For the construction specialist
Captains of Industry Middle East Consultant recognises the region’s top personalities, projects and consultancies
ISSUE 055
January 2019 Publication licensed by Dubai Production City A product of Big Project Middle East
© 2018 LACASA Architects & Engineering Consultants All Rights Reserved
I’m Hiba Jaber and I am a
Lead StructuraL engineer www.lacasa.ae
LACASA AD_HIBA JABER BigProject 2018.indd All Pages Untitled-1 2
1/3/19 9:06 AM
Structural design is the art of making buildings stand as efficiently and as simply as possible. I believe that the fundamental question in structural engineering is not, “can we build this?” but rather, “how can we best build it?” Good structural design relies on structural models and physical principles to develop an intuitive design that ensures safety, respects the architect’s vision, and can be efficiently constructed.
Hiba Jaber
Lead Structural Engineer
LACASA is committed to providing quality-driven designs within a multidisciplinary environment. Established in 2006, the firm has grown significantly over the past eleven years. Today, LACASA boasts a diverse portfolio encompassing all types of developments and across the entire MENA region. While it is said that perfection doesn’t exist, we believe that perfecting design can be achieved by cultivating extraordinary talent.
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CONTENTS
On topic INdUstRY VIEWs fROm AcROss thE mIddLE EAst
07 ANALYsIs
06
07
13
14
16
28
32
36
38
40
JLL reviews how Abu Dhabi’s office and residential market performed in Q3 of 2018 11 NEWs
Perkins+Will appoints new director of Corporate Interiors; Atkins appoints Rick Hancock as Saudi Arabia country director; Parsons receives Kitemark for BIM Level 2 Accreditation
In practice ANALYsIs, INsIghts ANd INtERVIEWs
16 fEAtURE
Middle East Consultant recognises the Middle East’s top personalities, projects and consultants at its fourth annual awards ceremony in Dubai 28 INtERVIEW
EllisDon’s Wissam Hijazi talks about developing a coherent BIM framework that can be relied on through a project’s lifecycle 32 INtERVIEW
Jason Saundalkar speaks to Autodesk’s Louay Dahmash about technology that will allow designers and planners to take on climate change and other growing challenges
On site cAsE stUdIEs, OpINIONs ANd sNApshOts
36 pROfILE
We talk to Faithful+Gould’s Tina Exakoustidou about her influences, career and gender diversity in the construction industry 38 shOW pREVIEW
Middle East Electricity will unite power sector players and highlight growing demand for electricity, diversification and conservation 40 thE bAck pAgE
Woods Bagot’s Paolo Testolini on why Dubai is well placed to realise a smart city vision 2 JANUARY 2019
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Group EDITOR’S NOTE
New Year, New Fortunes On behalf of the team at CPI Trade Media, I’d like to wish everyone a Happy New Year! 2018 is in the history books and while the year was challenging, I think it’s worth focusing on the positives as we welcome in the New Year. From a project standpoint, there were some great handovers in 2018, my favourite being Bluewaters island. While the island’s main attraction, the incredible Ain Dubai, is yet to open, it was great to have a walkaround and see the culmination of years of work in the metal (or is it concrete?). The magnificent Opus by Zaha Hadid also opened last year and instantly made my personal ‘top five buildings in Dubai’ list. All the structural work on the Museum of the Future was also completed in November, so it’s now only a matter of time before the striking building is ready for handover. In addition to these projects, dozens of others were handed over across the UAE and the GCC, including the new Muscat International Airport. But, as grand as all these projects are, what’s in the pipeline for delivery in 2019 is perhaps even more impressive. In Saudi Arabia, we can look forward to the opening of the transformational Riyadh Metro project. In the UAE, another Zaha Hadid Architects designed project in the form of Bee’ah’s headquarters is scheduled for completion, while The Royal Atlantis, DIFC Grand Mosque and Dubai Arena are on track for delivery. Based on grapevine chatter, I’m confident a number of new projects will be announced across the GCC countries in 2019. From a content and event standpoint, both Big Project Middle East and Middle East Consultant have dense plans for the year. Events will be a major focus and we fully intend to build on the success of the ME BIM Summit and the Value Engineering Summit. Both will return in 2019 and both will be bigger and better than before. We also plan to host two new events: the Retail & Hospitality Construction Summit and a Women in Construction Summit. Gavin and I will have details about these events shortly, so watch this space and have a great start to the New Year.
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ON TOPIC
MOST POPULAR
ReAdeRS’ COMMeNTS
feATURed
CONSTRUCTION
The MULTIdIReCTIONAL ROPeLeSS eLevATOR ThAT COULd START A New eRA Of TALLeR BUILdINGS
Meydan One on track for early 2020 launch
We hear the word innovation so often that it has lost almost all of its meaning, but this technology CONSTRUCTION
(The multidirectional
Facilio raises $6.4m Series A funding, led by Tiger Global and Accel
could start a new era
ropeless elevator that of taller buildings) story is deserving of the title. However, as the author
Interview: Issam Galadari, CeO of Ithra dubai
points out, we are still restricted by the way our buildings are designed and I suspect this will limit this technology
CONSTRUCTION
Arada awards three contracts for homes in Aljada and Nasma Residences
for the near future. Furthermore, as much as I love the idea of being able to move around a building like a crew member of the Starship Enterprise, it is really difficult to imagine how this would
CONSULTANT
be of much use in most
Saudi Arabia signs MoA with AEC, Honeywell for smart city projects
large buildings, as land costs already limit their footprint. The ability to go higher is arguably the real benefit of this technology and it is going to be exciting to see how this affects architects of the next generation
CONSULTANT
Nakheel and RIU confirm roofing is underway on Deira Islands resort
6 JANUARY 2019
of tall buildings.
feature: The future of BIM will not be BIM
Name withheld by request
ON TOPIC
ANALYSIS
Abu Dhabi Q3 Market Review
JLL reviews how Abu Dhabi’s office and residential market performed in Q3 of 2018
G
hadan 21 is a three-year, $13.6bn Abu Dhabi government programme aimed at boosting the economy through investment in four main areas: business & investment, society, knowledge & innovation and lifestyle. The first tenet was launched in September 2018, with the aim of creating an attractive environment for enterprise growth, developing the private sector and stimulating industry projects. The main pillars of Ghadan 21 include supporting small and medium enterprises by allowing start-ups to launch without a physical address and developing a new economic licensing system to facilitate issuance of business licences. We expect these initiatives to boost overall commercial activity and the business environment in Abu Dhabi.
