QC-Sites I January2018 I Issue no.126

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

I ssue N o .126 - J anuary 2018

PAGES 15-19

Exclusive:

reen

G BUILDING

Green buildings are not only environmentfriendly but also cost-effective; Qatar is actively pursuing such projects

NEWS

Qatar Rail awards Metro operation and Qatar Rail awards Metro operation and maintenance contract maintenance contract Joint venture makes winning bid

A

In announcing the selection, Qatar Rail highlighted a number of differentiators that led to the selection of KeolisRATP. H E Jassim Saif Al Sulaiti, Minister of Transport and Communication and Vice-Chairman, Qatar Rail said: “Aside from their world-renowned experience, a welldesigned staffing plan, innovative approaches to service delivery and a strong transition experience have all been crucial factors in our selection of KeolisRATP. With a solid history of demonstrated improvements in on-time performance at other agencies and global experience with implementing programs and best practices to ensure the highest levels of fleet maintenance and vehicle appearance, we look forward to working with them in delivering and maintaining a state of the art transport system serving Qatar.”

joint venture of French company Keolis and infrastructure asset management specialist RATP, has been named as the operator of the Doha Metro and Lusail Tram.

The appointment follows a highly rigorous process led by Qatar Rail, which involved extensive reviews of offers received from international bidders.

The appointment follows a highly rigorous process led by Qatar Rail.

Qatar Rail will remain accountable and will oversee the operation and maintenance of the network. Under the terms of the contract, the joint venture will see Keolis and RATP responsible for operating and maintaining both the Doha Metro and Lusail Tram. Qatar Rail will oversee all activities which will be the operational responsibility of Keolis and RATP. This will include the day-to-day running of both networks including operation of the control room, customer service provisions, security and revenue protection and roaming strain staff and drivers.

They will also be responsible for the management of three depots on the metro system and one on the tram network. In addition, they will also be responsible for facilities management across the entire network including stations

Qatar Rail will oversee all activities which will be the operational responsibility of Keolis and RATP.

and depots including first line reporting and service recovery. Training and safety responsibilities of contract staff will also be the responsibility of the joint venture.

Integrated public transport marketing Integrated public transport marketing program launched in in Qatar program launched Qatar Would allow people to understand country’s multi-modal transport system The program has been designed to promote Qatar’s public transportation system, its convenience, and its benefits as well as increase the awareness and perception of public transport in the country.

T

he Ministry of Transport and Communications (MOTC) launched a national integrated public transport marketing and way finding program to allow citizens, residents, and tourists to better understand and access Qatar’s upcoming multi-modal transit system.

the program during 2018 that would unify and

The program has been designed to promote Qatar’s public transportation system, its convenience, and its benefits as well as increase the awareness and perception of public transport in the country and contribute to the achievement of Qatar National Vision 2030. Minister H E Jassim Saif Ahmed Al Sulaiti has given directives on the importance of completing the current study on

ferry, taxi and enhanced bus services reaching

raise the public transport image.

The program would help enable a number of important developments in Qatar’s public transportation infrastructure, including the launch of rail, communities across the country. The integrated marketing and way finding project would involve five phases starting with research into global best practices, followed by a gap analysis, the formulation of an integrated marketing and way finding strategy and then the campaign frame-

works and measurement tools to ensure its effective delivery.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalid bin Jassim Al Thani, project sponsor and Director of the MOTC Technical Affairs Department, said: “This project is among the most important in the rollout of the new public transportation facilities. The investment in hard infrastructure is almost complete and now it is up to us to understand, engage, and motivate all parties to get on board and on the move with public transportation. Making it a success will require close integration with entities across the country and a shared vision for what public transportation can achieve.”

Emir Emirinaugurates inauguratesHMC HMC Medical MedicalCity Citycomplex complex Region’s biggest healthcare facility expansion

Medical City complex would provide patients with access to an unprecedented level of care.

T

he Emir, H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, inaugurated Hamad Medical Corporation’s (HMC) new Medical City complex.

The new hospitals are part of the region’s biggest healthcare facility expansion project and would house 500 new hospital beds and 3,000 highly trained clinical and support staff.

H E Dr Hanan Mohamed Al Kuwari, Minister of Public Health, said the new Medical City complex would provide patients with access to an unprecedented level of care by increasing bed

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capacity, improving services and granting faster access to specialized treatment.

“The new Medical City hospitals represent the biggest expansion of healthcare facilities in the history of our nation and are a central part of our commitment to providing patients with the safest, most effective and most compassionate care. These facilities have been planned in accordance with the highest medical standards and the latest international technologies. They will introduce new services and significantly increase the capacity of HMC’s system to meet the country’s growing demand for specialized care,” she said.

While the inauguration of the state-of-the-art facilities officially opens the Medical City complex, the three hospitals - Qatar Rehabilitation Institute (QRI), the Ambulatory Care Center (ACC), and Women’s Wellness and Research Center

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(WWRC) - have been providing services throughout this year, with over 90,000 outpatient visits recorded to date.

As the region’s largest tertiary rehabilitation hospital, QRI provides world-class integrated rehabilitation services and the most technologically advanced patient-centered care. The care provided is based on the most current rehabilitation research and practiced in an environment that encourages both mental and physical healing.

The ACC is providing patients with access to the latest treatment using advanced clinical and surgical practices offered within the same day and in a single dedicated location. Within 23 hours of receiving surgery or a medical procedure, patients are able to leave the hospital and return to recover in the comfort of their own home. The facility also houses a number of outpatient clinics.

These facilities have been planned in accordance with the highest medical standards and the latest international technologies.

TOTO aims to reduce emissions TOTO aims toCO2 reduce CO2 emissions from plumbing productsproducts from plumbing

I

t might seem as a tiny detail, but choosing the right faucet can result in huge water and energy savings. Research estimates that bathroom and kitchen faucets account for 16 percent of the water used in an American home. In a typical house, faucets run for around 8 minutes a day and consume nearly 11 gallons of water per person per day.

The consumption is unlikely to be different in Qatar.

As a leading manufacturer of plumbing products, the TOTO Group’s integrated all in One Auto Faucet promises to Improve livability, benefit the natural system and achieve significant energy and water savings.

The product is part of TOTO GREEN CHALLENGE to significantly accelerate conventional environmental activities. “To promote environmental activities in the three key perspectives of product and services, manufacturing and social contributions, and human resource development, we have established quantitative targets for our Action Plan that lasts until the year 2017 - our 100th anniversary”, the company stated.

TOTO Green Challenge The global environment is changing at a rate beyond our expectations. Plumbing products, alongside household electrical appliances, account for the majority of CO2 emitted from the home.

As a leading manufacturer of plumbing products, TOTO promotes its TOTO GREEN CHALLENGE to significantly accelerate conventional environmental activities.

Engineered to require no electricity or routine disposable battery replacement, Eco-Power products are the perfect marriage of handsfree operation, low maintenance and sophisticated design.

This involves a review of all corporate activities with a view toward achieving stringent quantitative targets by 2017.

Water Saving

Product-related initiatives include a focus on “reducing CO2 emissions from plumbing products” and “purifying the air with Hydrotect. The company has devised an easy-to-understand vision of the future and a roadmap outlining how to get there, aiming to expand activities encompassing the entire housing construction industry on a global scale.

The suggested faucet is a compact infrared sensor; one of the smallest sensors in the world. It’s aesthetically pleasing design with spout senses for human motions only. Moreover, the faucet precisely tempers water and regulates its flow, while the thermostatic controller enhances the comfort of users.

Electricity is generated by the built-in power generator unit when the water flows through it. The electricity stored in the capacitor can be used for daily operation. The ECOPOWER self-generating hydropower system gets stronger with each use, adding years to lifecycle.

NABINA CERAMIC Airport Street, Wakra Road 130, Doha,Qatar

Gharafa Branch Next to the Passport Office

• •

An integrated sensor is able to detect hand movement and thus ensure that just the right amount of water is dispensed. It’s so finely tuned that it only registers hand movement directly below the spout and therefore does not activate the water flow when you’re cleaning the wash basin.

TOTO aerated bubble technology, adds air to the water enlarging them and causing them to increase in volume. This enables the water consumption to reduce by half from 4.0 L/ min to 2L/min while retaining the same washing experience.

Energy Saving Without the need of batteries replacement, this helps to reduce daily maintenance and create an eco friendly environment. Without the need of cabling and wiring, this helps to reduce cost and energy.

Since the product is self powered, the electrical cabling is not required. So the energy saving and cost savings are the benefits.

Phone: +974 4465 2345 Phone: +974 4497 9000 CONSTRUCTION

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CYBER SECURITY

McAfee McAfeerelease releaseits itsthreats threats protection protectionreport reportfor for2018 2018 Evolution of ransomware in 2017 serves as warning Steve Grobman due to the ease with which as-a-service providers can make such techniques available to anybody with the means to pay,” said Raj Samani, chief scientist and head of McAfee Advanced Threat Research. “Such attacks could be sold to parties seeking to paralyze national, political and business rivals, which raises perhaps the biggest, unavoidable ransomware question of 2017: Were WannaCry and NotPetya actually ransomware campaigns that failed in their objectives to make significant revenue? Or, perhaps incredibly successful wiper campaigns?”

M

cAfee Inc. has released its `McAfee Labs 2018 Threats Predictions Report’, which identifies five key trends to watch in 2018.

This year’s report focuses on the evolution of ransomware from traditional to new applications, the cyber security implications of serverless apps, the consumer privacy implications of corporations monitoring consumers in their own homes, long-term implications of corporations gathering children’s user-generated content, and the emergence of a machine learning innovation race between defenders and adversaries.

“The evolution of ransomware in 2017 should remind us of how aggressively a threat can reinvent itself as attackers dramatically innovate and adjust to the successful efforts of defenders,” said Steve Grobman, Chief Technology Officer, McAfee. “We must recognize that although technologies such as machine learning, deep learning and artificial intelligence will be cornerstones of tomorrow’s cyber defenses, our adversaries are working just as furiously to implement and innovate around them. As is so often the case in cyber security, human intelligence amplified by technology will be the winning factor in the ‘arms race’ between attackers and defenders.”

The evolution of ransomware in 2017 should remind us of how aggressively a threat can reinvent itself as attackers dramatically innovate and adjust to the successful efforts of defenders,” said Steve Grobman, Chief Technology Officer, McAfee.

1. An adversarial machine learning “arms race” will develop between defenders and attackers Machine learning can process massive quantities of data and perform operations at great scale to detect and correct known vulnerabilities, suspicious behavior, and zero-day attacks.

But adversaries will certainly employ machine learning themselves to support their attacks, learning from defensive responses, seeking to disrupt detection models and exploiting newly discovered vulnerabilities faster than defenders can patch them.

3. Serverless apps will save time and reduce costs, but they will also increase attack surfaces for organizations implementing them Serverless apps enable greater granularity, such as faster billing for services. But they are vulnerable to attacks exploiting privilege escalation and application dependencies. They are also vulnerable to attacks on data in transit across a network, and potentially to brute-force denial of service attacks, in which the serverless architecture fails to scale and incurs expensive service disruptions.

To win this arms race, organizations must effectively augment machine judgment and the speed of orchestrated responses with human strategic intellect. Only then will organizations be able to understand and anticipate the patterns of how attacks might play out, even if they have never been seen before.

Function development and deployment processes must include the necessary security processes, scalability capabilities must be made available, and traffic must be appropriately protected by VPNs or encryption.

2. Ransomware will pivot from traditional extortion to new targets, technologies, and objectives The profitability of traditional ransomware campaigns will continue to decline as vendor defenses, user education, and industry strategies improve to counter them. Attackers will adjust to target less traditional, more profitable ransomware targets, including high net-worth individuals, connected devices, and businesses.

The pivot from the traditional will see ransomware technologies applied beyond the objective of extortion of individuals, to cyber sabotage and disruption of organizations. This drive among adversaries for greater damage, disruption, and the threat of greater financial impact will not only spawn new variations of cybercrime “business models,” but also begin to seriously drive the expansion of the cyber insurance market.

“While much about the motives behind WannaCry and NotPetya are still debated, the use of pseudo ransomware is likely to continue, partly

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4. Connected home device manufacturers and service providers will seek to overcome thin profit margins by gathering more of our personal data—with or without our agreement—turning the home into a corporate store front Corporate marketers will have powerful incentives to observe consumer behavior in order to understand the buying needs and preferences of the device owners. Because customers rarely read privacy agreements, corporations will be tempted to frequently change them after the devices and services are deployed to capture more information and revenue.

McAfee believes that there will be regulatory consequences for corporations that make the calculation to break existing laws, pay fines, and continue such practices, thinking they can do so profitably.

5. Corporations collecting children’s digital content will pose long-term reputation risks In their pursuit of user app “stickiness,” corporations will become more aggressive in enabling and gathering user-generated content

Function development and deployment processes must include the necessary security processes, scalability capabilities must be made available, and traffic must be appropriately protected by VPNs or encryption.

from younger users. In 2018, parents will become aware of notable corporate abuses of digital content generated by children, and consider the potential long-term implications of these practices for their own children.

McAfee believes many future adults will suffer from negative “digital baggage,” user content developed in a user-app environment where socially appropriate guidelines are not yet well defined or enforced, and where the user interface is so personally engaging that children and their parents do not consider the consequences of creating content that corporations could use and potentially abuse in the future.

In a competitive app environment where “stickiness” easily becomes “unstuck,” the most enterprising, forward-looking apps and services will recognize the brand-building value of making themselves a partner with parents in this education effort.

“The year 2018 could well be remembered most for how we finally started to tackle data protection and for whether consumers truly have the right to be forgotten,” said Vincent Weafer, VicePresident, McAfee Labs. “The large-scale gathering of personal information and user generated content opens consumers up to the risk of data misuse, abuse, and even compromise.

Irresponsible service providers can overindulge in the gathering and monetization, allowing user privacy to be carried away by market forces, data to be compromised, and user reputations threatened years into the future. GDPR makes 2018 a critical year for establishing how responsible businesses can pre-empt these issues, respecting users’ privacy, responsibly using consumer data and content.”

MITSUBISHI FUSO

Start your business with the right partner.

Showroom: Salwa Road 4422 7555

MFTBC_CANETR AD_QATAR SITE.indd 1

www.fusoqatar.com

qac@nbks.com

CONSTRUCTION

Fuso Qatar

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JANUARY 2018 Dec/21/17

5

10:03 AM

NEWS

Barwa signs Barwa signs contract forfor labor contract labor city construction city construction INSHA Company to build QR 1.3 bn project

The new labor city project in Salwa Road occupies an overall area of 994,567 sq. meters.

Project includes retail shops and mosques with a total building area of 730,728 sq. meters.

B

arwa Real Estate Company has

consisting of 25 power substations, internal

The traditional Arab style of the project’s

signed a contract with INSHA

roads and potable water, fire, irrigation and

houses is compatible with the surrounding

Company to construct a new

sewage networks as well as surveillance cam-

environmental conditions.

labor city with 3,170 residential

eras. An adjacent land plot of 183,538 sq.

houses on Salwa Road with a contract value

meters was allocated as parking lots for bus-

Barwa has signed a leasing contract with the

of QR 1.3 billion.

es, in order to reduce traffic congestion within

Ministry of Municipality and the Environment for the rental of two plots of land with a to-

residential areas.

tal area of 1.18 sq. meters on Salwa Road to

The new labor city project in Salwa Road occupies an overall area of 994,567 sq. meters

Minister of Administrative Development, La-

and includes 3,170 residential houses, each

bour and Social Affairs H E Dr Issa bin Saad Al

comprising eight rooms, eight bathrooms and

Jafali Al Nuaimi said Qatar is a model for pro-

a kitchen. The construction duration is 12

viding all means for the workforce to coexist

months.

with their different religions and cultures, noting the Ministry has embarked on a new and

develop this project. The new project would be the second labor city to be developed by Barwa Real Estate after the workers’ accommodation - Barwa Al Baraha - located in the Industrial Area. It consists of 64 buildings, accommodating 50,000 workers and technicians and provides all recreational and health

Additionally, the project includes retail shops

comprehensive program to improve housing

services for its residents. This is in addition

and mosques with a total building area of

standards of workers through the construc-

to Al Khor Workers Sports Complex in Al Khor

730,728 sq. meters. Moreover, the construc-

tion of modern housing in line with interna-

area which includes all facilities and sports

tion would include all the infrastructure works

tional standard.

services for workers.

oha Marketing Services Com-

“The new Volvo FH series is in a class of its

logistics business requires us to have safe

pany

exclusive

own. These trucks are perfectly suited for ex-

and powerful vehicles to keep up with cur-

distributor of Volvo Trucks &

treme environment in Qatar, where long dis-

Buses in Qatar, has launched

tances are driven in extreme weather condi-

the Volvo FH Globetrotter. Combined with its

tions, with very heavy loads and high-speed

groundbreaking features, the launch of FH

limits. Designed to be driver-centric and built

Globetrotter sets new benchmarks for pre-

for heavy and demanding work, FH Globetrot-

and adapted to the conditions in individual

mium trucks in Qatar. The Globetrotter offers

ter offers best-in-class fuel economy, reliabil-

markets.”

truck drivers the highest level of comfort and

ity and safety. It is equipped with technology

safety on the road.

that creates ultimate onboard safety, a more

DOMASCO DOMASCO launches Volvo launches Volvo FHFH Globetrotter Globetrotter Al Fadal Transport & Trading first customer in Qatar

The truck is developed for the transport requirements of the future.

