AECOM’S ongoing commitment to the regional rail sector
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December 2024 Issue 118
25
Feel the magic…
On the evening of 14th November, in the glittering outdoor setting of the Polo Field, Ritz Carlton, JBR, for the first time ever the Middle East Consultant Awards were twinned with the all-new ED&I Awards. This created a ‘bumper’ gala celebration featuring a total of 35 keynote awards. Here, we celebrate the winners whose work best typified the spirit of innovation and the opportunity to re-invent and re-configure the standards of Best Practice in their sectors…
Enpowering the future of rail
Creating and evolving an effective rail infrastructure consistently remains a prime focus for governments across the GCC. As global facilitator AECOM stays firmly on track for the next wave of metro projects in the Middle East, ME Consultant investigates the resources and capabilities set to contribute to the regional rail transport agenda…
Life after BIM
In the last decade, the construction industry has seen many moves towards creating a truly transparent platform for every project stakeholder - yet realistically, we are still some way from full democratising the wealth of information across any given built environment. ME Consultant spoke to rendering specialists Modelo about the ‘next steps’
Democratising knowledge in 2025
For me, one of the highlights of the last 12 months was a Fireside Chat I had with AECOM’s Arif Shafi at the ED&I Summit, back on 9th October. He reminded me that with today’s online culture, the oldfashioned assumptions about the status of degrees varying from nation to nation was largely redundant.
Online culture means the potential for democratising knowledge, with the same availability of facts and figures wherever you might be studying. It later occurred to me that we see this move increasingly gathering pace across the Construction industry itself, too. Technologies such as BIM, the core concept of Revit, weren’t invented simply to categorise a structure’s data in the form of an ever-open textbookrather, the key value is the ability to share that knowledge across a spectrum of stakeholders so that the entire process can be streamlined and made time and cost effective. Again, it’s all about democratising knowledge and removing the barriers, however hidden or subtle they may be.
In fact, one of the articles in this edition of ME Consultant develops this dynamic even further. It argues for the ‘next steps’ of knowledge-sharing, which it sees as being BIC (Building Integrated Collaboration) and BIP (Building Immersive Presentation).
The idea here is to ultimately ensure that everyone, from the owner, to architect, to engineer, to contractor and sub-contractor - not to mention the building sales and management team - has a common view of project data, and can freely access this without having to switch platforms. After all, out of all these job descriptions, only a fraction of them are in direct touch with the modeling software - and how powerful it would be to have a truly all-inclusive project universe.
I believe that in 2025, we will see bigger and bolder steps towards democratising project knowledge, and indeed, in democratising the sector more widely - and this will include aspects such as an organisation’s approach to its cultural issues and its impact on the environment, too. May it happen soon!
Good reading - and of course, Happy New Year!
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Creating and evolving an effective rail infrastructure consistently remains a prime focus for governments across the GCC. As global facilitator AECOM stays firmly on track for the next wave of metro projects in the Middle East, ME Consultant investigates the resources and capabilities set to contribute to the regional rail transport agenda…
EMPOWERING TH
E FUTURE OF RAIL
lobal infrastructure titan AECOM, wellknown internationally for a portfolio spanning transportation, buildings, water, new energy, and the environment, is set to address the region’s latest upcoming wave of metro projects. This follows an extensive and historic involvement in major rail initiatives across the Middle East.
Here, Adrian Lindon, Vice President, Rail, AECOM, and Shadi Jebreel, Vice President, UAE Director, Civil Infrastructure, AECOM, look back at how far the region has come in terms of its rail infrastructure and how the organisation is already best prepared to deliver the region’s raft of future projects.
First, some context. Between 2005 and 2015, the region witnessed a significant surge in metro project designs. These included the Red and Green Lines in Dubai, the Doha Metro and the muchheralded Riyadh Metro. The tremendous design activity over that decade was followed inevitably by a slowdown in metro design and build opportunities, but AECOM has remained deeply engaged in
key projects throughout this period across the region.
“With the region seeing rapid urbanisation over this past decade”, says Adrian Lindon, “the population is dramatically increasing and now our major cities are needing to extend their metro systems. We are proud to have one of the largest rail teams in the region and we feel incredibly well placed to service these up-and-coming major projects.”
The Dubai Metro is a classic benchmark in the rapid growth of urban rail systems between 2005 and 2015.
We are designing assets that will be operational for 100 years. With the pace of technological advancement, it is hard to really imagine where technology will sit in 10 years, let alone 100 years’ time”
With metro extensions on the cards, including the Blue Line in Dubai, Riyadh Lines 2 and 7 (to service some of the new giga projects in the Kingdom) and extending the network in Doha, a new wave of metro rail opportunities is fast approaching.
AECOM’s capability is, in fact, unmatched. They have been fortunate to have had exposure to an array of multidiscipline infrastructure projects from the early feasibility and strategic planning stage, all the way to the final execution and construction.
Shadi Jebreel comments: “From freight, high speed, metro or light rail, our expert team has been involved in many of the rail projects in the Middle East in some way or another. Our history in the region with rail goes back decades. The key aspect is that rail projects are one of the only type of projects globally that interface with almost all design disciplines and at AECOM, as we have that multi-discipline advantage to leverage off many areas of expertise.”