Aldar has announced the launch of Aldar Investments, a subsidiary with around $5.4bn of real estate assets, which has since raised a $500m sukuk dual listing on the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX) and the Irish Stock Exchange. In Abu Dhabi, residential rents and sales prices have continued to decline as anecdotal evidence suggests that vacancies are increasing. This is partly due to subdued demand as a result of job losses and cuts in housing allowances. Office rents remained stable in Q3, despite the decline in demand. However, the delivery of additional supply at a time of weaker demand is expected to place downward pressure on rents in the medium to long term. JANUARY 2019 7
ON TOPIC
Abu Dhabi residential supply, thousand units Stock Annual supply
Abu Dhabi office supply, million sqm of GLA Stock Annual supply
270
3.90
265
3.80
260
3.70
255
3.60
250
3.50
245
3.40
240
3.30
235
3.20
230
3.10 2015
2016
2017
Q3 2018
2018
2019
Office Sector Supply and Performance
No deliveries took place in Q3, with total office stock remaining at approximately 3.7m sqm GLA. Approximately 38,000sqm of office GLA is expected to enter the market by the end of 2018 with the delivery of United Square in Khalidiyah, among others. Deliveries in 2019 are expected to be less than 50,000sqm, as developers remain cautious due to subdued demand. Headline rentals for both grade A and grade B office space have remained stable over the past quarter but have fallen by 3.5% and 12.6% respectively over the past year. Rates for shell and core offices, exclusive of service charge, are averaging $462 per sqm for grade A and $245 per sqm for grade B stock. The demand for office space in Abu Dhabi remains limited, with some companies downsizing to smaller units. Many companies are now also seeking second-hand fitted space, as opposed to shell and core space, to reduce their overall capital costs. As a result of this
“The UAE’s decision to allow 10-year visas for expats and 100% foreign ownership in companies located outside of free zones is expected to provide a positive stimulus to the economy over the medium term” 8 JANUARY 2019
2014
2015
2016
2017
Q3 2018
2018
2019
trend, we expect average rentals to continue to decline over the next 12 months. Residential Sector Supply and Performance
The UAE’s decision to allow 10-year visas for expats and 100% foreign ownership in companies located outside of free zones is expected to provide a positive stimulus to the economy over the medium term. The law, which will take effect in 2019, outlines qualification requirements, which include a property worth $545,000, financial savings greater than $273,000, or an active income of more than $5,400 per month. Long-term visa security should increase the investor pool and extend the market cycle with longer term hold periods. Approximately 832 units were delivered in Q3, bringing total residential stock to approximately 255,000 units. Deliveries include Faya in Bloom Gardens, Al Nour Residential Building in Reem Island and the remaining Hidd Al Saadiyat villas. Approximately 4,000 residential units were scheduled to enter the market by the end of 2018, mainly in Reem Island, Yas Island and Al Raha Beach. However, we expect a portion of this supply to be delayed at the final stages of approvals and handover. Apartment rents declined a further 2% q-o-q to an average of $34,570 p.a. This translates into a 6% decline y-o-y. As more completions materialise towards the end of the year, residential vacancies are expected to increase, causing further rental declines. Similarly, the sales market continued to soften with average prices for prime villas falling 2% in Q3 (14% yo-y) and apartments falling 3% (12% y-o-y), to $2,900 per sqm for both apartments and villas. Liquidity has been affected by weakened sentiment, causing further pressure on prices. Mortgage costs are also increasing, which affects the rent-buy equation. However, with the 10-year visa law taking effect in 2019, we anticipate a healthier market appetite in the long run.
Source: JLL
2014
` ` `
2015, 2016 & 2018
www.studiolumen.com
Siddharth Mathur PARTNER
p: +971 4 3385806 e: sm@studiolumen.ae
ON TOPIC
P+W appoints new director of Corporate Interiors Perkins+Will (P+W) has announced Martin Smith as its director of Corporate Interiors for the Dubai office. In his role, he will focus on expanding the company’s regional interior design business and will report directly to P+W managing director Roger Wilson. Smith has over 18 years of experience working within the real estate and construction industries, including 13 years of GCC experience. “I am thrilled to join Perkins+Will, a company known and respected for delivering world-class design services globally across many end markets and projects. I’m excited to be a part of Perkins+Will’s vision for growth, including expansion into Saudi Arabia. I’ve admired Perkins+Will from the outside for many years and I’m delighted, therefore, to have been chosen to join the company in the next exciting phase of its journey. I greatly look forward to working with the team and collaborating with clients to achieve further success in the years to come,” said Smith.
Intelligent effort In 1819 John Ruskin, a prominent English thinker, said:
“
Quality is never an accident; it is always the result of intelligent effort... When you pay too much, you lose a little money, that's all. When you pay too little, you sometimes lose everything, because the thing you bought was incapable of doing the thing it was bought to do.
Here at Balmoral Tanks we relate to this fully. The range of quality installations spanning the Americas, Europe, Middle and Far East is evidence of a growing portfolio of discerning customers that also concur.
Member
Balmoral Tanks QUALITY | RELIABILITY | DELIVERY | SINCE 1980
Eurocode compliant designs
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JANUARY 2019 11
ON TOPIC
RTA announces work on futuristic solutions
Atkins appoints Rick Hancock Saudi Arabia country director Atkins has announced Rick Hancock as its new country director for the Kingdom. According to Atkins, Hancock has significant experience in international property, development and project management in Australia, Europe, Southeast Asia and the Middle East. Within Saudi, Atkins says it is continuing work on the delivery of the Riyadh Metro while working on the King Abdullah Financial District (KAFD). With the latter, the consultancy is re-master planning the area as a “world-class, vibrant and integrated mixed-use destination”. The firm is also involved in several other projects that will “unlock the value of its cities’ master planning and improve the lifestyle of residents”. Commenting on his appointment, Hancock noted, “I am delighted to be heading up Atkins’ design and engineering operations in Saudi Arabia. The company has a long and proud history of working on some of the country’s most iconic projects, and this gives us the credibility and knowledge to play a significant role in building its exciting future. A large part of that revolves around its own people, whose development and nurturing form one of our key priorities and core values.” 12 JANUARY 2019
Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) is working on artificial intelligence (AI), autonomous mobility and shared mobility/transport projects, including the Dubai Sky Pods. At an unveiling attended by Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of Dubai Executive Council, the RTA showed two models of the Dubai Sky Pods, a futuristic mobility system for the emirate. The pods are said to use far less land space than conventional transportation means of the same capacity, while power efficiency is greater than that of electric vehicles. The system’s infrastructure is also said to consume significantly less power than conventional transit systems offering the same capacity. During a visit to the Metro depot at Al Rashidiya, Sheikh Hamdan lauded the efforts of the RTA and its initiatives aimed at facilitating the mobility of public transport users. He was received by Mattar Al Tayer, director-general and chairman of the board of executive directors of the RTA. Sheikh Hamdan inspected the new Dubai Metro train, which is undergoing testing at the depot. The Crown Prince also inspected a stateof-the-art rail maintenance system, a grinding machine that automatically restores worn tracks and realigns rail tracks with the train wheels, eliminating the risk of rail breaking, in addition to several other innovations.
