02 MOST POPULAR S PROJECT TS TEN RES YOU SHOULD KNO OW IBS
01 & 16 ULARS REGU GETT TING TO KNOW W YOU
17 RES FEATUR FINANCING PROJE ECTS H AND SAFE ETY HEALTH
RE ES -Liinkk
18-23 CHOICE EDITORS C RES INFOB BOX SYSTE EM BIM MODE EL PMP EXAM MINATION
04 - 14 4 PROJE ECTS 16 R COVER GOING G GREEN
Enviro onmen nt Regene erative nergies nability Projec ct Life Cycle C S Standard s The Real Esta ate Solutions New ws Magazine.En Issu ue # 02, August 2009 2Sustain Conssumptio on Solar Epoch Bio Fuel Energy Efficien ncy Sav vings Green G B Building g Func ctionalityy Valu ue Ad dvance e Tec chnology Reegulations Commitmen nt Perforrmance e Renew wable Materials M s Low Carbon C Footprrint Safe e Durablee Highe er Resa ale Valu ue Recyyclable Loow Utility Bill B Clean Water Le ess Wasste High Abundantt Day Lighh Cost Effectiv ve Clean Airr Produ uctive Environ nment Regeneerative Energies E s Susta ainabilityy Proje ect Life e Cycle e Standaards Con nsump ption Soolar Epoc ch Bio Fue e Energ gy Efficie ency Savings S s Green Build ding Fu unction nality Va alue Ad dvance e Tech hnologyy Regulattions Com mmitme ent Perf rformanc ce Ren newable e Materrials Low w Carbo on Foottprint Sa afe Durabble High her Res sale Va alue Reccyclable Low Utilityy Bill Cleaan Water Less Waste W High Abu undant Day Light Cost Effective E Clean n Air Productive P e Enviro onmen nt Regeneerative En nergies Sustain nability Projec ct Life Cycle C S Standard s Conssumptio on Solar Epoch Bio Fuel Energy Efficien ncy Sav vings Green G B Building g Func ctionalityy Valu ue Ad dvance e Tec chnology Reegulations Commitmen nt Perforrmance e Renew wable Materials M s Low Carbon C Footprrint Safe e Durablee Highe er Resa ale Valu ue Recyyclable Loow Utility Bill B Clean Water Le ess Wasste High Abundantt Day Lighh Cost Effectiv ve Clean Airr Produ uctive Environ nment Regeneerative Energies E s Susta ainabilityy Proje ect Life e Cycle e Standaards Con nsump ption Soolar Epoc ch Bio Fue e Energ gy Efficie ency Savings S s Green Build ding Fu unction nality Va alue Ad dvance e Tech hnologyy Regulattions Com mmitme ent Perf rformanc ce Ren newable e Materrials Low w Carbo on Foottprint Sa afe Durabble High her Res sale Va alue Reccyclable Low Utilityy Bill Cleaan Water Less Waste W High Abu undant Day Light Cost Effective E Clean n Air Productive P e Enviro onmen nt Regeneerative En nergies Sustain nability Projec ct Life Cycle C S Standard s Conssumptio on Solar Epoch Bio Fuel Energy Efficien ncy Sav vings Green G B Building g Func ctionalityy Valu ue Ad dvance e Tec chnology Reegulations Commitmen nt Perforrmance e Renew wable Materials M s Low Carbon C Footprrint Safe e Durablee Highe er Resa ale Valu ue Recyyclable Loow Utility Bill B Clean Water Le ess Was ste High Abundantt Day Lighh IS RED R H HOT Cost Effectiv ve Clean Airr Produ uctive Environ nment Regeneerative Energies E s
G eenn Gre
Con Co nte entts M MOST PO OPULAR R
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S Projects you should d 02 2 Ten RES know
RES Tim meline
19 9 Politics on o Projects s 21 1 Integrated Buildingg Systemss 11 05
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PR ROJECTS COVE ER 16 Greeen Buildinng
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Ramad da Tangier 2 25
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FEAT TURES
06 Prime Tow wer
17 Raaising the Finance F
REGU ULARS 01
Messagess Foreword Record yo our thoughtts
25 Geetting to knnow you
Mistra Heights Massalleh Comple ex Al Taameer Extension
15 Tw wo Stage Te endering 24 Heealth and Comfort C at work
Amaia Residence e
07 Saifi Crow wn ED DITORS S CHOIC CE 18 8
08 Salmiya Club C
Procure compan ny
09 Polygon Tower T
IPA Co ompany
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20 0 BIM Moddel 22 2 IT- Infobox (System m Portal) 23 3 PMP (Tipps and Triccks)
Riverside Plaza Assouffid
11 FIM Bankk 12 The Arcaddes 14 Ramada Sohar
Editors Notte: I hope you find this t edition of RES Link L Magazine as inte eresting and informattive as ever. This edition is special becau use it’s filled with yours and RES success stories. We tried to emphasize e on lot of issues i to be covered such ass Integrated Building g Systems, Informatio on Models, Collabora ation tools, our staff, our o ongoing and upc coming projects, sustainability in our desig gn and projects, effic cient processes, message from the board and healtth and comfort at worrk. Now that the eu uphoria has reached a point where the ma ajor concern is wheth her the market is ove erheated, the situation presents a dilemma for investors, service providers and end d users. Investors ha ave opted for a wait-and-see atttitude in recent timess to cope with econom mic uncertainties and d rising inflation. How wever, they cannot prrolong this strategy over o the long-term du ue to the inherent nee ed for retail, commerrcial, office, residential and industrial i projects. It is high time th hat we go above the bottom b line, view ourr perspective in the re egional market, and harness our talents tapping t the unlimited potential our staff po ossesses by improvin ng and expanding in alignment with our business pla ans.
