Big Project ME January 2021

Licensed by Dubai Development Authority

176 January 2021

MEConstructionNews.com

THE BUSINESS OF CONSTRUCTION

Quick to Adapt

BIG PROJECT ME GETS AN EXCLUSIVE INSIGHT INTO TROJAN HOLDING’S PLANNING AS IT NAVIGATES THE PANDEMIC AND POSITIONS ITSELF FOR THE FUTURE

Experience the Progress.

Mobile cranes from Liebherr Top capacities in all lifting classes Long telescopic booms with variable working equipment High mobility and short assembly times Comprehensive comfort and safety features Worldwide customer support by manufacturer Liebherr-Werk Ehingen GmbH P.O. Box 1361, 89582 Ehingen/Do., Germany Phone: +49 7391 502 0, E-mail: info.lwe@liebherr.com www.facebook.com/LiebherrConstruction www.liebherr.com

1

CONTENTS

January 2021

08

16

18

20

26

52

ANALYSIS

FEATURES

INSIGHT

08

The briefing

20

46

Comments

The big picture

Gavin Davids speaks to Eng Hamad Al Ameri of Trojan Holding to hear how the company’s early adaptation to the pandemic has helped it to weather its impact

48

Tenders

52

Progress report

Industry leaders discuss how digital technology is impacting project delivery and trends in asset management

12

Providing a wrap-up of the biggest local, regional and international construction news stories

16

Market report

18

Analysis

Fitch Solutions’ report finds that Saudi Arabia’s renewables sector is set for rapid growth due to increased government backing

In profile Quick to Adapt

26

Project profile Set to Cruise

Big Project ME speaks to ASGC about the work it has carried out on the Dubai Harbour Cruise Terminal, a project that is a vital part of Dubai’s marine tourism plan

The industry’s brightest minds share their thoughts on a variety of topics and issues impacting the construction industry

Big Project ME, in association with ProTenders, provides the biggest tenders for the month of January 2021

GAJ announces completion of SPACE at Dubai College

Sandeep Sinha highlights the opportunities in the MENA region’s healthcare sector

MEConstructionNews.com | January 2021

2

WELCOME

Introduction

Plan for a better future

H

ello and welcome to the start of a new year, one that we hope will be an improvement to the year just gone. While things still seem uncertain, we still need to look to the future with positivity and hope – which is exactly what companies in the construction industry are doing. Across the interviews and features in this edition, we see the same message being repeated – ‘Plan for a better future’.

And that’s a message that we at Big Project ME are keen to get behind – while our plans for 2020 were severely disrupted due to the pandemic, we still managed to pull together and create eye-catching, informative and interesting digital summits and events for our audience. Like everyone else, we had to adapt and learn as we went along, but we also learnt a lot and developed our skills.

I think the viewing numbers that we registered over the course of the events – the Value Engineering Summit, the Women in Construction Summit, and of course the ME BIM Summit; as well as the one-off Expert Voices held with the likes

January 2021 | MEConstructionNews.com

of The Red Sea Development Company, ALEC, Omnium Resolve and Hexagon PPM – show that we’re on the right track.

As such, for 2021, we’re planning an exciting range of events – both physical and virtual – that we hope will drive our industry forwards by bringing people together from across the world, to talk about the challenges we’re facing, as well as the opportunities available to us. Furthermore, we’ll also be looking to develop exciting new ways to communicate and collaborate with our readers and viewers – so stay tuned and watch this space!

Of course, I can’t not mention the upcoming Big Project ME Awards, which will be held on January 26, 2021 at the Ritz Carlton JBR in Dubai. I’m absolutely delighted to reveal that we’ve received just under 140 nominations this year – that’s on par with what we achieved in 2019 (when we didn’t have a pandemic to deal with), so that’s amazing work from all of you!

Now, the hard work begins for the judges and the editorial team as we go through the nominations and make the hard choices for the shortlist and winners. I’m looking forward to it!

Here’s to a great 2021 – stay safe!

Gavin Davids

GROUP EDITOR gavin.davids@cpitrademedia.com @MECN_Gavin MEConstructionNews me-construction-news

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4

Licensed by Dubai Development Authority

176 January 2021

MEConstructionNews.com

THE BUSINESS OF CONSTRUCTION

Group MANAGING DIRECTOR Raz Islam raz.islam@cpitrademedia.com MANAGING PARTNER Vijaya Cherian vijaya.cherian@cpitrademedia.com

Editorial GROUP EDITOR Gavin Davids gavin.davids@cpitrademedia.com +971 4 375 5480 JUNIOR REPORTER Angitha Pradeep angitha.pradeep@cpitrademedia.com +971 4 375 5479

Quick to Adapt

BIG PROJECT ME GETS AN EXCLUSIVE INSIGHT INTO TROJAN HOLDING’S PLANNING AS IT NAVIGATES THE PANDEMIC AND POSITIONS ITSELF FOR THE FUTURE

ON THE COVER

Big Project ME speaks to Eng Hamad Al Ameri, managing director of Trojan Holding, about how his compan’s cultural values have helped it weather the impact of the pandemic MEConstructionNews.com @meconstructionn MEConstructionNews me-construction-news

Advertising COMMERCIAL DIRECTOR Jude Slann jude.slann@cpitrademedia.com +971 4 375 5714 HEAD OF KEY PROJECTS Andy Pitois andy.pitois@cpitrademedia.com +44 7816 843610

Design ART DIRECTOR Simon Cobon simon.cobon@cpitrademedia.com DESIGNER Percival Manalaysay percival.manalaysay@cpitrademedia.com

Photography PHOTOGRAPHER Maksym Poriechkin maksym.poriechkin@cpitrademedia.com

Marketing ADMINISTRATION EXECUTIVE Zaara Khan zaara.khan@cpitrademedia.com +971 4 375 5470

Circulation & Production PRODUCTION MANAGER Vipin V. Vijay vipin.vijay@cpitrademedia.com +971 4 375 5713 DISTRIBUTION MANAGER Phinson Mathew George phinson.george@cpitrademedia.com +971 4 375 5476

Web Development The publisher of this magazine has made every effort to ensure the content is accurate on the date of publication. The opinions and views expressed in the articles do not necessarily reflect the publisher and editor. The published material, adverts, editorials and all other content are published in good faith. No part of this publication or any part of the contents thereof may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form without the permission of the publisher in writing. Publication licensed by Dubai Development Authority to CPI Trade Publishing FZ LLC. Printed by Al Salam Printing Press LLC. CPI Trade Media. PO Box 13700, Dubai, UAE. +971 4 375 5470 cpitrademedia.com © Copyright 2020. All rights reserved.

January 2021 | MEConstructionNews.com

WEB DEVELOPER Abdul Baeis abdul.baeis@cpitrademedia.com WEB DEVELOPER Sadiq Siddiqui sadiq.siddiqui@cpitrademedia.com FOUNDER Dominic De Sousa (1959-2015)

26 January 2021 Ritz Carlton JBR, Dubai

United Arab Emirates

The award has added an additional feather in our cap and another milestone in the list of achievements for Dubai Municipality.

We thank the esteemed Big Project ME team for this great opportunity.

Eng Mohammed Ahmed Al Rayees

Director - Department of Sewage Treatment Plants and Networks Dubai Municipality

Contact Us Table Booking & Sponsorship Jude Slann | +971 4 375 5714 jude.slann@cpitrademedia.com

BigProjectMEAwards.com

6

ONLINE

MOST POPULAR

READERS’ COMMENTS

FEATURED

CONSTRUCTION

TOP FIVE TIPS TO KEEP YOUR CONSTRUCTION SITE CLEAN

AECOM to build The Red Sea Project airport

It is so important that we clean up after ourselves. I’ve spent many years trawling around construction sites across the globe and it has never ceased to amaze me that

INFRASTRUCTURE

there are still contractors

Emicool revises fuel surcharge across district cooling plants

that take far too many risks – especially with keeping their sites clear and tidy. I am a big believer that the cleanliness is the

ANALYSIS: Oman’s construction sector could fall by 5.8% in 2021

first principle of safety on site – so this guide to me is well overdue (Top five tips

to keep your construction

FLEET

site clean, posted 14/12 on

Evoteq announces deployment of smart surveillance system at Bee’ah landfill

MECN). Obviously, there is a reason why all of us have spent countless hours in meetings being told what to do and what not to do when we are on site; but tidying and cleaning during the day seems to be left up to enlightened self-interest,

MACHINERY

rather than be drilled into

Caterpillar announces first appearance at Consumer Electronics Show

workers. Construction and building sites are never going to be completely clutter-free but it is vital that pathways are kept clear and we minimise the amount of scrap around us. This will help minimise injuries but also save so

CONSULTANT

Eltizam signs $100 million agreement with Egypt-based real estate developer

January 2021 | MEConstructionNews.com

ANALYSIS: How Abu Dhabi is unlocking the power of PPPs

much time in the long run.

Name withheld by request

8

THE BRIEFING

Technology

Project Delivery in the Digital Era MIDDLE EAST

Joseph El Bitar, VP & GM for ME at Hexagon PPM talks about how digital technology can shape the way the construction industry moves forward January 2021 | MEConstructionNews.com

A

ccording to Deloitte’s 2020 Engineering and Construction Industry Outlook, this year began on a positive note for the construction sector.

However, the report states that the impact of Covid-19 has plummeted confidence among industry leaders.

Despite these challenges, engineering and construction firms are predicted to map a comprehensive digital blueprint to realign their businesses and operational processes. This digital blueprint is expected to reflect opportunities that technology and innovation can provide, the Deloitte report adds.

Digital blueprint Engineering and construction firms are predicted to map a comprehensive digital blueprint that reflects opportunities provided by technology and innovation.

2020

Has seen firms embrace digital technology

Big Project ME sits down with Joseph El Bitar, vice president and general manager for Middle East at Hexagon PPM to examine how the construction industry can best utilise digital solutions as part of its transformation journey. Bitar also explores the importance of having the right strategy in place and talks about how harnessing the power of data can move the construction sector into the digital future.

“From our perspective, the key is to have a consolidated digital technology, known as data-centric technology, which is what we currently have.

It’s not new and has been available in the industry for the last 15 years

9

10%

Amount of work that Hexagon carries out on-site Cultural shift Joseph El Bitar says that there is a cultural shift happening in the mindset of project stakeholders as they look to strengthen collaboration and cooperation amongst all parties.

now. This data-centric technology is the key to providing the construction industry with enhancements in not only increasing performance and efficiency, but to also improving productivity, visibility, and safety during the construction execution,” says Bitar, speaking during a webinar hosted by Big Project ME on December 16, 2020.

He continues: “The data-centric technology leverages, open and commercially available database in the market to be able to generate data and use it across the entire project execution. With this technology, we are able to overcome all the constraints available in the proprietary file formats and proprietary technologies from the last century.”

Bitar states that there are three pillars to obtaining data centricity.

“One is object correlation; by which we can solve the inconsistency issues and design issues across the entire project execution. Hence, we are able to have full traceability of, for instance, the equipment, across different phases of the project or different deliverables or documentation, anywhere at any time.”

“The second pillar is global work sharing for real-time collaboration. By this, we have full accessibility globally to distribute the databases assuming that they are structured to fit the purpose, which all of Hexagon’s solutions do. So, by this, we are bringing construction to a more contextual platform.”

“The third pillar is rule-based execution; and this includes the quality assurance aspect and the safety of the work. For instance, someone changes a factor in the 2D drawing, then it automatically reflects in the 3D drawing, so it understands and realises that the deliverables have changed and it highlights that to the right stakeholder.

So, we rely on the integration part of it.”

Expanding on the project delivery aspect, Bitar states there is a cultural shift in the project stakeholder’s mindset to strengthen collaboration and cooperation among all parties.

He says that from their perspective, visibility and predictability are two phases of the same coin – and is often the most critical requirement that the client has assigned to them.

The datacentric technology leverages, open and commercially available database in the market to be able to generate data and use it across the entire project execution” “We link the safety aspect to the digital twin – the core is in our digital twin offering. For us, the increase in digitisation is not only to increase the crew’s efficiency or productivity, but it’s also to keep them safer.

We focus on increasing autonomy while reducing the need for physical tasks by location tracking; enabling alerts when users enter hazardous areas; detecting slips or falls; usage of incorrect PPE; even situations of fatigue, man-down, and repetitive

motions. If we go into more detail, we can also calculate the number of manhours and analyse if the workers are getting adequate breaks,” he explains.

