Construction Sites | February Issue no.103

I ssue N o .103 - F ebruary 2016

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

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In Focus: Hospitality sector in Qatar

Qatar has seen the launch of literally tens of hotels in the 5-star, 4-star as well as 3-star category over the last five years. This has been due to extensive local investment form the government, private Qatari real estate groups as well as foreign hotel groups. It seems that the market has started to move away from the prestige of 5-star hotel ownership towards real market demands as evidenced by local investor sentiment. Construction Sites looks at how the Middle East has established itself as the next frontier in luxury travel for the affluent as well as the market growth in 3-4- and 5-star hotels.

In 2015 alone there were 1800 hotels added to the already existing 18,000 keys in Qatar.

Hotel sector in Qatar is set for a major expansion

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Sustainability part of new hotel grading and classification system

Rail

InFocus

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InFocus Page

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Survey QGBC launches training survey

SITES In Depth coverage: Alstom Transport committed to sustainable mobility

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SITES

Biodiesel from used cooking oil Lootah Bio Fuel (LBF), a fully-owned subsidiary of the SS Lootah Group, is a leader in the

waste-to-energy and alternative fuel industry in the UAE. LBF manufactures biodiesel of which the raw material or feedstock is used cooking oil (UCO). The resultant is the cheapest diesel in the UAE and reduces carbon emissions from vehicles.

Dubai produces over thousands of tons of UCO monthly. For companies involved in the food and beverage sector, the disposal of UCO is a huge problem as food companies and restaurants are prohibited from disposing it through the sewage system.

The waste product is a gold mine for LBF which handles the collection of around 200,000 liters of UCO through an in-house department.

“The utilization of UCO in the manufacture of biodiesel defines the very essence of sustainability,” comments LBF CEO Yousif Saeed Lootah.

“Unlike in the manufacturing processes of biodiesel from plant sources such as corn, soy, and palm which require arable land for the cultivation of these crops, UCO is a readily available feedstock that only needs collection,” Lootah points out.

The decision to use UCO in the production of biodiesel for LBF has helped in raising the company’s green profile and can also help elevate the CSR profiles of companies that contract with LBF. However, the collection of UCO is a challenge as there are many unauthorized collectors who pay extra for UCO from various food and beverage outlets. Most of these unauthorized collectors then go on to export the UCO and in some countries it is resold as cooking oil which when consumed is a health risk.

“We work closely with the Dubai Municipality and other government institutions on building a regulatory framework that prevents the unauthorized UCO collectors from operating and exporting the UCO,” explains Lootah, when asked about efforts to combat the challenges in collecting UCO. Environmental sustainability and green initiatives have got a boost in the UAE following government plans and policies outlined in the national strategy reports such as Dubai Strategic Plan 2021, UAE National Agenda 2021 and Dubai Integrated Energy Strategy 2030.

The reports outline plans centered on protecting the environment, managing consumption of natural resources and diversification of UAE’s energy mix.

Asteco adds new expertise to sales and marketing division Asteco Property Management has appointed Mario Volpi as head of project sales and Ruby

Sawhney as marketing manager for its real estate sales, leasing and franchise divisions.

Volpi, who brings more than 30 years’ sales experience to the table, is tasked with overseeing sales and leasing activities for the Dubai-headquartered firm’s sizeable portfolio of high profile projects, focusing on overall strategy, market pricing analysis, sales negotiation management and team development.

A veteran of the property market in both London and the Mena region, Volpi held several senior positions in the UK with renowned countrywide property specialists Jackson-Stops & Staff.

Volpi is a well-recognised figure in Dubai real estate circles having held numerous management positions with eminent real estate companies where he was responsible for a number of projects across the UAE, according to a Asteco press release.

“A combination of solid industry experience and an in-depth knowledge and understanding of the region made him an obvious choice to lead our projects team,” says Asteco Managing Director John Stevens.

“Our sales and leasing portfolio is constantly expanding so Mario’s appointment will promote further growth and underscores Asteco’s prominent position as the region’s leading real estate consultancy and property management firm,” adds Stevens.

Describing Asteco as “a force to be reckoned with in the local real estate market”, Volpi said he was looking forward to work closely with some of the sharpest minds in the industry, and to further developing our quality portfolio and sales strategy.

Volpi’s knowledge of the industry has resulted in a number industry accolades, most recently the People’s Choice Real Estate Awards 2015 for sellers in the region. Volpi can also be found making various radio and TV appearances as well as writing his own weekly column answering residents’ property issues.

Joining the group as marketing manager is Ruby Sawhney, a sector specialist with more than 10 years’ hands-on marketing experience across the GCC. “Sawhney has in-depth knowledge of communication strategy development and implementation, project launches, product management, branding and advertising across the real estate, construction and retail spectrum,” says the Asteco release.

“Sawhney was previously head of marketing & communications for the JAFZA-based Danube Group, where her global communications and marketing remit across all divisions included construction and building materials, retail and real estate portfolio activities,” adds the release.

Prior to that, she led the marketing team at the multimillion Global Omani Development & Investment Company (GLOREI), Oman’s largest real estate company, where, among other projects she was part of the team who launched one of the Sultanate’s most luxurious developments, the Lamar Bausher mixed-use community.

“Ruby brings fantastic all-round insight to the role, from cutting edge digital marketing capabilities and consumer research expertise, to budget planning and CSR strategy development,” says Stevens.

“As we move into the second half of the decade, it is more important than ever that we maintain our market-leading position and, we look forward to rolling out some exciting new initiatives in 2016,” adds Stevens.

Sawhney says Asteco has built an enviable reputation in the last three decades.

“I look forward to working with the rest of the team in further strengthening our position in the Middle East as one of the region’s leading real estate services firms,” says Sawhney.

Asteco, one of the largest property services companies in the United Arab Emirates, was founded in Dubai in 1985.

Asteco offers independent market analysis, design development consultancy and valuation services, sales and leasing services, as well as asset and property management services.

Qatar

Qatar Environment and Energy Research Institute kicks off international conference on desalination and environment

Qatar Environment and Energy Research Institute (QEERI), in collaboration with Elsevier and ConocoPhillips Qatar, inaugurated the second International Conference on Desalination and Environment (ICODE 2016) on 24 January 2016. ICODE, a prestigious international conference held every three years, is being hosted in Qatar for the first time.

QEERI is a research and development entity under Hamad bin Khalifa University (HBKU), a member of Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development (QF). Aligned with the Qatar National Vision 2030 to develop a sustainable and diversified knowledge-based economy, QEERI aims to increase research and development in the country, and address Qatar’s Grand Challenges.

The three-day conference, taking place at the Sheraton Doha Resort & Convention Hotel, concludes on Tuesday.

It aims to address cutting-edge research issues in water treatment and desalination science and techniques by internationally renowned experts in the field.

The event began with a welcome speech from Dr Nidal Hilal, QEERI Deputy Director for Water Research, Editor-in-Chief of the international journal, ‘Desalination’, and Chairman of the Conference.

“The State of Qatar heavily depends on desalinated seawater to satisfy 99 per cent of its municipal water demand.

Therefore, developing technologies with increasing energy efficiency, reduced cost, minimum health risks, and environmental impact is a priority to the country and this conference,” Dr Hilal explained.

“Hosting such important international conferences in Qatar provide a venue for experts from around the world to exchange ideas and foster collaboration that can be beneficial to advancing the research agenda of both QEERI and Qatar. In addition, this will put Qatar on the international map as a hub for innovation and knowledge exchange,” Dr Hilal concluded.

DC Pro Engineering bags fourth consecutive District Cooling Consultant of the Year award

DC Pro Engineering UAE, a leading global authority in district energy, has won its fourth consecutive District Cooling Consultant of the Year accolade at the fifth annual Climate Control Middle East Awards.

Assessed on entries’ commitment to adopting and sustaining an inter-connected approach in projects, the District Cooling Consultant of the Year accolade was open to industry players from across the heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration (HVACR) sector.

DC Pro Engineering claimed top honor because of its “consistent commitment to green practices including energy efficiency, resource conservation, and reliability”.

“This award demonstrates that DC Pro Engineering continues to raise the bar of excellence in the delivery and execution of sound District Cooling design consultancy services,” said Fouad Younan, Managing Director of DC Pro, when collecting the award.

“DC Pro Engineering continues to work hand-in-hand with project proponents and contractors to provide creative solutions and innovative technologies that offer sustainable energy savings and ensure maximum efficiency in district cooling systems,” Younan said.

“This prestigious recognition serves only to inspire us to continue innovating towards a sustainable future for all.”

The Climate Control Awards 2015 comprised an unprecedented 37 categories, with all entries evaluated by a judging panel.

A third-party auditing firm monitored the entire exercise to ensure propriety, fairness and credibility.

With DC Pro Engineering developing alternative design solutions and optimization techniques that exceed project requirements and provide added-value to customers, the company’s knowledge and innovation has facilitated several design trends across the Mena region.

DC Pro Engineering’s key projects feature some of the largest in the Middle East including Jeddah’s Kingdom Tower, envisioned to be the world’s tallest building, and the new King Abdul-Aziz International Airport, as well as the award winning Riyadh’s Al Bustan II Development.

The company is also involved in the Khalifa Stadium project in Qatar, the Mariyah Island and Saadiyat Island projects in Abu Dhabi, another award-winning Innovation Park in Muscat and many more.

DC PRO Engineering is a recognized world leader in the fields of District Energy, Co-generation and Tri-generation.

The firm is also a renowned sustainability leader in Green Building MEP Designs. DC PRO’s services include engineering design, consulting, and project management in District Cooling, Combined Heat & Power (CHP) Co-generation and Tri-generation, Green Building MEP Design and Renewable Energy.

Other services include engineering reviews, feasibility studies, efficiency monitoring and recommendations for energy performance improvement. In recognition of its innovative and superior quality designs, DC PRO was selected as Best District Cooling Consultancy Company for 2012, 2013 and 2014 by Climate Control Magazine/CPI Industry.

The company has several international projects in its portfolio starting from Sydney Barangaroo South, Singapore Marina Bay Sands and Several Hilton Hotels in Kampala, Chad, Abuja, Seychelles, Iraq, Lebanon and the GCC.

Seminar

Construction

How to reduce environmental impacts of development projects

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Qatar is very strict with environmental impact of development projects

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hile urbanization sprawl continues in and around Doha, several questions concerning the environmental impact of these changes arise. What is the effect of new projects and infrastructure upgrade on the soil, air quality and groundwater of these areas? How will they affect the lives of residents in the urban expansion areas?

Environment impact assessment is crucial as Doha sees rapid development.

Construction Sites talks to Engineer Amar Hamid El Awad, General Manager of Green Energy and Environmental Services, on the importance of developing necessary environmental management plans to ensure a balanced approach and compliance to sustainability standards.

Green Energy and Environmental Services (GEESC) specializes in health, safety and environment training and consultancy.

It provides feasibility studies and pre-design, design and management of projects on all aspects of environmental, energy and sustainability issues.

What’s the importance of environment impact assessment for construction projects?

Environment impact assessment (EIA) is not only for construction projects but for any kind of relatively big-scale development or industrial projects. The project owner has to do an EIA to identify all the impacts resulting from the construction and the operation of this specific development so as to plan how to control these impacts during construction and operation and how to mitigate the adverse impacts.

It also aims to understand what would be the involvement of the community, because any development project will have its impacts on the surrounding

community, whether on people working in the project or people living near by the project. All of these need to be investigated.

You need to see the impact of the project on the soil, groundwater, air quality, as well as on workers involved and how they will be affected by the activities of the project.

Do investigations differ according to the type of project or is there a specific set of tests and investigation that you do for every project?

The EIA is a big task and it involves many experts. First, there is a desktop study, where you have to read about the area, its geology, soil, groundwater and the like. Then you have to do field tests which include taking samples to establish the base conditions.

You need to see the status of the site before the start of any development.

Many of these analyses need to be done through a laboratory where they are studied according to internationally-approved standards and systems.

Ashghal has approved certain labs to conduct geotechnicalrelated test or water-related analysis. You also have to identify the heritage and archeology of the area as well and there is a specific procedure for that you need to do with QMA. So it’s not only lab-based, it also involves expert investigation.

The required tests and investigation depend mainly on the scale of the project and how many sensitive receptors are near by the project. The more sensitive receptors you have, the more samples you need to take near their location to identify the impact on these people from construction activities or operation activities.

Is environment impact assessment mandatory by the Qatari law?

Law number 30 of the year

2002 gives a very clear instruction to private and government organizations to conduct EIA before the start of any project.

Of course, here we are not talking about a small two- or threestorey building. But relatively larger scale projects like stadiums, all infrastructure projects like roads, tunnels, and bridges and industrial buildings like factories, they all have to conduct an EIA. The project owner or contractor can’t do the EIA by himself, but he has to assign an approved consultant to do it. It is then submitted to the Ministry of Environment which will then meet with the project owner and the consultant to discuss what is the scope of the study.

Then if all aspects are approved, only then you can start the study.

After you complete the study, you do a draft EIA report to submit to the Ministry of Environment again. The ministry discusses the report and it might add more tests or ask for more investigation, then it gives you the permit.

Only then the project owner can go ahead to get other municipality approvals and required permits. If you don’t have the environmental permit, you will not go any further.

Is it the sole responsibility of the owner to do the EIA? The EIA is the responsibility of the owner, but there is a Construction Environmental Management Plan (CEMP) that is the responsibility of the contractor. This is also stated by the law and it should be approved by the Ministry of Environment.

The EIA will give the general guidance for the construction and operation and will look to alternatives to the project, if needed. For example, in terms of location, it will identify if it is necessary for the project to be in this location or can it be

done elsewhere to minimize impact?

On the other hand, the contractor is fully responsible to do the CEMP, which aims to mitigate environmental impact during construction practice. The contractor needs to do this through an environmental consultant and get the approval of Ministry of Environment for it.

What does the CEMP include?

The EIA establishes base line conditions for the project. It gives info about the state of the site before any development.

While the CEMP identifies the detailed control measures the contractor need to take. The contractor should take samples of agreed identified groundwater, soil, air quality, etc to see the impact from operation, from the construction, as well as the impact on the workers.

Both the developer and contractor are responsible and liable by the regulations.

During your work in Qatar, have you noted any recurrent environmental impact on construction sites?

The impact of every project will be different. The location of the project will define the kind of environmental impact. For example, in some areas the groundwater table is far below, so there is less chance for its contamination. In projects near the Corniche, the groundwater table is only 2.5m deep, so any contamination will definitely affect the water quality there. So it all depends on the location, type and scale of project.

What has been the response of construction community in Qatar to these procedures so far?

It’s a varied response. Many companies, especially in the large infrastructure projects, do include the EIA requirement and CEMP because it is a regulatory requirement and because it is an international

practice now.

What we realized in the last couple of years is that the market in Qatar is catching up. Many of the companies started to realize that it is important and they need to include it in their offers for construction budgets. They might need to collect certain samples or buy specific equipment to measure air quality during the construction activity.

These environment monitoring reports need to be submitted to the Ministry of Environment on quarterly basis.

I don’t say that all the companies realize the importance of EIA and understand it, but it has become more obvious, partially because it has strictly been applied in the last two years and partially because there are so many large-scale projects and developments going on in Qatar.

What’s the main concern of contractors who are reluctant to include EIA and CEMP? Is it cost or perceived delays to construction schedule?

It’s both. Some contractors don’t include budgets on their tender for this. Time is also a concern for some contractors because you need to prepare the documents to submit to the ministry which needs to approve it. But if they were prepared for it at the early stages of the project, I think it will not take so much time.

If you want to start it at the time you are mobilizing, then it will delay the construction process.

There are projects that were suspended for some time because they did not meet this requirement or did not get approval of environment documentation. So, I advise contractors to assign a department or a person to handle issues related to environment as they do with health and safety.

Are you involved in implementation of mitigation

measures for projects?

Usually we will identify, either in the EIA or ECMP, certain control or mitigation measures.

It will not provide a complete technical solution but it will identify ways to minimize your waste, reduce impact on soil, noise, vibration, dust suppression, emissions from equipment, etc.

We only provide recommendations but we can participate in the supervision of the implementation of mitigation procedures.

Do you send samples to be tested in labs outside Qatar?

Most of the tests can be done in Qatar. Sometimes, we have challenges with air quality equipment. But so far, we didn’t need to send samples outside.

Any final thoughts?

Qatar works quite hard to have the best conditions for the welfare of workers. It is very strict with environmental impact of projects and the ministry has several teams of inspectors to visit projects to evaluate and take samples to cross check. It is very important that contractors are aware of the government’s requirements and to be well prepared.

Some contractors expect the consultant to have all the information about anything related to their project. But in order for us to prepare comprehensive documents, we sometimes tell the contractor: we can’t start unless you provide us certain information.

We cannot just develop for you an EIA just like that. We need to know everything about the project, like its planning, the manpower, the materials you will use, the chemicals, the equipment, a lot of details.

You need to go through each and every detail to be able to decide what impact will result from this activity to be able to advise the contractor.

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Legal

Suspension of performance for non-payment

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ircumstances where we are often asked to advise, involve an employer or contractor which has failed to pay a contractor/subcontractor pursuant to the terms of the contract, and the aggrieved party seeks advice on whether it may suspend performance of its works pending receipt of payment.

The first port of call in this scenario will be to look at contractual rights.

As an example, Clause 69.4 [Contractor’s Entitlement to Suspend Work] of FIDIC Conditions of Contract for Works of Civil Engineering Construction (Fourth Edition) 1987, which states: “Without prejudice to the Contractor’s entitlement to interest under Sub-Clause 60.10 and to terminate under Sub-Clause 69.1, the Contractor may, if the Employer fails to pay the Contractor the amount due under any certificate of the Engineer within 28 days after the expiry of the time stated in Sub-Clause 60.10 within which payment is to be made, subject to any deduction that. the Employer is entitled to make under the Contract, after giving 28 days’ prior notice to the Employer, with a copy to the Engineer, suspend work or reduce the rate of work.

If the Contractor suspends work or reduces the rate of work in accordance with the provisions of this Sub-Clause and thereby suffers delay or incurs cost the Engineer shall, after due consultation with the Employer and the Contractor, determine: (a) any extension of time to which the Contractor is en-

titled under Clause 44, and (b) the amount of such costs, which shall be added to the Contract Price, and shall notify the Contractor accordingly, with a copy to the Employer.” allows the Contractor to suspend or reduce the rate of work where the payment of a certified sum is 28 days late and 28 day’s notice has been given. The Contractor is obliged to resume work “as soon as is reasonably possible” once payment is made.

