MEP Middle East - July 2010 by ITP Business Publishing

MIDDLE EAST

Essential information for mechanical, electrical and plumbing professionals

An ITP Business Publication | July 2010 Vol. 5 Issue 7

SOUND DESIGN THE IMPACT OF AIR-CON ON ACOUSTIC COMFORT

ON THE BEACH AL RAHA IN ABU DHABI

TOP MEP CONSULTANTS An in-depth look at who’s who in the region, and current major projects

ALSO: JIM SEBASTIAN FROM ECOVAL ON SOLAR WATER HEATING

JULY 2010 VOLUME 5 ISSUE 7

CONTENTS 25

03 CONSTRUCTION WEEK ONLINE 05 COMMENT

32 TECHNICAL: ACOUSTICS Air-con equipment can have a massive effect on acoustic comfort, especially in schools.

06 UPDATE

19 MEP AWARDS 2010

UAE projects looking for MEP contractors.

42 REGION IN FOCUS 34 TECHNICAL: OIL SAMPLING

11 EVENTS

41 BUSINESS LEADS

A well-run oil-testing programme can save time, money and a lot of unnecessary effort.

Top MEP projects in the UAE.

44 METAL MONITOR 45 PRODUCTS

20 THE BIG INTERVIEW Jim Sebastian from Ecoval.

24 TOP 20 MEP CONSULTANTS A listing of the top MEP consultants active in the region.

www.constructionweekonline.com

37 SITE VISIT Aldarâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Al Muneera precinct, part of the Al Raha Beach development in Abu Dhabi.

40 LEGAL

48 THE LAST WORD Lewis Beck, Johnson Controls Workplace Strategy Lead EMEA, on the impact of workspace utilisation on sustainability.

July 2010 | MEP Middle East 1

Everybody is talking "going green". We have the right solar and renewable energy solutions for you. The Viessmann Group, whose head office is located in Germany, is an internationally leading manufacturer of heating system technology. With its current product range, Viessmann offers heating equipment in three distinct categories with output ranging from 1.5 kW to 20 MW. On offer are freestanding and wall mounted boilers for oil and gas, DHW calorifiers, as well as systems utilising renewables, such as heat pumps, solar heating systems and boilers for sustainable fuels. The product range is rounded off with control technology and data communication equipment. Viessmann represents quality made in Germany. Check us out at www.viessmann.com.

)NDIVIDUAL SOLUTIONS WITH EFĂź CIENT SYSTEMS FOR ALL FUEL TYPES AND APPLICATIONS

Domestic boilers, DHW cylinders and calorifiers

Wall mounted boilers

Solar collectors

Heat Pumps

Commercial boilers

Viessmann Middle East FZE SAIF Zone PO Box 120841, Sharjah UAE phone +971-6-557 87 56 Âˇ fax +971-6-557 87 65 e-mail: info-me@viessmann.com

CONSTRUCTIONWEEKONLINE.COM OM M IN PICTURES

MOST POPULAR

• LEED buildings are ‘unhealthy’, says report • New contractors liable for ghost building collapse • Saudi Electricity to build SR7.9 bn power plant • Saudi targets Jeddah city slums project

EDITOR’S CHOICE

AL MUNEERA, AL RAHA BEACH Dubbed the ‘great Arabian water city of the twenty-first century’, Al Muneera, a precinct of the Al Raha Beach development, for client Aldar Properties PJSC is a flagship project for DSI Abu Dhabi, which falls under the auspices of DSI PJSC. For more galleries, check out www.constructionweekonline.com/galleries

COLUMNS AND FEATURES

• Abu Dhabi to get world’s largest solar power plant

IS LEED BOGUS?

FAD FREE

• US$1.7bn contract for two IPPs in Oman

Orlando Crowcroft, Editor, Middle East Architect

Selina Denman, Editor, Commercial Interior Design

• ASHRAE enters into Japanese MoU

Frank Gehry is not the ﬁ rst person to criticise the LEED ranking system, and he is unlikely to be the last. But the architect’s comments have caused quite a stir …

Design has a decidedly uneasy relationship with fashion. Fashion is whimsical; design is dependable. Design is, in theory at least, free from fads.

• Singapore fines 14 companies for bid-rigging

SPY IN THE SKY

EGYPT THE NEXT BIG THING

Greg Whitaker, Editor, PMV Middle East From the operator of any kind of motorised ﬂeet – be it trucks, bulldozers, crop dusters or go-karts – the advantages of telemetry are obvious.

Stuart Matthews, Senior Group Editor Is Egypt the next place to be? Contractors and developers with interests in the country are trying to convince us that the answer is yes.

• Full steam ahead on Dubai Metro Red Line

SPOT POLL

Do you think ghost buildings offer good opportunities for contractors?

50.0% Yes, if contractors take a stake in the property they are more likely to get paid.

50.0% Definitely not, they are dangerous and should all be pulled down

0% Maybe, they give old contractors a chance to finish what they started.

0% No, the risks are too high For more comments, check out www.constructionweekonline.com/comments www.constructionweekonline.com

July 2010 | MEP Middle East 3

AT ;9(5,, WHEN IT COMES TO ENERGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT, WE NEVER FOLLOW. WE 3,,+.

WITH THE HIGHEST PERCENTAGE OF LEED ACCREDITED GREEN BUILDING PROFESSIONALS IN THE INDUSTRY, IT’S NO WONDER TRANE HAS RECEIVED RECOGNITION FOR ITS ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP IN VIRTUALLY EVERY CATEGORY. AS A CHARTER MEMBER OF THE CLINTON CLIMATE INITIATIVE AND PLATINUM SPONSOR OF GREENBUILD AND THE LEED FOR SCHOOLS INITIATIVE, TRANE HAS THE DIRECTION, STRATEGIES AND GLOBAL COVERAGE TO MAKE A POWERFUL CONTRIBUTION IN THE FIGHT AGAINST GLOBAL WARMING AND CLIMATE CHANGE. LEARN MORE:

DUBAI OFFICE

- PO BOX 31000 - DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - PHONE: +971 04 346 0090

AWARDS:

BEST OF THE STRATOSPHERIC OZONE PROTECTION AWARD 2007

| HVAC PLANT ENGINEERING PRODUCT OF THE YEAR – GOLD AWARD 2007 SUSTAINABLE BUILDING INDUSTRY COUNCIL BEST PRACTICES AWARD 2004 | U.S. EPA CLIMATE PROTECTION AWARD 1999 U.S. EPA ENERGYSTAR® BUILDINGS ALLY OF THE YEAR 1998 | U.S. EPA STRATOSPHERIC OZONE PROTECTION AWARD 1998

ENGINEERED SYSTEMS

CONTROLS

Audited Average Circulation 10,400 copies July - Dec 2009

SERVICES

PARTS

TRAINING

TRANE.COM

COMMENT MIDDLE EAST

Registered at Dubai Media City PO Box 500024, Dubai, UAE Tel: 00 971 4 210 8000 Fax: 00 971 4 210 8080 Web: www.itp.com Offices in Dubai & London ITP BUSINESS PUBLISHING CEO Walid Akawi Managing Director Neil Davies Managing Director ITP Business Karam Awad Deputy Managing Director Matthew Southwell Editorial Director David Ingham Business Development Manager, Saudi Arabia Rabih Naderi EDITORIAL Senior Group Editor Stuart Matthews Tel: +971 4 210 8476 e-mail: stuart.matthews@itp.com Editor Gerhard Hope Tel: +971 4 210 8305 e-mail: gerhard.hope@itp.com ADVERTISING Advertising Director Construction Andrew Parkes Tel: +971 4 210 8570 e-mail: andrew.parkes@itp.com Business Development Manager, Saudi Arabia Rabih Naderi STUDIO Group Art Editor Dan Prescott Designer Angela Ravi PHOTOGRAPHY Director of Photography Sevag Davidian Senior Photographer Jovana Obradovic Staff Photographers Efraim Evidor, Isidora Bojovic, George Dipin, Lyubov Galushko, Ruel Pableo, Rajesh Raghav, Mosh Lafuente, Murrindie Frew, Shruti Jagdeesh PRODUCTION & DISTRIBUTION Group Production Manager Kyle Smith Deputy Production Manager Matthew Grant Production Coordinator Devaprakash V A Managing Picture Editor Patrick Littlejohn Image Retoucher Emmalyn Robles Distribution Manager Karima Ashwell Distribution Executive Nada Al Alami CIRCULATION Head of Circulation & Database Gaurav Gulati MARKETING Head of Marketing Daniel Fewtrell Marketing Mangaer Annie Chinoy ITP DIGITAL Director Peter Conmy ITP GROUP Chairman Andrew Neil Managing Director Robert Serafin Finance Director Toby Jay Spencer-Davies Board of Directors K.M. Jamieson, Mike Bayman, Walid Akawi, Neil Davies, Rob Corder, Mary Serafin

Heat is on; power is off

ot on the heels of us commenting on the power outages plaguing neighbouring Sharjah (‘Lightless in Sharjah’, June), both Kuwait and Saudi Arabia were faced with the prospect of mandatory power cuts as blistering early-summer temperatures sent power demand for aircon soaring. In Iraq, soaring temperatures and accompanying power outages have sparked protests in two southern cities and the resignation of the electricity minister. Recently power consumption in Kuwait peaked at 10 823 MW, dangerously close to the maximum capacity of 11 200 MW, according to figures on the electricity and water ministry Web site. Early summer temperatures in Kuwait have already hit 49.5 degrees Celsius (121.1 Fahrenheit), the highest so far this year, according to the state-run met office. Electricity and water ministry officials have appealed to consumers to switch off any unnecessary electrical appliances and air-con units, which consume most of Kuwait’s electricity output. Amusingly, an emergency parliamentary session convened to discuss the power crisis recommended that working hours for government employees be changed from 07:30-14:30 to 07:00-12:00 in order to conserve power. In a much more serious light, MPs also called for an investigation into allegations of corruption in the ministry of electricity and water, which has allegedly delayed building new power plants since 1988, despite an 8% annual increase in electricity demand. Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Mohammed Al

Ahmad Al Sabah has pledged that Kuwait aims to double its power capacity to more than 20 000 MW in the next five years. The new Subbiya power station under construction at present is expected to produce 1 320 MW by the summer of 2011, and reach its full capacity of 2 000 MW in 2012. Nowhere is the need to optimise HVAC systems more prevalent than in summer, as well as the critical role played by the MEP sector in helping the region stay cool while simultaneously saving energy. On the topic of energy conservation, this month we speak in-depth to Jim Sebastian from Ecoval about the impact that solar hot water heating can have. One does not think of the necessity of water heating in a region like the Middle East, but it is a big consumer of electrical energy – second to air-con, it seems. So any attempts to introduce new technology like solar hot water heating is bound to go a long way to reducing the strain on the electricity infrastructure. However, Sebastian warns that a plethora of competing systems and rival vendors has resulted in a rather confusing market for the end user. The inherent disadvantage of this situation is it will delay the uptake of technologies like solar hot water heating. Meanwhile, customers who have burnt their fingers on cheap imported products not suited for the region’s specific climatic conditions are likely to tar the sector with the same brush. What is clear is there is a huge opportunity for the MEP sector to help the sector shine as a whole by disseminating installation and other technical information, as well as helping to integrate technology so as to offer customers the best optimised systems. GERHARD HOPE Editor

Circulation Customer Service Tel: +971 4 435 6000 Subscribe online at www.itp.com/subscriptions Certain images in this issue are availiable for purchase. Please contact itpimages@itp.com for further details or visit www.itpimages.com Printed by Atlas Printing Press L.L.C. Dubai The publishers regret that they cannot accept liability for error or omissions contained in this publication, however caused. The opinions and views contained in this publication are not necessarily those of the publishers. Readers are advised to seek specialist advice before acting on information contained in this publication which is provided for general use and may not be appropriate for the reader’s particular circumstances. The ownership of trademarks is acknowledged. No part of this publication or any part of the contents thereof may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form without the permission of the publishers in writing. An exemption is hereby granted for extracts used for the purpose of fair review.

*BPA Worldwide Audited Average Qualified Circulation 6,083 (July - Dec 2009)

ON THIS MONTH’S COVER We showcase the top 20 consultants in the region in the MEP sector, looking briefly at their history, major achievements and key current projects.

COMMENTS Do you have any comments about the MEP industry in the Middle East? Please e-mail any letters to: gerhard.hope@itp.com or post to: MEP Middle East, ITP Business, PO Box 500024, Dubai, UAE.

www.constructionweekonline.com

Keep up-to-date with all MEP Middle East news at

July 2010 | MEP Middle East 5

UPDATE

Hastie wins MEP contracts in Qatar Four contracts underpin ﬁrm’s growing regional presence MEP CONTRACTS

Hastie Group Limited, a leading international provider of technical services to the building and infrastructure sectors, has received contracts for four projects in Qatar with a total value of A$66 million. “These latest project wins conﬁ rm Hastie’s increasingly strong market position in the Middle East, where we are currently undertaking work in Abu Dhabi, Qatar, Dubai and Saudi Arabia,” said Hastie Group MD David Harris. He added that Hastie was working on a slew of projects across the Middle East, and was therefore not dependent on any single market. “The projects also demonstrate the value our customers in the Middle East place on our ability to provide an integrated range of MEP and refrigeration services from a single source.” Harris said Qatar has the world’s third-largest gas reserves, and its economy is growing fast, opening up further

opportunities for the group. Two of the new projects relate to infrastructure. Hastie has been appointed by Leighton Contracting Qatar to provide MEP services including ﬁ re and CCTV, infrastructure control systems (SCADA) and instrumentation and chlorination work for a A$233 million water infrastructure project that includes nine reservoirs. It will link two Qatari communities. Hastie’s work will begin in June 2010 and is expected to be completed over 15 months. The second, smaller infrastructure project, for the Public

Energy City in Qatar

Works Authority of Qatar, is to provide pipeline reticulation for ofﬁce cooling systems as part of the US$2.6 billion upcoming Energy City project. The other project involves MEP services, including

The projects also demonstrate the value our customers in the Middle East place on our ability to provide an integrated range of MEP and refrigeration services from a single source.“ – David Harris

fi refi ghting systems, for a major hotel development for Al Rayyan Tourism Investment Company. The scope of works relates to the construction of the Traders Hotel managed by Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts. Hastie has commenced works on the project this month, with completion scheduled for November 2011. The fi nal project involves MEP services for the New Doha International Airport (NDIA) aircraft wash apron. The NDIA is being constructed on a 22 square kilometer area east of the existing Doha airport. Hastie has been appointed by Sinohydro-Gamuda WTC Joint Venture. The group, which established its Middle East operations in 2005 and has 2 000 employees in the region, has had previous experience in the Qatar market, said Harris. Among other projects in the Middle East, Hastie is currently working on a US$204 million contract for a new university campus in Abu Dhabi.

14 000 air-con units supplied to Al Razeen Labour City AIR-CON

Al-Futtaim Engineering has won a contract to supply 14 000 Sanyo air-conditioners to Al Razeen Labour City in Al Wathba, Abu Dhabi for Abu Dhabi General Services Company (Musanada). The contract was awarded by the International Construction Company (ICC). Al-Futtaim Engineering is a multi-disciplinary engineering organisation operating across the UAE and Qatar, with over 30 years of successful operations. The Al-Futtaim Group provides total solutions to the 6 MEP Middle East | July 2010

(From right) Rajesh Bhatia, divisional manager, A/C division, AFE; Dawood Bin Ozair, MD; Fuad Mashal, CEO of ICC; Farhat Noor Khan, regional sales manager; and Shadi Shadi, sales engineer

building industry through its proven expertise in MEP,

elevators and escalators, security and low-voltage systems, air-

conditioning, building products and scaffolding and formwork. The company represents international brands like Hitachi, Sanyo, Toto, LM and Chubb. Abu Dhabi is a key regional focus, according to Al-Futtaim Engineering MD Dawood Bin Ozair. “It is growing in a big way.” He adds that the company’s strategy of securing work outside Dubai has resulted in a “solid” order book. “We are very hopeful about the future. We have not been as adversely affected as other companies have been, and are still growing,” says Bin Ozair. www.constructionweekonline.com

UPDATE

Metito in Iraq

Independent Technical Solutions LLC P. O. Box: 62447 Dubai Tel: +971 (0)4 2679885 Fax: +971 (0)4 2679886 Email: sales@intechsolutions.ae

Contract for two water-treatment plants WATER TREATMENT

Metito has secured a US$50 million project from TRC to procure, design, manufacture and supply process equipment related to the assembly of two water-treatment plants in Iraq. Both plants will have a combined production capacity of 17.52 million cubic metres of safe drinking water annually. These two plants are part of the efforts aimed at responding to the urgent and rising needs of Iraqis for clean, drinkable water. The plants are expected to be completed and fully operational by the summer of 2011. “Years of war and neglect have left the infrastructure in Iraq weak and in a deteriorated condition. This has had devastating effects, resulting in water quality that is well below national and international standards, not to mention a huge gap between increasing demand for water and decreased supply for it,” commented Metito Iraq GM Moustafa Hassan. Situated in the north-west part of the Thi-Qar governorate, the Nasser treatment plant will supply fresh drinkable water to over

· Car Park Induction & Jet Fan Ventilation System. · Tunnel Ventilation System. · CO & Smoke Detection System. Website: www.hcgroep.com

Metito Iraq GM Moustafa Hassan

81 000 people residing in Naser and its surrounding communities. Ghammas is located 70 km south-east of Al Diwaniyah city, and will cater to over 84 000 residents. Both plants will utilise the natural rivers of Al Gharraf and Ghammas, which both ﬂow past the centres of these towns. “The annual volume of treated water produced by existing facilities in both cities is around 3.538 million cubic metres annually, which does not meet the huge demand for clean fresh water. “This is why Metito was chosen for this project. Our expertise and work in other war-torn countries around the world will contribute heavily to the success of both projects,” said Hassan.

New insulated pipe plant for Saudi INSULATED PIPING

Detailed plant engineering and design is underway for a new insulated pipe manufacturing plant in the Dammam Industrial Area in Saudi Arabia. The plant will be developed and operated by PermaPipe’s subsidiary, Perma-Pipe Middle East (PPME), in tandem with its existing plant in the UAE, with the aim of serving the entire GCC region. It will be known as Perma-Pipe Saudi Arabia (PPSA). The new state-of-the-art manufacturing facility will serve the special requirements of the oil and gas industry, as well as the rapidly www.constructionweekonline.com

growing market for district cooling networks in Saudi Arabia. PPSA will also be equipped to custom-manufacture pipe spools and a complete range of pre-insulated ﬁttings. The company has received an industrial licence and the required commercial registration, and expects the plant to be fully operational in 2011. “We eagerly anticipate this major strategic initiative, which will address the largest market in the GCC countries,” said Perma-Pipe president Fati Elgendy. PermaPipe has successfully served Saudi Arabia since the 1970s.