Addressing data security, Bitar notes that the first aspect is to comply with all standard regulations that look into data security and adhere to all policies.

The second part, he notes, is to find exemptions or additional inhouse policies mandated by their partners and comply with their client’s policies, too.

“Most of our work – 80 to 90% – is done remotely, only 10% of the work is done on-site. For instance, most of our projects are remotely executed and implemented, and that is the powerful side of being equipped with a good digital twin.”

Discussing the industry’s future, he points out that those who survive are the ones that will be equipped digitally, and that the industry is seeing a massive step in digitisation.

“We encourage everyone to reconsider their way of working to the new normal, and we should be betting on that because if we don’t catch up, we are going to be put in a position where we won’t be able to react,” he states as he brings the webinar to a close.

MEConstructionNews.com | December 2020

10

THE BRIEFING

10 trends disrupting Asset Management MIDDLE EAST

Angitha Pradeep speaks with Chris Roberts, CEO of Eltizam Asset Management Group, to learn how the asset management industry can keep pace with the changing developments

January 2021 | MEConstructionNews.com

P

wC’s 2020 asset management report titled A Brave New World says that assets under management in the SAAAME (South America, Asia, Africa and the Middle East) economies are set to grow faster than in the developed world.

Globally, investable assets for the asset management industry was predicted to increase to more than $100 trillion by 2020, with a compound annual growth rate of nearly 6%, according to the report.

Keeping this in mind, Chris Roberts, CEO of Eltizam Asset Management Group, says that the asset management industry needs to keep pace with changing developments.

Speaking to Big Project ME, Roberts points out ten trends that are disrupting the asset management industry: 1. CUSTOMER FACING TECHNOLOGY Technology advancements in the field

of asset management, just like in any other field, can make our lives much more comfortable. Thanks to the rise of customer facing technology following the COVID-19 pandemic, customers are now more comfortable using technologies that initiate paperless processes, online payments, AI chatbots, etc. In light of movement and travel restrictions during the pandemic times, apps that eliminate increased physical mobility have also seen a rise.

2. TRADE-OFFS BETWEEN UNIT SPACE AND COMMUNITY FACILITIES Generation Z has very different views on unit space and community facilities and is even willing to trade apartment space in exchange for community services like better-specked gyms, yoga, and communal living spaces. COVID-19 has, to an extent, encouraged this approach, not reversed it, and more people feel comfortable to work and play

11

Energy Efficiency As environmental awareness rises, there is a growing need for energy and costeffective solutions amongst building owners and tenants.

$100 Trillion Predicted global increase in investable assets for asset management industry

in their community rather than outside.

The extension of this is, therefore, looking at co-living communities into the immediate and medium-term.

3. ENERGY MANAGEMENT As environmental awareness levels rise, there is a growing need for energy- and cost-efficient solutions. This is prompting building owners to look for ways to cut down power and water wastage and bring down utility costs. In addition, sustainability efforts are part of most companies’ strategies to reflect their commitment to the environment.

4. CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE With the management of buildings becoming more complex, the demand for improved services and better engagement is constantly rising. Not surprisingly, technology has made it possible to engage customers more often and as a result, customer feedback, which used to be once a year survey, are monitored more frequently now. The experience with your customer is the most critical concern of any service company.

5. NEW TRANSPORT REQUIREMENTS Asset management industry is currently increasing its focus on the management of parking spaces, keeping pace with the rise of ‘micro-mobility’ solutions. As a result, it is witnessing the incorporation of electric car charging stations and their management and liaising with scooter rental companies for space. To keep pace with the developments in this regard and to accommodate the demands of future generations that value travel, shared transport and on-demand rides, landlords are now required to transform underutilised spaces.

6. SMART BUILDINGS (IOT) With smart buildings now equipped with sensors, meters, and other devices to regulate, monitor, and manage building assets and services, the transmission of data is witnessing unprecedented developments. This degree of interconnectivity contributes to less physical maintenance and less power consumption. Asset management companies have also started to adopt

Instead of resisting change, being open to it and adopting a creative and innovative mindset to evolve with it might be the best thing to do right now” AI algorithms to make building management system controls more user-friendly and energy efficient.

7. REMOTE PROPERTY MANAGEMENT It is no news that property managers have switched to working from an office that is centrally located within a territory or managing properties remotely. With many management activities being done online or through PropTech, the need for property managers to be on-site has reduced. The constant drive to PropTech based solutions is only moving this faster over the last two to three years.

8. INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS The adherence to international standards have become more of a norm and

is expected by all clients these days.

Therefore, along with a strong emphasis on quality management, your approach must be firmly aligned in line with global standards. Technology is again making it easier for the globe to unite in common best practice, especially when you are looking at e-learning, you can be in a room with 20 people learning about best practise from 20 different countries at the same time.

9. SECURITY OF ASSETS What has been evident over the last eight months is the need to control environments and reduce the need to have constant random visitors, drivers, or workmen from entering the building, as much as possible. Solutions have already been implemented to utilise biotechnology and cameras to recognise and test delivery drivers, maintenance teams etc.

10. SHORT-TERM RENTALS This will soon be another rising trend, even more so when travel restrictions are lifted. Generation Z and indeed the future generations of A & B who will work remotely are always on the lookout for short term accommodations as they tend to travel and explore places and cultures more, due to the highly flexible nature of their work.

MEConstructionNews.com | January 2021

12

THE BIG PICTURE

01 UNITED KINGDOM

03 SWEDEN

BAM Construction begins work on UK office project

Skanska to build new 19,000 sqm school

BAM Construction has said that it has broken ground on CEG’s EQ development, an office project in the south of England, UK. The 18580 sqm. project will be a glass building, including a rooftop bar, restaurant and business lounge with communal terrace. It will also have a ground floor café kitchen, along with a 50-seat auditorium. The building will offer fully-equipped internetready workstations, which will enable businesses to set up immediately. It will also offer access to high-quality meeting and amenity space.

02 FINLAND

Construction to begin on Bulevardikortteli block in 2021 Finland based construction company YIT has announced that it will start work on the Bulevardikortteli block in Järvenpää’s city centre, Finland in spring 2021. Located close to the train station, the Bulevardikortteli block is said to combine high-quality living, services and office spaces.

The block consists of three residential buildings with a total of more than 300 apartments. The apartment complex includes a 20-storey tower building of apartments – the landmark in the area – as well as two smaller apartment buildings, according to a senior official at YIT.

Construction firm Skanska has secured a contract worth $73m from Borlänge Municipality in Sweden to construct the new Gylle primary school. Scope of work will include the construction of new buildings covering 19,000 sqm. in addition to the refurbishment of the existing building.

Under the contract, Skanska will also be responsible for the construction of an attached sports hall. Construction on the project is set to commence immediately and the project is expected to be finalised in 2026. The work will be carried out in phases, and Skanska stated that this will allow students to move in by 2022/2023.

04 SWEDEN

06 MOROCCO

NCC wins $47m substation contract in Sweden

IMKAN awards Le Carrousel contract

Swedish-based NCC has been awarded a contract worth $47.1m to build new electrical substation buildings for the Värtan Station in Stockholm, Sweden. NCC said that the order is a turnkey contract for Linxon, with Ellevio as the end customer.

Scope of work will involve the construction of two new power substation buildings covering a total area of 18,000 sqm. The project will be delivered in phases. Construction work will be completed in collaboration with NCC Infrastructure and will commence next year and will take five years for completion.

January 2021 | MEConstructionNews.com

05 CZECH REPUBLIC

Consortium wins Czech Republic PPP contract A consortium of VINCI and Meridiam has secured a public-private partnership – the first of its kind in the Czech Republic – contract to build the D4 motorway linking Příbram (Central Bohemia) to Písek (South Bohemia). The Czech Republic’s Ministry of Transport has awarded the $754m contract to the consortium, which is led by VINCI Highways.

Scope of work includes designing, financing, constructing, operating and maintaining a new 32km motorway and the conversion of 17km existing infrastructure into a dual two-lane carriageway.

IMKAN has awarded the 36.5 million contract to build an open-air shopping mall in the Moroccan capital of Rabat to BYMARO, a local subsidiary owned

by Bouygues Batiment International.

The project is Morocco’s first lifestyle mall and has been described as a major feature of IMKAN’s flagship development in Rabat, Le Carrousel.

With construction already underway, BYMARO’s two-year contract includes ensuring completion by the fourth quarter of 2022. Construction of Le Carrousel’s first phase began early this year and is due for completion in the third quarter of 2022.

THE BIG PICTURE

13

02 03 04 01 05

06

08 09 07

08 KUWAIT

Siemens Energy wins substation contract in Kuwait 07 EGYPT

Consortium to build Egypt’s new energy centre A consortium consisting of Siemens Smart Infrastructure and Hassan Allam Construction has been awarded a contract to build the new National Energy Control Centre in the New Administrative Capital of Egypt. The contract was awarded by the Egyptian Electricity Transmission Company. The new power grid control centre will deploy advanced software and equipment to monitor, manage and control extra-high voltage transmission networks and power generation stations across Egypt. The project is expected to be completed by 2022 end.

Siemens Energy has announced that it has been awarded a major contract

by Kuwait’s Ministry of Electricity and Water to provide maintenance to 116 high-voltage substations. The five-year service contract represents Siemens Energy’s largest transmission service order in the country and one of the biggest service agreements in the Middle East’s power transmission sector, and aims to ensure reliable power supply throughout Kuwait. As per the contract, the service stations will undergo maintenance to enhance their reliability and safety.

09 KUWAIT

Kuwait commissions largest Crude Distillation Unit Petrofac has announced that the Clean Fuels Project for Kuwait National Petroleum Company has reached a major milestone with the safe and successful start-up of the Crude Distillation Unit (CDU) 111 at Mina Abdullah Refinery.

With a refining capacity of 264,000 barrels per day, it is the largest CDU in Kuwait.

The crude column is the largest single equipment transported and erected, being approximately 75 m long by 13 m wide/high and weighing 900 metric tons. With such a large EPC project, operational excellence has been a key theme, Petrofac says.

MEConstructionNews.com | January 2021

14

THE BIG PICTURE

10 11 12 13

14

16 15 17

10 BAHRAIN

12 SAUDI ARABIA

Blueprint for $2bn Bahrain metro rail unveiled

TRSDC awards transport consultancy contract to Mott MacDonald

The blueprint for the proposed 109km long Bahrain metro rail has been presented by the country’s transportation ministry to councillors. The project is expected to feature 20 stations spread across the Kingdom, and is projected to cost as much as $2bn and will be implemented in four phases. The first phase is to feature two lines with a total length of 29km, served by 20 stations, of which two will offer crossovers from one line to another. The lines will boast driverless trains and are expected to be operational in 2027.

January 2021 | MEConstructionNews.com

11 BAHRAIN

Construction of $32m medical complex at 53% Bahrain’s Ministry of Works, Municipalities Affairs, and Urban Planning has crossed the 53% milestone on the construction of the Muharraq Medical Complex.

Construction of the $32m project – funded by the Saudi Fund for Development (SFD) – is expected to be completed in Q3 2021. In total, the SFD has allocated $47.4m to cover the entire cost for the construction of the project, as well as the cost for medical equipment, consultancy fees, furniture, and IT services.

The project includes the construction of a 100-bed, long-stay healthcare unit.

Engineering company Mott MacDonald has secured a new contract from the Red Sea Development Company (TRSDC) to provide sustainable transport consultancy services for the Red Sea Project in Saudi Arabia. The contract requires Mott MacDonald to provide a comprehensive analysis of the total land, sea, and air transportation requirement for the development and operation of the 28,000 sqkm tourism destination, from its opening scheduled in 2022 to its completion in 2030.

18

THE BIG PICTURE

15

14 UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

CRTKL provides consultancy services for Abu Dhabi project 13 SAUDI ARABIA

Saudi Arabia completes Expo 2020 Dubai pavilion Construction work on Saudi Arabia’s 13,069 sqm country pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai has been completed, the country announced. Construction work on the pavilion began in February 2019, and comprises six storeys and is said to feature an innovative façade that symbolises the country’s deeply-rooted heritage, ancient culture, natural wonders, myriad opportunities, and the towering ambition of its people, explained senior Saudi officials.

The structure is said to boast 650 solar panels sourced from Saudi entrepreneurs and manufactured in the Kingdom.