The Contractor is further entitled to time and costs under Clause 44, for the delay/ cost it suffers.

Unsurprisingly, this clause in Qatar based contracts based on the FIDIC form, is either heavily amended or completely removed. In this regard, and where a contractor suspends performance of its works with no contractual right to do so, the contractor will likely be responsible for delay to the works and thus, for liquidated damages for such delay. It further risks termination by the employer for failing to progress the works in accordance with the contract.

Under Qatar law, there is no express right to suspend performance of the works in the above scenario. However, reference is sometimes made to Article 191 of Law No 22 of 2004 of (the “Qatar Civil Code”), which is known colloquially as the “corresponding obligations clause”, Article 191 states: “In contracts that are bilaterally binding, if the reciprocal obligations are exigible, either of the parties may refrain from fulfilling his obligation, if the other party

does not fulfil his obligation, unless otherwise agreed or custom dictates to the contrary”.

This provides a possible argument for suspension in the form of the principle of “exception d’inexécution” which finds its origins in French law and, through Egyptian law, into the local law. In relation to Article 161 of the Egyptian Civil Code (which is very similar to the Qatar provision) the scholar, Professor Shanab, comments “The contractor is entitled, according to the general rules, to refrain from performing his obligations as long as the employer refrains from paying the sums due”.

This is however not an unconditional right to withhold performance in the event of non-payment.

Similarly, Whelan in the “Official Commentary to the UAE Civil Code” on Article 247 (which is also similar to Article 191 of the Qatar Civil Code) says : “One of the principles on which the system of contracts binding on both parties is based is the connection between the mutual obligations to be performed on the basis of mutual exchange. If performance of these obligations is due, then one of the two contracting parties may not be compelled to do that which he is obliged to do before the other contracting party performs his corresponding obligation. On this basis, the corresponding obligations must be performed at the same time, and help may be derived from the procedures of actual tender in order to ascertain which of the two contracting parties is making

failure in performance. Thus, each of the two contracting parties has the right to withhold performance of that which he is obliged to do until he is given that which he is entitled to, and by relying on that right or defence he is doing no more than to suspend the operation of the contract.

The contract is not cancelled in such a case, nor are the obligations arising out of it terminated in any way. It is simply a question of the halting of performance, and this is fundamentally different from cancellation, and the defence of non-performance of the contract.

However that may be, it is not permitted to the contracting party to abuse this defence.

It is not open to him to rely on it in order to withhold performance of his obligation, if the corresponding obligation has been performed as to a large part thereof, and the part that remains unperformed is minor to the extent that it does not justify taking such a step.

It has been assumed in the foregoing cases that the time for performance has matured for both sets of corresponding obligations in the contract binding on both sides.

If the contract obliges one of the two contracting parties to commence performance of his obligation before the

other contracting party, it is not open to him to take advantage of that defence, as he must perform his obligation without waiting for performance on the part of the other contracting party”.

Thus, this principle permits one party not to perform his obligations if the other does not perform, provided that the obligations are interdependent, reciprocal and due for performance at the same time.

The position under construction contracts is however most often the case that work is carried out and then, after, the employer is obliged to pay for that work. These obligations are therefore not due for performance at the same time. It will likely be very difficult therefore to argue that non-payment in respect of work already performed provides grounds for a party not to carry out further contract work.

Insofar as a party threatens not to pay for future contract work (i.e. not to perform its obligations), then it may be arguable that this is a breach of a reciprocal obligation which justifies non-performance (i.e. suspension).

Such a threat would have to be clear refusal to perform, and not simply a dispute as to entitlement.

Please note also, all laws in

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.

Qatar (save for those of Qatar Financial Centre) are published in the Arabic language only. Thus excerpts below are taken from unofficial English translations. Where there is a query in relation to the interpretation of a provision of local law, recourse should be had to the Arabic text.

Should you have any questions in connection with this article or the legal issues it covers, please contact Laura Warren, Partner of Clyde & Co LLP at laura. warren@clydeco.com

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Laying the foundation for home grown sustainability education programme in Qatar

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s part of its ongoing campaign Qatar Green Building Council is inviting its members and supporters to take part in a survey that will help them to develop a training agenda based on their needs.

QGBC has been working with an ever broadening constituency to position the grassroots organiza-

tion as the “go-to” for certified sustainability training in Qatar. QGBC also encourages sustainability advocates to become more involved in their R&D initiatives through joining one of the many working groups like those focusing on, Green Building Infrastructure, Water, Solid Waste, Air Quality and also Hospitality amongst

others.

The survey hopes to help QGBC better understand and identify gaps and opportunities in Qatar’s sustainability education industry in an effort to expand its current portfolio of professional training courses to respond to the demand for high-quality education programmes in the country.

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Construction

SITES

Design

Transforming the way we ‘see’ acoustics

“People are beginning to see the value of getting acoustics involved at an early stage” Can you see sound? Apparently not, but that’s exactly what Cundall had been trying to do. The international multidisciplinary consultancy and world’s first consultancy to be formally endorsed as a One Planet Company by sustainability charity BioRegional has recently launched in Doha its new acoustic service that will transform the way we “see” acoustics, or so it says.

Cundall says its technicians have found a way to allow clients to experience a new way of understanding acoustics which enables valued decisions.

The new virtual reality tool by Cundall is supposed to portray design intent in ways that clients and designers can actually understand.

The Oculus Rift virtual reality headset, gaming controller and high quality headphones, are used to enable people to enter into an immersive audio and visual environment; the way the space sounds changes as you move through the building.

By having a real sense of being in the space, clients will be in a better position to take valued decisions on internal finishes based on experiential factors rather than just numbers on a page. The system is portable and can be taken anywhere for additional convenience.

Construction Sites talked with Andrew Parkin, acoustics part-

ner at Cundall, about the virtual reality tool experience and common issues facing acousticians in Qatar, among other topics.

Parkin is global head of acoustics for Cundall, based in the UK. He is passionate about design-led engineering, especially in helping clients and other stakeholders realize their aspirations through smart design.

Is it a common practice in other countries you are working in to have acousticians involved in the design stage of projects?

I think it’s becoming a more and more common practice to be involved since the very start.

I think historically acousticians have always been brought in too late. The problem there is that to retrofit acoustic treatment costs a lot of money.

So, I think people are beginning to see the value of getting acoustics involved at an early stage. In some countries it’s more advanced than others.

How is the situation like in Qatar?

Qatar is actually pretty much informed and we do get involved from early stages, which is good. A lot of the times clients are bind to contract requirements or by regulations. So, if an international hotel comes to Qatar, for example, they will have their own acoustics criteria that you have to comply with and the only way you can com-

ply with these criteria is to do it from the start.

So, it’s probably a mixture of an evolving construction industry getting better informed and also different working practices coming in to Qatar from different countries as well.

How do the local regulations handle acoustics?

Currently, I am not aware of any such regulations. I see that probably changing over time.

Proper acoustic regulations will slowly work its way through, but it will take a while to do that.

How much change can you do in acoustic design of a building after construction?

In theory, you can do anything.

But it’s the amount of disruption and the cost that would affect any change.

If we have got a hall with no acoustic treatment at all, to put it right you have to introduce some more surface finishes.

Since those finishes won’t have been taken into account in the original aesthetics; they will look out of place. Also, any new product will take a space, so the room would become smaller.

You can normally tell when something is an afterthought or not because it doesn’t blend in and it’s not good. So, you can fix “bad” acoustic design, but it will just be disruptive.

How would the experience of using your virtual reality

tool feel for the client?

There are two things that you wear; one is the head set which takes a stereo image for site and that gives a very realistic 3D image of where you are, added to that there are headphones and the model will show you how the sound changes as you walk through the space. Using a game remote control you can virtually walk around the building and experience sound variations in different locations.

What we tend to do up to this point is have an approximation to what the sound would be like. So, there is one sound file that will represent a specific room, but in reality, depending on where you stand in that room, the sound will change.

So it enables you to have a more dynamic view of the space rather than the static one we have otherwise.

How complex is the process of feeding data to the tool and how much time does it take?

It depends on the size and complexity of the space. If the room is large or if you want to have three iterations of different materials, for example, it might take a week to get the model demonstrate it.

If it’s a simple room, it might not take very long at all. However, simple rooms won’t actually see the benefits of this as much.

It’s large halls, shopping malls, open-plan office, etc that would see the benefit of that.

Do you plan to introduce the virtual reality tool to clients in Qatar?

We have already started to use it with clients here. There is an office fit-out project where we are currently using the tool in.

It’s still at a very early stage, but it has functionality now where we can use it. But it comes with a cost, because it has taken a lot of time to develop. So, we need to find a point where we can commercially make it viable to projects of various scopes.

What are the most common acoustic problems you see in Qatar?

One of the big problems is that spaces tend to have lots of

A reduction in the energy demand of buildings can make a major contribution to achieving national and international carbon reduction goals, in addition to addressing the interlinked issues of sustainable development, fuel poverty and fuel security.

This is the subject tackled by new book, Building Futures: Managing Energy in the Built Environment, written by Jane Powell, Jennifer Monahan and Chris Foulds and published by Routledge.

The book adopts an interdisciplinary approach to explore questions like: *How do you practically go about reducing energy demands? *What are the main obstacles to or enablers of change? *How can we best monitor progress and performance? *What does this all mean for our future aspirations of constructing lower-energy building stock?

The twin roles of energy efficiency, which is predominantly concerned with technological solutions, and energy conservation, which involves changing peoples’ behavior, are both explored.

The book includes a broad geographical range and scale of case studies from the UK,

Europe and further afield, including Passivhaus in Germany and the UK, Dongtan Eco City in China and retrofit houses in Denmark.

It is a valuable resource for students and academics of environmental science and energy-based subjects as well as construction and building management professionals.

“This book is essential reading for those interested in reducing emissions from buildings in a cost-effective and socially acceptable manner,” says Prof Sir

Bob Watson, CMG FRS, Monash Sustainability Institute, Monash University & School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia.

About the authors Jane Powell is a senior lecturer in the School of Environmental Sciences at the University of East Anglia. She has research interests in the energy efficiency of buildings and low-carbon energy, in addition to environmental evaluation methodologies such as lifecycle assessment.

Jennifer Monahan is an associate tutor in the School of Environmental Sciences at the University of East Anglia. She has research interests in energy efficiency of buildings and lowcarbon construction.

Chris Foulds is a senior research fellow in the consumption & change theme of Anglia Ruskin University’s Global Sustainability Institute. He is an environmental social scientist with a keen interest in the role of building occupants and professionals in the transition to a

low-carbon building stock.

Reviews “This book is a must read for anyone planning a career in the built environment. It accurately captures the complexities of energy demand through focusing on interdisciplinarity and astutely assesses the opportunities of smart energy in homes, retrofits and new builds. Importantly, the book puts people right at the centre of its thinking.”

– Philip Sellwood, Chief Executive, Energy Saving

New book explores themes related to sustainable buildings

hard finishes, especially public buildings. This is mainly done to maintain durability, because in public buildings you need something that would be easy to clean.

If you had a lot of soft finishes they will get dirty very quickly.

So a lot of spaces tend to be marble or stone and metal.

These hard finishes mean that every bit of sound that hits them will bounce off again, nothing is being absorbed.

You can try to introduce some interventions there that can make the space sound good so that it tends to get calm and manageable, while at the same time trying not to compromise the fact that it has to be kept clean and look smart and uncluttered.

Trust “We are on the threshold of a ‘next generation’ of design thinking. This book explores some of the shortcomings in current approaches and provides blueprints for designing genuinely better buildings in which we can successfully and comfortably survive in a warming and resource challenged future.”

– Sue Roaf, Professor of Architectural Engineering, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh

10

Construction

SITES

Interview

Move to bridge the gap between local architects and their market

“The Architects’ Hub is all about nurturing trust and creating value” Omeima Osman Ismaiel, an architect with more than 25 years of experience in Qatar construction sector and an accredited member of the British Institute of Interior Design, has founded the Qatar Architects Hub, a networking platform for the architects in Qatar.

Omeima understands the requirements of the local industry and the local need for “a stronger fabric of architects in Qatar”. Being an industry professional and experienced architect, Omeima has launched an initiative to shake a bit the ecosystem of architecture studios in Qatar.

Omeima talks about a range of issues in this interview with Construction Sites.

Could you please tell about yourself, your background and from where the idea of creation a platform for architects came from?

I am an architect and interior designer. I have a Master’s degree in architectural design management from the Instituto de Empresa in Spain and am an accredited member of the British Institute of Interior Design, UK. Recently I joined the Future Interiors Conference as a member of the Advisory board. Having lived in Qatar for over 25 years, I worked as an architect in both the private sector as consultant and the public sector as client representative. My most recent position was as a senior researcher at Qatar Founda-

tion Faculty of Islamic Studies where I was fortunate to work with the world-renowned architect Abdel-Wahed El-Wakeel.

Before that I was architect and design project manager at the Qatar Olympic Committee and lead architect in Doha Asian Games Organizing Committee for the Airport and the Main Media Centre venues.

What is the aim of the Qatar Architects Hub creation?

The Architects’ Hub shall include a physical venue especially built and designed by local architects to reflect the local heritage.

The main aim is to bridge the gap in architecture in Qatar and to connect the local architects with their market and to raise the practice of architecture to international standards.

The Architects Hub – Qatar intends to be the single leading architecture networking platform dedicated to empowering local architectural firms and professionals, fostering excellence in architectural practices and affecting a positive impact

on the urban landscape.

The hub shall be a brick and mortar venue built on facilitating face-to-face opportunities where architects can advertise their services, showcase their expertise and build valuable connections with peers, industry related professionals and potential clients. Supported by an online website, its visibility will be further ensured on a 24/7 bases and members will be continually updated on the latest news, events and professional development opportunities via a regular newsletter.

The Architects’ Hub is all about nurturing trust and creating value. We believe in the power of direct human interaction to bring out the best in people and build loyalty and success.

We believe in fostering an open dialogue and harnessing diversity of thought, always challenging the status quo, to push the boundaries of innovation.

How does it work?

It is more like an online visual directory that allows architecture firms to create their online galleries in order to grow their business. Potential clients can surf through the images in order to find the architect whose style and brand they like. It is thus trying to bridge the gap between local architects and their market, making them easily and directly accessible.

Who can register?

A: We currently have two types of memberships; one for the local architecture firms registered in Qatar and the other for the global network. We also have a newsletter to which people can subscribe.

The core members are the Local architecture firms. They get to create their personal accounts where they upload their company profile, contact details including map location and project images. Companies can access and update their accounts anytime. Only, locally-registered architecture firms get to create galleries of their projects.

The global network includes all other professionals whose services are linked to architecture such as interior designers, project managers, engineers, artists, etc. These can be local as well as international. International architecture firms can also be part of the global network. The intention is to facilitate team-building, collabo-

rations, partnerships and joint ventures. Network members only get to upload their logo and contact details with a link to their websites but no image gallery. The network is especially relevant as Qatar heads towards the 2022 FIFA cup and the implementation of the QNV 2030 Vision, making it more feasible for local architects to participate in the new projects.

Is the platform free of charge or paid?

It is a paid service. However, as we are currently building our website memberships and validating the service; it is free at least up to June 2016 as a promotion.

Do you organize networking activities for the construction industry?

Yes. I do collaborate with the Qatar Society of Engineers in organizing some events. I contribute by introducing professionals and companies to them for lectures, workshops and professional collaborations.

What are the benefits of the Qatar Architects Hub for the construction professionals?

Construction professionals are diverse but all work together as members of teams to create our built environment and hence living experience. Architects are integral in all aspects of the industry. Creating a networking hub, I hope, will create better communication, closer cohesion and a continuous dialogue between professionals thus creating opportunities for growth and better business.

Of great value would be the ex-

Local architecture firms are not visible in their niche markets – perhaps lacking the business skill or unwilling to invest to actively market their services, showcase their potential and communicate with prospective clients.

change of knowledge and skills.

What are the main challenges for the architects working in Qatar’s market?

I can only give my own views based on my experiences and observations. It is hard to generalize because between the private sector and the public sector there is a difference especially as there are four classifications of architecture firms in Qatar, Grades A, B, C and international; each has its own limitations on the size of projects and each caters for a type of client.

But if I was to focus on the private sector, perhaps the biggest challenge is Visibility and branding. I often ask colleagues and friends in Qatar “which architect would you hire to design your home” and I rarely ever get a name. People are more concerned with the contractor and the value of the architect is hardly appreciated – apart from being the means to the building permit. Generally I can summarize that the challenges are due to the following issues: Lack of International architectural practice standards: Many Local Architecture firms lack the skills needed to produce international standard architecture, making them uncompetitive in their own market. The Qatari urban landscape already boasts award winning projects and star-architect signature buildings. The standard is already set.

Lack of Visibility in their market: Local Architecture firms are not visible in their niche markets – perhaps lacking the business skill or unwilling to invest to actively market their services, showcase their potential and communicate with prospective clients. At the same time, local clients seeking architectural services have a hard time finding the right architect to work with and generally tend to find them in the following ways, which is often tedious and very time consuming: • Consult with family or friends who have built before.

• Drive around looking for a prototype to use then finding the architect.

• vVisiting several architectural firms before deciding on one.

Difficulty finding team building for projects: finding partners to

collaborate on large projects or bid for public sector projects or go global is a costly and time consuming effort for local architects. With the fast pace of urban development, joint ventures are commonplace (mainly among Grade A firms) and give strength when companies collaborate.

New Graduates: The Qatar University has been graduating architects for some years now. I hear that there is a challenge for them finding suitable training and jobs in the private sector or even starting their own design practices. All the graduates are ladies; this means more needs to be done to empower them to access the market.

How do you see the Qatar Architects Hub in five to ten years?

The Architects Hub by then should be an established networking nucleus for architecture and a beacon of culture in the region as well as a business hub for architecture. We hope to create programs for professional development and events to ensure continued progress as well as creating co-working hubs to empower graduates and start-ups. The hub shall include a physical venue especially built and designed by local architects to reflect the local heritage.

Have you any further plans that you want to share with the industry?

I hope to create a joint collaboration between the Qatar Society of Engineers (QSE) and the Architects Hub. I had approached them recently and we are now studying means of collaboration. Working with an esteemed organization like the QSE and having its support would be a great achievement for the Architects Hub Qatar.

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12

Construction

SITES

News

Construction industry in Qatar boasts the strongest growth

Construction emerged as the most stressful industry for 47% of Qatar respondents The construction industry experienced the strongest growth in Qatar in 2015, according to the recent “Top Industries in the Middle East and North Africa” survey, conducted by Bayt.com and YouGov, a pioneer in online market research.