From a civil engineering perspective, AECOM coordinates all aspects of the civil parts and then the stations and their systems. “The technology providers are key”, continues Shadi. “Some companies
will do part of it. It is very rare to find a company that can cover in-house 80% to 90% of a very complex project like a metro system.” It’s precisely for this reason that AECOM has one of the largest multidisciplinary rail teams - with 250 people in the region - from architectural disciplines to underground engineering, and everything in-between.
Adrian Lindon explains: “We cover many design disciplines from our expansive Middle East rail team and then we have certain specialisms feeding in from the wider AECOM world. Being a huge global business, we can reach out as needed to our global peers in tunnelling, security and façade engineering. We look at each project on a case-by-case basis and see how we can best use our global resources.”
AECOM’s principal resources and expertise in the rail sector in fact cover architecture, MEP, building and civil structures, including underground engineering and viaduct structures, followed by roads and transport planning, utilities, geotechnical and hydraulics, noise and vibration, sustainability and LEED certification, landscaping and environmental.
Looking at rail projects coming to market now, a major trend is the focus on sustainability, carbon reduction targets, along with stringent BIM
technological advancement, it is hard to really imagine where technology will sit in 10 years, let alone 100 years’ time. So, designing and building assets that have a level of flexibility, resilience and agility to adapt to the inevitable technological advancements that will happen is a key challenge we address on all these major projects. We are also beginning to utilise AI and machine learning on our major rail projects.
“We see innovation as a process, to a certain extent, and we manage it in a structured manner. We run facilitated workshops to ensure ideas are generated, reviewed and shortlisted. We review those and finetune them to present the best ones to our clients.”
As well as a focus on innovation - which brings a requirement for contractors and consultants to add value through innovation in major design and build projects - there’s no doubt that key clients across the region want to see smart ideas, particularly around digital transformation and digital integration. So, stations must be designed with the future and their potential for adaptability in mind.
requirements and asset management. For example, some projects in the region are targeting LEED Platinum for any new asset along with LOD 500 for BIM. “We are committed to delivering”, says Shadi Jebreel, “Sustainable Legacies for generations to come; therefore it is essential that we prioritise nature-based and natural climate solutions into all our projects to protect the region’s natural capital and biodiversity. AECOM has vast experience delivering LEED certified projects, and we’ve been working with BIM for well over a decade.”
Since the Dubai Metro paved the way in the region, subsequent systems
have depended heavily on digital tools like Building Information Modelling (BIM) to provide integration across all disciplines as well as the emergence of digital twins to inform the operations and maintenance phases.
Adrian Lindon believes that: “We are designing assets that will be operational for 100 years. With the pace of
It is very rare to find a company that can cover inhouse 80% to 90% of a very complex project like a metro system”
When it comes to Middle Eastern developments, a key differentiator in the region is the procurement model. The way projects are procured in the Middle East assists in limiting the number of interfaces, at least between different construction contracts. Elsewhere in the world, major rail projects are split into numerous different contracts and this causes significant issues. “Generally, here in the Middle East”, emphasises Adrian, “there is a single construction contract for a major project. It is awarded to one joint venture contractor that also has the rail systems and rolling stock provider within its consortium.”
“While this helps to simplify the delivery process, there are still hundreds of interfaces that need to be managed and coordinated. If we look at any major metro project around the world that has struggled to be delivered on time and on budget, it’s guaranteed that a big part
Adrian Lindon, Vice President, Rail, AECOM.
of this will be because of interfaces and the management and resolution of those interfaces.” The factors he identifies have resulted in a major focus on systems engineering and systems assuranceskillsets that AECOM provides across all its projects, including interface management.
AECOM also enters longstanding partnerships with its contractor clients and professional teams. Adiran Lindon reflects that: “What we always say to our contractor clients is we want to be co-located with you on-site delivering these major projects, so that we are all coordinated around interfaces. We sit
Rail projects are virtually unique in that they combine almost all design and planning disciplines into a holistic operation.
We see innovation as a process, to a certain extent, and we manage it in a structured manner”
with the rolling stock and rail systems provider, the employer and PMC all in the same office, so we can really deliver in a synchronised manner.”
As Shadi Jebreel adds: “Reflecting on the steps we’ve made and looking ahead to these new developments coming to market, I’m confident that AECOM will continue to set benchmarks for rail infrastructure across the region. Our commitment to innovation and sustainable solutions, alongside our inhouse multi-faceted approach, ensures we are not just ready, but uniquely positioned to the lead the region into the next era of enhanced urban mobility.”
s we all know, the concept of Building Information Modeling (BIM) has driven an important new trend in the Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) Industry that makes it comparable to the influence of Computer Aided Design (CAD) decades ago. While in its own time, CAD brought tremendous efficiency to architects, the adoption of BIM has been essential to bringing organised building information and - perhaps
most significantly - a transparent definition of the building for many stakeholders, from architects to consultants.