MESSAGES As the world enters recession, with all other companies’ eyes on global markets and how the Middle East will fare in the world recession, it is critical that we keep sight of our "enviable" position.
CEO MESSAGE
VPO MESSAGE
It is pleasing to report another year of solid growth for Real Estate Solutions. We achieve good services response that exceeded market expectations. This success is testament to the robust nature of the Real Estate Solutions integrated business model and its competitive Project Management performance across the regions and sectors in which we operate.
I am pleased to let you know that despite the turmoil Real Estate Solutions is doing far much outstanding. We have new avenues of business and service delivery. International companies like are approaching us expressing their interest to buy shares in Real Estate Solutions. While others are making redundancies, we are proud to hold on our good talented people, because we know you are the engine of Real Estate Solutions. I am proud to announce that we stand tall and defiant among our competitors and have taken a positive and proactive approach in the fight against recession. Our management and directors have adopted a far much better strategy to fit the new market conditions.
Real Estate Solutions today is an integrated Project Management company that brings together the skills to tap on, create, manage and optimize projects, delivering value for our clients while generating multiple earning streams for the Company. Much work has been done over the past four years since Real Estate Solutions establishment to put our robust business model and operating strategy in place and this year’s result, in the Board’s view, confirms that we are headed in the right direction.
There is so much to be optimistic about Real Estate Solutions and our strong financial base. With everyone aiming for the same ultimate goal respecting corporate values, we need to work together to ensure we stay strong in the face of adversity.
I can assure you that the company has a well defined plan, strong balance sheet and an outstanding business growth prospects. We are now well placed to maximise earnings from our strong and growing development pipeline.
I would also like you to ‘Think out of the box’. It is time to work smarter, not harder, to achieve our targets. Together we should take a step back and look forward at the new wider markets for Project Management Service delivery. We are looking at the best ways to stay focused, while taking advantage of opportunities that we hadn't previously considered.
In May this year, we set up a new project development consultancy department to match the evolution of Real Estate Solutions into a fully integrated business. The executive office team comprises Vinod Kumar as Projects Consultancy Director and Sunita as Financial Analyst. This structure brings the skilled professionals and us at the higher management closer together to ensure that decision making on Development Financial Consultancy is synergized and opportunities across the core operations is tightly coordinated at the group level, always with an eye on the long term value drivers for ours and clients business.
Let us all together ensure that we are one of the success stories of 2009.
Tarek Mansour Vice President Operations tmansour@res.com.kw
Ahmed Samir Chief Executive Officer asamir@res.com.kw
FOREWORD
Don’t be fooled and sit with someone talking recession.
Just few months into the first quarter of 2009 and confusion remains on numerous issues surrounding real estate sector, construction industry and subsequently the Project Management services. Some of the broader but vital questions being asked are 'if and 'how' construction sector related companies through to endusers can survive this global economic storm. Yes, of course it is all relative, and the real estate and construction sectors, with whom all of us are intertwined, are in general suffering badly, but hey, there is good news for you out there! You’ll find in this edition of RES Link Magazine the achievements of RES, our upcoming projects and our strong financial positions, which will surely rebuild your confidence.
