Licensed by Dubai Development Authority THE BUSINESS OF CONSTRUCTION September 2022 MEConstructionNews.com 196 Pride of Place BIG PROJECT ME PROFILES THE GRAND HYATT KUWAIT, A LANDMARK HOSPITALITY PROJECT AND ARCHITECTURAL ICON FOR KUWAIT CITY
1 MEConstructionNews.com | September 2022 CONTENTS September 2022 08 The Briefing Chandra Dake calls for a change in drainage design in the MENA region, while Ibrahim Imam outlines the need for digitalisation 12 The Big Picture A wrap-up of the biggest international construction news stories for the month 14 Market Report Commerical Real Estate Consultants report finds that Dubai’s rental growth is at its highest since 2014 16 Analysis Parkash Senghani of Navatech Group, assess the state of the digital revolution in the construction sector 20 In Profile Sean McQue Big Project ME hears from Sean McQue, operations director at ALEC about the contractor’s ongoing digital transformation 28 Project Profile Grand Hyatt Kuwait Big Project ME profiles the Grand Hyatt Kuwait the latest architectural landmark in Kuwait City 36 Expert Voice A R Suresh Kumar of Voltas IOBG , shares how the MEP contractor’s digitalisation has improved its market offerings in this month’s Expert Voice column 38 Comments The industry’s leading experts share their thoughts and opinions about the construction industry 40 Final Update Group AMANA delivers the $40m Bustanica hyroponic farm in Dubai South, the largest vertical farm in the world ANALYSIS FEATURES INSIGHT 08 14 16 20 28 36
All of this and more will be discussed at the Digital Construction Summit on September 14, at the Anantara Downtown in Business Bay, Dubai (formerly The Oberoi). Do join us for a day of discussion and knowledge-sharing, it’s not to be missed!
The problems around the world aren’t abating either, with climate change becoming an increasing prominent threat to our way of life. Sustainability and green energy are great catchphrases, but in order to action them, we need to maximise our use of relevant data.
2 September 2022 | MEConstructionNews.com WELCOME Introduction
Let’s get GavindigitalDavids HEAD OF EDITORIAL & CONTENT @MECN_Gavingavin.davids@cpitrademedia.comMEConstructionNewsme-construction-news
Young construction professionals coming into the industry are leading the way in this regard – their familiarity with technology can only positively enhance the way it is deployed and utilised across a variety of sectors – we’re already seeing video game developers transition their skills to building real life buildings, who’s to say there aren’t other skills that can’t be transferred over?
s we push forwards into the digital age of construction, it is important to consider what this means for an industry that has so long identified itself by ‘bricks and mortar’. Ahead of the Digital Construction Summit, we decided to theme this issue around the topic of digitalisation, in an effort to better understand how the sector is evolving and adapting itself to deal with the coming changes, and it’s been eye-opening to see the pace of change over just a few years.
A
Prakash Senghani highlights this brilliantly in his analysis about the state of digitalisation in the construction sector. In it, he looks at how the needs and demands of global populations have changed –particularly post pandemic, and how that has necessitated an evolution in how we design, build, and operate buildings.
All of this stems from the construction sector – right from the time a project is committed to the design board, data is being generated. If we collate and coalesce this information correctly, we can use it to find the answers we need and correct the mistakes we’ve made –both in the present and in the future.
Digitalisation isn’t so much a necessity, but a way of life for much of the world now. We think, create and communicate online, so why shouldn’t the industry reflect that reality?
ThelikeStrongabull!LR1800-1.0 Suitable for every requirement – its large selec tion of boom configurations enables the pow erful LR 1800-1.0 to deliver the perfect solution for every job. Whether it is in the industrial, infrastructure or wind sector. On top, it provides economic transport – worldwide. www.liebherr.com Mobile and crawler cranes Visit us Munich,at:24 – 30 October Find out more at www.liebherr-bauma.com
Group MANAGING DIRECTOR Raz Islam raz.islam@cpitrademedia.com MANAGING PARTNER Vijaya Cherian vijaya.cherian@cpitrademedia.com DIRECTOR OF FINANCE & BUSINESS OPERATIONS Shiyas Kareem shiyas.kareem@cpitrademedia.com PUBLISHING DIRECTOR Andy Pitois andy.pitois@cpitrademedia.com Editorial HEAD OF EDITORIAL & CONTENT Gavin Davids gavin.davids@cpitrademedia.com +971 4 375 5480 Advertising COMMERCIAL DIRECTOR Jude Slann jude.slann@cpitrademedia.com +971 4 375 5714 SALES DIRECTOR Raed Kaedbey raed.kaedbey@cpitrademedia.com +971 4 375 5715 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 & Events EVENTS EXECUTIVE Minara Salakhi minara.s@cpitrademedia.com +971 4 433 2856 Circulation & Production DATA & PRODUCTION MANAGER Phinson Mathew George phinson.george@cpitrademedia.com +971 4 375 5476 Web Development WEB DEVELOPER Abdul Baeis abdul.baeis@cpitrademedia.com WEB DEVELOPER Umair Khan umair.khan@cpitrademedia.com FOUNDER Dominic De Sousa (1959-2015) ON THE COVER The Grand Hyatt Kuwait is set to become an architectural icon for Kuwait City, while also setting the standard for hospitality in the country Licensed by Dubai Development Authority THE BUSINESS OF CONSTRUCTION September 2022 MEConstructionNews.com 196 Pride of Place BIG PROJECT ME PROFILES THE GRAND HYATT KUWAIT, A LANDMARK HOSPITALITY PROJECT AND ARCHITECTURAL ICON FOR KUWAIT CITY 4 September 2022 | MEConstructionNews.com @meconstructionnMEConstructionNews.comMEConstructionNewsme-construction-news 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.comCopyright2022.All rights reserved.
6 ONLINE September 2022 | MEConstructionNews.com LATEST NEWS FEATURES ANALYSIS: Where’s the magic in the Kingdom? CONSTRUCTION Emirates Steel Arkan plans to expand into new Asian and African markets CONSTRUCTION Saudi Arabia reportedly set to pay billions to settle dispute over Riyadh Metro MACHINERY Jan Gurander to step down as Volvo Group Deputy CEO CONSULTANT Emirates Stallion Group acquires shares in UAE indoor spaces design companies CONSULTANT Roha Realty to open sales and marketing offices in Dubai, Singapore and Hong Kong REGISTER NOW 14 Sept Dubai2022UAE Digital construction tools to improve delivery and operations in the smart build environment INTERVIEW: Creating value through innovation GALLERY: The $175mn Oman Botanic Garden
HillCONSULTANTInternational appointed to provide PMC services for Aldar Properties’ projects
Latest project follows company’s decision to open second branch in Oman last year
REGISTER
categories MEConstructionNews.com | September 2022 7ONLINE MOST POPULARFEATURED NEWS
CONSULTANT CBRE continues Middle East strategic development with new country head in KSA
Critical debates in the Diversity and Inclusion agendas: lobbying for real-time change
2022CONSTRUCTIONBigProject
JohnsonMACHINERY Arabia completes works on calcined petroleum coke plant in Oman
CONSTRUCTION Construction work on 950MW 4th phase of MBR Solar Park now 90% complete MACHINERY Leica Geosystems launches safety awareness solution for construction sites
CONSULTANT Huspy acquires two mortgage brokerages
individuals
SouthCONSTRUCTIONKorea Hydro and Nuclear Power wins $2.2bn contract from Russia’s Rosatom to build nuclear plant in Egypt State-owned South Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power will build main and auxiliary buildings and structures
PROPERTY Bloom Holding appoints Edrafor Emirates as enabling works contractor for Bloom Living NOW 25 OctoberDubai2022UAE
Consultancy will support Phase One of The Grove Project and Phase Two of Al Reeman Residences and Reeman Living
WorkCONSTRUCTIONonAjman’s Sheikh Ammar Street Development project more than 65% completed $18.7 million project will be completed by the beginning of 2023
ME Awards to recognise excellence in construction on 15 December
The annual awards event will recognise the best companies, and projects across 21 different
Chandra Dake, CEO of
THE BRIEFING Drainage Systems
pillarsenvironmentaleconomicamanagementstormwaterwhyRechsand,DakeexplainsMENA’sneedsrebuildonsocial,and MIDDLE EAST
R ains, which had eluded MENA for the most part, have become more frequent and intense across the region in recent years, owed in part to climate change. In the last week of July, floods in the UAE left seven people dead. Similarly, floods have wreaked havoc in Iran and Yemen as well. Existing stormwater drainage systems, developed based on low-rain requirements, are no longer adequate, reliable, and safe. In fact, many nations across the world are reporting inadequacies in their existing infrastructures and investing in capacity building. In the past few decades, in addition to fortifications to existing drainage infrastructure — which are actually expensive and implausible in many areas — alternative, modern stormwater management concepts have emerged. It is well believed and well-studied that the conventional “quick-discharge” approach, which relies on larger pipes, concrete channels, deep tunnels and pump stations, is also not quite viable in the current era of sustainability.
