Construction Week by ITP Business Publishing

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Construction An ITP Business Publication

WEEK

CONSTRUCTIONWEEKONLINE.COM

OCT 31–NOV 6, 2009 [294]

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

INSIDE

FACE TO FACE

Two manufacturers explain how their products are so green PAGE 26

LEED REPORT

EXCLUSIVE

THE

REAL DEAL NEW AL HABTOOR LEIGHTON BOSS VOWS TO TAKE COMPANY TO THE TOP HLG Managing Director Laurie Voyer

A look at how building products can help achieve Leed credits PAGE 37

BIG 5 SPECIAL

Industry experts tell CW their expectations from this year’s show PAGE 42

CITY FOCUS

The latest news, projects and tenders in Jubail, KSA PAGE 54

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CONTENTS OCTOBER 31-NOVEMBER 6, 2009 | ISSUE 294 10

FEATURES

31 EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW New Al Habtoor Leighton boss, Laurie Voyer sits down with CW to share his thoughts and plans for the future.

37 SPECIAL REPORT CW takes a look at how building products can help achieve Leed credits.

42 THE BIG 5 SPECIAL

Industry specialists tell us what they expect from this year’s Big 5 and what they’d like to see in the future.

DIRECTORY 48 TENDERS 49 PROJECTS 50 SPECIALIST SERVICES 29

REGULARS 2 ONLINE 4 MAIL

FRONT 10 REGIONAL FIRMS TO GET FOREIGN EXPERTISE Chile believes the region could beneﬁt from its pool of expertise in the ﬁeld of architecture and engineering.

12 FED-UP INVESTORS STORM RERA OFFICE Buyers of Vue de Lac and Vista del Lago towers in Jumeirah Lake Towers ask for the return of their money.

14 NEWS IN BRIEF Highlights of the week.

16 NEWS IN PICS

22 NEWS ANALYSIS Exclusive: Estidama reveals its Pearl Rating System and gives the industry an insight into what to expect.

BACK

26 FACE TO FACE CW looks at two sustainable products, which their manufacturers claim are making a difference.

54 CITY UPDATE The latest news and projects from Jubail Industrial City, Saudi Arabia.

Topical images with the latest news.

29 COLUMN

56 DIALOGUE

18 CONFERENCE NEWS

Paul Madeira explains how recent events have affected the issues of time, cost and risk across the construction industry.

Tarek El Far discusses how billing solutions can beneﬁt the environment and cut down on costs.

Updates from CW’s Green event.

OCTOBER 31–NOVEMBER 6, 2009 CONSTRUCTION WEEK

ONLINE

www.ConstructionWEEKonline.com MOST POPULAR

DISGRUNTLED INVESTORS STORM RERA OFFICE UAE CONSTRUCTION RECRUITMENT ON THE INCREASE EX-NAKHEEL EXECS RELEASED ON AED1MN BAIL SUSTAINABILITY STILL MOSTLY ‘GREEN WASH’ EMAAR EC REPORTS US $16.9MN LOSS

HAVE YOUR SAY

IS REAL ESTATE DEVELOPMENT WELL PROTECTED IN THE GCC?

IN PICTURES: BUILDING SUSTAINABILITY INTO THE MIDDLE EAST Construction Week’s Building Sustainability into the Middle East was held in Abu Dhabi last week. The two-day event proved a great opportunity to learn more about the challenges facing the future of the sustainability industry. For more images visit www.ConstructionWeekOnline.com

Can developers, contractors and investors rely on current legislation?

JOBS OF THE WEEK Production Engineer, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia Senior Cost Estimating Engineer, Doha, Qatar Lead Urban Development Planner, Doha, Qatar

ONLINE POLL

FEATURES Design

Architect

INTELLIGENT RETREAT Technology is making a beeline for the bathroom.

DAVID VS GOLIATH How smaller architecture ﬁrms are keeping themselves competitive.

MEP

MEP WITH A TWIST Ocean Heights and Inﬁnity Tower at Dubai Marina.

WHO HOLDS THE GREATEST RESPONSIBILITY FOR PROMOTING THE NUMBER OF SUSTAINABLE BUILDINGS?

63.0% 29.6% 7.4%

Developers, they should be creating speciﬁcally sustainable projects

Investors, they should be pressuring everyone involved to deliver a greener product

Contractors, they should be the ones using more sustainable methods and materials PMV

BACKTRACK: THE GULF’S FIRST ‘METRO’ Is this a lost Metro system? You decide.

CONSTRUCTION WEEK OCTOBER 31–NOVEMBER 6, 2009

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

MAIL allowing developers to delay their projects without any penalty. Investors in UAE are at the total mercy of developers. NINA

RE: ACCIDENT FREE QUARTER FOR DAMAC IN DUBAI

RE: DISGRUNTLED INVESTORS STORM RERA OFFICE This developer did not start a project that was due for delivery in 2008 and Rera did not cancel the project? A 2BR made into a 1BR? Are you serious? And they didn’t take the consent of the owners? Seriously? You must be joking! And the developer hasn’t been blacklisted? Now that’s why I didn’t believe in buying property in Dubai. Laws change by the minute and this is a good example of contracts made void by new laws. This wouldn’t happen in any other part of the world. SCHILLING

It is increasingly clear that some developers simply regard their businesses as outside the law, or even just common sense. The project is clearly on hold, probably because of a lack of cash, and once again investors are left powerless. MARLOW

This will be a test for the real estate laws of the country, and will either make or break the conﬁdence of investors and buyers who would like to

invest in UAE real estate and would like to have a second home. PETER

This is a test for Rera to show how they are protecting investors in the real estate sector in Dubai! According to what Rera says, I will decide whether or not to invest more in Dubai. RAED

Dubai or Rera must change the current regulations of

Of course this is true, especially if their construction sites are almost empty! H.I.

RE: GLASS BUILDINGS ‘IRRESPONSIBLE’, SAYS EXPERT I guess the issue here is the extensive use of glass in a building. Another issue regarding sustainability is using materials which are cheaper to produce, maintain and recycle. Also there is the cultural aspect of architecture: is glass part of the culture? Glass is used when transparency is needed. But when you used tinted glass or glass shielded with solid patterns, then it becomes vital to reconsider the whole use of glass - and look for solutions where glass can be associated with other materials to achieve better sustainability and integration into the existing fabric. SAMIR NICOLAS SADDI

RE: ESTIDAMA CLEARS UP BUILDING CODE CONFUSION With a leap towards sustainability in the form of USGBC’s Leed, the initiative could have been modiﬁed

to suit the local needs of the entire region rather than reinventing the wheel. It was surprising to know that EGBC, which was earlier formed with the intention of streamlining the USGBC’s Leed initiative for the Gulf, is no longer venturing in this direction anymore. The ambiguous ideas presented by fresh graduate hires of UPC did not help relieve the existing hurdles that Estidama’s implementation is going to pose. It’s a matter of complicating the whole idea with cumbersome and confusing procedures. Unless the government supports the private developers’ projects by giving subsidies for taking green initiatives for their projects, the system will not be viable in ﬁnancial and socio-economic terms. SARIKA

RE: EXCLUSIVE: MEGAPROJECTS FOR JEDDAH AND AL KHOBAR Why has the kingdom not announced one comprehensive programme for the Makkah-MadinahJeddah region? This would streamline the delivery and fast-track prosperity in the region. The much awaited development has to be in conjunction with 5-10 year expectation to deliver the greatest global programme that would be virtually impossible to follow - one that would also create a large contingent of skilled and empowered Saudis. ZAK

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. The opinions expressed in this section are of particular individuals and are in no way a reﬂection of the publisher’s views.

CONSTRUCTION WEEK OCTOBER 31–NOVEMBER 6, 2009

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FOREWORD THE CULLING OF TRANSPARENCY

“THIS TREND HAS PREVADED ALMOST EVERY SECTOR OF THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY AND IS NOT HEALTHY GOING FORWARD”

Interviewing people in the region is always a bit of a challenge. And the reason for this is because most of the time, they worry about what not to say. An aspect, that is a little too popular in the region, is the presence of a public relations (PR) person when conducting interviews with top level management. This is seen more in markets where the freedom of the press hasn’t quite reached an international level. Now while the interviewee is happy to answer any question whatsoever, the PR person in the room often jumps in with “we wouldn’t like to comment on this” or “we’d rather not talk about that.” In a market which is becoming more transparent each day, it’s a little backward for companies to try and orchestrate the way the media works. Such efforts have never worked for long anywhere in the world and the sooner these methods of operation are abandoned, the better. This trend has prevaded almost every sector of the construction industry and is not healthy going forward. Transparency is prime. A company couldn’t do worse than appear to be trying to hide information from the media, which is the public eye. Contrary to popular belief, many publications understand the nature of sensitive issues and deal with them quite adequately. I’ve been ‘told’ several times not to reveal certain information that has been said to me during the interview sessions. And sometimes I don’t. Not because I was told not to by a PR person, but because an honest reply can sometimes be misconstrued and used against people who are, most often than not, simply trying to be transparent. Lets not cull that quality. Many changes are coming about in these times – hopefully company transparency is high up on that agenda.

PS. CW Awards winners will be revealed on our website Thursday morning.

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.

CONSTRUCTION WEEK OCTOBER 31–NOVEMBER 6, 2009

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FRONT

>Investors storm RERA ofﬁce to ﬁle complaint

>Highlights of the week

>Topical images with the latest news

>News from Building Sustainability 2009

>News analysis: Estidama reveals Pearl rating system 22

RENE LAGOS CALLED FOR MORE MIDDLE EAST OWNERS AND DEVELOPERS TO DRAW ON OVERSEAS TALENT AND KNOWLEDGE POOLS.