ON TOPIC
SNC-Lavalin expands regional mining and metallurgy team
Etihad ES to embark on $109m retrofit drive Etihad Energy Services Company (Etihad ES) is planning to implement $109m worth of projects, including building and industrial retrofits and solar projects. A top official from the firm said the company aims to retrofit approximately 30,000 buildings by 2030. The announcement was made at the third Annual Dubai Green Hotel Innovation Conference, which took place on 26 and 27 November, 2018. The event discussed the Dubai green tourism programme updates and initiatives, as well as best practices and the latest technology for reducing operating costs and improving sustainable performance through sustainability and retrofitting programmes. “Over the years, the hospitality industry in Dubai has grown exponentially. We cannot turn a blind eye on the environmental impact of hotels, especially in terms of their natural resource usage and energy consumption. The hospitality industry’s energy costs in Dubai account for a significant portion of total energy consumption,” remarked Ali Al Jassim, CEO of Etihad ES. The move aligns with the government’s plans for effective and efficient measures to be put in place to make the hotel industry more sustainable. An estimated 700 hotels are currently operating in Dubai, with more hotels expected to open before 2020, the statement said. Jassim added, “So, in order to cut its energy demand and consequently contribute to Dubai’s 30% energy demand reduction target by the year 2030, we encourage all key stakeholders to take action that has a longterm positive impact.”
SNC-Lavalin has announced that Sohail Samdani has been appointed SVP and GM of its mining and metallurgy sector in the Middle East. He will oversee current mining and metallurgy projects, as well as drive growth to strengthen the company’s regional presence. Samdani has 20 years of international experience in business management, engineering, project management, business development, strategy development and implementation in the mining, metallurgy and infrastructure sectors, and has successfully delivered projects in Australia, Russia, Central Asia, the Middle East, Africa and the US. “Mr Samdani is a key pillar in growing SNCLavalin’s reputation as a leader in the mining and metallurgy business. In the Middle East, we continue to see an upward curve as countries continue to diversify their economic resources. Mr Samdani’s expertise, credibility and globalcalibre experience will play an important role in delivering the highest standard of services to our existing clients and partners, as well as tapping into a wealth of opportunities out there in this emerging sector,” said Jose Suarez, president, Mining & Metallurgy at SNC-Lavalin.
JANUARY 2019 13
ON TOPIC
Parsons receives Kitemark for BIM Level 2 Accreditation Parsons MEA has received BIM Level 2 Kitemark Accreditation from the British Standards Institution (BSI). BIM Level 2 Kitemark is said to be the benchmark in best practice, consolidating all project and asset information, documentation and data at the design and construction phases of a project using BIM processes. The Kitemark is one of the most recognised symbols of quality and safety and offers true value to consumers, businesses and procurement practices, Parsons said. The new BSI Kitemark for BIM Level 2 is said to provide the most robust measurement of an organisation’s delivery of BIM projects, certifying businesses for their diligence in design and construction, asset management, supply chain management, delivery of customer service excellence and information security. “BIM is helping us to improve efficiency, which is an added benefit for Parsons and its clients. The volume of information available to us allows us to make smarter decisions, improve collaboration and control costs, which ultimately leads to successful projects,” said Gary Adams, Parsons’ group president.
14 JANUARY 2019
Arada awards three new contracts for homes Arada has awarded three main construction contracts that will see the delivery of 800 homes across Aljada and Nasma Residences. Construction is scheduled to be complete by the end of 2019. The contract to build three Areej Apartments blocks within Phase 1 of Aljada was won by Modern Building Contracting Company (MBCC). The buildings will include a total of 366 units. The contract to build the first three Rehan Apartments blocks, also within Phase 1 of Aljada, was won by Intermass Engineering & Contracting Company (Intermass). Arada also said that Intermass won the main construction contract for Phase 3 of Nasma Residences. 192 villas and townhouses will be built as part of the contract, with work expected to begin on-site at the end of 2019. The same contractor won the package for Phase 1 and split the award for Phase 2 with Klampfer Middle East. The developer is preparing to hand over its first ever homes, as construction of Phase 1 of Nasma Residences nears completion. It says it is on track to deliver keys to the first set of homeowners by the end of this year. “We are pleased to be confirming the construction of 800 well-designed and expertly built homes for Sharjah, a market where demand for the types of communities Arada is building remains exceptional. These three new contract awards show the rapid pace of progress at both of our projects. In line with our promises to buyers, we are now preparing for the handover of our first homes to buyers at the end of this year,” explained HE Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed Al Qasimi, chairman of Arada.
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IN PRACTICE
MEC AWARDS 2018
Captains of Industry Middle East Consultant recognises the region’s top personalities, projects and consultancies
T
he fourth annual Middle East Consultant Awards took place on 10 December, returning once again to the Ritz-Carlton, JBR. 21 awards were up for grabs and this year’s event set new benchmarks, welcoming over 300 professionals from across the GCC and receiving a total of 170 nominations across the individual, company and project categories. The judges for this year’s event were Aly Diab from BK Gulf; Eileen Hill from CIOB; Roxana Allen from Al Futtaim Construction; 16 JANUARY 2019
Robert Marinelli from Airolink; Suhail Arfath from Autodesk; Gavin Davids, group editor at CPI Trade Media; and Jason Saundalkar, Middle East Consultant editor. “We’re finishing 2018 with the most successful edition of the Middle East Consultant Awards yet. No fewer than 170 nominations were submitted, and on the night we welcomed more than 300 regional construction professionals. The testimonials for this event and all our 2018 calendar events have been very positive, signifying
IN PRACTICE
that the industry truly values and identifies with our events,� said Raz Islam, managing director of CPI Trade Media. The 2018 Middle East Consultant Awards were supported by gold sponsors Pace and Hill International, and by silver sponsors Airolink, CKR Consulting Engineers, DeSimone, Hadley Group, Kingspan, LACASA, National Engineering Bureau, Rawlplug and Seed Engineering Consultants. WSP was the social media partner
of the event, while AECOM and Faithful+Gould were networking sponsors. The event was also supported by CIOB and RICS. WSP hosted a selfie competition on Twitter during the award ceremony, asking guests to tweet a creative selfie along with the hashtag #MECAwards2018, for the chance to win a brand-new Apple iPhone XS. AESG was announced as the winner before the night was over.
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IN PRACTICE
ME Consultant’s Rising Star of the Year RUNNERS-UP: Eva Ayyoub – AECOM Roby Oomen – WME WINNER: Katherine Bruce – AESG
In addition to working on high-profile projects, this year’s winner was awarded the ‘Space for Sustainability Award 2017’ by the ESA.
“I’m really honoured to be given this award against some really tough candidates - they have all done impressive work, so this is a real honour. I would like to take this achievement as a big motivation to keep doing what I really enjoy, which is sustainable buildings and trying to make Dubai more sustainable,” Bruce commented.
Women in Construction: Professional of the Year RUNNERS-UP: Louise Collins – WME Suad Khawaja – Parsons WINNER: Mina Al Jubori – Aurecon
Mina Al Jubori won the judges over because, in addition to having a fantastic professional track record, she was undeterred by the significant
challenges of growing up in a city besieged by war. “I have been in the industry for about 18 years now and it’s great to see this recognition. With this, I’m hoping to inspire the young female engineers that we have in our company and give them the motivation to get into leadership roles,” said Al Jubori.