· · · · · · ·

High Efﬁciency Capture Jet Hood Ultra Violet Kitchen Filtration System Automatic Water Wash Hood System Ventilated Ceiling Service Distribution Unit Ecology Unit MARVEL Intelligent Hood Control System Website: www.halton.com

· Mist Eliminator · Low Displacement Ventilation Equipment · Grills & Diffusers · Chilled Beams · Oil & Gas Dampers · Blast Valves · Cabin Ventilation Unit

· Industrial quality Pressure Independent Flow Control Valves. · Maximize your Delta T and minimize energy use with Flow Control DeltaPValves. · The only Valve that GUARANTEE Delta T performance · High technology that translates to high Delta T and efficiency gains. · Other benefits includes 5 – Year Warranty, 3 Pressure / Temperature Ports, Lifetime Serviceability, Guaranteed DeltaT, Flow Predictable To + / - 5% Website: www.flowcontrol.com

Flow Meters BTU Measurement Systems CHW · HW · CW · DW · Steam ONICON offers a variety of ﬂow technologies BTU and ﬂow management needs, to meet your y backed by our legendary customer service. all backe Contact ONICON today to learn how accurate a factory calibrated energy and affordable affor measurement system can be. measure · · · · ·

BTU Meters Inline Magmeters Insertion Magmeters Insertion Turbine Flow Meters Vortex Steam Meters · Highly Accurate · Cost Effective · Individually wet-calibrated to your application

Website: www.onicon.com

July 2010 | MEP Middle East 7

UPDATE

Voltas grows 13% on back of UAE market International order book of Indian MEP ﬁrm includes several high-proﬁle projects in the UAE MEP MARKET

Voltas, India’s largest exporter in electro-mechanical projects, saw revenue in this segment grow by 13% for the year ended 31 March 2010, largely due to an international order book that includes several high-profile projects in the UAE. This includes a recent Rs800 crore (AED6.25 billion), 26-month contract for the T2 and T3 towers in Abu Dhabi’s Central Market project, awarded to Voltas by main contractor Arabian Construction Company LLC, on behalf of client Aldar Properties PJSC. The scope of work includes supply, installation, testing and commissioning of the complete MEP systems for the two towers. T2 will be the tallest building in Abu Dhabi upon its completion in 2012. It will be 374 m high, with 88 floors and a total built-up area of 143 118 square metres. T3 will be 280 m high, 60 floors and a total built-up area of 132 326 square metres. Other significant projects in the UAE have included the iconic Burj Khalifa in Dubai, the Formula One race track in Abu Dhabi, the district cooling plant at the Dubai International Financial Centre, the Ferrari Experience theme park and Etihad Towers Complex in Abu Dhabi, and the Sidra Medical and Research Centre in Doha, Qatar. In the Indian market, the slowdown in the commercial realestate sector had some impact on the finalisation of new electromechanical projects. In a strategic move, the company initiated ag-

AED 6.25BN Contract for Abu Dhabi’s Central Market

The scope of work at the Abu Dhabi Central Market project includes supply, installation, testing and commissioning of the complete MEP systems for two towers

gressive steps to increase its presence in the industrial and infrastructure segments. The company also increased its equity stake in Rohini Industrial Electricals to expand its domestic offering in the electrical sector. The overall carry-forward order book for the electro-mechanical segment as at the end of March 2010 stood at Rs4720 crore. Voltas has also signed a JV with Mustafa Sultan Enterprises LLC of Oman to facilitate its entry into that country’s burgeoning electro-

mechanical sector, CFO M.M. Miyajiwala told Reuters. The JV will be 65% owned by Voltas and 35% by the Sultan Group. “We are looking to expand operations in Qatar, Oman and Saudi Arabia,” said Miyajiwala. He added that Voltas had a total capex budget of Rs5 000 to Rs6 000 crore in FY11. The reduced capex spending by companies in the wake of the global ﬁnancial crisis had an adverse impact on Voltas’ engineering products and services segment. However, there was a pick-up in

We are looking to expand operations in Qatar, Oman and Saudi Arabia.” “

activity during the latter part of the year, benefiting the textile machinery and mining and construction equipment businesses. The unitary cooling products business grew strongly in 200910. Sales of room air-conditioners increased by 30%, well above industry growth, while refrigeration products grew by 25%. The segment has become a strong contributor to the company’s profitability, and continues to sustain robust growth in the current season. Voltas, a Tata enterprise, reported that its consolidated operating profit (profit before tax and exceptional items) rose by 47% to Rs507 crore as compared to Rs346 crore in the previous year. Profit after exceptional items and tax rose by 51% to Rs385 crore as against Rs255 crore in the previous year. Sales/income from operations rose by 10% to Rs4830 crore, as compared to Rs4374 crore in the previous year. Earnings per share works out to Rs11.51 as compared to Rs7.60 for the previous year (face value of Re1).

CENTRAL MARKET PROJECT, ABU DHABI HVAC • 6 600 FCUs • 68 AHUs • 28 plate heat exchangers • Ducting and piping Electrical • 21 transformers • 16 MV switchgear • 1 580 LV switchgear • 78 500 light ﬁxtures Public health systems • 10 booster pump sets • 833 water heaters • Hot and cold water supply (copper pipework) • Fireﬁghting

– M.M. Miyajiwala 8 MEP Middle East | July 2010

www.constructionweekonline.com

UPDATE

Largest-capacity elevators to date The ﬁve elevators at Umeda Hankyu in Osaka can each carry up to 80 passengers ELEVATORS

Mitsubishi Electric Corporation has installed the largest-capacity elevators to date in Japan. The five elevators at Umeda Hankyu Building’s new office area, which opened on 6 May 2010 in Osaka, Japan, can each carry up to 80 passengers, or 5 250 kg in load. The interior of each car is 3.4 m wide, 2.8 m long and 2.6 m high, with a floor space of 9.52 square metres. The cars are equipped with glass windows, allowing passengers to look outside. The five elevators are operated as shuttle elevators carrying a large number of passengers nonstop from the entrance lobby on

The interior of each car is 3.4 m wide, 2.8 m long and 2.6 m high

the first floor to the sky lobby on the fifteenth floor. Umeda Hankyu has a double layer structure, with a department

store occupying the lower levels from floors B2 through 13, and offices located on the higher levels from floors 15 through 41. The

elevators provide Umeda Hankyu office employees and visitors direct access to the office area. On the fifteenth floor, passengers are able to select from three different elevator banks according to their final destination. The ‘A’ bank serves floors 17 through 25, the ‘B’ bank serves floors 26 through 33 and the ‘C’ bank serves floors 34 through 41. There are six new elevators for each bank, also supplied by Mitsubishi Electric. The company has also installed two other elevators for the new office area, bringing the total number of elevators installed by the company at the building to 25.

US engineers laud low-cost Manlift Power donates generator to Al Manzil Indian toilet technology SANITATION

RENTAL POWER

A top American engineers’ body has lauded low-cost toilet technology from Indian NGO Sulabh International. Dr Bindeshwar Pathak and his team from Sulabh International have developed an indigenous two-pit toilet technology that can also be used in producing biogas. In India, more people have access to mobile phones than to toilets, says a recent UN study. India still tops the list of countries where people defecate in the open, at an estimated 640 million. The World Environment & Water Resources Congress, organised by the American Society of Civil Engineers at Providence, Rhodes Island said the low-cost sanitation technology will affect millions. Delivering the keynote address at the congress, Dr Pathak said the NGO would launch its sanitation campaign in 50 countries. He appealed to technical experts to join hands to achieve the UN’s Mil-

Manlift Power has donated a generator to the Al Manzil Centre for Challenged Individuals in Sharjah to help it cope with the power outages in the emirate as summer approaches. The Al Manzil Centre provides a professional care-giving and learning environment for individuals with special needs. When Manlift employees heard how the children’s schedules had been disrupted and how the conditions were causing them discomfort, they swiftly deployed a 200 kVA IngersollRand generator set to power the centre’s facilities. Ayesha Saeed Husaini Managing Director of the Al Manzil Centre remarked: “You cannot imagine what a relief it is to have this generator.” This is the second year that Manlift Power has donated a rental generator to the Al Manzil Centre for the hot summer season. “We ﬁrst heard about the Al Manzil Centre in 2009. It was

10 MEP Middle East | July 2010

A typical toilet set-up in India

lennium Development goals relating to sanitation and hygiene. Sulabh International is a pioneer in the field of biogas generation from public toilet complexes. It has developed a more efficient design approved by the Indian Ministry of Non-Conventional Energy. Pathak-designed toilets are used by ten million people daily, helping push the number of people in rural India with access to a toilet from 27% five years ago to 59% today. Sulabh technology has also been used to construct over 5 500 public-toilet complexes in cities across south and central Asia, for people who are homeless or who have no sanitation in their houses.

Manlift Power supplied a 200 kVA genset

brought to my attention that they had been affected by the Sharjah power shortage, and naturally we contacted the centre to see if Manlift could be of assistance,” said Manlift Power regional director Adam Ashcroft. The GCC based Manlift Group was founded in November 2006. It is a JV between local shareholders and a major European rentals company. Manlift Power operates alongside Manlift Middle East, a specialist in the sales and rentals of access platforms/manlifts. It has over 1 000 machines available within its ﬂeet. www.constructionweekonline.com

UPDATE

‘Infrastructure catches up’ Slowdown in construction favours infrastructure development INFRASTRUCTURE

The slowdown in the construction industry due to the global ﬁnancial crisis has meant that “the infrastructure now has time to catch up,” said Drake & Scull International PJSC (DSI) MEP director Charles Lever. Lever spoke to MEP Middle East at the Construction Week Building at Height Safely conference in Dubai. “The pace of building was so rapid during the boom period that infrastructure tended to lag behind general construction,” said Lever. The prevailing slowdown, combined with the push towards sustainability and ‘green’ building, has meant an increased focus on overall health, safety and quality issues. However, Lever said the Dubai MEP market still stubbornly lagged ﬂourishing areas like Saudi Arabia and even Egypt.

DSI MEP director Charles Lever

“A lot of unﬁnished projects in Dubai will invariably be scaled back so they can be completed in the context of the current market conditions,” said Lever. This means that the infrastructure associated with such redeﬁned

projects will go a long way in determining their new value. Lever noted that the liquidity in the market had improved slightly, to the benefit of small to medium contractors, although 2010 was likely to be a low-growth year all round. Nevertheless, the market had stabilised from the lows of 2009, and there was renewed confidence among MEP contractors. “The high level of attendance at an event like Building at Height Safely augurs well for the future; it is a testament to the renewed focus on health, safety and quality,” said Lever. He added that DSI, which had focused on regionalisation from virtually its establishment, was well-positioned to continue to grow, having secured recent flagship contracts in Abu Dhabi and Qatar.

Indian electrical equipment sector is growing ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT

The Indian electrical equipment industry grew 11.25% in 2009-10, after 2.73% growth last year, the lowest in five years, according to the Indian Electrical Equipment Manufacturers’ Association (IEEMA). The industry is witnessing a turnaround due to an increase in demand from sectors like power, textile, water, steel and cement. The fourth quarter of 2009-10 saw a growth of 30% and above in sectors including rotating machines, switchgear and cables, following an economic recovery in real estate and infrastructure. The growth fi gures were in terms of volume, and the fi nancial results may differ from sector to sector depending on the order book, expected business, raw material prices and margins, said IEEMA. The highest growth of 14.54% was reported by the switchgear www.constructionweekonline.com

The fourth quarter saw 30% growth in rotating machines, switchgear and cables

sector, though high-tension switchgear recorded a low growth of 5.78%. A growth rate of 56% was experienced in the extra high voltage (above 245 kV) segment. Demand for medium (up to 36KV) and high-voltage breakers (36-245KV) declined by 4% and 23% respectively. Power contractors, miniature circuit breakers and other lowvoltage circuit breakers regis-

tered more than 20% growth due to increased off-take from building and railway sector. The cable industry showed an overall growth of 12%, mainly due to a 14.54% growth in the power cable segment, due to higher demand from industrial projects. Industry sources expect utility demand to rise, especially for high voltage (HV) and extra high voltage (EHV) cables. The building wire segment has also seen an overall improvement in demand from the construction sector. The transformer sector grew 9%, led by power transformers at 17.16%. IEEMA director general Sunil More stated at a press conference in Mumbai: “This demand growth could likely see a twofold increase in the next two to three years,” adding that the increase was fuelled by increased demand in the country’s housing and construction sectors.

EVENTS QUITO CONJSTRUCTION 7-11 July, Quito Centro de Exposiciones, Ecuador Profiling the growth of the construction industry, from technology to projects and financing. www.biztradeshows.com 12TH CHINA BUILDING & DECORATION FAIR 8-11 July, Guangzhou International Convention & Exhibition Centre, China The largest trade fair for the building decoration industry in Asia. www.biztradeshows.com SANI-CERAMEX 8-11 July, Guangzhou International Convention & Exhibition Centre, China China’s premier international exhibition for the sanitaryware and building ceramics industry. www.biztradeshows.com SUSTAINABILITY ON SHOW 9-11 July, Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre, Australia Green showcase for energy efficiency, featuring the latest on solar technology, grey water systems and heating and cooling. www.buildexpo.com.au/ ERBIL TRADE SOLO 12-15 July, Erbil International Fair Ground, Iraq Building and municipality exhibition, showcasing this growing regional market. www.biztradeshows.com REALTY INDIA 24-25 July, Harrow Leisure Centre, UK Comprehensive property exhibition with builders and developers from all over India showcasing their latest projects and financial Institutions. www.biztradeshows.com BUILD ASIA 27-29 July, Karachi Expo Centre, Pakistan Strategic platform to explore the Pakistani, Afghastani, Middle East and Central Asian building and construction sector. www.buildasia.net

July 2010 | MEP Middle East 11

UPDATE

E&M contract awarded for monorail Design and supply of system-wide electrical and mechanical elements for Riyadh project ELECTRICAL AND MECHANICAL

Bombardier Transportation has signed a contract with Saudi Oger, a leading Saudi Arabian construction company, for the supply, installation, operation and maintenance of a 3.6 km Innovia Monorail 300 system for the King Abdullah Financial District, the new ﬁ nancial and business centre under development in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Saudi Oger Limited, as the contractor responsible for the full turnkey construction of the new monorail system, was awarded the contract by the Rayadah Investment Company, the investment vehicle of the Public Pension Agency of the government of Saudi Arabia. Bombardier, as subcontractor to Saudi Oger, will design and supply all of the system-wide electrical and mechanical (E&M) elements for the six-station monorail system. This includes six Innovia Monorail 300 trains (12 cars) with Bombardier Cityﬂo 650 automatic train-control technology for driverless operation, as well as providing project management, systems engineering and integration, testing and commissioning. Engineering and design for the Monorail vehicles will be centred at Bombardier’s site in Kingston, Canada, and manufacturing of the 12 cars will be carried out by Bombardier in Pittsburgh, US. Together with Saudi Oger, Bombardier will also provide its

The next-generation Innovia Monorail 300 system

branded Innovia O&M operation and maintenance services for the system for an initial contractual period of ten years. The total value of Bombardier’s contract is US$241 million. Completion of the system is scheduled for 2012,

3.6 KM total system length

with operation and maintenance services to commence at the start of revenue service. Commenting on the announcement, Andre Navarri, president and COO of Bombardier Transportation, said: “As the global leader in the supply and operation of turnkey transit systems, we are exceptionally proud to secure our ﬁ rst major project in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and to be associated with the prestigious King Abdullah Financial District. Our next-generation

As the global leader in the supply and operation of turnkey transit systems, we are exceptionally proud to secure our first major project in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and to be associated with the prestigious King Abdullah Financial District.“ –Andre Navarri 12 MEP Middle East | July 2010

Innovia Monorail 300 system combines service-proven driverless technology with the latest in wide-bodied, lightweight, aerodynamically-styled monorail trains. They provide superior value and performance for demanding and sophisticated users. “The long-term nature of our operation and maintenance contract further underlines our commitment to building local roots in Saudi Arabia and with other countries in the GCC,” said Navarri. Saudi Oger, established in 1978 as a construction company in Riyadh, gained momentum with the founding of Oger International in Paris in 1979. Since its inception, Saudi Oger has become a leading construction, FM service provider and infrastructure project development company in Saudi Arabia and the region. www.constructionweekonline.com

UPDATE

AED37m Saudi win for Areva T&D Supply and installation of gas-insulated substation at Knowledge Economic City SUBSTATIONS

Areva’s Transmission and Distribution (T&D) division has secured an €11 million (AED36.5 million) contract for Knowledge Economic City in Saudi Arabia. The contract is for the supply and installation of a 110/13.8 kV gas-insulated substation (GIS) at Knowledge Economic City in Madinah, Western Saudi Arabia, which will power a newly developed luxury residential area. The order is scheduled for completion in 2012. “This new deal positions us as a key player in the region’s transmission and distribution infrastruc-

Knowledge Economic City in Saudi Arabia

ture, and puts us in a strong position to capitalise on the emerging possibilities,” said Areva T&D VP: international sales Anil Chaudhry. The Kingdom’s Economic Cities strategy is to place Saudi

Arabia among the world’s top ten competitive investment destinations. Considered the most important of the six cities due to its proximity to the al-Madinah mosque, Knowledge Economic

City is being punted a leader in hi-tech economy initiatives. A network of transportation facilities is planned to connect the city to the Al-Madinah mosque and other major cities and economic centres in Saudi Arabia. It involves SR30bn (US$8bn) of aggregate investment for developing the project, 20 000 new job opportunities, an expected population of 150 000, accommodation for up to 30 000 visitors, a retail area with 1 200 shops and a residential area with 30 000 residential units.