REGIONAL COMPANIES ASKED TO LOOK OVERSEAS FOR EXPERTISE Matt Warnock

Last week, the Chilean Trade Commission, ProChile, held a series of presentations at the Jumeirah Emirates Towers, Dubai, with the aim of encouraging trade between the South American country and the UAE. Architecture and engineering was one area that Chilean delegates believed emirati developers could beneﬁt from tapping into, due to a very speciﬁc set of skills. “There are expertise and techniques that Chile has that have not yet been fully implemented in this region – seismic systems in particular, important in an area renowned for very tall buildings,” said Chilean ambassador to the UAE, Jean-Paul Tarud Kuborn. “We also have exceptional knowledge in tunneling, underground metro and water technologies that Chilean companies can bring to this region.” Although the UAE was quick to embrace foreign expertise in the construction industry, much of that has come from the UK and Australia; the ambassador argued that now is the perfect time to expand that range. “For the past few years, everything has moved so fast and no one had any time to

look around at technology, what’s available or how to increase efficiency. The global slowdown allows us all to do that. I’m certain that the new technologies and competitive rates Chilean companies can offer will meet needs here.” Luis Eduardo Correa of structural engineers Rene Lagos Associates pointed out that 32% of all Chile’s service exports correspond to architecture and engineering. “We have 20 engineering schools and our company profiles include JVs, multinational acquisitions, foreign branches and national companies,” said Correa. “We’ve 40 years of professional experience at international standards; thanks to legal and tax flexibility along with international exchange of information, Chile has been seen as a lab for testing new technologies.” Rene Lagos Engineering owner Rene Lagos revealed that Chile’s location above a giant fault line had engendered expertise in seismic building. “Forty-nine years ago, Chile experienced the largest ever earthquake and every eight to ten years one of our cities is struck by

CONSTRUCTION WEEK OCTOBER 31–NOVEMBER 6, 2009

a big quake. This obviously becomes very important as structural engineers.” Rene Lagos now has operations in Miami and Abu Dhabi – as well as Santiago where the company is building the tallest tower in South America – and he claimed that such seismic expertise had a role to play here. Tomas Olea, regional manager for Crystal Lagoons, underlined the need for developers to look to emerging territories for fresh products, technologies and ideas too. “When a UAE delegation came to see our work in Chile, they couldn’t believe they didn’t already have our lagoons in Dubai or Abu Dhabi.” Crystal Lagoons creates tropical lagoons (or the world’s biggest swimming pools, as they’re often called) in areas where the coastline is cold, polluted or dangerous and even adds beachfront to areas hundreds of kilometers inland. “We told the delegation that we were currently working on the Dubai Lagoons project with more on the way, but they really felt like the UAE should have been leading the way.”

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FRONT DISGRUNTLED INVESTORS STORM RERA OFFICE By James Boley Around 30 investors turned up at Dubai’s Real Estate Regulatory Agency (Rera) last week to file a case over ongoing delays and specification changes at the Vue de Lac and Vista del Lago developments. Investors on the Al Attar projects at Jumeirah Lake Towers accused the developer of unreasonable delays and changes being made to apartments without the consent of owners. “We have been promised the project since the end of 2007. It was then pushed to the beginning of 2008, then the end of 2008, and now he’s saying 2011 – which will never happen, because to date they’ve only finished the piling,” said investor Makram Mohamed. Many asserted that apartment specifications had changed so drastically that they no longer wished to purchase property in the project and want a full refund. Investors are unhappy at what was described in a letter from Al Attar as “some small changes”, where two-bedroom apartments have been changed to one-bedroom units. Al Attar revised apartment prices in line with the reduction in apartment size, but investors said that smaller alternatives were not acceptable. “Because of the change of designation and all of this delay, we don’t want this property any more. The majority of people investing were buying to live in this property. Ninety per cent of our group wanted to live in this. Now they’ve changed the designation, we don’t need it. I bought a two-bedroom; you can’t give me a one-bed plus study,” said investor Shailendra Sainani.

INVESTORS ARE UNHAPPY WITH “SMALL CHANGES” AND DELAYS.

“The majority of us need our money refunded and the costs absorbed. [Al Attar] needs to resell the project from the beginning.” Some investors took out finance agreements in 2006 under the impression that the project would be handed over in 2008. They are now facing the prospect of paying five years’ worth of interest on crippling finance agreements, should the project be delivered according to a new completion date of 2011. “Can we still believe Al Attar can deliver in 2011, if they couldn’t even start construction in the last three years?” asked one investor. The group has filed a case with Rera because they say that Al Attar Properties is refusing to communicate with them except through a lawyer; no-one from Al Attar was able to comment on the case or development.

MEP SECTOR URGED TO ADOPT BIM SOFTWARE By Gerhard Hope The broader application of BIM software could allow MEP engineers to affect major savings on overall project costs, speed up the total design process, and improve ﬁnal build quality by reducing the possibility of mistakes. This was the view of Ruggero Valsecchi, export sales manager for Progman Oy, developer of MagiCAD software. Valsecchi was in the UAE recently to present a series of training seminars on “the market leader and standard in all the Nordic countries, where the BIM way of thinking about projects is already well-established.” Indeed, the Nordic countries and Singapore require certain BIM formats for regulatory approvals on building projects, revealed Valsecchi. “Here, there have been massive, incredible projects, and it is even more impressive to think that everything concerning MEP design has been done in 2D, manually.” This is where a solution like ours comes into its own, offering signiﬁcant savings on project resources in terms

CONSTRUCTION WEEK OCTOBER 31–NOVEMBER 6, 2009

of the bill of quantities and schedules. “Time, energy and cost savings are inherent because you already have all the information in your model, and do not need to recalibrate manually,” argued Valsecchi. “The more people involved in the process, the greater the chance of mistakes with cost implications, as you have to spend more time reproducing information manually. Then work has to be redone, material is wasted and changes or modiﬁcations have to be effected on-site. “MagiCAD solves co-ordination problems in the project phase and not on-site. This also reduces the total timeframe to completion because everything ﬂows smoothly.” Valsecchi added now is the time for Progman Oy to consolidate its local presence. “The pace of new projects is tapering off and competition is getting tighter, so companies are looking at boosting their productivity. Now is the ideal time for companies to look at alternatives. This is why we are here now.”

FRONT HIGHLIGHTS UAE

UK ASKS UAE TO PAY UP The UK’s secretary of state for business, Lord Mandelson, held talks with UAE interior minister of economy, Sultan Saeed Al Mansouri, over the non-payment of British construction ﬁrms. In the inaugural meeting of the UK and UAE Joint Economic and Trade Committee in London, it is understood that Mandelson raised the payment problems that UK ﬁrms were experiencing, while the UAE minister asked for an easing of the requirements for Emiratis to gain UK visas and discussed private investment opportunities in the UK. Jetco’s next meeting is in Abu Dhabi in April 2010. Bahrain

SILICON PECIALIST OPENS MIDDLE EAST OPS Manufacturer of siliconbased building materials Dow Corning has established a Middle East HQ in Manama. The ofﬁce will house engineers, chemists and the sales department, with large-

NEWS IN NUMBERS

Qatar’s Public Works Authority, Ashghal, has signed

contracts worth

US $412 million

scale growth expected over the next year. “The Middle East is growing rapidly and quickly diversifying its business footprint,” said Dow Corning’s chairman, president and CEO Stephanie Burns. Dow Corning has already provided products for several developments, including the Burj Dubai. UAE

TAMEER TOWERS HIRE HYDER CONSULTING Tameer has appointed Hyder as lead consultant for the Tameer Towers project in Abu Dhabi. President Federico Tauber said Hyder had been selected due to its previous highrise experience. “Hyder Consulting has provided multidisciplinary services and solutions to ten of the world’s 12 tallest towers and we are conﬁdent that this expertise coupled with their extensive regional knowledge and experience will be extremely beneﬁcial in ensuring the design excellence of Tameer Towers,” he said. Gensler is being retained as executive architect.

Saudi Arabia

EMAAR EC REPORTS US $16.9MN LOSS Saudi property developer Emaar Economic City blamed a weakening demand for housing for its Q3 loss of US $16.9 million. The company, developing the King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC) project north of Jeddah, posted the results on the Saudi stock exchange last week. “This loss is due to the circumstances of the real estate market where there is decreased demand for residential units compared to last year,” it said in a statement. The loss is down 65% compared to losses of $48.5m in Q3 last year. Oman

GALFAR WINS US $105M AIRPORT DEAL Galfar Engineering has won the tender for the construction of the Ras Al Hadd airport in Oman. The ﬁrm beat out bids from Larsen & Toubro, Hanjin Heavy Industries, Strabag and Desert Lines. Galfar chief executive Hans Erlings claimed the deal was worth

$105.2 million. In August, Oman invited tenders for the construction of three airports at Sohar, Duqm and Salalah. Bahrain

CONTRACTORS BAG SAFETY RECORD Bahrain Bay contractors last week completed ﬁve million man hours without any accidents. The US $2.5bn project is being worked on by Nass Murray & Roberts, AMA Group, Unicorp, Al Hassanain, Sumitomo and Chappo. “Any project which passes the ﬁve million lost-time injury-free (LTI) working hours milestone is a remarkable achievement and all should be congratulated for their efforts,” said Bahrain Bay CEO Bob Vincent. UAE

CONSTRUCTION JOBS ON THE INCREASE Companies are looking to increase their staff numbers. Experts claimed that the UAE, and Dubai in particular, had suffered most in terms of a recruitment decline, but the GCC as a whole appeared to be stabilising.

The ex-Nakheel employees accused of defrauding

Copper price has stabilized at

In Bahrain,

US $11.9 million

US $6000 per tonne after beginning the year at

construction workers, paid

have posted bail of

$272,000 (AED 1m)

each after being jailed for nine months

CONSTRUCTION WEEK OCTOBER 31–NOVEMBER 6, 2009

$3000 per tonne following a high of

$8000 per tonne last summer

US $212-$238 a month went on strike last week over being forced to do unpaid overtime and denied annual leave

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FRONT NEWS IN PICS

CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: The Dubai Land Department (DLD) publicly praised the developer Al Fara’a Properties for completing and delivering the US $61 million Le Grand Chateau project in Jumeirah Village, Dubai, ahead of schedule. Jumeirah Village master developer, Nakheel, also lauded the developer for handing over the project six months earlier than its 2010 deadline. “The Dubai Land Department wishes to congratulate the first batch of tenants on their move into Le Grand Chateau and for the excellent investment they have made with this exceptional project,” said DLD director general Sultan Butti Bin Mirjin. An under-construction building on Al Reem Island, Abu Dhabi, last week caught fire. Abu Dhabi police claimed the fire was caused by the burning of insulation items and that several workers were treated for minor inhalation injuries on-site. Police added that the fire was quickly contained in the structure that was set to be a residential car park. Infrastructure works on phase two of the man-made Al Marjan Island in Ras Al Khaimah will begin next month, developer Rakeen has revealed. The work will cover facilities for electricity, water, drainage, telecommunications, soft and hard landscaping, channel crossings, street lighting and fire fighting installations for Island Three and Island Four of the development. Italian company Rizzani was awarded the infrastructure contract for phase two in July this year. Jotun Paints announced that it had so far delivered more than three million litres of paint for the first phase of the Dubai Metro Red Line; under the terms of the contract that the paint giant had been rewarded, the company will also supply paints and coatings for the remaining phases of the Red Line and the entire Green Line, both set to open next year. The Burj al Arab was last week named the region’s most iconic landmark, with Zaha Hadid the Middle East’s most influential architect or designer. In spite of being the tallest building in the world, the Burj Dubai ranked second in the list of most iconic buildings, with 29% of the vote (Burj Al Arab scooped 34%) in a survey of 3,000 designers.