RECORD YOUR THOUGHTS There will always be series of good news stories about you working on RES projects. Tell us about your experience working with RES. If you would like to have your say or would like to air your views on any one of a number of latest articles, please do so and record your comments at info@res.com.kw. We appreciate your comments and ensure your privacy. I’ll be the editor for the next news magazine and in this capacity would like to take this opportunity to remind you to submit your materials to me at mkhan@res.com.kw to ensure publication of your contents in next issue. The digital version of this publication can also be viewed at Subscribe online at: http://www.res.com.kw/newsletter2.html
The storm will eventually pass and the market will correct itself but the lesson we are learning now grants us the opportunity to bring up the bar on our services quality, increase efficiency and align our goals for future business relationship and market penetration. Maneer Khan RES Link Senior Editor mkhan@res.com.kw
RES-link is the global Real Estate Solutions news magazine for employees. Front cover: Images from the Dummar Development Interlink Editor Design & Production Maneer Khan Kindly send your comments to mkhan@res.com.kw Telephone: +965 2461 3950 Fax: +965 2461 3954
NOTICE The publisher and editor regret that they cannot accept any liability for error or omissions contained in this publication, however caused. The options and views contained in this RES Link news magazine publication are not necessary those of the editor but the staff. Readers are advised to seek information from RES administration before acting on information contained in this publication which is provided for general staff and client use. The ownership of the RES Link trademark 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 editor in writing. An exemption hereby granted for extracts used for the purpose of fair review.
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ISSUE 02
RES-Link
SUSTAINABILITY AS A PRIORITY
ENERGY IS A GLOBAL PROBLEM
This edition of ours differ from previous one in that it includes special aspects such as sustainability, green building, economics and resource saving measures, which have been taken into consideration in part or as a whole in the projects.
Conservation of energy and resources is today largely a matter of moral responsibility. Tomorrow, it will be a matter of laws and regulations. Still further in the future, it will be an economic necessity and always an environmental imperative! Furthermore, it is not simply something that affects individual countries or regions. The truth is, we have an international and global energy problem.
Because ultimately building means: planning, construction and operation. Nowadays sustainable buildings are distinguished by low operating costs together with high property value retention. Moreover, these buildings perform magnificently in regard to the evaluation of the "life cycle costs". Buildings currently consume Since the start of industrialisation, a worldwide almost 40% of the world resources and are responsible for near to temperature increase of +0.8°C has been observed.The 30% of the total global CO2 emission. This is no longer acceptable. temperature will rise by an additional 0.2 °C every ten For all intents and purposes this value could be halved and the CO2 years over the coming decades. The primary cause for emission reduced, at the same time, by the employment of this is the ever-increasing concentrations of the appropriate technical and functional measures. greenhouse gases CO2, CH4 and N0 in the atmosphere. The resulting anthropogenic greenhouse effect leads to Hence it is essential for us at Real Estate Solutions to combat the considerable additional climate change. We are therefore impacts of globalization with successful future-orientated strategies, all called upon to do everything possible to enact in particular in relation to climate protection. Sustainability, energy appropriate and efficient measures for reducing CO2 regeneration, freedom from emission in buildings that generate more emissions as quickly and comprehensively as possible energy than they consume, operating as small "energy generating and to strengthen natural CO storage processes. stations", are now the essential company objectives. Never before did PM’s, architects, planners and engineers have What we need are trend-setting, innovative examples of greater opportunity, better expertise and such versatile methods of how we can make key contributions to sustained climate design to effectively exploit the existing resources. It is now our protection through energy-saving projects, systems and mission to accept the responsibility for the buildup environment. solutions. The goal is to establish a strong impetus Abdullah Khan toward significantly reducing energy demand and Facilities Director thereby CO2 emissions as well. It is finally time for all of us in our different specialties to consider climate protection a necessity and also to view it as both an opportunity and a responsibility in and of itself. Considering the fact that we will spend the rest of our lives in the future, it isn't really too much to ask. Maneer Khan Quality Manager PAST Establishment of Real Estate Mistra Heights Solutions as a share holding Polygon Tower KPC Security Package Malta RES Link RES and Reliance company Prime Tower Dubai Jerma Project (Feasibility) Kuwait joint FM ‐ MOU Issue # 1 Dubai Malta Opening of RES Morocco Office 2007 2005 2006 Opening of RES Al Taameer Complex Extension Dubai Office Amaia Hotel Apartments Kuwait Kuwait Hotels Due Diligence Morocco RES Head Office moves to Opening of RES Massaleh Complex Cityscape Participation Polygon Tower Dummar Kuwait Free Trade Zone Malta Office Design Presentation Kuwait Dubai Syria
Quality is a state of mind and a state of being
4 YEARS DOWN
TEN RES PROJECTS
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BRINGING RES BRAND TO LIFE THROUGH OUR PEOPLE In an ever changing and fast growing market we need to constantly meet and exceed expectations when dealing with our clients -and this can be achieved through the quality of our work and our people. It is not just through our marketing activities and events that we communicate our brand values, but in many other ways; from how we answer the phone, to the way we write our emails, the speed of our response and how we perform in a face-to-face scenario with our clients, consultants and contractor’s.
