Smart Cities Report 2021

A supplement of:

SMART CITIES REPORT

ME BIM Summit 2021

RECAPPING THE EVENTS OF THE DAY AS THE ME BIM SUMMIT RETURNED AS A LIVE EVENT

Reimagining Smart City Design

DR HARPREET SETH LOOKS AT HOW URBAN PLANNING AND COMMUNITY DESIGN HAS CHANGED POST-PANDEMIC

The Human Challenge

BIG PROJECT ME TALKS TO SANJAY TANWANI OF AECOM ABOUT PUTTING PEOPLE FIRST IN SMART CITIES In association with:

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W

hile the concept of Smart Cities has been around for decades, the discussions around the topic have focused on the areas of monitoring, data collection and analysis, rather than homing in on the fundamental issue of human behaviour.

If we are to truly develop Smart Cities, then we need to consider the people who live in them. All the technology in the world will be of little use if it cannot positively impact the individual behaviours that exacerbate urban challenges.

This fundamental problem is one that Sanjay Tanwani of AECOM attempts to address in our main interview in this year’s report. With the pandemic having profoundly impacted the way we think about our cities, it is essential that we delve deeper into what makes a city more socially equitable, engaging and economically viable.

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People First

Gavin Davids

HEAD OF EDITORIAL & CONTENT

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gavin.davids@cpitrademedia.com @MECN_Gavin MEConstructionNews me-construction-news MEConstructionNews.com | Smart Cities Report 2021

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The Human Challenge of

Cities Smart

BIG PROJECT ME SPEAKS TO SANJAY TANWANI OF AECOM ABOUT WHY IT IS CRUCIAL TO PUT PEOPLE-FIRST WHEN IT COMES TO PLANNING AND DEVELOPING SMART CITIES MEConstructionNews.com | Smart Cities Report 2021 2019

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In order to fully understand how this balance can be achieved, Big Project ME spoke to Sanjay Tanwani, design director and Cities program lead – Urbanism + Planning at AECOM: What defines a Smart City?

Firstly, we need to start by demystifying Smart Cities. Smart Cities are primarily technology and data driven frameworks, that intend to enhance livability, boost economies, and help inform city authorities to make better decisions.

Just like a smart watch, the intention of Smart Cities is to monitor, feedback and analyse in real-time the performance of a city’s various systems. As a smart watch would provide an assessment of your healthy habits, Smart Cities provide an assessment on healthy city indicators such as transportation, air quality, waste management and so on.

The Smart City concept has been around for almost a decade now, with a series of pilots and application methods to ensure successful implementation.

However, it is fair to say that the most successful initiatives created to enable Smart Cities have not necessarily been technology-oriented and instead, but are instead focused on people, the end-users.

It is therefore my opinion that Smart Cities should not be overly digitalised, and technology should be strategically embedded into the personified experience

296 million Pop. 7B (2010)

6.3 billion Pop. 7.9B (2021)

7.5 billion

Pop. 8.2B (2026)

of the city, ensuring cities are safe, vibrant, and are providing the best services possible for residents. In addition, Smart Cities should aim to improve citizen engagement, promote commerce, deliver innovative solutions for urban challenges, and help address climate change.

Why is it important to start with people rather than technology?

So far, Smart City incentives have placed a definitive emphasis on monitoring, data collection and analysis. Almost exclusively focusing on supply-side.

Examples include the automatic reduction of energy supply during nonpeak hours, the optimisation of traffic light systems to prioritise public transit and the notification to waste management teams when garbage collection is ready.

Although these efforts are necessary and certainly an improvement from past conditions, they do little to address individual behaviours that exacerbate urban challenges. In particular: • How do we encourage individuals to reduce energy and water consumption at home?

• How do we cajole commuters to use public transit rather than private cars?

• How do we reduce the production of waste in the home?

Without addressing these human-level issues, we are unlikely to solve the biggest urban challenges. Therefore, in the

People Fifth Industrial Revolution Responsive

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1970

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Smart Cities Report 2021 | MEConstructionNews.com

Source: https://www.bankmycell.com/blog/how-many-phones-are-in-the-world

n the wake of the pandemic, interest in the concepts of smart cities development is at an all-time high as governments and municipalities look to adopt and promote technologies that improve and drive efficiencies in the built environment and urban infrastructure.

In the Middle East, Dubai stands out as a leading advocate for smart cities and its associated technologies, with the government driving forwards with several initiatives and programmes that will bring the city into a smart, sustainable and connected future.