CallisonRTKL has said that it has provided lead-consultant design services from conception through to completion of the luxury beachfront residential development on Saadiyat Island, developed in collaboration with Aldar Properties. With three plots, consisting of nine residential towers, and one plot, consisting of a beach promenade overlooking the Arabian Gulf, Mamsha Al Saadiyat aims to recreate Miami Beach in its design. A range of dining, entertainment, and retail outlets are available along the signature element of the project, a 1.4km promenade.

15 OMAN

Webuild wins $330m worth desalination projects in Oman Fisia Italimpianti, a unit of the Webuild Group, has won two engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contracts worth a combined total of about $330m for two desalination plants in Oman. Commissioned by the Oman Power and Water Procurement Company (OPWP), Fisia Italimpianti and its joint-venture partner GS Inima Environment will build plants that use reverse osmosis. Ghubrah 3 IWP, will have a production capacity of 300,000 cubic metres of water a day. Barka 5 IWP, will produce 100,000 cubic metres a day.

17 MALAYSIA

Samsung secures $1.07bn methanol plant contract 16 BANGLADESH

ADB grants additional $200m loan to Bangladesh The Asian Development Bank has said that it will provide an additional $200m in financing to upgrade the power distribution network in Bangladesh. The funding will be utilised by the Bangladesh power system enhancement and efficiency improvement project. The fund, it sated, will be used to improve electricity distribution network in rural areas in the Khulna city.

The additional financing from the bank will help to expand the coverage of the network and will install 990km of 33kV and 3,000km of 11kV below distribution lines and facilities.

Samsung Engineering has secured a $1.07bn contract from Sarawak Petchem for the construction of the Sarawak Methanol project in Malaysia. Located in eastern Malaysia, the new methanol plant will have the production capacity of 5,000 tonnes per day. Samsung Engineering has also executed a feasibility study and a licensor, engineering, procurement, construction and commissioning (LEPCC) contract for the Sarawak Methanol project.

Commencement of construction work will begin in late January 2021, with completion expected in late 2023.

18 AUSTRALIA

AECOM wins $1.9bn Sydney roadworks contract AECOM has been awarded a contract to provide the civil engineering design for Sydney’s $1.9bn Gateway Road Project in Australia. The project will include the construction of a new 5km, above-ground, toll-free connection from the St Peters interchange, to Sydney airport, Port Botany and beyond. Upon completion, the project will provide a high capacity connection from the Sydney Airport and Port Botany to the new WestConnex St Peters Interchange.

AECOM will be responsible for the concept, environmental approvals and detailed design of Elizabeth Drive West.

MEConstructionNews.com | January 2021

16

MARKET REPORT

Industry outlook

Saudi renewables sector set for rapid growth SAUDI ARABIA

Fitch Solutions report finds that Saudi renewables sector will see rapid growth over forecast period to 2029 as government programmes drives investment and interest

F

itch Solutions forecasts rapid growth in the Saudi renewables sector over our forecast period to 2029, albeit from a low base of less than 400MW at the end of 2019.

Our relatively upbeat outlook on the market is informed mainly by the progress registered on reverse-auction style tenders under the government’s National Renewable Energy Programme (NREP) and executed by the Renewable Energy Project Development Office (REPDO). Over the first two rounds of tenders, held in 2017 and 2019 respectively, REPDO awarded contracts for the development of a combined 2.4GW of solar and wind power capacity over eight projects. The 300MW

January 2021 | MEConstructionNews.com

Sakaka Solar Plant was the first project that reached completion, coming online in 2019.

Of the seven remaining projects tendered in these auctions, only one has reached the construction phase of development, while the remainder are due for completion by end-2022.

REPDO closed requests for qualifications for its third round of tenders in March 2020, which will award contracts for the construction of four solar PV plants with a cumulative capacity of 1.2GW. The 3.4GW already allocated under the first three rounds of REPDO tenders bodes well for the country’s renewables growth prospects and contributes towards our forecasts for a net growth of over 4.7GW in overall renewables capacity between 2020 and 2029.

Despite this growth and the Saudi government’s ambitious targets to capitalise on the country’s vast solar and wind power capacity over the coming decade, we expect the kingdom’s overcapacity for power generation will constrain the rate of growth in the renewables sector over the coming years.

Saudi Arabia’s robust power sector ranks among the largest in the world, with over 95.7GW of operational power capacity in 2019.

This overcapacity combined with the country’s lack of interconnectivity with other markets means there is no option to export excess generation and forces state-owned utilities to increase or decrease output in direct conjunction with fluctuations in domestic

electricity demand. We highlight this as one of the key factors detracting from renewables growth in the kingdom, as any increase in power generation above overall demand growth would need to displace thermal generation and further erode efficiency in the sector. This will be particularly pertinent over the nearmedium term, as the government seeks to reduce energy subsidies, pushing up electricity tariffs and constraining growth in electricity consumption. As a result, we expect renewables to make up a relatively insignificant proportion of the country’s overall power sector, missing both its 2024 and 2030 renewables capacity targets of 27.3GW and 57.8GW, respectively.

With these limitations in mind, we do not foresee any significant scope for private sector renewables investment outside of the REPDO tenders. Weak electricity demand growth and the Saudi government’s stringent local content requirements for infrastructure investment will both present considerable risks for private investors in the market.

Furthermore, without the prospect for rapid electricity demand growth, we believe that private renewables investors will find difficulty in attaining grid-connection permits and power purchase agreements with the state-owned transmission utility, the Saudi Electricity Company. For these reasons, we remain relatively conservative in our renewables projections for the market.

MARKET REPORT

17

OVERCAPACITY TO SUBDUE GENERATING EFFICIENCY AND WEIGH ON RENEWABLES GROWTH SAUDI ARABIA OVERALL POWER CAPACITY FACTOR AND CAPACITY BY TYPE

2029

2028

2027

2026

2025

2024

2023

40

2022

33,000

2021

42

2020

66,000

2019

44

2018

100,000

CONVENTIONAL THERMAL, MW (LHS) NON-HYDROELECTRIC RENEWABLES, MW (LHS) OVERALL POWER SECTOR GENERATING EFFICIENCY, % (RHS)

Saudi Arabia’s robust power sector ranks among the largest in the world, with over 95.7GW of operational power capacity in 2019” SIZE (MW)

COMPANIES

STATUS

REPDO ROUND

DUMAT AL JANDAL WIND FARM, AL-JOUF

415.8

EDF Energies Nouvelles[Sponsor](51){France}, Masdar[Sponsor](49){United Arab Emirates}, Vestas Wind Systems[Construction]{Denmark}, Vestas Wind Systems[Equipment]{Denmark}, Esteyco SAP[Consultant/Project Management]{Spain}

Under construction

NREP Round 1

SAKAKA SOLAR PLANT, AL JOWF

300

ACWA Power[Operator]{Saudi Arabia}

Completed

NREP Round 1

JEDDAH SOLAR PV IPP, MECCA PROVINCE

300

Not yet awarded

Bidders shortlisted

NREP Round 2

RABIGH SOLAR PV IPP, MECCA PROVINCE

300

Not yet awarded

Bidders shortlisted

NREP Round 2

AL-FAISALIAH SOLAR PV IPP - PHASE 1, MAKKAH SOLAR COMPLEX, MECCA PROVINCE

600

Not yet awarded

Bidders shortlisted

NREP Round 2

QURAYYAT SOLAR PV IPP, QURAYYAT, ALJAWF PROVINCE

200

Not yet awarded

Bidders shortlisted

NREP Round 2

RAFHA SOLAR PV IPP, RAFHA, NORTHERN BORDERS PROVINCE

45

Not yet awarded

Bidders shortlisted

NREP Round 2

MEDINA SOLAR PV IPP, MEDINA

50

Not yet awarded

Bidders shortlisted

NREP Round 2

LAYLA SOLAR PV INDEPENDENT POWER PROJECT, LAYLA

80

Not yet awarded

FRQ closed

NREP Round 3

WADI AL DAWASER SOLAR PV INDEPENDENT POWER PROJECT, WADI AL DAWASER

120

Not yet awarded

FRQ closed

NREP Round 3

AR RASS (AL-RASS) SOLAR PV INDEPENDENT POWER PROJECT, RAR RASS

700

Not yet awarded

FRQ closed

NREP Round 3

SAAD SOLAR PV INDEPENDENT POWER PROJECT, RIYADH

300

Not yet awarded

FRQ closed

NREP Round 3

Source: REDPO, Fitch Solutions Key Projects Database

PROJECT NAME

MEConstructionNews.com | January 2021

18

ANALYSIS

Healthcare

Opportunities in Healthcare MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA

Sandeep Sinha, head of Healthcare at JLL MENA, says that the provision of adequate extended care services in the MENA region provides opportunities for real estate investors and developers

T

he COVID-19 pandemic is placing an immense strain on the healthcare industry globally, highlighting a critical shortage of hospital beds and other facilities in many countries. While January 2021 | MEConstructionNews.com

the scale of the problem is less acute in MENA than in other parts of the world, the region’s healthcare infrastructure is facing pressures not only from COVID-19 but also from longer term demographic changes.

While the COVID-19 pandemic has understandably grabbed most of the healthcare headlines in recent months, there is also an emerging recognition of the need for longer term structural reforms to the healthcare sector to increase the level of ‘extended care’ services across all segments of the population and not just those within the older demographics.

There are significant opportunities for real estate investors and developers in the extended care sector, but the realisation of these opportunities requires greater collaboration and integration of services between the various industry stakeholders, including healthcare providers, payors (insurance providers) and most importantly, the regulators.

Demographic change The region’s healthcare infrastructure is facing pressure from longer term demographic changes.

2030

Healthcare is a key theme of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 plans

DEFINING EXTENDED CARE Extended care is not only defined by the number of clinics or hospital beds. it also requires attention to be given to areas such as outpatient rehabilitation, home care and telemedicine The medical needs of patients vary during their lifecycle, starting with preventive care, medical interventions on a need basis as well as various other services like rehabilitation, long term care, elder care, and end of life care.

While traditionally, the majority of health care has been provided in hospitals, medical centres or clinics, other formats focusing on the targeted treatment of patients to serve their needs as per their medical lifecycle have emerged in recent times. These new formats have focused on the continuum of patient care to ensure overall health and wellbeing, while simultaneously allowing for better use of acute care within the traditional healthcare setups.

There are currently relatively few specialist facilities proving extended

ANALYSIS

care in most cities across MENA, with these services being delivered from within traditional hospitals, medical centres, and clinics. Over time, a range of more specialist facilities are likely to emerge including rehabilitation centres and long-term care facilities.

OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES FOR THE REAL ESTATE INDUSTRY As with any new social or technological trend, the emergence of extended healthcare provides a range of opportunities for real estate developers and investors.

Opportunities: Extended care facilities typically have a lower built-up area (BUA) per bed than traditional healthcare facilities, which can contribute to a higher return on investment (ROI).

Lower capital costs also means a shorter payback period can be expected as compared to usual hospital investments.

Challenges: The lack of institutional grade product in the extended care sector remains the major challenge for investors The ability to deliver more product is dependent upon changes to the regulatory system to further promote the development of extended care.

While there is a clear case economically and socially for extended care facilities to become a central component of the community infrastructure, this potential is currently being inhibited by legal and regulatory constraints.

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The provision of adequate extended care services in the region provides opportunities for real estate investors and developers who are looking for growth sectors outside of the traditional assets classes�

Specialist facilities Sinha says that a range of specialist facilities are likely to emerge over time, particularly for rehabilitation and long-term care.

Freeing up space Provision of extended care services in the region will allow hospitals to free up acute care bed capacity and retain complex cases locally.

overall disease burden across any given population, which will in turn reduce insurance costs over the longer term.

Patients: Access to a comprehensive care continuum including extended care services supports patients in their transition through their comprehensive treatment, in a more suitable setting surrounded by the supportive network of family and friends.

Regulators: Regulators across the region are actively working to improve and standardize patient pathways, focus efforts on preventive and secondary care, and enhancing the utilization of existing infrastructure by streamlining acute and non-acute modalities of care.

Regulators across the region are seeking to attract additional investment and redistribute the costs of providing healthcare by partnering with the private sector. The Saudi Ministry of Health (MOH) has clearly identified private sector participation as a key theme for their Vision 2030 transformation program. The envisioned business model includes an increased focus on developing extended care facilities.

Society: The availability of adequate home care, hospice care, palliative care and long term and rehabilitative care facilities lessens the financial and emotional burden on families and the wider community.

