum in Energy, organised by Fleming Gulf on 03-05 November 2014 in Qatar. With the rapid developments in technology, how important is it for industry professionals and experts to share knowledge and discuss the latest trends in HSE? Regular forums such as the 10th Annual HSE Forum in Energy, organised by Fleming Gulf highlights, are opportunities for HSE professionals and organisations to tackle the latest technical and strategic HSE concerns in a way that is both relevant and practical to current issues, and enable them to come up with new best practices for the industry. Thus, under the main theme ‘Reinventing HSE DNA’, I will be delivering a keynote speech on ‘Ensuring Safety in the Energy and Major Hazard Industries: Developing an effective regulatory regime, the criticality of leadership and learning’. Fur-

thermore, there will also be discussions about the ‘Vital C’s of HSE DNA: Commitment, Communication & Compliance’ and ‘Embracing the Healthy Side of Health and Safety’. There will also be more detailed presentations and discussions on several vital issues such as Human & Organisational Factors and Process & Safety, Employee Wellness & Welfare, Industrial Hygiene, Environment & Sustainability and HSE as a Round-The-Clock Approach. Tell us about NEBOSH activities and the role it plays in HSE sector on an international scale. At NEBOSH we develop, maintain and promote a range of health, safety and environmental qualifications. Altogether we offer fifteen different qualifications, including the highly popular NEBOSH International General Certificate in Occupational Health and Safety. Last year we received almost 90,000 registrations to sit the International General Certificate examinations from across the world. Our Diploma qualifications in health and safety and in environmental management are widely recognised as a mark of professionalism. NEBOSH qualifications are taken in 112 different countries throughout the world. Around 1000 people achieve a NEBOSH Diploma each year. We also accredit and support a range of training and education providers who offer courses leading to our qualifications. There are over 600 NEBOSH Accredited Course Providers based in countries in Europe, Middle East, Asia, Africa, Australia and the Americas. We believe it is vital that we promote health, safety and environmental good practice in all parts of the world. We work with governments and employers to pursue a vision of preserving and improving health, safety and the environment in workplaces everywhere. Through our qualifications and the tutorship of our accredited course providers, people not only acquire vital health, safety and environmental knowledge, they also learn how to apply

Sir Bill Callaghan: the Chairman of NEBOSH

this in a practical sense in their places of work. Application of this knowledge leads to many things. Better standards of safety, improvements in health and fewer risks in the workplace. It protects employers from prosecution, damaged reputations and significant costs. It encourages trade between developing and established economies. Most importantly it saves lives and prevents unnecessary injuries at work. What is the importance of NEBOSH Certification for local construction industry? According to the International Labour Organisation (ILO) at least 60,000 people are killed every year on construction sites. Worldwide that’s around one death every 10 minutes. In fact, the construction industry accounts for almost one in 5 of all fatal workplace accidents. Having personnel on site that are NEBOSH Certificate qualified always makes a big difference to safety standards. They

are equipped with the right knowledge and set of skills to manage health and safety properly. It can also be good for business. NEBOSH Certificates are recognised throughout the world, they provide simple verification of the competence of employees and the safety standards pursued by the company. Health and safety is increasingly important, and NEBOSH qualifications are proving to be a mark of excellence that can help to win business internationally. Tell us more about NEBOSH presence in Qatar and do you plan to launch local NEBOSH chapter in Qatar? NEBOSH has a strong presence in Qatar and throughout the Middle East. The number of people taking NEBOSH qualifications in the region is growing every year. Last year over 41,000 registrations to take NEBOSH examinations came from the region. NEBOSH does not have chap-

