Construction Week - Issue 308

SAUDI ARABIA BAHRAIN UNITED ARAB EMIRATES QATAR OMAN KUWAIT

Construction An ITP Business Publication

CONSTRUCTIONWEEKONLINE.COM

FEBRUARY 13–19, 2010 [308]

Licensed by Dubai Media City

WEEK

NEWS, ANALYSIS, PROJECTS, TENDERS, CLASSIFIEDS, AND JOBS IN THE MIDDLE EAST

AL AIN C ITY FO page 3 CUS 8

INSIDE NEWS Road contract offers 25 years of work and income to the winner PAGE 9

COMMENT PetroChina HQ sets performance standard for green building PAGE 14

HOSPITALS Medical projects offer opportunities for specialist contractors PAGE 24

HOW TO MAKE

A BUILDING

GREEN

CW LOOKS AT HOW TO RETROFIT AN OLD BUILDING TO IMPROVE ITS ENVIRONMENTAL STANDING

SHOWCASE Doha’s Knowledge Enrichment Centre shows Qatari style PAGE 30

CONTENTS FEBRUARY 13-19, 2010 | ISSUE 308 09

10

FEATURES 19 SPECIAL REPORT CW discovers how developers and investors can make their existing buildings more energy efficient.

24 BEST MEDICINE

16

Investment in social infrastructure, such as medical facilities, is expected to continue, because of the return it offers to private investors. .

19

DIRECTORY 30 32 35 36

SHOWCASE TENDERS PROJECTS SPECIALIST SERVICES

30

24

REGULARS 2 ONLINE 4 MAIL

FRONT

12 NEWS IN BRIEF

9 THREE BIDS IN FOR ABU DHABI HIGHWAY

14 COMMENT

The Department of Transport in Abu Dhabi has received bids from three international consortia competing for the contract to upgrade and finance, the Mafraq-Ghweifat Highway.

Petrochina HQ’s lighting control system is setting the standard for green building performance according to Philips Dynalite area manager for North Asia Simon Richardson.

BACK

10 200 WORKERS DOWN TOOLS IN SAUDI

16 NEWS ANALYSIS

40 DIALOGUE

A university is New York is setting labour standards for contractors working on its campus, but is the UAE doing enough to help its workers?

When it comes to green building, what is the Middle East capable of? Ramboll group director for buildings and design Lars Riemann weighs up the answer.

Workers are striking in Saudi Arabia due to apparent non payment of wages by their employer.

Highlights of the week.

38 CITY UPDATE The latest news and projects from Al Ain, UAE.

FEBRUARY 13–19, 2010 CONSTRUCTION WEEK

1

ONLINE

www.ConstructionWEEKonline.com MOST POPULAR NAKHEEL: THE WORLD IS NOT SINKING DAMAC TO AWARD FIVE CONSTRUCTION CONTRACTS OUTLOOK FOR CONSTRUCTION JOB POOL IMPROVES QATAR GETS FIRST ROBOTIC CAR PARK

HAVE YOUR SAY IS THE MARKET READY TO GENERATE LONGTERM REWARDS?

Will we see a transition towards long-term investments in the GCC?

IN PICTURES: SNOHETTA & BURO HAPPOLD NET OMANI FISH MARKET JOB Decorated multidisciplinary Norwegian practice Snohetta and global engineering consultancy Buro Happold have won a competition to redevelop Oman’s storied Mattrah quayside. Designed by Snohetta, the fish market project will be located in the heart of Muscat on the site of the existing 1960s-era waterfront landmark.

The Snohetta design aims to rejuvenate the retro architecture of the site and provide modern trading spaces that will feature landing, refrigeration, preparation, packing and restaurant facilities. Buro Happold, which worked together most recently with Snohetta on KSA’s King Abulaziz Center for Knowledge & Culture, was commissioned to provide the structural and building services as well as the geotechnical and civil engineering for the site.

To read more visit www.ConstructionWeekOnline.com

JOBS OF THE WEEK Contracts Manager (Commercial), Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates Finishing Foreman, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates Site Engineer, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

ONLINE POLL WHAT IS THE CURRENT PAYMENT SITUATION?

32.4% 29.4% 27.9% 10.3% Bad

Okay

FEATURES

2

MEP

Architect

INTERNATIONAL PROJECT FINANCING Mark Bull examines sourcing and applying project financing.

STATE OF PLAY James Abbott speaks with MEA about developers.

MEP

Architect

SOLAR POWERS MEP Middle East finds out about the latest products and developments.

BOTANICAL BUILDINGS Botanical garden design finished by JV.

CONSTRUCTION WEEK FEBRUARY 13-19, 2010

We’ve lost home

Good

TO VOTE IN THIS WEEK’S SPOT POLL GO TO www.ConstructionWEEKonline.com

MAIL RE: NAKHEEL: THE WORLD IS NOT SINKING

RE: KSA’S HAJJ TERMINAL WINS AIA 25-YEAR AWARD

Nakheel’s statement is quite correct that the islands are not sinking. Having visited several recently, I can state that they are surprisingly solid land masses. However, there has been some erosion of parts of the edges of many of the islands, and some beach accretion in other places. Both are natural coastal processes. This is perhaps what has given rise to the suggestion of reshaping. In some places erosion had created small cliff edges of sand, in other places sand carried by the current had clearly been deposited, but all this represents a tiny proportion of the whole development.

To our knowledge, none of the islands has yet installed edge protection which leaves them vulnerable to the effects of waves and currents, especially for the more exposed islands. Only when owners have reshaped and stabilised their edges or beaches will any natural reshaping be eliminated. We are currently working with one or two owners on such protection. Until such work is done, the natural processes will continue.

We had a very unpleasant experience. The airport lacks facility for the comfort of pilgrims. Pilgrims are left in stranded state. Airport is chaotic. There is no effort to keep pilgrims informed.

Waiting for immigration clearance, bus, check-in on return takes forever. Pilgrims spend between 6-24 hours getting through either inbound or outbound. Airport structure may have stood 25 years but is crying for an upgrade fast.

PHILIP

MAJID

I agree with Philip. The erosion/ deposition at edges has to happen until they are protected. Nakheel is being targeted and rumours are being spread by people who have nothing but doomsday in their thought.

RE: TALL BUILDING

ARORA

JMILLS

RAGHIB AZMI

RE: STUDIO COWI’S VISION FOR TEHRAN It’s just amazing to see this type of unique concept sense developing globally. This design especially is amazing.

The skin of the building speaks a lot. Great design, keep up the good work.

Registered at Dubai Media City ITP Business Publishing PO Box 500024, Dubai, United Arab Emirates TEL +971 4 435 6000 FAX +971 4 435 6080 Offices in Dubai, Manama, Mumbai & London

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AMAZED CIRCULATION HEAD OF CIRCULATION & DATABASE Gaurav Gulati

RE: DOLPHIN ISLAND MAKES PROGRESS Abu Dhabi Lan / PAL Group of Abu Dhabi is one of the major groups in the UAE, serving different sectors.

This achievement shows the commitment of professionals working among the group.

I’m looking forward to the completion of the Marshall Strabala design (SOM) of Nanjing Greenland.

Important location in Nanjing near Drum Tower and elegant design.

WRITE TO THE EDITOR Please address your letters to: Post, Construction Week, PO Box 500024, Dubai, UAE or email editor@ConstructionWeekOnline.com.

Please provide your full name and address, stating clearly if you do not wish us to print them. Alternatively log on to www.ConstructionWEEKonline.com and air your views on any one of a number of the latest Middle East business articles.

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4

CONSTRUCTION WEEK FEBRUARY 13–19, 2010

PUBLISHED BY AND © 2010 ITP BUSINESS PUBLISHING, A DIVISION OF THE ITP PUBLISHING GROUP LTD, REGISTERED IN THE BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS COMPANY NUMBER 1402846

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FOREWORD

OIL’S WELL THAT ENDS WELL?

“NOW, WHILE THE NEWS DIDN’T GET MUCH OF A REACTION OUT OF ME, AN INVESTOR AT A TABLE NEXT TO MINE APPEARED QUITE EXCITED OVER IT”

Last week, while I was on a business lunch in India, I heard the news that Dubai had discovered a new offshore oil field.

Now, while the news didn’t get much of a reaction out of me, an investor at a table next to mine appeared quite excited over it, and even made a hurried telephone call to someone, who I imagined would have been an agent, asking him to hold-off on selling an apartment he owned at the famous JBR development in Dubai.

At the time I thought, if you’ve lived in Dubai for the past five years, you’d probably be over such conveniently-timed news bursts.

But the impact such announcements have on the rest of the world is quite different. A case in point is the whole Dubai World issue, which went out of control over assumptions being made, due to the lack of available information.

Via an emailed statement, Dubai’s government said that the new field will ‘boost the economic capabilities of the state’.

Naturally, this came as good news to the cash-strapped construction and real estate industries and if the find is truly significant, it could provide that much needed boost to the region.

But, on the other hand the world is aware of company debts in Dubai and the desperate need to win back investor confidence, so such announcements, if found to be insignificant, or a marketing stunt intended to create a bit of a stir, could end up denting confidence levels even further.