We spend much of our working life delivering messages through our own events and for our clients', but there are key lessons to learn about our own brand and how much our teams contribute to other people's perception of us in the marketplace. It is essential for our HR department to select people, not just with the right skills, but who fit with RES organisation and our CREDIT values, so that they understand our vision, buy into it, and consistently represent us in an appropriate manner. Instilling core values into team members is crucial part of our induction process, they are mirror of our approach and build confidence in our employees and make them understand our expectations of them internally and externally.
The effect of the change of our attitude toward RES brand is now ripping across RES. While part of branding is what we commit to, the other part is how we perform, which is the real challenge. THE INFOBOX® REVOLUTION Business guru Peter Drucker once said, "The best way to predict the future is to create it. Yet it yardstick for measuring this progress is like a mirage in the desert - every time-we seems that the make the technological leap to the next paradigm, a new one appears on the horizon. The challenge for us is to adapt to this constant, ever-changing environment by incorporate cuttingedge technologies to meet higher expectations of quality, speed and enrichment of experience -in other words, how to stay ahead. We are starting up with innovative solution – InfoBox® looking not just at the advent of new technology but how it can ultimately impact on the quality of our projects. The infoBox® will be the of our success. The new Info Box platform and application is designed to enable true barometer us to plug into the next generation network infrastructure for construction and real estate industry. Ramada Encore Sohar FIM Bank KPC Tunnel Project Oman Malta Kuwait Ramada Encore Tangier Procure Company RES new profile Morocco Established in Malta Info Box successful Amaia Residence Saifi Crown Assoufid launch launch successful completion Lebanon Morocco RES Staff transfers Cyrill Sweet 2010 2009 2008 6 October Project KPC Tunnel Project Expression of Interest Sidi Fredg Egypt Kuwait (IPA) International Salmiya Club Jordan Riverside Plaza The Arcades Project Management Kuwait Sudan Jordan RES Issued Internally Delegation of Alliance between RES Authorities and Duplex Organisation Chart established and structure update FUTURE
Our people are 'the living brand'.
THE LINE
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YOU SHOULD KNOW
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AMAIIA RESIDEN NCE - A SU UCCE ESS STORY S Y The first proje T ect of its kind completed successfully by b th he Real Estate Solutions team t and hand over to the m management of Al Cornich club. The operations on o th he Amaia Residence R have already started witth e everything tessted and comm missioned.
a concept
The success of the Ama T aia Residencce has been e encouraged b a very buoyant RES staff by s support, b backed by exxperienced and a senior professionals, p p positive attitud de and the ability a to execcute projectss q quickly – but there t are oth her underlying g reasons forr th he success. One of the key stren ngths of the e s successful atttributes to th he fact that knowledge k in th he shape of best b practicess and lesson learned were e s shared acrosss the RES.