However, as cities look take full advantage of the benefits of digital technologies, it is essential that they have a people-first vision so as to ensure that they can simultaneously develop and adopt the latest technologies, while ensuring that their residents and citizens are involved in the conversation, and that their rights are protected.

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pursuit towards efficient Smart Cities, we must involve people in the conversations, through public engagement and public initiative pilots. This will support the development of people-centric solutions to human-level urban challenges.

Collect Data

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What is AECOM doing to Robu st C further the region’s om Smart City ambitions?

Analytics Data collection, analysis and Application feedback are key components Smart City of Smart Cities. This requires Feedback Loop rigorous testing and scenario building to understand what works well, and not so well. At AECOM, we offer an interactive performancebased modelling platform that provides a comprehensive framework Data Driven Build Scenario to build a balanced and effective Decisions urban plan that meet targets.

AECOM also has a well-established digital ecosystem which, through an all-encompassing performance-based approach, supports the integration of technology into the fabric of society, analysis capabilities using 5G mobile the economy and the environment. The networks that unify an enormous ecosystem is highly flexible, with the number of complex sensors, and security ability to adapt to changing contexts mapping robots, it’s safe to say the and changing needs of citizens.

EXPO site is an early example of what One of the major challenges future Smart Cities could look like. of delivering Smart Cities is the During the development stages An example for the future implementation of new technology of District 2020, AECOM focused on The EXPO 2020 Dubai site is an early example designing and delivering smart and into legacy infrastructure. To address of what future Smart this, AECOM’s approach populates connected communities that elevate Cities could look like. a digital twin with modelled data which is replaced with real-world data from IoT sensors as the city developments complete construction and infrastructure is phased out.

With this feedback loop, the performance models can recalibrate, and identify gaps and operating adjustments to meet the set targets and goals. In addition, our process incorporates the concept of performance feedback and monitoring from a variety of intelligent sensors located in the urban environment. ement nag Ma

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the application of smart design well beyond current practice. An example of this is AECOM’s Road Diet Strategy, which aims to reduce private car lanes over time, in favour of pedestrianisation, and sustainable transport-oriented streets. This will evolve in line with the anticipated increase in usage of public transit and light mobility modes, reflecting on the human centricity aspect of delivering smart solutions.

Parallel to this, in both the EXPO event site, and the District 2020 Legacy Masterplans, AECOM employed the Digital Twin strategy to test scenarios and provide advanced analytics to gain real-time insights about the proposed physical asset’s performance, operation or profitability.

What new ideas and innovations are currently being developed to push the concept of Smart Cities forward?

On the technology side I’m excited about many innovations coming through, such as Metaverse (where physical and virtual worlds combine), Ambient Intelligence (AmI) and Smart Environments (SmE).

Imagine an autonomous adaptive built environment supported by several “invisible” small computing components, embedded in our immediate surrounding.

This can be as simple as having

Data Se

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Dubai has been vocal about becoming a Smart City. What impact will an event like EXPO 2020 have on these aspirations?

EXPO 2020, and in particular District 2020, will make waves for the Smart Cities concept and its implementation.

With extensive data connections and MEConstructionNews.com | Smart Cities Report 2021

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neighbourhood streets automatically adapt for different uses (vehicular traffic or pedestrian shared surfaces) and weather conditions (retractable sunshades, rain protection etc.) to more immersive experience such as walking around AR overlayed high streets which blend the physical and virtual realms.

On the governance side, the idea of citizen engagement and data privacy are key to the implementation of Smart Cities. With the advancement in smart grids and adoption of IoT, it is essential to establish how these incentives can be integrated into cities to enrich the urban quality of life.

This includes the transition to a circular economy, promoting equitable growth, and addressing climate emergencies. A streamlined and smart approach, led by government programs which prioritize citizen involvement and ensure a reduction in privacy risks and security concerns.

How has the pandemic shifted the thinking around the Smart Cities concept? And Can Smart Cities help us combat Climate Change?

The pandemic has forced us to rethink the future of our cities. The change in living,

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working, and commuting patterns has impacted office footprints, transportation patterns, and consumption habits. There is an eagerness among policymakers, technologists, and urbanists alike to seize this moment in order to re-imagine a more resilient, inclusive and sustainable city. It is not surprising that the concept of smart cities is gaining greater attention now, given their perceived potential to solve complex urban problems.