IMPLICATIONS FOR DIFFERENT STAKEHOLDERS Healthcare providers: Provision of extended care services in the region will allow for hospitals to free up acute care bed capacity and at the same time retain complex cases locally, with the promise of continuity of care post-hospital discharge.

Payers (insurance providers): The costs of treating patients in extended care facilities should be lower than treating them in traditional hospitals and clinics. The expansion of this sector will therefore lessen the burden on insurance companies and healthcare providers. Moreover, the provision of adequate extended care facilities should result in a reduction in the MEConstructionNews.com | January 2021

20

IN PROFILE

Trojan Holding

Quick to Adapt ENGINEER HAMAD AL AMERI, MANAGING DIRECTOR OF TROJAN HOLDING, TELLS BIG PROJECT ME THAT WHILE THE CONSTRUCTION SECTOR MAY HAVE BEEN HIT

BY THE PANDEMIC, HIS GROUP’S EMBEDDED CULTURAL VALUES HAVE HELPED IT MOVE THROUGH THE CRISIS WITH MINIMAL DISRUPTION

January 2021 | MEConstructionNews.com

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MEConstructionNews.com | January 2021

22

IN PROFILE

ngineer Hamad Al Ameri, the managing director of Trojan Holding, believes in running his company of 25,000 employees like it is part of one big family. In an interview with Big Project Middle East in 2019, he explained that part of his management philosophy includes implementing processes and procedures in place to help keep employees on the right career track, in the right positions, and with the right communication from the right parties to help them grow and develop.

At the time, he stated that the company has an open-door policy in place, with the focus being not just on the well-being and welfare of individuals, but also on the health and strength of the collective, with all employees free to share ideas or communicate their problems to management, starting with himself.

This company-wide cultural mindset is what has allowed Trojan Holding to grow exponentially within just a

January 2021 | MEConstructionNews.com

Our experience has shown that with the right mindset and team you can surmount any obstacle, which is how we were able to successfully address the immediate challenges that COVID-19 represented” Cultural mindset Eng Hamad Al Ameri says that he encourages a company environment where employees can share ideas and communicate problems to senior management.

25,000

Number of employees under Trojan Holding

decade of operations, he highlights.

Havined started off as a general contractor in 2009, the company now has eight subsidiaries operating across the sector, with projects in a variety of fields, including residential, hospitality, industrial, military, infrastructure, and healthcare.

Catching up with Al Ameri in the wake of one of the toughest years the construction industry – and the world in general – has faced, Big Project ME learns that the values and cultural practices that Trojan has had in place since its inception, have been the very things that have allowed it to continue to survive, and indeed thrive,

despite the ravages of the pandemic.

“In light of the impact that the virus has generally had on individual mobility, the allocation and shifting of labour resources and potential staffing shortages, we expected disruption and delays in the supply chain — in particular with contractors, subcontractors and contract administrators,” says Al Ameri.

“However, at Trojan, we implemented various measures early on to keep our staff safe and the virus at bay, and I’m pleased to say that this has resulted in minimal work disruption; in fact, all of our projects are in the process of being

IN PROFILE

delivered on schedule. This shows us that there is a way forward, as long as you’re responsive and, more pertinently, adaptive.

“We have been quick to adapt, taking every possible measure early on to ensure the safety of our employees, as well as the timely delivery of all our projects, with minimal disruption.

We have effectively utilised all of our resources to respond to this health threat in the most responsible way, for the safety of the community, our families, and ourselves,” he asserts.

Because of this early action, Trojan was able to implement precautionary measures well in advance of other companies in its sector, with Al Ameri and his team

developing an emergency and crisis management plan that also focused on ensuring business continuity.

“The company also conducted 24,000 tests for early detection among employees, and had its workforce medically assessed and classified into different categories for easy reference.

“We implemented a variety of social distancing and hygiene measures during transportation and across all offices, facilities and sites, including: UV disinfection at offices and on shared transportation; sanitation gates at camps and projects, using approved EPA/CDC chemicals; hand sanitisers and water taps replaced with touchless devices; portable forehead thermal scanners used within

Comprehensive measures Trojan Holding’s early action to the pandemic allowed work to continue seamlessly on its projects, despite restrictions and precautions.

24,000 Number of tests for early detection conducted

23

all facilities and for all employees, and thermal scanners installed at labour camps to monitor their vital symptoms; multilingual audios about COVID-19 (prevention methods, the dos and don’ts) playing continuously during transportation; and, of course, the cancellation of all gathering and events, with meetings held remotely.

“These comprehensive measures have ensured Trojan’s capability to continue work as seamlessly as possible, while ensuring its workforce family is educated about the crisis and remains safe and healthy throughout,” he asserts.

Al Ameri explains that one of the reasons Trojan and its subsidiaries has been able to navigate through MEConstructionNews.com | January 2021

24

IN PROFILE

We implemented various measures early on to keep our staff safe and the virus at bay, and I’m pleased to say that this has resulted in minimal work disruption; in fact, all projects are in the process of being delivered on schedule” January 2021 | MEConstructionNews.com

these troubled months is because of the company’s mindset and experience, which has helped it through many challenges previously.

“First and foremost, our experience has shown that with the right mindset and team you can surmount any obstacle, which is how we were able to successfully address the immediate challenges that COVID-19 represented to the construction industry.

“Additionally, moving forward, the shift to remote ways of working will have more longevity than initially expected, and we will be relying even more heavily on digital collaboration tools and latest technologies, that minimise cost and save time,” he says.

“As a construction company the daily

Digital collaboration Al Meri says that the shift to remote working has more longevity that expected, and that digital collaboration and technologies will be relied on more in the future.

2021

Oil, gas and energy sector projects are targets

management of tasks primarily take place on the construction site, however, the operations team and the employees in Trojan’s HO worked remotely.”

Trojan’s shift to remote working was very streamlined as the company has invested in a robust management software to keep track of tasks and deliverables set by managers for the workforce.

“Surprisingly, remote working actually increased efficiency and employees found they saved time without the commute to work.”

Al Ameri is a firm advocate of technology, pointing out that it has been a main driver of advancements in the construction industry. In the coming years, he anticipates

IN PROFILE

that robotics and drones will be in greater use across the entire sector.

“We already use drones to map project sites, and this improves efficiency and allows us to reduce costs. Another great way to reduce costs and lead times is modular construction, which is the use of standardised processes to assemble as much as we can off-site, before completion on-site; this allows flexibility during rapid market shifts.

“Additionally, the emergence of AR, 3D scanning and printing, autonomous equipment and advanced building materials – all of these have now reached market maturity. Many of these newly emerging technologies have benefitted the construction industry globally during the pandemic.

I believe the pandemic has accelerated the adoption of such technologies and has shed a light on what is possible in the near future,” he emphasises.

Looking to the future, Al Ameri says that Trojan is already working towards

New opportunities Al Ameri says that Trojan has identified new projects and opportunities to target in 2021, including in Europe and in the oil, gas and energy sectors.

identifying new projects and targets in 2021, having spent 2020 working on several projects, including Al Falah 899 villas by Aldar, Minsk Multifunctional Hotel Complex (Phase 1) by Viceroy Hotel Group and the infrastructure

25

and streetscape for Riyadh City South Phase 1 & 2, Abu Dhabi.

“Our major wins this year were projects in mass-housing and infrastructure such as the Baniyas North Infrastructure Streetscape and 1365 Villas project by Modon Properties PJSC, the food and logistics warehouse at Kizad in Khalifa Industrial Zone, Khalifa Port, Abu Dhabi. In addition to, infrastructure projects such as Etihad Rail by Modon Properties,” he says.

“We have already identified new projects to target in 2021, mainly in the oil, gas and energy sector, as well as in the social infrastructure sector. With new projects in these sectors, we plan to enhance our portfolio. We also plan to maintain our dominance in hospitality, housing and high-rise projects in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, and the company is working hard to establish a presence in Europe, in addition to implementing our expansion plans into neighbouring GCC countries.”

Tafawuq provides technology driven integrated facilities management solutions to a wide range of clients in various sectors focusing on residential, commercial and mixed use communities

Driving Asset Management Forward

MEConstructionNews.com | January 2021

26

| MEConstructionNews.com | MEConstructionNews.com July-August January 20212020

PROJECT PROFILE

27

Dubai Harbour Cruise Terminal CLIENT: Shamal Development CLIENT REPRESENTATIVE: North25 LEAD CONSULTANT: Dar Consultants MAIN CONTRACTOR: ASGC MEP CONTRACTOR: ASU LANDSCAPE CONTRACTOR: Desert Group FIT-OUT CONTRACTOR: ASI FF&E SPECIALIST: Al Shaya HARDSCAPE CONTRACTOR: Al Marwan

Set to Cruise

BIG PROJECT ME SPEAKS TO ASGC ABOUT THE WORK IT HAS CARRIED ON THE DUBAI HARBOUR CRUISE TERMINAL, A VITAL PART OF DUBAI’S MARINE TOURISM PLAN | July-August | January 2020 MEConstructionNews.com MEConstructionNews.com 2021

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PROJECT PROFILE

aunched in January 2017 by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Dubai Harbour is a 1,858,060-square metre development located on King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud Street in the Mina Seyahi area.

Set to feature a shopping mall, luxury residential units, restaurants, cafés, hotels, and a yacht club as well as Dubai Lighthouse – 135-metrehigh architectural landmark – the project aims to help establish Dubai amongst the world’s best cities.

Adding to the ambitious project is the Dubai Harbour Cruise Terminal – a 120,000 square metre cruise facility that includes two terminal buildings strategically located on a pier stretching 910 metres, capable of catering to the complete passenger turnaround of two mega cruise ships at the same time.

With tourism key to the development of the UAE’s economy, the Dubai

January 2021 | MEConstructionNews.com

The timeline for the project was 595 days, and the DCD certificate was recieved on October 10. The building completion certificate was received on November 4, and the project handover application has been sent to the client” Passenger turnaround The Terminal will be capable of catering to the complete passenger turnaround of two mega cruise ships at the same time.

595

Total days construction of the Terminal

Harbour Cruise Terminal is central to the emirate’s plans to transform into a fully integrated marine tourism hub, with the project set to become the main cruise terminal in Dubai and a gateway to exploring the world-class attractions available.

Reinforcing that ambition, a strategic partnership between Meraas, the government-backed developer behind the project, and Carnival Corporation & PLC, the world’s largest travel leisure company, has been signed which will see the two companies collaborate across several strategic areas, including port development, terminal management, and new cruise development opportunities at

Dubai Harbour and the broader region.

Dubai is also set to become central to Carnival Corporation’s operations in the region, with the British-American company setting up its primary hub at the Dubai Harbour Cruise Terminal.

Furthermore, the agreement states that the company will assist Meraas in ensuring that the cruise terminal meets the highest international standards of the cruise industry, while relevant authorities will be responsible for security, immigration, and customs.

Given the size, scale, and importance of the project, Meraas appointed Dubai-based contractor ASGC to build the Dubai Harbour Cruise Terminal, setting it up as main contractor to not only construct two main cruise terminal buildings, but also to build service buildings, a central unit building with all associated fit-out works, and external works, including all finishes, infrastructure, curtain walls, standing seams, aluminium shingles, internal finishes, MEP, and landscape works (soft and hardscape, as well as road works).

“Dubai Harbour Cruise Terminal is home to two cruise terminal buildings, spanning a total of 30,000sqm, joined by a single quay of about 1km, capable of accommodating up to three cruise ships concurrently, including Carnival Corporation’s newest and most advanced cruise ships, and XL Class ships, as well as up to 13,200 passengers at a time,” a statement from ASGC to Big Project ME

PROJECT PROFILE

says, adding that in addition to the above said buildings, there is a 700-metre steel walkway to allow passengers to walk from the ships to the terminal buildings.

The civil and structural build elements include concrete, reinforcement, and formwork masonry, it states.

“The timeline for the project was 595 days, and the DCD certificate was received on October 10, 2020. The building completion certificate was received on November 4, 2020,” the contractor adds. The first milestone for the project was the handover of the apron, as well as the power connection to receive the gangway. This was achieved on January 21, 2020, ASGC says.

The second milestone on the project was giving access to the operator on

910m Total length of the Harbour pier

Quality delivery ASGC utilised most of its own supply chain and in-house resources to ensure a quality and timely delivery of the project.

July 1, 2020, the company says. “The building completion certificate was received on November 4, 2020, and the project handover application has been sent to the client. Currently, there are some IT infrastructure works that are in progress, and once those are completed, the operational team for the cruise terminals can fully operate them,” the statement adds.