Executive of the Year RUNNERS-UP: Hamed Zaghw – AECOM Saeed Al Abbar – AESG WINNER: Joe Tabet – JT+Partners
Under Joe Tabet’s leadership, the firm he founded now maintains three offices and has worked on projects across the globe. He is also a firm believer in cultural and gender diversity 18 JANUARY 2019
– his staff of 70 come from 19 countries and he has been careful to ensure an even split of female and male professionals. “It’s great recognition of me and of the business. I believe the MEC Awards are setting the standard for industry awards in the UAE, so getting recognised is very special. I’m excited because we are competing with the big guys,” said Tabet.
IN PRACTICE
Gender Diversity Champion of the Year RUNNERS-UP: JT+Partners Woods Bagot WINNER: CKR Consulting Engineers
CKR is a strong advocate of a gender-neutral outlook towards the recruitment of talent and encourages women to take on challenging roles.
“I joined CKR in 2003, leading the Madinat Jumeirah project as an engineer, and there were very few females back then. Today, I’m proud that my daughter is an electrical engineer and that there are many more women in our office,” noted Sujata Gupta, technical director at CKR Consulting Engineers.
Workplace of the Year RUNNER-UP: CKR Consulting Engineers WINNER: JT+Partners
2018’s winner recognises staff as partners and believes its success is reliant on empowering its people. The company invests in staff development and motivation and is keen to ensure gender balance within
its ranks, while providing equal opportunities to both female and male staff members. “The hard work of the last three-and-a-half years is paying off. I’m so happy for the company and for the team. With their support, I’m confident we will have even more success in 2019,” commented Joe Tabet, MD of JT+Partners.
Start-Up of the Year RUNNER-UP: Innertech Global WINNER: Quantum Cost Management
Introduced in 2018, this new category recognises a consultancy that recently set up shop and has already begun delivering sterling work. Quantum Cost Management was established in Q2 2017 and
has already grown to a team of 10 employees, spread between the UAE and Saudi Arabia. “It’s a great honour. This is thanks to the support of the team and our clients, and we are very grateful. The market is growing for us and there are new opportunities coming through,” said Claire Tromp, MD of Quantum Cost Management. JANUARY 2019 19
IN PRACTICE
Specialist Consulting Company of the Year RUNNERS-UP: Cavendish Maxwell CKR IT Consulting WINNER: Koltay Facades
This year’s winner swayed the judges through its focus on one discipline and its commitment to delivering high quality. Koltay Facades
has worked on numerous projects including The Opus, The Address Boulevard Hotel, the Museum of the Future, Sky View and Burj Vista. “It’s great to be recognised – it gives us the ammunition to continue the job that we’ve been doing and build on our services,” noted Agnes Koltay, CEO of Koltay Facades.
Technology Champion of the Year RUNNERS-UP: Mott MacDonald WME WINNER: Parsons
Parsons grabbed the prize due to its ability to function as a single-source integrator of cyber-physical security services, planning, engineering,
Smart Project of the Year RUNNER-UP: Grand Hyatt Abu Dhabi Hotel & Residences Emirates Pearl by DeSimone Consulting Engineers WINNER: UAE Pavilion, Expo 2020
This year’s winner is an iconic project being delivered using BIM and benefits from a fully integrated design. 20 JANUARY 2019
“This award is the result of a successful collaboration of the project team, including WME, in making the UAE Pavilion a symbol of the unity represented by the seven emirates of the host nation. This would not have been possible without the leadership of our client, the National Media Council,” said Micael Calatrava, CEO at Calatrava International.
architectural and construction management services. “This is an important win because we’ve made significant progress towards transforming ourselves and becoming a techfocused solutions provider. It’s a testimonial to our efforts,” said Nicoleta Dobrata, Marketing and Communications manager, MEA at Parsons.
IN PRACTICE
Sustainable Consultancy of the Year RUNNER-UP: BuroHappold Engineering WINNER: AESG
AESG bagged this award thanks to its growing team of specialists in sustainable design, environmental science, electrical energy and energy simulation, mechanical
engineering, facade engineering and waste management design. “Sustainability is at the core of our business, so it’s great to be recognised for something that we’re so passionate about. Our goal now is to push boundaries,” said Phillipa Grant, division manager – Energy and Sustainable Development at AESG.
Sustainable Project of the Year RUNNERS-UP: Ducab Headquarters by Ramboll The Block by Desert Ink WINNER: Swiss International Scientific School in Dubai by WME
The winning nominee’s buildings were the first in the Middle East to be
low-energy certified by the Minergie Association. “This is fantastic! The team worked hard and looked at all of the opportunities to minimise energy consumption in the building, and it’s fantastic that they’ve now been rewarded for all their hard work,” said Nicholas Byczynski, director – MEP at WME.
Industry Innovator of the Year WINNER: AECOM
The winner of this award is chosen by the MEC editorial team, based on interviews with a company within the last 12 months. AECOM was selected as this year’s winner thanks to its use of immersive technology to deliver better projects.
“We are heavily invested into innovation, so it’s a fantastic win for the digital team. One of the things we are interested in at the moment is talking to our clients in terms of innovation and technology, because we see that as a differentiator in the market,” said Ian McGauley, SVP, director of Operations and Construction Services, Middle East at AECOM. JANUARY 2019 21
IN PRACTICE
Cost Consulting Company of the Year RUNNERS-UP: C-Quest Currie & Brown WINNER: Omnium International
Omnium scooped up the award due to its commitment to clients, performance, and a vast body of work that outshines larger firms including
the Dubai Creek Tower and Ithra Dubai’s One Za’abeel. “We’re confident and proud that we’ve given our clients exactly what they wanted, which is beautiful projects delivered on budget and to an excellent standard,” said Fernando Freitas, associate director at Omnium International.
Urban Design & Landscaping Company of the Year
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RUNNERS-UP: InSite Place Dynamix WINNER: WAHO Landscape Architects
WAHO Landscape Architects has used its time in the region to forge partnerships with government entities and has
even earned commissions from the royal family. “We love landscape and working with the architects, MEP teams and other engineers. Getting this award is like the industry saying, ‘Job well done.’ We’re absolutely raved,” said Sam Spinks, director at WAHO Landscape Architecture.
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Lighting Design Consultancy of the Year RUNNERS-UP: dpa Lighting Consultants Nulty WINNER: Studio Lumen Lighting Design and Consultancy
Beyond its impressive body of work, the firm also caught the judges’ attention due to its belief that business success is 22 JANUARY 2019
rooted in the professional and personal growth of its staff. “This award gives us a push to continue our qualityfocused work in the Gulf. We have a great team and hope to attain more awards in the near future while continuing to deliver projects,” exclaimed Samir Agha, project manager at Studio Lumen.
Experts in Security and IT Design Threat & Risk Assessment Operational Requirements & Audit Full ELV System Design Supervision Services
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Project Management Company of the Year RUNNERS-UP: Aspect Project Management Hill International WINNER: Faithful+Gould
For the third consecutive year, Faithful+Gould clinched the Project Management Company of the Year award. The judges took note of the firm’s value-driven approach and well-rounded performance during a challenging year. F+G also received several positive testimonials on recent projects from clients and continues to invest in digital methods to improve its service offering. Despite the challenging business climate, it recorded a 10% increase in revenue compared to 2017 and has been able to increase its margin by 40%. More impressive still is the fact that 80% of its business comes from repeat clients.