UAE solar market reﬂects AHRI signs standards agreement with Saudi, UAE global trend of oversupply STANDARDS

The Air-Conditioning, Heating and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI) has signed co-operative agreements with the Saudi Standards, Metrology and Quality Association (SASO) and the UAE’s Emirates Standardisation and Metrology Authority (ESMA), aimed at further harmonising HVAC and water heating testing and rating standards globally. The agreement calls for SASO and ESMA to adopt AHRI’s standards as Saudi and UAE national standards respectively – and, in some cases, with regional adaptations, said AHRI president and CEO Stephen Yurek. “Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the UAE have begun to place a new emphasis on energy efficiency and environmental protection. AHRI has signalled its serious intent to work closely with the governments of those nations to use AHRI standards and performance certification programs to help them meet with efficiency and environmental goals and to www.constructionweekonline.com

further global harmonisation of standards and certification programmes,” said Yurek. “This agreement is an important fi rst step in what we hope and expect will be an ongoing and very productive mutual relationship,” said Yurek. “Our active involvement in this region not only helps us expand our global reach, but also helps our member companies that do business in the region compete on a level playing field with other manufacturers.” Discussions are underway between AHRI, SASO and ESMA about a series of workshops that could lead to an agreement on adoption of certification in the near future. The ESMA has invited AHRI and other private parties, including AHRI member companies, to apply to participate in ESMA standards development and conformity assessment committees that ultimately will develop Minimum Energy Performance Standards (MEPS) for the UAE.

RESEARCH

A new research white paper on the global solar industry warns that “the solar market is now faced with a gross oversupply of modules. The industry is currently supplied by more than 190 cell and module manufacturers, making consolidation of weaker competitors an inevitable outcome,” said Pike senior analyst Dave Cavanaugh. Overcapacity and intense competition will create downward pressure for module average selling prices (ASPs), which will accelerate grid parity for the cost of solar-produced power to the 2013 timeframe in many markets. Increasing competition is also a feature of the burgeoning solar-energy market in the UAE, where there are over 50 vendors at present, according to Eurostar divisional manager: solar Jit Chakravarty. Challenges include a long supply chain: “We need to have a stronger local supplier and manufacturing base,” says Chakravarty.

The solar sector lacks focus

According to the new white paper from Pike Research, while solar demand will experience strong growth this year, the oversupply factors have had a strong infl uence on which companies will lead the industry in 2010 and beyond, and which will face low profit margins and possible consolidation. The report also fi nds that the total solar market demand will exceed 19 GW by 2013, a 25% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) from 2010. Worldwide solar demand, driven by lower costs and greater availability of credit, will increase to 10.1 GW in 2010, a year-over-year increase of almost 43%. July 2010 | MEP Middle East 13

UPDATE

KAUST boasts Saudi’s first solar plant The 2 MW rooftop plant is also the Kingdom’s largest solar installation to date SOLAR

A consortium of Hamburg-based solar experts and Saudi Arabia’s leading solar system integrator, National Solar Systems (NSS), have completed the 2 MW solar park on the rooftop of the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (K AUST). It is the fi rst and largest solar installation in Saudi Arabia. The 2 MW solar plant consists of two rooftop solar installations with a capacity of 1 MW each, installed on the north and south laboratories of the university. The power system features premium components, combining over 9 300 high-efficiency solar modules with Conergy Suntop III mounting systems and Conergy 280 K central inverters. The photovoltaic plant occupies 11 577 m2 of roof space and produces 3 332 MW hours of clean energy annually, while also saving up to 33 320 tons of carbon emissions. This equates to carbon offsets of approximately 6 000 circumnavigations of the world by car. Conergy designed the park and was responsible for the engineering, supervision and commissioning, while installation works and operational management were implemented by NSS. The solar park initiative is part of K AUST’s wider green technology programme, as the fl agship university wants to advance solar energy research through its Solar and Alternative Energy Science and Engineering Centre, and deploy clean energy solutions on its

The photovoltaic plant occupies 11 577 m² of roof space

campus. For their ecological engagement, it has been awarded LEED Platinum certiﬁcation by the US Green Building Council.

PIONEERS A K AUST spokesman said: “We are proud to be among the solar pioneers in our country, and to have the ﬁ rst and the largest solar park at K AUST. Despite our country being the largest oil producer, we think it is essential to develop new and sustainable technologies for the beneﬁt of

Saudi Arabia aspires to export as much solar energy in the future as it exports oil now.“ –Ali Al-Naimi 14 MEP Middle East | July 2010

the Kingdom, the region and the world. This commitment is built into the DNA of our infrastructure as well as our research and academic mission.” “We are extremely pleased to be part of this groundbreaking project,” said Marc Lohoff, head of Conergy Asia Pacific and the Middle East. “We support the future of renewable energy in the Middle East with our solar know-how and the latest technology. This project demonstrates that the development of alternatives to traditional fossil fuels has taken on a new urgency, even in oil-rich countries like Saudi Arabia.” “For the fi rst time, clean power is fl owing into the national grid. This is a historical event for us in Saudi Arabia. The

strong collaboration and mutual cooperation between NSS and Conergy was the secret formula behind this success,” said NSS MD Abdulhadi Al-Mureeh. Saudi Arabia, the largest oil producer in OPEC, with about one-ﬁ fth of the world’s proven oil reserves, is planning to make solar power a major contributor to energy supply in the next ﬁ ve to ten years, according to the Kingdom’s Minister

3332 MWH produced by the PV plant

www.constructionweekonline.com

UPDATE

A view of the control room

for Petroleum and Mineral Resources. “Saudi Arabia aspires to export as much solar energy in the future as it exports oil now,” said Ali Al-Naimi in an interview with Reuters. The latest sustainability research report from Bank Sarasin further predicts that the use of solar energy in the Middle East will grow at an annual rate of more than 50% in the next ﬁ ve years. The Middle East has the beneﬁts of favourable insolation levels and extensive areas featuring very low population densities, which are ideal characteristics for the deployment of solar energy.

AG is a leading solar company, with 1 400 employees and business in 16 countries on four continents. As a system supplier, the Conergy Group develops and produces

crystalline solar modules, invertors and mounting systems at its three German manufacturing locations. Conergy can therefore not only ensure quality standards, but can also

produce all the components required for a photovoltaic facility from a single source due to its in-house production. With its own components and systems, the solar company develops, fi nances and implements solar facilities, plants and entire solar parks. Furthermore, Conergy distributes its ample product portfolio in a large network of partners and wholesalers. Conergy was founded in 1998, and has sold more than 1.25 gigawatt of renewable energy, including solar systems with a total power output of more than 1 gigawatt. NSS is a leading solar system integrator in Saudi Arabia, and has been providing a full spectrum of products and services in the field of renewable energy since 2004. NSS is an ISO 9001:2000 certified company in Al Khobar, and covers the GCC and North Africa. It has the inhouse capability for turnkey solutions from conception to installation and commissioning, focusing on economical, environment-friendly and efficientenergy solutions.

LANDMARK Not only K AUST and its solar partners but also other big players in the energy branch see the opportunities of clean solar power in the Middle Eastern region. Therefore the landmark project was managed by Saudi Aramco, the world’s largest oil corporation, and was executed by several large construction contractors, including major players like Saudi Oger. The Hamburg-based Conergy www.constructionweekonline.com

A view of the rooftop solar plant at KAUST July 2010 | MEP Middle East 15

UPDATE

Johnson Controls secures Burj Khalifa Security management system supplied to Emaar Properties to manage world’s tallest tower SECURITY

Johnson Controls has supplied a security management system to Burj Khalifa to allow developer Emaar Properties to manage security in the tower’s corporate, residential, hotel and public spaces, including nearly 900 residential suites, hundreds of office suites and an observation deck. “The security system works with the building management system to allow security personnel at the Burj to take quick action during a security breach or threat,” said Johnson Controls VP and MD: Middle East Magdy Mekky. “The interoperability of key building systems ensures a comfortable and safe environment for all guests and tenants. The safety benefits are immeasurable.” If an unauthorised person accesses a secure area, the building sub-systems, including cameras and intercoms, are activated immediately. If a fi re is detected, the airflow system will deactivate automatically to confine or smother a fi re. Additional features include audio/visual systems, including project screens and video displays, and conferencing systems installed throughout the tower. A two-way radio system allows facility and hotel management to communicate with maintenance and security personnel throughout the building.

LV SYSTEMS In addition to the security management solution, Johnson Controls installed low-voltage systems that enable many of

900 residential suites

16 MEP Middle East | July 2010

The security system works in conjunction with the BMS at Burj Khalifa

the high-end amenities enjoyed by tenants and residents. The nearly 900 residences of the Burj feature E-Home, a smart home technology. Each residence is equipped with a single control system that interfaces with lighting, curtains, HVAC, home theatre and security management. Similar controls are

installed in the hotel’s total of 324 guest rooms. The Burj Khalifa project further illustrates the expanding presence of Johnson Controls’ building efﬁciency business within the Middle East. “The state of the global economy has forced business owners in the East to take a close look at their

The Burj Khalifa is now the blueprint for engineering in the Middle East and –Magdy Mekky beyond.“

facilities and identify opportunities to reduce costs without sacrificing security or comfort. “Our success in the West, including the recent retrofit of New York City’s iconic Empire State Building, has made a lasting impression. The Burj Khalifa is now the blueprint for engineering in the Middle East and beyond,” said Mekky. Additional high-profi le energy-efficiency projects in the region include the Bahrain Bay Project, the Pearl Development in Qatar, and both the Kingdom Tower and Jebel Al Qala in Saudi Arabia. www.constructionweekonline.com

INTERNATIONAL UPDATE

IRAQ

PHILIPPINES

The Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE) has published a fully-updated version of ‘Guide E: Fire safety engineering’, including new chapters on Performance Based Design Principles, and Application of Risk Assessment. Now in its third edition, CIBSE Guide E has been updated fully to take into account new knowledge and latest techniques. Written by experienced ﬁre engineers, it is intended to give useful, practical advice on ﬁre safety engineering. This new edition has also been updated throughout to include BS9999 and other recent developments.

Metito has secured a US$50 million project from TRC to procure, design, manufacture and supply process equipment related to the assembly of two watertreatment plants in Iraq. Both plants will have a combined production capacity of 17.52 million cubic metres of safe drinking water annually. These two plants are part of the efforts aimed at responding to the urgent and rising needs of Iraqis for clean, drinkable water.

The World Bank has approved US$10.9 million financing for a project in the Philippines that aims to replace 375 chillers used in establishments nationwide with a technology that is more energy-efficient and environmentfriendly. In a statement, the World Bank said the Philippines ‘Chiller Energy Efficiency Project’ will provide financial incentives to chiller owners to encourage them to replace old chillers, which consume around 50% more energy than the new ones.

SOUTH AFRICA Though not as visible a crisis as electricity provision, water supply is already impeding South Africa’s socio-economic development in some localities, according to a new report based on discussions convened by Business Leadership South Africa and the Centre for Development and Enterprise (CDE), reports Engineering News. CDE Executive Director Ann Bernstein said that there were a number of water-related issues in South Africa that needed “urgent attention” to avoid a water crisis, including: political leadership, strengthening water management institutions, maintenance of existing infrastructure, tackling the impacts of acid mine drainage and minimising water waste.

18 MEP Middle East | July 2010

SINGAPORE The Competition Commission of Singapore (CCS) has ﬁned a cartel of 14 electrical and building works companies a total of US$190 000 for rigging bids. The companies were found to have colluded on tender bids for ten projects from July 2007 to April 2009. CCS began investigating the cartel after receiving a tip-off from one of the companies concerned, Arisco, which revealed that its previous management had entered into bid-rigging arrangements with other companies to co-ordinate the price of quotations.

www.constructionweekonline.com

MEP AWARDS 2010

REWARDING THE MEP SECTOR On-line nominations are now open for the fourth annual MEP Middle East Awards.

All the winners from the MEP Awards 2009

ominations for the MEP Awards 2010 can be made on-line at the newlylaunched Web site for this prestigious industry-leading event. Early submissions of nominations from industry players augurs well for the success of the 2010 Awards. The nominations will be judged by a panel of leading industry experts, culminating in a gala awards banquet in December to announce and honour the winners. This is the premier platform for the mechanical, electrical and plumbing sector in the UAE to recognise its achievements, honour those individuals and companies who made these happen, and to acknowledge the latest innovations, technology and processes that have helped drive down costs and ensure adherence to best-practice standards. It is also an opportunity to highlight the excellence in MEP design and installation underpinning those iconic projects contributing to the evolving and rapidly maturing construcwww.constructionweekonline.com

tion landscape in the UAE. The combination of a global economic downturn and the advent of environmental awareness in the construction industry have resulted in the MEP sector playing a pivotal role in the advent of ‘green’ building in the UAE. It is an old but valid maxim that extraordinary circumstances lead to extraordinary achievements. The MEP Awards 2010 is the perfect occasion to acknowledge the sterling efforts and achievements of the sector in ensuring its continued viability and innovation in light of current constraints and global economic volatility.

JUDGING OF AWARDS After the closing date for submissions, all nominations will be collected and reviewed by the judging panel. Each award winner will be decided by consensus among the judges, and no correspondence will be entered into with outside parties. Judging will be based on the strength of the submissions, together with a review of the nominee’s activities in the area of nomination.

GALA DINNER The MEP Middle East Awards 2010 will take place in December. The gala awards banquet will be held at a top ﬁve-star hotel in Dubai. The evening will play host to the majority of the region’s leading mechanical, electrical and plumbing professionals, with representatives from other key areas of the developer and construction industry expected to attend. NOMINATIONS: SEE WWW.CONSTRUCTIONWEEKONLINE.COM/MEPAWARDS July 2009 | MEP Middle East 19

THE BIG INTERVIEW

Green light for solar hot water Dubai’s new ‘green’ building regulations are expected to mandate that solar water heating systems must also be installed to provide 75% of domestic hot water requirements. This will herald major opportunities for the MEP sector. We speak to a local leader in the ﬁeld, Ecoval Trading LLC MD Jim Sebastian. 20 MEP Middle East | July 2010

he potential of the solar water heating market in the UAE is indicated by the fact that Ecoval is now the number one global distributor for Solahart of Australia. “Italy is number two and South Africa number three.” Sebastian is convinced that Dubai’s green building code will play a major role in the exponential growth of this sector. “It will deﬁnitely have a big impact, and is already stimulating the demand for renewables.” However, a major hurdle for the renewable sector at present is unsustainably low energy prices. “Energy prices are so cheap there is no real incentive for people to save electricity and water, let alone spend extra money on renewable systems.” Having said that, while the sector only comprised as few as six companies two years ago, “now we count up to 30,” says Sebastian. “The surprising thing is that most of these companies are new entrants. The major established building services players locally have not really entered the UAE solar sector, probably because they are in a comfort zone. Some local players have made inroads, but they are not in the big leagues.” Sebastian predicts the market will reach a saturation level, at which point consolidation will take place. Thus it is important for the market fundamentals to be in place right from the outset, says Sebastian. The company was established in Dubai in 2002. “We started off with heat pumps for swimming pools, with the solar water heater business slow to catch on until 2007 with Sheikh Mahommed’s green building decree. That helped us a lot.” In terms of heat pumps, Ecoval was among the top two in the industry, with a locally-manufactured unit. “We foresaw that at some point competition would deﬁnitely come in, especially from China.”

CHINESE COMPETITION However, Sebastian says the company did not anticipate the extent of the competition, which resulted in the virtual demise of the local manufacturing base for heat pumps. “There used to be up to four local manufacturers, but now it is just so much cheaper to import from China, and the quality is comparable.” It is for this reason Sebastian is urging the solar water heating sector to consolidate itself in the face of the relentless competitive pressure from such juggernauts as China. “So we left that industry and got into other avenues of business like ICI steam and hot water boilers, Alfal Laval heat exchangers and Sanyo PV systems.” www.constructionweekonline.com

THE BIG INTERVIEW The secret to any company’s success, says Sebastian, is differentiating itself from the herd. “You have to make yourself stand out from the competition, and let the market not only know what you do, but how you do it differently.” This also means one has to be open to new ideas and trends. “When I was with my previous company, I was introduced to the Solahart product, with a consultant friend telling me the future lies in solar energy.” Sebastian says his initial research made him aware of “a lot of negativity about solar and misunderstanding of the market potential.” At that stage Solahart did have representation in the Middle East, but it was looking for a way to break out even further. “It is easy to sell electric water heaters, as there is a common need for it. But for solar water heaters you have to create a want. It requires an entirely different perspective.” As a result, Sebastian invested heavily in the sector … and admits with a smile: “It could have gone either way.” However, his conﬁdence in the Solahart brand was soon to reap rich dividends. “One thing I have learnt over the years is that if you do not have a good brand and a high-quality product, it is never a longterm venture. I have always held close to my

heart the idea that quality is remembered long after price is forgotten, and that happens all the time.” Sebastian had his work cut out for him, as that stage there was little awareness locally about solar water heating. “They knew about it, but did not believe in it. Even now, the most common questions is why do we need hot water in this region?” And yet hot water is a major consumer of electricity after airconditioning, says Sebastian. Electric water heaters are prevalent in the winter months, when the temperature can drop as low as 15˚C – “and yet everyone wants piping hot water at 60˚C. Therefore I do not comprehend the reasoning that maintains we do not need water heating.”

CONSTRUCTION BOOM Sebastian says the boom in construction, especially high-rise and villa developments, has placed an extra burden on electricity generation, as all these have electric water heaters. “We are urging customers to install solar water heating systems, and thereby save up to 75% of the connected electric load.” Another problem is that while consultants may be aware of the technology and its potential beneﬁts, “when it goes out to tender, it of-

12 TO 15 YEARS average lifespan of a Solahart system ten gets sidetracked in value engineering.” However, the latest trend towards building efficiency has placed the spotlight firmly on solar water heating as a cost-effective option to realise immediate savings. In addition, Solahart products are particularly suited to the region’s harsh climatic conditions, when some similar European products are known to have overheating issues. “Solahart has a presence in 90 countries, and has been manufacturing solar water heaters exclusively since 1953. Its technology is characterised by the drainback principle, whereas most other manufacturers utilise fully-flooded systems. “What happens normally is that most people place everything on the roof, which means the circulating fluid is always in the loop, the temperature goes too high, and then the pumps and pipes

Ecoval designed and installed an 8 MW water heating system for the Movenpick on Palm Jumeirah

www.constructionweekonline.com

July 2010 | MEP Middle East 21

THE BIG INTERVIEW The installation of solar water heating systems can save up to 75% of the connected electric load.