SUSTAINABLE DRAINAGE SYSTEMS AND INFRASTRUCTUREGREEN These concepts involve formulating drainage strategies and plans with social, economic, and environmental considerations. Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDs) are a collection of $1 A lossesdisaster$6canmitigationinvestedeveryfoundbodyreputablehasthat$1insaveinfuture
The Triple Bottom Line Framework
September 2022 | MEConstructionNews.com 8
9 MEConstructionNews.com | September 2022 THE BRIEFING technologies and practices aimed at better reconciling stormwater management with green infrastructure. So, their adoption must not only lead to effective drainage and flood control but also support water quality, water security, agricultural productivity, water recyclability, and overall socioeconomic development.
Philadelphia’s “Green City, Clean Waters” plan, considered the largest sustainable stormwater infrastructure program ever envisioned and implemented in the US, is one of the best examples of the triple bottom line framework.
The $1.6billion project includes managing runoff over 4,000 acres of impervious areas in the city over the next two decades, through a multi-dimensional strategy of bioretention, permeable paving, green roofs, grass swales, rainwater analysisMulti-dimensional
Better yet, SuDs such as Sponge Cities include mitigation components which entail one-time investments but offer long-term value. A reputable body has found that every $1 invested in mitigation can save $6 in future disaster losses. Many modern stormwater management projects have been launched based on such rationale and have demonstrated excellent returns.
Sponge Cities could enhance water security, thereby mitigating concomitant issues such as agricultural distress, downbeat economic growth, and excessive dependence on carbon-intensive desalination.
Typically, SuDs include green roofs and grass swales, which have well-documented utility in stormwater management as well as pollution mitigation, ecological preservation, aquifer recharging, and green scaping of barren lands — matters of great importance for nations across the region.
MENA economies, with their greenfield advantage, are equally wellpositioned to unlock triple-bottomline benefits while optimizing their stormwater management. While the onus is mostly on governing bodies, in terms of budgeting and leading the initiative, even the private sector, residential communities and individuals can implement SuDs in smaller capacities and unlock the benefits. Such concerted efforts, combined with multistakeholder participation, can turn the challenge of rains into an opportunity to enhance water security — which, in turn, can lead to a number of positive civic outcomes.
The MENA region requires saysfuturemanagementofdimensionalmulti-analysisitsstormwatertoavoidfloodingcrises,ChandraDake
Range of benefits Adoption of SuDs will improve water quality, security, control.drainagemore,productivityagriculturalandaswelleffectiveandflood $2.2bn
The $2.2bnvalueaaddofbenefitsbottomtriplelinetheplanuptopresentof
THE NEED FOR THE TRIPLE BOTTOM LINE FRAMEWORK
The Sponge City concept is predicated on the triple bottom line framework, which posits any potential solution to be socially and environmentally responsible besides being financially viable. Within the context of MENA, harvesting, etc. The triple bottom line benefits of the plan alone add up to a present value of $2.2 billion, according to the administration. These benefits are besides the long-term financial outcomes such as appreciation in property values and city’s competitiveness; environmental outcomes such as energy savings and emission reduction; and social outcomes such as public health and equity. The triple bottom line framework is also in application in the Xiong’an city of China. It has been described as a “millennium strategy” because of the magnitude of the project. In the MENA region, stormwater management solutions shaped into a market only in the last decade. Following the emergence of grey drainage systems, administrations and communities retrofitted them into existing natural ways, thus initiating cycles of haphazard implementations and band-aid solutions. While such approaches have enabled people to manage stormwater in other rainaccustomed regions, they do not hold utility in MENA as the soil tends to be loose due to previously deficit rains. Loose soil is a recipe for disaster when atypical, heavy rainfall leads to flooding. So, at this juncture, stormwater management in MENA requires multi-dimensional analysis. A thorough understanding of modern stormwater management strategies and their feasibility in local conditions will be key to success.
In addition, regional stakeholders can also consider the “Sponge City” concept, which can be implemented as part of urban development. Sponge Cities involve the use of porous material in urban paving and landscaping and on rain-exposed surfaces such as roads and playgrounds. Thanks to the high absorption capabilities of these air and water-permeable materials, runoffs from rains can be captured at scale, averting flooding. In addition, Sponge City projects can also involve the construction of underground reservoirs as part of water networks connected to the main grid. Following the filtration through the permeable material, the treated stormwater can be stored in the underground reservoirs and later redirected to the point of use. Breathable Sand-based materials, by virtue of their air permeability function, keep the stored water fresh without any external, chemical or electricitybased treatment. Fortunately, as a majority of urban development in the region is greenfield, there are ample opportunities for large-scale Sponge City implementation in MENA.
Construction companies can witness productivity gains of 14% to 15% and cost reductions of 4% to 6% and will be able to grow their companies by investing in modern technology. Digital innovations coupled with workers who are digital natives and are using advanced technologies such as automation, robotics, artificial intelligence, augmented reality, or machine learning can bring favourable changes to address the major challenges of cost and time overruns in the industry. The digitisation of construction processes certainly represents a promising solution. With operational changes integrating digitalisation, the available resources can be used more economically in other departments.
Despite that significant growth, it is among the least digitised industries in the world. The ‘lack of digitisation’ results in a reduction in productivity, delays in sharing information, loss of critical information due to paper and email trails and miscommunication between different teams and stakeholders. Therefore, it’s no longer a question if construction industry should be digitised.
T
Ibrahim Imam,
industryconstructionfordigitalisationthe
Using automated reports for data collection eliminates paper or email trails and can be extremely helpful in the timely detection of potential delays, addressing construction
he construction industry is witnessing increased activity as the demand for urban infrastructure has heightened substantially. Along with the price escalation for building materials internationally, the industry is facing challenges with supply delays extending construction program durations, while there is a huge shortage of qualified labour – especially civil and structural engineers, project managers, safety officers, and so on.
10 September 2022 | MEConstructionNews.com THE BRIEFING
The benefits of
needswhy&Group-Co-CEO,Co-founder,CEOMENAAPACatPlanRadar,outlinestheconstructionindustrytoembracedigitalisation MIDDLE EAST
11 project members not only to avoid paperwork and long mail trails, but also enables them to add and share all project information, data, and documents on the go, which can be compiled into customised reports. Owners and project managers can get insights and real-time updates about project progress that supports key decisions.
• Health & Safety: Construction, by its very nature, is filled with health and safety issues. It is easier for users to adopt a sensible and proportionate approach to health & safety management by reporting such incidents as soon as they spot them. With the option to raise a ticket, assign it to a manager and attach all relevant supporting information such as images or voice notes to the building blueprint, it becomes manageable for the manager to deal with the incident quickly. construction• is an industry that relies on people, and people make mistakes. Construction personnel face pressure and stress, tight schedules, and high expectations, which can lead to disagreements between parties hence resulting in delays, additional costs, and even more pressure. Construction software aids seamless communication and allows site and project managers to observe all parts of the team
THE BRIEFING
reportsCustomisable Digitising customisedtheprocessesconstructionenablescompilationofreports.
•accusations.anyandobjectivelynothaveunjustified generation: platformadailyprocessconstructionDigitisingandtasksoncentralisedenables
• Real-time updates: Construction software enables project owners to check the state of the project at any time and see the most up-to-date information. The transparency and traceability of the workflows result in increased accountability and improved collaboration among all parties.
• Sustainable Construction: The construction sector is responsible for generating massive amount of carbon emissions and wastes, including unused building materials. Digital construction is an eco-friendly process can reduce the amount of waste by using digital twins to test and optimise designs before building phase
Promising solution Digitalising Imam.delays,detectionresourceswillconstructiontheindustryimprovetheuseofandimproveofpotentialsaysIbrahim to compile a handover document.
amongimprovedworkflowsandTheto-dateandprojectcheckprojectsoftwareConstructionenablesownerstothestateoftheatanytimeseethemostup-information.transparencytraceabilityoftheresultincollaborationallparties”
Some of the benefits of digital construction include:
Handover: With the ability to bundle discrepancies, and feeding into realtime dashboards for a successful collaboration. With construction management software that creates time and cost savings in construction and real estate projects, and by digitising task management, documentation, and communication, projects can be delivered on time and on budget.
06 INDIA
04 SWITZERLAND Leica
01 UNITED STATES
Designed by Dewan Architects + Engineers, the mosque has a closed area of 68,060sqm and an open courtyard of 6,300sqm. It is located on approximately 10.3ha of land and has a 63m diameter and 83m high dome. There are a total of 73 domes and four minarets of 130m height. The mosque will be one of the largest in Central Asia, with space for 30,000 people in its prayer area.
12 September 2022 | MEConstructionNews.com 030102
05 KAZAKHSTAN Nur Sultan Grand Mosque in Kazakhstan opens for visitors Nur Sultan Grand Mosque in Kazakhstan is now open for visitors in Nur Sultan, the capital of the Central Asian country.
NineDot launches New York’s first battery energy storage system
03 MEXICO Epiroc RNPacquisitioncompletesofMéxico Mining and productivityinfrastructurepartnerEpiroc has completed its acquisition of RNP México, a manufacturer of rock drills and related spare parts. RNP México is based in San Luis Potosi state, Mexico, and has branches in Chile and Peru; it is said to employ 370 people and had 2021 revenues of approximately $28mn. The company develops, manufactures, and sells rock drills and related components, serving mining and construction customers mainly in Latin America.