Amid these changing times, the concept of Climate-Smart needs to be popularised, introducing technology and innovation to reduce the impacts of climate change. It is essential to acknowledge that Smart Cities initiatives are vital to making the netzero transition a reality. With the UAE committing to net-zero by 2050, now is the time for us practitioners to take Climate-Smart action by partaking in a performance-based approach towards planning and designing our cities.

AECOM, with its “Future we Want” initiative at COP26, celebrates research and innovation that could support the global transition towards becoming a climate-resilient, carbon emission-free future and improve our understanding of the available

innovative and smart solutions to be incorporated as part of our practice.

Use of clean technology can lead to:

$430 million reduced energy costs

16%

reduced carbon emissions by 2025

What does AECOM have in the pipeline when it comes to the development of Smart Cities?

Over the past years, AECOM’s Urbanism + Planning team has delivered projects ranging from national strategic plans to detailed district and neighbourhood level masterplans.

Building on AECOM’s Sustainable Legacies strategy and AECOM’s Digital Ecosystem, our Urbanism + Planning team actively incorporates sustainable and innovative principles in all projects, irrespective of size or scale.

When approaching a project, our team delves deeper into the elements of a city that encourage a more socially equitable, engaging, economically viable, and environmentally conscious context. With this approach, we believe that Smart Cities initiatives should give precedence to sustainability and include citizens at the core.

As we explore that lens, we are committed to delivering outcomes that are inherently focused on designing and planning vibrant and equitable places that offer a high quality of life for all.

Energy efficient Net-positive buildings Retractable sun shades Performance efficient fixture Small computing components

Real time insights

Road diet strategy

Energy generating pavements

Smart Cities Report 2021 | MEConstructionNews.com

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Digital Cities

Building Back Better

MIDDLE EAST

Spyros Salpeas, head of Professional Services, Indirect Middle East & Africa, Orange Business Services, the pandemic has accelerated the third wave of digital cities

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he Middle East is now home to numerous smart city developments across the region with a focus on the GCC but also extending to Egypt. The Institute for Management Development’s (IMD) 2020 Smart City Index recently ranked Abu Dhabi and Dubai as the smartest cities in the region in the use of technology to improve the quality of life for residents. Projects, like the $500 billion Neom smart city in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Kuwait’s $4 billion to eco-friendly Saad Al-Abdullah City, are hugely complex undertakings.

Today, the ‘smart city’ is an intelligent and sustainable city that

Smart Cities Report 2021 | MEConstructionNews.com

Connected cities The top learning from the pandemic was the crucial importance of digital, converging digital and physical infrastructure, powered by cloud and IoT.

$4bn Value of Kuwait’s Saad AlAbdullah City

is connected, agile and innovative, making extensive use of IT and digital technology to embrace the challenge of improving the quality of life of citizens and boosting the economic attractiveness and tourism potential for local authorities and companies.

As we cautiously exit the pandemic, cities are more connected than ever, and technology plays a central role in our everyday lives. City leaders report the top learning from the pandemic was the crucial importance of digital, converging digital and physical infrastructure, powered by cloud and IoT. The pandemic has accelerated digital transformation generally and cities are more important as the world emerges

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from disruptions - digital cities can be the resilient hubs people now need. It’s not all about the technology. Digital cities should be designed around people and built on a foundation of trust.

Every digital city is a unique network of integrated services that grows and develops organically over time as new use cases emerge and then evolve, supported by new bursts of innovation.

The pandemic has triggered a new burst of innovation and led to the third wave in the evolution of digital cities.

BUILDING BETTER DIGITAL CITIES Digital is now ubiquitous and it’s all about creating new data in cities. The immediate impact of Covid-19 on smart cities has been digital acceleration transforming digital cities again with new use cases and ushering in a new wave of city evolution, based on vast amounts of data and growing intelligence.

Initially, smart city projects focused on digital infrastructure, such as super-fast broadband. The second wave of digital cities focused mainly on solutions and architectures.

We believe we are now entering the third wave of digital cities, built on the existing city data platform and accelerating towards increasing intelligence through innovation.

This acceleration to intelligence is the defining characteristic of the third wave of digital cities.

In this third wave of evolution, Big Data and predictive analytics are driving digital city projects and generating vast volumes of data. The third wave adds the Cloud and layers of AI on top of the existing data platform to create a more responsive and cognitive city. This new wave also opens up the options to add new use cases and solutions delivered quickly ‘as a service’ via the Cloud (always on, always available) – transforming the business and finance models of digital cities and accelerating innovation even faster. This creates new innovation and business opportunities for the benefit of the local population.