The survey found that 33% of Qatar respondents believed that the construction industry had experienced strong growth over the last year. Respondents in Qatar also recognized banking/finance (27%) and airlines (25%) as industries with significant growth.

According to the survey, healthcare/medical services/pharmaceuticals and education/academia emerged as the sectors most attractive to women seeking a career in Qatar (36% for both), followed closely by hospitality/entertainment/ tourism (31%). Banking/finance (28%) and the airline industry (26%) were also popular choices among women.

Most attractive industries The government/civil service/ utilities sector emerged as the industry that attracts the highest proportion of national talent according to 41% of Qatar respondents.

Other attractive industries for national talent include military/

defense/police/security services (23%), and banking and finance (21%).

According to the poll, 62% of Qatar respondents view the government as a favorable employer of choice, with 43% perceiving the government as “extremely favorable” and only 6% viewing it as “extremely unfavorable”.

Industry satisfaction Almost two out of every five Qatar respondents are satisfied with their current/most recent salary packages (39%), inclusive of non-monetary benefits, 13% of which are “completely satisfied”. However, a little more than one in five (21%) of those surveyed are “completely dissatisfied” with their current/ most recent salary package.

Overall, a high percentage of current employees or unemployed professionals looking for a job in Qatar are generally satisfied with what their industries offer/offered.

Close to half of the respondents in Qatar are/were satisfied with their career growth (48%), while 21% are/were “neither dissatisfied, nor satisfied” and 12% are “completely dissatisfied”.

In terms of maintaining a worklife balance, half of the re-

spondents in Qatar are/were satisfied (50%), with 19% being “completely satisfied”. Just 15% of those surveyed are/ were “completely dissatisfied”.

A good 61% of respondents in Qatar are satisfied with their work culture, 59% with their working hours and 53% with their job security. In fact, 37% of respondents are/were “somewhat satisfied” with their work culture, while 24% are/ were “completely satisfied”.

Close to a third (31%) of respondents are/were “completely satisfied” with their working hours, while 15% are/ were “completely dissatisfied”.

8% claim to be “completely dissatisfied” with the job security offered by their industry.

In terms of training and development, 21% of Qatar respondents claim to be “completely satisfied” and 25% “somewhat satisfied” with the programs available to them. However, 35% of respective respondents are/were “somewhat or completely dissatisfied” with the training and development programs in their companies.

Stressful Industries Construction emerged as the most stressful industry for 47% of Qatar respondents. Oil, gas and petrochemicals/energy

and healthcare/medical services/pharmaceuticals were also perceived as stressful sectors by 26% and 18% of respondents respectively.

On the other hand, charity/ volunteer work and automotive were observed to be the most stressful industries by only 3% of respective respondents.

Construction tops the list for the longest working hours for almost half of Qatar respondents (48%), followed by hospitality/entertainment/ tourism (23%).

Seeking employment The most popular industry for respondents who are currently seeking employment, across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), is IT/electronics/ telecommunications (9%). Conversely, the least popular industries for job seekers are real estate, charity/volunteering work, management consulting and agriculture (all at 1%).

The Qatar banking and finance sector hires the highest proportion of fresh graduates, according to 27% of the respondents.

Other industries with a propensity for hiring fresh graduates include construction (20%), government/civil service/utilities (19%), and IT/electronics/ telecommunications (18%).

Switching industries Another major finding of the survey is that only 27% of MENA respondents have changed their industry in the last two years. This was certainly the case in Qatar, where 74% of respondents have not changed their industry in the last 24 months.

For those who have changed industry across the MENA region, better salaries (37%), better opportunities for career growth (32%) and lack of recognition (30%) are the top three reasons for their change.

A total of 41% of those surveyed in Qatar are considering an industry change in the next few months, while one third (33%) of the respondents “don’t know/can’t say”. For 61% of the MENA respondents who consider an industry change, a higher salary is the top reason, while 39% consider enhanced career growth opportunities as an important reason for changing industries.

Suhail Masri, VP of Employer Solutions at Bayt.com, said it was a very good sign that 61% of respondents in Qatar were satisfied with their work culture.

“Over the years, more and more companies are becoming aware of the importance of

that, and branding their work culture in order to attract and retain amazing talent,” Masri said.

“At Bayt.com, we have been helping the top employers brand their companies as top places to work for years now, and we encourage organizations to have a professional online profile for their companies. We are also well-versed in meeting the very specific human resource requirements across these industries.

“Our annual Top Industries in the MENA report empowers us to understand the opinions of professionals in the Middle East and North Africa regarding their own industry and various other industry sectors in the region, delivering vital statistics that make a difference for employers, employees and recruiters alike,” he said.

“More and more people across the Middle East and North Africa are looking at a variety of industries as the top employment options,” said Elissavet Vraka, Research Manager, YouGov. “In Qatar, the most popular industries in terms of perception are not the same as the most popular industries where respondents are keen to find employment.”

Lifestyle

Construction

SITES

13

A hotel that makes you healthy: New Al Shaqab Hotel brings an innovative new concept to Doha

Designed to redefine the boutique hotel experience, Al Shaqab Hotel promotes healthy, active lifestyles with a special focus on physical activities and a balanced diet. Ensconced in lush natural surroundings – in Al Shaqab’s sprawling and scenic equestrian complex in Education City – Al Shaqab Hotel, the first of its kind in Doha, provides guests with a tranquil ‘getaway’ from the fast-paced city life.

The health-driven hotel features a total of 70 guest rooms and 24-hour in-room dining facilities.

Making the most of its surroundings, Al Shaqab Hotel offers equestrian riding packages and facility tours, in addition to a ‘Stay, Ride, Swim’ package. This new offering enables guests to stay at the hotel, enjoy the exceptional equestrian facilities at Al Shaqab and cool

off in the sparkling pool at Marwan Club.

Guests can also indulge their taste buds at Chef’s Garden, a unique Farm-to-Table restaurant concept that focuses on healthy and delicious food, with locally sourced and organic produce served when available.

“Al Shaqab Hotel isn’t just a lodging facility – it is an unprecedented, ground-breaking hospitality concept designed to promote wellness, serve as a catalyst for an active lifestyle and entice guests to appreciate the benefits of healthy living,” said Karim Abdelhamid, Director of Operations – Hospitality at AMLAK. In an interview with Construction Sites on the sidelines of the opening, Abdelhamid said the hotel was originally built for competitors at Al Shaqab arena as part of Al Shaqab facilities.

Amlak did the interior design

touches to transform it to a year round hotel.

“We converted it to accommodate the needs of every day guests, like beds, and other room equipment to match the daily hotel needs,” he said.

Abdelahamid explained that the hotel’s design concept is a “straight to the point” design for a business or sports hotel.

“It’s meant not to have the luxury feel. It’s a budget type of hotel,” he added. The healthy attitude of the hotel was mainly achieved through addition of some soft touches like the exercise kits in the room, the gym and pool and also through the focus on equestrian activities, making it an ideal place for people who enjoy horseback riding.

The location of the hotel encourages walkability as the shaded corridors surrounding the hotel can take guests to the hotel club or to Al Shaqab facili-

ties itself to either watch or ride horses.

“It’s not just a city hotel in one building where you move between floors in elevators, rather there are nice outdoor corridors you can use to move between the hotel facilities,” he said.

The hotel uses conventional cooling methods for its interior.

However, it takes a few steps to minimize its environmental impact like using LED lights, energy saving features and recycling its waste.

Al Shaqab Hotel gives guests the choice of accommodation between two room types to suit all requirements. Guests can choose to stay in one of the Superior Double or Classic King rooms, during their stay at the hotel. Each room has an ensuite bathroom and 24 hour In-

Room Dining options. All rooms are equipped with gym gear such as yoga mats and small weights.

There are a total of 30 Superior Double rooms in the hotel.

Each room is 26 - 29sq. meters in size and has two double beds. In addition to a total of 40 Classic King Rooms available to guests. Each room is 26 -29 sq. meters in size and has one king sized bed.

The hotel also offers a mid-size function space to suit a variety of meeting requirements.

The 24sq. meter boardroom is suitable to host intimate meetings. It is equipped with a built in screen and projector, as well as a flat-screen television and white board. The boardroom comfortably seats twelve persons.

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Construction

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Qatar

Sustainability part of new hotel grading and classification system

For the first time in Qatar, hotels will be evaluated based on their environmental sustainability management. The new hotel grading and classification system released this month by Qatar Tourism Authority aims to make hotel ratings more fair and transparent. It is being released after two months of testing and six of development in collaboration with the local industry, hoteliers and international experts.

Hotels and hotel apartments will in future be graded together on the same ‘star-rating’ sys-

tem, based on sets of criteria that evaluate their public areas, guest rooms, guest bathrooms, quality of service, staff development, food & beverage and even room amenities. For the first time in Qatar, hotels will also be evaluated based on their environmental sustainability management.

According to QTA, the Authority will guide hoteliers through the process of implementing required changes needed for their hotels to maintain their star ratings, “working collaboratively with them to ensure

they make the improvements at a reasonable pace and with minimum disruption to their business.”

“Uniquely, this new system holds developers, owners, management and operators equally accountable for the property’s classification. Changes will take time, but gradually we are paving the way for a more sustainable, environmentally-friendly, and diverse hospitality sector,” officials commented.

Hotels will be starting the assessment process through a ule online. Once this is com- arranged with QTA, which disdigital ‘self-assessment’ mod- pleted, a formal inspection is patches members of its inspection team to verify the results, and to ensure hotels have either made the changes required of them, or have put into place an agreed schedule for the rectification of any deficits in facilities and services. . Hotels that do not make the needed improvements, or chose not to, will then be re-graded – this could involve them losing a star.

Among the system’s unique features is a built-in ‘guest experience index’ which analyses ratings and reviews on 130 hotel review websites including TripAdvisor and Booking.com for incorporation into the hotel’s final grading report.

The system allows hotel inspectors to record photographic evidence and monthly guest experience feedback, as well as

Hospitality Market Overview

Based on DTZ’s analysis, by December 2015 the supply of hotel accommodation in Qatar reached approximately 18,400 keys between guest rooms and hotel apartments.

This reflects a 10% increase in supply over a 12 month period, following two years of little new supply.

In total, 13 new hotels opened in 2015, adding approximately 1,900 keys to the hospitality sector. Of the current supply, approximately 84% is categorized as either 4-Star or 5-Star.

Based on the most recent figures released by Qatar Tourism Authority in July 2015, the total tourist numbers over the

first half of the year reached 1.53 million. This reflected a 7% increase on the corresponding period in 2014.

Growing tourist arrivals resulted in occupancy rates increasing by 2% between January and June compared to the corresponding period in 2014. In contrast, statistics published by MDPS show that by Q4 monthly average occupancy levels had fallen compared to the previous year. The statistics were most noticeable in November 2015, which recorded average occupancy levels at 70% compared to 83% the previous November. A key factor behind this fall has been the

keeping track of all interactions between QTA and the hotels, such as commitments to certain improvements, re-inspection agreements and related deadlines.

Hotels that need to make extensive structural changes that involve work on more than 40% of their infrastructure will be given until 31 December 2020 to complete the changes before they are regraded. QTA has also reached out to developers of hotels that are in the pipeline for 2016 to ensure that standards are in place before any new establishments open.

QTA works with partners and stakeholders to ensure that tourism and hotel establishments operate at the highest standards while promoting and perpetuating Qatari culture and heritage.

increase in supply as new hotel developments completed throughout the year.

The Qatar Tourism Authority started monitoring the hotel apartment sector in 2015.

Average occupancy levels reached 77% for the first six months of the year. DTZ research indicates that supply of hotel apartments is expected to increase by more than 100% by the end of 2018.

Average Daily Rates (ADR’s) have been reducing in recent years, a trend which continued in recent months. According to MDPS statistics, overall daily rates reduced from QAR524 to QAR511 between October and November, which

represents a 12% decrease released by QTA earlier in the tion, which will increase supon the corresponding month year, 80 hotels and apartment ply by approximately 18,000 in 2014. hotels were under construc- keys over the next three years.

The Qatar National Tourism Sector Strategy Plan 2030 has set out a program to invest $45bn in tourism projects over the next 15 years.

The aim of the program is to attract a larger amount of tourist numbers from outside GCC, with an ambitious target to increase overall annual arrivals to 7 million by 2030.

Occupancy levels and average daily rates are likely to be tested in the medium term as the supply of hotel rooms continues to grow in order to meet Qatar’s FIFA 2022 obligations. According to data

Qatar

Construction

SITES

15

Al Rayyan Tourism Investment Company (ARTIC) launches New City Hotel

Qatar’s newest addition to the Rotana portfolio, and the third hotel for the group in Qatar, City Centre Rotana is a tribute to Doha and its ‘pulsating cosmopolitan spirit’.

Doha’s much anticipated new five-star hotel, City Centre Rotana Doha, celebrated its official opening late January 2016. The launch was officiated by the senior management team from Rotana as well as Al Rayyan Tourism Investment Company (ARTIC) - the developers of City Centre Rotana.

This newest addition to the Rotana portfolio, and the third hotel for the group in Qatar, City Centre Rotana is a tribute to Doha and its pulsating cosmopolitan spirit. Strategically located in the West Bay area, City Centre Rotana is characterized by its connection to the City Center Doha shopping complex. The hotel is also only 30 minutes away from the airport, 15 minutes away from the traditional Souq Waqif and the Museum of Islamic Art. Addressing the official opening of City Centre Rotana, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Faisal Al Thani, ARTIC’s Vice Chairman said: “The tourism sector in Qatar is witnessing a remarkable growth, and we are committed to playing a key role in supporting this growth. In line with this, the launch of City Centre Rotana is a unique addition to

Qatar’s hospitality market, and we are delighted to welcome our guests to the latest addition of ARTIC’s high quality assets portfolio.”

Rotana has been a long-standing player in Qatar’s hospitality scenario and the launch of City Centre Rotana reaffirms this position. Speaking during the inaugural ceremony, Mr. Nasser Al Nowais, Chairman, Rotana, said: “City Centre Rotana is our third presence in the country, thanks to the vision of ARTIC’s Chairman, His Excellency Sheikh Faisal Bin Qassim, his faith and belief in supporting our brand. We look forward to strengthening this partnership and helping with the development of the tourism sector in the country.”

“Going forward, we have an extensive expansion plan in Africa and Europe, which is in line with our vision to reach 100 hotels by 2020,” Mr. Al Nowais added.

Commenting on the launch, Mr. Omer Kaddouri, President and CEO of Rotana said: “The opening of City Centre Rotana is a major milestone for us and we are proud to be managing this new jewel in the heart of Doha.

This 52-storey tower features

287 luxurious modern rooms and suites and 94 serviced apartments as well as state-ofthe-art meetings and banqueting facilities, Bodylines Fitness & Wellness Club and an exciting collection of restaurants.

With this new upscale hotel, we will offer the best amenities for business and leisure guests in the West Bay area.”

Spain’s Meliá Hotels International plans to open a new hotel in Qatar. It will be operated under the Innside by Meliá brand.

The Innside Doha will become the third hotel for the company in Qatar, together with the Meliá Doha and the future ME Doha.

The Innside Doha, scheduled to open next year, will be located in a prime area close to the Qatar National Museum, the new Doha Metro station, government and commercial offices, with views of the West Bay skyline and easy access to Hamad International Airport.

It will have 192 rooms, a signature restaurant, a lobby lounge, a business center, a fitness center with spa, a rooftop terrace with a pool deck area and a club F&B concept on the 13th floor.

“The elegant and functional

Innside by Meliá hotels are perfectly adapted to the needs of modern city visitors, offering a combination of business lifestyle, cutting-edge design, smart technology and personalized, simple and efficient service,” according to a company release.

“The Meliá brand is also attracting the interest of investors and hotel owners worldwide, thanks to the value the hotels provide to guests and their profitability, and this new hotel in Doha is another milestone for its growth and development,” says the release.

It currently operates 16 hotels and has 21 more in the pipeline, in the UK, the USA, Germany, Chile, Venezuela, the UAE, China, Indonesia, Malasia, Italy, Colombia and Brazil.

The second Meliá hotel in Qatar,

ME Doha, will also be opened in 2017. It will have 235 rooms, business and convention facilities and an executive area, in addition to a fitness center and a spa with an infinity pool overlooking the Doha skyline.

There will be three restaurants, a nightclub, an open-air cinema and three bars housed within the property.

ME Doha will be part of a cutting-edge complex, “Dohalive”, that will combine the hotel with a shopping destination, a cinema complex and open-air leisure facilities.

Al-Baker group, a corporate giant with a presence across the entire Gulf region, has masterminded the “Dohalive” project.

The design has been carried out by Al-Baker Architects and blends the hotel and shopping areas while also enhancing

“With the opening of City Centre Rotana, our company’s inventory in Doha has increased to more than 1000 rooms. Moreover, the second quarter of this year will witness the opening of Centro Capital Doha, our first hotel to be launched in the country under the lifestyle affordable brand Centro Hotels

by Rotana, which will then add

another 229 rooms to our portfolio in Qatar,” he added.

Mr. Joseph Coubat, General Manager of City Centre Rotana, explained: “This new experience in the heart of Doha city will transform customer engagement. Today, Doha is considered to be the most vibrant place in the region, due to its position on the global confer-

ences and exhibitions’ map.

Moreover, the city has been attracting major sports leagues and tournaments, especially the 2022 World Cup – the most awaited event. So, our launch today enhances our brand’s existence in this country and also supports the government’s efforts to boost the tourism sector.”

Meliá Hotels strengthening its presence in Doha public areas such as the rooftop terrace and the gardens to live up to the name of the project “Dohalive”.

As stated by Al Baker Investments Chairman Ahmed Al Baker, “this development will set a new standard for lifestyle destinations in Doha. We intend on creating a hotel that will produce unique and extraordinary experiences, which is why Al-Baker Investments is proud and confident about the future success of ME Doha.”

Qatar is the country with the highest income per capita, globally and Doha has become a focal point in the Middle East, landing the winning bid for the 2022 World Cup. The city, which is a predominantly corporate destination (65%), is undergoing a transformation in the hospitality sec-

tor with new hotels opening on a monthly basis (the current pipeline expects to increase the hotel supply by 77%, dominated by luxury upper upscale and upscale properties).

Significant infrastructural and real estate projects in Qatar will be completed during the coming decade, driving the growth of demand for transient accommodation in Doha.