The public’s access to information should become top priority, if business is to be encouraged and people are expected to believe in the future of the region.

With so many people’s lives hinged on property investments in the country, asking for responsibility and transparency in return is a small price to pay.

CONRAD EGBERT EDITOR conrad.egbert@itp.com

WRITE TO THE EDITOR Please address your letters to: Construction Week, PO Box 500024, Dubai, UAE or email editor@ConstructionWeekOnline.com.

Please provide your full name and address, stating clearly if you do not wish us to print them. Alternatively log on to www.ConstructionWEEKonline.com and air your views on any one of a number of the latest articles.

6

CONSTRUCTION WEEK FEBRUARY 13–19, 2010

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>Highlights

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>Comment

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>Analysis

16

(YASSER AL-ZAYYAT/AFP/GETTY IMAGES)

FRONT

>News

HIGHWAY INFRASTRUCTURE IN THE WESTERN REGION IS TO BE UPGRADED WITH A 25-YEAR LONG CONCESSION TO BE AWARDED.

THREE BIDS IN FOR WESTERN REGION HIGHWAY 25-YEAR MAFRAQ-GHWEIFAT HIGHWAY CONTRACT COULD SOON BE AWARDED

By CW Staff The Department of Transport (Dot) in Abu Dhabi has received bids from three international consortia competing for the 25 year concession to upgrade, finance, operate and maintain the Mafraq-Ghweifat Highway.

Ten international consortia were invited to submit statements of interest but the three that submitted bids were Irtibaat, including Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank, Construtora Norberto Odebrecht, Besix, Al Jaber, Mouchel Middle East and others; Mafraq Motorway Group, which includes Strabag, Saif Bin Darwish, Joannou & Paraskevaides, Egis Projects and others and MTD-CSCEC Consortium which includes MTD Group, China State Engineering Construction Company and Ghantoot Transport.

The highway, which stretches 327km from Mafraq to the border at Ghweifat, provides the only access route to the Western Region,

including the industrial centre of Ruwais and several tourist destinations.

The project will see the highway widened to four lanes in each direction (three around Ghweifat) and upgraded to meet international standards in highway design and safety.

Once completed, the winning consortium will be responsible for maintaining and operating the upgraded highway while meeting performance standards relating to safety, availability and quality for a period of 25 years.

“The project has attracted substantial international interest – the companies competing to deliver the project are among the largest and best in their field. The project also requires significant input from local companies, who will work closely with the international firms and benefit from the transfer of international best practice,” said

Faisal Al Suwaidi, general director of main roads for the Dot in Abu Dhabi.

“Each of the three consortia brings with it the international best-practice, local knowhow and financial strength to provide a world-class highway which will create a new standard in regional transport infrastructure, reducing accidents and improving travel reliability on this critical link to the Western Region.

“This approach illustrates our department’s vision of creating a world-class, sustainable transport network incorporating the latest technologies and techniques.”

Payment to the consortium will be via a series of equal payments spread over 25 years.

These ongoing payments will be subject to deductions for failure to meet the prescribed standards and will ensure the consortium remains accountable for the performance of the road over the 25 year period.

FEBRUARY 13–19, 2010 CONSTRUCTION WEEK

9

FRONT NEW JV FORMED IN AL KHOBAR

By Conrad Egbert

200 FILIPINO WORKERS DOWN TOOLS IN SAUDI

By Conrad Egbert Over 200 Filipino workers in Saudi Arabia have downed tools citing reasons of non-payment of wages by their employer according to Philippines-based news agency GMANews.

In a statement, migrant workers’ rights group Migrante-Middle East said the workers, composed mainly of engineers, supervisors and construction workers decided to stop working after their company, Al Arrab Contracting Company, paid no heed to their complaints. Al Arrab Contracting Company was unavailable for comment.

In a letter addressed to the company dated February 2, the Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW) organisation raised concerns on the company’s several alleged violations of the Saudi Labour Law, such as withholding twomonth salaries, no payment for overtime work, non-compliance with the Kingdom’s standard salary rates, unsafe working conditions and racial discrimination.

“Until today, we are still awaiting the distribution of our November 2009 salaries.

When we were recruited from the Philip-

pines, we were not informed that the company will withhold our two-month salary until we finished our contract,” read the letter addressed to the company.

The letter also said that the company had failed to release their salaries on the first week of every month. The Saudi Labour Law also mandates that overtime pay per hour be 150% of the basic hourly rate, but the workers said they only receive the basic rate.

“We call for help as we could not bear the difficulties that every one of us is facing.

This action is not solely for the benefit of the Filipinos but for other nationalities also that are experiencing the same problem. We want to have a better employer-employee relationship and to continuously render our services to this company as long as these issues are going to be settled in the soonest time possible,” said the letter.

But Migrante regional coordinator John Leonard Monterona said the workers’ concerns have still not been addressed by the company or the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (Polo) in Saudi Arabia.

Foster Wheeler subsidiary Global Engineering & Construction Group in Saudi Arabia has teamed up with A Al Saihati, O Al Othman and A Fattani Consulting Engineering Company (Sofcon), a provider of engineering and project management solutions, to form a joint venture (JV) in the Kingdom. The terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

The new entity, Foster Wheeler Sofcon Consulting Engineering Company, will be based in the city of Al Khobar.

“The formation of this new company demonstrates the ongoing commitment of our two companies in working together to deliver successful projects in Saudi Arabia and the provision of high quality services and expertise from a local base,” said Umberto della Sala, president and chief operating officer, Foster Wheeler.

The JV will focus on providing full-service engineering and project management services for onshore and offshore oil and gas, refining, petrochemicals and associated infrastructure projects in Saudi Arabia.

“It is our goal to make Foster Wheeler Sofcon the leading fullservice engineering and project management provider in Saudi Arabia,” said Ala’a Fattani, president and CEO, Sofcon.

QATAR ASSESSES RENOVATION OF 1400 MOSQUES

By CW Staff The construction of 100 new mosques across Qatar is currently underway.

Of these around 40 mosques are expected to be completed by the end of this year, a senior official at the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs in Qatar has said.

Saad bin Omran Al Kuwari, head of the Ministry’s services section said the Ministry had also launched a survey to assess the condition of all mosques in Qatar,

10

CONSTRUCTION WEEK FEBRUARY 13–19, 2010

which will then lead to renovation and maintenance of existing ones.

Eighteen engineers from the maintenance and construction section at the Ministry have been involved in the study, which will also cover the Eid prayer grounds.

The survey team has already visited 150 of 1400 mosques and is currently assessing which mosques require maintenance and renovation.

FRONT HIGHLIGHTS Project

SAHARA SCHEDULE The Dubai developer Almasah International Real Estate is nearing completion on its Sahara Living project, in Dubai Industrial City, with company officials reiterating that the development will be handed over by October.

Sahara Living is spread across an area of 18,116m2 and comprises 84 villas. Reem Dubai Contracting was the main contractor at Sahara Living and began building in April of 2009. “We hope that the completion of our projects helps encourage more investments in Dubai, because we are confident in the vision of the city, and of the UAE as a whole,” said Almasah chairman Abou Taleb Talebi.

MEP

ELECTRICAL SAFETY Specialist instrumentation company, the Seaward Group, will be demonstrating a number of electrical safety testing and precision measurement solutions at Middle East Electricity 2010.

These instruments are used

throughout the utility, power distribution, rail networks, petrochemical and electrical service and maintenance industries, and are designed and manufactured in line with international safety standards. Seaward will be exhibiting its range of high-voltage safety testing equipment, including neon and digital voltage indictors and digital phasing equipment.

Construction

UAE ‘STILL GROWING’ The construction sector continues to witness massive investments from both public and private enterprises to exploit its untapped potential, according to a new report.

The ‘UAE Construction Industry Outlook to 2012’, from international research firm RNCOS, shows that the country has emerged as the largest construction market in the GCC region.

Outpacing Saudi Arabia, it rose to the top spot in terms of infrastructure investment.

At the end of 2008, the UAE accounted for around 20.3% of the total construction

industry in the region, followed by Saudi Arabia, Algeria and Egypt. Moreover, the construction industry managed to record doubledigit growth despite the adverse economic conditions.

Construction

IKEA BREAKS GROUND Aldar and Al-Futtaim today broke ground on the latest Ikea store in the Middle East on Abu Dhabi’s Yas Island project. Al Futtaim, which owns the franchise for Ikea in the UAE and Aldar, the developer of Yas Island, said that the flagship store would be a focus of the destination’s attraction, with a completion time estimated at around 12 months. Executives from both companies revealed that the store will have a total sales area of almost 20,000m², with parking for 1500 cars, plus the usual F&B offerings and a play area.