As a vertically integrated construction company founded and operating out of Dubai, ASGC says that it is an ideal partner for a project of this scale and complexity.

The company owns most of its supply chain and utilises mostly in-house resources, giving it a high degree of control over project quality and timely delivery.

29

ASGC says that this has been an approach it has grown and developed over the last 30 years, as it has turned itself into an industry-leading construction company for the execution of turnkey special projects in the UAE. Amongst its catalogue of projects are the likes of the Coca Cola Arena, Mohamed Bin Rashid Library, Etihad Museum, Blue Waters Island, City Walk and the Sustainability Pavilion at the Expo 2020 site. These projects showed that ASGC had the capability and expertise to build the cruise terminal project, the company highlights.

However, while the scale and size of the project is nothing new to ASGC, the circumstances they found themselves in during the construction phase certainly were different.

MEConstructionNews.com | January 2021

30

PROJECT PROFILE

It was imperative that a large number of peoples were deployed on the work site. Life was at risk when working in high-risk areas such as at height, deep excavations, confined spaces and over water” January 2021 | MEConstructionNews.com

“The main challenge on this project was the timeline, as it’s a very tight schedule. In addition, to that there were the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

A management plan was prepared, and the COVID-19 plan was applicable to all subcontractors’ vendors and visitor and was clearly communicated as such in the relevant formats to all subcontractors.

“During the pandemic, we locked down and sterilised the construction site, so that we were permitted to remain operational under the COVID-19 Authority Guidelines. In addition, health surveillance was carried out on ASGC employees at site, with cause, and on return from leave before starting back to work. Transfers from other camps were also assessed on arrival.

700m Total length of the steel walkway

Safety on site ASGC deployed stringent COVID-19 safety procedures on the project site to ensure its continued smooth and safe operation.

“DHA approved nurses employed

by ASGC monitored temperatures with a non-contact thermometer and assessed overall visual health signs and symptoms. Any persons with high temperature or showing signs and symptoms (but not meeting the criteria of a suspected case) may be asked to wait out in isolation and be monitored further or sent home to rest and reassessment before being permitted to return to work,” it adds.

Furthermore, the contractor adds that the HSE Management Team it is important to plan out Health, Safety and Environment protocols at the earliest stage if ill health and injuries arising from the construction process are to be avoided.

PROJECT PROFILE

“This ‘Safety, Health and Environment Management Plan’ has been prepared to describe how the works should be managed and controlled, in order to protect the safety, health and welfare of all the personnel engaged on the Dubai Harbour Cruise Terminal project, as well as others who may be affected by the operations.

“ASGC recognises the social responsibilities it has, which starts with the paramount importance it places on HSE in all its operations.

One of our greatest assets is our workforce, and it is a major concern of ours to ensure their effective, efficient, and safe performance.

“The biggest challenge during the project’s construction was to ensure

that human lives were not affected by the various activities and tasks that form part of the construction process.

It was imperative that a large number of peoples were deployed on the work site to deliver the project. Life was also at risk when working in hazardous and high-risk areas such as working at height, deep excavations, confined spaces and even working over or adjacent water,” the contractor explains, adding that approximately 4.1 million manhours were completed without any LTI. Most of the other challenges encountered on the project were related to logistics, ASGC says, highlighting that only 40 percent of the plot was reclaimed at the start of handover. To overcome these logistical challenges, the

BIM usage BIM was utilised extensively on the project due to its size and complexity, with coordination between many services required.

13,200 Number of passengers that can be accommodated at a time

31

contractor had to formulate a strategy for its construction sequence in such a way that whatever land was available, it could be utilised for construction.

“Being on a newly built island, the infrastructure was another challenge. A lot of micromanagement for coordination of the infrastructure services, with all the stakeholders, was done,” it adds.

“Therefore, the BIM model was one of the important technologies we used on this project, as it allowed us to coordinate all the façade elements together, as well as the concrete and steel structures, so as to avoid any clashes or miscoordination, which could have easily happened without the use of BIM,” the contractor says in conclusion.

MEConstructionNews.com | January 2021

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EVENT REVIEW

Construction Industry Golf Day

Construction Industry Golf Day 2020 MIDDLE EAST

Big Project ME recaps the events of the 2020 edition of the annual Construction Industry Golf Day, which was held at the Trump International Golf Course

T

his year, the Trump International Golf Course played host to the annual Construction

Industry Golf Day, with more than 70 construction industry professionals taking part in day out on the golf greens – in a socially distanced and safe manner of course!

The day-long golf tournament took place over 18-holes and featured on-course competitions and networking in a relaxed and fun-filled environment.

Targeted at senior executives and decision-makers from some of the region’s most prominent consultants and contractors, attendees at the Construction Industry Golf Day 2020 came from companies as diverse as ALEC, Besix, AECOM, Arcadis, Omnium, McLaren, Kier and Arup.

After a long day of competition in beautiful weather, the winning team, with a total net score of 50.8 was Mark Harris, Chris Graham, Brian Dowling and Steve Duthie.

They won Golf Travel Bags and Golf belts provided by AGMC and a round of golf each at the Trump Golf Club.

Second after a count back over the last 9 with a total net score of 56 was Daniel Crossan, Steve Caygill, Keith Kiely and Riley Smith and they won a brunch for four at The Croft.

The winner of the Longest Drive Competition on hole nine was Francios Van Niekerk and was he was presented a set of Pro V1 golf balls by Driver Trett.

The Nearest the Pin competition winner on hole 15 was Daniel Brooks and he won a 4-ball at the Trump Golf Club courtesy of Gebal and Rhino.

There was also a raffle to win a staycation at the Atlantis sponsored by Tenderd and the winner picked was Sean Fenner.

Raz Islam, managing director of CPI Trade Media, told Big Project ME that he was

SPONSORS & PARTNERS

January 2021 | MEConstructionNews.com

delighted with the turnout on the day, especially after such a tough year for the industry.

He thanked the sponsors and participants for their support in making the event a success.

“A special thank you is due to our sponsors and partners without whom it would not be possible to hold the Construction Industry Golf Day: STO, Gebal and Rhino; 12d Model and GCSolutions; RIB CCS; Himoinsa; Johnson Arabia; RMD Kwikform; Driver Trett; Safelift; Tenderd; Mirage; Berkeley Services; Precipio; and The Croft.

“And of course, thank you to BMW for providing an opportunity to competitors to win a car. Hopefully, someone will be able to win it next time! Congratulation to the prize winners, and we look forward to seeing you all at the next event!”

EVENT REVIEW

33

MEConstructionNews.com | January 2021

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EVENT REVIEW

BIM Summit 2020

Virtual Middle East BIM Summit 2020

Big Project ME recaps the first-ever virtual edition of the annual Middle East BIM Summit, a three-day event held from November 23 to 25 GOLD SPONSOR

BRONZE SPONSOR

BRONZE SPONSOR

BRONZE SPONSOR

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MEDIA PARTNER

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January 2021 | MEConstructionNews.com

EVENT REVIEW

F

rom November 23 to 25, Big Project Middle East held the first-ever virtual edition of its annual Middle East BIM Summit, which was returning for its fifth year. The free-toattend event was broadcasted to more than 1000 viewers across

the regional and international construction industry.

The three-day event incorporated three panel discussions and four presentations about emerging challenges in the construction industry, BIM technology solutions, and project management strategies.

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Industry experts and knowledge partners also shared their insights on how BIM and its associated technologies have allowed contractors and consultants to seamlessly bridge the gap between being physically onsite and working remotely due to the pandemic.

The event was supported

by ASGC, 12d Model, Global Construction Solutions, KEO International Consultants, and RIB Software.

To view the panel discussions and presentations, please visit: https://meconstructionnews. com/virtual-summits/

data generated across a project lifecycle is left unused, but that trends are changing and this data will be available at the start.

Wissam Hijazi, director for Virtual Design and Construction Services at EllisDon, highlighted the supply chain’s roles and responsibilities.

“We are now focusing on data transfer protocols, which leads us to another point – the compatibility of the platforms.

With collaboration happening online, we have to ensure that our communication channels are open, the software is compatible, and that all the systems can talk to each other.

Additionally, utilisation of international protocols and standards is another key aspect,

especially on projects where we are collaborating with players from around the world.”

Speaking from a client’s perspective, David Glennon, Digital Delivery director for The Red Sea Development Company, added that GIS, BIM, sensors, etc. are being used to understand what is going on at the site from an environmental perspective.

He explained that bringing these data sets together to make betterinformed decisions have helped them understand the impact of what they are doing there.

At 12 PM, Herman van Eeden, senior consultant at RIB Software, concluded the day’s discussion by explaining how to bring cost plans to life using BIM revisions.

Virtual Middle East BIM Summit 2020: Day One Recap The ME BIM Summit kicked off on Day One at 10 AM, with a panel moderated by Nicky Dobreanu, Business Development board member and Dubai Hub committee member at CIOB. The hour-long discourse focused on how companies have streamlined their project delivery approach despite being constrained by the pandemic’s challenges.

Panellists also discussed how virtual and cloud-based platforms have helped improve efficiencies and performances in managing this change.

Juan Tena Florez, regional digital design manager at KEO International Consultants, began the discussion by saying that anyone working on BIM knows that collaboration and communication between the teams are very important.

“We collaborate using cloud systems among our different offices and we have also seen an increase in communication between our different teams during the pandemic. Another important point is that we have always tried to embrace and promote collaboration and communication within our supply chain, and have witnessed its increase in ourselves, our partners, and our clients.

We have also made sure that our teams are using the right technology, and we have also trained our teams remotely to keep this momentum going.”

Suhail Arfath, director for Digital Transformation and Innovation at Hloov, stated that he agreed with Florez about communication and collaboration being key for capital projects.

“We need to democratise the data across this projectstakeholder village – it takes a village to build a project of this size or sometimes even a whole city – when we are talking about, for instance, The Red Sea Project. Democratising the data means that everyone has access to the data based on what their role is. As an industry, we have to stop holding back the information and start converting the intelligence in that data.”

He added that if we were to look at figures – 95% of the

MEConstructionNews.com | January 2021

36

EVENT REVIEW

Virtual Middle East BIM Summit 2020: Day Two Recap

The ME BIM Summit regrouped on Day Two at 10 AM to debate the critical need for a viable BIM mandate for the AEC industry, given the current circumstances.

Moderated by Prakash Senghani, director, head of Digital Delivery at JLL, the discussion focused on creating a common language for processes, and the need for greater transparency and openness across a project’s workflow.

Alex Albani, Professor of Architecture at American University of Dubai, started the day’s discussion by briefly introducing BIM mandates from around the world. He talked about how certain countries such as the US, Scandinavia, Finland, and Sweden began their BIM journey and the time it took for these countries to make BIM a requirement, and the need for mandating.

Anas Bataw, director for Centre of Excellence in Smart Construction at Heriot-Watt University Dubai, meanwhile, said that BIM was implemented across the world even before mandates were introduced.

However, governments felt that mandates were necessary due to how BIM was being implemented especially for the public sector.

Senghani, here, elaborated on Bataw’s point. He said that it’s not just about forcing people to adopt BIM, but it’s a case of standardisation and actively defining certain situations.

Talking about the risks associated with putting mandates

January 2021 | MEConstructionNews.com

in place, RIB’s Herman van Eeden, said that initially when BIM was introduced, there was a misconception in the industry that it was only to help designers. “In reality”, he stated, “it can be used throughout the project lifecycle.”

“We need to wake up, and industry bodies need to get involved in getting a broader buy-in and say that it’s not just a design tool, it’s something

that can help stakeholders in the end-to-end process. This is where viability comes in for me, in terms of ticking all the stakeholder boxes and knowing that it benefits everyone.”

Cathal McGee, senior project manager from iTech Engineering, added, “The mandate is a baseline for basic requirements and minimum standards, and not a one-size fits all solution, there is a lot that can be developed on top of that. Once there is a mandate, every agency responsible, can develop on top of the baseline mandate.”

This was followed by a presentation at noon from Engineer Noora Nabil Bin Haider from Dubai Municipality. She spoke about the Dubai’s BIM Roadmap for building construction as well as touched upon Dubai hosting the local chapter of buildingSMART International.

She was later joined by Ali Ismail, BIM specialist from Dubai Municipality, who answered viewers’ questions after the presentation.