Digital acceleration is now the imperative for cities, individuals and companies and this has is resulting in enormous amounts of new data.

Intelligent cities are not engines

The third-wave Salpeas says that the third wave of digital cities is now upon us, built on existing city data platforms and increased intelligence through innovation.

$500

Value of the Neom smart city being built in KSA

2025

The first phase of the Neom smart city project is scheduled for completion by 2025

of innovation and ecosystems that leverage collective intelligence.

Innovation must be a continuous process benefitting everyone in the city and so innovation doesn’t stop here in the third wave. Intelligent cities must look ahead to the next major challenge, after Covid-19.

THE NEXT WAVE - SUSTAINABILITY Climate change is driving the global move to de-carbonisation (with the target of carbon neutral) and means management and compliance is increasingly important and intelligent cities must respond – ‘greening’ cities comes at a cost and digital technologies can offer solutions.

It’s clearly a challenge but also an opportunity to achieve a new level of sustainability based on intelligent cities.

Decarbonisation is becoming a driver for new use cases built on top of the data platform in the city to lower emissions and reduce energy consumption.

It will result in a new level of control over every aspect and impact of the city which will be able to make intelligent decisions on emissions and energy, supported by enterprise commitments to decarbonisation as business adopts ESG (Environment, Social, Governance) targets and also innovates and develops.

Innovation is essential and it’s all driven by data.

Big Data and predictive analytics are driving digital city projects and generating vast volumes of data.

The third wave adds the Cloud and layers of AI on top of the existing data platform to create a more responsive and cognitive city”

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Urban Planning

Reimagining Smart Cities’ Design Post the Pandemic MIDDLE EAST

Dr Harpreet Seth, Head of Architecture Studies, HeriotWatt University Dubai, examines how technologies and applications developed to fight the pandemic are now being used to shape the future Smart Cities Report 2021 | MEConstructionNews.com

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ince the advent of the pandemic, governments at various levels across the world have been implementing smart city technologies to help combat its impact – using it to track the spread of infections and to support the execution of medical strategies.

In addition to demonstrating the value of smart technologies, these new applications are helping shape the future of smart cities. The

pandemic prompted governments and authorities to repurpose existing digital infrastructure in many innovative ways that were difficult to imagine previously.

Urban planners and the design community will now need to depend on technology more than ever in ways we never visualised prior to the pandemic. As we reimagine our built environment, we need to find creative ways to reduce the many points of contact between people and surfaces.

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Depending on technology Urban planners and the design community will need to depend on technology more than ever, in ways never previously visualised prior to the pandemic.

Some of the key and immediate changes to the concept of smart cities post-pandemic requires accelerating digital transformation and envisioning new design approaches. These will not only help us adapt to the new normal but also create new modes of social interactions essential for our wellbeing and make our cities more resilient: • Embracing automation. Even before the pandemic began, we had already started to see and experience automation in the form of touchless faucets and sensoroperated doors, especially in hotels, malls and airports. Now that we have been facing a pandemic for over a year, it is obvious that everybody wants to avoid touching anything unnecessarily. In terms of design upgrades, it is office buildings and even residential properties that should prioritise replacing doorknobs, light switches, thermostats, and other touch operated objects with motion sensors and voice controls, in order to reduce avoidable human contact.

• Feeling safe with cleanliness and hygiene. Without a doubt, cleanliness and hygiene is now an integral part of feeling safe. As we re-evaluate our built environment – especially public places – architects and designers are adopting new design considerations in the form of anti-bacterial surfaces and anti-microbial fabrics that will eventually become more common in new projects such as hotels and spas, restaurants, cinemas, malls, and museums. Educating people and encouraging a shift in their attitude will remain vital to ensuring their safety.

• Striking the balance between live-work-play. With a lot of individuals still working from home and some companies allowing their employees indefinite remote working, people’s leisure and recreation needs will need to be reimagined as well. The design community are already seeing a rise in the demand for repurposed living spaces. From reducing tactile contact (sensor-

As we reevaluate our built environment – especially public places – architects and designers are adopting new design considerations in the form of antibacterial surfaces and anti-microbial fabrics that will eventually become more common in new projects such as hotels and spas, restaurants, cinemas, malls, and museums” based controls) to integrating fitness (home gyms) and work (digitally enabled workstations) into their homes, none of these are going to be possible without the aid of smart technologies.

Live-work-play is the new design typology that has become more prominent over the last one year.

Hence, the need for balance and taking a pause between each facet of live-work-play will continue to grow into the near future.