D

(DOMASCO),

economical driveline and higher uptime.”

The truck is developed for the transport re-

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JANUARY 2018

CONSTRUCTION

quirements of the future with features like in-

Al Fadal Transport & Trading became the first

dividual front suspension, I-Shift Dual Clutch

customer in Qatar to welcome the new range.

and functional fuel-saving cab design. Faisal

Umar Shafiq, General Manager,

Sharif, Managing Director, DOMASCO, said:

Transport & Trading, said: “The transport and

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Al Fadal

rent market. The finance solutions, provided

by Volvo Trucks, are smart and flexible. They are customized for every kind of operation

The FH 440 has a 13-litre engine delivering 440 to 520 HP. With an I-Shift gear box, it has the perfect steering stability at high speeds and total control at low speeds, resulting in a truck less sensitive to crosswinds and very stable on uneven roads.

SUSTAINABILITY

Qatar Sustainability Week Qatar Sustainability Week 2017 attracts record 2017 attracts record participation participation Qatar Green Building Council Initiative Held Under Patronage Of His Excellency The Prime Minister And Minister Of Interior Sheikh Abdullah Bin Nasser Bin Khalifa Al Thani

Q

atar Green Building Council (QGBC), a member of Qatar Foundation, has successfully wrapped up the second annual Qatar Sustainability Week

(QSW) 2017 with a record number of participants, up more than 100% from last year.

The week-long event held under the patronage of H.E. Sheikh Abdullah Bin Nasser Bin Khalifa Al Thani, Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, ran from October 28 to November 4, and was launched by the Minister of Municipality and Environment H.E. Mr. Mohammad Bin Abdullah Bin Mitaab Al Rumaihi at the Qatar National Convention Centre.

The opening of QSW 2017 included the kickoff of one of the week’s most prominent events: the third edition of the Qatar Green Building Conference, held under the patronage of H.E. Sheikha Hind bint Hamad Al Thani, Vice Chairperson and CEO of Qatar Foundation.

In attendance with Her Excellency were a number of VIPs including H.E. Dr. Mohammed Bin Saleh Al Sada, Minister of Energy and Industry, and H.E. Abdullah bin Hamad Al Attiyah, Chairman of the Board of the ABHA Foundation for Energy and Sustainable Development.

QSW is designed to actively engage Qatar’s public and private sector organizations in a wide range of sustainability-oriented activities.

The event aims to foster a culture of sustainability among residents and visitors, as well as to promote engagement from members of the community. This is in line with ultimately achieving the global sustainability goals outlined in Qatar National Vision 2030.

Engineer Meshal Al Shamari, Director, QGBC, said: “We’re blown away with the success of this initiative. The active participation from over 100 partners in both the private and pub-

lic sectors exdeeded our expectations. QSW 2017 welcomed more 20,000 participants and visitors to over 200 events across three cities in Qatar. This initiative plays a crucial role in raising awareness among the wider community, while showcasing the incredible milestones Qatar has reached in the areas of sustainability and green buildings. We’re thankful for the backing of our supporting partners and look forward to even greater success next year.”

The key sponsors of QSW 2017 were: Msheireb Properties, Platinum Sponsor of QSW; Arab Engineering Bureau, QGBC Conference Sponsor; Tadmur Holding, Qatar Sustainability Awards Sponsor; Atelier 101, Technology Sponsor; Intelligence Qatar, Knowledge Sponsor; Frame Qatar, Report Sponsor; and Vodafone Qatar, Communications Partner.

opment in Qatar. QGBC also aims to support the overall health and sustainability of the environment, the people, and economic security in Qatar for generations to come. The council, a member of Qatar Foundation, was formally established in 2009 by a decree signed by Her Highness Sheikha Moza Bint Nasser and is helping Qatar on its journey to establish a posthydrocarbon, knowledge economy and progressive society. Through QGBC, Qatar is part of a network of 80 countries that run active national green building councils under the umbrella of the World Green Building Council.

Qatar Green Building Council

QGBC’s members include, representatives from government, real estate developers, investors, facilities managers, consultants, constructors, manufacturers & suppliers, oil & gas, professional firms, financial services, telecom/ technology, academia, NGOs & media.

Qatar Green Building Council (QGBC) is a nonprofit, membership-driven organisation providing leadership and encouraging collaboration in conducting environmentally sustainable practices for green building design and devel-

QGBC is setting up operations from its HQ, organising awareness events, knowledge seminars, training, forums, and networking sessions with the like-minded. To learn more, please visit www.qatargbc.org.

CONSTRUCTION

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JANUARY 2018

7

QATAR

Khalifa KhalifaInternational International Stadium Stadiumreceives receivesmajor major sustainability sustainabilitycertification certification First in the world to receive GSAS four-star rating

K

halifa International Stadium –

jor sustainability certification. The 40,000-ca-

SC. “We are very proud to receive the four-star

cation so far in advance of the tournament,”

the first completed tournament

pacity stadium has become the first in the

certification – this is a major achievement for

said Addiechi. “Also, the fact that such a so-

venue for the 2022 FIFA World

world to be awarded a four-star rating from

Qatar, the SC and Aspire Zone Foundation, as

phisticated certification system exists and is

Cup Qatar – has received a ma-

the Global Sustainability Assessment System

we strive to meet our ambitious sustainability

being widely used in Qatar is very promising.

(GSAS), which is administered by Qatar-based

targets in the lead-up to 2022 and beyond,”

Gulf Organisation for Research & Develop-

said Bodour Al Meer, SC Sustainability & Envi-

ment (GORD).

ronmental Manager.

Qatar’s national stadium, which officially

In order to obtain GSAS certification, develop-

reopened in May of this year, underwent ex-

ers must employ leading sustainability prac-

tensive redevelopment that was overseen by

tices in the design, construction and operation

the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Leg-

to minimize a building’s ecological footprint.

acy (SC), Qatar’s 2022 World Cup organizing

Khalifa International Stadium’s cooling tech-

body, and the Aspire Zone Foundation. The

nology uses an energy recovery system in

official four-star certification follows a provi-

order to reduce energy consumption. In ad-

sional award announced in June 2016.

dition, the stadium features energy-efficient

Fitted with innovative and energyefficient cooling technology, Khalifa International Stadium received the rating during the second annual Sustainability Summit in Doha.

lighting systems and plumbing fixtures.

Fitted with innovative and energy-efficient cooling technology, Khalifa International Sta-

FIFA’s Head of Sustainability & Diversity, Fed-

dium received the rating during the second

erico Addiechi, praised Qatar’s commitment

annual Sustainability Summit in Doha, which

to sustainability. “It is great to see that Qatar’s

was organised by GORD and sponsored by the

first stadium has successfully received certifi-

Khalifa International Stadium’s cooling technology uses an energy recovery system in order to reduce energy consumption.

Supreme SupremeCommittee Committeefor for Delivery Deliveryand andLegacy Legacybuilds builds history history 2022 FIFA World Cup to be most accessible in history

T

he Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy (SC) is “building history” as it strives towards making the 2022 FIFA World Cup the most accessible sporting event in history, according to a prominent local activist.

It has never happened in the history of the World Cup that they have a room for people with cognitive and learning disabilities.

Mariam Ali Al Rashdi, Founder and CEO of Ontario Center for Special Education (OCSE), dedicates her life to promoting understanding and providing equal opportunities to all.

During the recent Accessibility Forum in Doha she explained how her organization worked alongside the SC to install a ‘sensory room’ at Khalifa International Stadium and in doing so, deliver something truly groundbreaking for the FIFA World Cup “Qatar is building history,” she said. “It is beyond a room with bubble tubs. It has never happened in the history of the World Cup that they have a room for people with cognitive and learning disabilities. It is very easy for us to get engineers to design those ramps for wheelchair access; it’s easy to have lights and devices to help people that are visually impaired or cannot hear – but it’ is unheard of that people who have cognitive and learning disabilities have somewhere like this to visit within a stadium.”

The room – gifted by the OCSE to the SC – offers a ‘safe haven’ for people with disabilities to escape the sometimes overwhelming sensory overload a football stadium can create. It of-

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fers noise cancellation, soft furnishings, mood lighting, relaxing music and brightly coloured sensory toys and equipment. All are designed to manage a person’s anxiety and allow them to watch football matches in a welcoming, calming and inclusive environment.

“With conditions such as autism we are not always able to know whether they understand what has gone on, including who has won and who has lost,” said Al Rashdi. “But that does not matter. The fact of the matter is that they were there, and they were accepted.

“It is beyond soft furnishings and calming music, it is about what it comes to symbolize – it is about accepting different people.”

As well as what has become her life’s work, Al Rashdi also has a very personal reason to get behind the cause of making her country’s FIFA World Cup the most accessible mega-event there has ever been. “I am the mother of an 18-year-old son who has been diagnosed with autism,” she said. “He came to the sensory room for the opening of Khalifa International Stadium in May and he was so happy. “But also for the adults, it was a joyous moment. People

The room – gifted by the OCSE to the SC – offers a ‘safe haven’ for people with disabilities to escape the sometimes overwhelming sensory overload a football stadium can create.

were able to see that we can be different, and we can be accepted as one. We all want to be part of this event and it was a moment of sincere pride to be there on such an occasion.”

RETAIL

Mobile Mobilecustomer customer experience experienceessential essential for forretailers retailers Apps need to deliver value to user

Manish Bhardwaj Sr. Marketing Manager, Middle East and Turkey at Aruba, a Hewlett Packard Enterprise company

By: Manish Bhardwaj

I

n the world of retail, success increasingly

When you have got an app that delivers value

depends on the ability to provide a great

to your customer base, design the user inter-

bandwidth. Consequently, networks were de-

mobile customer experience. Mobile cus-

face for simplicity and ease of use. Then test it

signed to provide coverage, but not capacity.

tomers expect a lot from retailers.

- and I mean really test it. Get together a group

Things are quite different today: Back office

of your target customers and let them use it.

employees are running mobile point-of-sale

Monitor and interview them to learn what they

applications on their tablets; companies are

think about the app. If the app does not make

sending customers streaming media ads and

them want to keep coming back, your work is

promotions; location-based functionality is lay-

not done.

ered across every application. Today, you need

But getting it right is not as easy as it might appear. Small amounts of latency can seem like forever to impatient customers. A non-userfriendly app? That is a recipe for disaster. Here are the top mobile retail hurdles, and what you can do about them.

The app must deliver value to the user. Every business is different and therefore the benefits of the app should be different.

both coverage and capacity. duction environment as closely as possible.

To provide enough capacity, your network

There’s no point in testing a retail app after

should implement the 802.11ac Wi-Fi stan-

hours when there is no competing network

dard. And, you should lay out your access

traffic. Test it when the store is busy so you

points with enough density to supply the ca-

will get an accurate idea of how it performs in

pacity you’ll need.

It may seem obvious, but the app must deliver value to the user. Every business is different and therefore the benefits of the app should

a single closed system. As new technologies come down the pike, you’ll be able to integrate them. Choose a vendor that has developed a platform with open, published APIs.

real-world conditions. Also, isolate the various app functions when you test. Put the wayfind-

Gotcha #3: Your company is growing,

Gotcha #4: A skills deficit is holding you

ing capabilities through their paces indepen-

but your mobile app can’t adapt.

back.

As Yogi Berra once said: “It is tough to make

Many retailers focus on technology and forget

predictions, especially about the future.” Even

that human skills are also critically important.

so, you can be reasonably prepared for what

In my experience, a skills gap often is a great-

might happen. The single greatest variable

er showstopper than a technology gap. Sure,

that retailers face is capacity. Small stores

it’s hard to hire and keep people with timely

Designing a valuable app that users like would

that get 100 shoppers per day too often build

skills.

not matter if the app performs slowly.

an infrastructure to that design point. But

dently and then do the same for the coupon feature, if you have one.

Slow performance causes

customers to abandon.

app, but do not use it.

Although developers know how to design an app for the capabilities of most target devices, they sometimes lose sight of the importance of the network.

It is important that your test simulates the pro-

Gotcha #2:

Gotcha #1: Customers download the

code scanning, which uses tiny amounts of

when such a store is successful, it may face

Here are a couple of remedies that I highly

Although developers know how to design an

1,000 customers per day during the holiday

recommend. First, look for a partner that has

app for the capabilities of most target devices,

season with an infrastructure that can’t keep

the expertise you need - trained specialists

they sometimes lose sight of the importance

up.

with experience in retail. They can help you

of the network. But bandwidth is the single

move to an open and extensible wireless in-

be different. At a grocery store, providing cou-

most important factor when it comes to per-

Solution: Invest in technology that is stan-

frastructure. Second, read up and learn from

pons will keep a lot of customers happy. But if

formance.

dards-based, open and extensible, and you

people who are heading down the same path

will be in the best position to respond to ex-

you are on. There are relevant online commu-

you sell luxury goods, you are much better off giving customers the chance to join an exclu-

When many wireless nets were first installed,

treme changes. Also, when you go with open

nities that are full of the wisdom of your peers

sive online club.

the only app they needed to handle was bar-

standards, you won’t find yourself locked into

as well as a wealth of technical information.

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EVENT

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ti Two Qatar based workshops with 40,000m2 production area High output capacity to meet customer requirements State of art bending facilities. Beam prooles: SHS-RHS-CHS sections up to 600mm FRIJNS STRUCTURAL STEEL MIDDLE EAST WLL

Cooling technology Cooling technology a hit with Lusail a hit with Lusail Stadium workers Stadium workers Techncihe of the US helps cool body temperatures

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nnovative cooling technology has proved popular with workers constructing the stadium to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup final. Evaporative cooling vests, wrist-wraps, cooled towels and neck covers were tested by 150 workers at the Lusail Stadium site. Made from state-of-the-art evaporative and phase change materials, the technology cools body temperatures of workers by up to 10 degrees Celsius.

Every worker who took part in the recent pilot described the technology as beneficial, while more than three-quarters said the cooling effect was ‘very good’. Leveraging the influence of the Qatar Innovation Community - a group of

Made from state-ofthe-art evaporative and phase change materials, the technology cools body temperatures of workers by up to 10 degrees Celsius.

key stakeholders accelerating innovation and socioeconomic development in Qatar - the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC) identified US-based Techniche as a suitable partner to conduct a pilot offering immediate solutions for workers. The pilot was conducted

by Techniche, in collaboration with the SC and HBK Contracting, Lusail Stadium’s main contractor.

sponse was positive - the workers like the comfort. It enables them to work better and increases productivity.”

Following the success of the pilot, the SC will now assess the results of the report before exploring ways to utilize the technology which will benefit workers in the short-, medium- and long-term. Temperatures on-site reached 40 degrees Celsius during the pilot. Workers tested the technology for a full day, during which they were regularly monitored. Thermal images were taken throughout the test to measure body temperatures of workers and measure the effectiveness of the technology.

He added “The vests are made from an evaporative fabric called HyperKewl, which is a superabsorbent polymer fiber which you place directly into water to activate. It reduces a worker’s body temperature and lasts for around 10 hours. This technology is at the forefront of the industry. Going forward, there will be research and development into how we take this technology forward, to enable the SC and Qatar to become leaders in heat stress management and workers’ welfare.”

HBK Contracting’s Rashid Marera, who currently works as a flag man on the project, said: “The vests are very good. The jacket cools the body – there is not much sweating when we wear these. I think we would like to have these all the time, especially during summer.

Mahmoud Qutub, Senior Advisor Special Projects Office and Executive Director, Workers’ Welfare, “The benefit of this pilot has been very clear to see. The metrics captured by Techniche demonstrated in real time the positive impact on both the mental and physical state of workers. Our aim is to find solutions right now using existing technology. However, there is an opportunity to develop a product that leaves a legacy

Kalyan Viswanathan, HBK Contracting’s Workers’ Welfare Manager, said: “The initial re-

James Russell, Managing Director, Techniche, said: “This was a really important day for us. It gave us a foundation to test our technologies and let us understand how we can fight heat stress in these conditions.”

Every worker who took part in the recent pilot described the technology as beneficial, while more than three-quarters said the cooling effect was ‘very good’.

for workers not only in Qatar but in any country with a similar climate. That is something we are already exploring.”

The Techniche pilot is one of many uses of cooling products by the SC in 2017. Earlier this year the WWD deployed 10,000 cooled towels across all projects in parallel with a separate cooled vest trial on Al Wakrah Stadium.

In addition, the SC also developed an innovative cooled helmet capable of reducing temperatures by up to 10 degrees Celsius.. Following an extensive research and development phase, these helmets are expected to be rolled out next summer.