PMV

ROBOT CAR PARK Qatar’s Karwa City will be the site of the country’s first automated car park, according to a report in English-

NEWS IN NUMBERS

Rimal Engineering

Trane has supplied

Products has supplied

Bahrain’s housing plan will see

1192

305

5000 new

kitchens and

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air-handling units and

1,120 fan coil units for Dubai Metro’s Red Line,

units at Abu Dhabi’s

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Of these, 24 are elevated, four are underground stations and one station

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1156 residential

CONSTRUCTION WEEK FEBRUARY 13–19, 2010

comprising

language daily, The Peninsula.

Parkmatic, a US-based parking company, developed the project for Mowasalat in conjunction with the Dohabased Venture Gulf Group, which will look after the management and maintenance of the facility. Parkmatic was awarded the contract in May last year. It developed a 50 car storage system that fits in a space equal to 10 standard parking spaces.

MEP

ASHRAE UPDATE A new textbook that allows engineers to build on their knowledge of HVAC design procedures and methods has been published by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers (Ashrae). ‘Principles of Heating, Ventilating and Air-Conditioning’ builds on the information in the 2009 Ashrae handbook, ‘Fundamentals’, and contains the most current Ashrae procedures and information on building HVAC systems, from basic principles through design and operation.

GreenBuild Arabia exhibition expects to attract over

3000 professionals involved in sustainable building and energy conservation this year

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COMMENT > For the latest news and comments log on to www.ConstructionWEEKonline.com/comment

PetroChina HQ sets the standard INCORPORATING CHINA’S LARGEST DALI LIGHTING INSTALLATION, PETROCHINA HQ’S LIGHTING CONTROL SYSTEM IS SETTING THE STANDARD FOR FLEXIBLE CONTROLLABILITY AND ‘GREEN’ BUILDING PERFORMANCE. SIMON RICHARDSON, PHILIPS DYNALITE AREA MANAGER - NORTH ASIA, REPORTS

“THE LIGHTING CONTROL SYSTEM IS PROGRAMMED TO OPERATE IN THREE DISTINCT AUTOMATED MODES – ‘WORKING’, ‘LUNCH’ AND ‘AFTER HOURS’ (SECURITY AND CLEANING) – WHICH ARE TIMER-BASED.”

Simon Richardson has nearly 10 years experience in the lighting control industry as a channel management and system design technical facilitator between Philips Dynalite’s distribution channels in Australia, New Zealand, China, Hong Kong, Korea, Taiwan and Japan.

Simon has been stationed in Shanghai with Philips Dynalite for the past three years, and is completing his Masters of Business Technology (MBT).

The opinions expressed in this column are of the author and not of the publisher.

14

Equipped with a range of energy-saving systems and advanced green building management technologies, the new headquarters of PetroChina, has redefined office building performance – operationally and environmentally. In fact, PetroChina HQ has set a new benchmark for efficiency, and has emerged as a potential reference case for the development of a China-specific ‘environmental performance’ building standard.

One of the key sustainability initiatives used in PetroChina’s new state-of-the-art headquarters is a sophisticated, intelligent lighting control system. This, along with the latest energy-efficient luminaire technology from Philips, provides PetroChina with a powerful combination of lighting control flexibility and functionality.

PetroChina HQ’s lighting control system permits lighting levels to be tailored to the use of space, allowing total flexibility for zone switching and dimming. This, coupled with presence sensing functionality, ensures no areas are overlit or illuminated when not in use.

Importantly, the lighting control system supports China’s largest DALI lighting application—it incorporates over 8,000 individually addressable fluorescent HF DALI ballasts, in addition to the system’s 2500 switched circuits.

This facilitates a high degree of ‘granular’ control, allowing operators to easily customise lighting schemes to specific areas, office configurations and events.

The lighting control system is programmed to operate in three distinct automated modes— ‘working’, ‘lunch’ and ‘after hours’ (security and cleaning)—which are timer-based. Although the precise timing and functionality is individually configurable for each floor and/or zone, it essentially corresponds to ‘lights on’ at the commencement of working mode, followed by a timed sequence of dimming to lunch mode, ending in ‘lights off’ when the system goes into after hours mode. At this

CONSTRUCTION WEEK FEBRUARY 13–19, 2010

time, motion sensors are activated in amenities areas and lift lobbies to initiate lighting if motion is detected.

This level of operational flexibility simplifies the management of lighting energy consumption for the entire building. By simply ensuring that lighting is only activated when and where it is required, energy savings can be realised and money saved.

From a luminaire perspective, a distributed solution was selected for PetroChina HQ’s office areas. Highly energy-efficient fluorescents were utilised to achieve the required lux levels. When paired with the lighting control system, the luminaires provide enormous potential for energy savings.

PetroChina HQ is equipped with a number of additional innovative design features aimed at optimising environmental performance.

Automated mirror-coated blinds mounted on the exterior of the building windows track the sun during the day and reflect light into the building’s interior. Here, natural light levels are enhanced with the required amount of artificial light, allowing PetroChina to save energy while keeping lux levels within a predetermined range.

This optimisation of natural light levels is achieved by the daylight harvesting functionality of PetroChina HQ’s lighting control system. With the aid of sensors, light levels can be modulated automatically according to the level of natural light available.

With the lighting control system online building-wide, PetroChina HQ is reaping energy saving rewards. Thanks to the building’s scalable control architecture, future expansion promises to be straightforward with additional third-party controllers for other applications easily integrated. This scalability is also reflected by the lighting control system. Here, all of the DALI universes are below capacity and the existing lighting control system network is as scalable as it is robust.

ANALYSIS

NYU pioneers construction workers’ rights UNIVERSIITY SETS LABOUR STANDARDS FOR CONTRACTORS WORKING ON ITS NEW CAMPUS

By Matt Warnock

16

improvements still do not go far enough and, they argue, companies still hold far too much power over employees.

“Since we and our Abu Dhabi partners announced the creation of NYU Abu Dhabi in the autumn of 2007, we have made clear our shared commitment to protecting the rights of the men and women who will build and operate our campus,” said NYU spokesman Josh Taylor.

The degree-granting, liberal arts university campus has been designed by Rafael Viñoly Architects; work is set to begin at its Saadiyat Island site later this year, with a 2014 date penciled in for the university’s official opening.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) described NYU Abu Dhabi’s clampdown on contractors as “a significant step toward protecting migrant workers there” and called for neighbouring projects on Saadiyat Island, such as Middle Eastern branches of the world-famous Louvre and Guggenheim museums, to follow suit.

“NYU Abu Dhabi’s commitments should go a long way toward fixing the major sources of labor abuse,” said HRW Middle East director Sarah Leah Whitson.

“These provisions set a new minimum

CONSTRUCTION WEEK FEBRUARY 13–19, 2010

standard so that companies will no longer be able to treat worker abuse as a necessary part of doing business in the UAE.” The move by HRW is significant not only because it marks the first time that an institution of such a size and importance has imposed regulations regarding the treatment of labourers constructing its facilities, but also due to it coming on the back of a damning HRW report last year and subsequent pressure from student groups, faculty, and alumni to obtain contractual guarantees from contractors.

In May last year, HRW released an 80-page report entitled ‘The Island of Happiness’: GETTY IMAGES

L

ast week, New York University (NYU) revealed it will demand that all companies involved in the construction of its Middle East campus in Abu Dhabi follow strict guidelines dictating the fair and proper treatment of all labourers who work on the project.

These guidelines dictate how many hours per week labourers can work, how often they are paid, that overtime is paid and voluntary and that workers are entitled to paid holidays.

They also stipulate that employers cover or reimburse any costs accrued by employees in the recruitment process and that companies are prohibited from withholding personal documents, such as passports, from labourers.

As GCC countries, the UAE in particular, enjoyed a massive construction boom, many human rights groups highlighted the unethical treatment of site workers, hailing predominantly from South Asia.

While authorities have made great strides to improve the conditions and contracts that hold these labourers, for many, these

HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH DIRECTOR FOR THE MIDDLE EAST SARAH LEAH WHITSON.

GETTY IMAGES

> For the latest analysis log on to www.ConstructionWEEKonline.com

LAST YEAR, TDIC SPOKESMAN BASSEM TERKAWI DENIED HRW’S CLAIMS OF WORKER ABUSE ON SAADIYAT.

Exploitation of Migrant Workers on Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi, which claimed that thousands of South Asian migrant workers building the US $27 billion island development were on the receiving end of severe exploitation and abuse bordering on forced labour.

HRW interviewed Saadiyat labourers.

Almost all the workers interviewed had, in their homelands, paid large ‘finders’ fees’ to ‘labour supply agencies’ contracted to construction firms in the UAE, which most had borrowed against the promise of attractive remuneration and terms far better than offered in reality.

This practice still seems to be widespread in spite of the fact that UAE laws prohibit agencies from charging workers such fees. Agencies’ commissions should come from the contractors themselves rather than employees.

These problems are far from exclusive to the UAE. In November last year, more than 2000 construction workers employed by Al Hamad Contracting in Bahrain went on strike after their wages (around US $185 per month) went unpaid for the second time in the year. A month earlier, workers for Handmade Interior and Contracting Services in the Kingdom had contacted Construction Week to complain that their employer had not paid them for almost four months and was refusing to release them from their contracts.