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SHAPING THE FUTURE OF OUR CITIES The smart city discourse has conventionally revolved around the subject of sustainability. While it is important to remain focused on our original objective of creating smart cities that are efficient and sustainable, adopting a holistic approach to digital transformation and resilience planning is also crucial.

Although it is positive to see the roll-out of vaccines across the world, reclaiming a world as it was prior to the pandemic could be a few years away. It is hence important to make urban resilience a top priority.

Architects have a great role to play in influencing changes to housing, mobility, work, and recreation, so that we are more prepared in thwarting or managing future crises.

Smart city technologies can help us make our cities more habitable, resilient, and sustainable – and this is exactly what we need to create a safe and prosperous future that is responsive, not reactive.

The pandemic is also a lesson on why cities need to partner and collaborate with national governments to follow a consistent set of policies and synchronised actions. Though most cities can lean on their national governments for help during major crises, that is not always the case, even in developed countries. Cities must become more independent and innovative, enrolling all stakeholders in their crisis response and recovery planning – and that’s where smart city technologies will play the role of a critical enabler.

While some governments might relegate smart city priorities to the backburner as short-term economic recovery plans take precedence, few governments such as the UAE have seen the pandemic as an opportunity to boost their digital investments, especially with respect to smart city components. By incorporating pandemic preparedness and reviving the economic health of their cities, such governments are definitely going to reap the plural benefits of investing early in smart city technologies.

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DESIGN

Sustainability

Getting Urbanisation Right: The Role of Sustainability Advisory in Smart Cities

MIDDLE EAST

Kumar Subramania, Senior VP at MAST Consulting, outlines how sustainability principles need to be at the core of smart city design and planning

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ccording to figures shared at the end of 2020, by the World Economic Forum, 56.2% of the global population currently lives in cities. Significantly, the report confirmed that this rise in urban population is accelerating in the developing world. A mere 20% of Africans and Asians were city dwellers in 1950; but the latest figures for the two continents are 43% and 51%, respectively.

South America now exceeds Europe in its total urban population, having reached a figure of more than 80%. This rapid urbanisation – which is set to continue

Smart Cities Report 2021 | MEConstructionNews.com

in the coming decades - is great news from a development and standard of living perspective. Historically, cities are a wonderful means to giving people access to a better life, more amenities, and social services such as education and healthcare. But this does come at a cost.

The downside of urbanisation can easily manifest itself as economic inequality, pollution, congestion, and stress on the systems delivering essential services.

For most of the last two decades, the consensus strategy to amplifying the benefits of urbanisation, and limiting the negatives, can be summed up in a two-word catchphrase: Smart Cities.

Finding balance Smart Cities can help amplify the benefits of urbanisation, and limit the negative aspects.

2050

Target for achieving net zero across all industries

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But implementing such optimised and tech-enabled cities successfully, will require a holistic approach, based on deep-dive analysis and planning.

In essence, smart cities are built on deploying emerging technologies, empowered with the use of real-time data; to optimise the delivery of services, enhance city planning, make the management of assets seamless, and create system and process transparency.

From the technology standpoint, this involves leveraging IoT, Big Data, AI, Digital Twins, Machine Learning and more; to create agile systems that maximise outcomes sustainably, through the system-wide integration and alignment of these innovations.

Our cities currently occupy about 3% of the planet’s landmass, while accounting for almost 80% of energy usage, and 75% of our carbon footprint and global waste. And as the recent global pandemic demonstrated, these urban communities need to be far more resilient than they are at present, as well. So, implementing a tech-enabled approach to managing our cities certainly makes sense. But the challenges are multi-faceted.

A truly ‘smart’ city needs to address concerns around sustainability, agile infrastructure, and great service delivery; as well as the entire spectrum of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues. In addition, with a rising consensus on achieving net zero

With an outcome like Urban Sustainability, the real challenge will be constant customisation – to the eco-system of the particular city, the stakeholders involved, the desired outcomes, and the regulatory environment”

Enabling the evolution Sustainability Advisors will be key enablers of cities customising their approach to sustainable smart cities.

industry, across all sectors, by 2050; replicating this outcome in our cities will be necessary as well. In other words, a full-spectrum approach, empowered by data-led transparency and insights, will be the default model for our cities – from infrastructure to management. But making the transition to this future will be as much about strategy, as selecting the right combination of technologies.

A lot of different aspects will need to be optimised, to make this historical leap to a more sustainable world of the future. Green buildings, sustainable energy generation, clean transport alternatives, product and asset lifecycle assessments, reskilling workforces, and much more – the list is virtually endless.