ters in any part of the world. Our operations are centred in the United Kingdom, and we have an international team that services all parts of the world. What’s the response of local industry to NEBOSH Certification? NEBOSH has an excellent reputation throughout the Middle East. It is why our qualifications are in such high demand here. Industry understands that anyone holding a NEBOSH Certificate qualification that passed a qualification that thoroughly tests health, safety and environmental knowledge and its application. Who has to be the agent of change in HSE sector: Regulatory Authorities, Contractors, Consultants or workers? All parties you mentioned have a role to play. There are also others you have not mentioned such as employers, industry bodies and employee representative organisations, for example. In truth, all parties must take responsibility for HSE and work together to improve standards, protect lives and prevent unnecessary injury in workplaces. In your opinion, do you think that HSE issues are given sufficient consideration by the local industry players? Some do and some don’t. Unfortunately, it is the same in all parts of the world. There are many in the industry who understand and appreciate the importance of high standards of health, safety and environmental management, not only in terms of the protection it offers their organisation and employees, but for how it helps promote their company in a positive way. Regretfully there are also always those who will seek to cut corners and who seem willing to put lives at risk in industry. What can be done to achieve goals in the local construction industry? So many things, and a great deal of this can be learnt by taking a relevant NEBOSH qualification. However, overall I

believe that creating a culture of safety in the construction industry, where it is understood and practiced at all levels is the key. Also, when those who follow good safety practice achieve the greatest success in business. What are the latest HSE concerns faced by the industry today? The immediate issue is the high level of serious injuries and fatalities on construction sites. In addition there needs to be a greater focus on long-term health issues arising from exposure to noise, chemicals and of course ergonomic hazards. What are the key elements to ensuring safety in the hazard industry? There are three key elements in my view. The first is strong leadership, with a genuine commitment to the highest standards of HSE practice. This must start at the top of the organisation. The second is employees with an appropriate level of competence for their role and responsibilities. Finally, it is vital that the entire workforce is engaged by and involved in HSE. Without their involvement, safety improvements are almost impossible to achieve. We witness enormous efforts from the regulatory Authorities to issue and control HSE standards locally. What’s your advise for each individual company on how to achieve the best practices? Companies need strong and effective leadership, competent staff and a workforce that is engaged. If a change has to be done, where should it start? Always begin with assessment. So I suggest assessing leadership, competence and engagement, as well as overall safety performance to know where the key priorities lie. With large scale construction activities in Qatar and simultaneous development of complex construction projects. What are the future challenges for local HSE sector and how to meet these challenges? The greatest challenge is to reduce the number of injuries and fatalities. Then there is the challenge of ensuring there are enough people with the right set of skills, knowledge and experience to cope with the level of activity and development. The sector needs to look to its existing workforce and others locally and be continually upskilling, training and developing people to achieve appropriate levels of competence, through qualifications such as those offered by NEBOSH for example. “The latest HSE concerns faced by the industry today include: High level of serious injuries and fatalities on construction sites and long-term health issues arising from exposure to noise, chemicals and of course ergonomic hazards”.

Construction

News

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Al Futtaim Tarmac Quarry Product Solar technologies to be installed Company signs MoU with Etihad Rail in Qatar’s upcoming rail network In a step to decrease operating cost and enhance transit times, Tarmac Middle East has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Etihad Rail, the developer and operator of the UAE’s national railway. The MoU will enable Tarmac Middle East to utilize Etihad Rail operations for the distribution of its products from its local arm, Al Futtaim Tarmac Quarry Product Company, located at Shawkah in Ras AlKhaimah, to Etihad Rail’s distribution and export terminals across the UAE. It will also enable the distribution to other GCC counties once Etihad Rail completes its connection to the mainline GCC rail network at the end of

2018. The agreement will also provide Etihad Rail with additional volumes of bulk commodities transport capability from its export terminals to other locations within the UAE. It is expected that the volume to products Tarmac Middle East will transport by 2020 via Etihad Rail will reach 6,000,000 tonnes. Azmat Jafri, UAE Country Manager, Al Futtaim Tarmac Quarry Product Company, calls the agreement a “significant milestone for our business”, pointing out that “(it) comes at a time when we are expanding rapidly in the UAE”. He says: “Logistics and transport are some of our biggest operational costs. Utilizing

The Memorandum of Understanding being signed.