Authorities seem, on the surface at least, serious about changing the situation. Bahrain has recently introduced new labour laws which give migrant workers more

LABOURERS WORK ON THE SAADIYAT DEVELOPMENT.

rights, while officials from the UAE and Qatari labour ministries last year sat down with representatives from the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, contractors from across the GCC, and Washington DC-based workers’ rights group The Solidarity Centre in an attempt to find a way of ensuring workers are correctly treated.

However, while NYU Abu Dhabi’s insistence could come to mark a watershed for the industry, HRW still holds numerous concerns.

“Without a contractual agreement between NYU and its Abu Dhabi partner ensuring independent, third-party monitoring of labor conditions, there will be no way to know if employers are complying,” continued Whitson.

At the beginning of the year, Whitson made an appeal to regional countries: “Middle East governments should publicly set out their human rights agenda for 2010 and expect to be measured against their achievements.”

Governments should, of course, set the course but, as NYU Abu Dhabi has shown, clients, developers and even employees and residents can dictate the speed at which we reach the ethical treatment of those responsible for the buildings and infrastructure that we live in, work in, travel on and enjoy.

It’s the responsibility of the whole industry to ensure that no-one working in it is treated like a second-class citizen and to name and shame other companies that do not follow suit. 

LABOUR CHANGES JULY 2008 CW reveals that KSA, UAE and Qatar have no set minimum wage in place; Kuwait has a minimum wage for public sector workers, but not private; Oman’s applies only to Omani citizens, not foreign workers.

AUGUST 2008 Vincotte International’s Husaim Al Omani tells CW that worker health and safety is still almost unheard of in the KSA construction industry.

APRIL 2009 UAE – Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum announces government plans to impose new minimum standards across all labour camp accommodation in Dubai.

MAY 2009 A UAE Ministry of Labour-commissioned survey on living and working conditions within the industry reveals that 79% of workers think their situation is better than it was before arriving in the UAE; however, 71% of respondents say that current salary levels are poor.

AUGUST 2009 UAE – Hundreds of Dubai construction workers take to the street in protest of their low wages and the lack of overtime.

FEBRUARY 13–19, 2010 CONSTRUCTION WEEK

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SPECIAL REPORT

BACK TO GREEN CW DISCOVERS HOW DEVELOPERS AND INVESTORS CAN MAKE THEIR EXISTING BUILDINGS MORE SUSTAINABLE, BEFORE THEY MOVE ON TO THE NEXT PROJECT

By Sarah Blackman

B

uilding a sustainable project has always been considered the decent thing to do, but few construction companies have taken the moral high ground. Now, more and more companies are finding that, in the long-term, green building makes good business sense. But, with the amount of projects already online compared to the number of those under construction, is it all too little, too late?

The answer, it seems, is no. Making a building eco-friendly is possible, even long after a construction site has been demobilised and the fireworks lit. Modifications can be made in the form of green retrofitting.

In November last year, a report put forward

by McGraw Hill Construction predicted that US $15 million will be invested into nonresidential green building retrofits in the USA alone by 2014 – a figure that jumps from just $2 billion in 2009.

The rising interest in green retrofits represents a “tremendous market opportunity for green builders, owners and building product manufacturers,” the report said.

The Middle East has followed the US in many of its moves, including forming a green building council and encouraging projects to be accredited by the universallyrecognised LEED rating system. But, what can the region do to keep up with the new retrofitting trend and what are the requirements of a green retrofit project?

GOING GREEN ISN’T JUST ABOUT CREATING NEW PROJECTS, BUT MAKING EXISTING ONES MORE SUSTAINABLE.

“For an existing building, the easiest way to reduce energy costs is by running the building efficiently,” says Inhabit Group senior associate for building physics Nicholas Lander.

“Look at how building services such as lights, water fixtures, AC equipment, etc. could save energy. Then consider the façade

– is it well sealed, or is leakage a problem?

Sometimes, it may be worthwhile refurbishing or replacing the façade as that can allow greater use of natural light and better thermal performance.”

So who are the key players in this industry providing the solutions that can reduce energy consumption inside a building?

FEBRUARY 13–19, 2010 CONSTRUCTION WEEK

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TAKE A GREEN WASH STUART MATTHEWS EXPLAINS HOW BIG SAVINGS CAME FROM A SMALL CHANGE Small changes can make a difference to a building’s overall efficiency. Such changes are within the power of the construction contractor. Selecting one fitting over another could make all the difference.

Here’s a simple example. I live in a small studio apartment, in a building with 66 apartments and a development with dozens and dozens of these buildings. The contractors did some things well and others badly. For instance the door hardware is significantly better quality than any other fitting, while the floor tiles are abysmal.

The contractor also picked a no-name brand shower head, which did a perfectly good job, but clearly used plenty of water.

Add in my washing machine, a few dishes (no dishwasher) and my monthly water

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consumption was about 1100 units per month – according to DEWA. An odd gift of a hand shower from Hansgrohe - a Crometta 85 Green - provided an opportunity to try an experiment in water saving. With an estimated water consumption rate of 6 litres per minute, at a pressure of 3 bar, it feels softer than the original fitting. But what the manufacturers would describe as the ‘comfort level’ is more or less the same.

In short, after the first use, I didn’t notice the difference that less water made.

And less water it definitely was. In a monthto-month comparison of DEWA bills, my water consumption dropped from 1067 units to 671.

Financially, this makes little difference to the bill, simply because in Dubai we continue to pay below-cost rates for water. But in terms

CONSTRUCTION WEEK FEBRUARY 13–19, 2010

of water consumption it soon adds up: 396 units a month is 4752 a year, or about four and a half months worth of typical consumption, before the fitting change.

Multiply that by each apartment and each building and you start to get the idea. Had the contractors been installing low-flow fittings across the development, overall water consumption could easily have been 25% lower. This would reduce stress on the potable water supply, ease pressure on the utility to boost production and make everyone feel a little greener.

The point is that quite a small change to the fittings and fixtures can make a big difference to one of the key measures of a building’s efficiency. And it’s a change anyone can easily make.

“I THINK THE FOCUS IS ON CARBON, CARBON, CARBON. WHAT WE SHOULD TRY DOING IS REDUCE, REDUCE, REDUCE”

ACWA POWER CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY AND SUSTAINABILITY DIRECTOR MICHAEL NATES.

Swedish company Swegon has recently introduced its chilled beam technology in the Middle East. These systems are connected to air handling units and transfer heat collected from the air into water. The cool air is then blown through ductwork

to the occupied spaces, thus eliminating the need for fans.

Because of its energy saving properties, a building can achieve six LEED points when using these chilled beams.

“If you want to upgrade your building, the chilled beam is the right solution,” insists Swegon regional manager for the Middle East Gunnar Svensson.

“You will invest in a product that minimises energy consumption, reduces the need for maintenance and is less noisy than traditional systems. It also eliminates draughts.”

Kohler is another company supplying energy efficient solutions for both existing and new buildings, by way of specially designed water-conserving bathroom and kitchen products such as faucets, showers and urinals. The company changed its policy in 2008 to aggressively contribute to sustainable building.

“We want to drive new products and innovative technologies, which are better for the environment,” explains company president and COO David Kohler.

“We also want to educate customers on the importance of sustainability and how businesses can still be successful if they implement green initiatives.”

As well as reducing energy consumption, offsetting is important; this can be done by using renewable energy to power a building. And solar technology, believe it or not, can be implemented into existing buildings.

“We offer photovoltaic panels, which can provide some power to a building by converting solar radiation into electricity,” says Mulk Holdings managing director Khurram Nawab.

“We have a design where you can retrofit the system into completed construction projects. People are focusing on solar technology right now. They are investing heavily in this.”

Indeed, heavy investments are required for green retrofits, which can deter construction companies from contributing to a sustainable environment.

Exova Façade Tes ng Services in Abu Dhabi From January 2010 Exova, one of the world’s leading testing houses opens a new façade testing facility in Abu Dhabi.

The operation, which re ects the company’s vision and values, has been prompted by the policy to enhance its services in Abu Dhabi. One of Exova’s key strengths is the large, integrated network of local, regional and international laboratories, including two facade testing facilities in the UAE, which ensures that clients can bene t from the company’s specialist expertise.

“We are looking forward to supporting you, our customers, and adding value to your business by delivering on our promise for exceptional service and where possible exceeding your expectations.” said Chris Davey, General Manager, Abu Dhabi.

The new facility, situated on Reem Island, is capable of testing complex facade samples with respect to air leakage, static water penetration, dynamic water penetration, wind resistance, seismic, building movement, thermal cycling and impact resistance tests. The tests can be performed to relevant ASTM, BS/EN and CWCT standards.

For further information please contact: Exova Limited (Abu Dhabi) Plot 25, Umm Al Naar (Sas Al Nakhl) P.O. Box 9191, Abu Dhabi United Arab Emirates.

T: +971 (0) 2 558 2345 F: +971 (0) 2 558 4515 M: +971 (0) 50 6171168 E: market@exova.com W: www.exova.com

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KHURRAM NAWAB BELIEVES MORE AND MORE PEOPLE ARE INVESTING IN SOLAR TECHNOLOGY.