So how can such complexity be addressed in a way that cities around the globe can customise to their needs, and replicate? What should be the basis of our approach, to enabling this

3%

Cities currently occupy about 3% of the planet’s landmass

75%

Cities account for 75% of our carbon footprint and global waste

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evolution? Sustainability Advisory services will be key enablers of this revolution – especially in providing an overview under which a diverse set of innovations, skillsets, and areas of expertise, can be harnessed; to create the synergy needed.

The role of a consultancy - in the smart city context - begins with creating ESG policies and strategies, which align the complex-web of stakeholders involved under a single overarching umbrella. Next, depending on where each stakeholder group is, in their ESG journey; software platforms that are optimal for the purpose will need to be implemented, for effective monitoring and reporting. Fortunately, the benefits of optimal tech-enabled ESG management have become universally apparent – from enhancing revenue for the businesses involved, and increasing returns on investment, to driving sustainability across all operations and systems.

A sustainability consultancy’s approach, to achieve these outcomes optimally, can be broadly divided into three elements. The first is Advisory – which delivers expert advice based on a deep understanding of current regulatory requirements; anticipates future developments; and aligns these requirements with strategies, policies, and processes. The second element concerns Implementation – which puts the outcomes of the advisory aspect into efficient practice, within an appropriate governance and compliance framework.

And the final piece of the puzzle is Monitoring - which enables continual refinement and course corrections, keeping the sustainability prerogative on track perpetually, linking outcomes and performance to UN SDG’s, GRI or other relevant frameworks.

Ultimately, even the most powerful and capable technology is only a tool; and each ecosystem that adopts it presents a new use-case, for which it needs to be optimised. With an outcome like Urban Sustainability, the real challenge will be constant customisation – to the eco-system of the particular city, the stakeholders involved, the desired outcomes, and the regulatory environment. Effective advisory will be the compass, to help all stakeholders navigate the transition to truly ‘Smart’ cities.

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EVENT REVIEW

Smart Cities Report 2021 | MEConstructionNews.com

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EVENT REVIEW

ME BIM Summit

ME BIM Summit Recap

Big Project ME’s reporter on the ground, Mark Dowdall, recaps the events at the ME BIM Summit, which returned as a live event on November 1, 2021

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eld at the Westin Dubai Mina Seyahi and organised by CPI Trade Media and Big Project ME, the sixth edition of the ME BIM Summit saw a return to live events, on November 1st, as 180 of the GCC’s top professionals came together to discuss the future of BIM technology in the region.

The event began with opening statements

by Gavin Davids, editor of Big Project ME, and event host, Paul Godfrey, before Session One kickstarted the day’s conversation with a joint keynote presentation from Wissam Hijazi, director of virtual design and construction at EllisDon, Middle East and Senthil Arjunan, Vice-president of Digital Transformation at Aldar. The key theme of the presentation was the value in using digital tools to ensure projects are delivered on time, budget and quality.

“There are a lot of things we can do around BIM and VDC, which is probably

the emphasis of this presentation,” Arjunan pointed out afterwards. “Things like big data has picked up in the last couple of years. We have a closer eye on blockchain, for example, in terms of that becoming a widely adopted technology and I think that’s more relevant when all the stakeholders get involved.”

He added: “I think every technology impact comes with change management, and also the culture around it. Obviously, the technology gets mature based on where the industry is moving and then gradually this becomes more baseline and standard within organisations. Having that effective change management and managing that culture of change within those organizations; that is the key to success. The tech part comes later. It’s people, culture and more upskilling that is fundamental to the larger transformation.”

Following the keynote, the first panel discussion titled ‘Digital Twins and the Disruption of the Real Estate and

Construction Industry’ began. The session was moderated by Prakash Senghani, director and head of digital delivery at JLL. He was joined by Juan Tena Flores, regional digital design manager at KEO International Design Consultants, Muhammad Jabakhanji, director of operations at Concerted Solutions, Nizar Jegham, director of digital advisory services ME at WSP, Kaarin Kalavus-Collins, associate director at Turner and Townsend, and Wajdi Mereb, BIM digital engineering expert.

During this 45-minute discussion, the panellists explored how digital twins have been impacted by global forces, particularly the pandemic, and focused on how the industry is moving towards a more sustainable living.

“The biggest trends at the moment are all around sustainability and how we are going to be able to build more sustainably, operate more sustainably and look at extending the life of our existing assets”

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commented Senghani, following the session.