The prroject A Amaia Residence projectt is the firstt of its kind demon nstrates s our client c furnished and d serviced apartments in Kuwait K with 5 s star heritage e. Ideally situated in th he heart off Massa aleh’s winning w g ways Salmiya, S a primary shopp ping and busiiness district, A Amaia Reside ence is only 10 minutes from Kuwaitt of accomplishments s C City and 15 5 minutes frrom Kuwait International A Airport.
waas realized
The Amaia Residence T R pro oject comprised 41 luxuryy fully furnished d apartmentss with choice of one, two o a and three bed droom duplexx apartments. Additionallyy the following services were w incorporrated in the e p project;
www.a amaiaressidence..com
Fully Equip pped Kitchenss State-of-the e art Technology Basement Parking 24 hour Se ecurity Swimming Pool Gym
Wireless Internet Satellite TV & DVD D Busin ness Centre Meetting Area Loun nge Laun ndry Service
RAM MADA ENCOR E RE TANG GIER IN N SPOT TLIGHT The concep pt of the deve elopment and d feasibility was w conducted d by Real Esstate Solutions. The hotel will be provviding 3 start facilities with 195 rooms. The design contract c has now n commenced and the project is pa assing throug gh design pha ase. Ramada En ncore hotels will cater for both the leissure and business visitor and the bedrroom design features a contemporary c y look. Real Estate E Solutio ons and the designer d are adhering to the t Ramada Encore dessign standardss and guidelin nes by the Wyndham Hote el Group. The e Encore bran nd standards required to integrate new w build properrties to Rama ada International shall be fo ollowed on this project.
Th he driving g concep pt of the Ra amada Hotel H Tang gier is to cre eate valu ue for inve estors, en nhance lo ocal econ nomies an nd benefitt local co ommunitie es. 04 4
Now completted
SKY IS THE LIMIT FOR R MAS SSALE EH CO OMPLE EX AN INNOVAT TIVE PROJEC CT Construction work is sw wiftly progres ssing on the Tower T A and B of the Masssaleh comple ex. The desig gn vision main ntains the exiisting location towers in their n and delves into an extensive geometric study of their current views . Towe er A is place ed at the soutthern corner of the t site and is 29 floors in n height. Towe er B is locate ed at the interrsection of the e geometric grids g which fo orm the 90 de egree angle at th he front of the e complex in the t original de esign. It is 40 floors in heig ght.
Wo orking drawin ngs for superstructure an nd MEP are now in placce and stattutory authorities approva al is sought. The T tender fo or Bid Pack 03 0 Civil Arc chitecture and d Conveying System and BP04 Electrical and Mech hanical worrks is finalized d and soon to o be issued to o the bidders. Current C Status: BP01-Services B R Re-Routing All A works of BP01 1 services re routting are substanttially completed. BP02-Demolition B & Piling Works Tower T A: Comple eted except dew watering operation ns ongoing Tower T B: Comple eted except WP and a dewatering. Currently Water proofing is ongo oing. BP03 B - Civil Architecture and Con nveying System (out ( for tender so oon) BP04 B - Electrical and Mechanical works (out for te ender soon) BP06-Structural B W Work up to Podiu um Slab Level Tower T A Water proofiing Steel forming and fixation . Raft casting
TIME IS OF F THE ESSE ENCE E
AS A SUN S SETS S ON ITS VISIO ON, ITS R RISES ON ITS REALITY
Mistra Heights is a mix use u developm ment. Mix use e developmen nt are the en ngine to cre eate commu unities of in nterest, socia al cohesion an nd are financial viable.
Demolition Works re emain waiting issue of o the suspended aw necessary p permits and the Contractor’s cu urrent scope rem mains restricted to maintenance off site security. Addittional site testing g and piling design is awaited from m the Design Consulltant.
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M Heights Project Fulll The Mistra Deve elopment Perm mit is awaited d from MEPA. The Design Workk progrress continu ues to be e carefully monitored d against the e baselline schedule. Currentlyy all w works are e design suspe ended and the design n status s completion is estimated d at 30 0% of Phase e IV design.. Bregm man + Ham mann are to o forma ally submit an updated d Desig gn Sched dule upon n confirrmation of th he packaging g strate egy.
Tower B ation Mobiliza Sub bstation and Gym m area Form wo ork. Plain co oncrete, pile head d treatment. gym area. Settting out of new g Water proofing first layerr. orcement . Pit reinfo Pit casting
Al Taam meer Exten nsion Al Taam meer Extensio on is designe ed to provide e an unsurpa assed community living, sea amlessly integ grated with the e Gulf Bay na atural surround dings and ma aximizing the views of the stunning Ara abian Ocean. Al Taame eer Extension project provides p distiinctly welling that will w cater towards all taste e and different residential dw requirem ments. Al Taameer Extension project p is passiing through the design phase e. RES expects to freeze the design d soon to proceed p with tend der phase.