NineDot has delivered New York’s first battery energy storage system (BESS). Located in the Bronx, New York City, it features a 12.32MWh (megawatt-hours) Tesla Megapack system, a solar canopy, and infrastructure ready for bi-directional electric vehicle chargers. The site is described as “a model for how to develop future urban clean energy projects”. The project supports the company’s goal of delivering 400MW of clean energy systems by 2026 that strengthen the local power grid and provide stable, reliable power.
forawarenesslaunchesGeosystemssafetysolutionconstructionsites
Leica Geosystems, part of Hexagon, has launched a new safety awareness solution designed to increase safety on construction sites by collecting and visualising data that enhances awareness, speeds up hazard response and provides better insights. Through its new safety awareness module in the cloud-based collaboration platform Leica ConX field-generated safety data will be integrated into the platform allowing decision makers to review incidents and assess the entire operation over time and space.
THE BIG PICTURE
CASE Construction Equipment, a brand of CNH Industrial, has produced its 50,000th backhoe loader, from its facility in the district of Madhya Pradesh in India, the manufacturer has revealed. Built in 1989, the CNH Industrial plant in the town of Pithampur, has been manufacturing a range of construction equipment including backhoe loaders, compactors and crawler-excavators. CNH Industrial also has a significant Research and Development facility at Pithampur.
CASE Pradeshloader50,000thproducesbackhoeatMadhyafacility
02 UNITED STATES WiredScore appoints John Hillard to lead Middle East expansion WiredScore, the organisation behind the WiredScore and SmartScore certifications – the internationally recognised digital connectivity and smart building rating systems for real estate, has announced the appointment of John Hillard to lead its expansion into the Middle East.
In a statement, the company said that Hillard will form an integral part of WiredScore’s wider offering to Middle Eastern real estate developers, landlords, and asset managers in enabling digital connectivity, bolstering the regional real estate sector.
09 SOUTH KOREA
SeAH Group and Aramco set up steelspecialisedproject South Korea’s SeAH Group has set up a joint venture (JV) with Saudi Aramco, to produce special steel pipes. The JV will accelerate the expansion of the group in the Middle East. SeAH Changwon Integrated Special Steel Corp, the group’s special steel maker, will be involved in the project, which will be established in King Salman Energy Park (SPARK). The factory will have an annual capacity of 17,000 tons. Construction work will commence in the fourth quarter of 2022.
08 CHINA SANY marks overseas launch of lighthousefirstfactory in China’s machineryconstructionsector SANY has manufactured its first excavator in Indonesia marking the overseas launch of the first lighthouse factory in the Chinese construction machinery industry. Located 70 kilometres away from the capital city of Jakarta, the SY315CKD was produced at a 10,000-square-metre plant in KIM Industrial Park with a total investment of nearly $30 million. The plant will mostly supply the SEAsia market while the planned annual production of the model is 3,000 units. Gujarat tenders for BESS1,000MWhproject
Tendering for 500MW/1,000MWh standalone battery energy storage systems (BESS) has begun, driven by the electricity board of the Indian state of Gujarat. Electricity market regulation board Gujarat Urja Vikas Nigam (GUVNL) issued a Request for Selection (RfS) document for what is billed as a new pilot project. This follows a previous tender for a separate 500MW renewable project also featuring energy storage systems. GUVNL is the holding company for the state-owned generation, transmission, and distribution companies.
THE BIG PICTURE 04 06 05 07 08 09 07 INDIA
13 MEConstructionNews.com | September 2022
“In terms of the top three locations for apartment rental growth, in the 12 months to July 2022, rents in Palm Jumeirah, Downtown and Dubai Maria saw rents increase by 39.8%, 38.4% and 35.7% on average respectively.”
T he total volume of transactions in Dubai’s residential market reached 6,524 in July 2022, up 58.0% from a year earlier. Over this period, off-plan sales increased by 59.0% and secondary market sales by 57.1%. Total transaction volumes in the year to date to July 2022 reached 45,793 this is the highest total recorded since 2009, over this period. Average prices increased by 9.9% in the year to July 2022. Over this period, average apartment prices increased by 8.7% and average villa prices by 17.8%. As of July 2022, average apartment prices in Dubai stood at AED 1,114 per square foot and average villa prices stood at AED 1,335 per square foot. Compared to the highs witnessed in late 2014, these rates per square foot are 25.1% and 7.6% below the peak, for apartments and villas respectively. In the apartments segment of the market, Jumeirah recorded the highest average sales rate per square foot at AED 2,082. Whereas in the villas segment of the market, Palm Jumeirah recorded the highest average sales rate per square foot at AED 3,521. Average rents in the 12 months to July 2022 have increased by 23.7%, with average apartment and villa rents increasing by 23.5% and 24.8% respectively. As of July 2022, average apartment and villa rents stood at AED 86,713 and AED 260,949 per annum respectively. In the rental market, the highest average annual apartment and villa rents respectively were found in Palm Jumeirah, where asking rents on average were AED 219,769, and in Al Barari, where asking rents on average were AED 925,010.
“Despite the summer period, which usually sees more subdued activity levels, sales activity in Dubai’s residential market remained buoyant in July 2022, with 6,524 units transacting in the month, up 50.8% from a year earlier.
Taimur Khan, head of Research –MENA at CBRE in Dubai, commented:
“Notwithstanding this strong activity, average price growth slowed, albeit it marginally to 9.9%, in the year to July 2022. Residential rents in Dubai increased by 23.7% in the year to over this period, which represents the highest annual rate of growth since May 2014.
“Total transaction volumes in the year to date to July 2022 reached 45,793 this is the highest total recorded since 2009, over this period.
14 September 2022 | MEConstructionNews.com CBRE report finds that Dubai rental growth reached its highest since May 2014 Dubai MarketResidentialSnapshot UNITED ARAB EMIRATES MARKET REPORT Industry outlook
15 MEConstructionNews.com | September 2022 MARKET REPORT REIDIN/ResearchCBRESource: KEY TAKEAWAYS AED 220,000 Highest average annual rent for an apartment in Dubai, in Palm Jumeirah AED 2,082 Highest average apartment price per square foot in Dubai, in Jumeirah Despite the summer period, which usually sees more subdued activity levels, sales activity in Dubai’s residential market remained buoyant in July 2022, with 6,524 units transacting in the month, up 50.8% from a year earlier” DUBAI RESIDENTIAL SALES PRICES (AED PER SQUARE FOOT), 2021-2022 ALL PROPERTIES APARTMENTS VILLAS 1,0001,1001,2001,3001,400 Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug AED 1,114 Average apartment price per square foot in Dubai AED 87,000 Average annual rent for an apartment in Dubai 9.9% Increase in average prices in the year to July 2022 DUBAI RESIDENTIAL RENTAL PRICES (AED THOUSANDS), 2021-2022 ALL PROPERTIES APARTMENTS VILLAS 50100150200250 Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul AED 925,000 Highest average annual rent for a villa in Dubai, in Al Barari AED 3,521 Highest average villa price per square foot in Dubai, in Palm Jumeirah AED 1,335 Average villa price per square foot in Dubai AED 261,000 Average annual rent for a villa in Dubai 23.7% Increase in average rents in the year to July 2022
MIDDLE EAST ANALYSIS Digitalisation
The significance and impact of the global construction industry, therefore, cannot be understated. Meeting the new challenges as well as overcoming the old will not be possible without embracing digitalisation. The needs of populations are evolving as influences left over from the pandemic and rising awareness of climate change impact public consciousness, politics, and economics; all of which have technological solutions which are proving to be invaluable.
September 2022 | MEConstructionNews.com 16
The State of the Union on Digitalisation T
he construction sector is a major contributor to global and regional GDP, and acts as an incubator for innovation and advancements. The problem is that it is not seen nor appreciated as such. As the world faces uncertain times, history tells us that turning to construction will help sustain jobs, drive growth, and allow economies to come out on the other side with enhanced infrastructure that will benefit them for years to come.
Prakash Senghani, CEO and co-founder of Navatech Group, provides an indepth assessment of how the construction sector is doing with its own digital revolution
17 MEConstructionNews.com | September 2022 ANALYSIS have accelerated their productivity growth have at least one thing in common; they have all digitalised. If we subscribe to the causal relationship between digitalisation and productivity growth then construction businesses could have been considered lagging, however the most cited data comes from reports produced by management consultants almost half a decade ago. Since those reports, the world has changed; the industry has become
A strong argument can be made that construction is one of the most traditional industries and thus it has been facing issues in adapting to digitalisation, however manufacturing is equally as traditional, yet they are often used as a comparator for productivity growth. It is no coincidence then, that construction is borrowing techniques from manufacturing to industrialise production of building elements, with the ever-wider utilisation of modular and prefabricated methods of construction, great examples can be found on residential projects in Dubai (I live in a house which was built using precast slabs, walls, columns, and beams) and on hospitality giga projects in KSA.
First let us consider the ‘old’ problems, the principle one being the productivity gap, it has been widely reported that construction productivity has either been stagnant or in decline since the early 1970s. There are numerous issues with trying to measure productivity in the industry as sometimes the statistics can be hard to get or to validate. However, the scale of the gap between other industry cannot be explained away by mismeasurement. The industries that more self-aware, digital transformation programmes are common, digital natives have entered leadership positions and the pandemic forced us to adopt digital tools. Those reports also implied that as an industry, we were purposefully being resistant to change, but recent events have proved this not to be the case. Costs and accessibility were a barrier to digitalisation for the construction industry, both of which are no longer the case, with the prices of both hardware and software declining and internet connectivity becoming more ubiquitous.
