DSA Digest Issue 6

D S A DIGEST Q4 2016 | DSA DIGEST | ISSUE 6

INTERNATIONAL DESIGN AWARD FOR PARK HYATT CAP VERMELL, MALLORCA

Our world-renowned hospitality expertise was again recognised within the industry when the DSA-designed Park Hyatt Cap Vermell on the island of Mallorca was selected as winner of the International Property Awards category for ‘Best Hotel Architecture, Spain’ at a presentation ceremony held at the London Marriott Hotel in October. DSA Europe’s Mike Scott and Francisco Samina were in attendance to receive the award.

The project was selected by a team of independent judges as part of a global competition open to residential and commercial property professionals from around the world. The competition celebrates the highest levels of achievement and is a world-renowned mark of excellence.

Congratulations to everyone involved in the receiving of this prestigious award.

IN THIS ISSUE:

• • • •

Welcome from MD Raffles Hotel Update A day in the life of Colin Veitch Saadiyat Beach Villas, Abu Dhabi

• • • •

Al Sahel Resort, Bahrain Manipal University Visit Mike Clark Celebrity Golf Day Blast from the Past Feature

• • •

Social Events DSA Architects Video Launch DSA Oscars

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WELCOME TO THE 2016 YEAR END DSA DIGEST NEWSLETTER As we reach the end of another year, I would like to take this opportunity of extending a heartfelt thank you to all of our clients, staff, families and friends for all your support and commitment to DSA, in whatever capacity, over the past 12 months.

Naturally, we remain totally focused on the future of the DSA in the Middle East, and to delivering quality projects. We need to ensure we maintain a sustainable business as we journey forward into what will I am sure will continue to be an extremely challenging market.

We have had another very with many new projects which provides us with healthy order book as we

However, on the whole, myself and the Directors remain optimistic about maintaining our market leading position, and we are likely to secure further new business during the coming months. We are well placed to take the business forward to the next stage of our development.

successful year, being awarded, a strong and move into 2017.

A number of new people have joined the business in 2016, and we have made some significant staff promotions, which is particularly pleasing to me on a personal level as I am a firm believer in DSA providing opportunities for career development. These promotions are recognition of the hard work and commitment made by those staff throughout the year.

So finally, may I offer my best wishes to you and your families for an enjoyable festive season, and a prosperous and successful 2017.

Best wishes Steve Kelshaw, MD Middle East

PILING WORKS COMPLETE ON RAFFLES HOTEL, JEDDAH A major milestone has been achieved on the prestigious DSA-designed Raffles Hotel, Jeddah project with the completion of the initial six month piling contract, which now paves the way for main works commencement in early 2017.

Comprising two individual towers of 23 and 52 storeys on a G+6 level podium, this luxury hotel and residences will be located on the Jeddah Corniche with direct views over the Red Sea and is set to be the first Raffles branded property in KSA. The developer is Takatuf Holding and the piling works were carried out by Zetas Arabia.

We will bring you further project updates during the project’s construction.

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a day in the life of ...

Q4 2016 | DSA DIGEST | ISSUE 6

COLIN VEITCH

Having joined DSA in June 2014, Colin Veitch is perhaps not the most typical Project Director responsible for the design and supervision of a major hospitality project, having spent much of his working career in main contracting.

However, as Colin explains, following many years of delivering Design and Build projects and managing design teams, his understanding of the entire design process, and the interfaces and relationships between designers and contractors has proved invaluable and has stood him in good stead in his current role as Project Director on the Sarayah Bandar Jissah development in Muscat, Oman.

that construction quality and progress remains on track, as well as providing proactive support in respect of the procurement of the hotel supplies, fixtures and fittings”.

With 318 keys across the 2, 5-star hotels, the project has been somewhat of a challenge, particularly as one of the hotels sits on the side of a craggy outcrop, which has necessitated cutting terraces into the rock to provide level platforms to be able to construct the hotel on, with rock anchors required to secure the rock face safely.

“It is impossible to give a typical day, as no two days are ever the same for me or the team of 12 we currently have on site - we have to be ready to address whatever issues may come up and often we need to have an impromptu meeting to agree a resolution to a problem, in order that site progress can continue as efficiently as possible”.

A key part of what Colin sees as his responsibility is to act as another pair of eyes for the contractor so as to highlight any errors or quality issues early, and to get them rectified quickly. “Walking by and letting the contractor go down the wrong path on quality standards is not an option in my book, because if the contractor fails, we all fail”.

An important part of Colin’s personal time is being able to go for an early morning run, which he tries to do starting at 6.00am at least 5 mornings a week, before then leaving for site at around 7.00am.

“Aside from the regular schedule of progress and technical meetings, we do also try and maintain regular dialogue and I like to have a chat with members of the team every morning to look ahead at what we want to achieve for the day, what is required and what risks might prevent us achieving these aims.”

Gaining the support and confidence of the team as well as providing good leadership is key for the success of the project.