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“This is fantastic! It’s been a tough year, but we’ve been expanding fantastically in Saudi Arabia. I think most of our competitors will say that we have similar standards, processes and procedures, but the difference at Faithful+Gould is our people. We are very confident that we select very competent people, and that’s on top of having a very high retention rate in our businesses. For next year, we’re eyeing continued growth. Most of our focus is heading towards Saudi Arabia – business growth there is projecting a 20-30% increase over the next 12 months. There are some challenges in the UAE, but Abu Dhabi is looking positive for 2019 and Dubai will continue to be a thriving market of course,” said Brian Fisher, regional director – head of Project Management Middle East and Africa at Faithful+Gould.
Structural Engineering Company of the Year RUNNERS-UP: DeSimone Consulting Engineers Kirby Building Systems WINNER: Ramboll
The Structural Engineering Company of the Year award recognises a consultancy that has provided intelligent and innovative structural solutions to its clients in the last 12 months. This year’s winner has over 20 years of experience in the Middle East and has adopted a holistic approach to structural engineering. It sees the discipline as an art that calls for elegance, efficiency and innovation, while balancing the constraints of serviceability, economy and usage. Between September 2017 and September 2018, the consultancy applied its know-how to a diverse array of
high-profile projects including the Makers District, the Artery and Pixel Buildings, the VIDA Hotel and Residences, Phase 1 of the Innovation Hub in Tecom, and Dubai Creek Harbour: A007. “We are very proud to have been shortlisted and to walk away with this award. We’re here thanks to the hard work and incredible dedication from all our engineers and the broader team for the last 12 months. We thank Ramboll for giving us the platform to work on some very exciting and innovative projects in the region, which then allowed us to participate in these awards. This is a great evening, it’s one that is very entertaining. Lots of people we know in the industry are here tonight, so it’s good to catch up with old faces and meet some new ones as well,” commented Richard Jowett, associate director at Ramboll.
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MEP Engineering Company of the Year RUNNERS-UP: CKR Consulting Engineers WME WINNER: Black & White Engineering
This category recognises firms for the quality of their work and their willingness to embrace new technologies and methodologies in the delivery of MEP services on projects within the region. Black & White Engineering specialises in MEP consulting and invests in the professional development of its staff. The firm’s recent projects include One Za’abeel, Burj 2020, Baku Knightsbridge, two Khazna data centres, two Dubai data centres and the Royal Atlantis Hotel. The consultancy stays on the cutting edge of technology and compares energy modelling to operational project data to ensure that the necessary systems are sized correctly.
Through peer reviews, it has identified and corrected over-design of 20-50% and delivers actual value engineering design. The firm also has strong environmental policies and has adopted several strategies to ensure that it delivers on its commitment to the environment. “This is fantastic, it’s a great end to the year! We are very pleased and proud to have won this award, as well as other awards within the year, and we are now very excited for 2019. It has been a difficult year, but we are looking to keep recruiting staff. The level of people we have contracted over the years has been great – we have a top-quality team and we will continue to add to that, and this kind of recognition attracts the people that we would like to have at our company,” noted Brian Dryburgh, director at Black & White Engineering.
Architectural Company of the Year RUNNERS-UP: Killa Design Pace WINNER: LACASA Architects & Engineering Consultants
This year’s Architectural Company of the Year award winner has grown consistently since 2014 and has enjoyed healthy profit on its turnover in the last couple of years, reporting 20% in 2018. The firm has worked on several high-profile projects in recent times including the Mall of Palestine and believes that perfection in design can be achieved by cultivating talent. It also encourages its staff to learn, experiment and grow their skills. LACASA says it is also committed to transferring expertise though multiple initiatives, including a well-subscribed design competition, roundtable discussions, guest
lectures at several regional educational institutions, and CSR initiatives. “We are very happy to win this award in 2018. We still consider ourselves a new company – we are only 13 years old – but I think we’ve achieved a lot with the help of our team. We have a great team in place, and to be a winner at the MEC awards, that is a real honour for us. This award comes from a very well-recognised magazine, and you can see that from the audience in attendance. As far as our plans for the future, what’s always in our minds is that we are designing projects that should last 50 to 60 years. We are always designing for the future and improving our services and the technology we use to deliver them to our clients,” said Emad Jaber, managing partner at LACASA Architects & Engineering Consultants. JANUARY 2019 25
IN PRACTICE
Project of the Year RUNNERS-UP: Hampton by Hilton by JT+Partners Louvre Abu Dhabi by BuroHappold Engineering WINNER: Muscat International Airport – Hill International
Multi-Discipline Consulting Company of the Year RUNNERS-UP: AECOM WSP WINNER: Parsons
Parsons spent 2018 developing technology, its people and significant projects, all of which contributed to its growth and a nod from our judges. The firm is cited as a leader in civil infrastructure, transport and land development consultancy. In recent years it has broadened its offering to include critical infrastructure protection, sustainable energy, advanced healthcare, smart cities, smart mobility and end-to-end land development services. From a technology standpoint, it has introduced several asset management and protection solutions, including a smart mobility backbone and a critical infrastructure protection solution. The 26 JANUARY 2019
firm has also delivered and is currently engaged on several large and transformational projects including the Shindagha Corridor Project, the Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Highway, and Bluewaters Island access, which includes an automated vehicle system. The firm also worked with the Abu Dhabi government on a low-emission vehicle strategy and was selected by the RTA for a safety award in the Best Consultant category. “The construction and engineering industry is very exciting in the region because government and private entities are very innovationfocused. We are looking forward to another year where we can apply our innovationled solutions to provide solutions for our clients,” said Nicoleta Dobrata, Marketing and Communications manager, Middle East & Africa at Parsons.
The winning submission came from Hill International, for Muscat International Airport. The project is one of the largest ever undertaken within Oman, and is truly transformational. At its peak, it had a workforce of 22,000 on-site, representing 41 nationalities, and required more than 31,100 tons of structural steel – seven times the amount used in the Eiffel Tower. It also called for twice the amount of concrete used by the Burj Khalifa and two of the three largest crawler cranes in the world. The project’s sheer scale called for approximately 400 team members from
the consultant’s regional workforce, who delivered construction supervision, stakeholder and interface management, technical review and several other services. This state-of-the-art airport will accommodate 20m passengers annually. “This is a very nice award to receive after many years of success in the region. This could not have happened without the support of my staff – with regard to the project, we had a staff of 400 people on the job, and the award, it really goes to them, it’s not for me. Also, I have to thank the client, the technical committee from the Ministry of Transport and Communication, the minister himself and the people of Oman for giving us the opportunity to be part of this wonderful project,” said Adel Merhi, VP, country manager of Oman at Hill International.