Before we look to the future, though, let’s go back to the basics. Building Information Modeling is the core concept of Revit, as well as ArchiCAD and VectorWorks. This is different from the previous generation of 3D modeling, or CAD software. Revit is famous for its parametrically controllable modeling method and rich geometry metadata (building information) integration. Traditionally, a 3D model is a combination of 3D geometries with some associated textures, colours etc. But with Revit, you not only have the luxury of changing the parameters of different parts of the design dynamically (and the whole design will adjust based on that), but you can also attach accurate building/material data into the geometries. Since all these
LIFE AFTER BIM
In the
has
last decade, the construction industry
seen
many
moves
towards creating a truly
transparent
platform for every project
stakeholder
- yet realistically, we are still some way from full democratising the wealth of information across any given built environment. ME Consultant spoke to rendering specialists Modelo about the ‘next steps’ - including the much-discussed BIC (Building Integrated Collaboration) & BIP (Building Immersive Presentation)…
data are based on real manufacturer information, at the end of this modelling process, the final outcome can carry a tremendous amount of information of the final designed building, which can be used to guide engineering, construction and building management. This is an extremely powerful tool to keep track of the thousands of components in the building that ultimately have to be purchased or constructed and installed. However, the concept of BIM, as powerful as it is, does not solve all the problems of the building industry.
SO,
WHAT’S THE NEXT STEP?
Well, the problem is the word “Modelling.” No matter if it’s Revit, ArchiCAD or VectorWorks, they are all essentially modeling tools. To achieve BIM’s goal of a full building life cycle coverage, one tool simply cannot do it all. In other words, BIM is a term for modeling. It’s a brilliant concept of taking advantage of the modeling process to lay the foundation for the other processes: building management, communication between stakeholders, even providing materials for building sales, but the nature of these processes are so fundamentally different that a modeling tool can’t contain them all. If we look at a building’s life cycle: from planning to design, engineering, construction and then sales and management, the major participants change very dynamically. From the owner, to architect, to engineer, to contractor and sub-contractor, then to building sales team and management team. Out of all these people, only a fraction of them are in direct touch with the modeling software, the others may not know how to use 3D modeling
The ideal vision is for all stakeholders to be in direct touch with the full breadth of detail in modeling software.
software at all, or simply don’t want to allocate the time or budget for it.
But at the end of the day, they are all working on the building, meaning that they need the building’s information and they need to communicate with others everything this information references. It’s important to never underestimate how many issues a building can haveand this is, essentially, the problem.
We have all the information in the BIM software, but most of the people
Sometimes the need for change isn’t always initiated from the inner circle, but it needs to be grounded with an insider’s perspective”
involved in the building process don’t have the software to access to it.
No matter how fabulous a full BIM adoption sounds, it’s a rather misleading statement if the information cannot intuitively be passed to the other stakeholders. In other words, besides the disruption of modelling, we also need to rethink our communication process.
While the age of hand sketching every drawing has long passed, even with the amazing plethora of cloud-based
platforms emerging in the last decade, such Slack and Trello, the AEC industry is still stuck with the old-fashioned ways of communicating. The reason is apparent: very few of the existing platforms can directly deal with major digital production-3D models; even in the case of Slack, for example, the risk is that the user will probably still end up pasting screenshots in the chatting channel, which others need to download, mark-up and re-paste back again. In other words, our communication is all based in a three-dimensional context. But in recent years, several things have happened: WebGL (the API for web-browser to render 3D geometries) has become commonplace, and the evolution of the JavaScript ecosystem has made cross-platform development even easier than before. Mobile devices have hit a historical popularity in both personal and professional life. The performance of an iPhone16 can outrun that of many laptop computers. VR&AR are rising again due to the improvement of hardware performance. All in all, everything is pointing to the AEC industry to change.
The range of participants in a project’s lifespan change dramatically and it’s vital to represent ‘on the ground’ data in real time.
ALIGNING WITH A COLLABORATIVE INDUSTRY
Our industry is made up of multidisciplinary teams that collaborate and communicate with each other at various phases of a project. Every team’s productivity can be significantly improved with web-enabled communication. This is something BIM as an information modeling term cannot always fully fulfill, and we believe the concept should better be broken down into three terms that fit how we work:
No matter how fabulous a full BIM adoption sounds, it’s a rather misleading statement if the information cannot intuitively be passed to the other stakeholders ”
1. BIM: Building Information Modeling (local). It happens during the design and engineering phase, where a building model is constructed.
2. BIC: Building Integrated Communication (cloud). It takes information from the complex 3D model into one integrated place where every stakeholder can easily access, communicate and get feedback instantly.
3. BIP: Building Interactive/Immersive Presentation (cross-platform). Our digital production is already in 3D, why are we still wasting time to convert everything to 2D drawings
and present them in the most uncomprehensible manner to our non-architect clients? With VR and emerging 3D technology becoming more affordable, the industry will benefit dramatically from using the most intuitive and immersive presentation methods. These three terms are categorised for the different groups of stakeholders involved in the process. BIM is for those who do 3D modeling or have the need of direct editing 3D models. BIC is for the everyone involved in the designbuild process to exchange information more efficiently. BIP is for owners and building buyers who are not directly involved in the design-build process, but need information to make certain decisions. All together, they can cover all
instead of just BIM, a cycle of BIM+BIC+BIP will surely promote a healthy evolution in the industry.
With VR and emerging 3D technology becoming more affordable, the industry will benefit dramatically from using the most intuitive and immersive presentation methods”
the stakeholders in the building life cycle. BIM+BIC+BIP can also be interpreted as creating information + communicating information + presenting information. It is a customised workflow that enables architects to effectively communicate with clients and other professionals, thus increases productivity for all stakeholders.
The building industry is complex and hard to evolve. Sometimes the need for change isn’t always initiated from the inner circle, but it needs to be grounded with an insider’s perspective.
To summarise the way forward: instead of just BIM, a cycle of BIM+BIC+BIP using a combination of BIM software and other technologies will surely promote a healthy evolution in the industry.