“FOR EXISTING CITIES, THE MOST PRAGMATIC SOLUTION FOR A BETTER ENVIRONMENT IS TO IMPROVE OPERATIONAL PERFORMANCE” According to reports, around 30% of green house gas is generated by energy consumption in buildings. But, environmental benefits sometimes just aren’t enough to persuade developers, owners and tenants to put their money into doing the ‘right’ thing.

A Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) conference - “Investing in a Sustainable Built Environment – do energy efficient buildings make economic sense?”- set out to investigate why investors, developers, constructors and occupiers pass the responsibility of energy efficiency on to someone else, thus creating what has become known as the ‘vicious cycle of blame’.

This theory suggests that owners and end users ‘would like to have sustainable buildings but there are very few available’.

Designers and constructors also say that they can build or retrofit buildings in a sustainable way, but argue that developers don’t ask for it.

Meanwhile, developers ask for sustainable buildings, but insist that the investors won’t pay for them. And, the investors invest in

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PHOTOVOLTAIC PANELS CAN PROVIDE POWER BY CONVERTING SOLAR RADIATION INTO ELECTRICITY.

sustainable buildings, but argue that there is no demand for them.

Panelists at the RICS conference, however, suggested that the cycle of blame can be broken by turning the thoughts of the people involved in a building into positive statements.

The speakers explained that owners should demand and occupy sustainable buildings ‘because they are cheaper to run and improve their image’.

And, constructors should feel that they can sustainable buildings because that’s what their clients want and what society expects.

Investors, the RICS speakers argue, could also invest in green building ‘because that’s what occupiers want and because they have higher value growth potential’.

ACWA Power corporate social responsibility and sustainability director Michael Nates believes that there has to be a good reason to invest in green retrofitting, but there are ways that everyone can benefit.

“One of the biggest issues with green is that the people who benefit are most often not the people who pay for it. Landlords and developers typically pay and tenants see the benefits,” he says.

“However, thermostats and monitors of energy consumption can be used to help tenants monitor their behaviour, which will lead them to change their behaviour

CONSTRUCTION WEEK FEBRUARY 13–19, 2010

and consume less energy. Soon after, owners who have to pay for maintenance will start paying less.”

Lander believes that energy efficient systems can actually save developers, owners and occupiers money in a very short space of time. “There are lots of systems in a building that can be made more efficient, and improving any of them will lower the running costs. This is increasingly important in financially difficult times, when all costs need to be scrutinised, and especially with energy prices likely to rise,” he says.

“In terms of operational costs, reducing energy and water consumption saves money immediately while the cost of refitting equipment, such as lights and water savers, say, can be paid back in as little as a few weeks. This is as true for homes as it is for offices.”

Suppliers and manufacturers in the construction sector are not blind to the fact that businesses need to see financial benefits of green retrofits and energy efficient systems before they invest.

But, Kohler believes offsetting and reducing energy consumption should not come down to personal choice.

“I believe that necessity is the mother of invention – we are running out of water so therefore we have to think of new ways of saving it. If you set aggressive goals and you will pioneer in new ways.”

“THERE MUST BE A LIMIT, BUT I DON’T KNOW IF WE WILL EVER FIND IT”

KOHLER PRESIDENT AND COO DAVID KOHLER.

So, is there a limit to how sustainable an existing building can become?

“No, I don’t think so,” says Lander. “For a small investment, you can make huge savings in energy and water and, therefore, money.

An existing building actually has a bit of a

head start since it’s already built so doesn’t need a lot of materials to be extracted for it. So no, there’s no limit. It just depends on how far you’re willing to go.”

Kohler adds: “There must be a limit, but I don’t know if we will ever find it. There has always been a belief that there is a limit to reducing the consumption of water, but then we created the waterless urinal.”

But, while places like Masdar City and Copenhagen are striving to become carbon neutral, sustainable experts believe that developers shouldn’t get too far ahead of themselves.

“Going carbon neutral is a red herring in my opinion,” says Nates.

“I think the focus is on carbon, carbon, carbon. What we should try doing is reduce, reduce, reduce and then find ways of using

non-carbonised energy efficiently.”

“True carbon neutrality, taking account of embedded carbon, is very, very difficult to achieve, and I’m not even sure we should be striving for it across the board,” agrees Lander.

“Developments like Masdar are great because they show us what can be done, but for existing cities, I really think the most pragmatic solution for a better environment is to improve operational performance.”

So energy efficient products and technologies can force us to consume less energy but how can future architects and developers influence the lifestyle changes of tenants and, in-turn, save building owners money?

“Because of design, some people don’t have the option to open a window in their apartment or open their office door onto a garden. Now we should focus on how to give people back those choices,” said Foster and Partners senior partner Gerard Evenden at last month’s World Future Energy Summit. 

FEBRUARY 13–19, 2010 CONSTRUCTION WEEK

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KHALED DESOUKI/AFP/GETTY IMAGES

BEST MEDICINE A STURDY HEALTHCARE SYSTEM IS THE CORNERSTONE OF A DEVELOPED NATION AND AN AREA FOR STEADY DEVELOPMENT INVESTMENT

By Stuart Matthews, David Ingham & Matt Warnock

S

ocial infrastructure is the fabric of society. Development of hospitals and the healthcare system that goes with them, are the signs that a government cares and they are frequently the first measure of a nation’s development. They contribute directly to measures of longevity, disease control and the reduction of infant mortality.

It is easy to trace the path of such development in the statistics of the World Health Organisation (WHO). According to figures from WHO, the average Emirati is enjoying an additional 5 years of life now, compared to 1990. This is the biggest improvement seen in any of the GCC countries in the last 30 years.

In the same period, infant mortality has more or less halved in Qatar, Kuwait, Oman and the UAE, while there have been significant improvements in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain.

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Healthcare developments have helped spearhead this improvement. As populations in the region continue to grow, more public and private money is being put into maintaining and developing the expanding network of Gulf healthcare facilities.

While projects are challenging and place new demands on contractors, returns are typically steady and long-lasting.

The numbers involved are large, but seem relatively moderate when compared to other long-term investment sectors. For instance, figures from Proleads show government investment in healthcare-related projects in Saudi Arabia is currently running at more than US $5 billion, with an additional US $1 billion coming from the private sector.

Recently Kuwaiti healthcare facilities were boosted by the launch of a US$1.06 billion hospital project, which is set to provide more than 1,200 beds. The new Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Hospital is slated for completion in 2013 and is expected to take four years to finish.

CONSTRUCTION WEEK FEBRUARY 13–19, 2010

According to a report from Alpen Capital, an investment bank, per capita health care spending across GCC countries is expected to continue growing ahead of the global average. Government impetus is one reason, but there is an underlying and positive view that healthcare projects offer a good return.

THE GLOBAL HEALTH INDUSTRY IS WORTH AROUND

US$4.2 TRILLION AND ACCOUNTS FOR 10% OF THE GLOBAL GDP. Source: AT Kearney

HASSAN AMMAR/AFP/GETTY IMAGES

KING FAHED HOSPITAL IN THE SAUDI HOLY CITY OF MEDINA: SAUDI ARABIA LEADS THE GCC IN INVESTMENT FOR HEALTHCARE RELATED PROJECTS.

“Healthcare is genuinely recession proof, unlike real estate,” says UEMedical managing director and CEO Mohammed Ali Al Shorafa. “By its sheer nature, it requires a long-term view and you therefore get an altogether different type of investor.

“It’s a really niche area of development with an entirely different set of challenges. From funding model, through environmental aspects, MEP, medical and equipment planning, selecting and sourcing: the project management team becomes extremely important.

“You have to understand that developing these facilities is not cheap and the requirements are much, much higher.”

UEMedical started two years ago with the goal of creating a 200-bedroom hospital for women and children. It has since enlarged two more facilities, constructed three other and has four major flagship hospitals in the UAE pipeline.

“We went from a single project to a full, dedicated healthcare and investment company,” says Al Shorafa.

“Abu Dhabi’s 2030 Plan encourages private sector healthcare investment and, so, we’ve seen gaps in the market open up – particularly for the likes of specialist medical centres. It’s not merely a question of hospitals, but of a fully integrated system of clinics and centres feeding into hospitals.”

The company has partnered with foreign operators to bring in investors and skills.

Among them is Singapore’s Parkway, the largest private healthcare group in Asia, which has more than 25 hospitals. Parkway will be operating the management side of the facilities. While Al Shorafa sees Abu Dhabi as UEMedical’s home, and the company’s

primary focus is to produce something truly excellent there, it will look at gaps in the market elsewhere, firstly in the rest of the UAE and then in the wider Gulf.