EVENT REVIEW

37

Virtual Middle East BIM Summit 2020: Day Three Recap

Dr Fadi Bayoud, founder and director at Strategic Anchors, moderated the final panel discussion of the three-day long ME BIM Summit, which included an exciting debate on how disparate technologies can be combined with BIM to create in-depth and informed models. Industry experts also focused on how technology can be an enabler for BIM, allowing it to be implemented through the whole process.

Hisham Laila, AR/VR digital specialist at EllisDon, pointed out an interesting fact; many people think GIS and geo-referencing can be part of BIM itself, but that this is not true. BIM actually contains only the 3D geometry of the building that will be used later for construction.

However, GIS is more about site-related data and how this data can be analysed and utilised in construction.

Suhas Jadhal, senior product manager for AEC at Hexagon PPM, added that they have used geomatics across the

industry, such as geospatial, autonomy positioning, etc.

“We not only produce the software, but we also produce the hardware and sensors, which use geomatics to a great extent. We spend about 12% of our net sales revenue in R&D to develop innovative products, for instance, mining sensors, which are used by contractors. We spend a lot

of time in R&D to bring that knowledge to the field, and to the market, from concept to a working solution.”

He added that their ROIbased solutions result from business-driven outcomes for their clients so that they can see the value.

Talking about GIS’ benefits, Rabih Bou Rashid, MD at FEDS Drone Powered Solutions,

added that GIS would provide accurate data that will allow the people on the field to make decisions with confidence. He elaborated on how accurate real-time data can be collected, and how its growth can be identified from an early stage.

Arsen Safaryan, head of BIM and Digital Construction at ALEC, stated that geomatics is related to specific usecases. Therefore, it’s not a commonly talked about subject in the construction industry, he noted, concluding the Middle East BIM Summit’s final panel discussion.

Following this, Graham Wirth, Product sales manager at 12d Model, presented at noon about digital transformation in the civil infrastructure industry.

At 2 PM, Rouba Zantout, Professional Services manager from Khatib & Alami (K&A) also presented a case study about K&A’s reality model in Oman. This presentation concluded the final day of the fifth edition of the Middle East BIM Summit.

MEConstructionNews.com | January 2021

A supplement of:

FIRE & LIFE SAFETY REPORT

The Role of Cables BASEC EXPLAINS HOW A CABLE’S FIRE PERFORMANCE CAN SAVE LIVES AND PROPERTY Case Study: Pullman Sharjah HOCHIKI SHOWCASES HOW ITS PRODUCTS HAVE BEEN DEPLOYED ON A HOSPITALITY PROJECT IN SHARJAH

Reassessing Fire Strategies

SAM ALCOCK OF TENABLE DISCUSSES HOW FIRE AND LIFE SAFETY STRATEGIES NEED TO EVOLVE IN ORDER TO BETTER PROTECT PEOPLE AND BUILDINGS

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EXPERT VOICE

Tenable

Reassessing Fire Strategies MIDDLE EAST

Sam Alcock, Tenable Fire Engineering Consultancy’s Dubai director, speaks to Big Project ME about how fire and life safety strategies need to evolve, so as to protect buildings and their residents

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ith close to a decade’s worth of experience in a range of fire engineering consulting roles, Sam Alcock, Tenable Fire Engineering Consultancy’s Dubai director, is well-versed in understanding what it takes to develop a coherent and comprehensive fire and life safety strategy. Having worked on several large-scale international projects in the Maldives, Vietnam, Africa, Saudi Arabia, Oman, and the UAE, he has garnered a wealth of knowledge and insight into the many challenges that come with formulating safety codes, designing fire safety systems, performancebased fire design, and third-party verification, amongst others.

Fire & Life Safety Report 2021 | MEConstructionNews.com

Speaking to Big Project ME for the Fire and Life Safety Report 2020, Alcock says that fire safety should be the responsibility of everyone on a project, and that the construction industry needs to reassess how it views fire safety design. With the industry going through a profound transformation in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, he believes that there is an opportunity ahead to improve codes and standards across the region, with governments and the private sector coming together to protect lives and prevent deadly accidents before they happen.

What makes for a good Fire and Life Safety Strategy?

The first thing is to be project specific – a lot of the time, the code is quite generic, and while

I know people think that goes without saying, but a lot of times on projects that we’ve peerreviewed, we have found that the strategy is very vague. So, for me, a key component of a good Fire and Life Safety Strategy is for it to be project specific, highlighting the fundamental requirements that are appropriate to ensure that you are not over-designing, or worse, under-designing. That is crucial, as you do not want to inhibit cost to the client by over-designing. However, you will also incur additional costs for the client if you under-design.

Another key component is explaining or identifying any performance-based designs. If you have a unique building and must use CFD, or if you are using an evacuation model to justify

FOR MORE INFORMATION Please visit the Tenable Fire Engineering Consultancy website at: www.tenablefec.com extended travel distances, then that has to be clearly identified within the fire strategy, because that is the approach one is taking.

So, in the future, should there be any modifications, someone would be able to read the strategy report and go, ‘Right, this what they have done; and this is why they did it’.

For example, if we’re doing a fit-out in a mall for a large tenant, then we have to follow that mall’s fire strategy. If that mall’s strategy is not clear enough, or if they haven’t mentioned something like, ‘all independent or large retail units in the mall require smoke control’, and if the code that we are designing to doesn’t require that, then we are not going to provide smoke control for that specific retail unit, because it’s not been mentioned in the strategy report.

However, if the report does say that all retail units should have smoke control, then we are going to design it into the system.

This illustrates how important it is to have clear-cut information, because otherwise, you’ll face difficulties later on and there will be knock-on effects.

One of the most important components of any fire and life safety strategy is to record and note any discussions with the authorities, where relaxations and exemptions have been discussed and agreed upon.

That’s very important, because if they are not recorded, then who is really going to know?

How do you ensure that the Fire and Life Safety Strategy is an integral part of the construction process?

It’s very difficult – unless we are actually appointed during the construction phase, we can’t ensure that. We hope that everyone follows the original strategy and intent, but unless we, or another fire consultant, is actually appointed during the construction phase, then we are not really going to know if it’s being followed.

The benefit we have in the UAE is the Civil Defence – when you make a submission and receive Civil Defence approval, these drawings are well detailed, and if any changes or modifications are made to these drawings during the construction phase, you have to resubmit them to Civil Defence.

This is so that when the building is complete, and the inspectors carry out their assessment, they will be able to see that these drawings match what is constructed.

This gives a bit of comfort to the likes of us, because if we’re not involved in the construction stage, then at least these are the steps that have to be legally followed.

Of course, if we are appointed early in the construction process, then it’s a completely different story.

For me, a key component of a good Fire and Life Safety Strategy is for it to be project specific, highlighting the fundamental requirements that are appropriate to ensure that you are not over-designing, or worse, underdesigning”

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Who is ultimately responsible for the Fire and Life Safety Strategy of a project?

In my opinion, everyone is responsible. The fire strategy report caters to every single discipline involved on a project. Everyone is responsible, but ultimately, it’s really the fire engineering consultancy’s responsibility to ensure that the strategy is followed. During construction, there are always minor tweaks or changes, or optimisation or value engineering takes place. This has to be managed by the fire engineering consultant to ensure these changes are not compromising on any life safety matters.

Finally, what can you say about how the private sector can work with the government sector to improve standards?

The UAE has a very robust code, and so does Saudi Arabia. They follow a lot of the International Building Code, which is great to see. While all countries have their own codes or specific requirements, some of them are not as thorough or detailed as the UAE or Saudi codes. A lot of them have certain requirements, but also give the flexibility to use international standards like the NFPA or IBC codes practice.

Wherever their code is silent or doesn’t go into detail, they refer back to international best practices.

My opinion is that each country should have a committee, formed by the government and the private sector. Also, like the NFPA and IBC codes practice, a new version of the code should be released every few years. There will be changes compared to previous editions, but these will be highlighted within the code. All of these changes come from professional opinions and the latest trends and put to the committee to be accepted. Only when all of this is agreed upon and is it then put into code. There is a lot of planning that goes into it.

MEConstructionNews.com | Fire & Life Safety Report 2021

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CASE STUDY

Hochiki

Hochiki products check-in to Pullman Sharjah Hotel

MIDDLE EAST

Life safety technologies provider Hochiki showcases how its L@titude and FIREscape products is benefiting its client, the Pullman Sharjah Hotel and Residential Unit Fire & Life Safety Report 2021 | MEConstructionNews.com

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he Pullman Sharjah Hotel and Residential Unit, a luxury twin tower block located in the United Arab Emirates, is benefiting from a range of innovative life safety technologies from leading manufacturer, Hochiki.

The 43-storey property is home to a modern 5-star hotel in one tower and residential apartment block in the other, with a communal basement connecting the two. With approximately 1,500 occupants,

installation firm, Dafoos Fire Protection, knew the buildings needed to be equipped with the latest fire and safety technology, so turned to Hochiki Middle East to provide a hospitality solution that met the required standards and could be installed with minimal disruption.

Dafoos Fire Protection specified Hochiki’s renowned L@titude system – a powerful and sophisticated control and indication system that combines the very latest hardware and software – and FIREscape emergency lighting.

CASE STUDY

Challenging project The Pullman Sharjah project posed a challenge due to the building infrastructure and the number of devices needed.

144 Number

of zone indicators required

AN INNOVATIVE, RELIABLE SOLUTION The innovative life safety platform, L@titude, has been installed by Dafoos Fire Protection across the numerous floors of the hotel and residential units, to ensure controlled and ultra-reliable protection for occupants and their possessions.

The L@titude control panel has been designed to maximise usability and ease of operation for end users, so facilities management and maintenance teams can instantly locate safety breaches in real-time from any location. To allow clear and concise information to be displayed about each detection device within the hotel and apartment blocks, the product also uses a full-colour touchscreen display.

The modular nature of the system allows all field wiring to be connected to a passive mother board, enabling addition, re-configuration, or replacement of electronic hardware without the need to disconnect older wiring. This, in turn, allowed for a quick and easy installation process, with minimal disruption.

The L@titude panel is available in either EN or UL system configurations, ideal for a region that regularly specifies projects involved in both types of system approvals.

For this project, an EN (European) system was specified, with L@titude being complaint with the highest European global safety standards, including EN54-2, EN54-4 and EN5413, while supporting up to 5,000 cause and effect entries. The platform has a 10,000-capacity event log and can run up to 144 zone indicators.

Subin Suhas, territory sales manager at Hochiki Middle East, explains: “This project was quite challenging due to the infrastructure and the number of devices that

This project was quite challenging due to the infrastructure and the number of devices that would be needed throughout the buildings” would be needed throughout the buildings. As we were working within a hotel as well, the client wanted to ensure the products used were of a high quality and known for fewer false alarms, so we knew L@titude was the perfect solution. The fact we could offer a combination of fire alarms and emergency devices under the same umbrella was also an added advantage, with FIREscape ensuring an added layer of safety for occupiers.”

FIREscape is a unique, cost effective and fully compliant emergency

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lighting system. It is based around an addressable, emergency lighting control panel with a battery backup and features self-contained LED luminaries and exit signage connected via screened, extra-low voltage cabling.

It is also a fully self-monitored and self-testing system with a central point of control, making both installation and maintenance quick and easy.

Dafoos Fire Protection installed seven L@titude panels, each of which had eight circuit loops, and around 3,500 fire alarm devices throughout the towers. Eight emergency lighting panels and 1,200 devices were installed. Throughout the installation, Hochiki engineers visited the site on multiple occasions to provide extended help in design and commissioning, and to offer support with inspections from the civil defence.

Vijay Chandran, marketing manager at Dafoos Fire Protection Equipment, commented: “For this project, we needed to ensure we could provide reliable products with high compliance to standards. Hochiki clearly outlined how each of the products conformed to industry, European and global standards, and we were also very impressed with the quality of materials used.

“Due to the scale of the project, the approvals process involved different stages with multiple product submittal involving numerous brands, but Hochiki really stood out and the support we received from its team of engineers throughout the installation was extremely valuable in ensuring the work ran smoothly. The installation was quick and easy, and we’ve left the customer with the confidence that the building is protected to the highest standard.”

MEConstructionNews.com | Fire & Life Safety Report 2021

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OPINION

Cables

The role of cables in the event of a fire MIDDLE EAST

A cables’ fire performance can make the difference between a small accident and a dangerous fire outbreak. Learn more about the role of cables in fire conditions, the relevant safety standards and how they can be assessed

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hroughout the world approximately 51,000 electrical fires break out every year. Statistics state that failures in electrical distribution systems are the third leading cause of fire outbreaks.