Despite concerns over urban ‘heat-spots’, glass is growing evermore-popular as a key architectural feature. But we shouldn’t forget that even the most advanced styles of glass can involve critical risks of breakage, and therefore the potential to cause injury. ME Consultant spoke to US risk analysts Robson Forensic about the dangers, regulations and the Best Practice…
GLASS HOUSES …
lass is one of the most widely-used materials in buildings and has been for the last 100 years. Across the GCC, SE Asia and the United States, even the most casual glance at a developer’s project brochure will show the increasingly popularity of glass, not only for commercial towers and skyscrapers, but especially for deluxe villas and residential properties.
While commercially popular, however, some types of modern building glass may represent a serious danger.
The main genres of modern glass are:
• Annealed Glass (Float Glass) is ordinary glass that is cut into ‘stock sheets’ for packaging and shipping. It can be cut again. When damaged, it breaks into sharp shards.
• Heat Strengthened Glass (H.S. Glass) is annealed glass that goes through a heating and cooling process designed to double its strength in comparison to ordinary annealed glass.
• Laminated Glass has two separate pieces of annealed, heat strengthened or tempered glass sandwiched around a layer of clear polyvinyl butaryl (PVB). It is a safety glazing product. One side can shatter from impact without the other side shattering, and, when the glass shatters, it does not delaminate into shards.
• Tempered Glass is created during manufacture by rapidly cooling the
Glass has undeniable aesthetic appeal, but modern genres of glass also provide high functionality, if correctly specified.
outer surfaces of the glass while the inner portion remains viscous. The result is a piece of glass that is four times more resistant to impact than annealed glass. When tempered glass breaks, it fractures perpendicular to the plane of the surface, rather than parallel to it, resulting in small cubes that are less likely to cause significant injury…
Annealed (Float) glass was the most common type of glass used in buildings until recent times. Depending on its age, condition and thickness, float glass can break and shatter under human impact. When it shatters, float glass breaks into shards that are sharp and pointed. These shards can easily cut flesh and tendons, and the results can be severe or even deadly. According to the US National Safety Council, for example, hundreds of people are injured each year through their encounter with broken float glass. When someone impacts float glass, the danger is twofold. The first is the likelihood of being cut during the impact; the second involves the instincts of many people to pull their body, arm, or leg away from the glass. As the injured person recoils, the pointed shards can make deep lacerations that can be life threatening.
SAFETY STANDARDS
As far back as the 1960s, there was recognition that float glass was a dangerous product when used in locations where human impact loads were foreseeable. Germany, the UK and the United States were the first to introduce glass-specific safety standards. In the USA, this moved was prompted by a combined study - in 1966 - by the National Safety Council (NSC) and the National Glazing Association (NGA); the study found that more than 300,000 people a year were being injured through glass impact incidents.
Glass safety standards were developed that aimed at curbing this trend, and the combined study by the NSC & NGA resulted in the ANSI Z97.1, the world’s first standard for transparent safety glazing materials used in buildings. This was subsequently adopted as a National standard. ANSI Z97.1 included test criteria for glazing that was designed to mimic human impact loads.
WIRED GLASS
First produced in Europe in the 1880s, wired glass was one of the first products to be used as a ‘safety glass’. While not as strong as the later-developed annealed or tempered glass, wired glass was used for over 50 years in windows in doors and along corridors, and those areas required to provide fire separation protection. Written into fire and life safety codes for much of those 50 years, wired glass can still be found in buildings today.
Glass can bring spectacular vistas and be a major asset for attracting footfall –but this requires astute risk monitoring.
Glass can be a safe building component when used in compliance with recognised standards and protected from human impact”
Wired glass is less strong than float glass. Under impact, body parts can break the glass, and the embedded wires present a significant risk of injury. The use of wired glass has faded with the introduction of ceramic and tempered glass products, but it is still present in many older buildings today.
STRENGTHENED GLASS AND GLAZING
Commonly referred to as safety glazing, heat strengthened, laminated, and tempered glass, as well as ceramic, plastic and polymer products are now commonly used glazing materials in areas subject to the likelihood of human impact. These products are less likely to break when subjected to impact and less likely to cause serious injury if broken. Heat strengthened and tempered glass break
into rounded cubes which may still contain sharp edges, but do not form dagger-like shards. Laminated glass products may break, but are held together by an interlayer of plastic or polymer reducing the likelihood of exposure to sharp edges.
In the late 1970’s the ANSI Z97.1 standard was modified and required safety glass to be identified with a recognised manufacturing label, by which its stress and breakage tolerance could be cross-referenced.
Yet, realistically, tempered glass and other types of safety glazing are not hazard free. Depending upon where and how they are used, even these products can be hazardous.
Transparent glass walls where the glass cannot be easily distinguished from the surroundings should be made conspicuous to prevent impact injuries.
HAZARDOUS LOCATIONS
It is important to check for improperly installed replacement glass panels and to keep accurate records”
What are hazardous locations for glass and glazing? Model codes, including the International Building Code, define these areas as those subject to human impact. Generally, they are the areas surrounding a doorway and places where it is foreseeable that a person could walk and encounter glazing, such as patios, and fully glazed storefronts.