CONSTRUCTION WEEK OCTOBER 31–NOVEMBER 6, 2009

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BUILDING SUSTAINABILITY CONFERENCE SUSTAINABILITY MUST MAKE ECONOMIC SENSE A leading expert has highlighted the importance of ensuring sustainable construction projects are financially viable. In a lively workshop session at the Construction Week Building Sustainability into the Middle East conference, Royal Group’s Neil Kirkpatrick said that projects should act as a showcase for sustainability but could only do so provided they created incentives for developers. “We need to mesh sustainability with financial viability. A successful project needs to generate a profit, as well as providing a prompt ROI, as well as acting as a showcase for stability and improve the quality of life for the building’s users.” He said it was crucial to ensure sustainable solutions could be used on other projects to ensure benefits across the board. “You should seek to capture benefits and ensure they’re transferable. Creating win-win situations with your contractors is preferable,” he said. Kirkpatrick also recommended introducing sustainability as a planning factor as early as possible.

HOLLY CHANT: THE WORD GREEN IS STILL A MARKETING TOOL IN THE REGION.

SUSTAINABILITY STILL MOSTLY ‘GREEN WASH’ Sustainability is not being taken seriously and is a race to the bottom, experts have cvlaimed. Speaking to Construction Week, Holly Chant, corporate sustainability director, KEO International said: “Most projects and building materials manufacturers in the region are using tools like Leed certiﬁcation and the ‘green’ word to market themselves or their products. There is a lot of green washing going on in the construction industry. “If one has to truly become sustainable, you have to incorporate green solutions right from the concept stage. You cannot ‘green wash’ your project in the construction stage and expect it to be sustainable.”

She added that the main reason for this was due to the widespread misconception that sustainability costs more. At the conference, Estidama held a training workshop to help designers, developers and agencies to begin to think about sustainable development in the region but Samuel Keehn, environment and sustainable energy manager, Energy Management Services said: “It’s a race to the bottom I’m afraid. Many people are here to learn what the lowest required minimum standards will be after the green building codes are introduced in January. There is a lack of initiative in the market right now to push for sustainable construction and this is where the real change needs to come.”

ESTIDAMA CLEARS UP BUILDING CODE CONFUSION Members of the Urban Planning Council (UPC) and Estidama tried to clear up confusion regarding new build codes at the conference. Members of the audience – consisting predominantly of architects, engineers, developers and government agencies – had voiced their uncertainty over where the impending new building codes, which will be mandatory, would integrate with Estidama’s voluntary Pearl Design System, to be launched next year. “Our original goal was for the new build code to be sufﬁcient for all new buildings to meet the minimum levels to reach a ‘one Pearl’ rating,” said Estidama senior planning manager Gregory Acker. “We’re working diligently to try to make that happen, but the deal’s not done yet. We’ll only know in January. What I can tell you is that we‘re in the process of growing regulations and guidebooks to help the industry.”

CONSTRUCTION WEEK OCTOBER 31–NOVEMBER 6, 2009

UPC associate planner Aysha Abu Shahab added: “We re-discussed this issue as we felt that even ‘one Pearl’ should be higher than the build codes required in order to keep raising the bar.” Explaining why Abu Dhabi and UPC had seen the need to develop the Estidama and Pearl Design System guidelines when other certiﬁcation systems, such as LEED, already existed, Acker explained: “There is the need for a more climate- and region-responsive system with cultural considerations.” The UPC panel did explain that the two systems – the mandatory and voluntary – would mesh closely without repetition. “If it’s in the building code, then it won’t be in the Pearl Design System,” said Abu Shahab. “However, we’ve not discussed whether, at any point in the future, a certain Pearl rating may become mandatory in Abu Dhabi.”

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MEETING BUILDING CODES IS NOT ENOUGH A green building expert told delegates at Construction Week’s Building Sustainability into the Middle East conference that contractors and architects should design and construct buildings that go beyond the requirements of local building codes. Abu Dhabi Education Council senior architect Jyoti Sharma said construction stakeholders should be motivated by more than meeting the lowest possible requirements. “Building codes are the bare minimum that you have to meet simply to avoid breaking the law. If you want to build truly sustainable buildings, you need to build to a higher standard than the code.” She also added that developers should avoid seeing LEED or Estidama as the only target to aim for when constructing a building. “A rating tool isn’t a goal, it’s a practice of discipline,” she said. “It’s not about getting Pearls; it’s about trying to reduce energy and water requirements. “Most ‘green’ decisions are simply sensible and logical decisions. How much does it really cost to ensure your building is oriented correctly to reduce the cooling load required?” Sharma said she had worked on renovation projects in the US and found it was far easier to convert stock from the 1920s to be more sustainable than stock from more recent decades. “At some point we decided we were going to try and solve all our problems through technology. We can’t solve all of them with technology; we should do it through sensible thinking.” She added that green buildings had to be designed through an integrated process due to the need for ﬁnancial trade-offs. “The greater the ‘greening’, the more complicated the tradeoffs, and the more the various disciplines in the design process must work together. “If it’s not economically feasible, your client won’t make the decision to construct a green building.”

DEMOLITION PROJECTS ENDANGER PUBLIC HEALTH Members of the public are in danger of being exposed to toxins released by demolition, according to Pure Middle East CEO Yayha Al Rayyes, who warned that children were at particular risk. “There are a quite a few buildings being demolished in Abu Dhabi, but no-one is paying attention to the pollutants released by this: things like asbestos, mercury, legionella and neon,” he warned, adding that he had seen demolition work taking place near parks where children play. Al Rayyes, who once contracted a near-fatal illness as a result of poor building maintenance, said MEP consultants and FMs should pay close attention to solving HVAC health issues. “The problem is that we’re not looking at something that has an immediate effect. We’ll see these problems, like cancer, occurring further down the line. What kind of a generation are we going to raise here – a sickly one?” he asked. “Exposure to these sorts of things cannot be tolerated.”

CONSTRUCTION WEEK APRIL 4–10, 2009

ANALYSIS EXCLUSIVE: Estidama reveals Pearl rating system - almost ABU DHABI’S GREEN CERTIFICATION SYSTEM GIVES BEST INSIGHT YET, INTO ITS CONTENT By Matt Warnock Officials and consultants “WE’VE BEEN TESTING AND REFINING THE responsible for creating the SYSTEM FOR THE Abu Dhabi-led sustainability PAST FEW MONTHS ranking system, Estidama, AND WE NOW HAVE gave the clearest insight CATEGORIES ONLINE” yet, into how buildings would be ranked at the Construction Week Building Sustainability ble; the associates into the Middle East Conference that took also claimed that place in the UAE capital last week. many lessons had Based on what they described as the “four been learnt from pillars: environmental, economic, social and the ten-developcultural,” Estidama associates claimed the ment-strong pilot guidelines would be “appropriate, market programme that sensitive, incremental and will raise the ran recently. quality of the urban environment.” “We learnt that “The Pearls Design System (PDS) is a we’d set the bar voluntary green build rating tool for mas- too high and we ter plans and individual developments,” needed to re-evaluate explained Estidama’s Amy Haddin. where the fifth Pearl “We’ve been testing and refining the sys- would go,” continued tem for the past few months and now have Haddin. a categories-based classification, as can be “We also needed to simplify seen on the Estidama website.” the tools and the language Urban Planning Council (UPC) associate used, as well as creating a sysplanner Aysha Abu Shahab explained that tem that applied to more buildthe whole rating system would be overseen ing types, rather than simply by an Estidama assessor from the UPC, offices, residential and retail. So, however each development team will have future guidelines will apply to schools, health centres, hotels an Estidama trainer. “It could be anyone in the design and and resorts.” development team - at least one person The PDS works on a one to five but it can be the whole team too. It’s the basis and has six categories, each point of contact responsible for understand- worth a different percentage of ing regulations and supplemented design the total, based on its perceived importance. This also ensures guides to facilitate PDS. “Estidama trainers will have to pass an that, if a development or comexam on the rating method carried out by a munity is unable to comply with secure, independent service provider.” certain guidelines, it may be able The team admitted that they did not know to make up points with absolute how much the Estidama or PDS scheme best practices in other areas. would cost to participate in, although they The six categories are: livmaintained that it would be as low as possi ing systems (12%), liveable

CONSTRUCTION WEEK OCTOBER 31–NOVEMBER 6, 2009

10 TIPS ON HOW TO GO GREEN WITHOUT INCURRING ADDITIONAL COSTS By Jyoti Sharma, Senior education facilities design specialist, Abu Dhabi Education Council 1. The use of energy efﬁcient lighting 2. By the use of solar panels 3. Using water efﬁcient gadgets 4. Green roofs 5. Day lighting 6. Acoustic and thermal comfort 7. The use of low-emitting materials 8. Mold prevention 9. Alternative transportation like bicycles 10. Recycling and joint or community use of facilities

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

TOP RIGHT: UPC ASSOCIATE PLANNERS VLADIMIR LIMIN AND AMY HADDIN PRESENTED THE RATING SYSTEM TO THE ASSEMBLED AUDIENCE AT THE CONFERENCE. ABOVE RIGHT: DELEGATES TAKE NOTES AS DETAILS OF THE GREEN CLASSIFICATION SCHEME ARE REVEALED.

communities/buildings (30%), precious water (22%), resourceful energy (22%), stewarding materials (12%) and innovative practice (2%). Taking the resourceful energy category as an example, the section holds a sway of 22% of the overall rating; there are three pre-required points, seven additional credit areas with one of those a necessity for reaching a ﬁfth Pearl rating. The prerequisites are: minimum energy performance; energy monitoring and reporting; and ozone impacts of refrigerants and ﬁre systems. The seven additional credits are: improved

energy performance (5th Pearl); cool build- code do businesses hold themselves to? ing strategies; energy efficient appliances; “But, to be honest, this is an easy sell with vertical transportation; peak load reduc- the way that attitudes are changing these tion; renewable energy; and global warming days. What we’re trying to do is find someimpacts of refrigerants and fire systems. thing that works in this region. We want to But why exactly will developers, already be the tide that raises all the ships.” being bound by the Abu Dhabi building The government structure in the UAE is regulations and development codes, sign ideal, claimed Acker, with directives from the right source quickly taken on by indusup to achieve Estidama rating? “It’s all about doing the try. “Things can right thing,” said Estidama happen five times “WE SET THE BAR TOO senior planning manager faster here than HIGH AND NEEDED TO Gregory Acker. elsewhere.” RE-EVALUATE WHERE “The real way to affect change And now is the THE FIFTH PEARL is to find what resonates. What WOULD GO.” perfect time too,

OCTOBER 31–NOVEMBER 6, 2009 CONSTRUCTION WEEK

ANALYSIS “THERE ARE A LOT OF PLATINUM LEED BUILDINGS BUT THERE WON’T BE MANY FIFTH PEARLS” perhaps what is a three Peal today won’t be a three Pearl in years to come, but with ﬂexibility you can continually raise the bar. One thing I can promise is that we will always be extremely vigorous. There are a lot of Platinum Leed buildings, but there won’t be many ﬁfth Pearls!” 