“

Jim Sebastian

fail. Our system is very simple, as it switches and drains back off before it can overheat,” explains Sebastian. In addition, the collectors comprising the system are extra strong and durable. Solahart has six different collectors, depending on the speciﬁc requirement. “We install and commission the systems on a one-stop shop basis from design to installation. We even assist in calculating the total hot water requirements, the number of collectors and what back-up is needed, as consultants are normally so busy.” The average lifespan of a Solahart system is anywhere from 12 to 25 years, depending on routine mechanical equipment maintenance. “We have a maintenance contract with Holiday Inn, for example, whereby we supply technicians and ensure that the systems are running properly.” Sebastian says that one particular Solahart system relocated to the company’s head ofﬁce in Australia had been in operation for an astonishing 50 years.

SOLAR THERMAL VERSUS SOLAR PV Solar power encompasses both solar thermal and solar PV. Firstly, efficiency is much higher for solar thermal. Up to 80% of the sun’s energy can be exploited with a thermal solar collector, whereas with a PV collector, sunlight-to-electricity conversion rates average about 12% to 16% only. The rule of thumb is that the energy available from the sun is about 1 kW a square metre. This is equivalent to 3 412 BTU/h/ square metre. Therefore if you can get 80% efficiency using a solar thermal collector, you would only need about 37 square metres to generate 100 000 BTU/h, or the amount of heat generated by a typical gas furnace. Thus a solar thermal system would require much less space (and many fewer collectors) than a solar PV system. Not only that, but solar thermal collectors are about five times cheaper than solar PV panels. So you have a scenario in which you have a system that is six times more efficient at 20% of the total cost of its rival. How then can solar thermal not be dominating the solar industry? Of course, it is not quite that simple. For one, heat is difficult to store without a thermal mass. Passive solar homes will likely incorporate thermal mass walls (that is, concrete or other masonry) to store collected heat. Yet this can only be achieved via a passive solar design, starting at the home’s

conception. It is difficult to add thermal walls and other passive solar collectors to an existing home. Therefore, when retrofitting a solar thermal system, you will have to use an active system, which uses a transfer fluid and a large water storage tank. Furthermore, you will need to calculate the intensity of the sun at different times of the year. In addition, because of clouding, you may need to have a back-up system also. All these complications and distributed yet fastaccumulating costs may be why solar thermal space heating is still more possibility than actuality. Another big advantage for solar PV is that it is usable year round. A solar thermal space heating system will sit idly by during the long summer months while a solar PV system will provide usable electricity all year. The system would be at its most efficient just when you need it most. However, solar thermal is said to represent the future of solar energy and a ‘green’ electrical grid. There have been new innovations in thermal storage techniques, if only practical on a commercial scale at the moment. For the residential homeowner, a solar thermal hot water system can result in quick, tangible savings, especially as hot water is the second most consumptive energy user in a home.

An example of Solahart systems on-site

22 MEP Middle East | July 2010

www.constructionweekonline.com

HOW TO BE GREEN AND PROFITABLE

September 28th 2010 Fairmont Bab Al Bahr Abu Dhabi The Building Sustainability into the Middle East conference is the ideal platform for you to learn, discuss and network with the leading companies and individuals driving the region’s sustainability initiatives. For contractors, developers, sustainability consultants and engineers, this conference is an opportunity to be part of the solution and make a difference – from the construction phase to the behaviour of tenants in buildings. To sponsor the 3rd Building Sustainability into the Middle East Conference contact Andrew Parkes, tel: +971 4 210 8570, email: andrew.parkes@itp.com PLATINUM SPONSOR

ENDORSERS

SILVER SPONSOR

MEDIA PARTNERS

CONSULTANTS

P E M L A N O I S G T E N R A T L U S N CO e of th t c a p he im s, the t t a s ie re t look nsult anc w they a s a E iddle eading co e, and ho n. M P ME urn on l and valu he regio t t y dow n on qualit e rest of th t ef fec ding into n expa

24 MEP Middle East | July 2010

www.constructionweekonline.com

CONSULTANTS he MD of Hyder Consulting Middle East, Wael Allan, says “the economic landscape in Dubai has changed drastically in terms of business.” This calls for a particular approach on the part of consultancies as they strive to maintain growth. “The best strategy is a simple strategy. It is about having a sustainable business. I guess during the boom we tended to do things differently, where we designed things simply for the sake of design. I think with the boom people tended to forget some of the basics of client care,” says Allan. “I think whenever there is a crisis in the economy it brings maturity to the market. Expectations from clients become a lot higher because now they are questioning why they need something much more, and why they need to spend a certain amount of money. Therefore I believe only competent companies that bring operational effectiveness to bear will survive in the region. In the past, there was so much work I think clients were looking for anyone who was willing to do it; now it is going to be a lot more focused on the value proposition. “So I believe operational effectiveness is absolutely key, and that is what we are trying to do in all our sectors: to improve performance, to do things better with less cost and shorter time, and obviously then you have got to balance those parameters depending on client needs. I think another thing that has really changed in terms of ensuring growth in the future is that we as professionals tend to define excellence from our own perspective, when excellence really has to be defined in what the clients think excellence is. Some clients may want quality at any costs; other clients may require a specific level of quality for a certain cost; we have to customize our offering to suit client needs, rather than what we define as their needs,” says Allan. As for the future, Allan says future growth in Dubai will be much more controlled. “We do not anticipate the kind of growth experienced in the last three to five years, at least for the foreseeable future definitely. I think 2010 will be a tough year. A lot of the backlog of companies has been exhausted, so they are looking for new work. And I think companies that have reacted properly to the slowdown will survive and do well. If there is any region to be in during a recession, I would say the Middle East www.constructionweekonline.com

offers the best opportunity, compared to much more developed economies like the US and the UK.” Richard Smith, group chair of carbon critical design at Atkins, describes the current situation as “quite complex”, and stresses “we are not under the illusion that things will just bounce back to what they were. What will come out of this is that things will be different to what they were before.” In this regard, Atkins is exerting considerable effort in trying to understand the current situation and marshal its resources accordingly. “The Atkins business model is totally dynamic, and is always being reviewed. Some of the larger contractors I have spoken to have not been that affected. They lost work, then won other work. Their turnover is down a bit, but not fundamentally. Then there are people who have had horrendous experiences. And then there are those still recruiting because they have work in Saudi Arabia, for example. It is kind of how the dice fell.” Atkins design director Keith Hill says working in Dubai is substantially different than working in more mature markets like Europe. “When you are working here, timelines are more constrained, but things actually get built. So you tend not to have that big a lag on a project, whereas in Europe there is quite a lot more prior consultation, which is all good and what should be done. So the industry differs slightly in its approach to major projects. “Combined with the economic crisis, people are a little bit more nervous than usual. Maybe they have not tied up all their downstream issues, and there are no people at the end of the line queuing to snap up the assets, as they were before.” Added to this, says Hill, is “a case of,

Jeff Willis

Eddie Foster

I guess, more process in the paperwork now, mirroring the European market more, and becoming more prevalent here. This is all good, as it brings a different level of innovation and understanding to bear, but it is bound to slow things down further. “If you are actually going to audit yourself every time you do a development or a master plan, you cannot do it in a snap judgement way, because then you are not according it your due respect.” What this all means at the end of the day is “in my view a slightly more mature market,” says Hill. In terms of specific challenges, he cites ongoing transition as a major issue. “I think we are in that big transition stage right ce now, certainly if you look at Abu Dhabi as a focal m market. It is now the centre of attention again, probably as it used to be back in the 1980s.” Smit Smith confirms that the market in terms of MEP specifically has also changed drastically. “T “The market has obviously gotten a lot bigger, a lot faster and a lot more complex, especia in terms of buildings going through especially techno technological step changes. We had reached a point w where buildings as single entities could become so big that the primary focus was no longer building services but infrastructure in the ver vertical plane. “If yo you go back to 2003, it was really difficult to pres present a business case for a hotel. Then we we went through the dizzy period of 20052007, w where any hotel in Dubai would be full within a month of opening and would have no proble in turning a profit. In this scenario problem bu the business case potential was a no brainer, which is no longer the case. The people who mak make those sorts of investment decisions are now going to make sure they obtain the best advice and look very carefully at how July 2010 | MEP Middle East 25

CONSULTANTS they procure the solutions they need,” says Smith. Allan says another key focal market at the moment is Saudi Arabia. “Most companies operating in the region are anxious of going into Saudi Arabia. To them it is an unknown. However, I believe it is core to our strategy to be in Saudi Arabia. It is the largest country in the GCC, offering the most attractive opportunities for multinational companies in design and consulting. To be honest, I believe we should have been there much earlier, but it is never too late. Saudi Arabia is spending a huge amount on infrastructure and also on the private sector as well, so it offers both pub public and private sector opportunities,” says Allan. Regional director Eddie Foster says Scott Wilson is looking at the rest of the region. “We had already

Keith Hill

MEP AWARDS 2007 MEP Consultancy of the Year Winner: Atkins Runners-up: Deerns, Hyder Consulting, SDT International, Specialised Engineering Consultants 2008 MEP Consultancy of the Year Winner: Atkins Shortlist: Buro Happold, Hyder Consulting, Specialised Engineering Consultants, Red Engineering 2009 MEP Consultancy of the Year Winner: Hyder Consulting Shortlist: Atkins, KEO International Consultants, Red Engineering Specialist Consultancy of the Year Winner: Atkins Shortlist: Mott MacDonald, Specialised Engineering Consultants

26 MEP Middle East | July 2010

We are not under the illusion that things will just bounce back. What will come out of this is that things will be different ... “ Richard Smith started to view the Bahrain office as a springboard for other things, because we recognised that Bahrain itself is a relatively small market over the long term. Of course, the slowdown has focused our efforts even more on operations in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar. We now have representatives in all those countries, and we hope to have some good news on projects there very soon. We are chasing a lot of work in Saudi Arabia.” In order to succeed in this approach it is critical to adopt a ‘two-front’ approach, says Foster. “We are working on two fronts: As an international company working on specific projects, which we have been doing, on and off, for many years; the second front is to JV with a local entity, which we are in the process of formalising. As an international consultant, we can look at big projects on a project-by-project basis. But having a JV with a Saudi company will bring us closer to the grassroots market. It basically opens up more doors. “Last year, completely independent of the recession, it was decided that Scott Wilson would move towards a more sector-orientated organisation rather than being organised geographically. It does not mean the regions are not important, but that the sectors have a bigger say in how we operate in any region. We are split into certain sectors such as environment and natural resources, highway and transportation, infrastructure and buildings hich includes maand strategic consultancy, which rine and airport work.” Foster says a major reason for this approach m working in isois that it prevents people from lation. This means “our skillss and resources ssary. It will also can be applied wherever necessary. help us tell which sectors aree doing the best hen reporting as – these figures can be lost when a country office. This makess our growth strategies and opportunities clearer when analysing the figures.” oral Allan concurs that a sectoral en approach is more viable given s. the current market conditions. Richard Smith o “A key strategy for us was to

Wael Allan

restructure based on market sectors. This brings with it a heavy focus on clients and their needs, and certainly the needs have changed drastically in the Middle East.” The restructuring was based on three sectors, namely property, transport and infrastructure and water environment. “That really helped us break the barriers between different offices, and look at the whole Middle East business as one. So that was part of the key strategy. During the recession, resources become scarce, and there are obvious issues created by the credit crunch, such as cash issues. For us, diversification – geographically and product-wise – is not a strategy. “Our strategy is to focus on our core competency, enhance that through operational effectiveness, and really concentrate on what we know well,” says Allan. “The fact that property has slowed down, combined with our decision to be sector-driven, means we have got a better balance of the business than just being profitability-driven by the property sector.” Arup associate director Jeff Willis agrees that the looming clouds of the downturn do indeed have a silver lining. “The way we perceive the slowdown is that it should be a benefit, as it will give us more time to tthink and plan. I have experie experienced a number of such econo economic downturns which affect aall industry, and not just construction, constru although this one is worse wors than others in its global imp impact. I heard the phrase that the slowdow down will lead to a ‘flight to quality’, w which is something we do not mind at all.” www.constructionweekonline.com

CONSULTANTS AECOM AECOM has a long heritage in the Middle East, having worked in the region since 1965. It has 3 200 staff in the GCC, as well as in Jordan, Lebanon and Iraq. On 6 April 1990, AECOM evolved to an independent firm formed by the merger of five Ashland entities. While its official founding was in 1990, some of its predecessor firms had distinguished histories dating back to the early 1900s. Since then more than 30 companies have joined AECOM, and in 2007 it became a publicly-traded company on the New York Stock Exchange. Today it is listed on the Fortune 500 as one of America’s largest companies, earning more than US$6 billion in revenue annually. It has 45 000 talented professionals in 100 countries.

District which, when completed, will include some of the world’s most signiﬁcant museums and cultural facilities, such as the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi Museum designed by Frank O. Gehry, the Louvre Abu Dhabi by Jean Nouvel and the Sheikh Zayed National Museum by Lord Norman Foster, as well as more than one million square feet of mixed-use facilities. AECOM is also supplementing the master planning, landscape architecture, economics and architecture/engineering services on selected facilities. As programme manager, its professionals are managing the Cultural District and about two-thirds of the public realm, which includes all external works beyond the building fabric, from signage and lighting to irrigation systems and drainage.

CURRENT PROJECTS SAADIYAT ISLAND CULTURAL DISTRICT (US$210 MILLION)

LIBYAN HOUSING AND INFRASTRUCTURE (US$65 BILLION)

AECOM is providing programme management services for the Saadiyat Island Cultural

The Libyan Housing and Infrastructure Board (HIB) is a government agency funding a

BURO HAPPOLD Buro Happold, established in 1976, offers civil and structural engineering, mechanical and electrical engineering, quantity surveying, building services and environmental engineering, health and safety management, infrastructure and traffic engineering, ground engineering, façade engineering, fire engineering, computational fluid dynamics analysis, inclusive design consultancy, project management, urban design and a range of specialist CAD services.

CURRENT PROJECT LOUVRE ABU DHABI

Located on Saadiyat Island off the coast of Abu Dhabi, Buro Happold is the multidisciplinary engineer on the project. Most works will be contained in a strictly-controlled indoor climate, alongside workshops, an education centre, restaurant and café facilities. A variety of passive energy systems are being investigated, including natural cooling of the buildings and the optimisation of water use. The iconic ‘desert Louvre’ has been designed to withstand Abu Dhabi’s extreme climate, which includes airborne dust, sand, salinity, humidity and the occasional sandstorm. www.constructionweekonline.com

BURT HILL

US$50-billion-plus (60-billion Libyan dinar) programme to improve housing, roads, bridges, water and utilities to Libyan residents. As programme manager, AECOM is helping the HIB orchestrate the myriad projects involved. CLEVELAND CLINIC, ABU DHABI

AECOM is responsible for building engineering services at the high-proﬁle Cleveland Clinic Hospital in Abu Dhabi. It is located on Al Sowah Island, which has been masterplanned by Gensler Architects in conjunction with the Mubadala Development Company. Adjacent developments include the Abu Dhabi Financial Centre and a proposed hotel. It is a 360bed hospital building with MEP provision for expansion to 490 beds. The total project area is 5.1 million square feet, including the 2.2 million square foot hospital, a 50 000 square foot central utility plant area and 2.2 million square foot parking for 3 200 vehicles. The maximum building height is 24 storeys.

SCOTT WILSON

Burt Hill maintains a network of offices in the US, the UAE and India. In 2005 it changed its name from Burt Hill Kosar Rittelmann Associates to Burt Hill, Inc. After working on projects in Dubai and the Middle East, it launched an office in Dubai Investment Park to serve clients in both private development and government. In 2007 it launched its India office to further serve the international community. The firm provides a wide range of services including architecture, engineering, interior design, landscape and research, with particular expertise in sustainable design, technology integration, energy management and historic preservation.

Saadiyat Island

Scott Wilson Group plc offers strategic consultancy and multi-disciplinary professional services in the railways, buildings and infrastructure, environment and natural resources and roads sectors. It is a global integrated design and engineering consultancy for the built and natural environments. It has a global network of 80 locations, employing over 5 500. Its key key regions are the UK, Asia-Paciﬁc, Europe, India and the Middle East, with regional centres in London, Hong Kong, Warsaw, New Delhi and Bahrain/Dubai.

CURRENT PROJECT DIYAR AL MUHARRAQ, BAHRAIN

Located on reclaimed land off the north coast of Muharraq, this is one of the largest mixeduse developments in Bahrain, and will house 100 000 people. This 12 million square metre development comprises a main island and ﬁve smaller islands, offering 40 km of waterfront land. The project includes residential, recreational, educational, medical and retail facilities. The project is divided into two phases, with Phase 1 covering six million square metres and 1 200 houses. Scott Wilson is the consulting engineer, and is taking on a number of roles, including concept master-planner, marine designer and modeller, supervising engineer and environmental consultant. July 2010 | MEP Middle East 27

CONSULTANTS SHANKLAND COX Shankland Cox specialises in architecture, landscape architecure and master planning, engineering and project management, with ofﬁces in Europe, the Middle East and Asia. It famously oversaw the iconic US$80 million Dubai Etisalat Tower on Sheikh Zayed Road.

CURRENT PROJECT AL AIN CONVENTION CENTRE DISTRICT

Shankland Cox is the architect on this AED3.5

ARUP Founded in 1946 with an initial focus on structural engineering, Arup first came to the world’s attention with the structural design of the Sydney Opera House, followed by its work on the Centre Pompidou in Paris. Arup has since grown into a truly multidisciplinary organisation. Most recently, its work for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing has reaffirmed its reputation for delivering innovative and sustainable designs that reinvent the built environment. Arup has been working in the Middle East since the early 1970s. It has offices in Doha in Qatar and Dubai, providing clients in the Gulf

ATKINS Atkins in the Middle East and India draws on the group’s 17 300 staff worldwide, and directly employs 3 000 professional staff in eight regional ofﬁces. These comprise multidisciplinary teams who work with clients from the outset of a project. Atkins’ design capability extends across all business divisions, from innovative architecture for the hotel and leisure sectors to detailed engineering and design for major infrastructure projects.