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ECONOMY

Qatar Qatarbudget budgetfocuses focusesononself-sufficiency self-sufficiency Infrastructure development to continue as before The 2018 budget boosts expenditure on major projects by allocating 45.8% of the total budget expenditure to about QR 93 billion.

Q

atar’s budget for the new fiscal has set aside significant funds for supporting food security projects, expanding small and medium industries and developing infrastructure in

the economic and free zones, giving the private sector a wider opportunity to play a bigger role in projects.

representing 41% of the total expenditure in the 2017 budget, reflecting the country’s keenness on the interests of Qatari citizens through upgrading education and health services.

The new budget would play an important role in moving the economic process in the coming period, especially as it involves the signing of new projects contracts worth a total of QR 29 bn, which promotes growth in non-oil sectors.

The budget supports the plans and directions to continue the process of sustainable development with a focus on the implementation of key projects, especially those associated with hosting the FIFA World Cup in 2022.

The budget also reveals the sound financial plans adopted by the government in dealing with fluctuations in international oil prices, as it assumes the conservative oil price of $45 per barrel.

The 2018 budget boosts expenditure on major projects by allocating 45.8% of the total budget expenditure to about QR 93 billion, almost the same level as in 2017.

The allocation of this large percentage of the new budget confirms the direction of the state towards the completion of major projects in the main sectors, along with those related to the 2022 FIFA World Cup., as per the original schedule.

Qatar continues to boost public expenditure on the main sectors, including education, health and infrastructure, by allocating QR 83.5 bn for these sectors,

The budget supports the plans and directions to continue the process of sustainable development with a focus on the implementation of key projects.

Qatar Qatarexports exportsrise rise15.9% 15.9%inin November November Imports fall by 2%

T

he Ministry of Development Planning and Statistics has released preliminary figures of the value of exports of domestic goods, re-exports, and imports for November 2017. In November 2017, the total exports of goods (including exports of goods of domestic origin and re-exports)

In November 2017, the foreign merchandise trade balance, which represents the difference between total exports and imports, showed a surplus of QR 12.8 bn.

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amounted to around QR 21.8 billion, showing an increase of 15.9% compared to November 2016, and increase by 3.8% compared to October 2017.

On other hand, the imports of goods in November 2017 amounted to around QR 8.9 bn, showing decrease of 2% over November 2016. However, on a month on month (M-o-M) basis, imports decreased by 26.9%.

In November 2017, the foreign merchandise trade balance, which represents the difference between total exports and imports, showed a surplus of QR 12.8 bn, i.e. an increase of about QR 3.2 bn or 32.9% compared to November 2016 and increased by nearly QR 4.5 bn or 54.8% compared to October 2017.

The year on year (November 2017 to November 2016) increase in total exports was mainly due to higher exports of petroleum gases and other gaseous hydrocarbons (LNG, condensates, propane, butane, etc.) reaching QR 12.3 bn approximately in November 2017, i.e. an increase of 6.2%, Petroleum oils & oils from

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bituminous minerals (crude) reaching QR 3.7 bn, increased by 23.5%, and increase in the Petroleum oils & oils from bituminous minerals (not crude) reaching QR 2.3 bn, increased by 142.8%.

In November 2017, South Korea was at the top of the countries of destination of Qatar’s exports with close to QR 4.2 bn, a share of 19.1% of total exports, followed by Japan with almost QR 3.5 bn and a share of 16.1% and India with about QR 2.7 bn, a share of 12.3%.

During November 2017, the group of “Motor cars & other passenger vehicles” was at the top of the imported group of commodities, with QR 500 mn, showing a decrease of 39.2% compared to November 2016. In second place was “Turbojets, Turbo propellers & Other Gas Turbines; Parts Thereof “, with QR 400 mn, showing an increase by 5.5%, and in third place was “Electrical Apparatus For Line Telephony/Telegraphy, Telephone Sets Etc.; Parts Thereof”, with QR 300 mn, an increase of 27.1%.

The year on year (November 2017 to November 2016) increase in total exports was mainly due to higher exports of Petroleum gases and other gaseous hydrocarbons.

In November 2017, China was the leading country of origin of Qatar’s imports with about QR 1.2 bn, a share of 13.8% of the imports, followed by the US with QR 1.2 bn, a share of 13.6%, and India with QR 500 mn, a share of 5.9%.

FINANCE

Middle MiddleEast Eastbusinesses businesses unaware unawareofofGDPR GDPR implications implications Much confusion over the EU regulation Talal Wazani Manager Strategic Security Consulting, Help AG

By Talal Wazani

Data is the lifeblood of business today.

However, awareness about privacy among companies is relatively low and there are early warning signs that Middle East businesses are not prepared to handle the deluge of personal data.

W

hile VAT compliance is currently top of mind for Middle East businesses, many are unaware of the implications of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

The European Union (EU) regulation aims at strengthening and unifying data protection for all EU citizens and is set to come into effect by May 2018.

With just over six months till its implementation, there is still much confusion about the applicability of GDPR to organizations outside the EU that process and control data of EU citizens. Unfortunately, this places Middle East businesses of all sizes and across diverse verticals including cloud services, banking and finance, healthcare, insurance and tourism at significant risk.

The importance of data privacy Data is the lifeblood of business today. However, awareness about privacy among companies is relatively low and there are early warning signs that Middle East businesses are not

prepared to handle the deluge of personal data.

This year, with Equifax, the security industry witnessed one of the largest breaches of highly sensitive personal information and the impact of such breaches will be borne by consumers for years to come. The importance of safeguarding personal data cannot be neglected. The EU is taking the lead by penalizing companies with heavy financial penalties if they fail to comply with the regulation. For businesses therefore, it is always better and less costly to prepare in advance, rather than face the fines and reputational damage later.

Why GDPR matters to the Middle East Many regional organizations operate as subcontractors of European companies, conducting activities that include processing and supply of goods, delivery of services, and monitoring of customer behaviours through social media and data analytics. Simply stated, any company, even one outside the EU, that is targeting consumers in the EU, will be subject to GDPR. Although any organization processing the personal data of EU citizens is fully accountable to demonstrate compliance with GDPR, few are aware of their direct obligations. Such responsibilities might include implementing technical and organizational measures and notifying protection authorities in the event of a data breach. Abiding with GDPR also includes acknowledging documented compliance, conducting data protection impact assessments for risky data processing activities, and implementing data protection by design in operational processes and as a culture among employees.

The GDPR will enforce penalties for breaches by imposing fines for violations of up to 4% of annual worldwide turnover of a company for a data breach and up to 2% of annual worldwide turnover for non-compliance. In addition, the people affected by the data breach will be entitled to sue the company which failed to protect their data. Therefore, once the GDPR becomes effective in 2018, many EU organizations will be highly selective of the partners they chose to work with as many Middle East companies will face significant compliance challenges.

The GDPR is definitely a turning point in attitudes and an opportunity to put businesses at the forefront of data protection, enabling them to build trust with customers.

Getting prepared For years now, organizations have faced difficulties in identifying their critical data and where it resides throughout its lifecycle. This is step number one not only in GDPR compliance but also in defining a cyber-security strategy within an organization.

The most important activity an organization that intends to become GDPR compliant will need is to conduct is an exhaustive inventory of the data related to their business processes. They will then have to either isolate EU citizens’ data from the rest or handle all data in compliance with the GDPR. It will be a real challenge especially for multinational companies that might now have to consider building entirely new data storage systems just for EU data.

With cloud computing becoming an increasingly prevalent technology, another very important element of becoming compliant with GDPR will be to review the data and the protection clauses of third-part cloud storage and service partners.

A common mistake most businesses make with cyber security is to haphazardly invest in trendy technical solutions without focusing on their effective implementation and operation according to strategic roadmaps. At Help AG, we recommend using a practical approach, and adapting the company’s existing security technologies in line with GDPR frameworks.

A holistic approach to data inventory, initial compliance analysis and risk assessment, can help businesses optimize their budgets, focusing on the protection of critical data and minimizing related risks.

tion Officer (DPO) or professional who can support the organization in realizing its strategic data protection roadmap. GDPR compliance will require the DPO to have not only broad knowledge of security technologies and interpretation of the regulation requirements, but also keen awareness of legal and human resources.

The GDPR is definitely a turning point in attitudes and an opportunity to put businesses at the forefront of data protection, enabling them to build trust with customers. As the frequency of cyber-attacks continues to rise, organizations must focus on data protection to safeguard their business rather than to simply comply with frameworks such as the GDPR. Instead of viewing the regulation as a business limitation, companies should consider it as an opportunity that can help them redefine the marketing landscape. The GDPR can be used by organizations that deal with sensitive information as a potential means to forge long-term relationships with their customers, based on trust and transparency.

A holistic approach to data inventory, initial compliance analysis and risk assessment, can help businesses optimize their budgets, focusing on the protection of critical data and minimizing related risks.

Of course, a key success factor in the GDPR compliance journey is to have a Data ProtecCONSTRUCTION

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TECHNOLOGY

IoT IoTuse usebybyretailers retailersleads leads totoimproved improvedcustomer customer experience experience Brick and mortar stores can compete with online shopping

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oT adoption by retailers from monitoring and maintenance to location-based services, is already leading to improved customer experience and increased profitability, – according to research conducted by Aruba, a Hewlett Packard Enterprise Company.

By 2019, 79% of retail organizations will have adopted IoT technology and 77% believe it will transform the industry.

Thanks to IoT technology, bricks and mortar stores can compete with online shopping, offer unique, personalized and engaging in-store experiences for consumers. By 2019, 79% of retail organizations will have adopted IoT technology and 77% believe it will transform the industry.

The reality of IoT differs depending on industry.

Aruba’s report, `IoT Today and Tomorrow’, finds some of the most popular connected devices in retail and distribution include barcode readers, personal mobile devices and smart speakers/ TV/sound systems.

The report also discovers:

• The benefits of IoT include: improved customer experience (reported by 81% of those surveyed); improved visibility across organizations (78% agreed) and increased profitability (said 74%).

need for location services and more detailed

• Threats from IoT span malware (41%), spyware (31%) and phishing (25%).

tween the online (digital, mobile) experience

The benefits speak for themselves, but adopting IoT technology is not without security risks.

Of the organizations (surveyed by Aruba) that are incorporating IoT into their business, 84% have experienced an IoT-related breach. Over half, report external attacks as a key barrier to the adoption of this technology.

However, IoT technology can be protected and user data – useful. User data captured from consumer interactions in store and online can help retailers better understand their customers and inform business decisions.

Q

Home Depot successfully bridged the gap beand what happens in store. By adding to their official app – which has 13 million customer downloads – the functionality to find products across huge store sites, the speed and efficiency of the experience for customers and employees increased dramatically. Home Depot hopes to take this one step further in the future and track product locations to their exact position on the shelf, not just the aisle.

Jon Moger, Senior Director at Aruba, commented: “The impact of IoT within the retail sector formations in retail stores as the realization of

Home Depot, an American retail company, was seeking technology solutions to improve their in-store experience across 2,282 stores. A

FASTENERS

was chosen as the provider.

has huge potential. We are already seeing trans-

Case study: Home Depot

• IoT is already being used in retail, from monitoring and maintenance (68% of people surveyed said they were using it for this) to location-based services (57%).

customer analytics was identified, and Aruba

what IoT technology can achieve prompts the standard of the in-store experience – and consumer expectations – to increase.

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Tips onon solar thermal and Tips solar thermal and photovoltaic systems forfor photovoltaic systems new green buildings new green buildings Copyright: Viessmann GMBHt

There are currently two ways in which the solar power generated by a photovoltaic system can be used: either it can be exported to the grid, or it can be partially or fully consumed on site.

Free solar energy Use the free energy from the sun to backup your central heating and heat your domestic hot water, as well as to generate power.

In less than four hours the sun radiates the annual energy demand of the whole world down upon the earth – completely free of charge.

Around one third of the total energy demand in the UK is expended on heating buildings.

Energy-conscious construction and economical heating systems, such as condensing technology, can substantially reduce this consumption.

This then contributes to the preservation of resources and to the protection of the earth’s atmosphere. One important savings potential is offered by DHW heating. In our latitudes, solar collectors combined with a DHW cylinder represent the most interesting alternative to boiler operation, especially during the summer months. In spring and autumn, you may often be able to turn off your boiler when using solar energy to back up your central heating.

Efficient on-site consumption of solar power by a heat pump

Tube collectors Vacuum tube collectors based on the heat pipe principle represent the highest efficiency and operational reliability. The absorbers with highly selective coating collect a vast amount of solar energy and thereby ensure high efficiency. Highgrade, corrosion-resistant materials guarantee a long service life.

Increase the on-site consumption rate of solar power through combination with a heat pump There are currently two ways in which the solar power generated by a photovoltaic system can be used: either it can be exported to the grid, or it can be partially or fully consumed on site. The most efficient way to generate heat from power is by using a heat pump. With a heat pump, one kilowatt-hour of electricity can provide up to four kilowatt-hours of heat by using free natural energy from the environment.

By meeting the energy demand for central heating and DHW heating with the help of a heat pump, users can significantly increase on-site consumption of solar power, whilst also enjoying the lower heating bills it brings. Those intending to combine a photovoltaic system with a heat pump should select a heat pump that specifically optimizes on-site consumption and can be adapted to match the generating characteristics of the PV system

Flat-plate collectors The powerful, long lasting flat-plate collectors can save on average up to 60% of the energy required each year for DHW heating. Meander absorbers and a highly transparent special glass cover ensure extremely high energy efficiency.

Efficient on-site consumption of solar power On-site consumption offers financial advantages as solar power generated on-site is cheaper than power drawn from the grid. An optimized system concept with perfectly matched components ensures this high level of on-site consumption.

Take advantage of these benefits • Solar energy is available free of charge • Energy is converted without creating harmful CO2 emissions • A solar thermal system offers greater independence from fossil fuels and also saves on heating costs because it can be used for central heating backup and DHW heating • With a photovoltaic system, every homeowner can generate their own power – feed-in remuneration and public subsidies make the investment particularly worthwhile.

Air Conditioning Units

[1] Photovoltaic system Photovoltaic modules Every homeowner can generate his or her own power. Feed-in remuneration and public subsidies make the investment especially worthwhile. Matching system components allow the efficient utilization of solar energy for export or consumption on site.

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Cooling Towers

[2] Photovoltaic inverter [3] Photovoltaic generation meter [4] Consumers [5] Heat pump meter

Optimized system concept with a heat pump Via an energy meter, the heat pump control unit detects whether the PV system is supplying sufficient amounts of power – which is then used by the heat pump to heat heating water and DHW. The heat yielded this way during the day using photovoltaic gains is held in a well-insulated DHW cylinder and can be used as domestic hot water and for heating as and when required.

Combining the heat pump with a photovoltaic system also offers the option of integrating additional components that increase on-site consumption of generated solar power, such as ventilation equipment, for example.

Before the heat pump is activated, priority is given to meeting the power demand for electrical household appliances using the solar power generated on site. After the demand from household appliances has been satisfied, an energy meter captures the amount of remaining solar power and communicates this to the heat pump. Using the heat pump, the solar surplus can then be stored in the form of thermal energy and made available when it is required.

This raises the level of on-site consumption and makes use of the solar energy while it is available.

The economic viability of the photovoltaic system is substantially increased thanks to the deliberate increase in the proportion of on-site consumption. Using low cost solar power also makes the heat pump more economically attractive.

On-site consumption offers financial advantages as solar power generated onsite is cheaper than power drawn from the grid.

[6] Heat pump with photovoltaic system [7] Consumption and export/generation meter [8] Public grid

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Tel. No.: 4443 7980 Email: info@metcoqatar.com Head office: Al Waab City, Salwa Rd. Showroom: Salwa Road near Midmac R/A CONSTRUCTION

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EXCLUSIVE

reen G BUILDING

Green GreenBuilding Buildingfor foraa Sustainable SustainableFuture Future Sound environmental management part of Qatar’s vision Qatar also plans to invest heavily on exploiting solar energy.

In the planning stage is a $1 billion polysilicon (the raw material of photovoltaic cells used in solar panels) manufacturing facility.

T

he world is currently facing a very serious threat - environmental sustainability, the capacity of Earth’s natural resources to sustain life, as we know it today, well into the distant future.For the past several years sustainability has been threatened by the rapid depletion of Earth’s nonrenewable resources, non-replenishment of renewables and the pollution thrown into the land, air and water.

If all these go unabated, future generations will be living in a bleak and dying world.This threat came to light when the oil crisis hit in 1970.

Though it caused a worldwide panic, it was also a call to action to protect the environment. It prodded the architects to question the wisdom of building huge structures that consume massive energy for heating and cooling.

Unwittingly, from the chaos of the oil crisis, a dancing star (Friedrich Nietzsche) was born green building.

These days green building is not just about structures but a practice, or method, of building things that contribute to environmental sustainability.

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) defines green building as: “...the practice of creating structures and using processes that are environmentally responsible and resource-efficient throughout a building’s life-cycle from siting to design, construction, operation, maintenance, renovation and deconstruction. This practice expands and complements the classical building design concerns of economy, utility, durability, and comfort. Green building is also known as a sustainable or high performance building.”