SENIOR PLANNING MANAGER GREG ACKER AND ASSOCIATE VLADIMIR LIMIN TAKE QUESTIONS FROM THE AUDIENCE.

added Acker. “It’s always the case that in boom times, there’s not much time to look around for progression. “Abu Dhabi has always been a little more thoughtful and considered, but the recession adds another layer to that - there’s less expediency and more focus on quality.”

And Acker conceded that, just as the sustainable industry will move on, Estidama will also have to evolve. “It’s extremely ﬂuid; version one is just version one. Like every rating system, Estidama will get wider and richer. “It’s a given that things will move on and

FACE-TO-FACE SUSTAINABLE TALK

MOHAMAD NASRELDIN

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CW LOOKS AT TWO SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTS THAT ARE MAKING A DIFFERENCE HOW GREEN IS THE INDUSTRY AT THE MOMENT? The government is currently educating people and industries, so we’re deﬁnitely on the right track but that’s not sufﬁcient. People still take time to react, so new technologies and best practices need to be enforced.

The awareness of the major issues is deﬁnitely improving, even if it’s still not 100%. However, sustainability is becoming wellsupported, in actions as well as words. People know what is required and they’re pursuing those changes.

HOW RESPONSIVE HAS THE INDUSTRY BEEN TO YOUR PRODUCT? Structural Insulated Panels (Sips) are a brand new product for the Middle East market and most people are astonished that green wood is now so technically advanced. Everyone I talk to seems happy to discover such an environmentally good building material.

Very responsive. Invariably, anybody interested in energy saving enjoys ﬁnding out about our LED lighting, but last year, maybe only two in every 100 were in a position to buy. Now, that percentage has increased to ten in 100.

WHAT TYPE OF PROJECT DOES YOUR PRODUCT WORK BEST ON? For the time being, we’ll limit the number of storeys to three or four until there’s conﬁdence in the material, but in the US Sips has been used on 10-storey buildings. Sips can be used on villas, commercial properties and ofﬁces. In the US, they’ve enacted green wood laws to create safe and healthy schools for our children.

Our LEDs have external applications, so they’re ideal for street lighting, ﬂood lighting, car parks, security lights, canopies at petrol stations, for example, or under deck lighting in tunnels.

DOES YOUR PRODUCT REQUIRE INCREASED ATTENTION AT THE DESIGN STAGE? For architects, the design is exactly the same with Sips as it is for concrete or steel. For structural designers, it’s even easier. We use a tabular approach; wind, life cycle...it’s entirely prescriptive – you simply decide the Sips thickness accordingly.

If LEDs can be implemented at the design stage it’s so much better as the client can make such great savings on cables, panel boards...the earlier the better and we’re happy to help from the concept stage onwards.

HOW DOES YOUR PRODUCT STAND UP FINANCIALLY? Firstly, Sips is 10% cheaper than concrete but then there’s the whole issue of speed and manpower. Just 12 labourers working in two shifts could complete the superstructure of a villa - walls, ﬂoor and roof - in just 24 hours.

Take Al Sowwah Island, Abu Dhabi, for example, where they replaced luminar lamps with our LEDs along 5km of tunnels. The additional cost for this was AED1.9 million, but on day one they saved AED300,000 on cables, AED400,000 on not having to seperately light the pedestrian walkway, so AED 1.2million net.

WHAT HAPPENS AT THE DECOMMISSIONING STAGE? Well, that’s exactly the point of Sips. Our product is 100% recyclable – every inch of our buildings can be reused, once a building has been decommissioned. That’s why, we describe the building’s lifecycle as cradle to cradle.

CONSTRUCTION WEEK OCTOBER 31–NOVEMBER 6, 2009

Well, our LEDs are completely recyclable without any difﬁculty at all, which makes them stand out from traditional lighting solutions. There’s no mercury or heavy metals being dumped back into the earth, which is exactly what we all want.

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

Time, cost, risk and then there’s technology PAUL MADEIRA LOOKS AT HOW RECENT EVENTS HAVE AFFECTED THE ISSUES OF TIME, COST AND RISK ACROSS THE INDUSTRY AND HAVE HEIGHTENED THE VALUE OF TECHNOLOGY

The construction industry has witnessed a distinct shift in priorities over recent months as market conditions have made contractors, consultants and developers re-evaluate their strategies. There has certainly been a noticeable change in respect to time: the time to deliver; the time to pay (or not); the time to invest and the significant amount of time invested in changing working practices. Together, these have served to keep many offices extremely busy as they look to understand how they have been affected by recent events. Cost, cost management and cost control now dominate boardroom discussions across the region: the cost to complete, the cost of a tender and overall project cost are now all being closely monitored and scrutinised. Cost has become absolutely central to the diverse strategies employed by companies working within the industry. Minimising operational overheads through change in working practices and resource streamlining is intended to increase profitability, but not at the expense of performance. Attitudes to time and cost have certainly been affected but perhaps the most significant development has been in respect of risk. Inevitably businesses around the world have become acutely aware of the role that risk exposure and risk management play in prudent commercial strategy. Risk will always be a factor in business growth but construction companies must now seek to control it even more tightly as the changes in world economy and subsequent business conduct take effect. The question is how? In most industries, technology has played a major role in helping to manage and control business processes and risk. Unfortunately, for many years the construction industry has proven an exception to the rule; a fact that is surprising when you consider that many construction projects actually cost

more than the total annual turnover of most medium to large sized companies. The forces of supply and demand being what they are, the industry’s laggard reputation has meant that software development has historically been slower and more piecemeal than in other industries. The financial accounting (ERP) applications were primarily deployed to meet the requirements of only the head office accounting disciplines of a construction business. It was the intention that these systems should also be employed to manage, facilitate, control and deliver accurate financial reporting of the corporate business, as well as the construction specific activities. But the bottom line is that they haven’t been up to the job, falling short of the requirements of detailed commercial reporting of construction projects – a risk in itself! The inflexibility and inability of the corporate accounting system to capture and allocate data in this format has, in many cases, left no alternative but for the commercial and IT departments to develop complex spreadsheets, access databases and in-house systems to plug the gaps and capture, manage and report information in the required project format. This approach in itself can create problems as the systems are often run in isolation and stand alone from the corporate finance solution, creating the need to re-key data, resulting in errors, inefficiencies and duplication of effort. The need for “construction specific” technology that can offer comprehensive management across all disciplines of a organisation is self-evident. Such solutions allow for proactive management of structured and unstructured information required for the delivery of projects within a budget. Today, this is absolutely essential to mitigate risk for those winning work, delivering work and clients awarding the work.

“COST, COST MANAGEMENT ADN COST CONTROL NOW DOMINATE BOARDROOM DISCUSSIONS ACROSS THE REGION”

Paul Madeira is chief operating officer for Causeway with 18 years of experience from the IT industry through working with UK and North American global software firms. After college he studied a two year Institute of Management course to gain a qualification as an organisational and methods analyst. In December 2008, he relocated with his family to Dubai to lead Causeway’s continued development in the Middle East and Asia Pacific region.

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

OCTOBER 31–NOVEMBER 6, 2009 CONSTRUCTION WEEK

NEMANJA SESLIJA/ITP IMAGES

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW LAURIE VOYER

CHANGE IS HERE ‘CATCH THEM WHEN THEY’RE YOUNG.’ OR IN THE CASE OF LAURIE VOYER, NEW. VOYER IS THE FRESH BLOOD AT AL HABTOOR LEIGHTON GROUP AND HAS PROMISED TO TAKE THE FIRM, ALSO ONE OF THE BIGGEST CONSTRUCTION CONGLOMERATES IN THE MIDDLE EAST, TO NEW HEIGHTS. CONSTRUCTION WEEK EDITOR, CONRAD EGBERT CAUGHT UP WITH HIM IN THE REGION’S FIRST EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW, TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE NEW FORCE BEHIND AL HABTOOR LEIGHTON

When one’s in the presence of ingenuousness, you know it. The smiles are different, the handshake’s ﬁrm and most importantly, you’re looked straight in the eye, unabashed, with nothing to hide. And that’s Laurie Voyer for you – an honest man who seems like he’s not afraid to take on the world or answer an impertinent question. “I love pressure,” laughs Voyer when asked if he felt a little in awe of the job he’s taken on. “It doesn’t frighten me.” His reputation for health and safety standards precedes him and it is also one of the many changes he’s here to make. But all work and no play is certainly not what expatriates in Dubai are known for, so it’s good to know that Voyer is destined to ﬁt in perfectly. Fresh off the boat from Australia, he says his fascination for the Middle East is probably the main reason why he accepted the job. “I suppose from my point of view I was very happy to continue working in

Australia but the Middle East has always with an international contractor. The fascinated me beyond a work career. Leighton group had worked with Al I guess what drew me here was the Habtoor group in the 80s, both CEOs director of Al Habtoor Leighton Group, met, discussed it and boom! Al Habtoor but also in my own space, I thought it Leighton Group emerged. Magic. was a part of the world that I’ve never A positive outlook could possibly be fully understood. And quite honestly, the Voyer’s most valuable asset in a market, only way you can understand a place is if which is still struggling to cope with you’ve been there. the widespread “I want to be here; I damage the “I’D LIKE TO want to work here; I’ve economic UNDERSTAND THE got an opportunity to be downturn has WHOLE PLACE, here for the next four to caused. And this is THE CULTURE, THE ﬁve years and it’s not just probably why he’s RELIGION, HOW for the work – I’d like to able to take things THINGS WORK, SO I’M understand the whole EXCITED TO BE HERE” in his stride. place, the culture, the “It was religion, how things work, inevitable,” he says so I’m quite excited to be here.” looking unaffected. “But having said that The tie-up between Al Habtoor and the construction industry worldwide the Leighton Group happened like continues to function like a roller coaster “magic” he joked. Leighton was looking – sometimes it seems to go deeper to expand its presence world wide between the troughs and then peaks and similarly, the Habtoor family and again at various points, so it’s pretty shareholders were looking to couple-up natural in this industry to see things