Founded in 1956 in Palma de Mallorca in Spain, Meliá Hotels International is one of the largest hotel companies worldwide as well as the leader within the Spanish market, with more than 370 hotels (current portfolio and pipeline) throughout more than 40 countries and four continents under the following brands: Gran Meliá, Meliá Hotels & Resorts, Paradisus Resorts, ME by Meliá, INNSIDE

by Meliá, Tryp by Wyndham and Sol Hoteles.

The strategic focus on international growth has allowed Meliá Hotels International to be the first Spanish hotel company with presence in key markets such as China, the Arabian Gulf and the US, as well as maintaining its leadership in traditional markets such as Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean.

Its high degree of globalization, a diversified business model, the consistent growth plan supported by strategic alliances with major investors and its commitment to responsible tourism are the major strengths of Meliá Hotels International, being the Spanish hotel leader in corporate reputation (Merco Ranking) and one of the most attractive to work worldwide.

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Getting hotel acoustics right

Providing a good acoustic environment within a hotel doesn’t stop at the design or construction stage and it’s not something that can’t be improved over time

By Mark Puljizevic Al Mana group Working as a building acoustics consultant in Qatar, I often find myself playing a role in raising awareness of good acoustic design and its benefits in healthcare facilities, schools, stadiums, offices and residential buildings. The most challenging part of it is providing tangible evidence of those benefits to clients whose conversation frequently turns to income and profit.

One sector where relations between good acoustic design and profit are quite straightforward is in the hotel industry.

Major hotel groups are quite aware how poor acoustic design of a single room can turn your profits upside down.

Although acoustics is recognized as important and usually tackled throughout the design stage, it doesn’t mean most hotels are immune to the “empty room syndrome”. Browsing through guests’ feedbacks, complaints related to noise and poor privacy levels within guestrooms usually top the charts.

Work on a number of hotels being built to boost Qatar’s tourism sector and satisfy capacities required for the 2022 World Cup is going on at pace.

Hotels in Doha are rather spe-

cial compared to other parts of the world as they virtually represent focal points of Qatar’s social life, for both locals and expats.

Either looking for a quite place to take a morning coffee and read newspaper, dine with the family, have a business meeting, organize a wedding event, relax in the spa, take a hairdresser appointment or just have fun with friends, hotels are the place to be.

Lured by luxurious lobbies, magnificent restaurants, grand ball rooms, seaside shisha-bars, sports facilities, beaches and some of the best night clubs in the Middle East, hotels in Qatar are regularly jam-packed and paying a visit to enjoy their facilities without a reservation can often turn disappointing.

Despite numerous amenities, at the heart of every hotel are its guestrooms and suites where high levels of privacy and peaceful environment are of the utmost importance.

Reconciling all the hotel’s contents and integrating various noisy and quiet areas under one roof proves very challenging even for the most experienced developers.

It is indeed very rare to find a hotel without at least few rooms being exposed to high noise lev-

els and unaffected by guests’ complaints.

Key topics when discussing hotel acoustic design are: • High sound insulation • Low noise levels High sound insulation between guestrooms and especially between quiet and noisy areas such as ball rooms or night clubs should be the starting point of every hotel’s design.

Being able to understand conversation in the neighboring guestrooms or being annoyed by a loud music throughout the night can turn anyone’s hotel stay into a nightmare.

Partitions and building constructions of high sound insulation rate, such as solid concrete walls and double dry-wall partitions, should be favored; paying attention to constructive details such as interface with the facade or penetrations due to various building services (airconditioning, ventilation, fire fighting, etc.).

Noise levels originating either from air-conditioning systems or nearby traffic have to be kept low, in order to allow a good night’s rest. All our senses calm down during nights and we become very susceptible to noise.

Even the slightest increase in noise levels can prove extremely disturbing and cause serious

sleep deprivation. Noise is usually one of the most frequent source of complains among guests.

Installation of quiet air-conditioning units and selection of double glazed facade systems stand almost as a standard these days.

Providing a good acoustic environment within a hotel doesn’t stop at the design or construction stage and it’s not something that can’t be improved over time. Identifying strengths and weaknesses of existing acoustic environment is paramount for any building, especially for a hotel where it makes all the difference between an empty and an occupied room,

leading to guests’ satisfaction.

That’s why I always encourage hotel operators to conduct acoustic surveys in order to identify potential weaknesses and rectify them in the most feasible manner.

One of Qatar’s most beautiful examples when it comes to acoustics is the Mövenpick Tower & Suites in West Bay, which is a pioneer of acoustic surveys and interior environment quality assessment in general.

The hotel’s management, always striving to raise the level of their service, recognizes the importance of hotel’s acoustic environment and has warmly welcomed the first acoustic survey undertaken in Qatar.

The hotel’s guestrooms, spa, lobby, restaurants and other areas have been thoroughly examined in terms of sound insulation and noise levels.

The hotel has been rated very high in its acoustic environment quality.

Although sound insulation between rooms has proved to be very high and noise levels rather low, certain valuable recommendations to facility managers have been given, enabling further improvement of hotel’s acoustic environment.

I would strongly encourage all others to follow these footsteps and consider acoustics as important as energy consumption, air quality and hygiene.

Hotel sector in Qatar is set for a major expansion

“The State of Qatar is witnessing a rapid growth in the hospitality sector”

Qatar is witnessing significant growth in all sectors, especially in the hotel industry.

The annual inbound visitor arrival is increasing steadily, especially due to Doha gaining prominence as a prime destination on the global tourism map, according to Nasser Al Nowais, Chairman of the Rotana Hotel Management Corporation (Rotana), at the launch of the new Rotana Hotel in Doha late last month.

Qatar has seen the launch of literally tens of hotels in the 5-star, 4-star as well as 3-star category over the last five years.

This has been due to extensive local investment form the government, private Qatari real estate groups as well as foreign hotel groups. It seems that the market has started to move away from the prestige of 5-star hotel ownership towards real market demands as evidenced by local investor sentiment. According to Ed Brookes, General manager DTZ Qatar: “Before we would only see five star hotels, now actually more recently we have seen a number of three and four star hotels coming into the market. So, I think developers are coming a lot more savvy to the different opportunities of

the market that we are facing”.

Too many rooms?

A PriceWaterHouse Coopers report on the hospitality sector issued in 2015 indicated that it might not be in Qatar’s best interest to continue investing in the hospitality sector but local business scion, Omar Alfardan, dismissed it as overly pessimistic. In his analysis on the real estate sector, Ed Brookes, General manager DTZ Qatar commented: “What we can say to date is that actually during 2012 to 2014 there was not a huge amount of hotel inventory added to the existing stock. So, actually, during 2012 to 2014, we saw average daily rates increase and we saw occupancy rising from late 60s to 72%.

Certainly in 2015 I think we had another 1800 hotel rooms added to the inventory. I think the stock is currently around 18,000 hotel rooms in three, four and five star hotels. That is still very manageable. I think there is(sic) a lot of solutions to providing the types of accommodation which Qatar has to do under 2022 mandate and whether or not there will be actually 60,000 permanent hotel rooms, I don’t know. I think there are a lot of options and

I think all those involved in the delivery committee and looking beyond that, will be very much aware of that”.

In October of last year, the Oberoi Group announced that it will manage two new projects in Doha. The New Delhi-based group, which was founded in 1934, operates luxury hotels in several countries.

The group opened a luxury hotel in Dubai in 2013 and will manage a beach resort in Ajman which will be inaugurated in the second quarter of 2016.

In Qatar, the Oberoi group plans to operate a 250-room luxury hotel in Dafna/West Bay and a tower with 148 serviced apartments in the under-construction Lusail, to the north of Doha, possibly in the next three years.

Planning of both the projects is well under way and construction will commence early next year with their completion expected in mid-2018.

According to the group, the hotel in Doha will reflect the same standards of luxury that Oberoi Hotels & Resorts are known for and the Lusail serviced apartments will bring Oberoi’s exacting standards to a serviced apartment residential complex.

Both the projects are being sponsored by Qatar General Insurance and Reinsurance Company (QGIRC).

Oberoi Group Executive Chairman PRS Oberoi said: “We are extremely pleased to have been selected by the Qatar General Insurance and Reinsurance Company (QGIRC) to assist them in the design and management of these two projects and we look forward to bringing the Oberoi hospitality to the Qatar market”.

These two projects will be the Oberoi Group’s first ventures in Qatar. It had previously tried to broker deals with both Ezdan Holdings as well as Al Waab City. The MOU signed in late 2009 with Sheikha Hanadi Al Thani of Al Waab City has not yet materialized and the partnership with the Ezdan Group for a quattro of 55-storey buildings named Asia Towers fell through in November last year.

This project has since been taken over by the General Real Estate Company (GREC), which is owned by QGIRC. Oberoi Hotels & Resorts has been voted the “World’s Best Hotel Brand” by Travel + Leisure, USA. Last year, after the close of

CityScape Qatar 2015, Nasser Mohammed Al Abdulla, Deputy CEO of Ezdan Holding Group, confirmed that the group is working along with the Curve Hotel West Bay on the opening of Ezdan Palace Hotel, which is located in the heart of Doha and will constitute a qualitative leap in the surrounding area.

This is in addition to its substantial investments in both the retail and affordable urban housing sector.

Another group with considerable interest n the Gulf hospitality sector is the Meliá Hotels International. The second hotel for Meliá Hotels International in the Qatari capital is in the “DohaLive” area, which will be opened in 2017.

The new five-star hotel will be one of the focus priorities in the company’s ambitious international expansion plan.

ME Doha will be part of a spectacular, cutting-edge complex, “Dohalive”, that will combine the hotel with a shopping destination, cinema complex and open-air leisure facilities.

Al-Baker group, a corporate giant with a presence across the entire Gulf region, has masterminded the “Dohalive” project.

The design has been carried

out by Al-Baker Architects and exquisitely blends the hotel and shopping areas whilst also enhancing public areas such as the rooftop terrace and the gardens to live up to the name of the project “Dohalive”.

As stated by Al Baker Investments chairman Ahmed Al Baker, “this development will set a new standard for lifestyle destinations in Doha”.

He said: “We intend on creating a hotel that will produce unique and extraordinary experiences, which is why Al-Baker Investments is proud and confident about the future success of ME Doha.”

“The State of Qatar is witnessing a rapid growth in the hospitality sector and we, as one of the specialized Qatari companies in this sector, are committed to playing a key role in supporting this growth,” said Sheikh Mohamed Bin Faisal Al Thani, Vice Chairman of Al Rayyan Tourism Investment Company (ARTIC) as he welcomed the press to the launch of the City Centre Rotana Doha.

“Our expansion plans encompass the opening of a range of hotels with known brand names in the world of hospitality,” added Sheikh Mohamed.

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Reshaping Luxury Hospitality Laurent A. Voivenel, CEO of HMH- Hospitality Management Holdings addressed the Global Hospitality Summit in Dubai with a special presentation on ‘Reshaping Luxury Hospitality to Welcome & Win Over New Generation of Guests’ . Organised by Marcus Evans from 18-19 January, the two-day premium forum was attended by leading hotel experts and developers who exchanged key business insights from the industry.

In his presentation, stressing on ‘new luxury being all about simplicity’ Laurent said, “New generation of luxury travellers simply desire an elevated experience and one that makes them feel good. They seek a hotel that is steeped in simplicity, refinement, sophistication, good taste and restraint, but is at the same time, just as striking and glamorous. The next generation of wealthy travelers want a room experience closer to home. Therefore, hotels

would have to rethink luxury.

Moving away from glitz, luxury hotels would need to focus on creating casual, individual atmospheres that are far removed from the standard hotel ambiance”. Commenting on the luxury hotel sector in the Middle East Laurent stated, “Over the past decade, the Middle East has established itself as the next frontier in luxury travel for the affluent. Marrying innovation with tradition, the region continues to grow as a top luxury destination with 44% of its existing inventory of hotels in luxury and upper upscale category. There are 694 hotels with 188,817 rooms in the Middle East and Africa development pipeline - majority of which will open before 2020.

Therefore, when it comes to luxury everyone knows the stakes are huge. Like all hoteliers, we at HMH have been pondering over ‘What will it take to lure new generation of luxury travel-

ers?’ given 40% of our existing inventory of hotels is in luxury segment.” Laurent believes ‘bling’ will not be enough to please new generation of luxury travellers. He stressed, “People are moving away from the bling factor. A pillow menu, goldplated bathroom fixtures and plush rooms will not be able to woo the next generation of the world’s wealthiest clientele.

Their expectations are different and much harder to please.

The new generation has grown up in the age of technology, social media, instant access, the proliferation of global consumer brands, affluence and conspicuous consumption - hence they crave an alternative to traditional luxury hotels. Therefore, it is time for our industry to evolve and adapt”. According to Laurent intuitive technology designed to anticipate the needs and desires of guests will play a key role in delivering new levels of service. Technology is a

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World’s top hotel for 2016: Hotel Umaid Bhawan Palace - Cundall India The website’s annual Travellers’ Choice awards are judged on the basis of the quality and quantity of traveller reviews and opinions. Now in its 14th year, the awards have recognised more than 7,000 properties around the world, with lists covering 97 countries and eight regions. The winners include a wide range of hotels across the world, from opulent hotels to budget-friendly B&Bs. The average nightly rate for the 25 top hotels on TripAdvisor is $325, for luxury properties is $452, for service is $300, for B&Bs and inns is $126, small hotels is $300 and for bargain hotels is $73. Only one hotel from Dubai features in the top 25 hotels list. Al Maha Desert Resort & Spa – which was ranked eight on the 2015 top hotels list – has dropped to the 24th spot in the 2016 ranking. Dubai’s Al Maha Resort ranks among the top 25 on the website’s annual Travellers’ Choice awards list. Indian luxury hotel Umaid Bhawan Palace in Jodhpur has been named as the best hotel in the world according to travel website TripAdvisor’s annual ranking for 2016. Last year, Dubai-based Dar Al Masyaf at Madinat Jumeirah also ranked 13 among the top 25 hotels in the world.

huge priority for next generation travelers as it continues to change the rules of our industry like never before. Hotels will also have to know more about

their customers. And concierge services will have to advance to new levels, delivering on the demands of guests long before they arrive. Most importantly

people will continue to be the asset of luxury and therefore service and staff training will be more than ever critical for our industry”.

Number of HNWIs to grow by more than half

The global luxury hospitality sector is valued at an estimated $164.4 billion and is expected to increase to $195.27 billion by 2021.Luxury travelers are growing at an unprecedented rate. By 2022, there will be 4,076 billionaires in the world. The number of super rich people – valued at more than $30m – in the Middle East will soar to more than 7,300, including 203 billionaires, by 2022.The number of HNWIs in the Middle East will grow by 58 percent between 2012 and 2022, faster than the global average of 50% but well behind the emerging economic regions of Asia (88%), Latin America (88%) and Africa (69%).

Oryx Rotana, the five star luxury business hotel in Doha, has received the Booking.com™ Guest Review Award with an average of 8.4 rating. This award is based on a poll of 652 visitors who have stayed at Oryx Rotana and experienced various restaurants and services, besides excellent facilities at this hotel.

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Breaking news for Qatar’s parking industry

A

dvanced Conferences & Meetings is proud to announce the launch of the first annual conference dedicated to the design, development and management of Qatar’s parking facilities.

With congestion and parking being a major challenge for Qatar, this presents opportunities for the parking industry to provide solutions for existing infrastructure and for future developments.

Developments such as Lusail City, Education City, Msheirib Downtown and Pearl-Qatar are being established with foundations for intelligent infrastructure to ensure they meet the country’s plans to have Smart Cities.

Smart Parking Qatar 2016 Conference will incorporate case studies and quality speakers from the relevant

government agencies and other stakeholders from Qatar as well as from across the region and abroad to discuss the wide variety of ongoing and upcoming projects in Qatar to further develop the country’s parking facilities.

A vital urban need As the population in Qatar continues to grow and the number of large-scale events held in the country also continues to increase, the requirement for adequate car parks and parking facilities is increasing exponentially.

This demand for increased parking facilities requires careful urban master-planning and design, but new technologies also offer opportunities for better management, optimization and revenue generation for building owners, community managers, local governments and

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other car park operators.

Smart Parking Qatar 2016 Conference will bring together the designers, contractors, technology providers, building and community owners, event organizers and other car park and parking facility operators to explore the design and construction considerations of car parks and parking facilities, as well as the new smart technologies in this sector.

For further information about the conference, please visit www.smartparkingqatar.com There are currently sponsorship opportunities available for manufacturers and solution providers to showcase their products and services.

You can contact lara.makdessi@acm-events.com or call +971 4 3614001 to find out how your business can benefit from this opportunity.

Book and pay before 25 February 2016 and save 15% off the standard price!

Quote 25678.002_QCS when registering

3-Day Conference: 28-30 March 2016 InterContinental Hotel, Doha, Qatar

DEVELOPING WORLD-CLASS THERAPEUTIC HEALTH FACILITIES ON TIME AND WITHIN BUDGET TO MANAGE GROWING QATAR MORE SPEAKERS INCLUDE:

HEAR FROM KEY SPEAKERS INCLUDING:

■ Ghassan Abbas, Director of Patient Experience Development, King Fahad Medical City ■ Martin Hay, Head of Design Management, EC Harris ■ Dr. Tasnim Khan, Medical Director, National Health Insurance Company, Seha ■ Karsten Bastien, Principal, Stantec ■ Doug Bliesener, Head of Design Office, Primary Health Care Corporation ■ Sean Madden, Program Manager, Hamad Medical Corporation ■ Gregg Krahulec, Head of Business Projects, Aspetar ■ Dr Shwetha Akshaya, Quality and Patient Safety Professional, Dubai Health Authority ■ Awad Amayreh, Manager for Clinical Operations and Performance Improvement, Hamad Medical Corporation ■ Abhishek Gupta, Project Project Manager Healthcare Architecture & Design, Stantec ■ Yasser Osman Moharam Mahgoub, Head of Department of Architecture and Urban Planning, Qatar University

Amr M. Metwally Head of Architecture Division PMC Hamad Medical Corporation Manivel Periasamy Director Facilities Management American Hospital Dubai Mohamed Jaber Director of MEP Engineering KEO International Consultants Benedict Zucchi Director of Architecture BDP Ahmad Soueid Senior Vice President HDR Architecture

TOP REASONS TO ATTEND: ■ Discover current and future trends of health facilities in Qatar at the only Qatari event dedicated to health facilities design and development ■ Listen to regional and international industry experts from Hamad Medical Corporation, Aspetar, American Hospital, BDP and King Fahad Medical City and gain exclusive ideas about health design and strategies for upcoming mega projects NETWORKING SOLUTION PROVIDER:

■ Hear about the latest projects and case studies on tried and tested methods so that you get the fast-track on health design strategies that work such as the Hamad Medical Corporation 15-year master plan and the Alder Hey Children’s Hospital ■ Network with market experts and discover new insights into healthcare design and development through interactive roundtable discussions MEDIA PARTNERS:

RESEARCHED AND DEVELOPED BY:

FOR MORE INFORMATION OR TO REGISTER Tel: +971 4 364 2975 | Email: enquiry@iqpc.ae |

Conference boost for small enterprises

The Qatar Development Bank (QDB) is gearing to host the first Government Procurement and Contracting Conference and Exhibition (Moushtarayat), between March 8 and March 10.