Slowly but surely, green building spread around the world reaching as far as Qatar.

Qatar, the Tiny Giant: The history of Qatar dates back 50,000 years when people started occupying the land.

Since then, the peninsula fell under the domain of different empires.Fast forward the early 19th century.In 1916 it became a British protectorate. In 1934, it was granted a 75-year concession through the Qatar Petroleum Company to explore oil and by 1940 oil was discovered in Dukhan. This opened the floodgates of development and rapid immigration.

And, things changed forever for this tiny sovereign state. Though barely 11,437 sq. km in size, it is the sixth-richest country in world in per capita income, and what took years for western countries to achieve a high level of development and progress, Qatar did it in slightly over two decades. This vibrancy of Qatar’s economic life is obvious by walking along the streets of Doha, the venue for the FIFA 2022 World Cup.

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Doha is throbbing with life. Its skyline is crammed with construction cranes and its streets are teeming with people weaving in and out of roaring expensive SUVs and cars. Everywhere one can see sparkling shopping centers, 5-star hotels, entertainment centers and amusement parks.

But beneath these expressions of profligacy is an awareness that good things will not last. That despite being richer than Luxembourg in GDP per capita, the specter of environmental sustainability looms real and large.

Qatar knows that something has to be done now if its citizens are to enjoy the country’s wealth in the years to come. And, the country did.

Qatar’s Green Building Initiatives: Environmental sustainability was slow in coming to the country. But when it did, it was taken to very seriously - thanks to mounting local and international pressures. The first step was to make sound environmental management a part of its Qatar National Vision 2030. State-owned and private companies responded by initiating sustainability projects. They started replacing old turbines, boilers and furnaces to minimize greenhouse and non-green house gas emissions, and new companies are made to adapt the best technologies that conform to the global environmental standards.

The government, for its part, set up new flare emission targets. Qatar also plans to invest heavily on exploiting solar energy. In the planning stage is a $1 billion polysilicon (the raw material of photovoltaic cells used in solar panels) manufacturing facility.

The country is currently 6th in the world in terms of green buildings. When this project is completed, it will soar to the top.

Another product of Qatar’s vision for 2030 is the formation of the Qatar Green Building Council.

Formed in 2009, the council’s mission is to provide leadership in conducting environmentally sustainable practices for green building design and development in the country.

It also aims to support an overall health and sustainability of the environment, people and the economic security of the Qatar in the years to come.

Why go Green?

For most people going green is nothing more than: - Reducing trash, pollution and degradation of the environment; - Efficient use of energy, water and other resources; - Protecting health and improving productivity.

It goes deeper than that going green helps reduce the world’s carbon footprint, thus reducing the production of the greenhouse gasses that is causing global warming.It also helps in sustaining or maintaining ecological balance.

Everything in this world exists for a reason, and altering the environment supporting their existence will have grave consequences in the years to come.

Benefits of Green Building: Though green building has gained worldwide acceptance there are still some who are not sold to the idea, for cost reasons.

While cost is a legitimate objection, it is too myopic. The benefits up ahead can easily pay for what is spent now.

Here are a few examples of green building benefits:

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1. Environmental benefits: Reduce water wastage, conserve natural resources, improve air and water quality, protect biodiversity and ecosystems are some of the key environmental benefits of green building.

and pedestrian network. Lusail Smart City will have 30% of its land area for green and open spaces to create a relaxed atmosphere that will smoothly integrate with the lively components of the project.

2 Economic benefits: Green building offers many economic benefits, such as, reduction of operating costs, improves people productivity; make green products and services viable.

Green Building - a Necessity, not an Option: The current state of environmental degradation is very alarming. And, if we are not going to do something now, the consequences will be unimaginable and irreparable. Yes, it requires change which is always difficult and painful.

Yes, it requires capital outlay. But change and expenses must be appropriated now before while things are still manageable. Prevention is always cheaper than the cure.

3. Social benefits: Green buildingalso boosts our social life by offering better quality of life;minimize strain on local infrastructure; improve people’s health and comfort.

Newer technologies are constantly being developed to complement current green building practices to bring down costs, while maximizing benefits and environmental protection.

Three Major Green Building Projects in Qatar: Qatar is now dubbed as `the green building laboratory’ because of the countless projects it is undertaking for environmental sustainability.

But these three take center-stage: 1. Msheireb Downtown Doha: This 76-acre facility is a flagship project of Msheireb Properties and is the world’s first in sustainable regeneration. It features a master plan that observes a series of sustainable design objectives to optimize microclimatic effects, enhance thermal comforts, maximize water and energy efficiency, as well as encourage waste management and reduce carbon emissions.

Msheireb has a goal worthy of its price tag of $5.5 billion - to have every building in the complex achieve a Gold rating under the LEED Certification System.

2. Convention Center: The Qatar National Convention Center is a symbol of energy-efficient convention centers around the world.It has 3,500 square meters of solar panels which provide 12% of the building’s energy needs and its exhibition halls use energy-efficient LED lights.

Designed by Japanese architect ArataIsozaki and opened in 2011, the building has waterconservation facilities and energy-efficient fixtures. It has, so far, been the venue of local, regional and international conventions and conferences.

3. Lusail Smart City: Lusail City is the largest single development ever undertaken in Qatar. Created by Lusail Real Estate Development Company for Qatari Diar (a real estate company established by the Qatar Investment Authority), when completed it will have a $45 bn stadium, 22 luxury hotels, a light railway system, a water taxi, and cycle

Besides, green building makes good business sense as shown by the following examples: - Trevor Pearcey House is an old commercial in Canberra, Australia. Then it was retrofitted to conform to 6 Star Green Star level of the GBCA (Green Building Council of Australia) rating system.

After the installation of energy-saving features the tenants experienced a 52% reduction in energy use and 85% reduction in water consumption; - TheWestfield Sydney Retail Podium is another commercial building in the heart of Sydney’s central business district which was retrofitted to conform to 5 Star Green Star in the GBCA rating system. After the makeover, its gas emission and electricity costs went down by as much as 35% and water consumption by 80%.

There are hundreds of examples all over the world showing concrete gains in energy or water consumption after instituting green building mixtures. At the end of the day, however, example or no example, green building is like a path we all must take to reach a fruitful and productive destination - or perish.

In the words of Ban Ki-Moon, former secretarygeneral of the United Nations: “Climate change is destroying our path to sustainability. Ours is a world of looming challenges and increasingly limited resources. Sustainable development offers the best chance to adjust our course.”

Lusail Smart City will have 30% of its land area for green and open spaces to create a relaxed atmosphere.

reen G BUILDING

EXCLUSIVE

Introducing wide range of Water Pumps and Pressure Control Kits

Barwa Commercial Avenue, Type 2 SAFWA Building, Block No. 28, Doha - Qatar Tel: +974 44411410 Fax: +974 44425859 Email: info@salcoqatar.com Web: www.salcoqatar.com CONSTRUCTION

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17

EXCLUSIVE

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Qatar Qatarstrives strivestotobecome become environment-friendly environment-friendly among the top six countries in the world in terms of green building projects.

Qatar’s National Development Strategy 2011-2016 has a multifaceted approach to waste management that covers households, commercial sites and industry.

F

or most people, waste management simply means the segregation and proper disposal of waste. While true, it goes deeper than that. Whatever little acts of environmental mindfulness we do can help make our world a better place to live in over the long term.

So, why is waste management important?

Waste can cause air and water pollution. Rotting garbage produces harmful gases which, when mixed with air, can cause breathing problems in some people. Air pollution is the world’s largest single environmental health risk and causes respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, strokes and cancer, among other ailments.

As of 2012, an estimated seven million died due to exposure to air pollution. What makes air pollution particularly noxious to people’s health is it can affect anybody regardless of age, color, sex, creed or political belief. It can be carried by wind currents across oceans to every corner of the Earth - including the Middle East.

Qatar’s waste management initiatives: Right now, Qatar is in the limelight for its political, diplomatic and economic leadership in the region. The world’s attention is also on Qatar for being the host of FIFA 2022 World Cup. The country generates 2.5 million tonnes of waste every year.

Qatar’s has drawn up a new five -year environmental management blueprint. The program centers on four key areas: biodiversity, climate change, energy efficiency and air quality. Implementation shall be spearheaded by the Qatar Green Building Council (QGBC)), a non-profit, membership-driven organization providing leadership in the country’s sustainability program.

Since its founding in 2009, it has put Qatar

For the World Cup, QGBC shall be closely working with contractors who building necessary infrastructure like new stadiums and renovating old ones like the Khalifa International Stadium.

Al Shamal Stadium will be equipped with energy-saving features. QGBC is also looking for better ways of managing the country’s increasing municipal solid waste.

Garbage trucks, either government or contractor-owned, collect the waste and bring it to any of the country’s three landfills, i.e., Umm Al Afai for bulky and domestic waste, Rawda Rashed for construction and demolition and Al Krana for domestic waste.

Landfill Landfills, however, are untenable over the long haul for a small country like Qatar. Long-term strategies for waste management are needed if the country intends to retain its current status.

Qatar’s National Development Strategy 20112016 has a multi-faceted approach to waste management that covers households, commercial sites and industry. The program emphasizes the hierarchy of solid waste management - prevention, reduction, reuse, recycle, and recovery.

Landfills would be the last option - if at all.

Among other things, the strategy shall: - Increase the solid waste recycling target from 8% to 38% and reduce its 1.8 kg/day per capita waste generation - one of the highest in the world.

- Establish material recovery facilities to separate recyclables like glass, paper, aluminum and plastic.Right now there are five waste transfer stations (South Doha, West Doha, Industrial Area, Dukhan and Al-Khor) to segregate waste before the rest goes to Al Afai landfill.

- Build more energy-recovery facilities like in Mesaieed. Using state-of-the-art technology, it converts waste into useful energy. Right now it generates enough power for its consumption.

A little extra, 34.4 MW, is fed into the national grid.

Waste management in business: Not all waste management initiatives come

from the government but it beats the marching drum for others to follow - including big business. Here a three of the most notable: Qatar Airways: Qatar Airways is the nation’s flag carrier and voted 2017’s best airline in the world. It also has set its sights on a very lofty goal - IEnvA (Environmental Assessment) level 2 certification by year-end.

Most airlines have environmental management systems in place but only the IEnvA, the environmental management system of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), is intended solely for the airline industry.

Getting certified means the airline has complied with the global management standards of climate change, waste, water consumption and emissions in all its operations, from ground operations to corporate activities.

Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive Akbar Al Baker said: “Qatar Airways is a member of IATA’s Environment Committee, and as such, our social and environmental responsibilities are of utmost importance to us. We have made a firm commitment to allocating time and resources to continuously improving our environmental performance and establishing sustainable aviation industry. Ensuring strong environmental governance is a collective challenge for the airline industry. Qatar Airways has been one of the pioneers of the IEnvA process and has pledged its support to lead the industry to establish a bespoken environmental certification scheme that meets the unique environmental challenges facing airlines.”

Qatar Steel: Qatar Steel, formed in 1974, is the first integrated steel mill in the Gulf. It started commercial operations in 1978 and by 2003, it was bought

by Industries Qatar.

In 1999, it started implementing an Environmental Manage System (EMS) based on ISO 14001 - a set of standards related to environmental management to help organizations minimize their effects on the environment. That was very timely. Anybody familiar with steel mills knows the huge amount of pollution the industry generates.

Through its EMS, Qatar Steel regularly conducts internal audits of all departments to make sure that everything is in compliance with its program. It also makes sure that the company is complying with all regulatory requirements such as the government’s Consent to Operate and regularly updates management of the company’s environmental impact assessment and mitigation.

Qatar Steel’s EMS also makes sure that the company is continuously improving its commitment on key areas like efficient use of energy, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, natural

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resources optimization, reducing and recycling wastes.

ExxonMobil Qatar: There was a time when oil companies were the environmental bad guys. Thanks to public pressure and threats of litigation, they were convinced to make a turn around. As early as ten years ago, ExxonMobil started implementing its Environmental Management System. Anchored on the slogan, `Protect Tomorrow, Today’, the company’s environmental program operates around three key areas: delivery of superior environmental performance, leading to a competitive advantage. driving environmental incidents with the real impact to zero, through a process of continuous improvement; and achieving industry leadership in focus areas valuable to the business.

Citizens should be consistently reminded to reduce, recycle or reuse garbage at home. And, anything that has no useful life must be segregated for proper collection and disposal.

Waste management for everyone: Citizens should be consistently reminded to reduce, recycle or reuse garbage at home.

And, anything that has no useful life must be segregated for proper collection and disposal.

Five years from now, hundreds of thousands of people will descend on Qatar to watch the 2022 World Cup. Environmental experts will be watching how the tiny country will respond to this imminent environmental nightmare.

But even without the World Cup, Qatar’s progress shall continue to attract people into this small country. Qatar is among the world’s fastest-growing economies. As such it is experiencing a massive population growth rate, urbanization, and industrial growth - creating tons and tons of waste as unavoidable byproducts.

As in most affluent nations, Qatar produces large quantities of waste and is developing strategies to dramatically curb waste production.

Qatar produces more than 7,000 tons of solid waste every day. Currently, households are responsible for about 30% of that waste, while commerce, industry, and construction account for the rest. The vast majority of that non-domestic waste today goes directly to the landfill. A comprehensive waste strategy should be adopted to cover waste from households, the construction industry, and industrial and commercial sectors which will help to reduce the amount of waste going to landfills by greatly increasing recycling efforts and improve waste management efforts.

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Qatar’s economy shows Qatar’s economy shows 5.5% growth inin Q3,Q3, 2017 5.5% growth 2017

EXCLUSIVE

Country feels no effects of blockade atar’s economy grew a creditable 5.5% in Q3, 2017 compared to Q2, 2017.

Year-on-year GDP grew 1.9% to QR 208.92 billion, according to the Ministry of Development Planning and Statistics (MDPS).

Year-on-year, GDP grew 1.9% to QR 208.92 billion, according to the Ministry of Development Planning and Statistics (MDPS). The positive figures indicate the illegal blockade of the country has no affected the country.

Q

ing sector, including includes oil and gas, grew 0.2% from a year earlier and rose 6.6% quarteron-quarter in Q3, 2017.

Nominal GDP grew 7.4% to QR 151.70 bn yearon-year. When compared to Q2, 2017, Q3, 2017 nominal GDP rose 3.9%.The mining and quarry-

There was strong performance by the manufacturing; and wholesale and retail trade sectors in Q3, 2017. While manufacturing grew 10% quar-

The non-mining and quarrying sector showed a growth of 3.6% or a total value of QR 106.14 bn during Q3, 2017, compared to the corresponding quarter in 2016. Compared to Q2, 2017, non-mining and quarrying activities rose by 4.5%.

ter-on-quarter, wholesale and retail trade 10.9% compared to the previous quarter.

Nominal GDP grew 7.4% to QR 151.7 bn year-onyear. There was strong performance by the manufacturing; and wholesale and retail trade sectors in Q3, 2017.

At current prices, the manufacturing sector was up 16.4% quarter-on-quarter, while wholesale and retail group activities grew by 10.5%, compared to the previous quarter. The real estate sector rose 1.5% in Q3, 2017 compared to the previous quarter and stood at 0.9% at current prices. The construction sector rose 8.8% (constant) and 1.2% (current prices) from the previous quarter. The information and communication sector grew 3.6%, the Ministry said.

Qatar’s non-oil exports reach Qatar’s non-oil exports reach QRQR 1.81.8 bnbn in November in November Chamber figures show slight rise Qatari exports went to 53 countries last November.

Oman maintained its leading position in the list of countries receiving Qatari non-oil exports in November 2017, with total exports amounting to QR 899.26 million.

Q

atar Chamber’s monthly report on foreign trade of the private sector revealed that the total value of Qatari non-oil ex-

ports during November 2017 amounted to QR 1.8 billion, compared with QR 1.7 bn during October, recording an increase of about 5.9%, compared with QR 1.8 bn during the corresponding month of 2016, while the total value of non-oil exports during the first 11 months of this year is QR 16.8 bn .

Saleh bin Hamad Al Sharqi, Director-General, Qatar Chamber, said that despite the six-month period of the unjust siege on the country, the value of its non-oil exports continues to prove

month after month.

According to the monthly report of the Qatar Chamber on foreign trade of the private sector, the Qatari exports went to 53 countries last November compared with 57 in October, including 10 Arab countries, the GCC countries, and 12 European countries including Turkey and 12 Asian countries, except the Arab countries and 16 African countries except for the Arab countries, and one country of North America and two from South America.

Oman maintained its leading position in the list of countries receiving Qatari non-oil exports in

November 2017, with total exports amounting to QR 899.26 million, representing about 49.9% of the total value of non-oil exports during the month, followed by Germany with a total exports of QR 125.054 mn, accounting for 6.9% of the total value of exports, followed by Hong Kong with QR 118.475 mn and 6.5 % of total exports.