“By turning to other niche partners, the sky really is the limit,” he says. “Abu Dhabi’s strategy is to develop a great healthcare industry – this is not easy – and to bring in

LIFE EXPECTANCY AT BIRTH United Arab Emirates Saudi Arabia Qatar Kuwait Bahrain Oman

1990 73 68 75 73 73 70

2000 76 70 76 76 73 73

2007 78 71 76 78 75 74

INFANT MORTALITY (probability of dying between birth and age 1 per 1000 live births) United Arab Emirates Saudi Arabia Qatar Kuwait Bahrain Oman

1990 13 35 18 16 15 25

2000 9 23 13 9 10 12

2007 7 20 8 9 9 11

FEBRUARY 13-19, 2010 CONSTRUCTION WEEK

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HAIDER SHAH/AFP/GETTY IMAGES

“YOU HAVE TO UNDERSTAND THAT DEVELOPING THESE FACILITIES IS NOT CHEAP AND THE REQUIREMENTS ARE MUCH, MUCH HIGHER.”

QUALITY OF HEALTHCARE IS A MEASURE OF A NATION’S DEVELOPMENT, OFTEN REFLECTED IN LIFE EXPECTANCY AND INFANT MORTALITY RATES.

all the best expertise not available locally.

Through private companies, we can realise sensational projects and build strategic partnerships. But we’re also transferring those skills to locals. For instance, all our major partners are shadowed by a local team. We’re

bringing in talent that is second-to-none (whether that’s an engineer or a doctor) and learning from the very best.”

Tough requirements from the Urban Planning Council have created high standards and emphasised long-term thinking.

“It may cost to develop a facility now, but the advantages to the investor in the longer term are exceptional,” says Al Shorafa.

“Estidama will be part and parcel of what we offer as our hospitals are designed according to green build principles and, we hope, will be pearl rated. There are lots of things you can do to create a ‘green’ hospital – from its orientation to lights, solar energy use, the reduction of waste and energy.”

According to Al Shorafa, over the next five years UEMedical plans to develop more than 20 branded health clinics, including locations in Dubai and Sharjah, as well as Abu Dhabi. As the market for healthcare grows, the company is unlikely to be alone in its endeavours. 

SIX OF THE BEST: HEALTHCARE PROJECTS SIDRA MEDICAL AND RESEARCH CENTRE Location: Qatar Value: US $2.3 billion Client: Qatar Foundation Scope: The project calls for construction of Sidra Medical and Research Centre in Qatar. Located in Doha on Qatar Foundation’s 2,500 acre Education City campus, Sidra Medical and Research Centre is expected to open in 2012. It will initially have 412 beds with infrastructure to enable expansion to 550 beds in a subsequent phase. The centre will also be home to 350 resident nurses.

Schedule: A joint venture between OHL Construction and Contrack International was awarded the main construction contract in 2008. Construction is in progress and expected to be completed in early 2012. Keo International Consultants is managing construction, while Pelli Clarke Pelli is the design architect.

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CONSTRUCTION WEEK FEBRUARY 13–19, 2010

CLEVELAND CLINIC HOSPITAL Location: UAE Value: US $1.9 billion Client: Mubadala Development Company Scope: Cleveland Clinic will be located on Al Sowah Island in Abu Dhabi and will be connected to the mainland through a network of multiple bridges. The hospital will include 324 specialised clinics and 360 beds. The total project area is 5.1 million ft², including the 2.2 million ft² hospital, a 50,000 ft² central utility plant area and 2.2 million ft² parking area for 3200 vehicles. The maximum building height is 24 storeys.

Schedule: Completion is pencilled in for December 2012. The owner of the project is Mubadala and the developer is Aldar. The designer is Henningson, Durham & Richardson (HDR) and Fluor Mideast Limited is the project management consultant.

Arabtec Construction and Aktor are the main piling & enabling contractors. Arabtec and Aecom are listed respectively as the design and building engineering services consultants. The main construction contractor has not been announced.

AL MAFRAQ HOSPITAL Location: Abu Dhabi, UAE Value: US $871 million Client: Abu Dhabi Health Services Company Scope: The revamp of the existing hospital is designed to triple the number of treatment rooms to 690 beds. Once complete, the site will span an area of 306,803m² with a built up area of 246,118m². The hospital is among the oldest in Abu Dhabi and is to be regenerated with a new building, which will incorporate environmentally friendly and energy-efficient designs. It will recycle waste water, reduce electrical use with fibre optic interior sun lighting and incorporate the use of solar panels.

Schedule: The main contract was due to be awarded at the end of 2009, once the design had been finalised, but an announcement is still forthcoming. Construction was due to start in the first quarter of 2010 and be completed in 2013. Burt Hill is the designer and Allen and Shariff Corporation is the project manager.

JABER AHMED AL JABER AL SABAH HOSPITAL Location: Kuwait Estimated value: US $1.2 billion Client: Ministry of Health; Ministry of Public Works Scope: Jaber Ahmed Al Jaber Al Sabah Hospital in Surra, Kuwait will have 1,120 beds and will cover a total built up area of 270,000m². The hospital will provide a comprehensive range of medical services, including diagnostic and treatment services, a trauma centre and casualty services, outpatient services, dental services, ob/gyn services and inpatient care services. It will feature luxury suites for visiting heads of states and other VIPs. Schedule: Kuwait Arab Contractors Co. was awarded the main construction contract in August 2009. Construction is expected to be completed by end of 2012. Gulf Consults and Langdon Wilson International are listed as main consultants on the project.

DANAT AL EMARAT WOMEN & CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL Location: UAE Value: US $200 million Client: United Eastern Medical Scope: Danat Al Emarat is a 21-storey, 260-bed private hospital designed for women and children. It will include a spa & wellness centre alongside its traditional medical services and a level III neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).

United Eastern Medical Services has signed Singaporebased ParkwayHealth to manage the facility.

Schedule: Construction work is underway and the hospital is due to open at some point in 2011. Al Ghurair Arabian Foundations Engineering was selected for the first phase of construction. HKS and Ted Jacob provided design services.

KING HAMAD GENERAL HOSPITAL Location: Bahrain Value: US $140 million Client: Ministry of Works Scope: King Hamad General Hospital (KHGH) is one of the biggest public sector health projects undertaken in Bahrain. It is scheduled to open in 2010 and will be a 312-bed public hospital occupying a 227,000m² site on the coast of Muharraq. The hospital will be constructed over four floors and three main blocks. Many specialities will be offered in the hospital, including obstetrics & gynaecology, neonatal, paediatrics, intensive care, ophthalmology and ENT. it will be the main teaching hospital for the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland Bahrain. Schedule: Construction is in progress and expected to be complete in April 2010. Commercial operation is scheduled for later this year. Nass Group and Burhan are the main contractors on the project.

FEBRUARY 13-19, 2010 CONSTRUCTION WEEK

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ABOVE: The informal entry courtyard for the KEC is one of the project’s traditional Qatari architectural concepts.

RIGHT: The KEC is a floating structure moored in the sea just off the Doha Corniche.

The steel hull is 91 metres long and 24 metres wide, producing a floor area of 1200m2.

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CONSTRUCTION WEEK FEBRUARY 13–19, 2010

To buy images within these pages please email itpimages@itp.com or visit itpimages.com

TOP LEFT: The Majlis provides the KEC with a formal meeting space.

TOP RIGHT: The space includes gallery areas.

ABOVE: A terrace area outside the centre.

LEFT: KEC and its hull-shaped form represents Phase 1A of the greater Musheireb development.

KNOWLEDGE ENRICHMENT CENTRE, DOHA A floating structure moored in the sea just off the Doha Corniche, the Knowledge Enrichment Centre(KEC) was commissioned by DohaLand and designed by Allies and Morrison to be a microcosm of the 35-hectare Musheireb – formerly ‘Heart of Doha’ – development.

The unveiling of KEC also marks the official beginning of construction of Phase 1A of the Musheireb. “This new floating landmark at the Doha Corniche...will become the focal point of the culture and knowledge movement in Qatar going forward,” said Eng. Issa M. Al Mohannadi, CEO of DohaLand, from the official ceremony inside the KEC.

FEBRUARY 13–19, 2010 CONSTRUCTION WEEK

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TENDERS §

¦TENDERS FREE TENDERS AND SERVICES IN THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY TO INCLUDE YOUR TENDERS IN THIS SECTION EMAIL TENDER DETAILS TO EDITOR@CONSTRUCTIONWEEKONLINE.COM

Tender focus

CENTRAL TENDERS COMMITTEE Kuwait’s Central Tenders Committee (CTC) was established in 1964 to administer tenders and bids and award contracts on behalf of the government. The body is currently floating several tenders with bidding deadlines coming up in the next couple of weeks.

The contracts will cover the construction of a water distribution centre in Mina Abdullah, design and construction of Al Zour desalination plant, the development of Jaber Al Jaber Al Sabah Bridge and the construction of a police station in Mubark Al Kabeer Zone. 

To include your tenders in this section email tender details to editor@ConstructionWeekOnline.com

BAHRAIN Issuer: Ministry of Health Tender No: MOH/101/2010 Description: Expansion of pharmacy section and construction of guard room at Hamad Kanoo Health Centre.

Closes: February 17 Fees: BD15 Contact: Tendering submission office, tender board’s office at Al Moayeed Tower, Seef Area EGYPT Issuer: Egyptian endowment authority Description: Construction of five residential buildings comprising 484 housing units in Menia.