Other areas may include along stairways, ramps, and pedestrian paths where the glass is within 2m of the walking path and closer than 46cm to the floor. Shower and sauna enclosures and glass enclosures at some recreational and
sports areas are also identified as impact hazard areas.
Storefronts and glazed curtainwalls may not be reliably identified by people walking nearby and they can easily be confused with an open walking path. Transparent glass walls where the glass cannot be easily distinguished from the surroundings should be made conspicuous to prevent impact injuries. Floor to ceiling storefronts, shopping malls, restaurants, office buildings, and other commercial environments often include these features. Without appropriate markings, people can unintentionally walk into these features and become injured without breaking the glass.
GLASS GUARDS, HANDRAILS AND WALKWAYS
A common feature in commercial and retail environments, glass guards and handrails require the same safety features as nonglass guards and handrails. ASTM Standard E2358, Standard Specification for the Performance of Glass in Permanent Glass Railing Systems, Guards and Balustrades, provides requirements for these features. Impact resistance, breakage tolerance, deflection of the system, and the free area between components are all regulated by this standard.
Glass walkways, while less common, are also required to comply with an internationally recognized standard. ASTM E2751, Standard Practice for Design and Performance of Supported Glass Walkways, provides requirements for structural performance, markings for clarity and levels of slip resistance for the design and construction of these features.
PREVENTING INJURY AT EXISTING BUILDING GLASS INSTALLATIONS
The use of glass in windows, doors, storefronts, along stairs or ramps and similarly glazed features does not have to be dangerous if relatively simple precautionary measures are taken to assist people in identifying and avoiding these hazardous locations. Existing float glass can be
A
covered with guards or a transparent film to prevent it from shattering and most glass can be easily removed and replaced with an appropriate safety glazing material.
PREMISES LIABILITY INVESTIGATIONS INVOLVING GLASS
Glass can be a safe building component when used in compliance with recognised standards and protected from human impact, but injuries still regularly occur. Old float or wired glass, for example, should not still be in use in those settings where modern standards require safety glazing
products. It is important, also, to check for improperly installed replacement glass panels and to keep accurate records of when tempered or heat strengthened glass have failed during use, since this demonstrates that existing materials are inappropriate. Similarly, inadequately marked or protected glass panels (which cannot be reliably identified) can all result in injury and should be marked-up with the correct signage. All in all, there is every likelihood that glass will continue to grow in popularity as a key component within the built environment: quite simply, no other material shares its transparency, aesthetic appeal and wealth of applications. Yet it should always be remembered that this appeal can also involve a measure of risk unless the right - and regulatory-compliant - steps are taken at all times.
common feature in commercial and retail environments, glass guards and handrails require the same safety features as non-glass guards and handrails.
Commercial
FEEL THE MAGIC…
On the evening of 14th November, in the glittering outdoor setting of the Polo Field, Ritz Carlton, JBR, for the first time ever the Middle East Consultant Awards were twinned with the all-new ED&I Awards.
This created a ‘bumper’ gala celebration featuring a total of 35 keynote awards. Here, we celebrate the winners whose work best typified the spirit of innovation and the opportunity to re-invent and re-configure the standards of Best Practice in their sectors….
Honouring the regional Champions of ED&I
More and more companies are crucially aware of the immense benefit that a culture of ED&I can bring - but at the same time, there is still strong inertia and resistance to its widespread adoption by literally tens of thousands of businesses here in the region. The reason CPI launched these Awards was to help overcome that resistance and facilitate better, fairer, happier workplaces across the GCC. We asked the question: ‘How do we ‘lead from the front’ and empower the right changes for businesses in the GCC?’ The answer - we do it by encouraging businesses of every shape and size to tell the world about the brilliant work that they’re doing! Here are the ED&I Awards categories and the winners in each.
WINNER AECOM
Ethnicity & Human Capital Champion of the Year
Everybody knows that here in the region, the ‘elephant in the room’ is that many ethnicities are somewhat short-changed in terms of the salaries and opportunities they get, when compared to other nationalities.
So, this category honoured the companies who are brave enough to break the mould and pay according to skillsets, experience and ability, without any of the other criteria being involved.
We found that one company in particular had made massive strides here, with a truly innovative and enlightened employee policy. This involved both company-wide ‘umbrella’ policies and localised, more tailored programmes and protocols.
Mentoring Champion of the Year
WINNER TBH
Currently, there is a lot of discussion about whether Mentoring should be formally part of the HR function or not.
Should Mentoring be fully confidential or should it log onto an individual’s HR record? Should Mentors have certain credentials, and should those being Mentored be able to choose their own Mentor - or is this a company decision as well?
We found that one company in particular fully understood these issues and had created a comprehensive approach to Mentoring that infuses each and every part of the company.
What’s more, this view and implementation of Mentoring has already encouraged and accelerated the development of many of the business’ key employees, particularly incomers to the organisation.
Gender Empowerment Champion of the Year
WINNER AECOM
Everybody is aware that in the Construction sector, there is a very unfair and skewed representation of women at every level.
At Vice-President and Board level here in the region, that representation is among the lowest in the world.
However, one business in particular has made impressive inroads into tackling this issue, with a range of advanced and progressive gender programmes, actively promoting the role of women throughout the organisational template.
This has involved extensive analysis and review of job descriptions, as well as programmes understanding that women are also mothers and that their successful reintegration into the workplace is fundamental to company performance.