The widespread use of CDEs mean that the industry is digital data rich, much of this data is structured and easily accessible, this has led to a revolution in the way that decisions are made, using business intelligence tools to visualise data
Another advancement that we have seen over the past five years is the use of common data environments (CDEs) as a centralised repository for all project related information across the entire lifecycle. CDEs have expanded their reach and capabilities in sync with the proliferation of cloud computing which, usually, for Construction has kept pace with adoption in other industries. CDEs allow for a single source of truth and make data accessible to all project stakeholders in a controlled manner, helping to remove inefficiencies and potential errors, all helping to improve productivity.
5 fiveoverchangedsatoAttitudesdigitalitionhavethelastyears
18 September 2022 | MEConstructionNews.com instead of thick wordy reports. This allows insights to be gleaned much more effectively and accurately. Apart from these there are many digital tools and technologies being explored, the difference to five years ago is that these are being more readily piloted, which speaks to the change in attitudes to researching and adopting new technology, I have seen robots, 3D printers, drones and various levels of AI being deployed across the industry. I am convinced that this openness to looking at new technology is a lasting consequence of the pandemic, when we were forced to adapt and found that it wasn’t all that bad. The ‘new’ problems which the industry faces are partly because of having a larger digital footprint and partly due to its oversized carbon footprint. The issues associated with the former come in the form of cyber security threats, navigating data sovereignty (which is often geopolitical) and skills shortages. These are being addressed through better education and training as well as employing people from diverse and nontraditional talent pools such as video game developers and data scientists. The issue of climate change and our industry’s contribution to it is one that will inevitably involve technological solutions; from using IoT devices to measure baselines and
Although we still have a way to go, we are much further along than five years ago where we were being derided for being only andthanmoremarginallydigitisedagriculturefarming”
Although we still have a way to go and the journey to transform digitally may be never truly end, we are much further along than five years ago where we were being derided for being only marginally more digitised than agriculture and farming. Challenges still exists, but they are starting to be less about accepting change and more about how to make that change stick. These challenges stem from trying to use traditional techniques and processes to procure, evaluate and manage the new ways of working. Despite these challenges we should be proud of what we have achieved and celebrate the successes. Instead of allowing management consultants with vested interests to tell us how far we are behind, we must remind them that it is us that will be at the forefront of providing solutions for the challenges to come.
ANALYSIS
A clear picture Prakash Senghani says the availability of data is allowing assets owners to visualise in greater detail than ever before, allowing for better understanding of performance. Diverse thinking The andgamepoolsandpeopleindustryconstructionisemployingfromdiversenon-traditionalsuchasvideodevelopersdatascientists.
track improvements, to utilising AI to design more efficient buildings and building elements. The maturity of Building Information Modelling and the availability of data is allowing asset owners to visualise their assets in greater detail than ever before. These Digital Twins can be utilised to understand how an asset is performing and optimised.
kairnial.comParis London Madrid Dubai Melbourne Collaborative platform for construction projects to optimise your quality and compliance processes Drive quality inspections on site, in mobility • Graphically position forms against systems/equipment in 2D plans/3D models. • Manage site visits, quality, compliance, test and commissiong inspection check sheets. • Raise follow up actions (observations) against failed controls. Speed up the capture and resolution of issues • Graphically position issues against on 2D plans and 3D models. • Attach comments and annotated photos to provide more context. • Assign the responsible party with a pre-defined due date and configurable status workflow. Track progress through centralized data and the reports generated • Generate and share reports consolidating all the controls carried out on each project. • Instantly see the gaps between your actual and theoretical advancements. • Leverage automated statistics dashboard for performance analysis.
SEAN MCQUE, OPERATIONS DIRECTOR AT ALEC, REVEALS HOW THE CONSTRUCTION GIANT’S ONGOING DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION WILL HELP IT ACHIEVE ITS 2026 MISSION STATEMENT AND PREPARE IT FOR AN INTERCONNECTED FUTURE 20 IN PROFILE ALEC September 2022 | MEConstructionNews.com Digital Vision
21 MEConstructionNews.com | September 2022
Overseeing the entire process for the company is Sean McQue, operations director at ALEC, who sat down with Big Project ME to discuss ALEC’s ongoing digital revolution and shares his thoughts about the future of the industry and how ALEC is positioning itself for success: Why did ALEC’s decide to implement a digital transformation strategy? What were some of the key factors that prompted the decision? The construction industry is presently confronted by several challenges - skills and labour shortages, productivity issues, attitudes to change, outdated procurement models, lack of transparency and many more. The digitalisation of the section will undoubtedly help solve, if not at least simplify many of these challenges. Of course, this can neither happen overnight, nor could 4 ALEC has rolled out a strategydigitalfour-year Delivering quality ALEC has established itself as a contractor capable of high-profilehigh-qualitydeliveringworkonprojects.
chain challenges, talent shortages, rising fuel costs and construction’s impact on the environment, digital construction technologies are rapidly being adopted across the global construction sphere. Given the scale and reach of ALEC’s operations, it is no surprise the contractor has gone down this path, with a number of initiatives and technologies being implemented as part of its digital construction strategy, while key figures have been appointed to lead the transition, including Andy Boutle, ALEC’s head of Digital Construction, and industry veteran Craig Garrett, who has come on board as digital construction manager for KSA.
Having recently rolled out a fouryear digital construction strategy that is aligned with its 2026 mission statement, ALEC is well on its way towards achieving several of its short-term goals, such as achieving the BIM Kitemark certification – as per the latest international standard, ISO 19650, from BSI. Two years on from the pandemic, digital construction is at the top of the agenda for every company operating in the built environment space. Seen as a potential equaliser that can be leveraged to tackle a growing list of issues, including logistic and supply
22 September 2022 | MEConstructionNews.com
IN PROFILE
Part of this never-ending quest to improve is the company’s ongoing drive to embrace digital construction technologies, with the aim of boosting project efficiencies and quality.
s one of the biggest contractors in the region, ALEC has been involved in some of the most high-profile construction projects in the GCC, such as One Za’abeel, SeaWorld Abu Dhabi, Dubai International Airport Terminal 3 – Concourse A, One & Only Royal Mirage, several Expo 2020 Dubai pavilions, and Marina Gate, to name just a few. Successfully delivering these projects has earned the contractor a strong reputation in the market, with the name synonymous with delivering quality and high-spec work. However, this reputation has been hard won, with the construction giant constantly working to refine its margins and reshape its construction processes and methodologies to ensure it can measure up to expectations.
Furthermore, one of the goals of the builder’s digital strategy is to empower, train and upskill staff in the use of digital construction solutions. One of the goals for the company’s digital strategy for 2022 is to commence the roll-out of Operam Academy e-learning courses to 100 of its staff members by the end of the year. The courses have been specifically tailored to allow learners to drop in and out of modules to fit their education around their day job.
So, while ALEC is acting as a first move in driving this change, this current phase of our digital transformation strategy is also directed inwards – wherein we’re streamlining our own operations through digital technologies. This involves tackling interoperability, getting the information (data) layer standardised, as well as looking at how different technologies can integrate where required.
23 MEConstructionNews.com | September 2022 IN PROFILE it be solved by a single organisation independently. A consistent maturity of the broader sector will be needed.
Andy Boutle has said that the certification will drive best practices across projects, clients and supply chain – have you started to see evidence of this happening already?
Fundamentally, focusing on digital transformation will make us more productive, efficient, sustainable, and accurate, whilst reducing risk and waste. Our customers will therefore over time see an improved service and product, with our partners benefitting from the collaborative processes and technologies we put in place across our integrated teams.
While it’s still early days, I can say that we firmly believe the certification to be a very positive move that will no doubt bring value. As Andy mentioned, we are already starting to see this gain momentum as our clients too have begun moving towards the Kitemark system. It is
226 cantileverZa’abeel’sofinLength,metres,One Improved service ALEC’s transformationdigital will allow it to deliver improve service and product on demanding projects.
Having achieved the BIM Kitemark certification, how will this help ALEC achieve its digital aims and targets? When setting out our digital transformation goals for 2022, we clearly earmarked achieving the BIM Kitemark certification as per the latest ISO 19650 standard as our first objective. I’m proud to say that in July, we achieved this objective which involved the realignment of our processes, templates, and tools to the requirements of the latest international standards. Getting information management right is absolutely critical to supporting all our other digital initiatives. This quality mark will help us to drive best practices for information management across all our projects, giving clients assurance of our capabilities and approach, whilst supporting and upskilling our supply chain. Moreover, maintaining the BIM Kitemark certification requires us to be annually audited to demonstrate compliant information management across our projects which drives continuous improvement.
While intheselaggenerallysector,globalefficienciesofheraldingtechnologiesdigitalareanewerapossibilitiesandfortheconstructiontherehasbeenainadoptionoftechnologiestheregion”
Digitally clientsbeingcontractorsenabledarenowdemandedbyandconsultants.
What has the reaction been from ALEC’s clients and supply chain partners to your digital transformation strategy? Are you seeing enthusiasm to get on board or resistance?