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“When the construction supply chain understands how BIM reduces risk and increases productivity, we will see a positive trend in the industry”
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INTERVIEW
The BIM Differentiator
EllisDon’s Wissam Hijazi talks about developing a coherent BIM framework for clients that can be relied on throughout the project’s lifecycle he concept of services provided by companies is rapidly changing with the introduction of new and improved technologies. The most vital shift seen in the last few years in the construction sector is the evolution of building information modelling (BIM). Sure, it has been around since the 1990s, but the recent past has seen it incorporated in the built environment as consultants, contractors and operators understand its ability to design, develop and operate a building with maximum efficiency. This is an element that EllisDon is capitalising on by providing project management, facilities management (FM) and BIM, among other services. With over 65 years of experience in Canada and an international track record in Colombia and the Middle East, EllisDon says it provides a “cradle-to-grave” offering that considers the financial aspect, feasibility study, value engineering, design, build, maintenance and operation of a building for a client. The company started its own BIM department in the mid-2000s ahead of the AGO Museum project in Toronto, where it had to rely on 3D laser technology and use BIM for design and coordination. Now, it uses its BIM experience to implement it in project management consulting (PMC) to handle client risk and project challenges. “We have hands-on design/build experience. We develop a coherent BIM framework for clients for their project lifecycle, which includes BIM protocols, policies, procedures, guidelines and specifications. In this way, there is a specific BIM booklet customised to match a particular client’s requirements and ensure a lean transition of information from one stage or stakeholder to another,” says Wissam Hijazi, senior consulting manager at EllisDon. With a standardised BIM framework, Hijazi says it’s much easier to consider a client’s overall needs, and that the goal for most
developers is ensuring that their asset is properly maintained through a sustainable long-term vision. However, maintaining and operating an asset is expensive. “By keeping BIM as the backbone, EllisDon can provide services such as asset management, energy optimisation and intelligent building solutions,” notes Hijazi. “We have started seeing equipment suppliers providing fully detailed BIM components for their products with all the required specification, which helps us build asset specs and calculate the lifecycle cost. The idea is that BIM is helping to monitor the level of information available in the design throughout different stages and is ensuring that there is enough data to perform a thorough cost assessment. Moreover, BIM facilitates FM design revisions to be performed from an early stage as well.” Hijazi, who moved to the Middle East from Canada a few years ago, clarifies that every time there is a new design revision, an assessment and correction is ensured. “This helps us to calculate if we are within budget before cost consultants manually spend two to three weeks and come back with the report. This is part of 3D BIM.” In line with this thinking, Hijazi states, “With BIM, we created an as-built asset model called asset information model (AIM), which can synchronise all the solutions from day one into BIM-enabled CAFM (computer-aided facility management) solutions, which unlike traditional methods do not need asset information to be manually input. We then also provide FM digital manuals, which is a digital interface platform that incorporates as-built BIM and AIM model with corresponding FM documents (warranties, commission reports, purchase orders, etc), for a fully digital coordinated asset information model integrated with 3D models.” Discussing BIM from a sustainability point of view, Hijazi says sustainability and smart building solutions go hand in hand. “Smart systems can optimise energy usage, which is usually based on data coming from specific assets which are again fed back into BIM. With JANUARY 2019 29
IN PRACTICE 01 EllisDon has over a decade of BIM experience .
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our intelligent building solutions department, we provide the asset and the information, and they provide us with optimisation, tools and solutions. We work in parallel.” Discussing his firm’s approach, Hijazi points out that it has a service called the converge network system, where data is taken from different systems like lighting, camera/CCTV, occupancy sensors and then optimised together. “By uniting all these building elements, the system can make predictions and can also provide recommendations. But if you go back to square one, these are all based on data and data comes from BIM, so it has to be organised in a way where it feeds not only designers but every single stakeholder throughout the project lifecycle, and that’s where we have taken the lead.” Driven by change
Hijazi points out that the main challenge his firm faces has to do with how different stakeholders within the same project understand BIM. “This gets more challenging when you see different BIM standards being implemented on the same project, which defies the whole purpose of having a single BIM model. For example, with the right BIM set-up, the designer’s model can be associated with the cost consultant’s project-specific cost codes and the contractor can develop this design model more effectively. The planning and control team can utilise the contractor’s 4D models to calculate the earned value and monitor construction progress. The operation team can then integrate the contractors’ as-built BIM into their own CAFM solutions.” Discussing BIM on the whole, Hijazi reckons it is elevating the industry to a different level. “BIM, being a 3D-oriented project database, is the right tool for the job. BIM tools are a no-brainer to 30 JANUARY 2019
“We have started seeing equipment suppliers providing fully detailed BIM components for their products with all the required specification, which helps us build asset specs and calculate the lifecycle cost” design pre-fabricated panels or modular sections of a building, and have been utilised successfully for years. Obviously, it’s more efficient when a project is designed to be constructed in a modular fashion or at least have pre-fabricated components. I think pre-fabrication and modular design is going to have high momentum.” He concludes: “With the construction industry in the Middle East moving at an extremely quick rate, BIM being involved in the overall lifecycle of the project will soon become the standard. The big push needs to come from clients, especially clients that own and operate their own assets, and when the construction supply chain understands how BIM reduces risk and increases productivity, we will see a positive trend in the industry.”
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INTERVIEW
Leveraging Technology Autodesk’s Louay Dahmash on technology that will allow designers and planners to take on climate change and other growing challenges iddle East Consultant speaks to Louay Dahmash, territory director Middle East and Turkey at Autodesk, about the challenges planners and designers face, and the innovations that can help them make a difference.
in real time across traditional work silos. Automation today is about using abundant computational power and the cloud to generate thousands of design options with generative design. What are some of the risks of relying on technology to design, manage and run structures and infrastructure? How can these risks be mitigated?
What are the major challenges planners and designers must tackle as the population base and therefore urban areas grow? What technology can help them take on these challenges?
Currently, the world’s population stands at over 7.3bn and is predicted to reach about 9.7bn by 2050. With the rise of our population also comes the rise of the global middle class – meaning the majority of the world’s population will be living in buildings in cities by 2050, more than ever before. We are facing a reality with less natural resources, fewer skilled workers and inevitably less space. The main challenge is we need to build more better, with less. What this means is we need to build a lot more, with less resources and in a more sustainable fashion, to create less negative impact on our environment. Waste is rapidly growing due to the increase in the standard of living, demands of infrastructure projects, consumption-habit changes and of course the evident increase in global population. With waste growing at such an alarming rate, it is not sustainable to keep using the current methodologies and processes being used in the construction sector today. However, we are at an exciting time in history where large efforts are being made to change. Thanks to various automation technologies and other collaboration tools, construction sites will be modernised dramatically by digital fabrication advancements. Automation is about using simulation to validate or optimise a design without needing to make a physical prototype. It’s about creating BIM models to foster collaboration among architects, engineers and construction teams, so they can make decisions
We are technology optimists and believe the collaboration between humans and the latest technologies, including robots, is the way to go. Using the same technologies as 10 years ago, the world will not be able to prepare for population growth. If we talk about the risks, as with any other new technology there are certain challenges, the biggest of which is adoption/implementation. Training people requires resources, including time. However, today’s technologies are getting more intuitive, which means it takes less time to adopt than before. In today’s world, people are more technology-savvy than any other generation. One of the ways to tackle climate change is to design buildings that are more energy-efficient by virtue of their design, and by incorporating smart systems and technology. What role can technology play here?