Cables with lower safety standards can provoke the arcs that ignite the outbreaks and can also be the reason as to why fires spread quickly, generate opaque smoke and toxic gases.

LOW SMOKE EMISSION CABLES High-density opaque smoke can impact visibility and therefore hamper evacuation procedures.

Further to that, inhalation of toxic gases in found within smoke is the primary cause of fatalities, accounting for a staggering 44% of all fatalities - source: British Department for Communities and Local Government 2005. For example, it is calculated that every year in Europe,

Fire & Life Safety Report 2021 | MEConstructionNews.com

Spreading fire Cables with lower safety standards can be a reason why fires spread quickly, generate opaque smoke and toxic gases

Guiding design Many cable standards exist to guide the design and testing mehtods for fireresistant cables.

44%

of all fatalities are caused by toxic gases in smoke

gas and smoke emissions during fires claim 30,000 victims, as cited by CTIF 2003-2004. Controlling the opaque smoke generated, in a fire scenario, is a must as it facilitates the safe evacuation of building occupants. To ensure the safety of the end-users, cables should successfully pass smoke density tests as per IEC/EN 61034.

The smoke density test assesses the level of light transmitted, from one side of the chamber to the other, whilst the cable is under fire conditions.

The light transmitted should not be below the standards specified level.

The recommended performance requirement is compliance with the minimum value of light transmittance detailed in the standard. In IEC/EN 61034 this is 60%, some cable standards such as BS 6724 and BS 7846 require better performance and specify the minimum value for light transmittance as 70%. When specifying the required levels for your project, you should

OPINION

always specify the maximum level of protection, depending on the application.

FLAME RETARDANT CABLES Flame retardant cables are a vital element to limiting an outbreak, as they are designed to restrict the spread of a fire by reducing the rate of combustion.

There are many categories for flame retardant cables: • IEC 60332-1 • IEC 60332-3-25 Cat. D • IEC 60332-3-24 Cat. C • IEC 60332-3-23 Cat. B • IEC 60332-3-22 Cat. A Flame retardance to IEC 60332-1 is the basic level of flame resistance. The level of resistance to flame propagation will increase to the highest level when compliant with IEC 60332-3-22 Cat. A. Selection to the proper level of performance depends on end application.

FIRE RESISTANT CABLES Fire resistant cables are designed to maintain circuit integrity and continue to work for a specific time under fire conditions. For these characteristics, they are used within the firefighting systems or in any function that should continue to operate during an outbreak, facilitating your emergency procedures.

Fire resistant cables are fit for purpose when the electrical load does not cut-off in the event of a fire.

To maintain cable functionalities in fire conditions it is vital to use special design and materials. Rigorous testing should also be carried out to ensure the compliance of your cables is in line with the standards criteria.

Many cables standards exist to guide the design and testing method for fire resistant cables, such as IEC 605021, BS 7846, BS 8592, and BS 7629.

Standards applicable to different categories of fire testing also exist and include IEC 60331, BS 6387, BS EN 50200, BS 8434-2, and BS 8491.

Peace of mind Independent certification of cables ensures customers peace of mind that it will function in line with its specifications.

51,000

Approximate number of electric fires every year

• Fire and water spray • Fire and mechanical load • Fire, water spray and mechanical load Each test can assess different cable categories required, where the duration of the test is varied for 30, 60, or 120 minutes for combined tests, and 180 minutes for fire only.

The different types of test are designed to simulate the different possible conditions that cables could be subject to in a fire situation.

Currently, the regions with greatest attention to fire standards are Europe and the United Kingdom, which set an excellent example for the rest of the world via a clear fire classification

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framework. The European Construction Products Regulation (CPR) and now UK Conformity Assessed (UKCA) are mandatory regulations in the respective region. Both regulations use the same criteria to measure reaction to fire performance for all products used in the construction industry, encompassing all permanently installed cables.

CPR and UKCA regulations are, indeed, a step forward to better assessment of cable performance in fire conditions. The frameworks both classify cables into seven main classes: Aca, B1ca, B2ca, Cca, Dca, Eca to Fca, with additional classifications for smoke: S1a, S1b, S2, to S3, flaming droplets: d0, d1, to d2 and acidity: a1, a2, to a3.

The classifications are determined by measuring the following parameters: • Flame spread • Heat release • Smoke production • Flaming droplets, and • Acidity ASSESSMENT PROCEDURES In general, fire performance can be measured with different levels of assessment such as type tests and product approval. Certification delivered independently through BASEC is one of the most rigorous programs in the market and assures end users with the peace of mind that, in case of a fire, cable performance will function in line with its specifications.

FIRE PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT To assess your cables performance in a fire condition, there are different types of fire tests. Generally, they can be divided into: • Fire only MEConstructionNews.com | Fire & Life Safety Report 2021

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COMMENT

Industry insight

CHRISTOPHER ROBSON CBRE

Aligning with the new normal

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s a result of COVID-19, hotel operators have been forced to make tough decisions, including the hardest one; whether to keep the lights on.

The majority of hotels were required to close their doors briefly after municipal mandates were put in place and some have remained dormant due to lack of initial demand.

Opening into the ‘new’ normal market, several hospitality assets are now finding themselves misaligned with the market reality, with pressure on ADRs, profitability and increasing competition in the marketplace.

Hotel owners and operators would benefit from re-positioning their asset using sustainable economic approaches with the guest at the forefront, whilst keeping the asset open and maintaining value.

Smart hotel rooms have been in operation for several years, reducing costs of operations.

Examples are seen in many different guises,

The opportunity for operators to be more flexible with franchised hotels, will provide a competent hotel owner with an opportunity to streamline their costs more effectively” January 2021 | MEConstructionNews.com

from high-tech in-room tablets controlling lights and curtains to more passive examples such as contact switches that turn off the air conditioning when an external door is opened.

In the future, CBRE expects to see a more guest orientated approach through technology, utilising the improvements that have been made in Artificial Intelligence (AI), with the introduction of contactless apps on mobile devices allowing a guest to check in, access the room, control the ambience and introduce in-room dining at the touch of a button.

Modern ‘disruptor’ brands have focused on variable expenses, optimising areas with a complete end-to-end package, such as Sonder, a US tech-based company, beginning to enter the Middle Eastern market, running a capex light business model and guaranteeing income for investors. Furthermore, a technology platform based out of India, OYO Hotels & Homes, is globally the fastest growing hospitality company, passing one million keys globally during 2019, operating either a leasing or franchise model, providing improved returns for an investor.

The opportunity for operators to be more flexible with franchised hotels, will provide a competent hotel owner with an opportunity to streamline their costs more effectively. These changes to operations will push the better-known ‘traditional’ brands to operate on a larger asset scale not smaller, with a new movement of ‘blended-living’ encapsulating whole communities within a brand, for living, working and recreational space. In the Middle East this may prove very popular, as masterplans continue to be developed with ever-increasing intrinsic community value. This provides scope to maintain the value of branded assets and differentiate from a ‘standard’ development.

The pandemic has tested hospitality assets in a way that has previously not been experienced. However, hospitality assets are typically developed or purchased as a long-term investment, over 10 to 15 years, therefore mitigating the short-term impact.

It is certainly an interesting period ahead, market testing the ‘new’ normal, for our generation’s interpretation of hospitality.

Christopher Robson is senior surveyor – Hospitality at CBRE.

DR FADI BAYOUD STRATEGIC ANCHORS

Shaping the Future of Construction

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ny reader and observer of the situation in engineering and construction, can draw a loud conclusion that the industry lacks – to an unacceptable degree of sustainability – the embrace of technology.

Consequently, the industry also lacks the required number of personnel who can cope efficiently and effectively with technology.

Of the many engineering professions that serve the construction industry and its technology transformation, Surveying/Geomatics Engineering is one of the most technologically oriented and multidisciplined engineering fields that integrates information technology hardware and software to carry out tasks.

A surveying/geomatics engineer is trained to keep up with technologies, which is an intrinsic and vital part of his or her formation and professional duties.

When a surveying/geomatics engineer graduates from a reputable university, she or he will have the following formation upon graduation: Systematic and organised thinking, with a strong background in mathematics and physics, as well as a strong background in statistics, numerical analysis, and data handling A well-trained geomatics engineer will have a good grip on technology, as they will need to display an advanced understanding in sensor integration and programming, as well as advanced CAD skills and engineering software learning skills Furthermore, the modern engineer will need to showcase multidisciplinary operational skills with a trained mind that will allow them to understand and handle technologies,

COMMENT

understand geospatial topologies, and to link and manage different processes – which is a very useful skill for project management.

In terms of discipline skills, they will need to have an orientation towards the construction industry, especially infrastructure, earthwork, linear projects, high-rise, large commercial developments, and so on, in addition to, of course, knowing how to manage surveying engineering tasks and linking them to project controls Consequently, surveying/geomatics engineers are catalysts in leading engineering and construction companies in their journey of applying the technologies that are currently highly recommended, namely: • BIM/GIS • Unmanned Aerial Systems (Drones) • Laser Scanning • 3D modelling • Construction Robotics • Sensors • Earthwork machine automation/control • Real-time site intelligence: progress and mobility • Geolocation-based technologies • Geolocation-based project planning Surveying/Geomatics engineers can naturally excel in managing the above technologies and can pave the road for technologies that are yet to come.

In addition, a surveying/geomatics engineer can successfully handle the tasks of office engineer, site engineer, section head, project engineer, construction management, and can go all the way up to managing an entire construction project like any other engineering disciplines.

However, Construction Management must change its paradigm and accept their contribution and their construction engineering experience and invest in them, while also giving them the chance to learn and advance. I believe that this does not entitle the companies to make any change to their existing processes/procedures.

Finally, the Engineering and Construction industry must embrace surveying/ geomatics engineers and give them the chance to grow like any other engineering profession, because they can, and they have the skills and formation to excel.

Dr Fadi Bayoud, managing director of Strategic Anchors.

ANDREW BUI AECOM VENTURES

Reimagining transport networks

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ransportation is a major source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions but it doesn’t have to be that way. A reimagined transportation network can help better manage climate change.

Developing these solutions requires innovation and fundamental change - from the way we commute to the movement of goods to the establishment of communities. It also requires partnerships between municipalities, transit agencies and utilities. Implementing these changes can make our transportation systems greener, more sustainable and more equitable. There are three key goals to achieve for advancing this vital transition.

ACCELERATE ADOPTION OF GREENER VEHICLES AND CLEANER FUEL Electric vehicles have already started making an impact on our transportation system. By 2030, electric cars will make up about 28% of new car sales, a significant increase compared to the expected 2.7% sales increase for 2020.

And even now this small increase is displacing one million barrels of daily oil demand.

A cohesive, infrastructure development strategy is essential to enable clean energy use in our transportation networks”

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After recognising the impact of GHG emissions, cities’ utilities and transit agencies are converting public vehicle fleets to electrified vehicles — a move that accelerates electrified vehicle adoption and advances state and local economies as well as social equity goals.

Implementing infrastructure that supports these vehicles creates jobs. A study conducted by the Political Economy Research Institute estimates that school and transit bus fleet electrification could create 280,000 jobs over the next five years. Reducing GHG emissions would improve cities’ air quality, particularly in low-income neighborhoods, which are often home to fleet vehicle terminals.

DEVELOP PARTNERSHIPS FOR ELECTRIFICATION Decarbonisation requires strategies such as electrification and connecting mobility options.

Oftentimes, success hinges on partnerships between groups that have not traditionally worked together and incentivising shared risks and rewards that drive innovation.

Collaborations between utilities, cities, public and private fleet owners, and landowners ensure we incorporate key issues like public health, access to mobility services, jobs and equity in infrastructure decisions.

STRATEGISE AND PLAN FOR THE FUTURE OF CLEAN ENERGY INFRASTRUCTURE A cohesive, infrastructure development strategy is essential to enable clean energy use in our transportation networks. These must extend beyond borders and include utilities that provide the energy for vehicles, making them more attainable and cost effective.

The objective is to put infrastructure in place that supports a range of clean energy solutions including vehicle to grid, renewable power generation, charging facilities and smart infrastructure for electric vehicles.

A more resilient, sustainable transportation network requires a multi-level approach. With a robust ecosystem of clean energy solutions, partners including public transportation and transit agencies, utilities and private investors will be able to capitalise on a technology that promises improved efficiency and operations.

Andrew Bui is an engineer and director with AECOM Ventures.