CURRENT PROJECTS BUSINESS BAY EXECUTIVE TOWERS, DUBAI

This Dubai Properties development, currently under construction, comprises ﬁve residential towers varying in height from 27 to 47 storeys, with a total of 1 041 apartments, from studios to luxury penthouses, with a swimming pool, spa and 6 186 m² of commercial space. IRIS BAY, DUBAI

This 170-m-high, 32-storey tower for client Sheth Estate International, with a total built-up area of 36 000 m², topped out at the beginning 28 MEP Middle East | July 2010

DAVIS LANGDON Davis Langdon LLP, known globally as Davis Langdon and Seah International, is a construction consultancy firm headquartered in London, with 30 offices throughout the UK, Europe and the Middle East, and over 100 worldwide. The firm is headed by senior partIthra Cultural Centre ner Rob Smith, and has a turnover of £154 million throughout Europe and the Middle East and £580 million globally. It has 2 239 employees in Europe and the Middle East and around 5 000 employees in 110 offices working in 28 countries. On 21 May, building.co.uk reported that with a multidisciplinary service offering in rethe Europe, Middle East and Africa arm are sponse to increasing demand for the delivery expected to vote on a proposed takeover by of high-quality, international-standard projects. £3.8bn-turnover US consulting giant AECOM. Its team in the Gulf works closely with many It is understood the deal could be completed Arup teams worldwide, providing clients wit shortly after the 70 voting partners in the Euaccess to its full range of skills and experience rope, Middle East and Africa arm of the cost across the firm. consultant decide whether to approve the takeOn certain projects, Arup teams will also over by the 45 000-strong firm. collaborate with selected local consultants to ensure that all project requirements can be CURRENT PROJECT met. Subjects such as energy efficiency, mateITHRA CULTURE CENTRE, SAUDI ARABIA rial usage and sustainable design are integral It was reported in March 2009 that Davis Langto its practice of holistic design and central to don is providing consultancy services for the its guiding principal of shaping a better world. Ithra Culture Centre, a landmark cultural and iconic project in Saudi Arabia. The Bahrain office has also been appointed to provide costmanagement services to Norwegian architects Snohetta, which has designed the centre to resemble five pebbles standing in the desert. of the year. Designed, engineered and project Buro Happold is structural and mechanical managed by Atkins, the tower comprises two engineer. identical double-curved shells rotated and The centre is being built on the site of the cantilevered over a four-storey podium, underfirst well in the Kingdom to produce oil in comneath which are three levels of basement and mercial quantities, namely Well No. 7 on the underground parking for 920 cars. oil-rich Dammam Dome. Covering 65 000 m², the stainless Louvre Abu Dhabi steel clad buildings will house exhibition halls, museum, auditorium, a mosque, library and the country’s first public cinema. The five different ‘pebbles’ create a gross floor area of circa 70 000 m². Each main component of the project will feature inside a different ‘pebble’ all linked together by an internal plaza. Saudi Aramco aims to complete the US$400 million scheme by 2011 and open it to the public in 2012. billion ADNEC project. It comprises a convention centre, a cultural centre, hotels, a serviced apartment complex and a multi-storey car park. It also includes a cluster of mixed-use low-rise buildings within an integrated micro-city that places the convention centre at the heart of the development.

www.constructionweekonline.com

CONSULTANTS SCHNABEL AG SCHNABEL AG is a globally active ﬁrm of planning consultants with core competencies in data centre design, safety engineering, building services and network technology. It is an international service provider specialising in complex, real-estate related engineering services. As independent engineering consultants it advises customers worldwide in the planning of highly available, complex building services. It has ofﬁces in Dubai and Romania and subsidiaries in India and Germany.

SEPTECH Founded by David Heffernan in 1997, Septech is a leading water infrastructure company in the region. It provides in-house business units that specialise in offering solutions to the water, wastewater, mobile water, precast infrastructure, marina and utilities-management sector. Septech has a 20-year exclusive partnership with Bellingham, the world’s largest marine developer. It locally designs, manufactures and installs Unifloat floating concrete marina systems, floating wave attenuators and dry stack storage solutions, as well as providing Diyar Al Muharraq marina management and consultancy services. The latest development at the group is the extension of its presence across the Middle East through the creation of a regional office in Muscat, Oman. Septech Muscat LLC forms part of an ongoing overall GCC expanIts expertise is utilised in areas like marina sion strategy. construction, energy efficiency, green energy, The office, which includes a group of ten specialist building interior, façade and external engineers and water specialists, is dedicated lighting, advanced security systems, life safety, to building long-term relationships to identify IT and multimedia and hospital and airport future opportunities, as well as managing all systems. Septech projects in Oman.

SPECIALISED ENGINEERING CONSULTANTS SpEC was established in 2006 in Dubai, with ofﬁces in Abu Dhabi and Cochin and Calicut in India. It has 40 experienced building services engineering professionals. SpEC is associated with leading international consultants.

HALCROW Halcrow is a leading UK consultancy founded in 1868 by civil engineer Thomas Meik. It originally bore his name, and later those of his sons, Patrick and Charles. It worked extensively on port, maritime and railway projects in the North of England, Wales and Scotland, before undertaking its ﬁrst commissions outside the UK in the 1890s. Halcrow has ofﬁces in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah, with major project sites in Ras Al Khaimah. With a track record in the Middle East stretching back continuously over 55 years, Halcrow has been instrumental in building the infrastructure that underpins the quality of people’s lives in the region today. Halcrow is a full member and signatory of the BuildSafe UAE organisation.

CURRENT PROJECTS YAS ISLAND, ABU DHABI

As lead consultant for the £23 billion first phase of Yas Island, Halcrow delivered all primary infrastructure in preparation for the influx of Formula One spectators, as Abu Dhabi hosted the final race in the 2009 Grand Prix calendar www.constructionweekonline.com

on 1 November. Works included roads, potable water, sewerage, power and irrigation systems, as well as provisions for district cooling and vacuum solid waste. Essential utilities and infrastructure pave the way for phases two and three, leading up to the development’s scheduled completion by the year 2018. Yas Island is home to the world’s secondlargest underground water tank, capable of holding 91 million litres of drinking water. Drawing on its Pakistan-based design centre, Halcrow engineers were able to complete all design work for this part of the project at half the original cost. SHARJAH SEWAGE TREATMENT PLANT

Recent master-planning work demonstrated that the existing treatment works will reach full capacity by 2010, and as a consequence the Sharjah Municipality commissioned Halcrow to design the Phase 8 plant to provide sufﬁcient treatment capacity until 2020. To meet the site constraints, and high efﬂuent quality requirements, an MBR plant was

selected for Phase 8. As well as producing a reliable effluent quality, an MBR would provide more treatment capacity per square metre than conventional process technology. As the treatment works is located in the middle of a residential and light industrial area, odour control was a concern to the client, and a significant amount of design time was dedicated to this, which was complicated by the high ambient temperatures and the high sewage loading from septic tanks. The phased expansion of the effluent distribution systems has resulted in a complex, manually-operated distribution system. The new system required integrating with the existing one to allow the higher-quality effluent from the Phase 8 extension to be sent down the existing effluent pipelines to where it was needed in Sharjah. To achieve this, a new pumping main was designed, which allowed the four existing effluent pump stations to discharge into a central irrigation pipeline with automatic wasting of surplus flows through pressure sustaining valves to a new sea outfall. July 2010 | MEP Middle East 29

CONSULTANTS P&T GROUP

NORMAN DISNEY & YOUNG

The P&T Group is the oldest NDY opened its and largest international archiDubai office in tectural engineering practice in 2008. Its UK and South East Asia with over 1 600 Australian offices staff, with offices in Hong Kong, have been responMacau, Singapore, Bangkok, Vietsible for a number nam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Taiwan, of major projects Shanghai, Beijing, Wuhan, Dalian, in the UAE and Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Ajman and Ras other Middle East Al Khaimah. countries. The P&T was established in Hong Al Ain Convention Centre Ritz Carlton HoKong in 1868. It offers a full range tel in Dubai with of architectural, structural and mechanical services designed in NDY’s London office engineering, planning and project manageis the highest-profile project handled in this ment services, with full support from in-house manner. In 2008 NDY was invited to take the interior and graphic design divisions. Model role as engineering services consultant on the making, extensive computer and photographic 1.2-km-high Nakheel Tower in Dubai, a project facilities, as well as full administrative support, cancelled as a result of the fallout of the global complete its total design service. financial crisis. Despite this setback, the Middle East remains a key strategic area.

CURRENT PROJECT AL REEM ISLAND, ABU DHABI

CURRENT PROJECT

With a site area of 24 642 m² and a gross floor area of 210 358 m², this Tamouh Investments development consists of two separate plots of land within the City of Lights part of Al Reem Island in Abu Dhabi. The larger plot of 14 190 m² has the two 28-storey Sigma residential towers and the 34-storey Omega office tower. These sit above an eight-storey podium containing parking and ground level retail and two levels of basement parking. The podium deck level is landscaped with amenity facilities. The smaller plot of 10 452 m² is on the waterfront and has the Marina Bay I and II residential towers of 25 and 29 storeys. There is a five-storey parking podium and three basement levels. The buildings have clean outlines with uncluttered façades, with extensive use of glazing.

ABU DHABI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

Cleveland Clinic

30 MEP Middle East | July 2010

The ﬁnal section of the roof for Abu Dhabi

Aircraft Technologies Hangar 6, which will be capable of housing three A380s and six other mid-sized aircraft, was lifted into place in April 2010. Hangar 6 is an L-shaped three bay hangar with 32 000 m² of hangar space. The work is being undertaken by Aircraft Support Industries. The newly-lifted roof is 40 m high and has a 28 m clearance throughout. NDY’s MEP engineering included air-con, power, lighting, communications, hydraulics and ﬁre services. Air-conditioning the hangar was a unique challenge. A displacement system was used to air condition up to a height of 15 m, despite the roof being 40m high. It allows temperatures to be returned to preferred levels within two hours of the hangar doors closing. Other notable features include the ﬁre suppression system, which utilises leading-edge discharge methods. The system is capable of discharging 1 700 litres/second of foam/water solution. The hangar also includes HV reticulation and substations, centralised 400 Hz generation and reticulation, hazardous zone electrical services and high uniformity lighting systems.

KLING CONSULT In 1954, Kling Consult originated in the enterprising activities of Karl Kling, a young engineer who made a name for himself in the booming post-war construction business. Starting a small office in his hometown in Krumbach/Bavaria, he assembled a team of engineers and soon gained a huge reputation within the region. Always responsive to the demands of an ever-changing industry, Karl Kling’s small office in the southern German town grew into an international consultancy centre providing and distributing engineering services throughout the world. In 2004, Kling Consult took its first steps in the UAE, and built up its office in Dubai to undertake services and activities. With its 350-strong staff in Germany and Dubai, it has become one of the most respectable design and engineering companies in Western Europe and the Middle East, serving a wide market.

CURRENT PROJECTS GALLERIA, JEDDAH

The Galleria project has been designed with a classical façade enclosing a contemporary core. The development consists of 12 storeys, three basement levels, more than 400 hotel rooms, numerous retail units and several restaurants and assembly rooms. The central core of the building is formed by an eight-storey mall, where it is envisaged that the ﬁrst two storeys will be for boutiques and the remaining ﬂoors for hotel use. The individual rooms offer views across the Jeddah skyline, as well as views into the mall. Excavation and shoring works are scheduled for completion by July 2010. KING’S ROAD TOWER, JEDDAH

Sageifat Al-Safa announced in January that King’s Road Tower, with its distinctive ‘pearl’ in the middle, is in the final phase of construction. Upon completion it will be Jeddah’s tallest tower, boasting the world’s largest digital advertising screen. The tower comprises 34 floors for office use, two shopping levels and attached parking floors. Kling Consult is responsible for the architectural design, MEP structural design and interior design. www.constructionweekonline.com

CONSULTANTS HYDER CONSULTING With over 150 years’ experience and a global team of experts, Hyder Consulting Middle East is proactive in applying its insight and knowledge to create innovative solutions that generate sustainable and commercial advantage for its clients and the communities they serve. It offers multidisciplinary engineering and scientific services to clients in the UK, Europe, the Middle East, Australia and the Asia-Pacific. The division is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hyder Consulting Hyder Consulting, which is listed on the London Stock Exchange. Revenue for the Hyder Consulting Group for March 2009 was £319 million (£233.7m in 2008). In its annual results for the year ended 31 Yas Island March 2010, released in June, the firm stated that Middle East revenue amounted to £93.9 million, 12% lower than the prior year, with staff numbers reduced by 370 to about 1 200 following the slowdown in Dubai, which now accounts for 30% (2009: 45%) of its total Middle East revenues. The firm’s long-standing presence in Abu Dhabi, Qatar and Bahrain has helped it win major projects there, and more recently it has been winning projects in Saudi Arabia, including the tallest building in Riyadh. In Dubai, Hyder was the architect and engineer of record for the Burj Khalifa, and the surrounding infrastructure of Downtown Dubai.

CURRENT PROJECT CMA TOWER, RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA

Set to be the centrepiece of the King Abdullah Financial District, the tower will be the new headquarters for the Capital Market Authority, which will occupy the top ﬂoors of the 385 m high tower. The design for the signature tower comes from a collaboration between architectural ﬁrms HOK and Omrania & Associates, with Cyril Sweett providing costing and project management services for the project. Constructed from steel with fully-glazed façades, the form of the tower takes its cue from the four other towers comprising the project. Much shorter than this tower and of varying heights, they all have similar angular forms creating an appearance similar to that of crystals. www.constructionweekonline.com

WSP With ofﬁces in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Doha in Qatar and Damascus in Syria, WSP Middle East is one of the region’s leading, multi-disciplinary engineering consultancies, with a 350-strong team providing sustainable and cost-effective engineering and architectural solutions through innovative thinking.

CURRENT PROJECT BLUE BAY, SHARJAH

Sharjah-based developer Marsa Al Nejoum Real Estate has signed an agreement with WSP Middle East for the infrastructure design of the Blue Bay Villa project. Work on the project’s water canal has been completed, which represents two thirds of the infrastructure total work. Blue Bay is the ﬁrst phase of the Nujoom Islands project. With 95% of the land being natural, the villas are being built in an eco-friendly manner, using natural elements, recycling of wastewater and solar energy.

RED ENGINEERING Red Engineering Middle East designs lowcarbon MEP systems for some of the best buildings of their kind in the world, including super-luxury hotels, ‘green’ supermarkets and data centres, and AAA class ofﬁces. It operates internationally, co-ordinating global teams to provide exceptional quality, speed and value, together with an innovative approach that regularly cuts energy use by over 50%. It is not a satellite or subsidiary of any overseas company. It is Dubai-registered and based, owned and staffed by people with a long-term commitment to the region as a whole.

CURRENT PROJECT YASMEEN ROTANA HOTEL, DAMASCUS, SYRIA

Red has been appointed to undertake the full MEP design, vertical transportation and audio visual elements for the 55 000 m² ﬁve-star 350bed Yasmeen Rotana Hotel in the Mazzeh area of Damascus, Syria. The design was produced in six months from April 2009. A key factor was the site selection. Located on one of the major interchanges within the city, integration of the MEP plant requirements to minimise the impact on the architectural solution was critical. This project is the ﬁrst in Syria to have six basement levels.

KEO INTERNATIONAL CONSULTANTS KEO International Consultants has offices in Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Al Gharbia, Bahrain, Qatar, Dubai, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman and Washington in the US. It is a global provider of total professional consulting solutions in the construction industry. Founded in 1964, the firm has garnered international recognition as a dynamic and highly capable leader in the delivery of planning, architectural design, civil engineering and project management services. KEO is structured as five unique consulting firms, each highly specialised and a leader in their respective field. These are KEO Strategy, Planning and Urban Development; KEO Design; KEO Project & Construction Management; KEO Infrastructure and KEO Contracts and Quantity Surveying.

CURRENT PROJECT LUSAIL, QATAR

KEO International Consultants has been appointed by Diyar Al-Kuwait to design and manage the construction work on a mixed-use development project at Lusail in Qatar. The 70 000 m² waterfront site will provide 130 000 m² of ofﬁce space, 30 000 m² of retail space and 640 residential units. Three ofﬁce towers are situated along the northern portion of the site with their address along the Main Street and step from 25 storeys at the northeastern corner to 29 storeys at the northwestern corner of the site. Elevated sky gardens are located in strategic locations of each tower to offer tenants a connection to nature and break up the mass of the building.+++++++++++++

DEERNS MIDDLE EAST In the ﬁeld of electrical, mechanical and energy engineering solutions and building physics, Deerns is one of the largest independent

consultancy ﬁrms in the Netherlands. It has ofﬁces in the Netherlands, Germany, Dubai, China, Spain, France and the US.

July 2010 | MEP Middle East 31

ACOUSTICS

Sound design In the Middle East, the air-conditioning equipment that is essential for providing a comfortable internal climate for pupils in schools can also have a massive effect on the acoustic comfort, unless carefully selected.