In fourth came Singapore with exports amounting to QR 97.245 mn (5.4%, while South Korea ranked fifth with exports amounting to QR 96.292 mn and 5.3% of total non-oil exports in November 2017.

Qatar aims to to improve Qatar aims improve drainage systems drainage systems

D

Flooding during rainfall provides impetus

ue to rapid urbanization, Qatar continues to encounter the impact of heavy rainfall. Now, efforts are underway to improve drainage to prevent such occurrences in future. The GCC region receives at most rainfall of 80 millimeters on an annual basis. However, in Qatar, due to rapid urbanization, especially in Doha, heavy rainfall at times has had a telling effect.

Clear guidelines on how to craft a sewerage system based on the level of floods has been issued by the Qatar Sewerage and Drainage Design Manual (QSDDM). With the help of the manual, Qatar would be able to mitigate flooding in the region and achieve improved mobility.

The design calls for building drainage systems that can withstand storms and floods without water overflowing on to the streets.

The revamping of the drainage system covers the entire country and entails the construction and maintenance of roads.

The revamping of the drainage system covers the entire country and entails the construction and maintenance of roads. Areas lacking modern infrastructure would be prioritized while the rest of the places would be rigorously re-evaluated. The program would lead to an increased capacity of roads’ utility services to deal with constant urban growth.

Black & Veatch has emphasized the need for an improved drainage system in Hamour, a residential area near Doha. The project was facilitated by the Public Works Authority (Ashghal) to supply both a surface and groundwater drainage system in the area. The project is being supervised by Ashghal, which is also responsible for design and construction of the drainage system and maintenance of old infrastructure.

Black & Veatch took part in the completion of Phase 4 of the entire drainage project.

Black & Veatch has emphasized the need for an improved drainage system in Hamour, a residential area near Doha.

Heavy rainfall has caused traffic to slow to crawl when streets are flooded. With this in mind, Qatar is working on war footing to sort out the problem.

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NEWS

Tremendous participation and Tremendous participation and interest forfor Made inin Qatar’ event interest Made Qatar’ event Turnout of over 15,000 visitors

The wide participation of exhibitors reflected the desire of the public and private sectors to develop the industrial sector and achieve the desired industrial growth for the country

Qatar Chamber (QC) Chairman Sheikh Khalifa

Ministry of Energy and Industry to investors is

Sharqi said the contracts signed during the

bin Jassim al Thani said the exhibition allowed

200 since the beginning of the blockade.

exhibition included a partnership between Al Bandari Group and Presta Oil of Bulgaria, in

Qatari companies to showcase the industry and promote their products. “In addition, they

QC Director-General Saleh bin Hamad Al Shar-

addition to the announcement of the Al Mah-

discussed with trade delegations and busi-

qi said: “The Made in Qatar exhibition has

taba Factory for the establishment of the first

nessmen who visited the exhibition the possi-

been very successful both in terms of the wide

textile factory in Qatar next year. Many compa-

bility of establishing partnerships and allianc-

participation of Qatari industrial companies

es that contribute to the promotion of Qatari

and the huge attendance at the accompanying

industry,” he said.

industrial forum.” He pointed out the exhibition witnessed the signing of cooperation agree-

O

The wide participation of exhibitors reflected

ments and partnership agreements between

the desire of the public and private sectors

several companies participating in the exhibi-

to develop the industrial sector and achieve

tion and foreign companies planning to enter

the desired industrial growth for the country.

the Qatari market.

ver 15,000 people visited the four-day ‘Made in Qatar’ exhibition at the Doha Convention & Exhibition Center. It saw the partici-

Sheikh Khalifa said Qatar’s industrial sector

pation of 320 Qatari industrial companies and

has witnessed remarkable development fol-

140 families. The exhibition was organized by

lowing the unjust siege both in terms of exist-

Qatar Chamber in cooperation with the Minis-

ing factories expanding their production lines

try of Energy and Industry, Qatar Development

and establishment of new factories. He stated

Bank (QDB) and Qatar National Bank (QNB).

number of industrial licenses issued by the

He noted that the agreements signed during the exhibition included cooperation between Kazakhstan and Qatar and an agreement between QDB and Qatar Stock Exchange (QSE)

nies reached preliminary understandings of partnership and alliance with foreign companies and will be holding further their discussions after the exhibition, he said.

Agreements signed during the exhibition included cooperation between Kazakhstan and Qatar and an agreement between QDB and Qatar Stock Exchange.

to encourage SMEs to be listed on the Qatari bourse.

QIIB gets strong ratings QIIB gets strong ratings from Moody’s and Fitch from Moody’s and Fitch Bank’s solid financial position reflected by the agencies

The ratings of Moody’s and Fitch clearly indicate QIIB has a solid financial position.

Q

Fitch said: “The affirmation of the bank’s Via-

continuous implementation of various plans,

was officially launched in a number of Moroc-

bility Rating (VR) and the removal of the Rating

programs and projects as planned to reach the

can cities recently. Umnia Bank is the result

Watch Negative (RWN) reflect Fitch’s view that

desired development objectives.”

of a partnership among QIIB, CIH and CDG. QIIB hopes that the participatory Umnia Bank

immediate risks from the diplomatic crisis to the bank’s overall standalone credit profile has

He added: “At QIIB, we work actively within

will be a gateway for our future expansion in

reduced. The bank’s funding profile has gener-

the banking system of Qatar and implement

Africa.”

ally stabilized from the back of outflows of non-

our strategy, which focuses on the local mar-

domestic funding and Qatari authorities have

ket with its various opportunities and projects,

continued to provide funding support. In addi-

whether they are large such as infrastructure

atar International Islamic Bank

tion, there has not been any material impact

projects or small and medium ones.

(QIIB) has announced global rat-

on the bank’s performance metrics to date.”

ings agencies Moody’s and Fitch

The ratings of Moody’s and Fitch clearly indi-

Ratings have affirmed its ratings

QIIB CEO Dr Abdulbasit Ahmad Al Shaibei

cate that QIIB has a solid financial position,

the bank’s strong financial position and its abil-

said: “This strong rating is a confirmation of

confirmed by its financial results, as in Q3,

ity to confront challenges and market factors.

the strength of the Qatari economy and its

2017, QIIB managed to achieve 5.1% growth.

ability to overcome various types of risks. It is

Al Shaibei said: “The focus of the bank’s ac-

Moody’s said its rating is based on several

also evidence of the fact the prudent govern-

tivities on the Qatari market did not let it miss

considerations, one of which is that the bank

ment measures that were taken in the bank-

out on investment opportunities outside Qatar,

maintains high levels of liquidity, a strong capi-

ing and other sectors, have given decisive re-

which were based on rigorous feasibility stud-

tal base and strong client base, especially in

sults in maintaining the stability of the Qatari

ies. The bank’s last investment in Morocco was

the retail sector.

economy and continuous growth, as well as a

through the participatory Umnia Bank, which

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The various budget figures of the bank confirm its ability to achieve further growth based on the quality of the finance portfolio.

QATAR

Msheireb MsheirebProperties, Properties, QDB QDBannounce announceSME SME competition competitionwinner winner

WOQOD WOQODtotobuy buytwo two new newvessels vessels

‘Antarnash’ is a fusion dining concept steeped in Qatari culture and history

Plans to increase number of fuel stations

M

CEO Saad Rashid Al Muhannadi said the bud-

sheireb Properties (MP) and Qa- food, desserts and pastries, with a modern

The company aims to participate in petroleum products distribution, storage and marketing infrastructure projects in collaboration with concerned parties.

tar Development Bank (QDB) have twist both in taste and appearance .It will also announced the winning concept incorporate nuances of the Company House

behind their SME competition to create a be- Museum in its theme, through the decoration

spoke Qatari café and retail shopat Msheireb and staff uniforms.

Downtown Doha. The new Qatari-inspired café and retail shop will open its doors offering a Abdulaziz bin Nasser Al Khalifa, CEO, QDB, fusion concept steeped in the rich culture and said: “Our support for the ‘Antarnash’ Café’

Doha, which is home to boutiques, history mu- and launch into global markets.” seums, art and culture and dining options.

budgetary proposals for several developmen-

SMEs, by enabling them to establish and grow The café and retail shop will be located on the their presence in the local marketplace, as well historic Kahraba Street in Msheireb Downtown as helping them boost their competitiveness

competition, the winning concept, ‘Antarnash’, is inspired by one of Qatar’s old mining stories.

‘Antarnash’ was the Qataris’ early interpretation of the word ‘International’, which referred to the vehicle transporting local oil workers to the oilfields.

atar Fuel (WOQOD) has announced it would purchase two new ships in support of its WOQOD Marine Services

subsidiary. The company has already made

tal and expansionary projects which have re-

Delivering a full brand identity as part of the

distribution and marketing of petroleum products and gas. Capital expenditure allocated is QR 816 mn for projects in 2018. He said the number of fuel stations owned and operated complete and operate 15 additional stations in

Q

all types of support available to successful

indicators for WOQOD Group in relation to the

by WOQOD would also rise. WOQOD plans to

heritage of Qatar, complete with local produce project is in line with QDB’s strategy to provide and flavors, but with a touch of modernity.

get included the anticipated key performance

2018 along with another 15 mobile stations to eliminate traffic congestion at petrol stations.

Tenders for construction of another 18 petrol stations would be awarded during Q1, 2018 and the company is planning to have up to 122 stations in place by 2022.

ceived board approval, including the plan to

Delivering a full brand identity as part of the competition, the winning concept, ‘Antarnash’, is inspired by one of Qatar’s old mining stories.

acquire the new vessels.

Capital expenditure allocated is QR 816 mn for projects in 2018.

The company aims to participate in petroleum products distribution, storage and marketing infrastructure projects in collaboration with concerned parties. The budget also includes

The café and retail shop, taking inspiration

expenditure items for maintenance, asset in-

from this, will specialize in traditional Qatari

tegrity, health, safety and environment.

Ministry ofof Economy and Ministry Economy and Commerce `Main Partner’ ofof Commerce `Main Partner’ Qatar Self Sufficiency Exhibition Qatar Self Sufficiency Exhibition Event to attract 120 leading exhibitors to Doha

The Qatar Self Sufficiency Exhibition 2018 would provide a platform for the production line manufacturers and decision makers spanning the full spectrum of sectors.

wards a dynamic, self-sufficient national econ-

It supports local producers and encourages

tion lines and those looking for the latest so-

omy. With self-sufficiency a key pillar in the

the private sector to develop projects that

lutions to facilitate growth and increase their

long-term strategy, there is a growing need for

benefit the Qatari economy. The Ministry also

contribution to the forward-thinking national

new lines of production within the country that

facilitates the process for establishing new

plans for diversification.”

would help facilitate a sustainable economy of

companies, including issuing permits to prac-

the future.

tise any trade and firmly believes the exhibition

The Qatar Self Sufficiency Exhibition 2018

constitutes an important initiative to reinforce

will host 120 leading exhibitors from coun-

The Qatar Self Sufficiency Exhibition 2018

partnerships and cooperation between indus-

tries such as Kuwait, Lebanon, the UK, Turkey,

tries.

Spain, the US, France, Italy, Germany, Switzer-

would provide a platform for the production line manufacturers and decision makers spanning the full spectrum of sectors, to demon-

Q

atar Self Sufficiency Exhibition organizers have announced the Ministry of Economy and Commerce is the `Main Partner’ in the exhibi-

tion, a first-of-its-kind event in Qatar and the region.

The exhibition is recognized as a key driver in Qatar’s goal for a diverse, sustainable economy based on knowledge and innovation. New opportunities continue to open for local and international business leaders to contribute to-

strate the latest solutions and services to support the country’s progressive diversification strategy, improve production line efficiencies and operations to demonstrate how they are helping to shape the country’s future.

The Ministry of Economy and Commerce has assured that its participation in the inaugural edition aligns with its endeavors to support Qatar’s goal of achieving self-sufficiency. The Min-

land, Iran, China and more, providing them “There are many opportunities available for

with a chance to showcase their latest prod-

businesses to contribute to the bold strategy

ucts and solutions to service Qatar’s needs

of Qatar. Through the exhibition, we want to

and facilitate them with greater, easier access

attract the most important manufacturers of

and crucial face time with their target audi-

production lines from local, regional and inter-

ence.

national markets that serve various sectors, including the food industry, pharmaceutical industry and agriculture, as well as environmental issues such as recycling,” said Abdulrahman Saleh Al Obaidly, Chairman of HiSky for Tourism and Exhibitions, organisers of the exhibition.

istry added Qatar has implemented strategies and plans to reach its goal by creating partner-

He added: “This event is a must for key indus-

ships between the public and private sector.

try professionals; for manufacturers of produc-

It supports local producers and encourages the private sector to develop projects that benefit the Qatari economy.

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QATAR

Qatargas signs SPA Qatargas signs SPA with OMV of Austria with OMV of Austria Agreement to supply 1.5 million tonnes of LNG per annum

Q

atargas announced the signing of a new Sale and Purchase Agreement (SPA) with OMV Gas Marketing & Trading (OMV). Un-

der the terms of the agreement, Qatargas will deliver up to 1.1 million tonnes of per annum to the Austrian company for five years.

OMV provides major European customers and distributors with tailored natural gas solutions.

Saad Sherida Al Kaabi, President and CEO, Qatar Petroleum and Chairman of Qatargas, said: “We are very pleased to announce this new deal with OMV - an international, integrated oil and gas company operating from the heart of Europe. OMV provides major European customers and distributors with tailored natural gas solutions and we look forward to supplying them with reliable Qatari LNG.”

This milestone follows on years of a successful business relationship.

Sheikh Khalid Bin Khalifa Al-Thani, CEO, Qatargas, said: “This new deal is testament to our proven ability to supply reliable clean energy to customers in Europe and to our customers all over the world. Qatargas’ reliability and flexibility are just two of the reasons why we are known as the `World’s Premier LNG Company’.”

Manfred Leitner, OMV Executive Board member responsible for downstream, said: “The agreement is in line with OMV’s gas strategy to ensure security of supply for Europe and it supports our efforts to employ our LNG infrastructure, including the GATE terminal, in Rotterdam. This milestone follows on years of a successful business relationship and we are pleased to now add

Qatargas as one of our long-term suppliers of LNG.” Commencing in January 2019, the SPA provides for the supply of LNG from Qatar Liquefied Gas Company Limited (4) (Qatargas 4), a joint venture between Qatar Petroleum (70%) and Shell (30%).

QFBA announces QFBA announces launch of next year’s launch of next year’s training programs training programs Seeks to attract largest number of employees The step comes in the framework of QFBA’s pursuit to keep up with the latest in financial and administrative training development.

Q

atar Finance and Business Academy (QFBA) announced the launch of its range of open training programs for

2018 to empower the largest number of new employees and professionals in Qatar to benefit from academic and professional development according to the highest international stan-

dards. The programs offer the latest internationally-recognised certifications in legal financial accounting, internal auditing, managerial accounting, financial markets and asset management, compliance and anti-money laundering, among others.

The step comes in the framework of QFBA’s pursuit to keep up with the latest in financial and administrative training development in order to promote Qatar’s youth in theory and practice, as well as in the context of its active participation in the fields of human resources and economic development.

Dr Mohammed Abdullah Al Emadi, Acting CEO, QFBA, said: “As part of our preparations for the New Year, we have launched our 2018 academic programs as our research indicates that the

process of qualitative development and qualification is closely linked to sustainable development. In this context, we seek to attract the largest number of new employees and professionals working in the public and private sectors to join our world-class development programs so they can continue to develop their skills and improve their performance, thereby paving their way to assume leading roles in Qatar’s active financial and commercial services sector, as well as become successful professionals, entrepreneurs and decision makers” He added: “Responding to the needs of companies, institutions and individuals in terms of human capital development, is one of our main missions to build a sustainable and prosperous economy, also maintain stability and social development. Therefore, we are investing in Qatari

people, as they are both the goal and means to our effective contribution to the realization of self-sufficiency, in the framework of the implementation of Qatar National Vision 2030.”

The programs offer the latest internationally-recognised certifications in legal financial accounting, internal auditing, managerial accounting, financial markets and asset management, compliance and anti-money laundering, among others.

Six Sixresidential residentialstreets streetstotobebe transformed transformedtotocommercial commercialones ones Move would encourage private sector development

T

The Ministry said the transformation would provide a range of commercial, services that meet the needs of the residents of the regions.

he Ministry of Municipality and Environment has announced plans to transform six residential streets to commercial streets in different parts of the country with a total length of 17 km. The streets are Al Khisa Street in Al Daayen Municipality, Al Kharaitiyat in Umm Salal Municipality, Rawdat Hotan in Rayyan Municipality, Jassim bin Hamad Street in Madinat Khalifa in Doha Municipality, Main Mesaieed in Al Wakrah Municipality and a street in Al Shihania.

The Ministry said the transformation would provide a range of commercial, services that meet the needs of the residents of the regions. This

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decision will result in the provision of 200,000 sq. meters of commercial properties and 400,000 sq. meters of residential and administrative properties with different architectural styles.