OCTOBER 31–NOVEMBER 6, 2009 CONSTRUCTION WEEK

NEMANJA SESLIJA/ITP IMAGES

like this, however, I think Dubai has I might take five years now to build and probably got a long way to go. I mean all it’s a much steadier, safer and simpler the units still being built and the amount way of doing things. And it makes more of confirmed residential units to come sense. It’s considerably more practical online within the next six months, will as well.” continually keep the market constant for The Al Habtoor Leighton Group’s the next 5 to 6 years maybe.” work in hand is currently around the And that’s pretty much the most honest US $6 billion (AED22 billion) mark. In and feasible answer anyone in the addition, it is chasing about $3 billion in industry has ever given. He continues: Qatar alone. Voyer shines the light. “Infrastructure has got a long way to “There’s a people mover in the catch up, a lot of education city that we’re road works and looking at. We’re in support structures consortium with Siemens “I THINK THE for all those there, to provide a GREATEST developments transportation system for OPPORTUNITIES LIE still have to be Education City. We’re also IN THE WORK, RATHER very active in the bidding done, whether THAN THE PLACE” it’s power, for the Doha Port. I’m sure water or sewer. you know, we just won a Transportation Kahramaa (Qatar’s general still needs to catch up to the building water and electricity corporation) water activity that is going on. I think there reservoir project, so we’re looking will be spot opportunities around.” to grow in that area and that type of So has the region seen the end of activity, which we probably haven’t been projects like big residential communities traditionally known for in Qatar or even and crazy structures that have defined here for that matter. So that’s a part of Dubai in the past? Voyer says yes and no. the Leighton stable, I suppose, together “We’re still involved in some early with Habtoor Business, that we see the feasibility works on some major Habtoor Leighton brand beginning to opportunities but I don’t think they’ll be deliver. building anywhere near like the crazy “We see great opportunities in the record that they’ve been attempting to. oil and gas market in Qatar and we’re Instead of taking three years like before, probably going to struggle a bit, but we’ll

make some inroads there in the next four months I think.” Guessing that Qatar is the Group’s focus is a no-brainer. But Voyer dismisses it, saying it is the kind of work that is the focus rather than geographical location. Despite many of the biggest ﬁrms attempting to break into the Saudi Arabian market, he says it’s not a sole focus for him. But he also doesn’t deny that Al Habtoor Leighton has its eyes peeled for work in the kingdom. “I think the greatest opportunities lie in the work, rather than the place, and I think a lot of the Gulf countries have under spent in the last 20-odd years or so, in terms of infrastructure resources. So each of those particular GCC countries and their capitals, we look at, where they may be wishing to go with expanding or improving their infrastructure. So all the places you care to mention, we’re looking at and we want to probably get in there ﬁrst, rather than follow. Maybe the action is in Saudi today but there could soon be more action in Kuwait, here or Bahrain. All those places are all looking as optimistic, so maybe we can jump ahead.” It seems mister Voyer has a lot on his plate and much chalked out for his time in one of the hottest seats in the region, probably even the world. First on his agenda is to understand better the contracting opportunities available to him. A shift from Dubai to Abu Dhabi

FRESH BLOOD As managing director of HLG, Laurie Voyer will oversee the operations of the company. He has over 35 years’ senior management experience in the construction industry. Prior to relocating to Dubai in July, Voyer was deputy managing director for Leighton Contractors, the Leighton Group’s ﬂagship operating company. He was also in charge of the company’s construction and mining operations across Australia and New Zealand. The Al Habtoor Leighton Group’s work in hand currently exceeds US $6 billion (AED22 billion).

OCTOBER 31–NOVEMBER 6, 2009 CONSTRUCTION WEEK

and Qatar is also on the cards and could see some more job opportunities open up – an idea that would be more than welcomed by many in the current employment market. “We feel that we’re a little underresourced at the moment in some more technically challenging projects. There is a lot of university work and hospital work coming out of Abu Dhabi. And THE ROOF OF THE SORBONNE UNIVERSITY IN ABU DHABI HAS BEEN DEALT WITH ADEQUATELY SAYS VOYER. because there hasn’t been much of that sort of work being done in Abu Dhabi or Dubai, the job market is mainly unskilled makes a huge difference. We’re all roof has been dealt with and we have a in those areas and we’re actively human beings at the end of the day. satisfactory solution there. I think the campaigning at the moment to reinforce “We’re also reassessing our labour team has done an extremely good job of our professional staff in technically agreements and all the conditions of our dealing with that.” challenging projects like hospitals and workforce and I strongly believe we’ve During Al Habtoor Leighton’s time as universities. got an adequately skilled workforce. contractor on the Sorbonne University “There’s a lot of hospital work coming We should be able to produce better project in Abu Dhabi, the dome of the out of Abu Dhabi, but we’re not focusing quality work, more safely and on time main structure faced a few construction on that alone, we’re focusing on other and we’re going right back up the whole problems that were eventually ruled out markets as well. We don’t ever want supply chain to refocus on the inputs to be design flaws. to be caught over-exposed to one into our business, which is labour, and “There seemed to be some design issue particular market or one segment of that many other things, to understand that that weren’t perhaps fully analysed at geographic market, so we’re looking at we can perhaps get a better output if we the time but it’s been rectified now and the complete geography that is available concentrate on our inputs better. We are we’ve got a course of action in place to us. We’re reassessing everything.” to make it more stable now and in the going to be far Being in a tight spot is future,” explains Voyer. “ALL HUMAN BEINGS more strategic in part of the game and Al Many contractors in the industry feel ARE ENTITLED TO GO where we take our Habtoor Leighton has that designs in the region, sometimes, HOME SAFELY AT THE business.” been up against a few more over step the practical line and need to END OF THE DAY” Voyer’s be revisited but Voyer doesn’t think that walls than most have. The reputation in company has, in the recent view applies to him. health and safety “I wouldn’t say that’s right,” he argues. past, faced a corruption and labour rights precedes him. The “I guess the problem we would see in scandal, had issues with Sama Dubai, boys on Build Safe UAE seemed to some of those situations, and of course faced construction problems with the know more about his safety record than Sorbonne University dome in Abu Dhabi beyond the dome at Sorbonne, is always he probably would. According to him, this continual pressure to try and reduce and recently suffered a labour strike, labour reforms take up a big chunk of his but Voyer says it’s all going to change costs and to make it look architecturally agenda. more elegant. But there is a balance and despite bad press, the company is “I think we have a reasonable approach running at a high. somewhere, and you say enough is to health and safety. We like to ensure enough; we need robust designs that will “We weren’t particularly happy with that our labour are efficiently suitable operate under any conditions. Probably what happened about three or four this needs to be done in more technically for the task and are motivated to do weeks ago when we had those riots, challenging structures like the dome at the task because that makes sure we but we were already starting to look at Sorbonne, where you need a third party get a quality output and we deliver on various matters inside the workforce review process from what I can see time. All human being are entitled to anyway. It clearly brought about an looking back. go home safely at the end of the day. So embarrassment and brought forward “Maybe the third party review process from my point of view, whether I’m in our plans for the whole evaluation of our wasn’t thorough enough and perhaps it Australia or Kuwait or downtown Dubai, supply chain particularly in the labour should have been. In the future though standards should be no different. In our market. So we’re probably a few weeks we will always look at independent third experience in Australia we’re seeing a away from having those matters solved. party reviews of our designs in those significant improvement in output and “There are still some issues with sorts of structures. Habtoor Leighton productivity of our workforce when Sama Dubai; Sorbonne – we handed will insist on third party reviews.”  we’ve got a very safe site. Motivation phase one over on time, the issue of the

CONSTRUCTION WEEK OCTOBER 31–NOVEMBER 6, 2009

SPECIAL REPORT

LEED COMPLIANT

VALERIANO HANDUMON/ITP IMAGES

HOW YOU CAN CONTRIBUTE TO GREEN BUILDING

OCTOBER 31–NOVEMBER 6, 2009 CONSTRUCTION WEEK

A R E YO U LEEDING THE I N D UST RY O N ? GREEN BUILDING PRODUCTS CAN CONTRIBUTE, IN A BIG WAY, TO ACHIEVING A LEED CERTIFICATION. CW DELVES DEEP INTO THE ISSUE. By Conrad Egbert

he preservation of “It drives me mad when I get phone calls our environment is from building material manufacturers tryquickly climbing ing to lure me to meet with them on the up many people’s back of their Leed certification,” said Holley agendas – be it world Chant, Leed AP, who is corporate sustainleaders, environment ability director at international consultancy protectionists or even firm Keo. individual industries, including the likes of “As soon as someone says they’re Leed construction and oil and gas. certified, I make sure they’re ruled out comAt first, it was just activists shouting pletely. Leed does not certify products, it slogans on street corners, but it soon certifies buildings and from there on, comcaught the attention munities etc. People calling me up to say their products of global leaders and “PEOPLE CALLING governments all over are Leed certified already UP TO SAY THEIR the world. shows how little they know PRODUCTS ARE LEED The gravity of the about Leed.” CERTIFIED ALREADY The Leadership in Energy situation has now SHOWS HOW LITTLE THEY KNOW ” seeped deep into the and Environmental Design daily lives of the world populace with many incorporating green methods into everything they do. Recycling is a small example. It CEMEX TIP ON HOW TO DISTINGUISH has also made its way into the conscience of manufactures – case in point, building A REAL GREEN PRODUCT FROM A materials manufacturers. Construction activity is one of the biggest GREEN WASHED ONE? contributors that harm the environment and many suppliers have begun to realise Ask building materials suppliers how they can help reduce the carbon this and turn to less emitting materials and footprint of their projects, improve their greener products. environmental management system and However, the change has also given birth contribute to obtain any of the green to a new opportunity – an opportunity, building rating system points. which some manufacturers have used to market themselves.

CONSTRUCTION WEEK OCTOBER 31–NOVEMBER 6, 2009

(Leed) Green Building Rating System was developed by the US Green Building Council (USGBC) in 1998 and provides for environmentally sustainable construction. Attaining a Leed certiﬁcation is considered one of the hardest achievements and this is due to its transparent process where the technical criteria proposed by the Leed committees are publicly reviewed for approval by more than 10,000 membership organisations that constitute the USGBC. So what do building materials manufacturers really mean when they say they are Leed certiﬁed? David Guilabert Ortuno, planning director, Cemex explains it from a suppliers point of view. “It means they are a supplier of products

MAPEI’S TIPS ON HOW SEALANTS, ADHESIVES AND BUILDING CHEMICALS CAN CONTRIBUTE TO ACHIEVING A LEED RATING that can help construction projects gain Leed credits,” he says. “There is no Leed certiﬁcation for suppliers; it is a building rating system not a company rating system. “However, a company can position itself to be a supplier of materials that will help a project earn a host of different Leed credits. For example, Cemex can supply products to reduce the UHI (urban heat island) effect, contain certain levels of recycled materials, reduce energy consumption in a building or help projects gain innovation credits by surpassing the normal performance requirements. These are some examples of where the building materials used, can contribute directly to a projects Leed certiﬁcation.” But Tarana Daroogar, technical services

• Materials that improve air quality by developing an indoor air quality plan to reduce particles in the air during installations. • Low VOC emitting products by using indoor environmental quality.

manager for building materials provider Mapei, feels that the correct term is not Leed certiﬁed but “Leed compliant”. “There is often a misconception on this point. Products are often referred to as ‘Leed compliant,’ which means that they can contribute to the points

• Recycled content by reducing impact from extraction and processing of virgin materials. • Using of regional materials by reducing environmental impact from transportation.

required for the Leed rating or other green building certiﬁcations. Chant agrees that certain products can help towards attaining a Leed certiﬁcation but that again depends on a host of many factors, and a product that is pegged to be green could just as well become an

OCTOBER 31–NOVEMBER 6, 2009 CONSTRUCTION WEEK

EFRAIM EVIDOR/ITP IMAGES

offender, depending on the way it is used. and trying to label their products as green “It’s a very strict process and each material products, while it requires more detailed is assessed individually. Even products, are analysis of the actual application and conthen further assessed and what went into ditions of use and also the manufacturing making the product is looked at, the condi- process involved.” tions it was manufactured in, the resources Cemex’s Ortuno agrees: “Sustainable conused and many other factors.” struction is a reality and is clearly becomBut with such pressure mounting in the ing a differentiation factor in our industry. region to become Leading companies environmentally in the construction sector are implementfriendly and sustainable, are building ing green products “EVEN PRODUCTS ARE materials manufacand practices around ASSESSED AND WHAT turers beginning to the world. WENT INTO MAKING THE PRODUCT IS LOOKED AT” “Being the GCC, really go green and is the same presone of the top constructions spots in the sure also driving some manufactures to simply ‘green wash’ world, the need to go green will increase. their products? Unfortunately, not all manufacturers are ready “Absolutely,” says Daroogar in response to take on such a new challenge and their green to the former. “Many manufactures are products campaign looks more like ‘green responding to the requirements of the mar- wash’ rather than a truly green product.” ket in the introduction of ‘green’ products, But with more and more manufactures however, we ﬁnd that some manufactures becoming responsible, coupled with a more are taking advantage of this opportunity educated market, there is very little space

CHANT SAYS LEED CERTIFICATION IS NOT EASY.

left for green washed products to survive. The economic downturn has had a catastrophic impact on the industry but along with the bad there is good and fake green products are set to be washed away. 