Technology plays a large role in sustainability and making buildings more energy-efficient. For example, we have seen the demand for netzero initiatives rise in recent years. Net-zero buildings produce the same amount of renewable energy on-site as they consume from the grid in a year. To answer this question, I’ll explain the top three green-building technology trends we have identified at Autodesk: Using energy analysis early and often. The most important trend identified was the availability of early-analysis tools for use with building information models, to analyse building performance. Architects and engineers can make necessary calculations using BIM and energy-analysis tools, and integration of design programs such as Autodesk AutoCAD JANUARY 2019 33
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01 Designers and engineers can use technology to design and construct buildings and cities more efficiently.
with BIM lets architects and engineers use an iterative process to find optimal solutions. Inhouse architects can begin to model energy consumption early in the design process, without waiting until the design is turned over to consultants. Heeding the promise of generative design is BIM 2.0. With generative design software, designers and engineers will be able to input design goals along with parameters such as materials, manufacturing methods and constraints – which removes much of the guesswork inherent to the process of proposing a building design first then analysing its potential performance. It is already being used to design machine and building parts. The third trend is using data at every stage. According to surveys in the World 01 Green Building Trends 2018 report, today’s smart buildings expand the reach of the Internet of Things (IoT). Their many sensors measure factors such as occupancy, air quality and temperature. Currently, the data generated from these sensors is often siloed in building-automation software, also known as building-management systems (BMS). In the past, building owners seldom shared BMS data with architects. However, a new trend is emerging, tying building automation systems into BIM tools. This lets architecture and building professionals understand the actual performance of a building, as well as the potential performance throughout the planning, design, construction and management processes. Additionally, BIM technology is getting smarter. At a day-to-day level on the job-site, machine learning is already helping contractors prioritise tasks and manage risk. As time goes by, construction software will start to intelligently suggest better alternatives early in the planning process. It could eventually start to autogenerate entire end-to-end lean, green construction work plans based on BIM. Right now, buildings contribute significantly to climate change, producing about 28% of global energy-related carbon-dioxide emissions. The trends I mention show the promise of technology to produce more
sustainable living conditions, resulting in highly efficient structures that automate a lot of processes that will grant these professionals more brainpower for creativity. One of the current challenges of additive manufacturing is the time needed to deliver the project. How do you see technology evolving in the coming years, and when do you think it will be at the stage where larger structures can be produced?
One of the benefits of additive manufacturing is now the time saved – enormous progress has been made in printing objects at greater speeds. This progress is what made it possible for additive manufacturing to expand beyond rapid prototyping and start being used for manufacturing production parts. In the automotive industry, for example, additive manufacturing technologies are in direct competition with other production processes. The construction industry has turned to additive manufacturing to realise complex shapes, build in dangerous or remote areas, and reduce material waste and on-site construction costs, among other benefits. As
“What this means is we need to build a lot more, with less resources and in a more sustainable fashion, to create less negative impact on our environment” 34 JANUARY 2019
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the software and equipment for additive manufacturing improves, construction companies and start-ups are recognising its potential for real-world fabrication. For example, Dutch start-up MX3D is already changing the way we think about building infrastructures. It’s already using industrial six-axis robots, proprietary software and welding machines that deposit stainless steel from thin molten wire to build a 40-footlong smart pedestrian bridge spanning the Oudezijds Achterburgwal canal in Amsterdam. Equipped with sensors, the bridge streams data to the cloud, where it is processed and interpreted to visualise intelligence about bridge traffic, structural integrity and the surrounding neighbourhood and environment. Recently, a Chinese construction company erected a 57-storey skyscraper in 19 working days due to additive construction technology. Broad Sustainable Building, a prefab construction firm, put up the rectangular, glass and steel Mini Sky City, assembling three floors a day using a modular method. As we see more integration, building at such a fast rate will become the norm in the future, thanks to additive manufacturing and engineering. Is off-site manufacturing a viable alternative?
Off-site manufacturing is most definitely a viable alternative, especially during the hot summer months in the Middle East. In the future, buildings won’t be built – they will be manufactured. The industry is entering the age of the mass-manufactured building. Prefabrication is growing up, reaching a new level of maturity that is now going to change the industry and define new categories of building. How can generative design, additive manufacturing and rapid energy modelling increase energy efficiency within cities and the construction industry?
Some examples outside of the aforementioned MX3D project include a cyclist bridge in the Netherlands that was designed and built by engineers from the Eindhoven University of Technology and construction company BAM Infra. Additive manufacturing offers many advantages here: structures require only the amount of cement that will be used (lowering carbon dioxide emissions), require no formwork (reducing waste) and can be built into shapes previously possible only with extensive CGI movie magic.
“As time goes by, construction software will start to intelligently suggest better alternatives early in the planning process. It could eventually start to autogenerate entire end-to-end lean, green construction work plans” Until recently, virtual environments were confined to video games and training simulations. But VR and immersive design are starting to make waves in the construction industry. For example, in 2017 Layton Construction created 20 virtual mock-ups to conduct user tests of operating theatres and other critical medical facilities for a 485,000-square-foot, 280-bed medical centre in Florence, Alabama. By replacing physical mock-ups, the hospital’s owners avoided about $250,000 in costs, while improving efficiency in the built rooms. Layton has since improved realism with sound cues, tactile feedback and AR. What sustainable design initiatives can businesses invest in to lower their carbon footprint and address climate change?
The volume of construction output worldwide is predicted to grow by 85% by 2030. This puts the industry in a challenging position: it will have to meet increasing demand as the world faces resource constraints and demand grows for high performance – including net-zero buildings. One initiative that businesses can start investing in is industrialised construction. Prefab, off-site and modular construction are on the rise, with BIM helping to catalyse the trend, benefiting both stakeholders and the environment. When construction moves off-site, material can be managed with extreme efficiency, reducing costs and driving down a building’s final embodied carbon. Stock can be ordered to spec, cut and assembled with precision, keeping tolerances tight, which makes buildings more energy-efficient. Pre-cutting material and assembling components in a controlled, factory-like setting allows a more streamlined build process and minimises site disturbance. This approach also reduces waste from overage and scrap, and boosts operational performance. If people work together to do this right, the future will be about more than just buildings that consume less energy; it will be about buildings that generate their own clean energy. It won’t be just about cities with less air or water pollution; it will be about cities that are safe, walkable and inclusive, with neighbourhoods that unite communities rather than divide them. JANUARY 2019 35
ON SITE
INTERVIEW
WIC Profile: Tina Exakoustidou Jason Saundalkar talks to Faithful+Gould’s Tina Exakoustidou about her inf luences, career and gender diversity in the construction industry ollowing our special edition dedicated to women in the construction industry, Middle East Consultant continues to share the inspiration and experiences of women working in the male-dominated industry across the GCC. Here we catch up with Tina Exakoustidou, procurement/quantity surveyor at Faithful+Gould. What drove you to get into construction and your first role in the industry?
My family has been in the construction sector for more than 40 years with companies back in Greece. My greatest influence is my father, a very strong businessman.