Closes: February 16 Fees: EP19,000 Bond: EP1.5 million Contact: Egyptian Endowment Authority, 109 Tahrir St., Dokki, Giza KUWAIT Issuer: Central Tenders Committee Tender No: MEW/58/2009/2010 Description: Construction of a water distribution centre in Mina Abdullah, Kuwait.

Closes: February 16 Fees: KD4000 Contact: Central Tenders Committee, Ministry of Public Works Issuer: Central Tenders Committee Tender No: BA/S/250 Description: Construction of a police station in Mubark Al Kabeer Zone, Kuwait City.

Closes: February 21 Fees: KD2500 Contact: Central Tenders Committee, Ministry of Public Works Issuer: Central Tenders Committee Tender No: MEW/39/2008/2009 Description: Design and construction of Al Zour desalination plant, phase 2.

Closes: March 9 Fees: KD3000 Contact: Central Tenders Committee, Ministry of Public Works Issuer: Central Tenders Committee

32

SEVERAL CONTRACTS WILL BE AVAILABLE IN THE NEXT FEW WEEKS..

Tender No: MEW/39/2008/2009 Description: Design and construction of Al Zour desalination plant, phase 2.

Closes: March 9 Fees: KD3000 Contact: Central Tenders Committee, Ministry of Electricity and Water Issuer: Central Tenders Committee Tender No: RA\\140 Description: Construction of Jaber Ahmed Al Jaber Al Sabah Bridge in Kuwait.

Closes: June 8 Fees: KD5000 Contact: Central Tenders Committee – Ministry of Public Works OMAN Issuer: Ministry of Foreign Affairs Tender No: 4/2010 Description: Construction of an office building for the Gulf Consulting Commission.

Closes: March 1 Fees: OR1100 Contact: www.tenderboard.gov.om Issuer: Ministry of Health Tender No: 16/2010 Description: Supplying and installation of 11 air-cooled chillers at the Royal Hospital.

Closes: March 1 Fees: OR450 Contact: www.tenderboard.gov.om Issuer: Supreme Committee for Town Planning Tender No: 10/2009 Description: Consultancy services for the preparation of the master-plan of Duqm Town.

Closes: March 8 Fees: OR300 Contact: www.tenderboard.gov.om

four schools in Doha.

Closes: February 16 Fees: QR1500 Contact: Contract department, Public Works Authority Issuer: Public Works Authority Tender No: PWA/GTC/068/09-10 Description: Construction of seven new schools in Doha.

Closes: March 2 Fees: QR1000 Contact: Contract department, Public Works Authority SAUDI ARABIA Issuer: Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu Tender No: 627-C17 Description: Procurement and construction of an elementary school for girls, three kindergartens and expansion of an elementary school for boys in Jubail Industrial City.

Closes: February 24 Fees: SR9000 Contact: Directorate General of the Royal Commission in Jubail UAE Issuer: Dubai Electricity and Water Authority Tender No: CNE/0488/2009 Description: Construction of four accommodation buildings at Jebel Ali Power Station.

Closes: February 24 Fees: AED2000 Contact: The Chairman, Board of Directors, Dubai Electricity and Water Authority

ONE TO WATCH Issuer: Etihad Railway Company Description: Engineering and design contracts for the UAE rail network.

Open date: Q1 2010 Fees: Unknown Contact: info@EtihadRailways.co info@EtihadRailways.com m

QATAR Issuer: Public Works Authority Tender No: PWA/GTC/065/09-10 Description: The construction, completion and maintenance of

CONSTRUCTION WEEK FEBRUARY 13–19, 2010

> For more tenders check online at www.ConstructionWEEKonline.com/tenders

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BUSINESS

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EMAIL

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EVENTS

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INTEGRATED

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INTERACTIVE

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NEWSPAPER

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> For the latest projects information visit www.ConstructionWEEKonline.com/projects

§ PROJECTS

SAUDI ARABIA PROJECTS DATABASE - BUILDING PROJECTS FOCUS TO LIST YOUR PROJECTS IN THIS COLUMN EMAIL DETAILS TO EDITOR@CONSTRUCTIONWEEKONLINE.COM

Project focus

DISTRICT COOLING NETWORK A US $300 million (SR1.1 billion) district cooling network is currently being built in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, with an estimated completion time of two years. The network will be used to supply cool water and electricity to the 2nd Jeddah Industrial City. In September last year, Saudi Industrial Property Authority (Modon) awarded the National Tri-generation CHO Company (NTCC) the PROJECT TITLE

built, operate and transfer contract. NTCC will operate the district cooling network for 30 years. Construction commenced in the third quarter of 2009. Last month, Modon awarded a major project to Mowah Company for the construction of water, sanitation, industrial drainage, irrigation and wastewater treatment plant, to be built in the industrial city. 

CLIENT

CONSULTANT

MAIN CONTRACTOR

VALUE (US$MN)

STATUS

240 PUBLIC HOUSING VILLAS IN YANBU

Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu (RCJY)

In House

Al Muhaidib Contracting Company

8000 RESIDENTIAL UNITS - NORTH JEDDAH

Kinan/Savola Group/Eleba Company

Not Appointed

Not Appointed

640

project in concept stage

AL BARARI - LUXURY VILLAS IN JEDDAH

Al Barari

Not Appointed

Not Appointed

27

project in concept stage

SAUDI ARABIA 74

project under construction

Ministry of Health

Beeah Planners

Saeed Radad Al Zahrany

17

project under construction

Arriyadh Development Authority

Omrania & Associates

Not Appointed

28

project under design

JABAL AL KABA DEVELOPMENT - MEGA HOTEL

Abdul Latif Jamil Real Estate

Dar Al Handasah

Saudi Constructioneers Est

DAR AL-QEBLAH COMPLEX

Munshaat Real Estate Projects Company

Zuhair Fayez & Partners

Saudi Binladin Group

UMM AL-QURA UNIVERSITY EXPANSION - STAFF ACCOMMODATION - PHASE 2

Umm Al Qura University

SaudConsult

IMAM ISLAMIC UNIVERSITY IN RIYADH - ISLAMIC STUDIES COLLEGE

Imam Islamic University

OLAYA TOWERS IN RIYADH

101 - 250

project under construction

180

project under construction

Nesma & Partners Contracting Company

16

project under construction

Tibsa/In House

Saudi Art of Architecture Maintenance Ltd.

27

project under construction

General Organization for Social Insurance (GOSI)

Zuhair Fayez & Partners

Nesma & Partners Contracting Company

250

project under construction

KING FAHD NATIONAL LIBRARY

Arriyadh Development Authority/ King Fahd National Library

SaudConsult/Gerber Architects

Saudi Binladin Group

78

project under construction

RESIDENTIAL TOWN IN AL BATHA - PHASE 4

Ministry of Finance

Abdulrahman Al Noeim Engg.

Consult.

Al Eraini Contracting Company

14

project under construction

TABUK DOMESTIC AIRPORT EXPANSION

General Authority for Civil Aviation

Saudi Consolidated Engineering Co;

Saudi Binladin Group

59

project under construction

ITCC PARK IN RIYADH PHASE 1

The Public Pension Agency

Zuhair Fayez & Partners

Al Rajhi Projects/Al Yamamah / CCE

1,500

project under construction

KING ABDULAZIZ UNIVERSITY - NUCLEAR RESEARCH FACILITY

King Abdulaziz University

Not Appointed

Not Appointed

150

RAYADAH - MIXED USE DEVELOPMENT IN JEDDAH

Rayadah Investment Company

Not Appointed

Not Appointed

150

THREE 100-BED GENERAL HOSPITALS

Ministry of Health

Al Naem Engineering/Arclane Engineering

Saudi Pan Company for Trading & Contracting

PEDIATRIC & MATERNITY HOSPITAL IN RAFHA

Ministry of Health

Al Mashriq Contracting

Al Mashriq Contracting

IMAM ISLAMIC UNIVERSITY IN RIYADH - PHASES 1&2

Imam Islamic University

Tibsa

Al Fouzan Trading & General Construction

70

project in concept stage project in concept stage project under construction

53

project under construction

133

project under construction

To list your projects in this section email details to editor@ConstructionWeekOnline.com

100 BED HOSPITAL IN QATIF THUMAMAH PARK IN RIYADH - PHASE 1

SPECIALIST SERVICES §

¦SPECIALIST SERVICES CONSTRUCTION PRODUCTS AND SERVICES MADE EASY IN CONSTRUCTION WEEK’S DIRECTORY TO ADVERTISE PLEASE CALL +971 4 435 6344, OR EMAIL JASON.BOWMAN@ITP.COM

Supplier focus

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To advertise please call +971 4 435 6375 or email shishir.desai@itp.com

Since 1857, The Stanley Works has produced tools, hardware and specialty hardware products for home improvement, consumer, industrial and professional use..