Turning these streets into commercial ones would provide more investment opportunities for the private sector and citizens to participate effectively as a key partner to the government in achieving development in various fields. It would create more commercial space for private sector businesses and more opportunities for the private sector.

Turning these streets into commercial ones would provide more investment opportunities for the private sector.

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23

ASHGHAL

Ashghal announces Ashghal announces QR QR 21.821.8 bn bn of of projects next year projects next year Most work on roads leading to WC stadiums to be completed next year Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Minister H E Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser Al visited Ash-

The coming year’s top priority would be to prepare the infrastructure for residential areas.

ghal offices. The visit reviewed achievements in 2017, progress made in realizing Ashghal’s goals and strategic initiatives and development of main projects..

In a statement, Ashghal President Saad bin Ahmed Al Mohannadi said QR 21.8 bn had been allocated for projects in 2018. He added a total of QR 11.08 bn was allocated for high-

T

he Public Works Authority (Ashghal) has announced projects worth QR 21.8 billion next year. It also announced 90% of work on main roads

leading to eight 2022 FIFA World Cup stadiums would be completed next year.

ways, QR 8.88 bn for infrastructure and roads and QR 1.84 bn for sewer pumping stations.

Ashghal developed infrastructure projects serving as many as 13,279 housing plots in 2017 while the number of housing plots served with infrastructure from 2013-2016 was 5,529 in number. In 2017, 306 km of sewerage network

was laid and 1,829 plots of citizens developed

Ashghal will carry out a total of 19 infrastruc-

in 2017.

ture projects in 12 areas during 2018. Those projects would serve 15,108 pieces of land.

Ashghal in 2017 developed 242 km of pedes-

The authority would also finish another 11

trian and cycling tracks as compared to 111

infrastructure projects in 11 areas, serving

km developed from 2013 to 2016. In 2017,

5,644 pieces of land. The authority would

250 km of roads were constructed by Ashghal

complete 113 km of highways in 2018, includ-

compared to 89 km from 2013 to 2016.

ing 20 new main intersections.

Al Mohannadi said the coming year’s top priority would be to prepare the infrastructure for residential areas, in line with the directives of the Prime Minister of adding new areas to the infrastructure plan for land belonging to citizens. “A total of 5,000 pieces of land would be added to the plan and provided with the neces-

Ashghal will carry out a total of 19 infrastructure projects in 12 areas during 2018.

sary infrastructure,” he said.

Qatar Fund forfor Qatar Fund Development signs Development signs MoU with Ashghal MoU with Ashghal Public Works Authority to provide technical support on projects

MoU includes important development projects in the fields of infrastructure, buildings and project management.

24

JANUARY 2018

CONSTRUCTION

Q

atar Fund for Development has

ing this MoU comes within the framework of

“We are glad to announce the beginning of

signed an MoU with the Pub-

joint and close cooperation between the Fund

implementing this memorandum through co-

lic Works Authority (Ashghal)

and different government entities, including

stating Ashghal would provide

Ashghal, which contributes to achieve Fund’s

technical support related to infrastructure

development objectives, as part of Qatar’s

projects that Qatar Fund for Development is

commitment towards sisterly and friendly

financing in different countries. Through the

countries to implement different projects, that

MoU, both parties would coordinate to ex-

contribute directly to the development of these

change expertise to contribute to implementa-

countries.”

tion of these projects more efficiently and with a higher quality.

operation between Qatar Fund for Development and Ashghal in developing infrastructure in Somalia, through preparation of technical designs for the 90-km-long Mogadishu-Jawhar Road and 30-km Mogadishu -Afgoye Road, which are very important projects that will enable the Somali people to build infrastructure

He stated the MoU includes important devel-

systems in the country, contributing directly to

Khalifa bin Jassim Al Kuwari, Director-Gener-

opment projects in the fields of infrastructure,

moving the economy and achieving sustain-

al, Qatar Fund for Development, said: “Sign-

buildings and project management. He said:

able development.”

SITES

ASHGHAL

Ashghal Ashghaltotoimplement implement new newinfrastructure infrastructureprojects projects Several completed in 2017 ing areas and 8,571 are in new citizens’ land plots areas. In 2017 alone, Ashghal completed 23 projects to develop infrastructure in various

T

he Public Works Authority (Ashghal) plans to implement infrastructure projects that serve existing areas and new citizens’ land plots. Between 2014and 2017, Ashghal implemented infrastructure to serve more than 22,000 land plots distributed over 18 areas, of which 20,637 plots are in existing areas and 1,829 are in new citizens’ land plots areas.

As part of future plans, Ashghal would implement infrastructure to serve 32,855 land plots during the next four years (2018-2022) distributed over 14 areas of which 24,284 are in exist-

There are seven projects being implemented to serve more than 4,000 plots, namely the roads and infrastructure development project in Muaither West (Al Manaseer) – Package 1 and the roads and infrastructure development project in Aziziyah East.

areas before the year end, serving 15,108 citizens’ land plots, of which 1,800 are part of the new citizens’ land plots areas.

So far, Ashghal completed seven projects in Doha North serving more than 7,000 citizens’ land plots, including projects of roads and infrastructure development in Bani Hajer-Rawdat Egdaim, Al Gharrafa, and Rawdat Al Hamama areas. It also completed four projects in the vicinity of Doha, namely the roads and infrastructure development project in the Industrial Area - Package 1 and the construction of a parallel road from Rawdat Rashed to Umm Garn.

There are seven projects being implemented to serve more than 4,000 plots, namely the roads and infrastructure development project in Muaither West (Al Manaseer) – Package 1 and the roads and infrastructure development project in Aziziyah East.

Ashghal earlier opened earlier five projects west of Doha, including roads and infrastructure de-

Ashghal earlier opened earlier five projects west of Doha, including roads and infrastructure development works to serve various areas such as the Rawdat Abal Heeran project.

velopment works to serve various areas such as the Rawdat Abal Heeran project. Projects Ashghal is completing in 2017 include four projects to develop sewage networks serving around 3,000 plots, and 17 projects to develop roads and integrated infrastructure serving 10,000 plots and two land grading projects serving almost 2,000 plots.

Ashghal Ashghalopens openssection sectionofof Khalifa KhalifaAvenue Avenuemain maincarriageway carriageway Open will alleviate traffic congestion The opening will alleviate traffic congestion on the main road and the local approaches in Al Gharrafa and Bani Hajer and improve traffic movement for residents there.

T

he Public Works Authority (Ashghal) has opened an approximately 3-km-long section of the main carriageway of Khalifa Avenue to stretch from west of Tilted Interchange to east of Bani Hajer Interchange.

The opening will alleviate traffic congestion on the main road and the local approaches in Al Gharrafa and Bani Hajer and improve traffic movement for residents there. Ashghal also opened Al Wajba Bridge after upgrading the old bridge from two lanes to three lanes, allowing for better traffic flow.

The main road which is the straight section for traffic on Khalifa Avenue will go through the center of the signalized roundabout. The interchange links north Gharrafat Al Rayyan Street, south Qatar Foundation and west and east Al Luqta Street.

Expressway Department Manager Yousef Al Emadi stressed the new section would create easy connectivity to neighbouring facilities, including Education City, Sidra Medical and Research Centre (Sidra) and Qatar National Con-

vention Centre (QNCC). “Sixty-one per cent of the construction has been accomplished for the project, which once completed, will be a major artery linking Dukhan Rayyan Corridor to Central Doha and serve the World Cup 2022 Qatar Foundation Stadium,” he said.

3,000 plots, and 17 projects to develop roads and integrated infrastructure serving 10,000 plots and two land grading projects serving almost 2,000 plots.

The Khalifa Avenue project runs from Al Wajbah Palace Interchange (west) to the Tilted Interchange (east) and along Al Gharrafa Road from Al-Rayyan Street (south) to Thani bin Jassim Street (north).

The new section would create easy connectivity to neighbouring facilities, including Education City, Sidra Medical and Research Centre (Sidra) and Qatar National Convention Center (QNCC).

The project works include the construction of approximately 11.6 km of dual carriageway with four lanes in each direction replacing a threelane way besides seven major free-flowing interchanges, service roads and auxiliary lanes along sections of the road.

Ashghal Ashghalopens opens Interchange Interchangeflyover flyover New bridge will reduce travel time from Al Amir Street and Doha Expressway with New Al Rayyan Road.

The new bridge is one-km-long with two lanes in one direction.

T

he Public Works Authority (Ashghal) has opened Al Rayyan Interchange flyover, as part of Al Rayyan Road Upgrade project Phase II. The new bridge is one-km-long with two lanes in one direction, connecting traffic

The key overpass provides an alternative direct route from areas of Al Sadd and Al Waab to New Al Rayyan Road towards areas of Al Rayyan, Bani Hajer and Dukhan, sparing Al Rayyan Roundabout and the diversions in Old Al Rayyan.

Expressway Department Manager Yousef Al Emadi said that Al Rayyan Interchange flyover was part of the construction of Al Rayyan Road Upgrade project - Phase II; it was built to cross

traffic over 22 February Road to alleviate traffic pressure on Al Rayyan Interchange roundabout and allow travelers coming from Central Doha via Doha Expressway and areas of Al Sadd and Al Waab towards Al Rayyan, Bani Hajer and Dukhan to use the bridge to New Al Rayyan Road, and eventually, reducing travel time.

Ashghal had opened in the last few days of key parts of the expressway network, through a number of projects including Lusail Expressway, Khalifa Avenue, and Al Rayyan Road Upgrade – Phase II.

The key overpass provides an alternative direct route from areas of Al Sadd and Al Waab to New Al Rayyan Road towards areas of Al Rayyan, Bani Hajer and Dukhan, sparing Al Rayyan Roundabout and the diversions in Old Al Rayyan.

CONSTRUCTION

SITES

JANUARY 2018

25

TENDERS

ASHGHAL

Tender No.

Type

Tender Title

Participants

Issuing Date

Closing Date

Category

GTC

Road Improvement Works in Northern Areas Phase-3 - IA/2017/C/058/G

Qatari Companies Only - Joint Venture - Non Qatari Companies

25-Dec-17

23-Jan-18

Roads

PWA/GTC/056/2017

GTC

RIW for Junctions & Roundabouts in Various Areas of Greater Doha Phase – (7) IA/2017/C/034/G

Qatari Companies Only - Joint Venture - Non Qatari Companies

25-Dec-17

23-Jan-18

Roads

PWA/ITC/048/2017

ITC

Post Contract Professional Consultancy Services for Design and Build (D&B) Contract for Industrial Area Sewage Treatment Works (IASTW) Phase IIIA Expansion - CP836 - IA/2017/S/055/I

Qatari Companies Only - Joint Venture - Consultancy and Specialized Services - Non Qatari Companies

25-Dec-17

21-Jan-18

Drainage

http://www.ashghal.gov.qa

PWA/STC/122/2017

STC

Improvements & Enhancements to TSE SCADA Coverage (Zone 1) AM17-238 - AA/ DOM/2017/M/1855/S

Qatari Companies Only - Joint Venture - Non Qatari Companies

25-Dec-17

22-Jan-18

Drainage

• • •

PWA/STC/120/2017

STC

Price Agreement for Supply & Installation of Digital Publication - PR/2017/S/010/S

Qatari Companies Only - Joint Venture - Non Qatari Companies

25-Dec-17

22-Jan-18

Procurement

PWA/STC/077/2017/R

STC

Calibration and Maintenance of Gas Detectors for 2 Years - AA/DOM/2017/ M/1849R1/S

Qatari Companies Only - Joint Venture - Non Qatari Companies

25-Dec-17

22-Jan-18

Drainage

PWA/STC/054/13-14/R1

STC

On Call Supply of Raw Materials for Mechanical Workshop of Drainage Networks O& M Department - AA/DOM/13-14/M/1335/2.05/R2/S

Qatari Companies Only - Joint Venture - Non Qatari Companies

25-Dec-17

22-Jan-18

Drainage

PWA/STC/121/2017/A

STC

Auction for Management and Operation of Cafeteria for Ashghal - GS/2018/ CT/001/S

Qatari Companies Only - Joint Venture - Non Qatari Companies

25-Dec-17

22-Jan-18

General Services

PWA/GTC/055/2017

GTC

Road Improvement Of Immigration Interchange roundabout And 22nd February Street - IA/ 2017 /C/ 047 /I

Qatari Companies Only - Joint Venture - Non Qatari Companies

11-Dec-17

23-Jan-18

Roads

PWA/STC/118/2017

STC

Supply, Installation and Commissioning of XRF Equipment for Construction Material Testing - QSD /2017 /SY /010 /S

Qatari Companies Only - Joint Venture - Non Qatari Companies

11-Dec-17

8-Jan-18

Procurement

PWA/STC/094/2017/R

STC

Supply of Mobile Meeting Room Vehicle - GS/2017/MS/001/S

Qatari Companies Only - Joint Venture - Non Qatari Companies

11-Dec-17

8-Jan-18

General Services ,Procurement

PWA/GTC/054/2017

GTC

Maintenance of TSE Network framework(GTC-019-14-15) - AA/DOM/13-14/M/16084.07/G

Qatari Companies Only - Joint Venture - Non Qatari Companies

7-Dec-17

23-Jan-18

Drainage

PWA/STC/116/2017

STC

Supply of Consumables for Ashghal Center for Research and Developments QSD/2017/SY/008/S

Qatari Companies Only - Joint Venture - Non Qatari Companies

4-Dec-17

8-Jan-18

Procurement

PWA/STC/114/2017

STC

Supply, Installation and Maintenance of Laboratory Equipment for Environmental Lab - QSD/2017/SY/006/S

Qatari Companies Only - Joint Venture - Non Qatari Companies

4-Dec-17

8-Jan-18

Procurement

PWA/ITC/045/2017

ITC

Post Contract Professional Consultancy Services For Foul Sewer for Various Catchment within DOHA West (C821/2 package 2) - IA/2017/S/038/I

Qatari Companies Only - Joint Venture - Consultancy and Specialized Services - Non Qatari Companies

28-Nov-17

7-Jan-18

Drainage

PWA/ITC/021/2016/R

ITC

Asset Inventory Data Collection – Specialist Surveys, Phase 2 - AA/ROM/2015/047/ P2/I

Qatari Companies Only - Joint Venture - Consultancy and Specialized Services - Non Qatari Companies

28-Nov-17

28-Jan-18

Roads

PWA/STC/076/2017/R

STC

Supply of Miscellaneous Spare Parts & Consumables for Electrical and Instrument Workshop - AA/DOM/2017/M/1845/R1/S

Qatari Companies Only - Joint Venture - Consultancy and Specialized Services - Non Qatari Companies

28-Nov-17

29-Jan-18

Drainage

PWA/ITC/044/2017

ITC

Supply and Install LED lanterns as Part of Retrofit Project in the State of Qatar - AA/ ROM/2017/0156/C1/I

Qatari Companies Only - Joint Venture - Consultancy and Specialized Services - Non Qatari Companies

21-Nov-17

14-Jan-18

Roads

PWA/ITC/043/2017

ITC

ITS Managing Contract For Throughout Qatar - AA/ROM/2017/0136/C1/I

Qatari Companies Only - Joint Venture - Consultancy and Specialized Services - Non Qatari Companies

21-Nov-17

14-Jan-18

Roads

PWA/GTC/052/2017

GTC

Roads and Infrastructure Al Sailiya Al Atiya Housing and Al Atiya Housing Army Camp Road (DW080) - IA/2017/C/021/G

Qatari Companies Only - Joint Venture - Consultancy and Specialized Services - Non Qatari Companies

14-Nov-17

9-Jan-18

Roads

PWA/ITC/042/2017

ITC

821/2 - Construction of Foul Sewer for Various Catchment Within Doha West (Package - 2) - IA/2017/C/038/I

Qatari Companies Only - Joint Venture - Consultancy and Specialized Services - Non Qatari Companies

14-Nov-17

14-Jan-18

Drainage

PWA/ITC/040/2017

ITC

ITS, M&E Maintenance and Operations for Several Tunnels and Other Traffic Control Measures in the Road Network - AA/ROM/2017/0167/C1/I

Qatari Companies Only - Joint Venture - Consultancy and Specialized Services - Non Qatari Companies

6-Nov-17

21-Jan-18

Roads

PWA/GTC/036/2017

GTC

Construction of Package 6 – Al Meshaf Health Center - BA/2017/C/009/G

Qatari Companies Only - Joint Venture - Consultancy and Specialized Services - Non Qatari Companies

25-Sep-17

16-Jan-18

Building

PWA/GTC/030/2017

GTC

Construction of Package 10-AL Sadd Health Centre - BA/2017/C/010/G

Qatari Companies Only - Joint Venture - Non Qatari Companies

8-Aug-17

9-Jan-18

Building

25-Jul-17

16-Jan-18

Building

25-Jul-17

9-Jan-18

Building

TENDERS AND

AWARDED TENDERS

• •

Companies Eligible to Tender: Qatari Companies Only Joint Venture (JV) Companies, which includes a Qatari Company having a minimum of 51%, share holding of the JV Non-Qatari Companies Not Applicable * All financial values are in QAR

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

PWA/GTC/057/2017

PWA/GTC/027/2017

GTC

Construction of Package (8) – Al Khor Health Centre - BA/2017/C/008/G

Qatari Companies Only - Joint Venture

PWA/GTC/026/2017

GTC

Construction of Package 7 – AIN KHALED Health Centre - BA/2017/C/007/G

Qatari Companies Only - Joint Venture

Ashghal announces opening of Lusail Expressway Ashghal announces opening of Lusail Expressway All main work on project complete Expressway and the engineering challenges that Ashghal overcame, in addition to the With more than 9,300 tonnes of steel, consecutive openings that this year witnessed for the complete parts of the project, the biggest and tallest monument until the completion of all main works includin Qatar stands 100-meters-high and ing the main carriageways, tunnels and bridg147-meters-wide. es, it stated.