Moushtarayat aims to open new opportunities for interaction between local small- and medium-size enterprises (SMEs)¬ and the most important stakeholders, in addition to strengthening co-operation between the private and public sector companies in Qatar.

“One of the most important initiatives we commit ourselves to at Qatar Development is supporting and helping SMEs,” said its CEO Abdulaziz Bin Nasser Al Khalifa.

“As we open local and global markets to SMEs through ‘Tasdeer’, and with the help of the Ministry of Finance, we provide greater accessibility to government procurement by linking local SMEs to procurement of major buyers, through match-making activities & B2B meetings and exploring key efforts to minimize barriers to success, along with having a friendly business environment that leads to the positive growth of local SMEs,” he said.

“The Qatar Development Bank will launch a workshop for buyers to support local SMEs access to government, semi-government, and large privates procurement businesses,” he added.

The exhibition is expected to bring significant achievements for all parties, where SMEs will be able to identify existing opportunities and open new markets through their presence.

Local buyers will benefit from gaining more knowledge and establishing better dialogue with prominent buyers and suppliers.

QDB’s efforts will help enhance SMEs’ market positions, both technically and financially, by assisting to localize supply chains.

Abdulaziz Zeid Rashid Al Taleb, the Director of Government Procurement Regulation at the Ministry of Finance, said that Qatar aimed to support entities and national institutions, especially SMEs, through successive legislation He cited the 2015 Law No (24) regarding “Organizing Tenders and Auctions” as good example of this “The law stresses the ambitious economic development plan and how Qatar has developed several roles to increase the job opportunities SMEs create in the local market,” Al Taleb noted.

“There are a number of new policies to positively impact SMEs, including exemption, in whole or in part, to providing temporary and final insurance and guarantee payments in coordination with the Qatar Development Bank,” he said.

“Also, bidders can apply tenders online to help with applications with technical specifications. Supporting the freedom of competition principle, the law also allows registered companies to partner on government tenders.

“And last but not least, the enforcement foreign companies implementing national projects are to use local market resource to the value of 30% of the contract,” added Al Taleb.

Through the exhibition and conference, QDB is trying to develop new supporting methods to apply sustainable government procurement.

It also aims at helping SMEs commit to their goals and requirements in order to support and strengthen their role, in line with the Qatar National Vision 2030.

@iqpcmena | www.healthfacilitiesqatar.com

ARAB FUTURE CITIES SUMMIT QATAR WELCOMES NEW SPONSORS ON BOARD

Expotrade Middle East, organizer of the successful Arab Future Cities Summit Qatar is delighted to announce five new sponsors for the fifth edition of the summit that will be held on 11-12 April 2016 at The Ritz-Carlton, Doha. Joining the robust lineup of companies that have been part of this prestigious summit are Hikvision, Esri, Wipro, NuLumenTek Mena and Ikusi. In its 5th year, the summit offers invaluable networking opportunities, interactive sessions and panel discussions from world-class speakers that will lead to a shared understanding and demonstration on how to harness opportunities. This year’s summit will focus on making smart cities a reality with topics such as Smart Connectivity, Smart Mobility and Transportation, Internet of Everything (IoE), Economical and Sustainable Smart Vehicles, Building Automation, Lusail City’s Innovations, Cyber Security to name a few. Hikvision, the world’s leading supplier of video surveillance products and solutions that serves a diverse set of vertical markets that include retail, banking and finance, transportation, education, commercial, government, and residential applications and Esri, an international supplier of Geographic Information System software, web GIS and geodatabase management applications have joined the summit as Gold Sponsors. Announcing the partnership, Mr. Brad Hariharan, Regional Director, Expotrade Middle East, said, “We are thrilled to have new and repeat sponsors join us for the 5th Annual Arab Future Cities Summit Qatar 2016. As our summit aligns with the vision and business strategies of these companies to encourage and promote smart city development in the State of Qatar, I am confident that participating in our summit will be of immense value to them.” Wipro, a leading Information Technology, Consulting and Business Process Services company that delivers solutions to enable its clients do business better joins the 5th Annual Future Cities Summit Qatar as a Silver sponsor. Moreover, the summit has the support of two new exhibitors - NuLumenTek Mena and Ikusi. NuLumenTek Mena provides energy efficient solutions to support new and retrofit building projects combined with intelligent control and energy monitoring to effectively manage energy requirements & consumption. Ikusi is a multi-local company that conducts its activity along three broad thrusts: systems and services integration, communication networks integration and the design and manufacture of electronic components.

This edition of the summit will bring together technologists, developers, urban planners and researchers, investors, engineers, policy professionals and the local government to share valuable ideas through informative and interactive discussions. More information on the Arab Future Cities Summit Qatar is available now at http://www.arabfuturecities.com/. Follow the Summit on social media with the hashtag #AFCS2016.

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Home maintenance companies Sustainable Construction enter the ‘smart home’sector Sites – An Ecological Approach

“The cost of a smart home varies, but it is not uncommon for some householders to spend over AED 500,000 to get their homes kitted-out with the latest automated technology.

With that sort of investment, these more discerning consumers will want a maintenance service to match their smart homes,” said, Markus Oberlin, CEO, Farnek.

“With the popularity of smartphones and tablets which can be configured to control a whole host of devices, offering 360 degree solutions for those home owners who like to be in control of their properties at all times - especially remotely, we believe that this is an emerging home maintenance trend that is here to stay.”

Progressive UAE-based home maintenance company, Hitches & Glitches, part of the Farnek Group, has today announced an exclusive ‘smart home’ partnership with Gadgitech M.E., the distributor of the latest branded gadgets and accessories for smartphones, tablets and laptops across the MENA region.

Through the partnership agreement, Hitches & Glitches will gain a better understanding of the latest smart home technology and ongoing training of new gadgets and devices, to broaden their home main-

tenance offering. Meanwhile, Gadgitech will be able to expand its sales and distribution capabilities by offering comprehensive installation and after sales service support and other smart home packages.

Through the partnership, Hitches & Glitches staff will also be trained by Gadgitech’s professional technicians, how to install and service these smart devices and show them how to explain the features and benefits of living in a smart home.

Gadgitech distributes hundreds of different devices and gadgets throughout the UAE and the wider region, through top retailers such as Ace, Carrefour, Jumbo, Sharaf DG and Plug Ins. Initially the partnership will focus on two solutions where Hitches & Glitches will be the preferred installation and service partner. The first is

the ‘Withings Home’ monitoring system, which allows users to connect in HD to your home anywhere, day and night, in just 30 seconds.

“The ‘Withings Home’ also monitors indoor air pollution, with real time reports on the state of indoor air quality in your home, which can be ten times more polluted than outdoors,” commented Mohamed Issa, Managing Partner, Gadgitech.

The other solution, the ‘Elgato Avea Lamp’ transforms homes with beautiful dynamic light moods, and can be controlled by your smart device. Thereafter other ingenious smart home products to come online include the ‘Netatmo Welcome’ facial recognition home security camera, which will identify a person walking past and update your smart device.

What are the key ecological considerations that should inform the practice of design and construction professionals?

What are the main investigations involved in ecological surveys and ecological impact assessments? Which practices and policies of the construction process are most critical to long-term site sustainability?

What types of monitoring and assessment are needed during construction and operational phases? Which assessment systems are most useful in relation to both the design and construction phases of a project?

These are some of the questions that were addressed at a recent workshop held by the Qatar Green Building Council (QGBC).

Objectives of the workshop 1. Develop an understanding of the main ecological considerations that should inform the practice of design and construction professional 2. Develop knowledge of investigations involved in ecological surveys and ecological impact assessments 3. Understand practices and policies of the construction process are most critical to long-term site sustainability 4. Understand the types of monitoring and assessment needed during construction and operational phases of construction 5. Develop knowledge of assessment systems that are most relevant to both the design and construction phases of a project The technical workshop was designed for architecture, engineering, construction, and ecology professionals who are concerned with sustainable approaches to construction site development and management. It brought together a number of key experts and professionals who have extensive experience in Qatar and the GCC region to discuss the key issues and technical investigations required in developing sustainable construction sites.

The four stages of the construction process that were addressed: Site investigation, the design process, the construction process and lastly operations.

The session was moderated by the well know sustainability advocate and one of the QGBC founders, Dr. Alex Amato.

He lay the ground for the days’ proceedings with his presentation on Site Sustainability – Site Procurement and Design and this was followed by a joint presentation by Dr. Amato and his colleague Dr. Cynthia Skelhorn on the Role of GIS in the Planning and Site Selection Process Site Selection Services.

Mr. Andy Ford of Gulf Contracting shared his extensive experience on how to manage the challenges faced with regards to dust, air pollution and water conservation in the Construction industry.

Still staying with construction site management was Eng. Maro Puljizevic Managing Director of Al Mana and Asoociates, who looked at the different ways those contractors can develop a plan for noise abatement during construction. Still on construction site management was Dr. Haithan Askar, with a look at the tools Calibre, Yellow Jacket and Smart Waste. The session closed with a discussion on Post-Construction Monitoring and assessment by Drs. Richer, Chatziefthymiou and Sara Abdul Majid.

Honeywell completes Elster acquisition

H

oneywell has completed its acquisition of the Elster Division of Melrose Industries. Elster is a leading provider of thermal gas solutions for commercial, industrial, and residential heating systems and gas, water, and electricity meters, including smart meters and software and data analytics solutions.

The acquisition closed earlier than anticipated following approval by Melrose shareholders and required regulatory approvals, including those in

the US, European Union and China.

“The acquisition of Elster adds outstanding technologies, strong well-recognized brands, energy efficiency know-how and a global presence to the Honeywell portfolio,” said Honeywell Chairman and CEO Dave Cote.

“We see Elster as a great opportunity to deploy HOS Gold to drive new growth and greater profitability in each of Elster’s businesses. This acquisition is expected to generate strong future returns for our

shareowners, consistent with what you have come to expect from Honeywell,” added Cote Elster’s gas heating and gas, water, and electricity metering businesses will be integrated with Honeywell’s Environmental & Energy Solutions business (E&ES), part of Honeywell Automation and Control Solutions. Elster’s upstream and midstream gas applications businesses will be integrated with Honeywell Process Solutions, within Honeywell Performance Materials and Technologies.

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Alstom committed to sustainable mobility

By Cecile Texier, Director for Sustainability and CSR, Alstom Group Alstom will be supplying a turnkey tramway system for a 4-line tram network in Qatar. A fully integrated tramway system covers a distance of 33 km of sustainable transport solution in Qatar. Cecile Texier, Director for Sustainability and CSR, Alstom Group explains why train is the most sustainable transportation solution and how the company is working towards achieving a clean and energy efficient transportation solution, which according to Vincent Prou, GCC Managing Director, Alstom Group is a perfect solution for Qatar’s environmental challenges.

Worldwide demand for mobility is increasing.

Demographic projections show that the global population is expected to reach 9 billion people before 2050, with 70% living in urban areas. Public authorities are concerned about the environmental impact of transportation – especially considering that around 23% (and rising) of all energy-related CO2 emissions already come from it. A move towards electric transport and away from motorised transport is vital for the optimisation of the transport sector’s contribution to environmental sustainability. For the +2°C target for climate change to be reached it will be imperative to move towards the modes with the lowest carbon footprints.

Rail: the cleanest poweredtransportation mode More energy efficiency and less CO2 Rail is already one of the most energy efficient transport mode.

Globally, in 2011, the transport sector represented 27.6% of all energy used and was responsible for 22.7% of the total global energy-related CO2 emissions.

Worldwide transport sector CO2 emissions increased by 53% between 1990 and 2011.

In this context, rail consumes only 2.2% of transport final energy and is responsible of 3.3% of CO2 emissions in transport (including indirect energy-related emissions) whilst carrying 9% of global passengers and freight . This good performance reflects the intrinsic efficiency of rail transport and the benefits of efficient electric traction allowing braking energy recovery. Further development of clean and renewable energy sources will bring further environmental efficiency to the rail sector.

Air quality Particles from diesel exhaust, as well as other air emissions from road transport, contribute significantly to poor air qual-

ity in large cities worldwide. In 2014, the World Health Organization (WHO) indicated that in most cities monitoring outdoor air quality, air pollution failed to meet WHO guidelines for safe levels.

A prioritisation of rail transportation would serve to reduce significantly the contribution made by the transport sector to air pollution in cities.

Reduced environmental footprint Rail is the most efficient transport mode in terms of space use. Worldwide, road infrastructure uses 37 times more land than rail infrastructure while only carrying 3.5 times more transport units than rail.

For example, on average, on a track smaller than a bus lane, a tram provides about up to two or three times higher transport capacity than a bus.

Safety While more than three million people are killed in road traffic accidents every year, train incidents in the world are rare.

Railway systems are designed to meet the highest safety standards.

Alstom, at the forefront of clean transportation Alstom is convinced that transport systems should be fluid, eco-friendly, safe, connected and accessible. The company is constantly working on enhancing rail’s reputation as the greenest public transport mode, striving to reduce the high cost of energy and committed to reducing transport’s carbon footprint. In recent years, Alstom’s technical innovations have allowed energy consumption reductions of up to 20%, depending on the train type.

Innovation as a driving force Among the main innovations of the past few years, permanent magnet motors (PMM) have had a huge impact on the energy efficiency. Alstom decided to switch from asynchronous motors to PMMs because of their high power to weight ratio, which led to a 3% increase in output and a corresponding increase in energy efficiency.

High-temperature IGBT technology allowed a move from water cooling of the traction system

to air cooling, or from forced to natural ventilation. We can also cite electric braking down to 0 km/h, which allows the recuperation of more energy, combined with Hesop, a powersupply substation designed for optimal energy efficiency and reduced infrastructure costs for urban and suburban rail transport networks. Hesop is the only all-in-one solution offering both traction and recuperation capabilities in the same piece of equipment.

Alstom also started to introduce ecodesign in engineering processes more than 10 years ago with the aim of reducing environmental footprint of its solutions. The results are environmental dashboards with targets on “hot spot” at the beginning of the development phase, a quantified environmental footprint (life-cycle assessments), and greener solutions. Today, over 100 experts (eco-designers, acoustics and material experts, energy engineers, etc.) are dedicated to guaranteeing the environmental performance of every solution.

Reducing the environmental footprint of trains, components and systems Before tackling entire transport systems, Alstom reduced the environmental impact of its trains. Firstly, weight has been significantly reduced thanks to redesign of parts and the use of new materials such as composites. Alstom also develops components that have a longer lifespan; in the Citadis X05 for example, on new bogies, the wheel lifetime has been extended by up to 30% before requiring replacement.

Secondly, efforts have been made to improve recyclability at end-of-life. Progress made in this area has enabled Alstom to design trains that are up to 95% recyclable (c.f. 87% ten years ago) and 97% recoverable (c.f. 93% ten years ago).

Alstom is constantly looking to upgrade its components based upon the latest available technologies. Examples of this are the HVAC systems that now detect the presence of passengers in the train and adapt air flows to the occupancy , and the lighting systems, which now use almost exclusively high-efficiency LEDs. Alstom has also developed signalling solutions which maximize energy efficiency. The Urbalis Fluence for metros, which provides automatic control of train movement, delivers up to 20% energy savings thanks

to reduced intervals between trains and a reduction in maintenance with a 20% cut in equipment.

Automatic train operation (ATO) optimizes train movement and allows the selection of an energy efficient mode of operation.

Furthermore, the fleet management system facilitates the optimisation of traffic to avoid the energy peaks.

In order to support its customers to improve energy efficiency of existing fleets, Alstom can also modernise any train, whether manufactured

by Alstom or not, to upgrade traction chains or high energyconsuming equipment such as ventilation systems. For example, in 2014 the company was awarded a contract to upgrade the traction of 85 metro cars in Mexico. A previous metro modernisation contract in Mexico (MP82) demonstrated a 35% reduction in energy consumption.

Alstom has been designing systems, complete rail solutions supplied on a turnkey basis, for decades and in recent years has made efforts to optimise them by offering solutions that include all the latest environmental innovations.

Axonis is an elevated metro system able to carry from 10,000 to 45,000 passengers per hour per direction, which runs mainly on viaducts, but can also run at ground level and underground.

It is a non-proprietary system, allowing cities to increase their fleets and develop line extensions through a competitive bidding process. The system can be up and running in three to four years from contract signature. Once the viaduct is elevated, railway tracks are installed using Alstom’s Appitrack, which reduces the impact of infrastructure construction works, limiting noise, dust and waste.

Energy consumption is limited as it is equipped with steel wheels, 100% motorised bogies and Hesop. The combination of these three elements reduces the traction energy required by up to 40% compared with metro trains running on rubber tyres.

Attractis, Alstom’s integrated tramway system, brings together all of Alstom’s expertise, enabling cities to develop, at a more affordable cost, a tramway system that is environmentally-friendly, interoperable, simpler to operate and offering large transport capacity ranging from 4,000 to 14,000 PPHPD .

Alstom is currently undertaking

a carbon footprint analysis of its Attractis system.

Examples of reduction of the environmental footprint of our solutions

Cecile Texier Cecile Texier, Director for Sustainability and CSR, Alstom group

Construction

Company

Alstom’s new ambition for energy efficiency Alstom has set its targets for the energy efficiency of its solutions and its operations. The company will commit to an energy consumption reduction of its transport solutions of 20% by 2020 (compared to 2014 levels) . Moreover, Alstom is committed to reducing the energy intensity of its operations by 10% by 2020.

-20% of energy consumption for Alstom’s solutions Tracking energy performance of solutions Alstom is the first manufacturer to have set a key performance indicator and a target on the energy performance of its solutions. This will allow the evolution of the energy performance to be tracked. The company is currently defining standard energy measurement methodologies to ensure consistency in data collection and deploying energy simulation for existing and future solutions.

Innovating for higher energy efficiency on all phases

of the life-cycle Alstom is currently developing entirely new types of trains equipped with a fuel cell drive, a device that converts the energy from a fuel into electricity through a chemical reaction.