The company specialises in construction DIY and offers carpenter’s hand tools, electronic tools, tool storage, mechanics tools, pneumatic assembly tools and fasteners to the industry. Among these products are Power-Lock Tape Rule, the Instant Change Knife, the FatMax AntiVibe Hammer and the FatMax Mobile Project Centre. In n addition, Stanley’s Industrial Tools ls Group manufactures electronic ic diagnostic tools, pneumatic ic fastening tools and fasteners, rs, hydraulic tools, shearers, breakers rs and crushers. The company was as awarded the Prestigious Golden en Hammer Award, presented for or new product innovation in 2000, 2001 and 2002.

The company also has a division, which offers security solutions and technologies. This THE STANLEY WORKS COMMERCIAL sector represented MANAGER FOR MENA SÉBASTIEN 43% of Stanley’s 2008 GELIQUOT-SERNA.

36

CONSTRUCTION WEEK FEBRUARY 13–19, 2010

TRADE: SO SOME TOOLS OF THE TRADE OME O ME OF THE KIT AVAILABLE AVAILABL LE FROM STANL LE STANLEY.

total segment profit. Founded in Connecticut, US, Stanley has expanded its products into new markets over the years such as the Middle East, China, Taiwan, Southeast Asia, India, Eastern Europe, Africa and Latin America.

Its Middle East branch and warehouse was set up two years ago in Jebel Ali Free Zone, Dubai. 

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> For directory information visit www.ConstructionWEEKonline.com/directory

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37

THANOS LAZOPOULOS/ITP IMAGES

CITY UPDATE AL AIN, UAE

AL AIN IS TO RECEIVE LONG-TERM ATTENTION AS IT IS DEVELOPED IN LINE WITH ITS 2030 PLAN..

The big picture CW DISCOVERS WHAT GOALS HAVE BEEN SET UNDER PLAN AL AIN 2030

By Sarah Blackman

I

t is not uncommon for people and businesses to set aggressive goals, but quite often these goals go unachieved. In Al Ain, however, there is one overarching objective that construction companies across the board are vigorously working towards, that is, Plan Al Ain 2030.

In April 2009 it was revealed that the plan will focus on five different initiatives including using available land intelligently, increasing density with the buildings and city centre, preserving surrounding agricultural areas, creating a surface tram system and protecting designated environmental zones.

“The first stage is concerned with the city of Al Ain itself,” said Al Ain Municipality

38

urban planning director Talal Al Salamani.

“The second is concerned with the urban planning framework incorporating all of the settlements, towns and villages within the eastern region of Abu Dhabi (of which Al Ain City is the capital).”

There will also be projects that revolve around the ongoing improvement of the downtown area. “The projects will deliver the full circle of services including transit, urban regeneration, and improvement of existing infrastructure,” Salamani added.

“THE SECOND [STAGE] IS CONCERNED WITH THE URBAN PLANNING FRAMEWORK INCORPORATING ALL OF THE SETTLEMENTS... ”

CONSTRUCTION WEEK FEBRUARY 13–19, 2010

In line with the goals to preserve and improve the environment, global design and engineering consultancy, Atkins, signed a contract with Al Ain Municipality last month to establish a new organisation, which aims to meet these objectives, as well as working towards better health and safety awareness on construction sites.

The Environment, Health & Safety department aims to create safer work places and healthy working environments, minimise pollution waste and deliver sustainable lifestyle and development.

“The application of the department’s management systems will raise awareness of environmental aspects that stem from construction activities, ultimately improving man’s situation within the environment without upsetting it,” said Atkins project director Abdullatif Merii.

In terms of using existing land to create better surroundings, many projects are planned to fit the bill. For example, in January, Halcrow was awarded the contract

RAJESH RAGHAV/ITP IMAGES

TALAL AL SALAMANI, AL AIN MUNICIPALITY URBAN PLANNING DIRECTOR. GEORGE DIPIN/ITP IMAGES

THE LAUNCH OF THE UPC’S PLAN AL AIN 2030 IN ABU DHABI. THE PLAN WILL COVER FIVE DIFFERENT INITIATIVES, INCLUDING USING LAND INTELLIGENTLY.

“THIS PROJECT WILL SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVE TRAFFIC CIRCULATION IN THE AREA.”

to provide design and supervision services for the improvement of traffic movement around schools in Al Ain. Al Ain Municipality appointed the consultant to construct new roads, a wadi crossing, four new signalised junctions and provision services, such as storm water drainage.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, Halcrow regional director for Abu Dhabi Sami Al Qazzaz said: “We are very excited to be working with the Al Ain Municipality and we look forward to developing a long and productive relationship with them.”

“This project will significantly improve traffic circulation in the area and we are committed to delivering a solution of the highest quality for our new client.”

As part of Plan Al Ain 2030, new developments are also in the pipeline including International Capital Trading’s (ICT) US $136 million (AED500 million) Al Ain Oasis.

The 100,000m2 site, opposite the oasis within the centre of Al Ain, will be a mixeduse development housing a hotel, and residential and office units to cater to inhabitants of the city.

It will also include retail shops and art galleries along with cafes and restaurants

JAHILI FORT IN AL AIN: THE DEVELOPMENT PLAN INTENDS TO LEAVE THE HERITAGE OF THE CITY UNTOUCHED..

and public gathering places aimed at both tourists and locals.

“We are discussing how it will sit within the plan with the Urban Planning Council of Abu Dhabi,” said ICT COO Haytham Haidar.

Abu Dhabi-based master developer Aldar Properties is overseeing the initial phases of construction under Plan 2030 including infrastructure and villa developments.

The redevelopment for the city’s Central District is set to follow, along with the construction of transit initiatives and the

advancement of Emirati housing projects.

And in 20 years time, the Al Maqam, Asharej, and Al Muwaiji districts is set join the Central District to house the majority of Al Ain residents and commerce. A second north-south axis consisting of Hili, Al Jimi, Al Mutaredh, and Sanaiya will also contain higher density accommodation.

By 2030, the city will have expanded both physically and financially, and its heritage and agricultural character will remain untouched, well, that’s the plan. 

FEBRUARY 13–19, 2010 CONSTRUCTION WEEK

39

DIALOGUE LARS RIEMANN Refueling a region When it comes to green building, what is the Middle East capable of? Ramboll group director for buildings and design Lars Riemann weighs up the answer

By Sarah Blackman

What did you hope to achieve at the recent World Future Energy Summit?

We want to be visible as a company in the market and present our services to potential clients, which is why we exhibited at the summit. Also, a number of our partners were at the summit. We had meetings with these companies to discuss future plans.

What solutions does Ramboll provide as a consultant, which manufacturers do not?

We develop new solutions all the time and, although there are lots of manufacturers who provide a whole solution, these solutions have to be customised in order to be relevant to a specific project. There are small scale projects but there are also big master plans. We look at each area to see what resources are available and what each particular project needs.

Then we design, based on these needs, a solution. Sometimes a project will need a lot of power, so we would come up with a concept to distribute that power and store the energy from the sun.

How does Ramboll contribute to sustainable building?

Sustainability covers many areas of construction and there is no project where we ignore sustainable solutions. We strive to provide as many green initiatives as we can. Sometimes it’s about using solar panels on a building and other times it’s about minimising surrounding transport and insulating buildings so they can become more energy efficient.

How would you rate green building progress in the Middle East in comparison to Europe and the US?

The Middle East has a long way to go before it will catch up with Europe and the US. It was only two years ago that the region even started talking about green solutions. The governments have been developing new regulations and this is a very positive step, but there are a lot of issues with these regulations.

40

CONSTRUCTION WEEK FEBRUARY 13–19, 2010

For example, oil and gas costs are still being subsidised and the electrical power that you get from the grid is very cheap, so it is not feasible for a developer to provide their own energy using solar photovoltaic systems et cetera, because it is very expensive. However, people still invest in green building initiatives because organisations like Leed require you to look for alternative solutions. So, there are conflicts over the new regulations, but there are groups that are pulling Middle East construction companies in the right direction.

Do the regulations need to be stricter so people will adhere to them?

There is a limit to what steps you can take. If you implement regulations, which are too strict then you will just undermine the market and will not help anybody. You must take one step at a time. I think it will take around ten years for the market to be ready to become fully sustainable.

Will the Middle East follow Copenhagen’s plans to become completely carbon neutral?

It will follow, but it will take more time. I think Copenhagen is a very good example of how an existing city can actually be turned into a carbon neutral environment. It still allows buildings to use and consume the same amount of energy as they always have, but renewable energy is fed into the buildings instead of fossil fuels. There are new renewable energy fuels coming into the market all the time.

Riemann is responsible for facilitating the development of new services and new markets. He is passionate about meeting the challenges of climate changes and lack of resources and specialises in business development, change management and strategic sustainable development. Riemann has project managed and designed projects in more than 20 countries and is a qualified structural engineer.

What sustainable projects is Ramboll working on at the moment?

There are two master plans, which I will highlight. One is the Zira Island project in Azerbaijan, which is being developed for residential purposes and tourism. It has been possible to develop this into a carbon neutral development. We have developed solutions there to store solar energy. We are also working on a carbon neutral project in Copenhagen, which will be developed over the next 30 to 40 years.

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