Etihad Rail services will provide us with cost-effective and reliable transport and we look forward to a long-term and successful partnership.” Once fully operational, Etihad Rail will cater to freight and passengers, spanning approximately 1,200km across the UAE. The Dh40 billion rail network will connect urban and peripheral communities, facilitate trade, open up communication channels and foster economic development across all seven emirates. The network will also form a vital part of the GCC railway network, linking the UAE to Saudi Arabia via Ghweifat in the west and to Oman via Al Ain in the east.

Qatar Rail and Qatar Solar Technologies target solar energy opportunities, two companies has recently signed MOU that could see solar technologies installed in Qatar’s upcoming rail network. Qatar Solar Technologies (QSTec), who are currently building a 150 Megawatt solar module manufacturing facility and a 8,000 metric ton polysilicon manufacturing plant in Qatar, announced yesterday that it has entered into a strategic MOU agreement with Qatar Railways Company (Qatar Rail) to explore opportunities that may lead to the installation of up to 80 Megawatts of solar technology within Qatar’s multibillion dollar railway development. The first stage of the MOU will look at installing ground and rooftop mounted solar PV installations on the proposed 3,000,000 square metre rail depot facility that will be located near the new Sheikh Hamad International Airport. Qatar Rail is aiming to build one of the world’s most energy efficient rail networks through the use of sustainable and energy efficient technologies with a goal to achieving a 4 star GSAS rating (Global Sustainability Assessment System). Sustainability and the efficient use of resources is a key element of the Qatar

National Vision 2030 and the use of solar technologies will assist in achieving this GSAS rating. “We are honoured to be involved with Qatar Rail through this very important partnership, which will aim to utilize QSTec’s solar solutions to meet some of Qatar Rail’s energy requirements. This is a long term agreement that demonstrates the very essence of the Qatar National Vision 2030 and we look forward to working closely with Qatar Rail to develop sustainable solar energy solutions that meet their requirements for quality, reliability and exceptional service,” Dr Khalid K. Al Hajri, Qatar Solar Technologies, Chairman and CEO, said. Speaking at the MOU signing, Eng. Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Turki al-Subaie, Managing Director and Chairman of the Executive Committee of Qatar Rail, said: “Qatar Rail places the environment-friendly methods at the heart of the executive strategy of all its

projects. This comes after the company conducted an intensive study to assess the possible environmental impact of the railway network projects, in order to ensure the protection of any affected environment. Solar Energy Development is one of the main green aspects of our project. Our strategic partnership with QSTec helps us improve the ecofriendly feature of the rail network adopting “Green Building” regulations, which consist of efficiently using energy and water, with reducing waste and environmental degradation”. Qatar is developing a world class 750km rail infrastructure incorporating Doha metro, Lusail light rail transit system and the Long Distance Passenger and Freight Rail that links Qatar with Saudi Arabia and Bahrain while creating a new industry for Qatar. All three projects are dynamic; they work in full integration to connect Qatar’s key areas with each other and with their vital extensions.

Construction

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News

Reserve your seat at Future Interiors Qatar Conference now Register Online. Quote FIQM14 and get

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uture Interiors Qatar – Powered by Project Qatar is a specialized conference for the interior design, construction and fit-out industry that will be taking place on 8 – 9 September 2014, at Al Sharq Village and Spa, in Doha, Qatar and it is organized by Advanced Conferences & Meetings. With the GCC Interiors market predicted to increase by 15% in 2014 to almost US$ 1.6 billion and the rapid infrastructure development across every sector in Qatar, it is clear that Qatar’s interior design and construction industry is entering a period of rapid growth. Against this backdrop, Future Interiors Qatar will provide strategies and highlight case studies to demonstrate ways to overcome the challenges faced in the field of interior design and construction in Qatar and across the GCC. Confirmed high-profile speakers include: Jay Holland, Senior Architect & BIM Manager, KEO International Consultants Fariborz Hatam, Owner, FHSI Architects Nigel Eckersall, Senior Design Manager, Shapoorji Pallonji and company Ltd Diego Di Paola, Senior Manager - Interior design, Msheireb Properties Dr. Cynthia Skelhorn, Post-Doctoral Researcher, Qatar Green Building Council - Qatar Foundation Key highlights include: Architecture and Design Sustainability and Materials Sourcing