Digital demand
There is no doubt that digital transformation is a hot topic in the boardrooms of construction firms. There’s good reason too as analysis by McKinsey Global Institute (MGI) shows that investing in technology and innovation is one of the key factors in boosting the construction sector’s productivity by up to 60%.
The fruition of our digital vision would be the
As a leader in the sector, ALEC has successfully leveraged the latest technologies on several projects, and we are now doubling down on these digital investments. In doing so, we will inevitability promote technology adoption among our customers and partners, leading to a digital-first mindset across the industry that advances the sector towards greater efficiency, quality, and sustainability
Having successfully achieved the BSI Kitemark ISO 19650 certification for information management using BIM, we are now turning our attention to other areas where we can leverage digital solutions to enhance operations. We are currently deploying a new Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system that will digitalise our internal processes to enhance business intelligence through analytics and reporting. How is the process of upskilling and training staff going? Are there any transformation targets in place for subsidiaries and departments?
What sort of future investment do you have in mind for the company as part of the digital transformation strategy? Are you investing in hardware technology as well?
ouravailableallsystemsdigitalofinterconnectivityseamlessbest-in-classsolutionsandsuchthatdataisfluidlyacrossenterprise” 68,000 animalsmarineoverwillAbuSeaWorldDhabihouse68,000
24 September 2022 | MEConstructionNews.com IN PROFILE being recognised and respected in the region, which in turn is driving adoption not only by contractors, but also consultants and end-clients.
But while digital technologies — ranging from Building Information Modelling (BIM) and Augmented/ Virtual Reality, to robotics, drones, and cloud software — are heralding a new era of possibilities and efficiencies for the global construction sector, there has generally been a lag in adoption of these technologies in the region. This is largely because there remains trepidation in the region due to the steep learning curve and challenges around integration between systems and deciding what investments will yield maximum positive impact.
For example, an initiative we currently have underway at ALEC is to generate real-time progress updates in our project models – made possible through the integration of technologies such as HoloBuilder, laser scans that produce point clouds for Systems Under Test (SUT), and traditional manual data recording. We will also look to leverage the latest technologies in meaningful way.
60% byionconstruct-ivityproduct-caninnovationogyTechnolandboostinthesector60%
25 MEConstructionNews.com | September 2022
and creating tables where specific text could be entered just once but be displayed in multiple places for varying purposes (we all know how many times we have to type the same information in multiple locations with a Word-based BEP) was even somewhat cathartic.
So, while some may imagine AI to be a sort of all-encompassing solution to critical decision making, at ALEC, we are taking a more practical approach. Our intention is to leverage AI to increase efficiency by automating timeconsuming, repetitive processes so our qualified professionals can win time back to focus on high-value tasks.
Constant training has always been a focal point for ALEC. To maintain our market leadership, we actively develop new internal learning and development programs to develop and enhance new skillsets within its workforce. An example is the ongoing development of employees through the ALEC EVOLVE program. In its EVOLVE C variant, the program is aimed at the company’s entry and more junior level staff. This program combines various learning initiatives including mentor support, classroom training, book reviews, PDPs and project delivery. This is rounded out by THRIVE, our Leadership Development program that aims to support employees at the mid-management level on their journey to become senior leaders. With the ultimate goal of nurturing their emotional intelligence in order to refine their ability to manage people, this program covers topics such as “Leadership as Coach”, “Hiring and Firing Effectively”, “Data Storytelling” and “Improvisation”. How important is the digital transformation strategy when it comes to the Saudi market? How do you envision it helping you expand ALEC’s footprint there? Even a quick look at the recently unveiled designs of NEOM offers sufficient insight into the Kingdom’s ambitions for the construction sector. The scale, technicality, and aspirations of these futuristic gigaprojects can only be realised by using the very latest in construction technologies and processes. Digital Construction is therefore key to facilitating the ambitions of KSA’s built environment and we’re seeing major developers in the country place stringent information requirements on their supply chains to deliver against, with a vision of connected ‘digital twins’ and smart cities. What are some recent projects that have benefitted/will benefit from ALEC’s digital transformation strategy? Recently when working on a theme park mega project in Saudi Arabia, we took the opportunity to build our BIM execution plan and information delivery plans in Morta, knowing we would also need to export static PDF / Excel versions for sharing to the CDE. We had the usual clientprovided templates for resources and sought provisional acceptance that we would follow the structure of the templates but develop in our own solution/format – the client-side BIM specialist was happy with this. After some initial training and guidance, building the BIM execution plan online became more efficient. Being able to drag/drop sections and subsection content to reorder
IN PROFILE
Finally, what does the future look like for a digitally empowered ALEC? The fruition of our digital vision would be the seamless interconnectivity of best-in-class digital solutions and systems such that all data is fluidly available across our enterprise.
Agenda2022
Focusing on four key themes: Design Considerations, Project Interfaces, the Energy Transition and Enabling Saudization, this one-day event aims to bring together leading experts from inside and outside the Kingdom to share their experiences and knowledge with representatives of the country’s construction and real estate sector.
Get in Contacttouch us Content Gavin Davids | +971 4 375 gavin.davids@cpitrademedia.com5480 Sponsorship Jude Slann | +971 4 375 raed.kaedbey@cpitrademedia.comRaedjude.slann@cpitrademedia.com5714Kaedbey|+97143755715 23 Nov 2022 | Live RIYADH / KSA Understanding the complexities of making Vision 2030 a reality educate gavin.davids@cpitrademedia.com
OpportunityUnique This event presents you with an opportunity to interact and connect with regional industry decision makers and influencers. There are several innovative ways to sponsor and participate from speaking opportunities to branding, interactive live polls to presentations. Contact us for detailed information.
About Constructionthe Intel Summit KSA
Work on a number of large-scale, iconic construction projects is well underway in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, as part of its Vision 2030 blueprint. While the Kingdom’s leadership aims to transform the country, it also wants to be mindful of what this transition means for its people, its culture and its environment. Therefore, as the GCC’s largest country moves towards a more diverse and sustainable economy, it is essential that the global construction industry equips itself with the knowledge and insight to grasp the unprecedented opportunities presented to them by Saudi Arabia’s transformation.
This is why the Construction Intel Summit KSA is coming to Riyadh on November 23, 2022. The third edition, and the first live iteration, the Construction Intel Summit KSA aims to inform and educate attendees about the massive opportunities that remain across the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Meet representatives from the industry and engage with a captive audience of decision makers and influencers, who are involved in purchasing or specifying products and services. Our sponsorship packages offer you a wide range of opportunities adapted to your needs and the level of visibility that you want to reach.
ConnectionsMake
The Construction Intel Summit KSA will combine high-level panel discussions, keynote speeches and expert presentations to communicate the views of industry experts and change-leaders.
© 2022 CPI Trade Media. All rights reserved. Event2022 Partners ASSOCIATE SPONSOR SILVER SPONSOR SILVER SPONSOR SILVER SPONSOR SILVER SPONSOR SUPPORTING PARTNER ational ngineering urea PRESENTED BY PRESENTED BY PRESENTED BY The event will focus on four key themes: z Visionary Designs: Design Considerations and Procurement Strategies to achieve Vision 2030 z Project Interfaces: Integrating Multiple Contract Packages and Sequencing Workflows on the Kingdom’s gigaproject z Energy Transition: Providing direction and unification while driving Saudi Arabia’s Energy Transition process z Enabling Saudization: Providing pathways of growth and development to Saudi Arabia’s burgeoning talent pool of Saudi construction professionals Complimentary Register for free and stay connected©2022CPITrade Venue Riyadh, KSA
MEConstructionNews.com | September 2022 29 ofPridePlace BIG PROJECT ME PROFILES THE GRAND HYATT KUWAIT, ONE OF KUWAIT’S MOST HIGHLY ANTICIPATED HOSPITALITY DEVELOPMENTS AND A LANDMARK PROJECT FOR BOTH HYATT HOTELS AND TAMDEEN GROUP PROJECT PROFILE Grand Hyatt Kuwait PROJECT NAME: Grand Hyatt Kuwait PROJECT DEVELOPER: Tamdeen Group HOTEL OPERATOR: Hyatt Hotels Corporation PROJECT DESIGNER: CallisonRTKL LOCAL ARCHITECT: PACE INTERIOR DESIGN: Meyer Davis CONTRACTOR: Ahmadiah Contracting & Trading
The hotel’s design has been conceptualised to seamlessly integrate into the context of its surroundings, complementing the established architectural lines, visually and functionally, while still making a distinct architectural statement all on its own.
The heritage.country’sreminiscentisinspiredmashrabiyafacademeanttobeoftheArabian
30 September 2022 | MEConstructionNews.com
Not only is it already an architectural landmark thanks to its distinctive design and grand aesthetic, but the hotel aims to offer signature guest experiences while forming an integral part of the country’s most immersive luxury social and lifestyle complex – the 360Mall Kuwait.
cheduled to open in the fall of 2022, the Grand Hyatt Kuwait is one of the country’s most anticipated hospitality developments in recent years and is set to be a milestone project for both Hyatt Hotels Corporation and its Kuwaitbased owners, Tamdeen Group.