Acoustic comfort is arguably the most important requirement of an educational facility

coustic comfort is arguably the most important requirement of an educational facility. Being able to understand what a teacher is saying is essential to student learning. Education projects are designed to utilise a variety of different environments, invariably with different acoustic demands. Quite often only 50% of the plan area needs acoustic treatment – it is all about specifying the right product without inhibiting design aesthetics and ensuring product durability, says Lianne Peters of SAS International. 32 MEP Middle East | July 2010

Both external noise and classroom ‘babble’ can affect the performance of students undertaking verbal and non-verbal tasks in the classroom. The introduction of a school grading system by Dubai’s Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) has increased the focus on such pupil performance, with the KHDA’s inspection report becoming key to many parents’ choice of school. This, in turn, may have a large ﬁnancial impact on certain schools within the region’s primarily paid-for education system. The problem of noise in schools has increased steadily, with contributing factors including changes in teaching practices, the use of electrical equipment and increasing

class sizes. School premises comprise a range of demanding acoustic environments, each with different acoustic challenges. Circulation spaces such as corridors and stairwells can be a source of increased sound reverberation, creating high levels of noise during busy periods. These areas require treatment with sound-absorbent material, which helps reduce acoustic reverberation. Acoustic baffles and cross-talk attenuators can be designed and installed between classrooms and corridors. Both solutions provide natural cross-flow ventilation, while minimising sound travelling from room to room, thus controlling regenerated noise. In classrooms, durable surface finishes are hard and therewww.constructionweekonline.com

ACOUSTICS THE SCIENCE OF ACOUSTICS The science of acoustics, and its application within buildings, can often be a confusing experience, with a seemingly endless array of different criteria and rating methods. Here we will look at the acoustic issues affecting suspended ceilings. There are two acoustic properties relevant to suspended ceilings, namely sound absorption and sound attenuation. Sound absorption is a measure of the ability of a surface to absorb sound, minimising the reflection of sound energy back into a space. This is important as a predominance of acoustically reflective surfaces in enclosed spaces, such as a classroom, can lead to an overly reverberant environment; the sound of a single voice can be less intelligible due to the many reflections of sound from the room surfaces. These reflections occur with a time delay compared to the sound energy that reaches a listener’s ear directly, and cause the sound to become less clear. The room characteristic that defines this feature is ‘reverberation time’ – the length of time (in seconds) that it takes for a sound source to decay by 60 dB. Different environments have differing demands, depending upon the use of the space, and there are differing subjective terms used to describe the different characteristics. Two extreme examples are a radio broadcast studio, where a reverberation time of around 0.2 seconds is required, and the sound is described as ‘dry’ or ‘dead’, or a swimming pool with a reverberation time that could be as long as 3.0 seconds, with a ‘bright’, ‘live’ or ‘reverberant’ sound. Sound absorption is defined as a coefficient, ranging from 0.0 for total reflection, to 1.0 for total absorption. The soundabsorptive properties of a material are defined in BS EN ISO 11654:1997, which gives three relevant properties: • Sound absorption coefficient (as): Individual sound absorption figures quoted in third octave frequency bands; • Practical sound absorption coefficient (ap): Sound absorption figures quoted in single octave frequency bands; and • Sound absorption rating (aw): A single figure rating based upon the values of ap, compared to a reference weighting curve. Of these values, the most convenient term is the single figure sound absorption rating, aw, as this allows straightforward comparison between two different products. For most environments, specification in terms of the

www.constructionweekonline.com

value of aw will be sufficient. The first two parameters are used by acousticians in the detailed modelling of a space to accurately determine its acoustic characteristics. BS EN ISO 11654:1997 also introduced the concept of a sound absorption class, with five categories of sound absorption, ranging from Class A to Class E, with Class A offering the higher level of sound absorption. Sound absorption class is roughly equivalent to the value of aw. However, it is more properly assessed by plotting the values of ap against a series of reference curves between 250 Hz to 4 000 Hz. An alternative and more traditional method of defining sound absorption is noise reduction coefficient (NRC), which is an arithmetic average of octave band absorption over a limited frequency range. This is no longer the preferred unit of choice, as it has been superseded by aw. Sound attenuation Sound attenuation is used to describe the reduction in sound between two spaces separated by a dividing element, with two basic sound transmission paths that will affect the eventual perceived sound level difference. Direct sound transmission is the level of sound passing through the dividing element, while flanking sound transmission is the level of sound passing through surrounding structures. Sound attenuation is measured in accordance with procedures set out in BS EN ISO 140, and defined in BS EN ISO 717. Performance is assessed in terms of third octave band values, with weighted single figure ratings provided to allow ease of comparison. For suspended ceilings, the relevant single figure characteristics are: Dnfw Defines the sound insulation value from room to room, where a dividing partition abuts the underside of the ceiling with a plenum (void) above. The laboratory test procedure involves use of a massive partition wall, such that the derived performance is that of the ceiling alone, with no flanking paths. Rw This rating defines the level of sound insulation directly through a single layer of material. Whereas Dnfw is a ‘double-pass’ value, Rw can be considered a ‘single-pass’ value, although suspended ceilings are rarely tested to determine this parameter.

fore reflect sound easily. Reflected sound increases the reverberation time of the space, making speech less intelligible and learning difficult.

ACOUSTIC LIGHTING RAFTS Acoustic lighting rafts can be used to meet specific illuminance levels and acoustic requirements. Sound passes through the perforated face of the raft before being absorbed by an acoustic pad. Any sound not absorbed by travelling through the face of the raft but reflected on the structural soffit is absorbed by an additional pad. When used in conjunction with an open soffit, rafts also enable the thermal mass of the structure to be exploited for thermal mass heating and cooling. Music rooms in schools present an acoustic challenge due to longer reverberation times. Sound levels created by musicians must not be allowed to interfere with surrounding rooms. For recital or performance rooms, the UK Building Bulletin 93 (BB93) suggests a reverberation range of between 1.0 and 1.5 seconds, with an outdoor ambient noise level of no more than 30 dB. The performance for sound insulation between such rooms must have a sound reduction index (Rw) of not less than 45 dB. Room-to-room attenuation can be achieved using a metal ceiling manufactured to 49 dB. The durable perforated metal ceiling can contain backing pads, acoustic fleece and backing board to meet acoustic requirements. Aesthetic demands need not be sacrificed when specifying acoustic solutions to meet important acoustic legislation. The flexibility of acoustic products allows architects increased design flexibility and durability when considering acoustic settings within the education sector. For further information visit www.sasint. co.uk

SPECS FOR SCHOOLS Acoustic comfort: Sound absorption BB93 requirements under Regulation E4 of the Building Regulations for speech intelligibility; Design aesthetics: Acoustic lighting rafts enable sustainability and natural mass cooling. Modular clip-in or lay-in systems; Accessibility/maintenance: Secure voids using security clips. Durable, hygienic, wipe-clean polyester powder coated finish. Easy-to-access services; Durability/sustainability: Durability providing a sustainable solution in terms of the entire cost lifecycle. Recyclable at end of life.

July 2010 | MEP Middle East 33

OIL SAMPLING

The benefits of oil sampling Although oil-testing programmes are often seen as an expensive cost to a company, in reality, a well-run oil-testing programme can save a company time, money and a lot of unnecessary effort.

Aggreko is a global leader in the supply of temporary power and temperature control solutions

icture the following scene: a sample is taken, carefully labelled and put into a specialised transport container. It is shipped to a state-of-the-art laboratory almost 4 000 miles away, where it is unpacked and analysed. A report is produced, giving a breakdown of compounds found in the sample and a suggested course of treatment. You would be forgiven for thinking that this 34 MEP Middle East | July 2010

scenario might end with a patient sitting with his doctor, being given a thorough overview of his medical health. Yet the patient in this case is not a human being at all. The patient is in fact a 1 250 kVA generator operating in a remote location, and the doctor is an operations technician, reading the results of the generator’s latest oil test and determining what actions to take. Engine oil has many functions, but the most important are reducing friction between moving parts, providing essential cooling for components and carrying away or containing the

debris or by-products of combustion, including normally generated wear metals. Basic oil from the refinery is fortified with many additives, which are designed to handle this debris, contamination and degradation – up to a point. Much in the same way as a human body can only tolerate a certain level of toxins, fortified oil can only handle so much contamination before it starts to fail. It is here that regular oil sampling plays its part in allowing companies to monitor the generation rate of the contaminants and wear www.constructionweekonline.com

OIL SAMPLING metals in order to assess if there is an untoward situation developing. Through regular oil sampling, the technicians can determine if an engine is showing signs of abnormal wear, oil degradation or contamination of the oil by water or fuel. By using sophisticated analytical instruments, the laboratory can detect and report, in parts per million, on all the metallic elements found in the engine.

CONTAMINATION They also determine what the oil chemistry looks like and report on contamination such as sulphur, sodium and carbon (soot) oxidation, among others. The results allow a diagnostician at the lab to make a diagnosis on the wellbeing of the oil and the engine. In the same way that a blood sample can warn a doctor of a patient’s elevated cholesterol levels, the oil sample result can alert the company to mechanical situations which have the potential to damage or destroy expensive equipment. On average, 80% of samples will be given a ‘normal’ diagnosis, but the remaining 20% of samples will be rated as either ‘borderline’, ‘urgent’ or ‘critical’. For samples falling into one of these three categories, there will be an advised course of action to take, ranging from observation in the case of a borderline sample, to a ‘stop engine’ in the case of an urgent or critical sample. Upon receiving this information, it is then up to the engineers on-site to perform an investigation to ﬁnd the cause of the problem before catastrophe strikes. It is at this point that the need for a ‘secondary diagnosis’, wherein the technician evaluates all aspects of the generator’s service history, becomes evident. To give a real-world example of why this is important, we can take the case of a generator operating in a remote location, which is ﬂagged by the laboratory analysis as an ‘urgent’ case. The report from the laboratory reads that extremely high levels of copper have been found in the engine oil, and it is suspected that this could be coming from the bearings. However, upon receiving the report, a secondary diagnosis is performed and the technician, upon inspection of the generator’s maintenance history, realises that the generator has recently had the oil cooler replaced, which has naturally caused leaching of copper due to oxidation. This example shows the importance of the secondary diagnosis – without it, the generator would have been taken off-line in order to examine the bearings.

DIAGNOSIS One other aspect of the diagnostic process, which is often forgotten by companies, is reporting back to the sampling laboratory after www.constructionweekonline.com

Given that a 1 250 kVA generator engine can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, there is an enormous benefit in ensuring that the machine remains operational.“ the secondary diagnosis or mechanical intervention. As in the case of a doctor verifying test results, knowing whether a diagnosis was correct or not will help reinforce or modify the assumptions made the next time. One of the most obvious benefits of regular oil testing is avoiding catastrophic equipment failure. Taking the example of the 1 250 kVA generator, oil sampling is conducted after every 400 hours of service. With an approximate cost of US$13 a sample and an average life of 25 000 hours, the cost for regular oil sampling will be approximately US$850 during the overall life for a generator. Given that a 1 250 kVA generator engine can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, there is an enormous benefit in ensuring that the machine remains operational. However, there are other less obvious benefits to oil sampling. Sampling does not only detect potentially catastrophic failures; it also gives technicians a warning of less drastic potential problems, enabling a more efficient system of preventative maintenance.

WARRANTY CLAIMS In addition, a properly-structured oil-sampling programme is invaluable when it comes to making warranty claims on the engine supplier. Being able to prove that the equipment has been well maintained and that the problem is, indeed, a mechanical issue, which should be covered by the warranty, can save companies, and ultimately their customers, hundreds of thousands of dollars. Another beneﬁt of oil sampling is that, by providing companies with a way of keeping on top of service issues at various sites, improper practices can more easily be discovered. In one recent case, test results revealed that the generators operating on a site had a higher than normal level of fuel mixed into the lubricating oil. While this would not have raised a concern if the results had come from a single generator, the fact that virtually all the generators on-

site were showing the same result prompted the site supervisor to investigate. He quickly ascertained that one of the technicians had been careless when replacing a set of injectors as evidenced by an inspection of the injector Oring seals, which had been poorly fitted. Without the oil-sampling programme, the problem may have gone undetected for some time, and could potentially have led to early life failure of the generators. Although the benefits of oil sampling to a company are numerous, oil sampling is often viewed as a chore by technicians working onsite. There can be a temptation to take short cuts in order to reduce the amount of effort expended on oil sampling, and these short-cuts can have a serious impact on the effectiveness of oil-sampling programmes. For this reason, it is important for companies to educate their staff about the benefits that a well-run oil-sampling programme can bring to the company. Just as blood tests help doctors to determine the health of their patients, a good oil-sampling programme will help technicians keep equipment operating at optimal levels, and will ultimately impact positively on the company’s bottom line.

AVAILABILITY Aggreko plc is a global leader in the supply of temporary power and temperature control solutions. It provides 24/7 availability and service support with about 3 500 employees operating from over 133 locations, including the Middle East. Aggreko provides power and temperature control solutions to customers who need them either very quickly, or for a short or indeterminate length of time. Examples would be the supply of power to an industrial site which needs to service its permanent power supply, supplying a whole city in times of power shortage, or providing a major sporting event with power and cooling systems. It serves customers either through its 120 service centres, which it calls the Local Business, or globally through its International Power Projects business. In the Local business, which accounts for about 60% of the company’s revenues, it hires equipment to customers, who then operate it for themselves, although it retains responsibility for servicing and maintaining it. In the International Power Projects business, which accounts for about 40% of revenues, it operates as a power producer. It installs and operates power plants, and charges customers both for providing the generating capacity and for the electricity produces. It designs and manufactures equipment speciﬁcally for these requirements in its factory in Dumbarton, Scotland. July 2010 | MEP Middle East 35

BUILD YOUR BRAND AT THE CONSTRUCTION SECTOR’S MOST ESTABLISHED CONFERENCE SERIES

OCTOBER 27th 89L ;?89@ Following the successful regional series of conferences held by Construction Week – the region’s leading publication for construction professionals in the Middle East – the Construction Week Conference, Abu Dhabi will bring together the leading executives in the city to debate the current issues and challenges facing the industry. Featuring panel discussions, Q&A sessions and networking occasions, the conference will be the ideal platform to promote your brand, meet new clients and learn from the most inﬂuential ﬁgures in the Middle East construction sector. To sponsor the 3rd Building Sustainability into the Middle East Conference contact 8e[i\n GXib\j, tel: +971 4 210 8570, email: Xe[i\n%gXib\j7`kg%Zfd LEGAL PARTNER

ASSOCIATE SPONSOR

MEDIA PARTNERS

SITE VISIT

On the

BEACH

ubbed the ‘great Arabian water city of the twenty-fi rst century’, this is a flagship project for DSI Abu Dhabi, which falls under the auspices of DSI PJSC. “It is a high-profile Aldar development that will constitute a new gateway to the Emirate and form a new regional hub,” says DSI area GM: Abu Dhabi Ahmad Al Naser. Al Muneera is part of Khor Al Raha, one of 11 precincts within the larger Al Raha Beach www.constructionweekonline.com

Drake & Scull International Abu Dhabi PJSC (DSI) is main MEP contractor at Aldar’s Al Muneera, part of Al Raha Beach. MEP Middle East paid a visit to site catch up on progress on this mega project.

development, which is being constructed alongside 5.2 million square metres of natural beachfront. The development will ultimately combine residential, commercial, cultural, entertainment and public facilities, and will accommodate up to 120 000 residents. It is located on the beach side of the main highway leading into Abu Dhabi from Dubai.

with respect to built area/cost, though the island is marginally larger in size,” explains DSI senior project manager Martin Lewis. The site area is 146 000 m² (about 50 acres), with a total built-up area of 594 000 m². This is divided into 254 500 m² residential as well as 106 000 m² basement car parking. Lewis lists the project elements as follows:

ISLAND, CANAL

• 1 286 apartments; • 11 sea-facing villas (ﬁve bedrooms); • 148 canal-facing townhouses (four bedrooms);

“The project is made up of two distinct areas, island and mainland, divided by a canal. The two sections have an approximate 50/50 split

July 2009 | MEP Middle East 37

SITE VISIT

• 16 residential towers (12-14 storeys); and • Office tower. DSI Abu Dhabi’s contract is valued at AED420 million, and includes the full scope of MEP services, including fi refighting and access control. There are ten fi refighting pumpsets, each comprising electric, diesel and jockey pumps, and 256 CCTV cameras together with a security control room. The fi re-alarm system comprises 20 MFAPs (Main Fire Alarm Panels), with two fire command centres.

3 500 WORKERS The construction programme is 21 months, and kicked off in August 2009. There will be 3 500 workers on-site at the project’s peak. Given the sheer scale of the project, this poses immense challenges in terms of logistics. “Meal breaks have to be co-ordinated and appropriate facilities made available so that productivity is not unduly hampered. With a project of this size, the devil is deﬁnitely in the details,” says Lewis. In terms of the electrical component of the project, Lewis says the total electrical load is 36 414 kW and 30 814 kW for the island and

AL RAHA PRECINCTS 1. Al Zeina 2. Khor Al Raha (comprising Al Muneera and Al Khubeera) 3. Al Bandar 4. Al Seef 5. Al Wateed 6. Al Rumaila 7. Al Nakhel 8. Al Lissaily 9. Al Shaleela 10. Al Razeen 11. Al Thurayya

38 MEP Middle East | July 2009

DSI senior project manager Martin Lewis, Construction Week senior group editor Stuart Matthews, project manager Abdel Naser Hassan El Sayed and area GM: Abu Dhabi Ahmad Al Naser

INFRASTRUCTURE ON TRACK AT AL RAHA BEACH Aldar Properties has achieved significant progress in terms of key infrastructure at its Al Raha Beach development. Interchanges 4, 4A and 5 on the main Abu Dhabi-Dubai Highway (E10) will soon open to traffic in-bound to Al Raha Beach and Al Raha Gardens. The interchanges, which were completed structurally ahead of the Grand Prix last November, are now being readied for final delivery. Pending final testing and clearances by the relevant authorities, the interchanges will be opened up to traffic in phases to allow access to areas of Al Raha Beach as they are completed. Starting from 20 April, Interchange 4 began to accept traffic in-bound to the HQ building from both Abu Dhabi and Dubai directions through a security gate, while by late August 2010 there will be inbound and outbound traffic to HQ via Interchange 4. The partial opening of Interchange 5 has allowed Al Raha Gardens traffic to access E10. In June 2010 it opened fully to allow access to inbound and outbound traffic to the new Al Bandar Development from both Abu Dhabi and Dubai directions. Aldar has also finalised the redesign of Interchange 6 in close co-ordination with the Abu Dhabi Urban Planning Council, Department of Transport and Abu Dhabi Municipality to ensure it will be better able to handle the increase in traffic from the surrounding developments and improve the flow of traffic to and from the airport. Work on the ground commenced in early June 2010. Utilities installation is progressing well in the Eastern Precinct of Al Raha Beach, which

covers the area from the Yas Island tunnel to the iconic HQ building adjacent to the Al Raha Beach Hotel. Micro-tunnelling and directional drilling techniques have been employed to connect all Al Raha Beach utilities to the main utility corridors on the south side of, and parallel to, the E10 highway. The co-ordination of the design and construction works is a demanding task for which Aldar has selected experienced teams of project managers, consultants and contractors. The utilities have been planned to allow the current developments of HQ, Al Bandar, Al Zeina and Al Muneera to be connected to the Abu Dhabi main networks before their committed occupation dates. Gas supply to the development is at an advanced stage, with Al Bandar the first residential development in Abu Dhabi to be supplied from the natural gas network as from May 2010. The utilities provided at Al Raha Beach include automated vacuum waste collection systems and a district cooling chilled water network supplying all developments from a number of plants distributed along the length of the project. “We are delighted at the significant construction progress at Al Raha Beach, which will benefit both future residents and those already living and working in the surrounding area,” said planning and infrastructure director Talal Al Dhiyebi. “Aldar is committed to providing world-class infrastructure for all of its developments from the outset, playing a central role in the development of the Emirate in line with Plan Abu Dhabi 2030.”

www.constructionweekonline.com

SITE VISIT

mainland respectively. “We have four substations with 24 nos. of LV switchgear, 9 000 m of busbar ducts in different runs and ratings, 2 105 km of LV cables of different sizes, and 5 722 sub main distribution boards, motor control centres and final distribution boards.” In addition, there are four generators of 1 500 kVA each, and a total of 425 000 m of cable trays, trunking and ladders. Lewis says DSI Abi Dhabi fi ne-tuned a single residential tower to use as a working template for the large number of buildings required. This speeded up the work schedule as well as improving the overall build quality. The office tower, in particular, posed a specific challenge for the contractor as it has a circular shape, which the MEP design and

AL MUNEERA TEAM Client: Aldar Properties PJSC Project manager: Turner International Lead consultant: Waterman Emirates Main contractor: Al Futtaim Carillion MEP contractor: Drake & Scull International PJSC Architect: Kann Finch

www.constructionweekonline.com

The bulk of our effort lies in careful planning ... The actual work is relatively straightforward.“ Martin Lewis installation had to take into account. In terms of the cooling component of the project, the total cooling load is 3 650 TR and 3 350 TR for the island and mainland respectively. Lewis says the total project encompasses a staggering 120 km of chilled water piping. There are 12 chilled water pumps, 76 air-handling units (AHUs) and 5 547 fan-coil units of varying sizes.