“This is going to be a couple of things.

Some of it is behavioural, so changing the way that we use buildings; trying to use them for multiple uses rather than just having single use buildings and then the other things are going to be more technological driven so putting more sensors in and introducing more technology to help run and optimise our buildings more efficiently and effectively.”

He added: “As we become more and more data rich, we are going to become a target for cybersecurity bad actors and so we need to get an understanding of how we can secure that data but still make it available to people and allow them to make decisions.”

Following the first panel, James Frampton, regional leader at SoftwareONE |MTWO Construction Cloud, took to the stage and further highlighted the sustainability theme, focusing on how stakeholders in the supply chain can start reducing their carbon emissions and footprint, with the construction industry currently one of the highest contributors worldwide.

“One of the biggest things to consider

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The biggest trends at the moment are all around sustainability and how we are going to be able to build more sustainably, operate more sustainably and look at extending the life of our existing assets” is reducing the amount of rework that a project has to do,” he said.

“When we do rework, yes, we waste time, and it costs more but we also waste material when we are getting rid of old stuff and doing stuff again. If we can reduce the level of rework in a project, then that’s one of the biggest ways that we can also make that project more sustainable.

“A lot of companies are coming to us

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as part of their digital transformation journey; and in line with that, the trend that we are seeing now, is how can we leverage digital transformation to more sustainable outcomes.”

Session Two was opened by Mohammed Abdelrahman, associate BIM director at The Red Sea Development Company. His keynote presentation on ‘BIM and Data Management in Digital Construction’ shared the digital aspects of the design and construction process, and its impact on the creation of a digital twin.

“To control a giga-scale project, it’s really important to build the infrastructure properly from the beginning. We have to have a proper standardisation of how the delivery [of data] should come to you because this is the base that will innovate anything that comes later on.

“The Saudi vision is for 2030 and technology is changing every day, but the basics of how data should be standardised and how quality should be received will remain fundamental all the time.”

He added: “If you can just translate the technology into something physical,

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understood by construction managers, that will make a huge change. You will get the support; you will get the innovation and you will get what you need to do things quicker and in higher quality.

“The world is moving towards drones, 360 images, photogrammetry, all this kind of stuff that will lead later on to more artificial intelligence, more robotics. All of this is coming in the future we just need to have the basics properly established now.”

The second panel discussion of the day, titled “Expanding the scope of BIM through Digitalization of Construction” was moderated by Dr. Anas Bataw, director of Centre of Excellence in Smart Construction at Heriot-Watt University Dubai.

Joining him on stage were Nayer Girgis, digital team leader at ASGC, David Glennon, digital project delivery director at The Red Sea Development Company, Sthavya Kannamparambil, technical manager at The Red Sea Development Company, Nicky Dobreanu, CIOB and Paul Wallett, regional director at Trimble Solutions.

The key points in this session centred

on the next stages after BIM and the lessons that have been learned from the BIM journey so far. The panel agreed that BIM has helped enormously when it comes to digitalisation and understanding how to approach it; but to move forward

The world is moving towards drones, 360 images, photogrammetry, all this kind of stuff that will lead later on to more artificial intelligence, more robotics. All of this is coming in the future we just need to have the basics properly established now”

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there needs to be better collaboration with other initiatives that are out there.

“This is important; not only within a team or between different teams and different departments,” said Dr. Bataw after the session. “But also, collaboration with the different organisations involved in a project or in the industry. And most importantly, there needs to be more collaboration between our industry and other industries so we can learn from them or even bring them in to be a part of our journey.

“My BIM journey started more than 15 years in the UK. When I came to this region first BIM was looked at in a different way. Now, however we are seeing BIM being approached in the right way but more importantly we are already looking at the future. We are looking at how we can move on from BIM but also look how we can integrate different solutions initiatives and that’s exactly what interested me in today’s session.”

After the coffee break, Session Three began with a keynote presentation by Noora Nabil Bin Haider, GIS Engineer at Dubai Municipality, which showcased how BIM’s

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E-Submission Platform works and streamlines the approvals process for Dubai Municipality.

Dayesh Jaiswal, director of Techture, was next up on stage as he explored how to increase the value of BIM for the client.

“There is still a lot of hidden value which can be explored if we integrate BIM with other technologies like virtual reality and also if we do a bit of customisation. We need to increase the value of conventional deliverables like 4d simulations and quantity estimations, make them more visible and more practical for the user,” he said.