WINNER Dubai Holding
People of Determination Facilities Champion of the Year
It is remarkable that in 2024, there is often little regard for the provision of suitable facilities for People of Determination. Time and time again, this leads to the exclusion of people with exemplary skillsets who have the potential to contribute vast amounts of knowledge and energy - but simply don’t have the opportunity to do so.
It’s fitting that our winner was a company proven to be exemplary in so many ways. It’s the holding company for many household-name brands that are themselves true market leaders here in the region. It is also one of the two Fortune 500 companies home-grown here in the UAE.
Human Capital Manager of the Year
Note that the essence of this category is in the word ‘Capital’. Employees represent the greatest and most profound capital base that any company has, and their effective management, encouragement and skills-building are paramount in creating a top-performing business.
The winner here is known for its highly progressive approaches to people management, and is almost unique in the region in that it has actually created a dedicated Human Capital division.
Individuals within that vertical have become widely-known as thought leaders, and have spoken at a number of major events about the importance of Human Capital empowerment across the organisation. The business prides itself on a forward-looking approach across all personnel management.
Workspace Inclusiveness Champion of the Year
At last, we are now seeing interior designers and workspace planners put the need of a diverse spectrum of end-users front of mind - and that means thinking about spaces and layouts that reflect the needs of People of Determination, those with strong religious commitments, and employees who may have a variety of special needs. At the most basic level, this means core factors like proper wheelchair access, attention to floor surfaces and levelling, and kitchen and washroom facilities suitable for everyone.
The winner was a company that, when creating a fabulous new office space, put these concerns in the spotlight, as has created a truly democratic series of interlinked workspaces.
WINNER HKA
WINNER Compass Project Consulting
ED&I Programme of the Year
The right ED&I programmes can, admittedly, be costly, and may involve sourcing analytics and metrics, embracing very diverse needsand putting in place the keynote touchpoints for the HR team.
In fact, an all-embracing programme must factor in the correct and most relevant steps at each stage of the journey.
The winner of this category had done exactly that. This company has created an all-encompassing programme that looks at gender equality, parity of rewards for ethnicities, mentoring and staff empowerment.
In all of these often-sensitive areas, their programme ‘goes the extra mile’, and shows what can be achieved if the will is really there. Furthermore, the organisation’s protocols apply across all of their key markets and territories.
ED&I Company of the Year
WINNER JLL
Our winner in this final category was not only a Fortune 500 business, but is actually in the Fortune 200. This suggests a world-class understanding of the key issues impacting staff and how to transition these into commercial performance - and doing so by creating a better, happier and fairer workplace.
This company has invested heavily in the ED&I agenda, appointing a much-acclaimed Head of ED&I, who has become well-known for her progressive, innovative thoughts and actions. And by twinning this resource with an HR team led by one of the region’s foremost HR directors. This enables not only the trickle-down of enlightened approaches to ED&I culture, but the right practical steps at every level. Each and every member of staff is fully aware of the relevant keynote ED&I agendas.
WINNER HKA
Celebrating the Best of the Best – the Middle East Consultant Awards 2024
This year, the ME Consultant Awards received the highest number of entries in the event’s history. The Judges took the view that in 2024, the competition between entries was by far the strongest it has ever been. More and more businesses, regardless of size, sent entries of high quality, demonstrating that these awards are no longer the preserve of the very big names. What’s more, the standard of the strongest entries really was something truly remarkable - the Judges all said that they weren’t just impressed by these, they were actually enthralled and entertained as well!
NOMINEE SAY Studio
WINNER KEO Design
Interior Design Company of the Year
Architectural Company of the Year
One of the key trends that we are seeing in today’s design agenda is a greater attention to aspects such as functionality, sustainability, and the creation of interlinked zones that enable variety and modulation in both day-to-day living and working.
The stakes, in fact, have never been higher - and it is arguable that clients are also more discerning than ever about the pure aesthetics of the internal environment.
Two years ago, our winner here invested heavily in extending its Interior Design department, with the intention of creating the best design wheelhouse in the GCC.
The results have been a series of projects where the emphasis on sustainable - yet highly practical - design has been exceptional, often advocating use of the most progressive materials.
NOMINEE Boozhgan Architectural Studio
NOMINEE Dewan Architects + Engineers
NOMINEE Memar Architecture
NOMINEE Mohamed Tabat Architects
NOMINEE RSP
East
This category attracted some of the most extreme competition of any of the Awards categories. We saw some unexpected names punch well above their weight and give the more established firms a very tough run for their money. The Judges selected the winner because their nomination was simply a masterpiece in how to apply for an award. It showed resourcefulness, innovation and creativity.
WINNER Gensler Middle
Dispute Resolution Champion of the Year
NOMINEE Secretariat
NOMINEE Turner & Townsend Middle East
WINNER HKA
While all of the companies who nominated featured significant expertise on complex projects and problems, and had teams of highly respected professional subject-leaders, one emerged as overall winner by a clear margin.
It was felt that its work was particularly meaningful in understanding and resolving the raft of factors so often leading to project delays.
The organisation has tirelessly complied keynote primary data across a wide range of project disputes and was able to provide scientific analysis as to how and why particular problems arise. Its series of CRUX Insight Reports provide reliable and insightful resources on current states of play and resolution.