As the tallest building in the area, the nine guestroom floors offer unobstructed views from every angle, while the 302-rooms offer guests a luxury urban escape, complete with impressive architectural designs. All of this adds up to create what is Kuwait’s most exciting entertainment, social and retail destination, one that is unmatched nationally. Cognisant of the significance of the project, the designers ensured that the property has several distinguishing features, such as is its curved design – which was conceived and executed in lieu of a traditional rectangular outline – to allow for a natural and harmonised integration into the existing architectural landscape. Consequently, the hotel’s exterior design complements the curvilinear connection between the adjacent areas that allow guests the ease of flow back and forth from the hotel to the mall.
order to take advantage of its location, these unique accesses were created at the main communal levels to allow guests a variety of entry and exit encounters. The Grand Hyatt Kuwait is also connected to the brand new multipurpose indoor ‘The Arena Kuwait’, which has a 5,800-seater capacity. In addition, the hotel contains three standalone lifestyle dining venues, and these restaurants and lounges utilised the clear sightlines created by the design to absorb mall activities. Designer CallisonRTKL also worked to create other spaces that offer a more intimate and private experience exclusive to hotel guests.
PROJECT PROFILE
As part of a flourishing mixed-use development, the architectural planning of the hotel sought to ensure a fluid
Located on the Sixth Ring Highway, the Grand Hyatt Kuwait is part of the expansion of the 360 Mall Kuwait, which consists of an additional 20,250 square metres of retail space and the five-start hotel, as well as the largest multi-purpose arena in Kuwait and the second Rafa Nadal Tennis Academy in the world. The hotel has two direct entry points from the mall extension, and in
Connection points The hotel’s design integrates it with the mall and arena connected to it through fluid access points. Hints of heritage
“During the conceptualising phase we thought a lot about scale and how guests would perceive their arrival from multiple distances and reviewed several levels of detail to achieve this. The hotel is
The hotel is clean and bold from a distance, featuring details that are angled and large enough to be observed from the main roads. However, as a guest approaches the hotel, the details get smaller and more intricate” merges cultural values of heritage, traditional geometric visuals and ancient technical aspects, creating something beautiful that will stand the test of time.
31 MEConstructionNews.com | September 2022 PROJECT PROFILE design aesthetic of the 360 Mall extension with a series of layers that splay out with unique characteristics. These multiple design features are focused on achieving an environmentally responsive building – inspired by and adapted for the local climate and culture. As part of this impetus, CRTKL derived the design of the hotel’s signature exterior from the date palm leaf, with specific attention given to the branches of the palm and their ridged shapes that provide the narrative for structure and shade. An inclined glazing system allows the façade to shade itself for large portions of the day, while angled vertical fins were fused between each guestroom to provide additional self-shading as the sun’s angle drops in the afternoon.
Large dynamic screens reminiscent of the traditional mashrabiya were designed with a highly detailed gradient pattern at the podium level, maintaining high visibility at eye level while also increasing the amount of shade and privacy in various focal areas. From the outside, the mashrabiya presents a beautiful and enigmatic front, CRTKL says, but the overall, impression created is that of a façade that successfully 302 Number of rooms in the KuwaitHyattGrand
Speaking about the inspiration and motivation behind the project, hotel designer Dustin Wekesser, associate principal at CallisonRTKL says: “The entire 360 Mall Kuwait development is a fantastic project with many great entrances and influxes, but as an architectural team, we wanted to make Grand Hyatt Kuwait feel more exclusive and opulent, to set it apart on an entirely different level of luxury.
September 2022 | MEConstructionNews.com 32 PROJECT PROFILE clean and bold from a distance, featuring details that are angled and large enough to be observed from the main roads. However, as a guest approaches the hotel, the details get smaller and more intricate, creating a dynamic and vibrant play of patterns, shadows, light and textures.”
The perimeter of the lobby is swathed in weightless white drapery, while the centre of the lobby is anchored by a marble water-like feature holding an equine sculpture at the centre. The plush interior of the lobby lounge is accentuated by wall panels clad in
5,800 Kuwait’‘Theindoorpurposemulti-ofCapacitythenewArena grandeurDistinguished The collectionbespokeof luxury furnishings adds an air of grandeurdistinguishedtothelobby.
Upon arrival at Grand Hyatt Kuwait, guests step into a hotel lobby that houses an exceptional art program that celebrates the region and public areas that provide an elegant and dynamic backdrop for meetings, socialising and relaxation.
white geometric patterns, while orbital shapes in the form of an oversized mobile sculpture rounds off the double volume aesthetics. A distinguished feeling of grandeur is established through a bespoke collection of luxury furnishings.
“Overall, the striking design is cohesive and thorough, as meticulous attention to every detail exemplifies the rigor and quality needed to meet the expectation of an unrivalled experience expected of an impending stay at Grand Hyatt Kuwait,” he adds.
The rooms feature signature wooden parquet flooring, book-matched marble in aligned with their brand standards was a key factor in pursing the concept.
Furthermore, the hospitality brand’s involvement went beyond the planning stages, with their influence extending to the exterior and interior designs.
Wekesser reveals that Hyatt was involved early in the design and development of the hotel portion of the project and as such, meeting Hyatt’s requirements and ensuring the design
Large-scale artworks have been commissioned specifically to fit the theme at Grand Hyatt Kuwait, the project’s designers say. In some cases, Meyer Davis started with the artwork, and built the interior design around a certain piece. The ultimate effect is one that offers visitors a chance to experience and engage with some remarkable pieces in a way that could be more intimate than at a museum or gallery setting, Wekesser says.
“As such, early on, a lot of attention was given to reviewing both live and dead loads with the structural team and to ensure the expansion joints and building separations were in the best locations.
PROJECT PROFILE
“Due to the mixed interior functions of the various building types being created, we also needed numerous transfer slabs and beams to provide large column free zones under the mall and self-shading facades, interior living walls, custom screens and more. Now, the results can speak for themselves,” says Wekesser.
“Hyatt pushed both our architects at CRTKL and the interior designers at Meyer Davis to think creatively about the materials and finishes. We were given license to create a unique identity for the hotel and worked collaboratively with the teams from Hyatt and Tamdeen to explore and implement amazing features, such as academy, the delivery of the mall and academy were sped up to ensure they opened in 2020, while the hotel’s opening is only scheduled for later this year. This meant that when it was time to deliver the building, the contractor had a lot on its plate as it managed an active construction site around a fully operational, mixed-use development.
33 MEConstructionNews.com | September 2022 the restrooms, floor to ceiling windows, and thoughtfully planned dressing spaces. Sensibly integrated lighting creates a sense of warmth and drama, while custom-forged geometric screens cast shadows at each guestroom entry, giving a subtle nod to the traditional Mashrabiya, a motif that is repeated throughout the architecture of the building.
There is a cultural steadfastness in Kuwait that has created a commitment to preserving and honouring the nation’s history. We felt it was crucial that the design was reflective of that great sense of national pride”
“Due to the numerous programs that were running simultaneously on what was a relatively small project site, the arrangement of the programmed elements needed to stack, align, and overlap in some instances in order to meet the area and access requirements for each zone,” he says.
“The goal was conveying an authentic pride-of-place through design. There is a cultural steadfastness in Kuwait that has created a commitment to preserving and honouring the nation’s history. At the same time, there is an openness to modernisation. We felt it was crucial that the design, craft, and storytelling on display at Grand Hyatt Kuwait was reflective of that great sense of national pride,” Meyer Davis tells Big Project ME. Throughout the hotel’s environment, design and décor are enlivened with concepts and detailing inspired by the area’s art, architecture, crafts, customs and archetypes, the firm points out, adding that the brief from Hyatt was ‘local in essence but reframed and reconstructed to become a part of the cosmopolitan and glamorous Grand Hyatt hotel sensibility’.
Anchor point An equine sculpture and water feature anchor the lobby area of the hotel.
Cultural reflections The hotel lobby has been designed to reflect Kuwaiti culture and heritage to welcome guests.
In order to ensure the smooth running of the construction process, he explains careful consideration during the planning process played a huge part in devising a schedule that facilitated the smooth running of the construction process.
While CRTKL served as the design architect and oversaw the project in increasing detail with PACE supporting as the local architect, Ahmadiah Contracting & Trading delivered the project as the contractor. Wekesser points out that although the Grand Hyatt Kuwait was designed simultaneously with the 360 Mall expansion, Arena and Rafa Nadal Tennis
“A high bar was set with the original 360 Mall which has been open since 2008. We continued to set new standards and increase expectations with the new mall expansion in 2020, then the Rafa Nadal Tennis Academy and the very recent opening of The Arena at 360. So naturally there is a certain level of buzz around the final piece to this puzzle and we are equally excited to deliver on this and launch a new destination for Kuwait that will put it on the maps of luxury travellers,” he concludes.
Wekesser adds that the biggest experiential challenge faced by the team was the project’s cohesive design, which created multiple visual and physical connections between the various programs and with the staged opening. Those connection points could only be experienced once everything was open and flowing together, he points out.
amongst residents and visitors has been building for a variety of reasons.
“We have been working as a collective to highlight the incredible different aspects that have taken this from a hotel to a destination – from the architecture and design to the world class Food and Beverage (F&B) offering, the spas, lounge spaces and social terraces. Not to mention the sports, entertainment and retail experiences that come as part of the wider 360 Kuwait development, which are laid out on the doorstep of the Grand Hyatt Kuwait.