Colin’s role is also that of the FIDIC Engineer for the project, which means there is a substantial volume of administration which needs to be taken care of, in order to keep pace with all requests for information, submissions, instructions, variations etc.

“The project has gone through a number of changes, particularly in terms of design, mainly because of a change in hotel operator from what was originally planned to be Ritz Carlton, to what is now a Jumeirah brand. This necessitated significant changes on one of the projects due to the differences in the requirements between the two operators”.

Equally important is that the project is being delivered by the contractor, Habtoor Leighton Group, on a full ‘turnkey’ basis, which means that they are responsible for the procurement of everything associated with setting up and running a hotel, including provision of all equipment and supplies such as cutlery, crockery, furniture, bed linen, even down to guest hairdyers!

“Because of this slightly unusual aspect to the project delivery, we have to play our part in assisting both the client, contractor and the operator in ensuring

And at the weekend, after a week packed full of meetings, client briefings and site walks, Colin tries to get some valuable relaxation by making use of the beauty of the Oman seaside and countryside.

“I feel privileged to be involved in such an interesting and challenging project as this, and I am looking forward to successfully delivering a project that DSA will be proud of and which will further endorse the expertise the practice has in this important market sector.”

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#PROJECTUPDATE SAADIYAT BEACH VILLAS, ABU DHABI ‘Jawaher Saadiyat’ is a gated complex of 83 luxury villas located within the Saadiyat Beach District in Abu Dhabi.

The development includes 4-bedroom townhouses and 4-6 bedroom villas, as well as a community centre with a multi-use games area, a gym and a children’s playground.

Following the successful completion of the design phase, a contract for the site management supervision services was recently awarded to DSA by Saadiyat

#NEWPROJECTAWARDS AL SAHEL RESORT, BAHRAIN DSA are delighted to announce that we have been appointed for full design and management services on the prestigious Al Sahel Hotel & Resort Development.

Situated on the southwest coast of Bahrain, the development will comprise of 200 ocean-facing guestrooms, hotel villas, a dedicated wedding facility as well as a reclaimed island containing both land and water bungalows across a site of 215,000m2.

With a focus on attracting both regional and international visitors to Bahrain, the development will include five dedicated beaches, a water canal, a lazy river and a host of other water features to cater to families.

The five star deluxe resort is scheduled to open in 2019. DSA Digest will keep you updated on the project as it progress.

Island’s master developer TDIC. Having been launched officially during Cityscape Abu Dhabi earlier this year, TDIC’s chairman, Ali Majed Al Mansoori, said that the Jawaher development had “already received much interest from investors mainly due to its prime location overlooking the Saadiyat golf course”.

Al Jaber Building has been awarded a Dh370m contract to build the villas. The project will take two years to complete.

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MANIPAL UNIVERSITY STUDENTS VISIT NIKKI BEACH RESORT, DUBAI

We were delighted to recently host a visit to the Nikki Beach development by members of the School of Design & Architecture at Manipal University in Dubai.

As part of an extensive 2 day long tour by the eager students, Resident Project Architect Conrad Burger and Senior Site Architect Wellington Kambarami demonstrated the high standard of architectural and interior finishes on the project and took them through the documentation and other key aspects associated with delivering professional design and lead consultancy services on such a prestigious resort.

Asifa Mahajabeen, Assistant Professor, School of Design & Architecture, Manipal University, Dubai, expressed her gratitude to all involved “I am delighted and grateful for the cooperation and the time taken out for students by your team. The visit to the Nikki Beach Resort on both days was very enriching to understand the design and construction process of a large scale development. I appreciate your teams’ efforts in enlightening the student community and look forward for such coordination in future in the form of visits, guest talks, workshops or internships too. We wish your team success in all your future endeavours”.

The Nikki Beach Hotel Dubai project is being developed by Meraas Holding and is currently in the final stages of handover, with the Beach Club and Private Villas already completed and the Residential components due for completion soon.

MIKE CLARK CELEBRITY CHARITY GOLF EVENT As part of DSA’s ongoing commitment to supporting local charities, we were delighted to have been able to participate in the recent Mike Clark Charity Golf Day held at the Montgomerie Golf Club in Dubai.

Mike Clark was a popular local golfer who very sadly died of bowel cancer on October 16 2012 aged only 30. His friend Reza Sazegar set up a company ‘Sixteen10’, named after the date of Mike’s passing, to help raise funds for UAE based charity ‘Friends of Cancer Patients’ (FOCP www.focp.ae ) The vision of Sixteen10 is to make the act of giving, one of life’s most rewarding experiences, and in so doing to help raise money for numerous charities across the world.

This year’s event included former England footballers Teddy Sheringham

and Trevor Steven and England rugby captain Mike Tindall. As a result of the golf and the evening charity auction, an incredible AED180,000 was raised.