MEConstructionNews.com | January 2021

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Middle East tenders UAE MIXED-USE

The Island Resort TERRITORY Jumeirah Beach, UAE CLIENT WASL BUDGET $500 million DESCRIPTION The project’s scope of work involves the construction of beachfront development spread over 3.5 million square meters for touristic and leisure services located at Jumeirah Beach, Dubai.

It will include an MGM-branded hotel and a Bellagio-branded hotel containing 1400 hotel rooms and apartments, 10 villas with a built-up area of 105218 square meters as well as luxurious restaurants and cafés s and a theatre. The project will also include villas, theater, retail shops, indoor and outdoor swimming pools, business person lounge, food and beverage units, museums, beach club, parking facilities, water fountains, marinas, landscapes, dredging, and reclamation 3,000,000m3 area, infrastructure works, construction of roads and artificial waterfalls. The theatre will have a seating capacity of 800 and occupy an area of 80,000 square feet. It will host shows organized by MGM, conferences, festivals, and weddings. The beach club on the island will offer a number of maritime leisure services and activities to guests and visitors. Water shows will be organized in the evenings, and club and its five-star facilities are also capable of hosting special honoring ceremonies. The island will be surrounded by a corniche spanning an area of 1.2 kilometers that will include cafés, restaurants, and retail stores. The ‘Cave of

OIL & GAS

Wonders’, occupying 124,000 square feet of space, will focus on providing entertainment for children and their families through sports and games that cater to different age groups.

COMPLETION 30/3/24

Umm Shaif Field Long Term Development Plan (Phase 1)

RETAIL, RESIDENTIAL

Vincitore Benessere TERRITORY Arjan, UAE CLIENT Vincitore Real Estate Development BUDGET $105 million DESCRIPTION The project’s scope of work consist of a 7-storey residential and retail building located next to Miracle Gardens, Arjan, Dubai. The project featuring 380 branded residences ranging from studio to three-bedroom units and includes 38,000 square feet of retail space. ‘Benessere’ in Italian means well-being in terms of health, comfort, and happiness it is keeping wellness at the center of the conception, design, creation, and development of the homes. Apartments within Vincitore Benessere come with a number of features that promote healthy living and wellness in terms of refreshing air circulation and the air quality that helps

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residents breathe in the fresh air and promotes longevity of its residents. The project involves 9,290 square meters of luxurious world-class amenities, 3,530 square meters high street boulevard retail space, parking facilities and associated facilities. The project comes with a retail hub at the ground level, to support the luxury lifestyle of the residents.

The residential space starts at the podium level that has landscaped garden, swimmable lagoon pool, floating gym, yoga centre, 500 meters of walking trail within the vicinity, a common social networking area, a wellness facility that offers waterfall and hot and cold mist shower to offer freshness and promotes well-being for the residents.

COMPLETION 30/12/22

TERRITORY Umm Shaif, UAE CLIENT ADNOC Offshore BUDGET $400 million DESCRIPTION The project’s scope of work involves the construction of a long-term development plan (LTDP-1) located at Umm Shaif, Abu Dhabi. A Long-Term Development Plan that aims to de-bottleneck the capacity constraints in the existing Umm Shaif infield pipeline network and includes several new offshore facilities. The project also includes three new wellhead towers, one riser platform, new alpha towers, other associated infrastructure, installation of multiple pipeline segments, de-bottlenecking of the existing pipeline network, water injection facilities, improvement works for 30 wells on existing wellhead towers and other associated infrastructure. ADNOC aims to sustain and further increase oil production from the field to 360,000 barrels per day from the existing and undeveloped reservoirs. The development plan

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TENDERS

is implemented as Umm Shaif ’s current oil production of 275,000 barrels per day is expected to decline in the coming years. The Abu Dhabi-based giant is expected to execute several phases for the further development program at Umm Shaif over the next 10 years. The first development phase (LTDP-1) is expected to sustain the offshore field’s plateau production from 2024 to 2028.

The project is part of the Abu Dhabi energy major’s strategic objective to achieve 4 million BPD of overall oil output spare capacity by 2020-end, and 5 million BPD by the end of 2030.

COMPLETION 31/12/24

ENERGY

TERRITORY Saad, Saudi Arabia CLIENT Renewable Energy Project Development Office BUDGET $410 million DESCRIPTION The project’s scope of work involves the construction of 300 megawatts photovoltaic solar plant located at Saad, Saudi Arabia. The project also includes two solar power plants, installation of solar panels & transformers and laying of transmission lines.

COMPLETION 30/12/23 AVIATION

SAUDI ARABIA COMMERCIAL, RESIDENTIAL

Smart Square TERRITORY Al Mursalat, Saudi Arabia CLIENT Aqalat Limited Company BUDGET $300 million DESCRIPTION The project’s scope of work consists of residential and commercial development located at Al Mursalat District, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

COMPLETION 30/4/24

three-star 247-room hotel under the ‘Arjaan by Rotana’ brand, a four-star 263-room hotel under the ‘Reyhaan

by Rotana’ brand in Barka, Batinah South, Oman. Facilities within the hotels include restaurants, lobby lounge, an executive lounge and parking facilities.

COMPLETION 30/12/22

Renewable Energy Program (Round 3) Saad 300 MW Solar Plant

Red Sea International Airport Landside Package TERRITORY Tabuk, Saudi Arabia CLIENT The Red Sea Development Company BUDGET $350 million DESCRIPTION The project’s scope of work involves the construction of an Landside package of Red Sea Tourism Airport in Tabuk Province Saudi Arabia. The scope covers construction of a terminal,

OIL & GAS

an ancillary buildings, offices, baggage handling systems, utilities hub, catering building, hangar, car parking, road works and associated facilities. The capacity of the airport is estimated at about a million tourists annually at a peak of 900 passengers per hour.

COMPLETION 30/12/24

OMAN HOSPITALITY

Hayy Al Sharq Hotels TERRITORY Barka, Oman CLIENT Muscat National Development & Investment Company BUDGET $150 million DESCRIPTION The project’s scope of work involves construction of a

Ras Markaz Crude Oil Park (Phase 1) Package 1.3 TERRITORY Duqm, Oman CLIENT Oman Tank Terminal Company BUDGET $100 million DESCRIPTION The project’s scope of work involves the construction of 2 storage tanks located at Duqm, Oman. The project also includes two storage tank mixers, open slops tank, installation of open slops tank oil pumps and open slops tank water pumps.

COMPLETION 30/12/24 INFRASTRUCTURE

Al Seeb Internal Road Work (Phase 1) TERRITORY Al Seeb, Oman CLIENT Muscat Municipality BUDGET $30 million DESCRIPTION The project’s scope of work involves the construction of 27km of internal roads dispersed in different locations, stormwater drainage systems, road marking works and associated facilities in Al Seeb, Oman.

COMPLETION 30/10/23

BAHRAIN RESIDENTIAL

Al Lawzi Housing Development TERRITORY Al Lawzi, Bahrain CLIENT Bahrain Ministry of Housing BUDGET $130 million DESCRIPTION The project’s scope of work consist of 132 housing units January 2021 | MEConstructionNews.com

TENDERS

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excavation, treated soil placement, construction of disposal facilities, weighbridge, storage facilities, treatment pads, temporary site facilities and associated facilities.

COMPLETION 30/3/24 AVIATION

Kuwait Airport Expansion New Passenger Terminal 2 Airside Work

located at Al Lawzi, Bahrain. The project also includes associated secondary infrastructure work.

COMPLETION 31/12/23 INFRASTRUCTURE

Umm Al Saad Avenue Bridge Reconstruction TERRITORY Manama, Bahrain CLIENT Bahrain Petroleum Company BUDGET $10 million DESCRIPTION The project’s scope of work involves the reconstruction of bridge 17 at Umm Al Saad Avenue in Manama, Bahrain. It is part of the Bapco Modernization Program, which is located above the Bapco/Tatweer pipes. The scope includes construction of utility diversion works, replacement and rectification of the cracks in the existing bridge deck, laying of pipelines, infrastructure works and associated facilities.

COMPLETION 30/12/22 OIL & GAS

Bahrain Remote Gas Dehydration Units TERRITORY Bahrain CLIENT Tatweer Petroleum BUDGET $200 million

DESCRIPTION The project’s scope of work involves an installation of 20 remote gas dehydration units in the upcoming 5 years from 2021 to 2025, Bahrain. The base scope will be 16 GDUs with adjacent Well Heads divided into three batches: The first batch shall be 8 GDUs to be started up by the end of April 2022, the second batch shall be 5 GDUs to be started up by Nov 2022 and the third batch shall be 3 GDUs to be started up by April 2023, remaining 4 GDUs will be on a call-off basis.

COMPLETION 30/12/24

KUWAIT OIL & GAS

North Kuwait Excavation Transportation & Remediation (Zone 1 & 2) TERRITORY North Kuwait CLIENT Kuwait Oil Company BUDGET $900 million DESCRIPTION The project’s scope of work involves the construction of a soil remediation project of 2,000,000 m3 oil-contaminated soil in Zone 1 of North Kuwait.

The scope involves expansion

of an existing landfill facility for Hydrocarbon Contaminated Soil, remediation & excavation works of all wet oil lakes (WOL), dry oil lakes (DOLs) and oil contaminated piles (OCPs), coastal deposits, wellhead pits, coastal trench, tarcrete, backfilling works, development of treatment platform areas and facilities, enabling works, water supply, storage, treatment, and power network, excavation of oil-contaminated soil, mixing of the contaminated soil from piles and dry oil lakes with the liquid sludge in wet oil lakes to allow easier handling of wet oil lake contents, soil treatment using bioremediation, sampling and analysis to monitor treatment progress, staging and disposal of other excavated materials, recovery and handling of liquids from

TERRITORY Kuwait City, Kuwait CLIENT Kuwait Ministry of Public Works BUDGET $145 million DESCRIPTION The project’s scope of work involves the airside works on the new passenger terminal 2 located at Kuwait International Airport City, Kuwait City, Kuwait.

The project also includes passenger mover tunnel, multiple tunnels to link the new terminal with the airport, baggage transfer tunnel, vehicles moving tunnel, service tunnels, waste management facilities, retail storage and customs control facilities.

COMPLETION 30/12/23 COMMERCIAL

Sabah Al Salem University City Data Center TERRITORY Sabah Al Salem University in Kuwait, Kuwait CLIENT Kuwait University Construction Program BUDGET $40 million DESCRIPTION The project’s scope of work involves the construction of a data center information technology (IT) infrastructure, disaster recovery hosting under co-location and disaster recovery IT infrastructure, datacenter and disaster recovery network infrastructure, external network infrastructure, datacenter and disaster recovery information and cybersecurity infrastructure at Sabah Al Salem University in Kuwait.

COMPLETION 30/12/23

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PROGRESS REPORT

Final update

GAJ completes SPACE at Dubai College New Sports and Performing Arts Centre of Excellence will offer students a range of sporting and performance activities

G

odwin Austen Johnson (GAJ) says that it has completed the new Sports & Performing Arts Centre of Excellence (The SPACE) for the Dubai College. GAJ says that the project was one of the most ambitious of the planned upgrades of the school to date.

According to a statement, the facility is located on a condensed part of the site

January 2021 | MEConstructionNews.com

at the back of the campus and required the demolition of the existing swimming pool and sports hall to free up valuable land for the new 5,500sqm development.

The firm says that the 900sqm multi-purpose gym with indoor running track was designed to be a central hub within the SPACE and occupies most of the ground floor. It is said to be supplemented by several flexible student spaces to foster a relationship between the physical movement and the science behind it allowing teachers to combine the practical with the theory.

The ground floor of the building features the new swimming facility and includes a 300-seat spectator viewing area, and an electronic touch timing system. The latter is said to make the facility ideal for galas and other water sports events.

On the first

Central hub The 900sqm multipurpose gym with indoor running track was designed to be the central hub within the SPACE.

5,500 SQM

Total size of the development at Dubai College

floor, the 1,100sqm sports hall is designed for two basketball and two netball courts with retractable bleacher style seating for around 500 spectators.

GAJ notes that that the size of the sports hall and its unique layout with a show court running in the opposite direction to the second court and a dividing curtain, allows the school the flexibility and capacity to increase the number of activities and to be able to host large tournaments.

Performing arts was also said to be a key consideration for the SPACE with the creation of a black box drama performance space with seating for 140, drama rooms, music classrooms as well as music practice areas. A rooftop MUGA court and student cafĂŠ have also been incorporated as well as a unique hall of fame showcasing the achievements of the school, GAJ concludes.