THE BIG EVENT CONSTRUCTION WEEK CONTINUES ITS PREVIEW OF THE INDUSTRY’S LARGEST EXHIBITION IN THE REGION AND ASKS: WHAT DOES THE FUTURE HOLD FOR THE BIG 5? By Alison Luke

he Big 5 is undoubtedly the largest construction industry event held in the Middle East. So with the sector feeling the full effects of the global recession, how has the exhibition been affected and what does this mean for its future? The region’s construction industry has undergone major changes since the previous Big 5 in 2008 and it seems certain that evidence of this is likely to be seen at the 2009 event both in terms of footfall and the types of products being exhibited. However industry opinion leading up to the event remains positive. In addition to the returning exhibitors, numerous ﬁrms have booked exhibition spaces for the ﬁrst time in order to enter the region’s market and there is a widely held view that the Big 5 can only become more successful if it adapts to meet the changing market needs.

MAKING AN ENTRANCE Among the new entrants to the Big 5 this year are Porcellan and Newell Rubbermaid. The two ﬁrms offer very different product ranges and demonstrate the diversity of products that will be showcased at the exhibition.

PORCELLAN AMBIENCE WILL BE SHOWN AT BIG 5.

“Porcellan is the latest venture of the Jamal Al Ghurair Group and will produce 18 million m2 of glazed, polished, unpolished and technical porcelain tiles per year,” explains Porcellan marketing consultant Sara Al Ghurair. The firm offers a wide range of porcelain tiles with a high aesthetic standard and quality, in different sizes. It showcased its products for the first time at the Cersaie trade show in Italy during September 2009 and is using the Big 5 as the launch pad for its portfolio in the Middle East. “We consider Big 5 as an appropriate platform to launch our products in the local and regional markets. We believe that this will give us a big boost in terms of our product exposure and brand visibility,” explains Al Ghurair. Newell Rubbermaid has also deemed the Big 5 as the most suitable platform from which to showcase its products to the wider construction the market in the region. The firm will be exhibiting its Rhino industrial labeling solutions and handheld label printers. Aimed at professional installers, the printers include features such as ‘hot keys’ which format commonly used labels, plus a built-in library of industry symbols and terms in order to reduce time on site. Newell Rubbermaid will also be officially launching the Rhino 5200 to the Gulf region

ALI IHSAN CETINER, GM, EMIRATES INDUSTRIAL PANEL.

“THE PANELS PRODUCED ON EIP’S CONTINUOUS LINE ARE PRODUCED FROM RAW MATERIALS WITH ZERO ODP” during the event. “The successor to the Rhino 5000, with this newest addition to our industrial grade hand-held label printer line professional installers can now enjoy advanced features such as more ‘hot keys’, an improved ergonomic design and a larger graphical display,” explains Newell Rubbermaid trade marketing manager MEA Leslie Konrad.

EMIRATES INDUSTRIAL PANELS CAN HELP TOWARDS SUSTAINABLE CONSTRUCTION AND FIRE SAFETY.

CONSTRUCTION WEEK OCTOBER 31–NOVEMBER 6, 2009

> For more special reports visit www.ConstructionWEEKonline.com

“WE SEE HUGE POTENTIAL STILL IN THE ARABIAN GULF COUNTRIES”

JENS SCHUELL, MARKETING MANAGER, UPONOR.

EXPANDING SERVICES Of the returning exhibitors to Big 5 in 2009, many are taking the opportunity to introduce new products and services to the region that are more in line with the changing construction market. Fire safety, sustainability, improved client service and new construction methods are all factors cited as reasons for new product lines. Concrete cooling specialist KTI Emirates will be introducing its 4th generation of ice water and cold water plants and 3rd generation of flake ice plants to the market at the Big 5. The firm will also be launching new service packages and contracts reports KTI Emirates’ Tobias Graf. Emirates Industrial Panel (EIP) is planning to take the opportunity to address two of the top considerations in the region: sustainable building and fire safety. The firm will be showcasing its insulated metal panels for industrial and commercial investments and demonstrating how the products can assist in these issues. “The panels are widely used for covering the roof and façade of industrial and commercial buildings as well as creating cold

stores inside buildings that are used by food and pharmaceutical industries,” reports EIP general manager Ali Ihsan Cetiner. “Although insulated metal panels have been present in the UAE for some years, the industrial types that are produced on the latest technology continuous lines were not present,” explains Cetiner. EIP is a supplier of PIR fire-resistant panels that are certified to withstand fire and preserve their insulation and integrity features up to certain time limits as will be outlined in detail at the Big 5. Their contribution to sustainable building will also be in focus. “The panels produced on EIP’s continuous line have much improved properties that increase their contribution to preserving the environment: they are produced from raw materials with zero ODP; and they have superior insulation capabilities, hence decrease the consumption of fossil fuels,” adds Cetiner.

UPONOR PROVIDED ITS SOLUTIONS IN BANGKOK.

Foamglas and Uponor will also be taking the opportunity to highlight the sustainable nature of their products when used in the region’s construction projects. “Foamglas is a thermal insulation that is produced from recycled glass, which has properties such as, it is fully impervious to water and humidity, absolutely non-combustible and is very eco friendly,” explains Marco Thomas Vincenz, general manager Middle East, Foamglas. The ﬁrm will be using mock-ups to demonstrate the use of Foamglas in buildings. It will also be launching its new website and

WHAT’S THE LONG-TERM FUTURE OF THE BIG 5 FOLLOWING THE RECESSION? “It might be likely that smaller exhibitions ﬁnd it difﬁcult to ‘survive’ in the future and the interest might be concentrated on bigger shows where you can meet everyone.” Leslie Konrad, trade marketing manager MEA, Newell Rubbermaid “[The Big 5] will still increase as it is the construction exhibition for the Middle East.” Tobias Graf, KTI Emirates “A big exhibition covering all components of interest for the visitor will be more successful [in the future].” Marco Thomas Vincenz, general manager Middle East, Foamglas “Smaller new exhibitions focusing on green building and sustainability are coming up

and the future will show if the Big 5 can incorporate that.” Jens Schuell, marketing manager, Uponor international “The global downturn in the construction sector is not here to stay. I think next year the Big 5 may have to be organised on an even larger scale. Of course, bringing in elements of focus on specialised areas of construction will surely add value to it.” Sara Al Ghurair, marketing consultant, Porcellan “We believe that investors and professionals could reap more beneﬁts from more focused versions of Big 5, targeted at a more speciﬁc parts of the construction sector.” Ali Ihsan Cetiner, general manager, Emirates Industrial Panel

NEWELL R5200 LCD CAN BE FOUND AT THE BIG 5.

OCTOBER 31–NOVEMBER 6, 2009 CONSTRUCTION WEEK

AN EXPERIENCE WHICH IS TRULY...

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> For more special reports visit www.ConstructionWEEKonline.com

the ﬁrm will show how its system can be applied with the new riser system being used in the region, particularly for highrise construction.

ECONOMIC EFFECTS KTI EMIRATES WILL LAUNCH A NEW RANGE AT BIG 5.

a new product, Foamglas W+F (wall and facade), which has been specially designed for wall applications and has an improved thermal conductivity rating. Uponor International’s product portfolio includes a wide range of underfloor cooling, heating, and installation solutions: multilayer and PE-Xa pipes, pipe-fixation, manifolds and control devices. At the Big 5 it will demonstrate its new underfloor cooling concept and outline the special project services it offers in this field for consultants, architects and contractors. These include simulation of buildings, calculations including bill of quantity, installation plans and supervision of the installation. In addition,

Despite the fall in construction activity in certain parts of the region over the past year, the Big 5 exhibitors remain conﬁdent about future sales potential of the exhibition and the Middle East region in general. “The economic downturn has affected us more in Europe and North America; outside of these areas the situation is quite stable,” reports Uponor International marketing manager Jens Schuell. “But in general we see huge potential still in the Arabian Gulf countries,” adds Schuell. “In the Middle East the downturn was obvious, but not in each country,” reminds Graf. “The demand will increase for sure; it was just a temporary uncertainness at the beginning of the year and the growth in the years 2007 and 2008 was over-proportional,” he adds. He cites the previous planning for

mega-projects and ongoing demand for new applications and products as aspects that are set to provide a positive future in the region. “The growth in countries that were not affected much by the crisis will be on a high level,” predicts Graf. EIP is hoping that the Big 5 will provide it both with new business and a true indication of the future of the market. “In the very recent months we have seen signals of an upturn and are very much looking forward to Big 5 to get a validation of those signals,” states Cetiner. “Big 5 will play an important role in assessing the situation of the markets in relation to the economic crisis,” he adds. Despite being a recently established company, EIP has already exceeded its growth expectations and expects its presence at Big 5 to contribute to further growth. “We did not have too high expectations and we were focusing our strategy on being a sustainable and reliable supplier that would still be in the market for its clients during and after the downturn,” explains Cetiner.