NOMINEE AESG
NOMINEE Baker Wilkins & Smith
NOMINEE Omnium
WINNER C-Quest International
Cost Consulting Company of the Year
NOMINEE Compass Project Consulting
NOMINEE Northcroft Middle East LLC
NOMINEE Turner & Townsend Middle East
This again proved to be a terrifically competitive category. The winner here was a business that set out a superb nomination, showing exceptionally strong credentials in terms of both methodologies and senior personnel – and fully describing its engagement in a series of extremely high quality projects.
NOMINEE AECOM
WINNER AtkinsRealis
HR & Wellness Champion of the Year
Gender & Ethical Employment Champion of the Year
The role of HR and the empowerment of staff through integrated Wellness programmes is more important than ever.
This category recognises businesses that not only provide the essentials, but go further, with highly proactive approaches that have often required substantial bottom-line investments.
The winner here showed that it totally understood the agendas of fully-fledged Human Resources management and how this impacts mood, organisational culture, behaviour and work patterns.
WINNER AESG
This category brought together some real titans!
It looks to honour a company that values and invests in its workforce, and strives for staff satisfaction, retention and growth.
What’s more, it has been a true pioneer in how the main Board has driven innovations and trickled them down effectively through diverse teams, ensuring that on a daily basis not only are working practices fully compliant, but the organisation is also a happy place to be. All of these innovations were undertaken according to strict time schedules and are accompanied by a forward vision plan.
One of the factors that led the judges to make its decision here was that the winner clearly and categorically addressed all the key issues so central to this category – but more than this, demonstrated that is a proven leader in the field of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion.
It showed that it was totally dedicated to ongoing improvement in this area, and the continual pursuit of excellence. It also used a good deal of external benchmark referencing.
NOMINEE AtkinsRealis
Company of the Year
NOMINEE AESG
NOMINEE Al Ajmi Engineering Consultants
NOMINEE Dewan
NOMINEE Jacobs
NOMINEE KEO International Consultants
NOMINEE KPM
WINNER Atkins Realis
No less than 31 nominations were received for this category, and the winner here is a company that is a truly international business, managing some highly challenging projects which often demand very niche skillsets, as well as powerful logistical and client handling skills. This business is also a master of the most modern software-led protocols, and prizes its ability to deliver smart solutions.
Ministry of Culture, KSA
WINNER JLL
On-Site Health & Safety Champion of the Year
This award recognises the incredibly important topic of on-site risk management and the proactive, 24-7 provision of safe working conditions.
The winner was an international business whose regard for both the basics of strong provision, and also the use of modern technology, have today positioned them far ahead of the pack.
Part of on-site safety management involves, wherever possible, the use of advanced equipment to minimise risks to the labour force, as well as the engrained and systematic use of working manuals, which are available in both hard copy and online.
NOMINEE
NOMINEE AECOM – COP 28
Project of the Year: Hospitality & Tourism
NOMINEE Atkins Realis – Qetaifan Island
NOMINEE FSK & Partners – Anantara Santorini
Project of the Year: Government & Infrastructure
NOMINEE Kalbod Design Studio – Ice Cube Hotel
NOMINEE KPM – JW Marriott Hotel and Residence
NOMINEE MZ Architects – Teamlab Phenomena
NOMINEE Kalbod Design Studio – Ice Cube Hotel
NOMINEE KPM – JW Marriott Hotel and Residence
NOMINEE MZ Architects – Teamlab Phenomena
WINNER JT + Partners – LXR Island Resort by Hilton
NOMINEE AECOM – Terminal A, Zayed International Airport
NOMINEE Cundall – Greater Muscat Structure Plan
WINNER DesignFit, DIFC Courts
To win a category like this, you’d better do something exceptional. Our winner did exactly that - and scored 9 out of 10 on two of the Judges’ scoresheets!
The winning entry referenced the complete redesign and repurposing of a 15,000 sq.ft. courtroom facility, which is the legal and resolution hub of the world’s largest offshore financial freezone.
The space created strikes an admirable balence between privacy and ease of access, on the one hand allowing highly confidential discussion while providing for extremely busy and appointmentbased footfall.
Project of the Year: Retail & Public Facilities
NOMINEE JT + Partners – The Office Headquarters
NOMINEE Kalbod Design Studio – Dubai Art Museum
WINNER Trust Engineering – ECQ11 Corporate Office Building
While again there was extraordinary competition and a very equal balance of project merits here, this particular entry stood out because of its supreme consideration for the end-users’ experience - which meant focusing on aspects such as connectivity, the challenges of both internal and external ‘greening’, providing for strong footfall and an acute modulation of different environments.
The winner has a high regard for the role of Smart systems and their role in creating an environment that combines strong commercial presence and user appeal with high-end aesthetics.
This potentially high-profile building represents a state-of-theart approach to combining commercial effectiveness with a very pleasing and purposeful experience for workers, visitors and guests.
NOMINEE KPM – Azizi Venice
NOMINEE AECOM – Baccharat Hotel & Residences
Project of the Year: Residential & Commercial
NOMINEE CSQ – Cloud Spaces, Circle Mall
NOMINEE Gensler Middle East – RAK Central Commercial Hub
NOMINEE Climatize, a Serco Company – DAMAC Lagoons
NOMINEE Climatize, a Serco Company – The Link, Masdar City
WINNER JT + Partners – The Pinnacle Tower
NOMINEE AESG
NOMINEE KPM
WINNER Aji Group
MEP Company of the Year
NOMINEE Al Suweidi Engineering Consultancy
C-Suite Champion of the Year
This award recognises a consultancy that represents mastery of this incredibly important industry vertical.