Q

atar has opened the Lusail Expressway project following the completion of all its main work, including the arches at Interchange 5/6, the biggest and tallest monument in the country. With more than 9,300 tonnes of steel, the biggest and tallest monument in Qatar stands 100-meters-high and 147-meters-wide, Ashghal announced.

A documentary video was played during the launch event of Lusail Expressway, showing the journey of the implementation of Lusail

With the launch, traffic was moved to the main carriageway of Lusail Expressway along the whole road from its start in West Bay area until its end at Lusail City, which includes four lanes in each direction.

One of Al Gassar Interchange tunnels opened, connecting Lusail Expressway for those coming from West Bay heading left to Onazia Street, and the tunnel includes two lanes in one direction, with a length of 600 meters.

Ashghal said eight tunnels are now open to traffic out of nine included in the project,

where the main tunnel at Al Gassar Interchange opened in March.

Lusail Expressway is an iconic architecture with characteristics inspired by the Qatari marine heritage vocabulary and forms a combination of Qatar’s past and future, given that it is the main expressway on the sea front that stretches over the northern coast of Doha.

The blue wall panels that decorate the tunnels are inspired by the waves of the fishermen nets under the water, and all other design elements were chosen carefully, such as the lighting poles which will light in blue as well along the road.

The vast excavation and execution works of the multi-level tunnels and bridges in the project, as well as the construction of two marine bridges, was completely executed

without interrupting traffic.

This is in addition to the excavation works that took place at a depth of 30 meters below ground surface along six kilometres, for integrated infrastructure to allow for electricity and drainage networks, and to allow for maintenance works without the need for more excavations in the future, said the statement.

The vast excavation and execution works of the multi-level tunnels and bridges in the project, as well as the construction of two marine bridges, was completely executed without interrupting.

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26

JANUARY 2018

CONSTRUCTION

P.O. Box: 171, Doha - Qatar Sana Roundabout Near Mcdonalds

SITES

E-mail: kamalco@qatar.net.qa Web: www.kamalcoqatar.com

BRANCH: Beside DHL, Salwa Road Ph: +974 44583666 - Fax: +974 44583777

SITES

Geotechnical, Geological and Material Testing Services

Laboratory testing services Environmental Testing Geophysical Surveys Hydrological studies Geological mapping Onshore and nearshore ground investigations Probehole surveys Mineral Resource assessment In-situ testing Concrete investigations Petroleum Products Testing

We offer:

Services: • Flyers Designing • Menu Card Designing • Pamphlets Designing • Packaging Designing • Posters Designing

• Logo Designing • Corporate Identity • Business Card Designs • Business Brochure • Product Catalogue

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• Magazine Designing • Certificates • CD Stickers and Labels • Signage • Press Ads

Other Services: • Video / Storyboard concept • Gift items

• Web Advertising • Email Campaigns (20,000 subscribers)

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https://qc-sites.wixsite.com/qcs-mediaadvertising CONSTRUCTION

SITES

JANUARY 2018

27

CAREER SITES

QATAR

Poll Pollshows showsMENA MENA preference preferencefor forjobs jobswith with big bigfirms firms

When it comes to working beyond their prescribed schedules or duties, most employees in the MENA are willing to do so in exchange for appropriate compensation.

W

ork arrangements suit employees’ changing priorities

A new poll by Bayt.com, the Middle East’s leading job site, entitled ‘Preferred Work Arrangements in the MENA,’ has revealed that nearly three-quarters (74.2%) of professionals in the region prefer to work for ‘large or multinational’ companies over ‘small or medium-sized’ companies (9.2%) or ‘startups’ (2%).

Given that preferences for work arrangements have evolved to suit employees’ changing priorities, this may be contributed to the perception of larger companies being better equipped to fulfill their employees’ desires for work arrangements.

Nine in ten (90.5%) respondents agree that they mostly want to have full-time work, rather than part-time (1.9%) or freelance (1.9%) work. When asked about the reasons employees in the MENA region prefer full-time work, nearly half (48.3%) of respondents cited ‘job security’ as the key advantage, followed by ‘better career growth prospects’ (26.6%), a ‘stable source of income’ (15.7%), and ‘greater ease in communicating and completing work’ (9.4%).

But even with full-time employment, job seekers are on the lookout for flexibility. A large majority (85.9%) of MENA professionals said they prefer to work for a company that offers ‘flexible hours’. Additionally, 79% said they prefer to work for a company that offers ‘remote-work options’.

In fact, flexible hours are also the most frequently cited advantage of freelancing, according to two-thirds of professionals in the MENA. Other benefits of freelancing, according to respondents, are ‘more independence and control over work’ (16.5%), the ability to ‘explore more career options’ (14.2%), and ‘more control over income’ (2.5%).

CAREERS

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the type of working environment they desire, nearly two-thirds (64.9%) of MENA professionals say they prefer to work indoors at a desk, while (14.5%) prefer to work outdoors at different sites. The remaining fifth (20.6%) has no preference on where they work.

When it comes to working beyond their prescribed schedules or duties, most employees in the MENA are willing to do so in exchange for appropriate compensation. According to the poll, nearly 9 in 10 (86.5%) respondents are okay with working overtime so long as they’re compensated for it — and more than eight in ten (82.8%) respondents are okay with traveling if they are compensated for it.

Further, more than three-quarters (76.4%) of MENA professionals say they are willing to relocate for employment, while less than a fifth (17.4%) say their willingness to relocate depends on the country, and only 6.2% are unwilling to relocate at all.

“As the job landscape changes in the face of employees’ evolving lifestyles and priorities, so do preferences for work arrangements in the MENA region. At Bayt.com, we aim to identify these changing preferences and provide the most accurate and relevant information, and in turn help bridge the gap between the millions of employees and employers we work with on a regular basis,” said Suhail Masri, VP of Employer Solutions, Bayt.com.

“We can see from the poll that today, professionals care most about elements of autonomy, such as flexible hours and room for growth; as well as financial stability factors, such as job security and suitable compensation for their contributions to the company.

With insights like these, employers in the region can evaluate and adapt their employee provisions to suit the desires of their workforce, ultimately helping drive employee morale and engagement across the board.”

Data for the 2017 Bayt.com ‘Preferred Work Arrangements’ poll was collected online from 24 October to 3 December, 2017. Results are based on a sample of 8,936 respondents.

Countries that participated include Qatar, the UAE, Bahrain, Algeria, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Tunisia, KSA, Yemen and others.

Project and Contract Specialist Power Systems & Information Technology

Project Engineer Parsons International Limited

Qatar | Mid Career | 8 years exp

Qatar | Mid Career | Unspecified

Structural / Bridge Design Engineer Parsons International Limited

Otis Elevator Sales Engineer UTC Building & Industrial Systems

Qatar | Mid Career | Unspecified

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New Equipment Installation Supervisor UTC Building & Industrial Systems

Forklift/MHE Service Technician Span Group

Qatar | Mid Career | Unspecified

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Structural Engineer Technical Engineering Designers - PEB - LBDI

Planning Engineer Igniteselection

Qatar | Mid Career | Unspecified

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Project Manager IMAR Group

Senior Project Managers IMAR Group

Qatar | Mid Career | Unspecified

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Project Engineer IMAR Group

Site Engineer (Steel Structure) IMAR Group

Qatar | Management | Unspecified

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Project / Planning Engineer Corp Executive Hotel Doha Suites

Hotel Chief Engineer Maintenance Supervisor Corp Executive Hotel Doha Suites

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ITS/SCADA Engineer Parsons International Limited

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Qatar | Mid Career | 5 years exp

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More than three-quarters (76.4%) of MENA professionals say they are willing to relocate for employment.

Despite the perceived perks of freelance work, though, a large majority (84.4%) of MENA professionals prefer to have an employment contract with a specified duration when starting a new job.

In terms of priorities in choosing a job opportunity, four in ten (41%) respondents cite salary as the number one attribute they value. Meanwhile, nearly one-quarter (23%) value career growth and training the most, followed by passion and interest in the job itself (15.6%), job security (10.6%), and work-life balance (9.8%). And, in considering

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About Bayt.com: Bayt.com is the #1 job site in the Middle East with more than 40,000 employers over 29,800,000 registered job seekers from across the Middle East, North Africa the globe, representing all industries, nationalities and career levels. Post a job or jobs on www.bayt.com today and access the leading resource for job seekers and ployers in the region

28

JANUARY 2018

CONSTRUCTION

SITES

and and find em-

EVENTS

2018 CALENDAR OF EXHIBITIONS & EVENTS THIMUN Qatar Organizer: THIMUN Qatar Event date(s): 23 - 26 January, 2018 Venue: Qatar National Convention Centre Location: Doha, Qatar Tel: +974 4454 2014 Email: thimunqatar@qf.org.qa Website: www.qatar.thimun.org

Doha Jewellery & Watches Exhibition Organizer: Auditoire Event date(s): 21 – 26 February, 2018 Venue: Doha Exhibition & Convention Center Location: Doha, Qatar Tel: N/A Email: djwe@auditoire.com Website: www.djwe.qa

Smart Parking Qatar Organizer: Advanced Conferences & Meetings Events date(s): 17 – 18 April, 2018 Venue: TBA Location: Doha, Qatar Tel: +971 4 563 1555 Email: opportunities@acm-events.com Website: www.smartparkingqatar.com

DigiQatar Conference Organizer: Fleming Event date(s): 19 – 20 February, 2018 Venue: TBD Location: Doha, Qatar Tel: +974 4454 2014 Email: event.inquiries@fleming.events Website: www.fleming.events/ digiqatar-conference

INFLOW Qatar Summit Organizer: Inflow Summits Event date(s): 25 – 27 April, 2018 Venue: The Ritz-Carlton Location: Doha, Qatar Tel: +90 212 279 50 89 Email: info@inflowsummits.com Website: www.inflowsummits.com/ upcoming-events/qatar-summit18

Doha International Maritime Defense Exhibition & Conference (DIMDEX) Organizer: DIMDEX Committee Event date(s): 12-14 March, 2018 Venue: Qatar National Convention Center Location: Doha, Qatar Tel: +974 4472 8813 Email: loubna@dimdex.com Website: www.dimdex.com

QBIC holds final QBIC holds final `Speaker Series’ `Speaker Series’ session ofof the year session the year Seminar discusses potential of scaleups

QBIC has invested in individual advancement of its entrepreneurs by offering seasonal `Speaker Series’ sessions with renowned professionals and high-profile entrepreneurs.

QBIC has invested in individual advance-

Aysha Al Mudahka, QBIC CEO, said: “We

The `Speaker Series’ sessions bridge the

ment of its entrepreneurs by offering

constantly strive

to host speakers who

gap between aspiring entrepreneurs, and

seasonal `Speaker Series’ sessions with

can bring new insights and share their ex-

successful professionals with valuable

renowned professionals and high-profile

pertise from different disciplines – in this

experience and knowledge on overcom-

entrepreneurs such as Chris Free, Uber’s

case scaleups – with our entrepreneurs.

ing the challenging road to successful

GM for Qatar and the UAE; Rabea Ataya,

Hosting renowned, forward-thinking pro-

entrepreneurship. Visiting speakers also

Bayt.com’s CEO and Founder; Elmar Mock, co-inventor of SWATCH; Simon Casson, VP and Regional GM at Four Seasons, Ibrahim

Q

Manna, GM, Emerging Markets at Careem atar

Business

Incubation

Center (QBIC) held its final

and Terry Jones, founding chairman of Kayak as well as Travelocity.com.

interactive `Speaker Series’ session of the year with

Prof. Joe Haslam, Executive Director, Own-

ers Scaleup Program, IE Business School.

Haslam presented a seminar on ‘The new era of scale-up entrepreneurship & trilliondollar opportunities’.

Haslam’s first company he cofounded, Marrakech, raised over $75 million in ven-

fessionals, such as Professor Haslam, allow us to further enhance the development of our entrepreneurs.”

provide one-on-one coaching sessions for QBIC’s incubates and depending on their business field, provide them with specialized, invaluable advice.

Haslam’s session highlighted the importance of shifting focus and staying ahead of the curve. He emphasized the significance of moving away from a focus on in-

ture capital and scaled to 250 staff. He is

novation to one of sustainability, a move

also cofounder and Chairman of ‘Hot Ho-

away from managing for scarcity to one of

tels’, the first Spanish company to be ac-

managing for abundance and a move away

celerated by the Techstars program in the

from thinking linearly to thinking exponen-

US.

tially.

Haslam’s session highlighted the importance of shifting focus and staying ahead of the curve.

CONSTRUCTION

SITES

JANUARY 2018

29

PROJECT FOCUS

To know more about GCC project data, visit & register at www.qc-sites.com Project Title

Client

Main Contractor

Value Range (QR) Million

Project Status

Type of Project

1.

C6 - LUSAIL

REGENCY REAL ESTATE

NA

165,540,000.00

Design stage

MIXED USE BUILDING

2.

FOXHILLS - A29

FURSAN REAL ESTATE

NA

20,091,000.00

Design stage

RESIDENTIAL BUILDING

3.

C5 - LUSAIL

RABBAN GROUP

NA

126,319,000.00

Design stage

MIXED USE BUILDING

4.

FOXHILLS - A30

FURSAN REAL STATE

NA

32,627,000.00

Design stage

RESIDENTIAL BUILDING

5.

C4 - LUSAIL

REGENCY REAL ESTATE

NA

108,070,000.00

Design stage

HOTEL APARTMENTS

6.

FV7 - MULTI PURPOSE HALL/ART CENTRE

REGENCY REAL ESTATE

NA

67,500,000.00

Design stage

COMMERCIAL

7.

FV9 AL ASMAKH HEAD OFFICE IN SUSAIL

REGENCY REAL ESTATE

NA

38,000,000.00

Design stage

OFFICE BUILDING

8.

FOXHILLS - A21

MR. NASSER SHAREEF ALEMADI

NA

22,505,000.00

On-going

RESIDENTIAL BUILDING

9.

FOXHILLS - D49

REGENCY REAL ESTATE

NA

29,299,000.00

Design stage

RESIDENTIAL BUILDING

10.

FOXHILLS - D21

REGENCY REAL ESTATE

NA

27,472,000.00

Design stage

RESIDENTIAL BUILDING

11.

FOXHILLS - D04

REGENCY REAL ESTATE

NA

25,273,000.00

Design stageE

RESIDENTIAL BUILDING

12.

FOXHILLS - A13

REGENCY REAL ESTATE

NA

24,918,000.00

Design stage

RESIDENTIAL BUILDING

13.

FOXHILLS - D14

REGENCY REAL ESTATE

NA

23,150,000.00

Design stage

RESIDENTIAL BUILDING

Project Title

Client

Main Contractor

Value Range (QR) Million

Project Status

Type of Project

1.

CBQ Boulevard

CBQ

HBK

N/A

Under Construction

Commercial, Bank, Office Plaza

2.

Doha Festival City (Package 3250,3100 and 7500

Basrec

GCC/ALEC JV

N/A

Under Construction

Retail Mall

3.

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

4.

Office Tower (3B+G22+ Floors) Plot Com50- at Lusail Marina

Qatar Trading Agency

Redco - Al Mana

N/A

Under Construction

Office Building

5.

Qatar Sidra Village Project

Mazaya Qatar Real Estate Development QSC

Sinohydro Group Limited

N/A

Under Construction

Residential

6.

Office Buildings (3B+G22+) at Lusail Marina District

Sh. Hamad Bin Faisal Al Thani

REDCO – Al Mana

N/A

Under Construction

Office Building

7.

Holiday Inn at Business Park

He Sheikh Mohammed Bin Hamad Al-Thani

Man Enterprises Qatar, WLL

N/A

Under Construction

Hotel

Mohamed Bin Hamad Holding

Shannon Engineering Co. (SEC)

8.

Commercial Mall at Abu Sidra

Project Title

Client

Main Contractor

1.

Blusail Furnished Apartment at Lusail (3B+G+10)

H.E SH Abdulla Bin Mohamed Al Thani

2.