The end result of all this diligence is a project that is greatly anticipated by the Kuwaiti population. With the site in a highly visible location, Wekesser says that its excitement
Statement pieces Each of the 302-rooms in the hotel have statement art pieces installed in them. Attention to detail Careful attention was given to the interiors of the hotel, with water features and natural lighting used in abundance.
MEConstructionNews.com hotel that could accommodate larger gathering spaces including the hotel lobby, ballroom and loading dock,” he says.
“Fortunately, early on a great deal of effort was spent on getting the layout of the entire development right to allow for clear separation between the operation of the different spaces and mixed uses. This detailed planning effort, by all the various groups involved, resulted in a servicing strategy that allowed each space to function independently and for each front-of-house to have their own entries and egress strategies,” he continues.
“Thanks to the position of the hotel on a corner of the project site, we were able to keep the cranes and staging areas for the hotel long after the mall opened and with limited impact on the mall access or visibility from inside the retail space.” This meant that hotel construction could then continue at full force without disturbing the operation of the other zones.
Located on the Sixth Ring Road, the site is highly visible with local traffic having watched it come to life over the past four or five years. It has since emerged as a striking piece of architecture that is now catching the eyes of those further afield”
PROJECT PROFILE
C M Y CM MY CY CMY K
34 September 2022 |
“This diligent work meant operations during the staged opening could be successful and were minimally impacted by the ongoing construction in other areas. Likewise, the team were able to preserve the guest experience, guest access, service strategies and other occupied zones from disruption,” he points out.
“Located on the Sixth Ring Road, the site is highly visible with local traffic having watched it come to life over the past four or five years. It has since emerged as a striking piece of architecture that is now catching the eyes of those further afield thanks to social media, especially Instagram where the project is getting a lot of attention and pickup,” he relates.
Christiane Egger, Deputy Manager, Upper Austria Energy Agency
H.E. Ahmed Mohamed Al Hammadi, Director General, Ras Al Khaimah Public Services Department (PSD)
Graeme Sims, Executive Director, Regulatory and Supervisory Bureau (RSB) Dubai
Faisal Rashid, Director - Demand Side Management, Dubai Supreme Council of Energy Ahmed Elkiki, Director of Technical Services, Ras Al Khaimah Hospitality
i For more information or to register, email opportunities@acm-events.com or visit www.rakenergysummit.com
Raki Philips, Chief Executive Officer, RAK Tourism Development Authority
Hassan Younes, Co-CEO and Founder, GRFN - 5 Authority
Organised by
H.E. Munther Mohammed bin Shekar Al Zaabi, Director General, Ras Al Khaimah Municipality
Andrea Di Gregorio, Executive Director, Energy Efficiency and Renewables Office, Ras Al Khaimah Municipality
H.E. Dr. Saif Al Ghais, Director General, Environment Protection & Development Authority (EPDA)
H.E. Yousif Al Ali, Assistant Undersecretary for the Electricity, Water and Future Energy Sector, Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure
Oussama Al Natour, Executive Director - Waste Management Agency, Ras Al Khaimah Public Services Department (PSD)
Eyad Ismail, Director of Engineering, Ras Al Khaimah Economic Zone (RAKEZ)
ADVISORS 4
Ahmed Elsayed Ban, Executive Director - Works Agency, Ras Al Khaimah Public Services Department (PSD)
H.E. Esmaeel Hassan AlBlooshi, General Manager, Ras Al Khaimah Transport Authority
OCTOBER 2022
Though there are several project selection techniques available, Voltas IOBG has adopted its own proven methodology.
A MethodScientific MIDDLE EAST EXPERT VOICE Voltas
The company began studying best practices from across industries (manufacturing, technology etc.) to help map good practices into contracting. This shaped our changing attitudes towards how we approached the bidding process for projects. Over the last few years, the MEP industry has gone through major
September 2022 | MEConstructionNews.com 36
Matrix” tool in which the details of the client, consultant, previous dealings with the client and nature of the project are recorded. A short study is made regarding the nature of client’s business, their credit worthiness and financial status. The nature of the project, scope details and advantages of bidding for the project are also captured within the selectivity matrix. Then, an estimate is done to ensure that proper resources are available for bidding and execution.
How does Voltas International Operations Business Group (IOBG) use data and technology?
A R Suresh Kumar, vice president and head of Voltas’ International Operations Business Group, shares how digitalisation has helped his company improve its offerings to the market and make it a leader in the MEP construction sector
The construction industry has been a laggard in the adoption of technology. Voltas IOBG, however, has been an early adopter of the same. Way back in 2007, Voltas IOBG began using SAP as their ERP solution across functions. This helped us generate volumes of useful data over the years, that we have been able to successfully collect, store, analyse and convert into useful information.
The company devised a “Project Selectivity
In this industry, we get to participate in bidding for projects of various technicalities and complexities. Finding the right project which fits into the business model and the team’s skill set is challenging. The right project selection is the first step towards a project’s success.
Why did Voltas IOBG decide to go down this route of using a more scientific method?
37 MEConstructionNews.com | September 2022 FOR MORE INFORMATION Please visit the Voltas website at: www.voltas.com turmoil and many MEP giants have hit the ground and not made a comeback. A major reason for this could be getting into a contract without analysing the project sufficiently and indulging in unhealthy competition for the sake of increasing the company’s share in the market. Voltas IOBG is making a careful observation of the current scenario and responding accordingly. Today, agility is our biggest strength, and we have highly skilled personnel that can adapt quickly to changes and challenges. A scientific method of selecting the projects provides us with an objective and standardised approach in mobilising the proper resources required for the project in terms of manpower and machinery and gives us a clear vision of the outcome and the future state of the project.
Automate repetitive tasks: Activities such as frequent budget updates, Quantity updates, maintenance of daily exchange rates, master creation, document approvals, audit logs are frequent, repetitive, and essential but time consuming. IOBG has deployed RPA (Robotic process automation) tools by streamlining, simplifying, and automating such activities thus completely removing manual interventions and making the process airtight, with audit trail and high efficiency resulting in 80%-90% time saving in such activities.
How does Voltas IOBG use digital technologies to manage and monitor site operations?
monitoring engineering, procurement, and construction progress, along with safety, payments, and variation data. The dashboards can be viewed on any digital device including mobile phones, thus enabling the management to have a bird’s eye view on the progress of all the projects at their fingertips. They can give feedback through the app instantly and the respective project managers can take corrective action immediately. This end-to-end process has changed the paradigm of project monitoring in the company, thus helping improve productivity across the sites.
Accounts Receivable, Accounts Payable, Banking, closing Budgets and Audits always has been resource intensive, voluminous, time consuming and important but non-productive activities.
Does the use of technology extend to other functions – like finance as well? Indeed. With a clear goal of achieving speed and efficiency with a higher degree of accuracy, the Finance and Commercial function at Voltas IOBG embarked on the journey of system development and automation. This helped eliminate repetitive tasks, outsource/digitalise traditional accounting functions and enabled cognitive analysis and forecasting.
System Integration and outsourcing: Traditional accounting code functions of Objective approach Voltas takes an objective standardisedand approach to selecting its projects and resourcesmobilisingforthem.
First, this way of operation has benefitted us by helping in choosing the right project and delivering the same on time. This in turn, has built trust and confidence among the various project stakeholders. Hence clients have been approaching us for their projects. In many cases, the client has involved us during the project conceptualisation stage to utilise our experience, which could help in making the project a success. This kind of approach has helped us secure reputed projects across the GCC region and increased our purchase capability and ability to get the products at a good price.
IOBG uses a multi system approach of specialised addons & tools integrated with the central ERP to facilitate a deeper drill down of budgets at the components/materials levels, capturing the requirements from the foreman level, aggregating the same for procurements, and reversing and earmarking the same to its source thus facilitating quantity based budgetary controls, eliminating wastages, and assisting in maintaining an optimum inventory and cashflow.
What has been the response from the market to this way of operating?
Voltas IOBG uses powerful descriptive analytics tools to monitor the progress across the different project sites. There is near real-time information available on the respective project dashboards into which key information flows in daily. This information comes from the various reports that have been created for
Cognitive Analysis and Forecasting:
90% toolsRPA activitiesonsavings90%inresultedhaveuptotimecertain functionsAlternative Voltas IOBG’s Finance and repetitivetechnologyfunctionCommercialusestoeliminatetasks.
While the use of standard and traditional financial reports provides important information on the financial health, in the dynamic project environment, the ability to extract critical lead and lag indicators, and project heal analysis play a pivotal role in success of the project. At IOBG, the finance team has deployed addons and connectors to directly extract the updated and live information from the ERPs, controlled by an authority matrix. Thus, a large chunk of data is summarised, modulated, sliced at the click of button providing the team with ability of providing data intensive complex reports on real time basis and resulting in substantial time savings (>95%) in generation of the standard reports.
More than four years also, we set up a Centre of Excellence to kickstart our digital journey. Now, almost all project management from planning to execution is done through digital platforms thus almost eliminating the need for paper.
IOBG Project Finance has adopted a twotier approach of system integration and outsourcing to overcome these issues. Off the shelf ERPs do not provide the versality to exercise the controls of the Project Budgets which are often tracked on disintegrated excel sheets and controlled only at the rolled-up level.