1 757 FANS In addition, there are 1 757 fans for applications ranging from toilet-air extraction to stair and lift pressurisation, car-park ventilation and smoke extraction. The project also required 352 sets of hydraulic pumps for domestic water transfer, for example. Such large quantities of equipment re-

quired careful co-ordination and planning. A lot of the equipment has been imported – the AHUs were sourced from Italy, for example – so varying lead times also had to be factored in. As if this did not pose enough of a challenge, limited storage space on-site – something of an irony given the size of the project – meant material-supply scheduling had to be monitored closely in order to allow the MEP contractor to adhere to the extremely tight schedule. “The bulk of our effort lies in the careful planning and scheduling. The actual work itself is relatively straightforward,” says Lewis. The contract type employed at Al Muneera is NEC3, which means close co-operation with the main contractor, Al Futtaim Carillion. Safety and security management is also a critical factor, especially with such a large workforce. “While controlling such a large labour force obviously entails its own unique challenges, another aspect is the availability of skilled labour as and when needed, especially as the project progresses. This means that we as the main MEP contractor have to be ﬂexible enough to be able to cater to the speciﬁc needs of our entire scope of works,” says Lewis.

July 2009 | MEP Middle East 39

LEGAL

Letters of

INTENT Dennis Brand from Traprain Consultants concludes his look at ‘conﬁrmation or contract’ in letters of intent.

any forms of non binding letters of intent are available, but the risk is that, if not prepared properly and stated clearly as being non-binding, they can all be binding! When preparing a binding letter of intent, careful consideration should be given to the following:

The importance of this provision is that any payments made under the letter of intent will be treated as payment on account in respect of obligations in the main contract, once this comes into force. Such a provision will help prevent a double payment to the contractor and the likely disputes which will occur. It is also important that a similar provision be included in the ﬁnal contract.

SCOPE OF WORK INTENTION TO ENTER INTO A FORMAL CONTRACT Given that the purpose of a letter of intent is to commence the work prior to the execution of a ﬁnal contract, it should state that the intention of the parties is to enter into a formal contract, and that the parties will endeavour their best to execute the formal contract as soon as reasonably possible. Consideration should be given as to whether the letter of intent, either in whole or in part, is intended to form a contract. If all the elements required for a contract are included and are clear, then a court could interpret the letter of intent as being a complete contract. If it is not intended that it should be considered a complete contract, then the letter of intent should list the matters to be resolved in order for the main contract to be entered into.

RETROSPECTIVE EFFECT OF THE CONTRACT The letter of intent should also provide for the retrospective effect of the ﬁnal contract when completed. A suggested provision being: “If and when the contract is signed, the terms and conditions of the contract will govern retrospectively the work carried out by the contractor pursuant to this letter of intent. Any monies paid to you in respect of the work performed or materials supplied pursuant to this letter shall form part of the contract sum under the contract.” 40 MEP Middle East | July 2010

A vital element is the scope of work and the standard of performance required of the contractor. In this regard, the letter of intent should include the following: •Identify as precisely as possible the scope of the work; • Include provision for the employer’s right to vary the scope; • Where possible include a completion date for the work; and • Include a statement of the contractor’s standard of care to be adopted in performing the work.

PAYMENT OF THE WORKS As with the scope of work, payment in respect of the work is also a vital element of the letter of intent and should cover the following: • The basis upon with the contractor is to be paid (e.g. remeasure, cost plus, lump sum etc); • The timing and mechanics for the submission of the contractors invoices; • Set a limit or cap on the amount to be paid to the contractor and, if appropriate, allow provision for this to be increased at the discretion of the employer; and • Include a right of set off for the employer.

CESSATION OF WORK The letter of intent should include a provision for termination at the employer’s convenience by incorporating a procedure whereby the

employer can instruct the contractor to cease work and vacate the site. It should also state that the contractor’s entitlement to further payment following termination is limited to any amounts outstanding for work performed up to and including the date of termination.

OTHER TERMS • Consider appending a draft of the formal contract terms to the letter of intent, especially if all the terms have been agreed. However, if not fully agreed and it is appended, then there is a danger that the letter of intent will be considered a contract; • Include a statement that neither party will be bound by the letter of intent until it is signed by both of them; • Include an expiry date of the letter of intent so that both parties are clear as to its period of validity; • Include provision for the method of communication between the parties and for the giving of instructions; • Include the provision that the contractor is not entitled to any further payment by way of quantum meruit (‘fair remuneration’ – Article 888 The Civil Code) in addition to the amounts payable under the letter of intent; and •The letter of intent should be issued by the employer and not by anyone else;

CONCLUSION Although a letter of intent can never replace a complete contract, a binding letter of intent, properly prepared and covering all the relevant issues, can signiﬁcantly reduce the risk of commencing works of construction in the absence of complete signed contract. Having said this, however, when faced with a letter of intent, either being asked to draft one or accept one, legal advice should always be sought. Dennis.Brand@traprain.com www.constructionweekonline.com

BUSINESS LEADS

PROJECTS IN THE UAE MEP Middle East and Ventures Middle have teamed up to provide you with essential project information. WATANI RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT 600 VILLAS AND 48 BUILDINGS Client: Sorouh Real Estate Consultant: Ewan Arch. Engg./WSP Group Main contractor: Not appointed MEP contractor: Not appointed Value: US$251-500m Status: Under design Type: Mixed-use Contact: Sorouh Real Estate PJSC, 02 4440006/02 6978888

A rendering of Shamkha in Abu Dhabi

Sorouh Real Estate PJSC, an Abu Dhabi-based real-estate developer, in conjunction with the Abu Dhabi Urban Planning Council (UPC), the agency responsible for the urban environment of Abu Dhabi Emirate, will develop Watani. On the edge of

the new Capital District, Watani will deliver 1 370 quality homes for Emirati nationals. The total contract value is AED5.4 billion, and the ﬁrst phase of construction has already started. Sorouh will also be developing

Shamkha, a larger master-planned community for UAE families. Watani and Shamkha will combine the traditional elements of Emirati culture with all the beneﬁts of modern community living, and will contribute nearly 9 000 quality homes for

Emiratis over the next ﬁve years, making substantial inroads into the demand of about 60 000 homes required for national families. Watani will comprise 1 370 four- and ﬁve-bedroom villas that will come in a variety of designs to suit Emirati families. The community will be served by three local mosques and one Grand Mosque, a community centre, Olympic-standard sporting facilities and an International British School. There will also be 40 mid-to-lowrise apartment buildings housing units of varying sizes. The entire development will be completed by the end of 2012.

Project Title

Client

Consultant

Main Contractor

MEP Contractor

Value (US$. Mn)

Royal City Seasons Hotel in Abu Dhabi Layia Hospitality in Dubai

City Seasons Group

Tae Young Contracting

Not Appointed Not Appointed

101 - 250

project under construction

Hotel

Not Appointed

31 - 100

Hamed Center

Not Appointed

101 - 250

bidding underway for the main contract project under design

Hotel

Mixed Use Complex in Electra Street Commercial Building in Muroor Road Refurbishment of Oasis Hospital in Al Ain Al Gurm Complex in West Abu Dhabi - Banyan Tree Hotel Medical Complex in Arzanah

James Cubitt & Partners National Engineering Bureau AI Engineering

Korea China Jilin Building Contracting Not Appointed

Not Appointed

16 - 30

project under construction

Commercial Buildings

Oasis Hospital

Al Masoudi Consultant Engineer Peddle Thorp Architects

Not Appointed

31 - 100

Dar Al Handasah

Not Appointed

101 - 250

bidding underway for the main contract project under design

Hospital

ALDAR Properties Capitala

HDP Overseas

Not Appointed

31 - 100

project under construction

Hospital

145 Villas in Ain Al Fayda

Al Qudra Real Estate

Pace Consultants

Al Habtoor Leighton Group Tafseer Contracting

Not Appointed

16 - 30

project under construction

Julphar Residences in the City of Lights on Reem Island Hotel and Office Building in Al Barsha First Amaya Towers in Shams on Reem Island Two Mosques in Mohammed Bin Zayed City Al Manar Mall Expansion

RAK Properties

Arkonsult Abu Dhabi

Not Appointed

109

project under design

Residential Development Residential Buildings

Awtad

Not Appointed

project under design

Mixed Use

Dhafir Development & Contracting Not Appointed

Not Appointed

31 - 100

project under construction

Residential Buildings

Not Appointed

2.5 - 15

project under design

Others

Not Appointed

130

project under design

Shopping Center

TRA Headquarters in Dubai

Telecommunications Regulatory Board Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture & Heritage ALDAR Properties

Bel Yoahah Architecture & Engg. Architectural Consulting Group Al Arabi International Engineering Bureau RK Group Architectural & Engg. Kling Consult

Parkway International

Not Appointed

16 - 30

project under construction

Commercial Buildings

Buro Four (UK)

Not Appointed

project under design

Recreational Facilities

Professional Arabian Consulting Engineers

Pal Technology Services/Mammut Contracting LLC China Harbour Engineering Company Dhafir Development & Contracting Al Ruban Contracting

Not Appointed

31 - 100

project under construction

Residential Development

Not Appointed

31 - 100

project under construction

Residential Development

Not Appointed

31 - 100

project under construction

Residential Buildings

Not Appointed

16 - 30

project under construction

Commercial Buildings

Qasr Al Muwaiji Fort Museum 500 Villas in Yas Island

White Bay in Umm Al Quwain 450 Villas Amaya Towers in Shams on Reem Island Commercial Building in Khalifa Najda Street

Gulf General Investment Co.

Mr. Ahmed Shadeep

Dhafir Development & Contracting Abu Dhabi General Services PJSC Al Manar Mall

Enshaa

Emirates Sunland

Dhafir Development & Contracting Mr. Adel Al Hussaini

Architectural Consulting Group Al Dhaya Engineering Consultants

Project Status

Type of Project

Mixed Use

Hotel

Note : The above information is the sole property of Ventures Middle East LLC and cannot be published without the expressed permission of Ventures Middle East LLC, Abu Dhabi, UAE

For the latest Middle East MEP project information, visit www.constructionweekonline.com

July 2010 | MEP Middle East 41

REGION IN FOCUS

Top MEP projects in the UAE We take a closer look at some of the major MEP projects underway in the UAE, courtesy of Ventures Middle East. CITY OF LIGHTS - C10, C10A AND C11 Client: Tamouh Investments Consultant: Palm & Turner Architects Main contractor: China State Construction & Engineering Corporation MEP contractor: In-house Value: US$101–250m Status: Under construction Type: Mixed-use RITAJ MIXED-USE COMPLEX IN DIP Client: Dubai Investments Real Estate Co. Consultant: Al Jabal Consultants Main contractor: Robust Contracting MEP contractor: Al Phanoor Value: US$155m Status: Under construction Type: Mixed-use AL FALAH DEVELOPMENT IN ABU DHABI – 2000 VILLAS Client: ALDAR Properties Consultant: Al Torath Engineering Consultants Main contractor: El Seif Engineering & Contracting Co. MEP contractor: Elemech/ALEC Value: US$251–500m Status: Under construction Type: Residential development UNION CO-OPERATIVE HYPERMARKET IN AL BARSHA Client: Union Co-operative Consultant: Archdome Consulting Engineers Main contractor: Bu Haleeba Contracting MEP contractor: Alko Airconditioning & Mechanical Works Value: US$33m Status: Under construction

Emirates City

42 MEP Middle East | July 2010

Type: Shopping centre ARJAAN HOTEL APARTMENTS IN ADNEC Client: Bin Hamoodah Properties Consultant: GA Architects & Engineers Main contractor: United Engineering Construction (UNEC) MEP contractor: Drake & Scull Value: US$31–100m Status: Under construction Type: Residential buildings BAFCO HEADQUARTES IN DIC Client: Bafco Trading, Dubai Consultant: Model Engineering Consultants Main contractor: Evan Lim Penta Construction MEP contractor: Powermech Value: US$2.5–15m Status: Under construction Type: Commercial buildings FRANKFURT SPORTS TOWER 1 IN DSC Client: Memon Investments Consultant: Al Hatmy Design & Engg. Cons. Main contractor: OST Constructional Projects MEP contractor: Anwar Al Aqsa Co. Value: US$92m Status: Under construction Type: Residential buildings THE VILLA IN DUBAILAND – PHASE 3 Client: Dubai Properties Consultant: Shadeed Engineering Main contractor: Al Shafar General Contracting MEP contractor: Al Shafar United Electro

City of Lights

Mechanical Eng. Value: US$91m Status: Under construction Type: Residential development LILIES TOWER IN EMIRATES CITY Client: R Holdings Consultant: Adnan Saffarini Main contractor: Abou Seif Building Contracting Co MEP contractor: Mep Tech Value: US$87m Status: Under construction Type: Residential buildings CHAMPIONS TOWER II IN DUBAI SPORTS CITY Client: Memon Investments Consultant: Adnan Saffarini Main contractor: Al Sarh Contracting MEP contractor: Anwar Al Aqsa Co. Value: US$30m Status: Under construction Type: Residential buildings CHAMPIONS TOWER III IN DUBAI SPORTS CITY Client: Memon Investments Consultant: Adnan Saffarini Main contractor: Al Sarh Contracting MEP contractor: Anwar Al Aqsa Co. Value: US$40m Status: Under construction Type: Residential buildings

Dubai Sports City

SANDOVAL TOWNHOUSES & RESIDENCES IN JUMEIRAH VILLAGE Client: Bavaria Gulf Consultant: Diar Consult Main contractor: Al Sayegh Contracting MEP contractor: In-house www.constructionweekonline.com

REGION IN FOCUS MEP contractor: Drake & Scull Value: US$251–500m Status: Under construction Type: Mixed-use

Dubailand

Value: US$31–100m Status: Under construction Type: Residential development 32 VILLAS IN AL BARSHA Client: Mr. Mohammed Al Nasser Consultant: City Space Engineering Consult. Main contractor: Moal Contracting MEP contractor: In-house Value: US$31–100 Status: Under construction Type: Residential development RESIDENTIAL BUILDING IN MUROOR ROAD Client: Mr. Khalifa Sayed Javed Al Qubaisi Consultant: Al Aman Engineering Consultancy Main contractor: Venus Contracting Transporting General Maintenance MEP contractor: Abdul Rahim Est./ Al Khorasani Value: US$16–30m Status: Under construction Type: Residential buildings SORBONNE UNIVERSITY ON REEM ISLAND Client: Mubadala Development Company Consultant: Obermeyer Middle East Main contractor: Murray & Roberts/Al Habtoor Leighton MEP contractor: Al Habtoor Specon LLC Value: US$327m Status: Under construction Type: Educational facilities

NEW BUILDING FOR SHARJAH MUNICIPALITY Client: Sharjah Municipality Consultant: Art & Design Engineering Main contractor: Globe Constructors MEP contractor: Geco Mechanical & Electrical Ltd Value: US$41m Status: Under construction Type: Commercial buildings 55 VILLAS IN MOHAMMED BIN ZAYED CITY Client: Burooj Properties Consultant: Al Ramahi Engineering Consultants Main contractor: Tiger Contracting MEP contractor: In-house Value: US$19m Status: Under construction Type: Residential development 3 COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS IN MUROOR ROAD Client: Abu Dhabi Commercial Properties Consultant: Syrconsult Main contractor: Al Nasr Middle East General Contracting MEP contractor: In-house Value: US$31–100 Status: Under design Type: Commercial buildings AL WAHDA MALL 2 Client: Al Wahda Sports Club Consultant: Khatib & Alami Main contractor: Ali & Sons Contracting MEP contractor: Juma Al Majid Value: US$218m Status: Under construction Type: Shopping centre GURU NANAK DARBAR IN DUBAI Client: Al Dobowi Consultant: Holfords Associates Main contractor: Condor Building Contracting MEP contractor: In-house

BRITISH BUSINESS GROUP BUILDING IN BUR DUBAI Client: British Business Group Consultant: Emirates Engineering Consultant Main contractor: Jasaf Building Technology MEP contractor: In-house Value: US$16–30m Status: Under construction Type: Commercial buildings KINGDOM OF SHEBA, PALM JUMEIRAH Client: International Financial Advisors Consultant: Wimberley Allison Tong & Goo Main contractor: Dubai Contracting Co (DCC) www.constructionweekonline.com

Kingdom of Sheba

Value: US$15m Status: Under construction Type: Other CENTRO ROTANA HOTEL ON AIRPORT ROAD Client: Al Badie Trading & Investment Consultant: LW Design Main contractor: Polensky & Zoellner MEP contractor: In-house Value: US$31–100m Status: Under construction Type: Hotel ST. REGIS HOTEL & RESIDENCES ON SAADIYAT ISLAND Client: Tourism Development & Investment Consultant: Woods Bagot Main contractor: Al Habtoor Engineering/Murray & Roberts MEP contractor: BK Gulf Value: US$545m Status: Under construction Type: Mixed-use TRAFALGAR CENTRAL IN INTERNATIONAL CITY Client: Fakhruddin Properties Consultant: Hadi Architectural Engineering Main contractor: Derby Contracting MEP contractor: In-house Value: US$20m Status: Under construction Type: Residential buildings ROSEWOOD HOTEL ON SOWWAH ISLAND Client: Mubadala Dev.Co/John Buck Int’l Consultant: Serex International Main contractor: ACC MEP contractor: Drake & Scull Value: US$200m Status: Under construction 33 RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS AT THE GOLF GARDENS Client: Sorouh/TDIC Consultant: Otak Main contractor: Pivot Engineering & Contracting Company MEP contractor: In-house Value: US$101–250m Status: Under construction Type: Residential buildings ROYAL MIRAGE HOTEL STAFF ACCOMMODATION IN AL QUOZ Client: Royal Mirage Hotel Consultant: Design Werkz International Main contractor: Al Mazrouei Bowyer Building MEP contractor: In-house Value: US$2.5–15m Status: Under construction Type: Residential buildings July 2010 | MEP Middle East 43

METAL MONITOR

NON-FERROUS METAL PRICES The London Metal Exchange (LME) is the world’s premier non-ferrous metals market. The LME offers futures and options contracts for aluminium, copper, lead, nickel and NASAAC, among others. Many of these materials are indispensable in the MEP sector. The latest historical data from the LME is presented to give readers insight into this dynamic trading market. For further information visit www.lme.co.uk.