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UAE construction sector’s pace is set to accelerate

he UAE construction sector’s pace is set to accelerate this year, with the government announcing a number of development projects and stepping up spending on social infrastructure development. A recent report by consultancy Ventures Middle East, “Exploring UAE’s Strong Investment Environment”, remarks that the new projects, combined with many previously stalled ones now forging ahead, will continue to bolster the 2013 upswing into 2014. It expects the UAE’s GDP for 2014 to grow at 4% to reach $404 billion, up from $390 billion in 2013, fuelled by the construction sector upturn and support from the oil and gas sector. The report sets the value of the country’s building sector at almost 60% of the total projects in the construction industry, followed by infrastructure, oil and gas and power and water. Total construction projects awarded in the UAE totaled $38 billion in 2013. This year the figure is expected to reach $46 billion. DAMAC Properties, one of the largest luxury real estate companies in the Middle East, whose recent developments include the 42 million sq ft master development, AKOYA by DAMAC and the four-tower DAMAC Towers by Paramount project in the Burj Area, is bullish about the upswing in the

market. “The outlook for the real estate sector in the UAE and Dubai is positive and this is mainly due to the strong economic growth experienced since 2012,” says DAMAC Properties Managing Director Ziad El Chaar. “Dubai, in particular, has continued to witness solid economic recovery and this is reflected on the real estate sector,” he points out. “Strong predicted growth of 4.5% this year will sustain demand for residential property; this explains the continuous solid levels of demand in the market, which is reflected in the growth in rental levels and residential values on the short and medium terms,” adds El Chaar. In line with the continued growth, the country’s infrastructure sector has seen significant investment and development, particularly in roads and airports. Dubai airports this year announced a $7.8 billion (Dh28.8 billion) airport and airspace expansion program which will boost capacity at Dubai International from 60 million to 90 million passengers per year by 2018. The investment is designed to deliver aviation infrastructure which will support the continuation of the sector’s impressive growth, facilitate Dubai’s economic expansion and generate an estimated 22% of total employment and 32% of the emirate’s GDP by 2020.

Similarly in Abu Dhabi, the Dh10.8 billion Midfield Terminal Building project - a 700,000 square meter site with what is set to be the world’s largest baggage system - remains on schedule to open by July 2017. The region’s leading international building and construction show, The Big 5, will demonstrate this renewed industry confidence with its largest edition yet. Triple shows Running alongside The Big 5, two co-located events, PMV Live and Middle East Concrete (MEC), offer a 360-degree platform to the building and construction industry, with the

three shows providing the largest international building construction, concrete and heavy machinery gathering place in the region. Last year, both shows attracted a record breaking 32% increase in attendance over 2012. Another outstanding year is expected for 2014 as companies in the PMV and concrete sectors take advantage of the region’s burgeoning infrastructure projects. The UAE is expected to spend over $300 billion on infrastructure by 2030, according to a report by hospitality consultancy HVS, to include the expansion of the Dubai Metro Red line,

new concourses at the recentlyopened Maktoum International Airport, interchanges on the Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Road and the construction of the main Expo 2020 centre. Regionally, Qatar forges on with its National Development Strategy 2011-2015 through a pipeline of infrastructure projects, including the $45 billion Lusail City, the newly-opened $17.5 billion Hamad International Airport and a large number of road, rail and associated World Cup 2022 construction schemes. Saudi Arabia is also undertaking infrastructure improvement projects in roads, bridges and

rail to the tune of $77 billion. Throughout last year’s third edition of the focused shows, PMV Live and MEC welcomed more than 355 exhibitors from over 32 countries, with more than 20,000 international participants descending on the events. PMV Live provides visitors and decision-makers a platform to source and preview plant equipment, construction machinery and vehicles, with multi-million dollar equipment deals signed at the event over the past three years, while MEC has already established itself as the largest dedicated concrete event in the Middle East.