The Judges found that this was in some ways the hardest category of all to Judge, but the winner here showed true innovation and an advanced use of problem-solving technologies that is far beyond the norm.
The organisation’s high quality MEP portfolio demonstrated regard not only for practicality and effective solutions, but always kept in mind the wider impact on the community and the protection of health and wellness for all stakeholders.
NOMINEE Al Khoory Solutions LLC – Tabish Abrar
NOMINEE Dewan – Ammar Alassam
NOMINEE KPM – Kashif Fakih
NOMINEE Climatize, a Serco Company – Engi Jaber
WINNER AESG – Saeed Al Abbar
The category is designed to recognise Board members who have truly made a difference to their businesses, through commercial growth, strong leadership, increase in market share and participation in a raft of international and regional activities.
The winner was a company co-founder whose business has gone from strength to strength in one of the UAE’s most important market sectors. His business has in fact repeatedly shown more than 25% year-on-year growth, and he has unfailingly set higher and higher performance standards.
Sustainable Consultancy of the Year
NOMINEE AECOM
NOMINEE AESG
NOMINEE AtkinsRealis
NOMINEE Cundall
NOMINEE JLL
NOMINEE LWK + Partners
WINNER Climatize, a Serco Company
The Judges believed that the competition between entrants here was perhaps the strongest of the entire evening. They were looking for a company whose every move puts sustainable practices front and centre. The winner is a business that has virtually reinvented the region’s understanding of the word ‘sustainable’.
NOMINEE CSQ – Laura Davies
NOMINEE AECOM – Limi Suresh Engoor
Under-30 Champion of the Year
NOMINEE AtkinsRealis – Fathima Mubarak
NOMINEE Baker Wilkins & Smith – Ahmed Alsaad
NOMINEE Godwin Austen Johnson – Hannah Alcantara
NOMINEE JT + Partners – Muhammed Hisham
NOMINEE Mirage – Hind Abusnana
NOMINEE Climatize, a Serco Company – Hiba Ahmed
NOMINEE Turner & Townsend – Uwais Paderwala
WINNER Omnium International - Anel Seidakhmetova
Planning and Scheduling Champion of the Year
As projects grow ever more complex, the need for competent and effective scheduling is increasingly crucial for their effective delivery.
This category recognises companies who have put innovative and comprehensive planning and scheduling mechanisms in place, and have used them to inform and manage multiple stakeholders.
Companies must actively demonstrate the value of their scheduling by providing case studies of completed or partiallycompleted projects.
The winner here has not only established an enviable reputation for timely project delivery in key projects in the GCC, but also in Egypt and Singapore.
Specialist Consulting Company of the Year
NOMINEE STONEX Consulting
NOMINEE Tenable Fire Engineering Consultancy
NOMINEE Turner & Townsend Middle East
WINNER AESG
This category honours companies that occupy a key niche and who set world-class standards of project mastery and technical innovation within that dedicated vertical.
Our judges were keen to see evidence of a consultant’s skills in this discipline, a tangible commitment to high-end delivery, and notable examples of work in the last 12 months. The winner here is also adept at embracing AI-led methodology.
WINNER TBH
Structural Engineering Company of the Year
NOMINEE KPM
WINNER ASG NV5
14 nominations were submitted for this category, which represents core technical and logistical prowess.
It also necessitates a totally fluent understanding of the Smart and AI-Led tools which in today’s sector have reinvented the possibilities of materials usage, strength tolerances and structural vibration.
The winner here submitted extremely detailed project nominations, which demonstrated acute knowledge of the structural agenda, and had worked in liaison with a number of household- name brands across some of the region’s celebrated developments.
NOMINEE Aji Group
NOMINEE JLL
NOMINEE Omnium
Project Management Company of the Year
WINNER Compass Project Consulting
All the shortlisted companies put in strong nominations that showcased an excellent portfolio of projects, and demonstrated that the role of outstanding project management is more important then ever.
However, one firm ultimately stood out thanks to an exceptional range of testimonials and a raft of highly innovative working practices. This organisation also demonstrated a holistic concern for wider community issues.
NOMINEE Aji Group
NOMINEE AtkinsRealis
NOMINEE Cundall
NOMINEE FSK & Partners
NOMINEE Jacobs
NOMINEE KPM
WINNER AECOM
Multi-Discipline Consultancy of the Year
Lifetime Achievement Award
NOMINEE CSQ Project Development Consultants
NOMINEE KEO International Consultants
NOMINEE TGP International
NOMINEE Zutari Middle East
WINNER Joe Tabet, Managing Director, JT + Partners
The winner here has to be someone who has quite literally changed the shape of the industry over several decades - and whose achievements and conduct are not only beyond reproach, but set the standards that everyone else surely aspires to. Needless to say, it recognises a true titan of their profession.
The Award honoured an individual well-known for his strong technical mastery, as well as an extraordinary vision and innovative style. He founded a Dubai-based company less than a decade ago, which has already tendered for - and won - some of the GCC’s most glamorous and noteworthy projects.
His business has grown to have a transnational presence, with a host of further projects in the pipeline - including those honoured in this year’s Middle East Consultant Awards.
Moreover, the raft of projects that the firm is currently undertaking represent a new scale of vision that has been personally implemented by our winner.