This technology has already been used in the automotive industry. The train will be completely emission-free and its noise level will be drastically reduced. Furthermore, through the use of energy storage, as well as intelligent energy management systems and a cost competitive fuel, the new train will be significantly more efficient to run than a conventional diesel multiple unit.

Alstom is also developing a new generation of high-speed trains, which will be able to carry up to 750 people and will consume 35% less energy than the previous generation.

The -20% target is expected to be achieved through innovations on the trains themselves but also on the infrastructure and the services offered. Alstom will for instance further

reduce the weight of the trains and the resistance to motion.

Optimized HVAC systems will be implemented for the different market segments through the use of CO2 sensors or similar and heat pumps will be proposed.

The company has been working on the integration of Capillary pump loops (CPL) - extremely high-performance calories evacuation systems - within their traction systems. CPLs can be installed on every type of train in order to replace classic cooling systems such as ventilators, pumps and radiators. This technology offers clients a solution that operates silently, does not consume energy, and requires very little maintenance.

Alstom has also developed a new auxiliary convertor that enables entirely natural cooling and leverages the technical performance of silicon carbide semi-conductors. This enables a reduction in conduction and switching losses. Natural cooling removes the need for bulky and less reliable cooling systems (pumps, ventilators) and reduces maintenance costs and energy consumption, while simultaneously increasing passenger comfort thanks to its silent operation.

The company will further develop and deploy Ecomode - energy storage systems that will be used for future tramways wireless technologies, Ecoregulation - which is a smart software for on-time performance and energy saving and Ecodriving which deploys advisory systems and training capacities for the drivers.

Lately, Alstom added SRS – an innovative ground-based static charging system – to its catenary-free range. SRS charges the tram in less than 20 seconds when it stops at stations.

Equipped with super-capacitators, the tram is recharged via a ground-based conductive rail and through collector shoes mounted under the body allowing highly energy-efficient catenary-less operations.

Collaborating with customers and suppliers Alstom has established collaborative programmes with its customers in many countries (France, Brazil, Ireland, Spain…) in order to improve energy efficiency of trains and railway sys-

tems and build the sustainable transport modes of tomorrow.

Alstom is also committed to the sustainable sourcing of its products. In March, the company joined Railsponsible, together with five other companies from the railway industry.

Railsponsible is a collaborative procurement initiative focused on improving sustainability throughout the entire supply chain, by sharing best practices and processes, driving common understanding across the industry, and using common tools.

-10% of energy intensity for Alstom’s factories and sites Alstom has defined its priorities for environmental management which includes water, waste and energy management. Energy intensity of operations

(per hour worked) is tracked.

Alstom has already succeeded in reducing the energy intensity of its operations by 18% since 2008.

In Germany, Alstom’s Salzgitter plant has deployed an extensive energy management plan involving overall computerbased energy management system, heat recovery from compressors, variable speed compressors, LED lighting. In Italy, Alstom has established an energy steering committee to track the energy consumption of its sites and deploy improvement programme.

In France, a new series of indepth energy surveys is being deployed to identify further areas for improvement. Alstom’s sites in the UK and Belgium are being supplied with green electricity guaranteed for zero-

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carbon emissions and sites in France are using certified electricity to ensure at least a minimum level of renewable content in the energy they use. This will be extended to other units in the future.

In the Netherlands, Alstom succeeded in getting certification level 5 (highest level) on the CO2 performance ladder initiated by ProRail. This demonstrates the leading CO2 performance of Alstom’s operations in the country. It reflects the commitment of Alstom teams and its suppliers to reduce global CO2 emissions, through a large number of initiatives and programmes such, one example of which is a renovation programme to reach the highest energy efficiency standard for the headquarters building in Rijswijk.

“Rail is the perfect solution for Qatar’s environmental challenges”

By Vincent Prou GCC Managing Director, Alstom Group

Rail is the cleanest powered-transportation mode, highly energy-efficient, with low CO2 emissions Globally, in 2011, the transport sector represented 27.6% of all energy used and was responsible for 22.7% of the total global energy-related CO2 emissions. Worldwide transport sector CO2 emissions increased by 53% between 1990 and 2011.

In this context, rail consumes only 2.2% of transport final energy and is responsible of 3.3% of CO2 emissions in transport (including indirect energy-related emissions) whilst carrying 9% of global passengers and freight.

Alstom is convinced that transport systems should be fluid, eco-friendly, safe, connected and accessible. The company is constantly working on enhancing rail’s reputation as the greenest public transport mode, striving to reduce the high cost of energy and committed to reducing transport’s carbon footprint.

In recent years, Alstom’s technical innovations have allowed energy consumption reductions of up to 20%, depending on the train type.

Rail is the most efficient transport mode in terms of space use. Worldwide, road infrastructure uses 37 times more land than rail infrastructure while only carrying 3.5 times more transport units than rail.

For example, on average, on a track smaller than a bus lane, a tram provides about up to two or three times higher transport capacity than a bus. Alstom is convinced that the best transport solution for Qatar’s environment challenges is the railway system.

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Construction

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News

US$352 billionAND railway PROJECTS COUNTRIES projects underway in theSHOW Middle East COVERED AT THE Algeria

Tunisia

Egypt

Lebanon

Jordan

Iraq

Iran

Kuwait

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$34.4bn

$546mn

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$24.6bn

$17bn

Metro, tram, long-distance freight and passenger

Metro, longdistance freight and passenger

Metro, monorail, long-distance freight and passenger, high speed rail

Tram

Metro, tram, long-distance freight and passenger

Metro, high speed rail

Metro, longdistance freight and passenger

Metro, longdistance freight and passenger

Nigeria

Djibouti

Saudi Arabia Bahrain

Qatar

UAE

Oman

India

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Morocco INVESTMENT:

$10bn PROJECTS:

Tram, longdistance freight and passenger, high speed rail

$75bn PROJECTS:

Metro, Longdistance freight and passenger, high speed rail

$4bn

(shared with Ethiopia) PROJECTS:

Long-distance freight

INVESTMENT:

$118.9bn

$12.9bn

$46.7bn

$27bn

$16bn

$140bn

Metro, tram, long-distance freight and passenger, high speed rail

Tram, longdistance freight and passenger

Metro, tram, long-distance freight and passenger

Metro, tram, long-distance freight and passenger

Tram, longdistance freight and passenger

Metro, tram, monorail, long-distance freight and passenger, high speed rail

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Region

Construction

The trend towards smart buildings rapidly intensifying in the Gulf region

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The total net value of construction projects amounts to $2.7 trillion Waseela, an information and communication technology (ICT) company in the Middle East that delivers integrated system and service solutions, has been awarded $10 million worth of construction packages, requiring integrated ICT/ ELV/BMS systems in the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

According to MEED Projects, the total net value of planned and ongoing construction projects in the GCC amounts to $2.7 trillion.

Of this, in 2015 alone, MEED Projects expected the value of awarded constructions projects to reach $172 billion, the highest on record for any year.

In the GCC, a major trend in the construction sector is the adoption of green, and smart building initiatives. The trends expand the role of technology in the construction of modern mega buildings which rely on integrated ICT/Extra Low Voltage (ELV)/Building Management Systems (BMS) systems for its efficient functioning. Typically, converged ICT/ELV/BMS solutions are expected to be a requirement at newly constructed malls, hotels, hospitals, airports, schools, and stadiums.

Smart Buildings are commonly equipped with ELV systems for

physical security, communication, lighting, audiovisual, surveillance cameras, parking, and access control.

While Green Buildings which are advanced versions of smart buildings require BMSs to control and regulate air conditioning, elevators, lighting and heating, and other electro-mechanical systems to make the buildings more economical and reduce harmful environmental contaminants.

“State-of-the-art BMS solutions now operate over IP networks.

Similarly, this is the case with surveillance and access control solutions. In the coming years and as the trends of smart buildings intensify, more converged and integrated ICT/ ELV/BMS solutions will emerge requiring more complex and sophisticated engineering and integration capabilities,” commented Dr Samer Taha, CEO, Waseela, who also said that Waseela has observed a significant increase in demand for converged ICT/ELV/BMS packages amongst mega buildings under construction in the GCC. Since 2007, Waseela has been active in building telecom solutions and has strong experience in advanced IP networking that include nationwide rollout

Dr Samer Taha Waseela CEO of advanced wireless networks, to the rollout of advanced indoor telecom systems inside airports, hotels, malls, universities and towers across the GCC. Capitalizing on these characteristics and responding to market trends, Waseela has been able to expand its engineering competency to form a specialized

team for the design and delivery of converged ICT/ELV/BMS solutions to mega buildings.

“Since 2013, Waseela began a process of consolidating its diverse engineering capabilities into a new converged ICT/ ELV/BMS department specialized to work on smart buildings requirements,” emphasized Dr

Taha.

Waseela’s experience combined with the adoption of state-of-the-art IP-based BMS and ELV solutions has put the company at the forefront of turnkey system integrators.

Waseela’s success so far gives the company the confidence to take the lead in delivering com-

plex and converged ICT/ELV/ BMS solutions for mega smart buildings.

As such, Waseela is currently participating and bidding for long-term projects with converged ICT/ELV/ BMS packages, expected to materialize during 2016-2017 at an approximate value of $50 million.

News

Al Maysan Heavy Equipment holds Sany customer appreciation event

Al Maysan Heavy Equipment held a customer event on January 13 at the Regency Halls in Doha.

The event showcased Sany mobile and rough terrain cranes models to contractors, logistics and rental companies.

At the event, Al Maysan Heavy Equipment honored their clients and presented appreciation awards to long-standing customers.

The event was attended by Mohamed Jaidah, Group Executive Director of Jaidah Group; Ayman Ahmed, Managing Director of Jaidah Equipment; Wang Fengkai, General Manager of Sany Middle East; Hazem Kenawy, Service Manager of Al Maysan Heavy Equipment; and David Xu, Chief Representative of Sany Group in Qatar.

Mohamed Jaidah, Group Executive Director of Jaidah Group, said: “Jaidah Group has a history of long-standing relationship with major international manufacturers, making us perfectly suited for satisfying the high demand of equipment related to Qatar’s construction boom driven by Qatar National Vision 2030.

“We are confident that Sany’s quality and our after sales services will ensure that we continue to increase our market share in Qatar”.

Ayman Ahmed, Managing Director of Jaidah Equipment, said: “We would like to stress on the important role of the after-sales service, and want to assure our Sany customers that various new initiatives have been taken to enhance after sales support to benefit our valuable customers and aid future business relations.”

Wang Fengkai, General Manager of Sany Middle East, said: “Sany is the sixth-largest heavy equipment manufacturer in the world, with a dozen industrial parks in China, plus manufacturing facilities in Brazil, Germany, India, Indonesia, and in the United States.”

The company has around 90,000 employees worldwide.

After presenting the mobile and rough terrain cranes on display, David Xu highlighted the durability of Sany cranes and the role of their after-sales service. “Although we offer a wide range of Sany cranes models, they all have two things in common; versatility and practicality.” He said.

Construction

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Qatar tops Arab investors in Tunisia

Qatari-Tunisian relations have witnessed a remarkable development at all levels following the Tunisian revolution five years ago. Tunisian leaders have noted that Qatar has stood by their country and helped it politically and economically during the transition phase after the revolution.

A recent statement by the Arab Investment and Export Credit Guarantee Corporation (Dhaman) pointed out that the Arab country that had invested the most in Tunisia during the first 10 months of 2015 was Qatar.

The statement showed that Qatar ranked second on the list of foreign countries and the first in the Arab world, with investments of roughly $45.5 million and accounted for 13% of the overall foreign direct investment (FDI).

Qatari investments in Tunisia are in sectors as diverse as tourism, real estate and telecommunications, as well as a diagonal integration tourism project in the city of Tozeur in Tunisia, in addition to Qatar’s contribution in the construction of 30,000 housing units.

Qatar accounted for inter-Arab investment inflows worth $23 billion between 2003 and April 2015 and was ranked fifth on the list of best performers in the region.

In its latest report on “Investment climate in Arab countries”, Dhaman said the inter-Arab investment projects totaled more than $370 billion between 2003 and April 2015.

According to the Kuwait-based Dhaman, which is a pan-Arab organization owned by the governments of Arab states and four Arab financial institutions, Qatar accounted for 6.2% of the total inter-Arab investment inflows between 2003 and April 2015.

Qatar concludes first stage of housing project in Gaza

A total of 1,060 houses have been handed over to Palestinian families by Qatari Committee for Reconstruction of Gaza Strip at the Sheikh Hamad Residential City Qatar had pledged $1 billion for building projects in Gaza, of which $50 million was paid to owners of destroyed houses, destroyed in the 2014 Israeli war, to fund their rebuilding. More than 1,000 new homes have been completed since.

“Qatar exerts every effort to help the people of Gaza in the fields of electricity, agriculture, infrastructure and housing, including the rebuilding of completely destroyed houses,” said Mohammed Al Amadi, head of the Qatari Committee to Rebuild Gaza.

The 1060 housing units are the first batch of a 3,000-apartment complex that was announced in 2012. The construction of the residential city is the largest housing project. Qatar allocated $145 million for Sheikh Hamad Residential City project.

Gaza economist Maher Al-Tabbaa said reconstruction efforts were being hampered by difficulties in bringing raw materials to Gaza. Israel bars the import of products it suspects Hamas might use to rearm or build fortifications, although it began easing restrictions in October under a mechanism overseen by the United Nations.

“Only 400,000 tonnes of cement have entered Gaza since October 2014, or the equivalent of Gaza’s need of cement in two months only,” said Tabbaa, who is in charge of public relations at Gaza’s Chamber of Commerce.

Officials said that Qatari funding had provided another 1,060 new homes in the Gaza town of Khan Younis for low-income families.

Qatar, Turkey to expand business co-operation

Ways to enhance co-operation were discussed during a joint meeting of the Qatari Businessmen Association (QBA) and the Turkish Qatari Business Council recently.

The Turkish delegation was headed by Council Chairman Ethem Sancak, Seyda Saglamlar and Ercan Ata, both vice chairmen, in the presence of Ahmet Demirok, Turkish ambassador to Doha.

The Qatari Businessmen Association (QBA) delegation attending the meeting was headed by its Chairman, Sheikh Faisal Bin Qassim Al Thani.

The meeting was also attended by QBA members Nasser Rashid Al Kaaby, Nabil Abu Issa, Maqbool Khalfan and Sarah Abdullah, QBA Deputy General Manager.

During the meeting, the participants discussed the possibility of establishing partnerships and alliances for the benefit of the two economies and ways to enhance trade exchange. Investment opportunities available in both Qatar and Turkey were also reviewed.

The private sector in Qatar has witnessed a remarkable development in recent years, allowing local businessmen to take off globally through investments in viable projects in various countries of the world, said Sheikh Faisal bin Qassim.

Turkey is now considered an ideal destination for Qatari businessmen because of the close relationship between the two countries and the geographical proximity as well as the similarity of customs and traditions.

Sheikh Faisal bin Qassim said that many Qatari businessmen were interested in investing in Turkey “which has an attractive investment climate and many viable investment opportunities”.

He stressed the readiness of the Qatari Businessmen Association to deepen co-operation between the two sides, highlighting the need to focus on young businessmen in their joint initiatives.

He suggested that regular joint meetings should be organized between the young businessmen from both Qatar and Turkey to discuss co-operation and the possibility of joint investment not only in Qatar and Turkey but also around the world .

Qatar can partner with Mexico in sharing construction experience

Qatar has been invited to partner with Mexico in sharing experience on infrastructure developments. Both countries can explore opportunities for partnering in infrastructure, tourism and other sectors, according to Mexican businessman.

The two countries can share their expertise to grow together, said Juan Gallardo, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the holding company, Organizacion Cultiba SAB de CV and member of industry associations in Mexico, during the recently-held Qatar-Mexican Business Forum. “We both are committed to very large infrastructure programs. The experience in construction, experience in developing, financing, constructing, developing these kind of large projects is extremely valuable and we can exchange lot of views on how to better do it and not just bidding for projects,” he said.

Mexico is planning to open public bidding for hydrocarbons exploration and production. Other projects include the $30 billion expansion plan for Mexico’s natural gas requirements, expansion of the transmission network with the installation of an additional 60 gigawatts for power generation and the $116 billion modernization of its national electricity system.

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Construction

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QPMC secures supply of high-quality aggregates for the next three years

Qatar Primary Materials Company (QPMC) has signed four new agreements for the supply of 19,980,000 tons of high-quality aggregates (gabbro and limestone) over the next three years from various sources.

The company ensures the continuous growth of the Qatar’s construction sector by securing the required materials, facilitating the stability of prices and ensuring the availability of aggregates; an ultimate objective which comes as part of QPMC’s vision which is strategically aligned with Qatar’s sustainable development.

The four agreements were signed with the following companies: the Gate Primary Materials, Continental Trading Company, Qatar Engineering Alliance Company and Al Baida Technical Services.

The agreements come in line with QPMC’s vision of diversifying supply sources to secure the needed primary materials, for public and private sectors in Qatar.

The actual implementation of the agreements started early 2016, contributing to the revitalization of the role of the most important economic sectors in Qatar and the achievement of sustainable development, in line with QPMC’s vision.

They also ensure the delivery of all the required quantities in addition to the stability of prices of primary materials in the local market and pushing forward further economic development while speeding up the completion of major construction and infrastructure projects.

QPMC supplies the needed primary materials to meet the local market demand of primary materials of limestone and gabbro, to suit all construction requirements.

The procured materials will be stored in QPMC-owned facilities in Lusail, Mesaieed and RasLaffan which will ensure accessibility of materials in the north, south and the capital city of Doha and timely delivery to all construction sites around the country as well as customer satisfaction.

QPMC CEO Eisa Al-Hammadi said the amount which would be supplied by the companies would be imported from Sultanate of Oman and the United Arab Emirates via private Qatari companies with quarries abroad.

The agreements were signed by each of Dr Mohammed Al Kubaisi, Chairman of Qatar Engineering Alliance Company, Sheikh Fahad Bin Jassin Al Thani, Chairman of Continental Trading Company, Ali Al Mesned, Chairman of Al Baida, and Abdullah Al Hail, Chairman of The Gate (Al Bawaba) Primary Materials.

Continental Trading Company, Qatar Engineering Alliance Company and Al Baida Technical Services will supply the required amount of primary materials from Sultanate of Oman whereas Al Bawaba, The Gate Primary Materials will provide the contracted quantity from the UAE. For his part, Sheikh Fahad Bin Jassin Al Thani, Chairman of Continental Trading Company, said: “We are very pleased with our partnership with QPMC, to meet the needs of the existing projects in our beloved country.”