“This has paid off sooner than we thought: the growth experienced within the last one year period was almost 1.5 times the projected rate,” he adds. Newell Rubbermaid also reports a positive upturn in business: “We have increased our distribution this year and have grown our business by 35% in the Gulf against last year,” reports Konrad. “We have big business expectations in this region and see a lot of potential,” she adds. After examining the development potential of the Rhino products in the region the ﬁrm believes that this is the right time to increase its activities, hence its participation in Big 5. “Apart from a small phase of hesitation in Q1, we experienced tremendous growth rates against the previous year,” reminds Konrad. Rather than simply seeking new clients and agreeing sales at the Big 5, Foamglas is viewing the event as an opportunity to educate and present its solutions to professionals that are aware of typical thermal insulation problems in the region. “Planners know exactly the high risk related to

Middle East humidity or ﬁre in building applications,” states Vincenz. “Also consultants looking for sustainable and green solutions are very welcome and appreciate our green product, which will contribute Leed credits [to projects].

THE FUTURE OF BIG 5? With the future of the Big 5 intrinsically linked to the health of the construction sector in the region, what can we expect from 2010 and onwards? An increased focus on certain areas of the construction sector is one suggestion put forward by exhibitors in order to ensure its future effectiveness. “We are not expecting any reduction in the size of Big 5, but we

“WE HAVE INCREASED OUR DISTRIBUTION THIS YEAR AND HAVE GROWN OUR BUSINESS BY 35% IN THE GULF AGAINST LAST YEAR”

believe that investors and professionals could reap more benefits from more focused versions of it that target specific parts of the construction sector,” states Cetiner. Al Ghuair agrees: “Bringing in elements of focus on specialised areas of construction will surely add value to Big 5,” she states. “Smaller, new exhibitions focussing on green building and sustainability are coming up and the future will show if Big 5 can incorporate that,” adds Schuell. However, Al Ghurair stresses that changing worldwide economics will play a large part in future developments. The sheer scale of the event may prove to be one of its most positive attributes according to Konrad. This increased focus has already spread to the exhibitors themselves. Schuell explains: “Many exhibitors that were present in 2008 are not participating in 2009, only the companies with long-term interests in the market are present.” Good news for time-strapped firms that rely on the event as a major source of contacts and product information. 

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§ § § § DIRECTORY

DIRECTORY TENDERS | PROJECTS | SUPPLIERS | CITY UPDATE

48 TENDERS 49 PROJECTS SPECIALIST SERVICES 50 Building materials 51 Construction chemicals/concrete 52 Education & training/ﬂooring 53 Recruitment/steel CITY UPDATE 54 Jubail, Saudi Arabia

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

OCTOBER 31–NOVEMBER 6, 2009 CONSTRUCTION WEEK

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

DIYAR AL MUHARRAQ Diyar Al Muharraq is currently managing the development of a mixed-use development with the same name. Earlier this month, it was revealed that the ﬁrst tender for the Bahrain project would be opened to bidders by the end of the year. The tender will involve the construction of 500 affordable houses and associated infrastructure. Construction is set to start on the development’s infrastructure in mid 2010. Diyar Al Muharraq will cover an area of 12km2 and offer 30,000 residential units. The main investor of the project is Kuwait Finance House. 

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

BAHRAIN Issuer: Ministry of Health Tender No: MOH/155/09 Description: Asphalting and landscaping for properties of the Bahrain Ministry of Health. Closes: November 4 Fees: BD15 Contact: www.tenderboard.gov.bh

ONE TO WATCH Issuer: Diyar Al Muharraq Description: Construction of 500 affordable houses. Open date: Q4 2009 Contract value: Unknown Contact: PO Box 75777, Manama

EGYPT Issuer: Chamber of Commerce in Assuit Description: Construction of the Chamber’s new residence. Closes: November 23 Fees: EP1000 Bond: EP150,000 Contact: Al Awqaf Buildings, Building No.5, Assuit OMAN Issuer: Ministry of Health Tender No: 278/2009 Description: Construction and maintenance of Sinaw Hospital extension. Closes: November 2 Fees: OR250 Contact: www.tenderboard.gov.om Issuer: Ministry of Transport and Communication Tender No: 290/2009 Description: Pavement works for Thumrait Al Maziona Road Fees: OR900 Contact: www.tenderboard.gov.om Issuer: Ministry of Health Tender No: 294/2009

DIYAR AL MUHARRAQ IS ONE OF BAHRAIN’S LARGEST PRIVATE SECTOR DEVELOPMENTS.

Description: Consultancy engineering services for the design and supervision of a new general hospital in Saham. Closes: November 16 Fees: OR125 Contact: www.tenderboard.gov.om QATAR

Issuer: Saline Water Conversion Corporation Tender No: MT-384 Description: Replacement of high voltage cables. Closes: November 7 Fees: SR500 Contact: www.swcc.gov.sa

Issuer: Public Works Authority Tender No: PWA/GTC/009/09-10 Description: Construction of trunk and internal sewers within Ain Khalid Area – phase 2. Closes: November 10 Fees: QR8000 Contact: Contract department, Public Works Authority

Issuer: Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu Tender No: PIC G-1679B Description: Procurement, testing, commissioning and construction of two mosques in Yanbu. Closes: November 15 Fees: SR1000 Contact: Director for Purchasing, Contracting Department, PO Box 30031, Madinat Yanbu Al Sinaiyah

Issuer: Public Works Authority Tender No: PWA/GTC/038/09-10 Description: The construction of the remaining part of Al Amir Road and a roundabout junction at the end of the road. Closes: November 10 Fees: QR2000 Contact: Contract Department, Public Works Authority

Issuer: Ministry of Finance Tender No: 1200 Description: Construction of a dual carriage way in Al Regei outlet. Closes: November 17 Fees: SR2000 Contact: www.mof.gov.sa

Issuer: Public Works Authority Tender No: PWA/GTC/036/09-10 Description: Construction of a medical training centre, a car park, roads and all related service works. Closes: November 10 Fees: QR2000 Contact: Contract Department, Public Works Authority SAUDI ARABIA Issuer: Ministry of Finance Tender No: 1193 Description: Expansion of the Ministry of Finance in Qassim. Closes: November 3 Fees: SR1000 Contact: www.mof.gov.sa Issuer: Al Imam Muhammad ibn Saud Islamic University Description: Construction of a women’s campus. Closes: November 4 Fees: SR75,000 Contact: www.imamu.edu.sa

CONSTRUCTION WEEK OCTOBER 31–NOVEMBER 6, 2009

UAE Issuer: Dubai Electricity and Water Authority Tender: CE/0081/2009 Description: Supply of inlet air chilling for gas turbines at ‘L’ Station Phase 1 at Jebel Ali. Closes: November 4 Fees: AED5000 Closes: www.dewa.gov.ae Issuer: Dubai Electricity and Water Authority Tender No: CNE/606/2007 Description: The construction of Hassyan Power and Desalination Station. Closes: November 8 Fees: AED5000 Contact: Head ofﬁce of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority

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

¦PROJECTS

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

§ PROJECTS

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

Project focus

KUWAIT METRO The project calls for the construction of a 171km metro, 6km of which will be built underground. The metro will run across the inner city of Kuwait and will include four lines. A consortium led by Al Dashti International Group , along with the local Kuwait United Development Group and member of Spain’s Ingenieria and Consultoria de Transporte carried out the feasibility for the US $7 billion (KD2 billion) development. Companies will be invited to bid for the main construction contract in 2011. The entire project is expected to be completed in 2016. 

PROJECT TITLE

TENDERS WILL BE INVITED ON THE KUWAIT METRO IN 2011 .

CLIENT

CONSULTANT

MAIN CONTRACTOR

VALUE (US$MN)

STATUS

CENTER FOR RESEARCH & STUDIES AT SHARQ

Ministry of Public Works

Gulf Consult

Al Jaraih Contracting

COLLEGE OF TECHNOLOGICAL STUDIES AT SHUWAIKH

Public Authority for Applied Education & Training

Al Dowailah Engineering Consultants

Not Appointed

16 - 30

award awaited for the main contract

VOCATIONAL TRAINING INSTITUTE IN JAHRA

The Public Authority for Applied Education & Training

In House

Not Appointed

31 - 100

award awaited for the main contract

INJASSAT TOWER

Injassat Real Estate

Projacs/KEO International

Ahmadiah Trading & Contracting

AL AQEELAH TOWER

Al Aqeelah Finance Leasing & Investment Co;

Al Mousawi Engineering Consultant

Kharaﬁ National

ADMINISTRATION BUILDING AT KUWAIT INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA)

Dar Al Handasah/Jassim Qabazard

Not Appointed

HEALTH CENTER AT BAYAN PALACE

Ministry of Public Works

In House

Alamiah Building Company

IMMIGRATION HEADQUARTERS AT FARWANIYA

Ministry of Public Works

Kuwait Technical Consultant

Not Appointed

IDEAL HIGH SCHOOL AT AQAILA

Ministry of Public Works/Ministry of Education

Al Zamami Consultant

Bader Al Mulla & Brothers Company

project under construction

KUWAIT BUSINESS TOWN AT AL MIRQAB AREA - ZONE 3

Kuwait Business Town Holding Company

Projacs/Pace/Fentress Bradburn

First United General Trading & Contracting

project under construction

AL HAMRA TOWER

Ajial Real Estate Company

Al Jazeera Consultants

Ahmadiah Trading & Contracting

241

project under construction

HOTEL AT SALMIYA

Mr. Fahad Al Maiylem

Al Aliyan Consulting

Not Appointed

31 - 100

project under design

NEIGHBORHOOD CENTRE AT EAST OF AL AHMADI

Ministry of Public Works

Kuwait Technical Consultant

Not Appointed

award awaited for the main contract

SPECIAL FORCES TRAINING FACILITY

Ministry of Public Works/Ministry of Interior

Dar Al Handasah

Alamiah Building Company

KUWAIT INSTITUTE OF JUSTICE

Ministry of Public Works/Ministry of Justice

Al Zamami Consultant

Not Appointed

KUWAIT BUSINESS TOWN AT AL MIRQAB AREA - ZONE 1

Kuwait Business Town Holding Company

Projacs/KEO Int’l/Gensler Associates

First United General Trading & Contracting

IMMIGRATION HEADQUARTERS AT FARWANIYA

Ministry of Public Works

Kuwait Technical Consultant

Not Appointed

KUWAIT project under construction

project under construction

16 - 30

project under construction

101 - 250 53 2.5 - 15

204 31 - 100 108 2.5 - 15

award awaited for the main contract project under construction bidding underway for the main contract

project under construction bidding underway for the main contract project under construction bidding underway for the main contract

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

SPECIALIST SERVICES §

¦SPECIALIST SERVICES CONSTRUCTION PRODUCTS AND SERVICES MADE EASY IN CONSTRUCTION WEEK’S DIRECTORY TO ADVERTISE PLEASE CALL +971 4 435 6375, OR EMAIL SHISHIR.DESAI@ITP.COM

Supplier focus

REEM EMIRATES ALUMINIUM

MANUFACTURER OF ARCHITECTURAL FINISHES AND METAL WORKS

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

Reem Emirates Aluminum (REA) is part of the Royal Group based in Abu Dhabi. The group is a conglomerate of more than 150 companies specialising in a range of commercial and industrial activities including real estate, landscaping and construction. REA was established in May 2006 to provide solutions to the construction industry in the UAE and the Gulf. At its inception, the company specialised in architectural curtain wall and cladding for buildings and, due to its success the company has recently established two business units, which will allow REA to offer more services to its clients. These include Reem Emirates Metal, which was established in February this year and Reem Emirates Glass, which was set up in May this year. The company also has ofﬁces in Doha, Qatar and in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. REA is typically involved during the earliest stages of a project giving technical advice and scheduling information to improve the quality of its architectural claddings. It provides products such as 3D metal cladding, domes, rolling shutters and skylights. REA is also promoting energy efﬁcient, environmentally friendly façade construction. 