“The challenge is to focus on bringing value to the client and not just on satisfying consultant requirements. When we work with someone, we first try to understand however the design processes better through virtual reality, how can we do quantity estimations through quantity automated quantity takeoffs and how can we make project management more inclusive through the use of dashboards.”

This led to the final panel discussion, titled ‘The Democratisation of Data and its Impact on the Future of Construction’, which was moderated by Elena Salun, head of CAD and BIM at Cracknell. She was joined by Suhail Arfath, director of Digital Transformation at Hloov, Louise Collins, head of Engineering and Energy at JLL, Salah Abdulatif Al Dilmi, section manager of Rail Infrastructure Maintenance at Rail Agency, Roads and Transport Authority, Dr Ali Ismail, BIM Expert at Dubai Municipality and Allison Wicks, founder and managing partner at Qualitaz.

The main topics of interest were the behaviour of the industry in relation to the data, the need for an organisation to engage all members of their staff with the data, to be able to share it more easily and to get the most value from it.

“If we have that I think that is what is going to make the exchange of data more transparent,” said Salun. “Internally, within the organisations this needs to happen between the different departments, and we need to have enabling tools for people, who may not be as technical savvy, to extract the data from a BIM model.

She concluded: “We are on the right path and there is no turning away from it, whether we like it or not. This is not even the future; this is the present. What we must do is try make the transition as painless as possible and we can only do that if we all work together towards the same goal.”

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TECHNOLOGY

Android Building

The Android Approach MIDDLE EAST

Sanjeevv Bhatia, chairman of SB Group and CEO of Netix Global, says that the ‘Android Building’ approach complements the Middle East’s Smart City revolution

A

ccording to research, the KSA smart cities market, fuelled by pandemic-induced digitisation, is expected to grow to $14.75 billion by 2027, at a CAGR of 19.6%. In the UAE, smart city initiatives already have a head start, with Dubai and Abu Dhabi featuring in the top 50 global smart cities. Leading Middle Eastern economies have earmarked competitive budgets

for investments into state-of-theart systems and technologies that can potentially start a regionwide smart city revolution.

Relatively older buildings and infrastructure continue to be riddled with legacy, vendor-locked systems which are inflexible and therefore hard to optimise. Operators and decision makers cannot consider replacing the entire hardware due to financial implications.

Conversely, in an open protocol model, irrespective of systems being at different stages of digitalisation, there is a massive scope for optimisation and efficiency enhancements.

This boils down to the IoT-led integration of multi-vendor systems and the breaking down of silos.

Integration also enables city-wide capture of data generated by systems such as lighting, electricity grids, and water networks.

The collated data is subjected to AI analytics to derive actionable insights — all in real-time, and operable by a single-window operator in a centralised command centre. But now, with the emergence of the ‘Android Approach’ to buildings, the complexity of a smart city initiative can be simplified to a

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mere plug-and-play undertaking.

This approach to smart city operations can be linked to Android OS, which is open-source, highly programmable, easily operable, and has no vendor lock-ins. In the same vein, open protocol controllers are retrofitted to existing BMS/ BAS and legacy systems in cities.

So, without cost-intensive hardware replacement, existing systems in cities can be made more efficient in terms of energy usage, savings, and performance.

Stakeholders also have the freedom to work with any service provider thereafter, and replace them if they fail to meet expectations.

Also, the “Androidification” allows them to seamlessly add new systems/devices/services, as and when innovations emerge.

The ‘Android Approach’ can help smart city stakeholders automate functions such as lighting, surveillance, utilities maintenance, etc.

So, as opposed to a rigid smart city framework, the ‘Android Approach’-powered smart city is more agile and resilient to disruptions. This can be advantageous in light of changes like, say, the ever-evolving

regulations surrounding carbon footprint and sustainability goals.

Regional initiatives like the UAE Energy Roadmap and the Green Riyadh Program are precursors of greater initiatives to come.

The agility also means that operators are well-positioned to offer more value-centric services to residents while achieving instant ROI due to savings and positive civic outcomes.

The ‘Android Approach’ is also highly scalable, and with large-scale adoption, the impact can be macroeconomic. Smart cities offer the perfect avenue for greater adoption of automation and associated technologies.

But the adoption must be uniform across both Greenfield and Brownfield developments, and it is here that the ‘Android Approach’ to smart cities makes its most clinching case.

Alongside, there is a need for smart city solutions providers to form strategic partnerships and provide end-to-end support, from planning to delivery to execution, across all aspects like utilities, communications, security, mobility, governance, healthcare, smart living, logistics, and sustainability.