Ali Al-Mesned, Chairman of Al Baida Group, commented: “From our side, we value QPMC’s vision and mission.

We are delighted to support the government’s arm in the supply of aggregates, which sees itself supporting the economic co-operation between Qatar and the Gulf countries ….”

Eisa Al-Hammadi said: “QPMC operates in line with Qatar national vision to activate the interaction between public and private sectors and the diversification of the local stockpile, to push forward the development of local infrastructure projects.”

Al Hammadi said that the materials would enter Qatar through the sea.

He assured that all imported items would match the Qatar Construction Specifications (QCS).

“Specifications will also meet the local market needs and align with the Ministry of Environment requirements.”

QPMC’s Gabbro Berth Terminals operate 24 hours to guarantee the high quality of the material supplied to the local market. The additional agreements form part of QPMC’s efforts to stabilize the domestic prices of primary materials and keep up with Qatar’s fast-growing construction industry.

News

KnowCrete by

Alkali-Activated Slag Cement Concrete

A closer look at a sustainable alternative to portland cement

By Robert J. Thomas, Hailong Ye, Aleksandra Radlinska, and Sulapha Peethamparan Concrete International – January 2016

Alkali-activated slag cement concrete (AASCC) is a promising sustainable alternative to portland cement concrete (PCC). AASCC relies on strong alkaline solutions for activation of ground-granulated blast-furnace slag (slag cement), which is a calcium aluminosilicate by-product of iron ore smelting (production of pig iron).

Although AASCC has been the subject of much research in recent decades, it represents a century-old technology. In 1908, Kühl first demonstrated the stabilization of powdered blast-furnace slag with caustic soda. In 1940, Purdon published much more extensive research on alkali-activated “clinkerless” cements. In the following two decades, Glukhovsky studied the alkali activation of various organic and inorganic aluminosilicates. Glukhovsky’s “alkaline cements” were used throughout the former USSR, where the high strength and durability of alkali activated binders were summarily proven. By the end of the 1980s, Davidovits and Sawyer had made extensive progress in describing the nature of alkali-activated slag and geopolymer binders. Such binders were marketed in the United States under the trade name Pyrament. While the good durability and high early strength of this product made it an excellent repair medium, Pyrament production ceased in the mid-1990s—apparently for reasons unrelated to the product itself.

Much of the current research on AASCC focuses on describing the reaction processes, microstructure development, and the effect of slag and activator compositions. From a more practical standpoint, an understanding of how these factors affect the mechanical properties and durability of AASCC is important. Current research is focused on providing practitioners with the knowledge necessary for design and implementation of AASCC. At production scale, the costs of AASCC are reported to be 85 to 140% that of comparable PCC. The main benefits of AASCC therefore relate to sustainability: the embodied energy and emissions associated with the product are low because slag is an industrial by-product requiring little processing. However, the potential sustainability of AASCC may be limited by the activators, as the industrial production of the alkalis necessary for the activation process is not always efficient.

Nevertheless, recent studies suggest that typical AASCC formulations provide 25 to 50% reductions in CO2 emissions and more than 40% reductions in embodied energy relative to PCC. Alkali Activation Process Slag cement is similar in composition to portland cement. Both are composed mainly of calcium oxide (CaO), silica (SiO2), alumina (Al2O3), and magnesia (MgO). However, slag cement has less calcium oxide and more silica, alumina, and magnesia than portland cement (Table 1).

While portland cement is predominately crystalline, slag cement is amorphous.

Portland cement is hydraulic—setting by hydration with water. Slag cement is only latently so, as advanced hydration is limited by the early and rapid formation of an impermeable shell on the surface of hydrating grains. When slag cement is used as a partial replacement for portland cement, this barrier is broken down by the characteristically high alkalinity of the pore solution, which in turn promotes the secondary hydration of slag. In the absence of portland cement, the required alkalinity is provided by the activator. Common activators include sodium and potassium alkalis, alkali silicates, and alkali carbonates. By far the most common are sodium hydroxide (of up to 15M concentration) and sodium silicate (with sodium oxide concentration of up to 7% by mass of slag and silica-sodium ratio of up to 3.5).

info@greymatters.ws www.greymatters.ws

Ashghal Updates

Construction

Ashghal organizes training on Occupational Health and Safety

T

hrough the Safety and Health Section of the Quality and Safety Department, the Public Works Authority organises continuous training courses on safety and health in order to spread the safety culture and increase knowledge and application of the requirements and standards of the Occupational Health and Safety Plan, which is approved by the upgraded version of the Qatar Construction Specifications

(QCS 2014).

The training workshops are held once a week in the attendance of project managers and engineers from the Public Works Authority. The attendants are nominated by various departments, sections, and projects to attend the lectures in collaboration with the Training and Development Section of the Human Resources Department in Ashghal.

The first lecture of the train-

ing course includes a general explanation and definition of the Qatar Construction Specifications 2014. It is followed by another lecture on how to evaluate the occupational health and safety plan in projects, and how safety managers and supervisors can assess contractors. The lecture is concluded by testing the participants of the course.

The first lecture is presented

by Eng. Ehab Saleh, First Safety Engineer, while the second

SITES

27

lecture is presented by Mr. Yasser Berzan, Safety Specialist.

It is worth mentioning that the Public Works Authority is keen to give these training courses to specialists in the field of health and safety of projects in order to inform them of the amendments made in the upgraded version of the Qatar Construction Specifications with regards to requirements, standards, and management systems of safety and acci-

Cundall promotes sustainable ethos in the Middle East

dents prevention. The training courses also aim to guarantee the application of these specifications in the best way possible and in all of the work sites of the authority’s projects.

The importance of the Occupational Health and Safety Plan lies in being one of the key elements for the prevention and minimisation of accidents in the workplace. Therefore, the evaluation and approval of this plan must be done on a scientific and objectives basis in order to serve its purpose.

It should be noted that the Public Works Authority begun the workshops in 2010. During the past months, the authority implemented a training plan consisting of 8 sessions distributed on several months, about the Qatar Construction

Specifications 2010 which is the previous version. Ashghal did so in order to inform the authority’s project managers and engineers of all the requirements and standards approved by these specifications.

The training courses held were not limited to lectures; success and failure tests were also conducted for the participants of these courses. Certificates were given to participants who passed the tests, and the last set of certificates was distributed in November. The certificates were distributed to 77 participants for the training courses held during May and June 2015. In the coming period, certificates will be distributed to 68 participants in the training courses held during October and November 2015.

“At Cundall, we are passionate about every aspect of sustainability”

T

here aren’t usually many opportunities to say and do the right thing at the right time to influence immense change.

Hosting the World Green Building Week (WGBW) in Doha in 2015 is exactly that, an opportunity to make a big difference for decades to come.

Such events are able to engineer best practices by sharing experiences and knowledge we have gained in a fast-developing country where standards and regulations are being outpaced by corporate and professional standards.

Cundall, an international multi-disciplinary engineering consultancy, challenged many sustainability myths when hosting its World Green Building Week seminar on December 9, presented by Richard Stratton, Managing Director for MENA, and Hala Yousef, Senior Sustainability Engineer.

The interactive workshop, based on the 10 one planet living principles by WWF, guided people through the steps of how to significantly reduce their environmental impact,

both personally and in terms of building design.

Thought-provoking questions were answered such as when is a cow like a car? Should we stop showering? Is there a future for cars in cities?

Is building design currently obesogenic? Should we eat cheese?

“People may think this a strange thing for Cundall, who are consulting engineers to talk about,” says Alan Fogarty of Cundall.

“However, at Cundall, we are passionate about every aspect of sustainability, including helping our staff and clients live a more sustainable life.”

Cundall had further sustainable success recently, having won the Emirates Green Building Council (EGBC) Award for Green Building of the Year 2015 for the American University of Sharjah.

Cundall was employed in the capacity of lead consultant where it provided the full design, project management, cost consultancy and site supervision services for the campus service center, youth center and new service block

projects.

There were no sustainability regulations in force in Sharjah at the time of the design of this project but the university wanted to achieve the sustainability rating of LEED Silver Certification.

The Campus Service Center was designed and constructed to LEED Silver/Gold standard, and was used as the catalyst for implementing sustainable initiatives within the other elements of the development, and indeed subsequent projects on the site.

Donald Slade, Managing Director for Qatar, comments: “It has been a fantastic year for promoting our sustainable ethos in the Middle East.

We kicked off by celebrating the EGBC win for the excellent American University of Sharjah project.

“Our World Green Building Week event in both Dubai and Doha raised some thoughtprovoking and interesting points. Assessing how many planets we require as individuals highlighted why we should be serious about the way we design buildings and how we live our lives.”

Climate change and sustainability myths busted* Skeptics of manmade climate change offer various natural causes to explain why the Earth has warmed 1.4 deg C since 1880.

Can these account for the planet’s rising temperature?

Let’s try to find out.

Is it the Earth’s orbit?

The Earth wobbles on its axis, and its tilt orbit change over many thousands of years, pushing the climate into and out of ice ages.

Influence of orbital changes has been negligible Is it the sun?

The sun’s temperature varies over decades and centuries.

The sun’s change has had negligible effect.

Is it volcanoes?

Human industry emits about 100 times more CO2 than volcanic activity, and eruptions release sulfate chemicals that can actually cool the atmosphere for a year or two.

Is it all three of these things combined?

Adding the natural factors together doesn’t add up.

So if it’s not nature, is it deforestation?

Humans have cut, plowed, and paved more than half the Earth’s land surface.

Dark forests are yielding to lighter patches, which reflect more sunlight - and have a slight cooling effect.

Or ozone pollution?

Natural ozone blocks harmful sunlight and cools slightly.

Closer to Earth, pollutionrelated ozone makes the climate a little hotter – but not much.

Or aerosol pollution?

Some pollutants cool the atmosphere, like sulfate aerosols from coal-burning.

Offsets some of the warming – but causes acid rain No, it really is greenhouse gases.

Atmospheric CO2 levels are 40% higher than they were in 1750.

Together human factors match the observed temperature change - particularly since 1950.

Combining natural and human causes of climate change demonstrates the dominance of greenhouse gases.

What are we going to do about it?

Cundall offered some sug-

gestions. But we want to hear from YOU. Why don’t you email* us your ideas about what we can do to mitigate the risks of climate change and you will see it published in our upcoming issue?

And remember, change could just be around the corner. According to Qatar’s Ministry of Environment, the state is extremely vulnerable to sea level rise as it’s liable to inland flooding of 18.2% of its land area, at less than 5m rise in sea level, along with associated adverse impacts on the population as 96% are living on the coastal areas.

Furthermore, climate change would cause the extinction of species such as whales, dolphins and turtles in addition to causing coral bleaching and other impacts on the migration of some marine species and sea birds. *Adapted from the “Climate Change and Sustainability Myths” presentation by Cundall. *Email suggestions to: ekamel@qc-sites.com

28

Construction

SITES

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

TENDERS

Please note that any information mentioned on this table are as per the listed companies’ tender advertisements, without any responsibility of the magazine.

Tender No.

PWA/GTC/139/1415

Type

Tender Title

Participants

Issuing Date

Closing Date

Category

GTC

Supply of Services Framework (AA-DOM/1415/M/1610-2.05/G )

Consultancy and Specialized Services

4-Nov-15

1-Mar-16

Drainage

General Conditions of Tenders - Full Documents for the Tender can be obtained from Contracts Department (CD) against a Non–refundable fee paid to PWA Account No. (0013-001813-052), Qatar National Bank together with a copy of the Company Registration and a Company Authorization letter.

- Project document may be examined at Al-Faisal Tower(1), Ground Floor, Al Corniche before purchasing from PWA. - Each Tender must be accompanied by a Tender Bond, either in the form of a “Certified Check” or a “Tender Bond’’ issued by a Bank acceptable to the PWA” in the amount mentioned above valid for (120 days). Any Tender received without the proper guarantee will not be considered.

- The Tender shall be submitted in two separate sealed envelopes (technical and financial offer) and both envelopes must be enclosed in a third sealed envelope which shall bear the tender number, subject and closing date.

- All Tenders shall be submitted in original and one copy or they will not be acceptance.

Tenders shall be delivered at or sent to arrive not later than 1.00pm local Doha time on the closing date and deposited in the relevant Tender Box of concerned Tenders Committee’s Chairman at PWA. - The successful Tenderer shall provide a Performance Bond in amount of ten (10%) percent of the Contract Price endorsed by an approved local bank in Qatar.

- For further queries about any of the tenders, please communicate in writing to the Contracts Department by Fax.: (+974) 44950777

Tender Number

Type

Subject

Entity

Close Date

Value

Envelopes System

Tender Fees (QRs)

500 /2016-2017

Central Tenders

Provide escort and security services of the Commission for three years

General Administration of Customs

1/2/16

380000 Q.R

TWO ENVELOPES

300

2 /2016-2017

Local Tenders

Maintenance work for several mosques air conditioning and cooling The first in the region in Doha

Ministry of Endowment & Islamic Affairs

7/2/16

20000 Q.R

TWO ENVELOPES

150

3 /2016-2017

Local Tenders

The work of air conditioning and refrigeration maintenance for sever lKhalifa area mosques

Ministry of Endowment & Islamic Affairs

7/2/16

15000 Q.R

TWO ENVELOPES

150

1 /2016-2017

Local Tenders

Furnishing the administrative building of the Assembly of Qatar Scouts and Guid

The Ministry of Culture, Arts and Heritage

14/02/2016

85000 Q.R

TWO ENVELOPES

150

Tenders Conditions: TWO ENVELOPES Hospitality Services Provisioin of SCJ Buildings for Three Years Supreme Council for Judiciary 502 /2016-2017 Central Tenders 15/02/2016 300000 Q.R 300 - You can get a copy of the documents of this tender / tenders of the Central Tenders Committee during official hours, against payment of the tender documents witch you can retrieve it.

- Must be accompanied with the tender a letter of guarantee bank / certified check from a bank operating in the State of Qatar, as indicated above for a period of temporary deposit on 120.

- The offer must be valid for a period of ninety days from the date of the opening of envelopes.

- Will be the last date for submission of tenders is twelve o’clock on the morning of the closure, and will not pay attention to any tender received after the deadline.

- Tenders deposited in the box of the Central Tenders Committee, located in Muntazah - Rawabi Street, to be inside the stamped and sealed envelopes and addressed to the Chairman of the Tenders Committee competent (central / local) showing the number, type of the tender and the subject.

- The Central Tenders Committee invites bidders or their representatives to attend the opening of the envelopes and read the price on the day following the date of the closure during the office hours.

- To obtain tender / tenders documents highlight above must be to mentioned authorization letter from the company / institution.

- For inquiries, please contact Tel: 44378192 /225 /143 /149.

- For more information about the Central Tenders Committee ,tenders and auctions are being posed by the Committee You can visit the site on the Internet www.ctc.gov.qa

Tender & Auctions Committee http://www.baladiya.gov.qa

General Conditions of Tenders 1. Tender documents may be collected Value of the No Type Subject Envelopes System Interim Bond Closing Date documents and bids must be submitted to the premises of the “Tenders & Auctions Tender on project for studying the geological maps TC-B-129-2015 Tender of the State of Qatar, phase (1): Data gathering and 1 Envelopes 300 245 07-02-2016 Committee” of the Ministry of Municianalysis. pality & Urban Planning, located at “Al Muntazah” area, administrative atTender: Pre-contract Consulting Services & Quantity TC-B-6-2016 Tender Survey works for the design of Al-Rayyan Parks 2 Envelopes 150 150 31-01-2016 tache, 6th Floor,Bldg 2, St Saad Bin (Group 8).

Malek 941,Zone24, Rawdat Alkhail Tender documents may be collected Tender: Supply of Imported Fodder for Use of Zoo TC-B-5-2016 Tender 2 Envelopes 150 220 31-01-2016 against the non-refundable amount for 3 years stipulated in the Table above Tender: Maintenance Works for the Plants & Ir2. Required Documents: Authorization rigation System of the following Parks: (Izghawa, 2 Envelopes 150 100 31-01-2016 TC-B-3-2016 Tender letter signed by the company’s authoAbu-Hamour, Al-Gharrafa Plaza) rized person, in Arabic, and endorsed Tender: Maintenance & Servicing the Plants and by an authorized person “Company™s Irrigation Systems located at Al-Furusiya Street, Identification Card - Valid Commercial TC-B-2-2016 Tender Al-Furusiaya roundabout, Muaither roundabout and 2 Envelopes 300 300 31-01-2016 the Area Between Al-Furusiya Roundabout and the License - Commercial Registration Industrial area intersection.

Certificate 3. In Tender : Tenders shall be accomManufacture & supply of brake systems for the 2 Envelopes 150 30000 24-01-2016 TC-B-1-2016 Tender government basis panied with a provisional Bank Guarantee, or certified cheque, issued by a Medical insurance for a number of employees of TC-B-146-2015 Tender 2 Envelopes 150 142000 17-01-2016 bank operating in Qatar, in the amount private contracts in the MMUP stipulated In the relevant table for each tender. Such cheques must be valid for one hundred & twenty days (120 days) following the date of opening the envelopes of all Bidders ,though ,The successful bidder shall provide final insurance equivalent to a minimum of ten percent (10% ) of the contract value, and must not be Subject to any restriction or condition, must be valid for the entire performance period of the contract and remain valid for seven days (7 days) following the Completion of the contract 4 . In Auction : shall be accompanied with a provisional Bank Guarantee, or certified cheque, issued by a bank operating in Qatar, in the amount stipulated in the Relevant table for each tender. Such cheques must be valid for one hundred & twenty days (120 days) following the date of opening the envelopes of all Bidders ,though ,to be in a separate envelope ,and in both of tender and auction : tender bond shall be addressed to the Chairman of the “Tenders & Auctions Committee” of the Ministry of Municipality and Urban Planning 5. The bid will remain valid for ninety days (90 Days) from the date of opening the envelopes, and shall remain irrevocable during this period 6. The deadline for accepting bids is twelve o’clock (12:00 noon) as per the date stipulated in the above Table 7. In Tender : the Government on the approval of the Tenders and Auctions Committee has the right, during the Contract period, to increase or decrease the Works quantities or services, in compliance with the Conditions of Contract, by not more than 20% of the Contract price 8. All Forms and Documents attached with the tender documents, including the tender Form, interim and final Bond form, must be filled and endorsed as Required, AND returned with the rest of the tender documents 9. Bids must be deposited in those boxes specified by the “Tenders & Auctions Committee” of the Ministry of Municipality and Urban Planning. Bids shall be Submitted inside envelopes( one or two ) sealed with red wax and addressed to the Chairman of the “Tenders & Auctions Committee” of the Ministry of Municipality and Urban Planning, Envelopes shall be marked with the number & subject of the tender 10. In Auction : The successful bidder shall collect and transport all relevant auction bid materials at his own cost within fifteen (15) days from the date following The Payment of the value of the auction bid.