E's Hail Communication Network Building at Duhailiyat Camp

N/A

Under Construction

MADINAT ASH SHAMAL

AL GHUWARIYAH AL KHAWR

UMM SALAL

AL JUMALIYAH

DOHA AL RAYYAN

Retail Mall

Value Range (QR) Million

Project Status

Type of Project

Matta Contracting Qatar

89.5

Under Construction

Residential Building

Qatar Armed Forces

ITCC

N/A

Under Construction

Office Building

3.

Development of Ooredoo TEC Complex at Industrial Area

Ooredoo

Not appointed

N/A

Design Stage

Commercial Complex

4.

Private Villa at Pearl Qatar

Private Client

Not appointed

N/A

Design Stage

Villa

5.

Doha Education Centre

Doha Education Centre

Not appointed

30-50 Million

Design stage

Education

6.

Step 1 International Academy

Step 1 International Academy

Not appointed

20-40 Million

Design stage

School

Project Title

Client

Main Contractor

Value Range (QR) Million

Project Status

Type of Project

1.

Mix 11 Hotel Tower at Lusail City

Real Estate Services Group

N/A

600 Million

Design Stage

Hotel

2.

Al Jassasiyah White Beach Palace

UrbaCon Trading & Contracting (UCC)

N/A

400 Million

Design Stage

Mixed-Use

3.

Marina Com 05 Tower at Lusail City

Private Engineering Office / Mashour Real Estate Group

N/A

315 Million

Construction Stage

Office / Commercial

4.

Qatar Chamber of Commerce and Industry Building

Qatar Chamber of Commerce and Industry

N/A

270 Million

Design Stage

Office

5.

Com 02 - Barwa Bank Headquarters at Lusail City

Barwa / Hilson Moran

N/A

250 Million

Design Stage

Office

6.

National Cyber Security Center

Ministry of Interior / Al Ali International

N/A

180 Million

Design Stage

Office

AL WAKRAH

MESAEED

JARIYAN AL BATNAH

NOTE: Whistle 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 is not responsible for any incorrect data.

Fixin g Systems

30

JANUARY 2018

CONSTRUCTION

SITES

Project Title

Client

Main Contractor

Value Range (QR) Million

Project Status

Type of Project

1.

Fiber Glass Factory at New Industrial Area

German Tech Fibre Glass WLL

N/A

N/A

Tender stage

Factory Building

2.

Kitchen equipment factory at New Industrial Area

Justa Kitchen and Cookers

N/A

N/A

Tender stage

Factory, office Building

3.

Sand witch panel factory at New Industrial Area

Doha Sandwich Panel

N/A

N/A

Design stage

Factory Building

4.

Oil recycling plant at New Industrial Area

QAR Oil Recycling

International Work Group

N/A

Under construction

Oil recycling plant

5.

Cements product factory at Industrail Area

Al Simeh Cements Products

N/A

N/A

Design stage

Factory

6.

Accomodation and Store at Industrial Area

Ramco Trading and Contg.

Ramco Trading and Contg.

N/A

Tender stage

Acco. And Store

7.

Precast Factory - M IND AREA

Al Ghariya Precast

N/A

N/A

Design stage

Factory

8.

Oil Recycling plant - M. IND AREA

Gulf Oil Recycling

N/A

N/A

Design stage

Recycling plant

9.

Gulf Pallet Factory - MIC

Gulf Pallet WLL

N/A

N/A

Design Stage

Factory and office

10.

Abdul Noor Block factoryMIC

Abdul Noor Block Factory

N/A

N/A

Tender stage

Factory and office

11.

Switch Gear Factory - MIC

Q- TECH WLL

N/A

N/A

Tender stage

Switch gear

12.

Warehouse and Store MANATEQ

Quality Group of Companies

N/A

N/A

Design stage

Store and Warehouse

Project Title

Client

Main Contractor

Value Range (QR) Million

Project Status

Type of Project

1.

Police College Academy

MOI

Hassanesco

N/A

Construction Stage

Educational Complex

2.

Health Care Centers (Pacakge 4 & 5)

PWA

ITC/UCE

600

Under Construction

Medical Centers

3.

Villas Complex (Al Fardan 9) at Abu Sidra

Danat Qatar

Ramaco

300M

Construction Stage

Residential Building

4.

Barwa Al Baraha Warehouses & Workshops

Barwa Al Baraha Company

QBEC (Qatar Building Engineering Co.)

140M

Construction Stage

Warehouses & Workshops

5.

The Isola Dana Sewerage Upgrade Network

UDC

Petroserv Construction

12.6 M

Construction Stage

Sewerage Network

6.

4 Nos. Parks at Various Locations in Al Daayen Municipality

Ministry of Municipality & Environment

N/A

N/A

Design Stage

Landscaping & Parks

7.

Construction of 8 Nos. Buildings Complex and Club House

Sheikh Khaled Bin Hamad

Insha Company

200M

Under Construction

Residential

8.

Headquarter of General Directorate of Borders Passports, Expatriates Affairs, Nationality & Travel Documents Department

MOI

Al Aali International

800

Under Construction

Offices & Services Building

Project Title

Client

Main Contractor

Value Range (QR) Million

Project Status

Type of Project

1.

Commercial Tower in Marina District, Lusail (COM 17)

Sheikh Mohamed Jassem

Not Appointed

198,500,000

Design Stage

Commercial

2.

5-Star Hotel at Ramda Signal

Babishtar Group W.L.L.

Bab Ishtar

70,000,000

Under Construction

Hospitality

3.

Office Building ECQ-D29 in Lusail

Abdulla Abdulrehman Abdula Heidar

Not Appointed

22,400,000

Design Stage

Office

4.

Residential Apartment Tower in Marina District, (RES 22) Lusail

Al Mohannadi Group

Not Appointed

81,000,000

Design Stage

Residential

5.

Residentials Building MU / P08 at Fox Hills, Lusail

Qatari Real Estate Group

Not Appointed

22,000,000

Design Stage

Residential

6.

Cold Stores & Meat Processing Facility at Industrial Area

Zad Holding

Qatar Mega Building

51,000,000

Under Construction

Industrial

7.

Twin Tower 13A & 13B at the Pearl

Sh. Nasser Bin Falah Al Thani Group

PLQ (Powerline Qatar)

482,500,000

Under Construction

Residential

8.

Modification and Furnishing of Behavioral Healthcare Center HQ, Doha

Behavioral Healthcare Center BHC

Not appointed

35,000,000 QAR

Design stage

9.

Stafford Sri Lankan School, Doha

Stafford Sri Lankan School

Not appointed

42,000,000 QAR

Design stage

Qatar: Year in Review 2017

By Oxford Business Group (OBG)

Qatar’s economy maintained steady growth throughout 2017, with forecasts of a stronger year to come as efforts to boost self-sufficiency in key sectors gain traction.

The biggest issue facing the state in 2017 was the diplomatic and economic blockade of the country announced by Saudi Arabia and other regional powers, including the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt, in June.

Land access was closed and much of Qatar’s air traffic rerouted as a result, hampering the delivery of imports. And while the authorities have implemented a series of measures to mitigate the impact of the stand-off – including increasing trade activity with Turkey and Iran to provide goods and services no longer available regionally – the issue will continue to shape trade and investment flows heading into 2018.

Blockade spurs diversification strategy Though the dispute has impacted the economy, some believe the issue could generate a series of long-term positives, with the government enhancing efforts to diversify and increase self-reliance.

“Given the regional tensions that arose in mid-2017, there were some hurdles to overcome,” Abdulla Bukhowa, CEO of Standard Chartered Qatar, told OBG. “The year 2017 has been something of an adjustment, as the country faces this new reality. Preparation and planning taking place now will generate a strong rebound across the entire economy in 2018.”

Some of the measures implemented to boost self-sufficiency include investments in the production of domestic dairy, meat and poultry products, as well as food processing and light industry.

One example was seen through the decision to purchase 14,000 cows and construct a dairy farm to address the country’s reliance on imports. According to industry officials, the move should allow Qatar to be milk self-sufficient by mid-2018.

Economic growth to remain above regional average Despite the external headwinds, Qatar remained a regional leader in terms of economic expansion this year.

The economy is forecast to expand by 2.5% in 2017 and 3.1% in 2018, according to the latest IMF estimates, released at the end of October. This is higher than growth estimates for the Middle East as a whole, which the IMF predicts will expand by 1.3% this year and 2.8% in 2018.

In an earlier report, issued at the end of August, the fund said Qatar’s current account position was set to improve to a surplus of around 3.9% of GDP in 2017, rebounding from a deficit of 7.7% in 2016, largely due to a contraction in imports and the recovery in oil prices.

Banking stays resilient despite outflows Qatar’s banking sector has also been impacted by the diplomatic crisis as foreigners with funds in the country moved to withdraw their capital.

Prompt action by the government forestalled any instability in the financial services sector, with the transfer of funds – much of which came from the Qatar Investment Authority – easing concerns of a liquidity crisis. The requirement for such transfers has eased as local lenders move to secure funds from banks in Asia and Europe, rather than regional sources.

Confidence in the banking sector has seen deposit levels at commercial banks rise after a mid-year dip; total deposits stood at QR794.3bn ($218.2bn) at the end of October, up from the QR736bn ($202.2bn) recorded in January.

Lifting of gas moratorium to boost energy output The year 2017 also saw Qatar increase its energy output. In April the government announced it was lifting a 2005 moratorium on further development of its main gas reserve, the North Field, part of a programme aimed at lifting annual gas output to 100m tonnes by 2024, up from the 78.7m tonnes posted last year.

Bringing the southern section of the North Field into production would add 2bn cu feet per day to gas capacity, according to the authorities, representing 10% of the field’s current output.

The increased capacity will lift Qatar’s earning potential and allow it to address growing global demand in the coming years. It is also expected to strengthen the country’s position as the world’s leading liquefied natural gas exporter amid increasing competition from countries such as Australia and Russia.

HVE

DXE

ø10 (M6) ÷ ø24 (M16)

ø12(M8) ÷ ø15(M10)

VS

HXE

ø8 ÷ ø16

ø8 ÷ ø10

AJE

ø8 ÷ ø20

DSE

ø8(M6) ÷ ø16(M12)

Inflation set to edge up in 2018 While identifying new sources of imported goods and boosting investment in self-sufficiency projects will help Qatar meet its commodity needs, the higher cost of bringing in goods from further afield and increased outlays at home could fuel inflation next year.

This expected rise could be further pushed up by the planned introduction of a valueadded tax, which is expected to add 5% to the cost of most goods and services in a range of sectors, including retail, real estate, industry and financial services.

This does not appear to represent a challenge to the Qatari economy, however, as inflation eased from 2% year-on-year at the beginning of 2017 to negative 0.2% in the third quarter, according to the latest central bank data.

Fixin g Systems

CONSTRUCTION

SITES

JANUARY 2018

31

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

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

Rania Queen St. Amman- Jordan Tel: +9626 5356616 - Fax: +9626 535 6606 - P.O.Box: 622 - Aljbeha: 11941 watan_newspaper@yahoo.com

Issue No. (126) January 2018, Doha - Qatar

Building industry Building industry need to focus on the need to focus on the yearyear ahead ahead Lower levels of liquidity driving strategic investments

The coming year holds much promise for the industry particularly for those well placed to capitalize on the new trends in the market.

W

ith 2017 in the rear-view mirror, it is time for the building industry to set its sights on the year ahead. Whilst still challenging, the last 12 months have definitely seen an uptick in the market as regional governments and the private sector have adapted to the new paradigm of lower oil prices and set in place strategies and programs that provide a more economically sustainable development pathway.

As a result of these programs, the coming year holds much promise for the industry particularly for those well placed to capitalize on the new trends in the market. Despite this, the lower levels of liquidity in the market are certainly driving regional government and private developers to be very strategic with their investment decisions. To quote Charles Darwin, ‘It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is most adaptable to change.’

So, with a sense of cautious optimism, I would like to set out what I believe, in my humble opinion, will be the key trends and areas of focus for the building industry, in 2018.

Zero and Near-Zero Energy Buildings Off the back of the historic Paris Climate Change Agreement in 2015, the world is beginning to set in place a clear roadmap for decarbonizing the global economy. Buildings, which account for over 40% of global carbon emissions, form the frontline of the fight against climate change and in order to reach the objectives of the Paris agreement, we need to reach a point where the building stock is net zero by 2050.

With regional governments being signatories to the Paris Agreement, the region’s building

industry will be faced with the challenge of adapting to this requirement. Those that act now will have a significant competitive advantage once such targets make their way into regional building codes and regulations – something that has already commenced in Europe.

While the adage ‘you can’t get something for nothing’ generally holds true, we are now at a stage where near-zero energy buildings are a reality and can be made possible through cost-effective means. The interest is clear.

In fact, even though reaching a point of netzero is slightly more challenging, it too is gradually becoming more main stream and there are several upcoming projects that have set net-zero targets. We are currently even working with a number of developers that have set near zero and even net zero energy targets on their projects.

Fire and life safety Given the number of high profile façade fires globally and regionally, fire safety for facades has been a focal point for the industry, and is vital for developers to manage their liability and safeguard their investments.

By now, all countries in the Middle East have well established fire codes that are continuously updated and enhanced. It will become increasingly necessary for fire and life safety teams to work together with façade teams to ensure that the façade designs themselves are developed following best practices for fire safety.

In addition to these efforts put into new developments, it is the maintenance and operation of existing fire safety systems that will largely impact the efforts to reduce fire related incidents. Upgrading these systems at existing properties is key and we will see developers taking retroactive steps to make sure their properties to meet new fire codes.

In fact, our façade engineering and fire and life safety team have worked together on several projects where building owners, who have become concerned with the fire risk exposure of their new and existing assets, have required detailed surveys and remediation plans to address the risk of façade fires on their buildings.

Commissioning Though commissioning has rarely been given its due attention in the past, it is in my humble opinion the most essential part of the project as it brings all the systems and services together and ensures they work in harmony. I always use the adage that no airline would receive an aircraft that has not undergone a rigorous testing, commissioning and integration regime. Modern buildings, which in many cases have more system components than a jumbo jet and represent a similar level of investment, therefore also need to receive the same care and attention when being brought into service.

By: Saeed Al Abbar Managing Director at AESG

I always tell clients that if they try and cut corners and save costs in commissioning, they are basically accepting that they are happy to receive a building that does not work as intended- and consequently they are not getting what they paid for. Not only does inadequate commissioning pose a significant risk to the safety and health of those within the building, but buildings not properly commissioned will use upwards of 25% of the energy they would have used had they gone through an exercise of optimisation and integration of systems.

As the market has matured over recent years and a number of developers have observed the losses they have incurred during operation of inadequately commissioned buildings, we are now seeing greater focus on this area and most developers are now employing the services of third party commissioning specialists to manage and oversee the commissioning process right from the start of design until handover.

This in turn will create greater professionalism and accountability in the MEP sector and significantly improve quality, which in my opinion is much needed in the region.

To use another analogy – the historic practices of allowing MEP contractors to carry out their own testing and commissioning is like asking school children to mark their own exam papers without the teacher verifying that they have marked their work correctly or honestly.

Value engineering With oil prices unlikely to bounce back to previous highs, a premium will be placed on value engineering and innovation. Reflecting the importance of this has been the emergence of consultancy service providers and contractors whose approach to value engineering is led by technical specialists and supported by cost consultants rather than the other way around.

This has proven to be more effective as it enables value and system function to be clearly understood and defined so that value engineering does not become a simple cost-cutting exercise. Many developers have experienced the issues with what I term ‘vandalism engineering’ associated with simply removing cost items from a BOQ without due regard for whether the building will still function as intended.

With our knowledge of the local market, we have been successful at applying value engineering methodology to a number of projects. I strongly believe that consultants and contractors that are successful in 2018 will be those that integrate value engineering into their processes and are able to provide more value at lower cost to the client. To reiterate, those that approach value engineering as a pure cost-cutting exercise without due regard for function or value will soon be found out as the developer ends up with a building that does not work as intended.

Management of existing assets A number of high-value buildings in the region are aging so there is a greater need for managing these assets to maintain their quality and performance. We have seen a lot of demand for recommissioning the mechanical, electrical, fire life safety and even façade systems of older buildings to bring them in line with modern standards and codes.

A developing trend has been for property owners to request recommissioning for their buildings, which requires a holistic diagnosis of all systems in the building to ensure their proper functionality. This includes a thorough review of vital systems such as air conditioning, the BMS, and fire and life safety systems.

Organizations that decided to take this up in 2018 would do well to treat BMS as the starting point, as this is not only where building systems are orchestrated but BMS will also help pinpoint where systems are not working in harmony. This not only validates that the building systems provide a safe and healthy environment for occupants but also provides significant energy savings.

Overall, the outlook for the building industry is bright. As with any industry, there will be challenges to overcome. However, by paying careful attention and adapting to the changes and new trends in the industry, developers will be able to safeguard their investments and ensure smooth operations for years to come. The industry is moving forward at a rapid pace and innovation is finally taking a firm hold on the building sector. Those that ignore these tides of change will simply be left behind.

A developing trend has been for property owners to request recommissioning for their buildings, which requires a holistic diagnosis of all systems in the building to ensure their proper functionality.