MAY 2010 THE LONDON METAL EXCHANGE LIMITED AVERAGE OFFICIAL AND SETTLEMENT PRICES US$/TONNE

Cash Buyer Cash Seller & Settlement Cash Mean 3-months Buyer 3-months Seller 3-months Mean 15-months Buyer 15-months Seller 15-months Mean 27-months Buyer 27-months Seller 27-months Mean

Primary Aluminium (dollars)

Aluminium Alloy (dollars)

Copper

Lead

Nickel

NASAAC

(dollars)

2,039.76 2,040.53 2,040.14 2,068.87 2,069.71 2,069.29 2,168.37 2,173.37 2,170.87 2,244.05 2,249.05 2,246.55

1,909.00 1,916.00 1,912.50 1,930.79 1,942.63 1,936.71 1,996.32 2,006.32 2,001.32 2,056.32 2,066.32 2,061.32

6,836.71 6,837.68 6,837.20 6,872.05 6,874.08 6,873.07 6,901.58 6,911.58 6,906.58 6,781.32 6,791.32 6,786.32

1,881.68 1,882.68 1,882.18 1,912.61 1,915.05 1,913.83 1,952.95 1,957.95 1,955.45 1,929.05 1,934.05 1,931.55

21,995.26 22,008.16 22,001.71 22,063.16 22,089.21 22,076.18 21,713.16 21,813.16 21,763.16 20,653.95 20,753.95 20,703.95

1,962.58 1,974.21 1,968.39 1,981.84 1,994.47 1,988.16 2,080.79 2,090.79 2,085.79 2,153.16 2,163.16 2,158.16

Copper 3-months seller

THE FOLLOWING STERLING EQUIVALENTS HAVE BEEN CALCULATED, ON THE BASIS OF DAILY CONVERSIONS: Copper Cash Seller & Settlement: Copper 3-months Seller: Lead Cash Seller & Settlement: Lead 3-months Seller:

£4,669.96 £4,694.89 £1,284.81 £1,306.98

$6771

Settlement Conversion Exchange Rates Stg/$ $/JY Euro

1.4641 92.06 1.2546

LME AVERAGE SETTLEMENT PRICES IN EURO Metal

Euro Settlement Conversion Rate

Primary Aluminium

1626.41

Aluminium Alloy

1527.17

Copper

5450.33

Lead

1499.45

Nickel

17535.89

Tin

14005.79

SHG Zinc

1568.08

Nasaac

1573.47

APRIL 2010 THE LONDON METAL EXCHANGE LIMITED AVERAGE OFFICIAL AND SETTLEMENT PRICES US$/TONNE

Cash Buyer Cash Seller & Settlement Cash Mean 3-months Buyer 3-months Seller 3-months Mean 15-months Buyer 15-months Seller 15-months Mean 27-months Buyer 27-months Seller 27-months Mean

Primary Aluminium (dollars)

Aluminium Alloy (dollars)

Copper

Lead

Nickel

NASAAC

(dollars)

2,316.08 2,316.73 2,316.40 2,345.50 2,346.25 2,345.88 2,448.15 2,453.15 2,450.65 2,526.85 2,531.85 2,529.35

2,161.13 2,168.23 2,164.68 2,185.25 2,196.25 2,190.75 2,259.75 2,269.75 2,264.75 2,325.00 2,335.00 2,330.00

7,743.70 7,745.08 7,744.39 7,777.85 7,780.68 7,779.26 7,779.75 7,789.75 7,784.75 7,649.00 7,659.00 7,654.00

2,264.10 2,264.85 2,264.48 2,290.20 2,292.05 2,291.13 2,312.45 2,317.45 2,314.95 2,279.90 2,284.90 2,282.40

26,014.75 26,030.75 26,022.75 26,067.50 26,083.75 26,075.63 25,653.00 25,753.00 25,703.00 24,866.00 24,966.00 24,916.00

2,185.75 2,193.33 2,189.54 2,216.00 2,227.00 2,221.50 2,316.75 2,326.75 2,321.75 2,387.50 2,397.50 2,392.50

£5,051.83 £5,077.35 £1,477.17 £1,495.59

Settlement Conversion Exchange Rates Stg/$ $/JY Euro

1.5331 93.46 1.3408

$7568 Copper 3-months seller

LME AVERAGE SETTLEMENT PRICES IN EURO Metal

Euro Settlement Conversion Rate

Primary Aluminium

1727.54

Aluminium Alloy

1616.69

Copper

5776.09

Lead

1689.15

Nickel

19414.99

Nasaac

1635.50

Neither the LME nor any of its directors, officers or employees shall, except in the case of fraud or wilful neglect, be under any liability whatsoever either in contract or in tort in respect of any act or omission (including negligence) in relation to the preparation or publication of the data contained in the report.

44 MEP Middle East | July 2010

www.constructionweekonline.com

PRODUCTS

Energy management systems are becoming increasingly sophisticated and cost-effective

WIRELESS ENERGY MANAGEMENT FOR HVAC SYSTEMS What is being heralded as a new class of ‘drop-in’ energy management systems (EMS) for businesses with small to mid-size facilities has been made possible by recent advances in wireless technology. These affordable, featurerich wireless EMS products offer real energysavings that enhance profitability and a reduced carbon footprint. Until now, most businesses with small to midsize commercial buildings have had no affordable option to implement an EMS of any notable scale. Ironically, a large proportion of buildings in this segment use more energy per square foot than any other commercial space. HVAC equipment on the roof is the largest energy drain for these businesses. Until recently, there have been no practical energy-management solutions to control these HVAC and other mechanical systems better, and therefore no opportunity for business owners to save money. Similar to the way a wireless network can support multiple devices, a wireless network system can be deployed into a commercial building. These wireless networks will support multiple controls for that building’s main energy-

using equipment, such as HVAC and lighting. The system also allows for real-time wireless monitoring of the total electrical consumption (kWh) for the entire building. More importantly, it takes the entire process straight to the Internet, enabling remote monitoring and control from a central location. What makes these wireless EMS systems so attractive is their simplicity, effectiveness and affordability. Most HVAC contractors can install these systems in just a half-day or less by replacing the existing thermostats in the building with radio-equipped wireless thermostats. A factory accessory will allow wireless control of up to eight other circuits for lights and ventilation. Basically, any equipment that could benefit from having an operation schedule applied can usually be joined to the network. Next, simple current transformer clamps are slipped around the main electrical feed lines to the building, and they are joined to the network. Then a real-time graphic interface touch panel display is installed on the wall in a manager’s office. This panel is actually the new local central control and monitoring point for all HVAC equipment, lighting, refrigeration and other mechanicals. Simply enable the power and Internet connection button on the back of the touch panel and the building is now saving energy and money, and is controllable remotely via the Web. In addition, these systems offer users the opportunity to establish a remote ‘gatekeeper’ of each building upgraded with these wireless EMS products. From setting schedules through the Web interface, to being the contact that receives and responds to any over temperature alarms, to creating monthly comparative energy consumption reports, full control of a business’s energy consumption may be managed remotely. www.eco-view.com

ELECTRICAL SAFETY TRAINING MATERIALS Electrical safety violations are on OSHA’s top-ten list of most frequent violations, with OSHA issuing 2 556 citations for electrical safety violations in the US in 2009. Employers can now provide their employees with the required training with a revamped line of electrical safety training products from the Workplace Safety Store. “Every year workers are injured needlessly by electricity on the job,” according to Robin Watson of the Workplace Safety Store. “We want to prevent that from happening, which is why we are making available high-quality DVDs, posters, booklets and other materials which have been proven effective in teaching employers how to keep their employees safe.” OSHA has very specific regulations about www.constructionweekonline.com

requirements for employer safety training, and all of the materials are OSHA-compliant. Employers who do not follow OSHA regulations are taking a significant risk with their business and with the safety of their employees, warned Watson. “We urge people not to underestimate the danger of injury and death from exposure to electrical hazards on the job,” said Watson. A study conducted in 1995 by the Bureau of Labour Statistics of the US found that electrocutions accounted for 6% of all worker deaths. The National Safety Council reported that electrocutions were the fourth-leading cause of work-related traumatic death in the years 1980-1989. http://safety.1800inet.com/electrical-safetytraining

RUGGED PUMPS FOR WATER TREATMENT AquFlow has introduced a complete line of metering pumps for chemical injection for water treatment applications. The line-up includes a range of flow and pressure capacities with the liquid ends in corrosionresistant materials such as 316 SS, PVC, PVDF, Hastelloy C and Alloy 20. Sodium hypochlorite, ferric chloride, sodium hydroxide and hydrochloric acid are some of the chemicals commonly used as disinfectants, coagulants, corrosion inhibitors and neutralising agents in a typical water treatment plant. These chemicals could be very corrosive if the right material is not selected for the liquid end of the injection pumps, causing premature failures and downtime. When a pump is matched correctly to ensure chemical compatibility and accurate flow, the water treatment process becomes more dependable. AquFlow, a leader in chemical metering pump technology for the last 38 years, is the pump of choice for tough water treatment chemicals. AquFlow now also has a complete line of solenoid metering pumps for smaller and less heavy duty applications. While the solenoid pumps cover the lower end of flows and pressures, AquFlow hydraulic diaphragm pumps are used predominantly for higher pressures and flow capacity as high as 3 500 GPH. Controlling AquFlow pumps is easy with manual stroke adjustment and optional automatic electronic capacity adjuster. In addition to the stroke, you can also finetune the speed for a highly accurate flow rate. These controls are capable of taking the 4-20 mA input signal from SCADA systems. Most water treatment plants are using these to control the capacities from their computers and/or the Internet. AquFlow exhibited at the recent ACE10 trade show organised by AWWA in Chicago in the US. It displayed some of its pumps and the technology behind it to show why these can outperform and outlast most other comparable pumps in the market today. In addition to dosing pumps, AquFlow also has the capability to manufacture entire pumping systems, which include valves, storage tanks, mixers and controls to spec. The AquFlow Web site has specifications, data sheets, manuals and dimensions of Series 1000, 2000, 3000 and 4000 pumps. www.aquflow.com

July 2010 | MEP Middle East 45

PRODUCTS

Otis’ environment-friendly Gen2 elevator system sets the standard for performance, design flexibility and comfort

The Gen2 system becomes even more energy-efficient when combined with energyconserving ReGen drives. As the product of choice for green building initiatives, ReGen drives reduce energy consumption by up to 75% compared to conventional systems with nonregenerative drives. ReGen drives feed energy usually lost during elevator braking back into the building’s internal electrical grid, where it can be used by other loads or users connected to the same network such as lighting. They lower overall building operating costs, delivering significant annual savings to building owners and tenants year after year over the life of the elevator. Otis offers a variety of maintenance programmes and building support systems to fi t customers’ needs and equipment types. It offers a host of maintenance management programmes to meet customers’ needs. Ultimately, the right maintenance at the right time extends the life of the equipment and protects the owner’s investment. Otis customers can call the OTISLINE Centre 24/7 when they have an elevator or escalator problem. Its trained service professionals are constantly on call to ensure a prompt response and efficient repairs. Remote Elevator Monitoring (REM) optimises elevator performance and minimises elevator downtime. This is a sophisticated interconnected system of sensors, monitors, circuits, hardware and software to collect, record, analyse and communicate data about elevator operations 24/7. If the REM system detects a problem, it analyses and diagnoses the cause and location, then makes the service call and helps an Otis mechanic identify the component causing the problem. Otis customers can call the OTISLINE Centre 24/7 when they have an elevator or escalator problem. Elevators are often back in service before owners or tenants even know there is a problem.

GREEN ELEVATOR SYSTEM

www.otisgen2.com

Otis Elevator Company is the world’s largest manufacturer and maintainer of people-moving products, including elevators, escalators and moving walkways. With headquarters in Farmington, Connecticut, Otis employs 61 000 people, offers products and services in more than 200 countries and territories, and maintains 1.7 million elevators and escalators worldwide. Otis is represented directly in the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. In Qatar, Oman, Bahrain and Yemen, Otis operates through agents managed by its Arabian Gulf branch in Kuwait.

OTIS MIDDLE EAST KEY PROJECTS

46 MEP Middle East | July 2010

Otis’ environment-friendly Gen2 elevator system sets the standard for elevator performance, design flexibility and comfort for a wide range of building applications from low-rise residential to high-rise projects. Using Otis’ patented polyurethane-coated steel belts, the Gen2 system features a compact, energy-efficient machine that reduces energy consumption by up to 50% compared to conventional systems. In addition, the Gen2 system does not require any additional polluting lubrication, eliminating the need for storage, cleanup and disposal of hazardous waste.

• • • • • • • • • •

Burj Khalifa, UAE Yas Island, UAE Mall of the Emirates, UAE Mirdiff City Center, UAE Dalma Mall, UAE Liberation Tower, Kuwait Kuwait Finance House, Kuwait Amiri Dewan Projects, Kuwait Bahrain City Centre, Bahrain Bahrain Trade Centre, Bahrain

www.constructionweekonline.com

THE LAST WORD

Smart WORKPLACES Lewis Beck, Johnson Controls Workplace Strategy Lead EMEA, on the synergy between workspace utilisation and energy efficiency. With over 17 000 people managing 0.139 billion square metres (1.5 billion square feet) of corporate real estate in 90 countries, Global Workplace Solutions has been included in the Global Outsourcing 100 by the International Association of Outsourcing Professionals. “It is part of the Building Effi ciency business of Johnson Controls, a leading service provider of mechanical equipment and systems controlling heating, ventilation, air-con, lighting, security and fi re management in non-residential buildings,” explains Beck. Services include complete mechanical and electrical maintenance. Building Efficiency is involved in over 500 global renewable energy projects, ranging from solar to wind and geothermal energy. The division’s solutions are estimated to have reduced carbon dioxide emissions by 13.6 million tons, generating total savings of US$7.5 billion since 2000. This vast experience has been brought to bear on some major corporate clients in the Middle East, says Beck. Johnson Controls itself is a global diversified technology and industrial giant represented in 150 countries, focusing on solutions that optimise energy and operational efficiencies of buildings. The company’s commitment to sustainability dates back to 1885, with the invention of the fi rst electric room thermostat. The latest trend is tenant energy management, such as the system 48 MEP Middle East | July 2010

that Johnson Controls is pioneering at the Empire State Building refurbishment project in New York. Every floor will be sub-metered, and individual tenants can opt for their own meters and monitor consumption via a Web site. But what about the workplaces themselves? This is where Global Workplace Solutions fits in. “We see workplaces as opportunities to make big contributions to a company’s bottom line,” says Beck. Global Workplace Solutions does this by focusing on the entire realestate lifecycle. This is critical, as real-estate costs are often the second-highest item on the balance sheet of a company. “Hence reducing the amount of space needed by optimising its utilisation will have a significant impact on a company’s bottom line,” says Beck. “This is particularly relevant in Dubai, where the recent boom saw companies occupying a lot of office space commensurate with their corporate status. Now with the downturn companies are seeking to cut costs and reduce overheads, with energy efficiency and workspace optimisation emerging as the two major trends in this regard,” says Beck. “What we do at the outset is conduct an audit of the workplace in question in order to determine

how the space is utilised. It is critical to gather this sort of information before any improvements can be suggested or properly formulated,” says Beck. This is often the most fraught part of the process, as it is often seen as an interrogation of a company’s culture. However, Global Workplace Solutions has the latest technology at its disposal to ensure the initial, fact-gathering part of the process is rigorously scientific. “This goes a long way to reassuring companies,” says Beck. The Visible Living Lab, as it is known, is a Web-based space management and real-time occupancy tool developed by Johnson Controls. “It helps businesses see in realtime where their workspace is occupied, and how it is being used. With this intelligence, companies are able to improve space utilisation, increase staff productivity and gain savings from strategic property management,” explains Beck. The tool uses RF smart tags to provide real-time intelligence. The benefits of adopting such an approach are obviously fi nancial, with potential occupancy savings of 20% to 30%. In addition, the accumulation of accurate data not only improves decision-making, but allows for location-based security and response in the event of any

Sustainability is increasingly being measured by space utilisation efficiency.“

emergency, adds Beck. Another benefit of this process is it attunes companies to current trends and developments with regard to workplace management. “A lot of workplace utilisation improvement is predicated on a mindshift change in culture and behaviour. It is often difficult for established companies to gain a comprehensive overview of their work patterns; we are able to provide such a viewpoint, which impacts directly on sustainability and profitability,” says Beck. It also allows companies to benchmark themselves against global competitors. What are some of the latest workplace trends? One thing Beck is confident of is that the traditional office set-up is here to stay. “There is a lot of talk about the demise of the office due to flexiwork and the freedom allowed by advances in telecoms and the Internet. However, workspaces are important for companies to brand themselves and inculcate a corporate culture among their employees,” says Beck. The future of the ‘smart’ workplace is being shaped by various factors and trends. Buildings are no longer sustainable by merely incorporating ‘green’ technology; sustainability is increasingly being measured by space utilisation effi ciency. “This helps reduce vacant office space, which is an important consideration in Dubai at the moment,” says Beck. www.constructionweekonline.com

A Historical Event. Eaton Takes Pride In Being A Part Of It. Eatonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Busway line of products and state-of-the-art UPS systems was the perfect fit for this architectural feat.

Our family of Product Series

Eaton is a diversified power management company with 2009 sales of $11.9 billion. Eaton is a global technology leader in electrical components and systems for power quality, distribution and control; hydraulics components, systems and services for industrial and mobile equipment; aerospace fuel, hydraulics and pneumatic systems; and truck and automotive drivetrain and powertrain systetms.

Eaton Electric Ltd., Dubai World Trade Centre - Level 16 Sheikh Zayed Road, P.O. Box 9398 , Dubai, UAE Tel: 9714-3313938, Fax: 9714-3329239