News

Construction

QSE signs landmark deal with Kazakh firm Qatar Solar Energy (QSE) has signed a landmark agreement with Kazatomprom, a multibillion-dollar energy company based in Kazakhstan, to secure the supply of solar grade silicon, the raw material used to make solar panels, “at an extremely competitive fixed cost” for the next 10 years. “The agreement puts Qatar in a leadership position in the market given that demand for raw polysilicon will continue to grow as the global need for solar energy increases exponentially in the near future,” says a release. “The agreement, which was signed by Salim Abbassi, the CEO of QSE and Azat Betekbaev, the Chairman of Kazatomprom’s solar division, will contribute to accelerating QSE’s solar power purchase agreements (PPA) in Kazakhstan.” Kazatomprom, ranked as the world’s largest producer of uranium, has been active in renewa number of high-tech projects able energy since 2009. The company has implemented in the sustainable energy sector, including the production of

photovoltaic modules (Astana Solar), ingots, wafers and cells (Kazakhstan Solar Silicon) and solar grade silicon (Kaz Silicon). Abbassi said the partnership allowed QSE to secure the entire value chain, from raw material to smart-grid development, and provided a powerful foundation from which QSE would further expand its production capacity to 2.5 GW. “The steady supply of quality raw material is crucial to Qatar Solar Energy’s mission to deliver on the promise of low-cost

and affordable renewable energy for populations across the world,” Abbasssi said. “Solar-grade silicon from Kazatomprom will be used in the manufacture of QSE’s innovative products that are designed to perform in the most demanding environments present across the planet. By lowering costs and increasing efficiency, QSE is accelerating the democratization of renewable energy worldwide,” he said. “QSE is achieving this by combining research, development

and manufacturing under one roof to form a fully integrated value chain. QSE, when it reaches capacity of 2.5 GW, will make Qatar one of the largest producers of solar power in the world, contrasted with the total combined capacity of production in Europe and the US which currently stands at 3.4 GW.” QSE, the release said, was making remarkable strides, having launched its solar technology research and production facility in the Mena region in June 2014 and with the subsequent

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signing of the agreement with Kazatomprom. “QSE is quickly putting Qatar in a leadership position for both exporting innovative solar renewable energy technology products and knowledge transfer on high performance cells, modules, and smart-grid development,” the release said. QSE and Kazatomprom have also committed to deepening their mutual engagement in the form of knowledge-sharing and training to drive the solar industry forward. In September 2014, the first delegation of Kazatomprom engineers will travel to QSE headquarters in Qatar to initiate the knowledge-sharing engagement. Qatar Solar Energy said it was dedicated to responding to the growing demand for renewable energy in developed and developing countries. QSE develops and refines the world’s most advanced solar technologies by bringing research, technology development, manufacturing and project development and deployment under one roof, forming a fully-integrated value chain from raw materials to the end-user. QSE collaborates with leading solar energy technology providers and research institutes, including Meyer Burger, Eurotron, GT Advanced Technologies, Tempress, Asys, RENA, Rofin, Teamtechnik, Reis Robotic, ECN, Sunpreme and others.

Construction

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Tenders

ASHGHAL TENDERS AND AWARDED TENDERS Companies Eligible to Tender: (1) Qatari Companies Only (2) Joint Venture (JV) Companies, which includes a Qatari Company having a minimum of 51%, share holding of the JV (3) Non-Qatari Companies (4) Not Applicable * All financial values are in QAR Tender No.

Type

PWA/GTC/019/14-

GTC

Tender Title

Maintenance of TSE Network Framework ( AA/

Participants

Issuing Date

Closing Date