Ducab is a proud member of the communities we serve. So as organisations pivoted to green energy sources, so did we. Last year, Ducab opened a solar plant at our head office in Jebel Ali. That incorporates a rooftop array and ground-mounted panels. The plant generates 3.5 GWh of power yearly, enough to save about 660 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) a year. The electricity produced by the system covers the needs of the PVC plant on site.
s we celebrate the milestone of five years since the announcement of The Red Sea Project, it provides us with a moment to reflect on how far we have come in taking this development from a vision into a real destination, ready to welcome guests early next year As one of the first people to work on the project, it gives me immense pride to see the progress we have made. At the beginning, we were only a small group of colleagues figuring out the first steps to take on our amazing journey towards delivering one of the most ambitious regenerative tourism destinations in the world. Our aim then, which remains to this day, was to set new standards in sustainable development, respecting the destinationsThroughlike The Red Sea Project and AMAALA, we are embarking on an exciting journey to spotlight the Red Sea coast as a platform for the regeneration, revival, and resurgence of the Kingdom’s rich natural and cultural heritage”
The evolving global energy landscape has seen alternative energy sources rise to the fore of national energy strategies in many countries ”
Looking at the future, we recognize that wind energy will constitute an increasingly sizable part of many nations' energy mix. Ducab, therefore, developed several cables for the wind industry and has supplied cable solutions for the Dhofar Wind Power Project in Oman and the Galloper Wind Farm Project in the UK.
COMMENT Industry insight 38 September 2022 | MEConstructionNews.com
Additionally, we launched the NuBICC range, which caters to the nuclear industry and is currently used in UAE's Al Barakah and South Korea's Shin Hanul nuclear power plants.
Five Years of Milestones IAN WILLIAMSON ATRSDC
Aligning to global trends as the future of energy unfolds MOHAMMAD ALMUTAWA DUCAB DCABLE
The evolving global energy landscape has seen alternative energy sources rise to the fore of national energy strategies in many countries. To support these efforts, Ducab launched the SolarBICC line of cables specifically for the solar energy sector, which powers two of the region's largest solar power generation projects, including the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park in Dubai and Shams 1 in Abu Dhabi.
ucab Group's continued success rests on an agile strategy and responding to customers' needs. This is reflected in an impressive 25% revenue growth for 2021 compared to 2020 amidst challenging market conditions. Being attuned to customer needs is the foundation for our tailored solutions for specific applications. Many verticals we serve are highly specialised and a one-size-fits-all approach is not ideal. Therefore, we have developed customised cables for various applications, including nuclear energy, marine and offshore, oil & gas and more. Most cables are made to order, which entails working closely with customers to design cable solutions that are fit for purpose. This is possible thanks to our in-house technical department dedicated to expanding our product range through product R&D initiatives. We also maintain eight fully equipped materials test laboratories across our manufacturing sites that carry out sample tests in accordance with international best practices.
The decarbonisation of the energy sector is one of the major priorities in many of our markets. Given our vast expertise in renewable energy; increased investment in the sector provides a significant opportunity for us to become a much more important player in the world's post-oil energy economy. Energy transition and digital transformation are at the heart of many regional socioeconomic visions. One of the common denominators between them is high-quality cabling solutions. As our customers pursue their business objectives, we will play our part in delivering the robust infrastructure required to support their visions.
Mohammad Almutawa is the chief executive officer of Ducab Cable.
39 MEConstructionNews.com | September 2022 COMMENT
One of the unique ways that fit-out companies opt for is possessing a manufacturing facility. It is absolutely advantageous and practical to have an in-house manufacturing plant, where firms can create and use their own products, if an efficient and timely completion of the project at a lower cost is the company’s top goal.
TRSDC has also been a catalyst for social development and diversified growth, investing in enabling knowledge transfer, enhancing professional development opportunities, and developing local talent.
fit-outdesignersinteriorfacilitymanufacturingin-houseforandfirms
Furthermore, fit-out companies have observed an increase in client satisfaction when they create and provide the designs from their own facility, especially during the times when customers require an improvisation of any interiors during the course of the project. A built-in manufacturing facility can save time as firms can immediately turn to their designers for quick rework and production of the new set of interiors including walls, wardrobes, doors, and more. Thus, saving the effort taken and expenses of finding new products in the market.
Benefits of an
We've appointed some of the world’s greatest consultants to imagine and design thousands of assets and we've engaged several hundred contractors, including many here in the Kingdom, to construct and deliver on the vision. We have achieved milestone after milestone despite a global pandemic, setting new environmental, health & safety and construction standards for Saudi Arabia and we are on track to deliver our first hotel assets early next year. For me personally, it really is a culmination of my 40-year career in not only leading the delivery of this world-renowned project but contributing to the rebirth of a great nation. With a vision to pave the way for an incredible transformation in Saudi Arabia and beyond, TRSDC has already proven to be a significant contributor to diversifying the Saudi economy. Through destinations like The Red Sea Project and AMAALA, we are embarking on an exciting journey to spotlight the Red Sea coast as a platform for the regeneration, revival, and resurgence of the Kingdom’s rich natural and cultural heritage. We are developing the nation’s luxury tourism sector, bringing opportunities to the people of Saudi Arabia, and opening an undiscovered destination for the world to experience a deeper understanding and appreciation of this country.
Sherif Nagy is the general manager of The FITOUT. natural world, creating opportunities for the local communities and protecting and enhancing the destination for the future.
he interiors of a room are important features in any construction. Fascinating ceiling designs, excellent floor patterns, elegant furnishing, partitions etc, create an everlasting impression on customers. This is what the term ‘Fit-out’ refers to. Every building, outlet, store, and commercial space include in their strategy to build a state-of-the-art interior space of the highest industry standards. With the rising demands and requirements of clients and evolving trends in the industry along with the UAE’s culturally diverse environment, every client opts for a fresh and innovative design that could be delivered quickly within a time frame. This has led the fit-out companies to adopt several alternative methods to deliver projects on time. Professionals suggest that effective planning and prompt deliveries are the two most crucial components of a project's successful completion and client satisfaction.
The advancement of technology has led to the evolution of machinery that enable multi-run production of high-end quality finishes. Having an in-house manufacturing facility can help fit-out companies in minimizing the outsourcing expenses and save costs on damage management.
One of the healthiest ways to navigate through the current competitive market is to adopt methods that can make tasks easier and yet deliver quality, by grasping the opportunities that modern technology provides. Modern technology has been driving business growth in all sectors and having a manufacturing facility is one of the added advantages. With the development of a manufacturing plant, companies can enjoy the benefits of incorporating design both with a contemporary and traditional touch, while devoutly producing superior quality products.
Effective planning and prompt deliveries are the two most crucial components of a project's clientcompletionsuccessfulandsatisfaction”
In addition, firms can use the same products and designs in a different way for a new project.
Ian Williamson is Group chief projects delivery officer at The Red Sea Development Company.
SHERIF NAGY THE TFITOUT
Today, that small team has become a large and mighty one, acting as agents of change to demonstrate to the world that creating worldclass destinations can go hand-in-hand with protecting and enhancing the environment.
To guarantee that the quality of services is consistently upheld and delivered to the highest standard possible, fit-out firms are advised to employ professional craftsmen and use extensive quality control procedures.
And now, after years of planning and preparing, we are only a few months away from welcoming the first guests to our destination. Developments like The Red Sea Project are primed to become global references for eco-tourism, development, conservation, and regenerative sustainability.
AMANA Contracting delivered the project while adhering to the highest quality and safety norms, using off-site construction techniques. The team executed and installed specialised systems, such as LED lights in the grow room and germination room, grow fans, grow room controls, pack house equipment, grow kit, racking, nutrient dosing systems, and germination room equipment.
BIM technology was leveraged to develop all the workshop drawings and executed MEP using offsite construction. Given that modular techniques are more efficient, leaner and result in less waste production, AMANA ensured that the project was executed in the most sustainable way possible.
95% methodsfarmingnormalwater95%farmverticalTheuseslessthan $40m, annuallykilosmorefacility330,000sqftwillproducethanamillionofleafygreens
The project team also achieved a milestone of 1+ million work hours without any LTI at the project.
Final update
September 2022 | MEConstructionNews.com
The $40m Bustanica hydroponic farm is considered to be the largest in the world. It spans 330,000sqft and is located in Dubai World Central, and will produce more than a million kilos of high-quality leafy greens annually with 95% less water than conventional farming. The project will boost the UAE’s food security,. Produce will be available on certain Emirates flights and for consumers to purchase across stores in the UAE under the Bustanica brand. To construct the vertical farm, AMANA brought in the best and latest innovations in building and construction. The construction leader executed and installed specialised systems to ensure maximum sustainability and environmental conservation. The project was completed on time, by leveraging advanced to maximise output on site.
The company said that the hightech hydroponic facility in Dubai South was constructed by its subsidiary AMANA Contracting, in collaboration with Crop One Holdings and Emirates Flight Catering (EKFC).
G roup AMANA has said that it has delivered its first-ever vertical farm in the region, which is a project that will boost the UAE’s long-term food security and self-sufficiency.
Group AMANA delivers world’s largest vertical farm in Dubai South
Specialised systems AMANA executed and installed a number of specialised systems throughout the massive facility in order to improve its productivity.
C M Y CM MY CY CMY K
40 PROGRESS REPORT
Digital Solutions that make the complex, simple, and the outcome, beyond expectations www.snclavalin.com | www.atkinsglobal.com People. Data. Technology