“FOCP does a fantastic job and has helped over 1,300 cancer patients and their families since its’ inception in 1999,” Sazegar said. “Supporting such a worthy cause was an easy choice and ensures that Mike’s memory and story grows stronger and his legacy raises valuable awareness to help others avoid the same outcome.”

David Riley, Associate, represented DSA on the day, and echoed the comments of Sazegar by adding “We are pleased to have been able to be involved in a day where the efforts of all involved go towards such a worthwhile cause”.

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Q4 2016 | DSA DIGEST | ISSUE 6

BLAST FROM THE PAST @

Fairmont The Palm

Developed by a joint venture between IFA Hotels & Resorts and Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, ‘Fairmont The Palm’ is an idyllic 5-star resort situated on the trunk of the world’s largest manmade island, the renowned Palm Jumeirah in Dubai.

The luxury beachfront resort which opened in December 2012 enjoys unrivalled views of the Arabian Gulf and into the glittering Dubai Marina skyline. The resort has gained a reputation as a unique leisure and business destination.

• The development includes : •

381 luxurious guest rooms and suites including two Presidential Suites and a Fairmont Gold Lounge

•

Six world-class restaurants and lounges that take diners on a culinary journey from Arabia to Europe and South America

•

Four temperature-controlled swimming pools and access to 800 metres of private beach

•

An award-winning Willow Stream Spa

•

3,000 square meters of conference, events, weddings and meeting space

The 14 storey high building takes its architectural influence from the natural elements of sun and sea while the interior features are influenced by Arabic culture and incorporates over 100 mashrabiya motifs throughout the spaces.

Since its opening, Fairmont The Palm has received a variety of hospitality awards including: •

2014 Travelers’ Choice Awards - Top 25 Luxury Hotels in the United Arab Emirates

•

2014 Time Out Dubai Kids Awards - Best Family Beach Club

•

2014 Time Out Dubai Awards - Best Afternoon Tea – Mashrabiya Lounge

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DSA BELGRADE OFFICE YEAR END PARTY

CDP ONSHORE TEAM DINNER PARTY The Crescent Development (CDP) Onshore team were treated to a team dinner party on Thursday, 17th November at ‘Absolute Barbeque’ restaurant in Dubai Media City, hosted by DSA management as to thank the team for their hard work and commitment on the project during the last 12 months..

The event was also used to bid farewell and wish good luck to Olavo Monteiro who left DSA at the end of November to venture into pastures new wtih the RTA on their Expo 2020 Dubai Metro Project.

Best wishes from all of us!

Attended by staff and partners from DSA’s Belgrade Office, the Year End Party was hosted at the Ambar restaurant on the banks of the River Sava on 14th December.

Steve Kelshaw, Peter Davison and Liesle Aucamp joined the party from the Dubai office and a fantastic time was had by all.

Steve thanked everyone in the Belgrade office for their hard work throughout the year, particulary on the Crescent Development, Baku project and welcomed everyone into the DSA Family. Želimo vam srećne novogodišnje i božićne praznike.

DSA ARCHITECTS IN THE MIDDLE EAST VIDEO LAUNCH OUR PEOPLE. OUR STUDIO CULTURE. DSA’s Year End Party at the beautiful Le Meridien Mina Seyahi set the scene for the global premier of “DSA in the Middle East”, a short film that was very well received on the night and has gone on to generate interest in the business and a lot of positive feedback.

The video, produced in association with Malek Fleifel, provides an insight into DSA Architects Middle East, particularly our people and our studio culture and was published on YouTube on 14th December 2016. Further launches are set to follow on LinkedIn and other social media platforms.

Thank you to Malek and all those who participated. Search “DSA Architects Middle East” on YouTube to view the video and for more information.

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qV6juocB5Vo

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DSA MIDDLE EAST PRESENTS...

THE DSA OSCARS

Our end of year staff function was

of the social committee namely: Liesle

Thank you to everyone who attended

held on Thursday 24th November at Le

Aucamp, Vidya Desai, Maher Fleifel, Jam

for making the event a truly memorable

Meridian, Mina Seyahi, where the theme

Jakosalem, Nicole Van Wyk and Bojan

occasion.

for the evening was ‘DSA Oscars’. 120

Tesic for their hard work in organising

guests attended including DSA staff

such a wonderful event.

and their families who arrived on the red carpet in movie-themed fancy dress.

The evening was a great success and enjoyed by all. Special thanks go to Glen Beresford, DSA’s very own ‘James Bond’ for the evening’ for being an exceptional ‘Master of Ceremonies’ and to the rest

Oscar awards presented on the night included: The Beach Oscar – Saraya Bandar Jissah Fancy Dress Family: Bernardo Family Fancy Dress Leading Lady: Berty Marial Fancy Dress Leading Man: Michael Larkin

DSA Architects International (Middle East) address: Office 204, Convention Tower, Zabeel, Dubai, UAE tel: +971 4 329 2288 fax: +971 4 329 2289 mail: dsa.dubai@dsa-arch.com web: www.dsa-arch.com

@DSAarchitects

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