REEM EMIRATES ALUMINUM CEO AND FOUNDER DEREK BRUCE.

BUILDING MATERIALS

CONSTRUCTION WEEK OCTOBER 31–NOVEMBER 6, 2009

BUILDING MATERIALS

HARD LANDSCAPING SUPPLIER

CEILINGS/PARTITIONS

§ SPECIALIST SERVICES

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

Calcium silicate and cement bre boards of thickness 6mm, 9mm and 12mm. Tiles vinyl fabricated and painted. CONSTRUCTION/MANUFACTURERS

CONSTRUCTION CHEMICALS

Fiberglass reinforcing mesh

DEWATERING

Engineering Works Foundation Infrastructure (L.L.C.) P.O. Box: 111245, Dubai - U.A.E. P.O. Box: 2752, Abu Dhabi - U.A.E. Tel: +971 4 340 9022 Fax: +971 4 340 8952 E-mail: brian@ewfi.ae

SPECIALIZED DEWATERING SERVICES: • Specialized in Deepwell, Wellpoint, Open pumping techniques • Professional Service OTAL (LLC) Dubai, U.A.E Phone: (+971-4) 267 9646 e-mail: otal@eim.ae website: www.otal.ae

• Round the clock backup • Effective Groundwater control OCTOBER 31–NOVEMBER 6, 2009 CONSTRUCTION WEEK

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

CONSTRUCTION/MANUFACTURERS

SPECIALIST SERVICES §

¦SPECIALIST SERVICES CONSTRUCTION PRODUCTS AND SERVICES MADE EASY IN CONSTRUCTION WEEK’S DIRECTORY TO ADVERTISE PLEASE CALL +971 4 435 6375, OR EMAIL SHISHIR.DESAI@ITP.COM

CONTRACTORS/MANUFACTURERS

LANDSCAPING

POST TENSIONING

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

FLOORING

HVAC & PLUMBING RELATED EQUIPMENT

CONSTRUCTION WEEK OCTOBER 31–NOVEMBER 6, 2009

PP CORRUGATED SHEETS

RECRUITMENT

,OOKING TO RECRUIT WORKERS FROM

)NDIA .EPAL

"ANGLADESH 3RI ,ANKA

0HILIPPINES 4HAILAND

ยง SPECIALIST SERVICES

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

6IETNAM 0AKISTAN

OR LOCAL LABOUR SUPPLY 7E ALSO UNDERTAKE -IGRATION 3ERVICE TO !USTRALIA #ANADA 4EL &AX % MAIL ASSIDUAA EIM AE STEEL

STEEL

HEM, IPE, IPN, UPN

STEEL

WOOD AND TIMBER

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

OCTOBER 31โ NOVEMBER 6, 2009 CONSTRUCTION WEEK

RAJESH RAGHAV/ITP IMAGES

CITY UPDATE JUBAIL, SAUDI ARABIA The world’s largest construction project JUBAIL HAS BEEN GROWING SINCE 1975 AND SHOWS NO SIGN OF STOPPING AS THE FIRST CONTRACTS FOR JUBAIL TWO ARE AWARDED By James Boley

“WHEN THEY WERE STARTED IN THE 1980S EVERYBODY WAS SAYING ‘THESE PEOPLE ARE CRAZY, DON’T BOTHER DOING IT’”

PETROCHEMICAL INFRASTRUCTURE REMAINS AN IMPORTANT SOURCE OF CONTRACTS.

CONSTRUCTION WEEK OCTOBER 31–NOVEMBER 6, 2009

uch like Yanbu, its congruent city on Saudi Arabia’s west coast, in 1975 Jubail was designated as an industrial city, and is now the largest industrial complex of its kind in the world. Having been described as far back as 1983 as ‘the largest construction and engineering project ever attempted’, the city shows no sign of slowing down. The city is now expanding to create a Jubail Two, an 84km expansion project located some 8km to the west of the established Jubail One. Recent months have seen a flurry of big value contracts awarded, with little sign of a slowdown. In July, Saudi Arabia’s Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu awarded five construction contracts for Jubail Industrial City worth a total of US $257.5 million (SR964.3 million). The largest contract, worth $93.5 million, was awarded to Azmeel Contracting and Construction Corporation in association with Saudi Tumpane Company for phase one of Jubail’s Community site development. The contract will run for three and a half years. Meanwhile, Saudi Aramco handed out 13 EPC contracts, worth a total of $9.6 billion, to undertake work on its Jubail Export Refinery mega project. Manufacturing and infrastructure remain high on the agenda in the city. In anticipation of increased growth, Suez Energy International and Acwa Power Projects are constructing a $3.4 billion independent water and power plant for the Power and Water

RAJESH RAGHAV/ITP IMAGES

JUBAIL’S INDUSTRIAL FOCUS HAS CREATED A MASSIVE DEMAND FOR POWER AND WATER PROJECTS IN THE KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA.

trial City and the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. Construction began in 2007 and is expected to ﬁnish in Q1 2010. However, the city isn’t ‘all business’. September saw Rezayat pick up the construction contract for the $7 million social and cultural centre. The 2,261m2 building is due in Q1 2011. Jubail itself has proved to be a valuable

RAJESH RAGHAV/ITP IMAGES

Utility Company for Jubail and Yanbu. The power plant will comprise of four blocks and will be based on combined cycle generation gas turbines. Meanwhile, the desalination plant will comprise of 27 units that will use multiple effect distillation technology (MED). Jubail IWPP will produce 2,745MW of power and 800,000m3 per day of desalinated water to Jubail Indus-

training ground for the economic city developments taking place across Saudi Arabia. “Jubail and Yanbu are very successful stories. When they were started in the 1980s everybody was saying ‘these people are crazy, don’t bother doing it’ – everybody was gambling about its failure and now everybody is talking about its success. It proved to be the right decision at the right time,” says Saudi Arabia’s Deputy Minister for Town Planning Dr Abdulrahman Al Shaikh. 

“EVERYBODY IS TALKING ABOUT ITS [JUBAIL] SUCCESS. IT PROVED TO BE THE RIGHT DECISION AT THE RIGHT TIME”

TOP PROJECTS

US$

Jubail IWPP New Petrochemical Facilities in Jubail Industrial City LDPE Plant in Jubail 8AB Substation in Jubail Site development of Jubail 2 - stage 2 - phase 1

3.4bn 1.1bn 300m 80m 75m

KSA DEPUTY MINISTER ABDULRAHMAN AL SHAIKH SAYS JUBAIL INDUSTRIAL CITY IS A MODEL FOR SUCCESS.

OCTOBER 31–NOVEMBER 6, 2009 CONSTRUCTION WEEK

DIALOGUE TAREK EL FAR Green billing Ista International managing director Tarek El Far discusses how his company’s billing solutions can benefit both the environment and the purse strings

By Sarah Blackman

What systems and services does your company offer?

Ista is the global leader of energy and water consumptionbased billing and has 100 years of experience. Our offices are in Germany but we have global presence and installations in 26 countries, plus millions of meters and billed units. Europe and the US are the main markets, served by 4600 employees. The company offers radio frequency technology, including hardware, as well as a range of flexible billing solutions. Web portals, energy management, retrofitting and consultancy services are also integral parts of the portfolio.

physics so you can imagine the level of sophistication it takes to execute this job. How do your services stand to beneﬁt the region in terms of energy efﬁciency and green building?

You can save energy but, ﬁrst, you have to know where exactly energy is being used so that you can manage it. Sub-metering identiﬁes this and is proven to save 10% to 20% of energy consumption. It helps facilities managers do a good job, and it helps optimise building designs and energy requirements.

What are consumption-based billing and sub-metering?

What customer base are you targeting?

Metering is from the utility or district cooling plants to the building. Sub-metering is inside the building. The consumption cost is often distributed by square feet. This is not fair; since tenants do not know whose energy they are paying for and cannot even arrange their own energy ﬁnances. Consumptionbased billing means paying only for individual consumption based on the accurate reading of the sub-metering system.

We offer services to utility professionals, real estate developers, facilities managers and district coolers. Building management system suppliers and MEP contractors often require the hardware as well. In general, we work on mixeduse projects.

What differentiates you in the market place?

Ista’s innovative wireless solution is cutting-edge technology. It features bi-directional frequency, whereby meters are sending and receiving. This eliminates the need for numerous data concentrators, saving hardware cost and time during installation and programming. It combines all types of energy (chilled water, water, gas and electricity) in a single bill, and includes a tailor-made web portal. This system has recently been awarded a best practice award for outstanding performance. The same system has been speciﬁed for the iconic Burj Dubai. What is the value of the Burj Dubai contract and what is the scope of the work?

We can’t talk much about this. However, the building challenges the laws of

Why did you choose to set up business in the Middle East?

The Middle East was a possible location for the company to expand to but it was handled remotely from our head office in Germany. Tarek El Far is the managing director of However, to cope with the phenomenal Ista in the Middle East, based in Dubai and growth in the Middle East, particularly covering the Middle East and North Africa. in the GCC countries, we established Tarek is an Egyptian who moved to the UAE Ista Middle East in 2007. UAE leaders 10 years ago as the business development always look for best practice, innovative manager for a global leader in the electrical solutions when it comes to energy substations field. His task was to expand savings and reduction of carbon the business in the UAE. emissions, so the Middle East was the His engineering background, along with perfect hub for Ista. 13 years with a multinationals in various countries, exposed him to utlities best practices. As a result, in January 2008 he was chosen by Ista International to establish and manage the company’s operation in the region through Ista Middle East. Through his leadership, Ista Middle East is expanding rapidly as major developers and district cooling plants become aware of the benefits of the Ista business model.

CONSTRUCTION WEEK OCTOBER 31–NOVEMER 6, 2009

What is your outlook for the future? Has the economic slowdown had any signiﬁcant impact on your business?

We often talk about privatisation, outsourcing and cooperation between government and private sectors, however, this is still not the case in our ﬁeld. Energy providers should outsource services and focus on their core business. Authorities like Dubai Green Buildings and Estidama will make this happen.

Alumil Gulf fzc subsidiary of ALUMIL in the Middle East

Technology Park, RAK FTZ, RAK tel +971 7 2444106, fax +971 7 2444107 email support.uae@alumil.com, sales.uae@alumil.com

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