I have made my mark as any other male and female in my profession, by saving my clients money, while delivering first-class services to them. As a woman in the industry, what has your experience been working in the GCC construction sector? If you have worked in markets outside the GCC region, how does your experience here compare with what you’ve experienced and observed in other markets?
If I compare my UAE experience with my UK experience, I would say that in the UAE the projects are on a much bigger scale, and that does make the role more demanding and challenging. In your opinion, what is the biggest challenge women in the construction sector face in GCC countries? How can these challenges be addressed?
Share a brief about your career, mentioning key achievements with regard to your role.
Originally, I had planned to work in my family’s construction businesses in Greece, so I wanted a well-rounded education with business acumen and technical knowledge. In 2006 I obtained a BSc from Kingston University in Finance and Accounting. I then continued with my studies in Greece, getting a Dip, and I received a scholarship for an MSc in Construction Project and Cost Management at Coventry University. Before graduating I got my first role as an estimator with a consulting firm in London, which gave me my first glimpse into the real world of construction. I moved to Abu Dhabi with Faithful+Gould in January 2015 as an intermediate quantity surveyor, and have since been promoted to quantity surveyor. The company has given me the opportunity to work on a variety of projects and is supporting me in my APC journey to achieve chartership with the RICS.
I believe that because of the lack of women in the industry here, there can tend to be a bit of hesitation when a woman joins a project team, until we have a chance to showcase our value. As more women choose to work here, this will become less of an issue as it becomes the new norm. In doing your job, what sort of discrimination (if any) have you faced and how did you/your employer address it?
Thankfully, I haven’t faced any discrimination in my current role. Do you feel there’s a limit with regard to how far you can progress within your organisation?
My organisation definitely promotes equality for women and men, and this is one of the reasons that I completed four years with them. If you have the skills, whether you are male or female, you are going to the top. What advice would you give to a woman entering the GCC
How have you made your mark in the industry, working on
construction industry today?
projects specifically?
Stand your ground when you know you’re right.
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“I believe that because of the lack of women in the industry here, there can tend to be a bit of hesitation when a woman joins a project team, until we have a chance to showcase our value� JANUARY 2019 37
ON SITE
SHOW PREVIEW
Middle East Electricity Event will unite power sector players and highlight growing demand for electricity, diversification and conservation
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iddle East Electricity, the region’s leading international trade event for the power industry, is readying for the biggest industry gathering in the event’s history. The 2019 event will welcome the most recognised names in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) power sector, energised start-ups and trail-blazing national delegations, demonstrating the latest trends and technological breakthroughs to meet fast-growing demand for electricity, diversification and conservation. The annual mega event, which combines five dedicated shows within a single exhibition, will run at the Dubai World Trade Centre March 5-7, 2019 against a backdrop of increasing regional power demand, keen investor appetite and shifting industry dynamics, which sees renewables rising up the agendas of governments across the region and beyond. The unprecedented demand for power will see industry players large and small, new starters and established leaders using the unique platform of Middle East Electricity 2019 to engage visitors in gamechanging, across-the-board opportunities throughout the show’s five focused sectors: power generation, transmission and distribution, lighting, solar, and energy storage and management.
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“Massively upscaled demand, supply diversification and conservation have helped to create enhanced opportunities for industry players and boosted the potential of the region’s power industry,” explains Claudia Konieczna, exhibition director – Informa Industrial Group. “Analyst expectations for the Middle East region put the exhibition in the top global league of power investment, which explains why international interest in the show keeps rising annually.” The Arab Petroleum Investment Corporation (APICORP) estimates that between now and 2022, MENA power capacity will expand by an average of 6.4% per year, corresponding to additional capacity of 117GW and sector investment of $260bn. Of the investment total, $152bn is expected to be allocated for generation with $108bn going into transmission and distribution (T&D). The region’s major focus on renewables and advanced technology solutions, including smart grids, for which the Northeast Group forecasts MENA investment will reach $17.6bn by 2027, has opened the sector to huge end-to-end transformation. Informa believes the seismic shift will be evident among the more than 1,600 exhibitors from 131 countries due to take to the 2019 exhibition floor.
THE BACK PAGE
LAST WORD 01 Paolo Testolini is regional leader – Masterplanning at Woods Bagot.
Perfect Position Woods Bagot’s Paolo Testolini on why Dubai is well placed to realise a smart city vision
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ubai is a city that has become synonymous with breaking new ground and doing things other cities in the world could only dream of. Its massive expansion over the past thirty years is testament to that. For many years we’ve heard about the benefits a smart and polycentric city concept could deliver. Dubai is poised to realise this. With strong, creative leadership, Dubai has the ingredients to lead the transformation to a city that embraces fully the smart 40 JANUARY 2019
city vision, with flying taxis, hover cycles and even hyperloop initiatives. Dubai has already started this transformation, with its innovative and entrepreneurial spirit encouraging and setting the scene for the realisation of a smart city that currently seems the stuff of science fiction. In many ways, Dubai is ahead. Its resilient nature is based on the harsh natural environment that surrounds it. The city has forged ahead, creating and envisioning the thriving futuristic metropolis. The impact of a fully realised smart city concept would be a revolution, changing the way we think about our environment and plan our communities. As we move into the future, polycentric cities will create compact developments that are more efficient to run; energy, food and water supply will be crucial for the success of any city, and the smart city agenda will help optimise resources and the overall running of the city. The challenge remains as to how this is fully realised. Such a change could rely on one single catalyst to thrust the idea into a full-blown smart city revolution, with one significant development opening the floodgates to our cities of the future. If not a single piece of technology that ushers in an era of change, it could well be a set of circumstances and an environment created to encourage change. This is where Dubai has a huge advantage over other parts of the world. It has been willing to act quickly and embrace future ideas, which is one of the reasons the emirate has become such a hotbed for tourism.
The challenge now is to capitalise on these conditions and propose the best way forward. Woods Bagot has influenced the growth of Dubai with major placemaking projects like the Design District master plan and City Walk. Gathering significant data from global cities forms a key part of our approach. Our dedicated SuperSpace team explores the dynamic relationship between space and people, using artificial intelligence, spatial understanding and analysis to create a human-centric design methodology. SuperSpace enables the design team to take informative decisions by linking the data of global cities to predict human behaviour and mitigate the challenges of technology versus placemaking. The team worked on the Dubai Design District master plan though the approach of profiling the end user. This helped shape the design to fulfil spatial expectations at the human scale, which we believe is essential. The design intent of the Aljada master plan in Sharjah was to merge land use to create a mixed-use development underpinned by the ‘Live, Work and Play’ approach. Our methodology here incorporates the idea that if the walking catchment nodes are placed correctly, the rest will flow – land use, density, transport, etc. As we move into the future, these concepts will become more important to create compact cities that are efficient, sustainable and healthy. Going forward, we have to put people and how we use space at the centre of the design process, thus creating spaces and cities of the future.
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Dubai based WAHO Landscape Architects brings spaces to life, exploring context, history and materiality while working closely with architects and the wider design team. + + + + + +
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