However, in case of delay without an acceptable reason, the successful bidder must pay demurrage fees Equivalent to (1%) of the value of non-received materials per each day of delay 11. Technical & Commercial Proposal ( 1 Original + 1 Copies ) Must Be Submitted In Two Separate Envelopes Each Marked With Relevant Title & Tender Number, though, original Of Tender Bond Shall Be Attached In Technical Envelope & Copy Of Tender Bond Shall Be Attached In Financial Envelope 12. Any bidder will be excluded if doesn’t submit the samples, and put copy of receipt from the concerned department ( if the conditions stipulated ) Committee’s Chairman at PWA. - The successful Tenderer shall provide a Performance Bond in amount of ten (10%) percent of the Contract Price endorsed by an approved local bank in Qatar.

- For further queries about any of the tenders, please communicate in writing to the Contracts Department by Fax.: (+974) 44950777

Events

2016

CALENDAR

Gulf Industry Fair Organizer: Hilal Conferences and Exhibitions Event Date (s): 9 – 11 Feb Venue: Bahrain International Exhibition and Convention Centre Location: Manama, Bahrain Email: info@hilalce.com Website: www.gulfindustryfair.com 8th Annual Façade Design & Engineering Middle East Summit Organizer: IQPC Middle East Event Date (s): 21 – 23 Feb Venue: Intercontinental Doha Location: Doha, Qatar Tel: +971 4364 2975 Email: enquiry@iqpc.ae Website: http://bit.ly/1RyFPSG

Smart Parking Qatar Organizer: Advanced Conferences & Meetings (ACM) Event date (s): 18 – 19 April Venue: TBC Location: Doha, Qatar Tel: +971 4 361 4001 Fax: +971 4 361 4554 Email: opportunities@acm-events.com Website: www.smartparkingqatar.com

2nd Health Facilities Design & Development Organizer: IQPC Middle East Event Date (s): 28 - 30 March Venue: Intercontinental Doha Location: Doha, Qatar Tel: +971 4364 2975 Email: enquiry@iqpc.ae Website: http://www.healthfacilitiesqatar.com/

Gulf BID 2015 Organizer: Hilal Conferences and Exhibitions Event Date (s): 26 – 28 April Venue: Bahrain International Exhibition and Convention Centre Location: Manama, Bahrain Email: info@hilalce.com Website: www.gulfbidexpo.com

5th Annual Arab Future Cities Summit

Gulf Interiors Exhibitions Organizer: Hilal Conferences and Exhibitions Event Date (s): 26 – 28 April Venue: Bahrain International Exhibition and Convention Centre Location: Manama, Bahrain Email: info@hilalce.com Website: www.gulfinteriorsexhibition.com Gulf Property Show Organizer: Hilal Conferences and Exhibitions Event Date (s): 26 – 28 April

Venue: Bahrain International Exhibition and Convention Centre Location: Manama, Bahrain Email: info@hilalce.com Website: http://gulfpropertyshow.net/index.php/ en/ 3rd Annual Lighting Qatar Organizer: Advanced Conferences & Meetings (ACM) Event date (s): 9 – 10 May Venue: Intercontinental Hotel The City Location: Doha, Qatar Tel: +971 4 361 4001 Fax: +971 4 361 4554 Email: opportunities@acm-events.com Website: www.lightingtechqatar.com Project Qatar 2016 Organizer: IFP Qatar LLC Event date (s): 9 – 12 May Venue: Doha Exhibition & Convention Centre (DECC) Location: Doha, Qatar Tel: +974 44329900 Fax: +974 44432891 Email: info@ifpqatar.com Website: http://www.projectqatar.com/ Heavy Max 2016 Organizer: IFP Qatar LLC Event date (s): 9 – 12 May Venue: Doha Exhibition & Convention Centre (DECC) Location: Doha, Qatar Tel: +974 44329900 Fax: +974 44432891 Email: info@ifpqatar.com Website: http://www.heavymaxqatar.com/ Qatar StoneTech 2016

Making our planet more productive Creating technology, products and services that help us sustain and protect our planet.

Gas Supply & Management Industrial Services Oil & Gas Services

cwdsales@qocdoha.com

Qatar Oxygen Company W.L.L

SITES

29

OF EXHIBITIONS & EVENTS

Organizer: Expotrade Middle East FZ-LLC Event date (s): 11 – 12 April Venue: The Ritz Carlton Location: Doha, Qatar Tel: +971 4 4542135 Fax: +971 4 4542136 Email: info@expotrade-me.com Website: www.arabfuturecities.com

3rd Annual Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems Middle East Conference Organizer: IQPC Middle East Event Date (s): 28 - 29 March Venue: InterContinental Doha - The City Hotel Location: Doha, Qatar Tel: +971 4364 2975 Email: enquiry@iqpc.ae Website: http://www.drainageandsewerageme. com/

Construction

41st Street, New Industrial Area P.O. Box 22386, Doha, Qatar Tel: +974 4114603 / 4 / 5, Fax: +974 4114350 Mob: +974 5509 6106 Email: info@qocdoha.com Website: www.airtecgulf.com

Organizer: IFP Qatar LLC Event date (s): 9 – 12 May Venue: Doha Exhibition & Convention Centre (DECC) Location: Doha, Qatar Tel: +974 44329900 Fax: +974 44432891 Email: info@ifpqatar.com Website: http://www.qatarstone-tech.com/

2nd Annual Future BIM Implementation Qatar Organizer: Advanced Conferences & Meetings (ACM) Event date (s): 11 – 12 May Venue: Intercontinental Hotel The City Location: Doha, Qatar Tel: +971 4 361 4001 Fax: +971 4 361 4554 Email: opportunities@acm-events.com Website: www.futurebimqatar.com World Stadium Congress Organizer: IQPC Middle East Event Date (s): 16 – 19 May Venue: Lusail Arena Location: Lusail, Qatar Tel: +971 4364 2975 Email: enquiry@iqpc.ae Website: http://www.worldstadiumcongress.com/ 6th Annual Underground Infrastructure and Deep Foundations Qatar Organizer: IQPC Middle East Event Date (s): 22 – 25 May Venue: TBA Location: Doha, Qatar Tel: +971 4364 2975 Email: enquiry@iqpc.ae Website: http://www.undergroundfoundations. com/

30

Construction

SITES

Project Focus

NOTE: Whilst we take pride in keeping our Consultants Database with the most up-to-date information, please note that the above information is provided by the Consultants mentioned in the list; therefore QCS in not responsible for any incorrect data.

Consultant

Project Title

Twin Towers

Client

Main Contractor

Value Range (QR) Million

Project Status

Type of Project

M/s. Commercial Development

M/s. Arabtec

500-750

Piling & Shoring

Hotel and Office Buildings Offices / Residential Towers

Audit Bureau Towers

M/s. Al Attiya Group Trading Co.

Not Appointed

400-600

Tender Stage

Al Waab Mall

M/s. Qatar Industrial Services

Man Enterprize, Qatar

300-400

Under Construction

Mall

CBQ

HBK

N/A

Under Construction

Commercial, Bank, Office Plaza

Qatar Islamic Bank

AFQCO & REDCO - Al Mana

1.2-1.4 bn

Under Construction

Residential Towers

Basrec

GCC/ALEC JV

N/A

Under Construction

Retail Mall

Commercial Tower on Plot Com/49 Al Sedian Company

Yousuf Al Mahmoud

Al Balagh Trading & Contracting Co. W.L.L.

N/A

Under Construction

Office Building - Tower

Office Tower (3B+G+22 Floors) Plot Com-50 at Lusail Marina

Qatar Trading Agency

Redco - Al Mana

N/A

Under Construction

Office Building

Marsa Malaz Hotel at the Pear Qatar (Main Works)

Alfardan Properties Co.

CDC

N/A

Under Construction

Hotel

Mazaya Qatar Real Estate Development QSC

Sinohydro Group Limited

N/A

Under Construction

Residential

CBQ

Power Line Engineering - Qatar W.L.L.

N/A

Under Construction

Residential Towers

Al Sarh Real Estate WLL

CRC

N/A

Under Construction

Residential

Sh. Hamad Bin Faisal Al Thani

REDCO – Al Mana

N/A

Under Construction

Office Building

He Sheikh Mohammed Bin Hamad Al-Thani

Man Enterprises Qatar, WLL

N/A

Under Construction

Hotel

Ahmed Abed El Aziz Al Baker

Construction and Reconstruction Co.

675

Under Construction

Office Building

Private Investor

Orientals Enterprises

N/A

Under Construction

Residential

Shiekh Abdullah Bin Naser Al Thani

Construction and Reconstruction Co.

85

Under Construction

Commercial

MOI

Hassanesco Co.

N/A

Under Construction

Mixed Use

Shk/Abdullah Bin Nasser Al Thani

Construction and Reconstruction Co.

205

Under Construction

Commercial / Residential

CBQ Boulevard Five Residential Towers at Viva Bahriya at the Pear (project management)

Doha Festival City (Package 3250,3100 and 7500

Qatar Sidra Village Project

CBQ Towers at VB20 & VB21 Al Rabban Suites Hotel Apartments (3B+G+M+50Floors) Office Buildings (3B+G+22) at Lusail Marina District

Holiday Inn at Business Park

Al Baker Executive Towers Al Nour Tower Al Nasr Showroom Police Training Institute Panasonic Showroom & Residential Al Sadd Hotel Blusail Furnished Apartment at Lusail (3B+G+10) E's Hail Communication Network Building at Duhailiyat Camp Development of Ooredoo TEC Complex at Industrial Area

Private Villa at Pearl Qatar Doha Education Centre

Step 1 International Academy Mix 11 Hotel Tower at Lusail City Al Jassasiyah White Beach Palace

Tricon International

Atlantic Contracting Co.

150

Under Construction

Hotels

H.E SH Abdulla Bin Mohamed Al Thani

Not appointed

N/A

Tendering Stage

Residential Building

Qatar Armed Forces

Not appointed

N/A

Tendering Stage

Office Building

Ooredoo

Not appointed

N/A

Design Stage

Commercial Complex

Private Client

Not appointed

N/A

Design Stage

Villa

Doha Education Centre

Not appointed

30-50 Million

Design stage

Education

Step 1 International Academy

Not appointed

20-40 Million

Design stage

School

Real Estate Services Group

N/A

600 Million

Design Stage

Hotel

UrbaCon Trading & Contracting (UCC)

N/A

400 Million

Design Stage

Mixed-Use

Marina Com 05 Tower at Lusail City

Private Engineering Office / Mashour Real Estate Group

N/A

315 Million

Construction Stage

Office / Commercial

Qatar Chamber of Commerce and Industry Building

Qatar Chamber of Commerce and Industry

N/A

270 Million

Design Stage

Office

Barwa / Hilson Moran

N/A

250 Million

Design Stage

Office

Ministry of Interior / Al Ali International

N/A

180 Million

Design Stage

Office

MOI

N/A

N/A

Tender Stage

Educational Complex

Health Care Centers (Pacakge 4 & 5)

PWA

ITC/UCE

600

Under Construction

Medical Centers

Construction of Head Quarters Bldg. for Ministry of Interior

MOI

WCT

N/A

Under Construction

Administrative and Office Building

Qatar Airways

N/A

600

Design Stage

Cars Park

Qatar Navigation

Ramco

450M

Under Construction

Warehouses

Ministry of Interior

Not Appointed

N/A

Tender Stage

Administrative and Office Bldg.

500

Under Construction

Educational Building

Com 02 - Barwa Bank Headquarters at Lusail City

National Cyber Security Center

Police College Academy

Multi-level Cars Park at Hamad International Airport

Logistic City Headquarter of General Directorate of Borders, Passports & Travel Document Department

Construction of 56 Nos. New Schools (Stage 9B) Al Emadi Twin Towers City Tower

PWA

Al Huda/Al Sraiya/JTC

IBA GROUP

Not Appointed

400

Design Stage

Commercial / Offices Towers

Mr. Saeed Ben Zayed El-Khayareen

Al-Huda

200-250

Under Construction

Office Building

Fahd Suite - Apartment Hotel

FBA GROUP

Not Appointed

200

Detail Stage

Shopping Mall & Office Tower

IBA Hotel

IBA GROUP

Not Appointed

200

Under Construction

Hotel

Alwataniya Holding

Not Appointed

Confidential

Tender Stage

Hospital

Mr.Ali Abdulla Q A Al Emadi

Not Appointed

108 Million

DC-2 Stage

Hotel

QNB

Not Appointed

20 Million

under construction

Bank

Almal Holding

Not Appointed

120 Million

Permit Stage

Driving Academy

Gulf Pearls Company

Gulf Pearl

40 Million

Design Stage

Residential Building

Mr. Abdulla Abdul Rehman Abdulla Haidar

Not Appointed

38 Million

DC-1 Stage

Corporate Offices

Al Jazeera Finance

Living Interior

9 Million

Under Construction

fit out

Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy

Not Appointed

Not Applicable

Tender Stage

fit out

ACES

RAMCO Engineering

22 Million

Tender Stage

Industrial Building

REGENCY REAL ESTATE

NA

165,540,000.00

DESIGN STAGE

MIXED USE BUILDING

MR. IBRAHIM AL ASMAKH

NA

135,000,000.00

ON - GOING

COMMERCIAL

RABBAN GROUP

NA

126,319,000.00

DESIGN STAGE

MIXED USE BUILDING

MR. IBRAHIM AL ASMAKH

NA

114,080,000.00

ON - GOING

COMMERCIAL

C4 - LUSAIL

REGENCY REAL ESTATE

NA

108,070,000.00

DESIGN STAGE

HOTEL APARTMENTS

FV7 - MULTI PURPOSE HALL/ART CENTRE

REGENCY REAL ESTATE

NA

67,500,000.00

DESIGN STAGE

COMMERCIAL

SH. AHMAD BIN HAMAD AL THANI

NA

54,000,000.00

SERVICE DESIGN

COMMERCIAL

REGENCY REAL ESTATE

NA

38,000,000.00

DESIGN STAGE

OFFICE BUILDING

Construction of American Hospital in Lusail 5 Star Hotel

Qatar National Bank Branches Qatar Driving School Gulf Pearl Office Building

Office Building in Energy City

A Jazeera Finance Headquarter-Fut out Consultancy Services for Additional Floors Fit-out at Al Bida Tower

ACES(Arab Center for Engineering Studies)

C6 - LUSAIL MIXED USE DEVELOPMENT INDS. AREA

C5 - LUSAIL MIXED USE BUILDING (2B+G+8F)-C5

AL AHLI CLUB FV9 AL ASMAKH HEAD OFFICE IN SUSAIL

FURSAN REAL STATE

NA

32,627,000.00

DESIGN STAGE

RESIDENTIAL BUILDING

FOXHILLS - D49

REGENCY REAL ESTATE

NA

29,299,000.00

DESIGN STAGE

RESIDENTIAL BUILDING

FOXHILLS - D21

REGENCY REAL ESTATE

NA

27,472,000.00

DESIGN STAGE

RESIDENTIAL BUILDING

FOXHILLS - D04

REGENCY REAL ESTATE

NA

25,273,000.00

DESIGN STAGE

RESIDENTIAL BUILDING

FOXHILLS - A13

REGENCY REAL ESTATE

NA

24,918,000.00

DESIGN STAGE

RESIDENTIAL BUILDING

FOXHILLS - D14

REGENCY REAL ESTATE

NA

23,150,000.00

DESIGN STAGE

RESIDENTIAL BUILDING

FOXHILLS - A30

Construction

SITES

31

ESAB AUTHORIZED DISTRIBUTORS WELDING MACHINES, CUTTING SYSTEMS, CONSUMABLES & PPE

METALPLUS

METALPLUS Prefabricated Air Duct Manufacturing and Trading Co.W.L.L.

POBox.491, Gate No.45, Street No.29, Industrial Area, Doha-­‐Qatar Email: info@fabricastqatar.com , www.fabricastqatar.com

Tel : +974-­‐44783012 / 44127502, Fax : +974-­‐44781646 Mob : +974-­‐30911922, 30262009

Dutest Qatar W.L.L.

WIRE ROPES, SLINGS, HEIGHT SAFETY, FABRICATION, INSPECTION AND TESTING, RENTALS, CRANE HIRE

4458 5 480;; 4 469 4 569;; 5 581 5 641;; 7 748 7 432

Email: operations@dutestqatar.com, sales@dutestqatar.com

UMM SLAL MOHAMED

P.O Box : 15104 Mob : 55 99 06 24 Telefax : 44 34 25 18 Email: info@metalplus.com.qa - hinzawi@metalplus.com.qa

www .me

OUR S COPE AND S ERVICES INCLUDE:

talp

lus. com

.qa

CRANE AND LIFTING EQUIPMENT ENGINEERS GENERAL M ECHANICAL WORKS

HVAC - Plumbing & Drainage - Fire Fighting - Electrical & ELV - Energy Centers - Street Lighting - Maintenance - Facility Management Established in 1974, TRAGS Engineering is recognized as the leading Grade-1 MEP Services, District Cooling and Facility Management Contractor in the State of Qatar. The scope of activities covers all aspects of building services including design, procurement, installation, testing and commissioning of multi-service installations. In addition, the company offers 24/7 Facility Management Services to government buildings, corporations, educational, healthcare, industrial, commercial and residential sectors.

ENGINEERING

TRAGS Electrical Engineering & Air Conditioning Co. W.L.L Jaidah Tower Ist Floor, Abdul Aziz Bin Ahmed Street P.O. Box 470, Doha – Qatar Tel +974 44 41 42 11, Fax + 974 44 41 33 06 tragseng@tragsengineering.com

www.tragsengineering.com

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

Rania Queen St. AmmanJordan F_PAGE_ASC_27X33CM.pdf 1 2/2/16 2:30 PM Tel: +9626 5356616 - Fax: +9626 535 6606 - P.O.Box: 622 - Aljbeha: 11941 watan_newspaper@yahoo.com

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Monthly construction news, tenders, project focus, and forthcoming exhibitions in Qatar Tel.: +974 4469 3280 - Fax: +974 4451 0428

Issue No. (103) February 2016, Doha - Qatar