At Mistra M He eights we have set s aboutt develop ping a com mmunity roo oted in tran nquility and d harmony which further demonstrrates ourr commitment to value v creattion not jusst through h bricks and a mortarr, but more e importanttly through h intrinsic, tangible ex xperiences s.
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NO O SIGN OF F SLO OWDO OWN N ON PRIM ME TO OWER R Works on Prime Tower project is in full f swing. Th he sale of the project was launched in March M 2007, when w 90% of the total area a was g areas are retails, r and offices o floors 5, 6, 7, and 35. There are customerss seeking boo oking sold in short period. The remaining n on Prime Tower as they developed a sense of con nfidence in th he project and d the develop pers. The main Developer Sidra information limited hass already sign ned contracts with the custtomer and is committed c to quality servicces and on tim me delivery. he Main Packkage Contractor KCPC / BEN SABT com mpleted the fo ollowing Currently th works in different d zoness; Zone 1: (To ower Area): Podium P floors completed and a tower leve el 9 Slab Castted. Zone 2: Grround Slab Ca asted & Prepa aration for Po odium 1 Casting is in Progrress. Zone 3: Po odium 4 Slab Casted. Zone 4: Ground Floo or Slab Casted d. Com mpletion Zone 5: Completed all a casting slab bs Two Tow wer cranes te ested and com mmissioned and are now successsfully operatio onal. Details of Bid Packa ages E Worrks BP01 - Enabling International Foundation Group-IF FG (Complete ed) BP02 - Main M Civil & Architectural A F Finishes Works BenSab bt- KCPC (ong going) BP03 - Elevators E Fuji Tecch (on schedu ule)
We believe e that the Prime e Tower project will be unique, drrawing on the roots of moderrn day Dubai. The e project is epiitomizing what Kaizen Developme ents stands for in terms of quality and efficiency, and our ethos of o ‘Responsible Project ent’ Manageme CEO – Rea al Estate Solution ns
BP04 - Curtain C Wallss Horizon (on schedule e) M Works BP05 - MEP Al Arrab b (ongoing) BP06 - Building B Main ntenance Unitt Maltechnics (on sche edule) P Tension works BP07 - Post Strong Force F (ongoin ng)
R Realisation n
BP08 - Procurement P of Finishing Procure e Ltd. (on sche edule)
Conccept
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I am adaman nt that R RES not only o ‘talk ks the ttalk, but walks w the e walk’ CEO – Re eal Estate Solutions
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A HOT SPOTT LIKE NO N OTHEER - SAIIFI CROWN a The project is set in one of the most affluent e project sha all be districts off Beirut. The at can constructed with the finesst materials tha est of time in te erms of longeviity and stand the te architectural design, it will be a testamentt to the orm. Saifi Crow wn was human spiritt in its finest fo focused to offer one of the most ideal luxury living spacess in town. e Solutions is i assigned Project Real Estate Manager to o pursue the finalisation f of Design Phase throu ugh to construcction and hand d over. Currently th he design of the t project is almost complete an nd a Marketing g Plan is due for f the project. The e Saifi Crown tower consistss of 3 layouts. The e first 2 floorss are dedicated d to 2 duplexes witth private garde ens. Levels 3 to 11 are simplexes with w an area off 480 m2 and a view towards the sea and the citty. Levels 12 to 18 are 4 m2 with a superb simplexes also measuring 480 wntown view. Levels L 19-20 comprise sea and dow a single dup plex surrounded d by a garden with a 360 degree view and a poo ol. Finally, levelss 21-22 e jewel in the crown, make up a penthouse, the J and a lush private gard den on with a cozy Jacuzzi the rooftop. nce and exterio or façade incorp porates At the entran landscape design eleme ents to present a at was wonderfully lush landscapiing scheme tha p to visitors v intended to add a fresh perspective wer has and residentts alike. Each level of the tow been carefu ully adorned with w hanging garden g concept tha at subtly accen ntuates the building’s refined lines and impressive e exterior.
The design d key elem ment is a group of nests perch hed well above the city with a vantage v point that overlooks o both, the Mediterrane ean coastline and Beirut’s B skyline. To the west, a view of the down ntown’s central district, d to the North N a breatthtaking sea vie ew, while to the south a gene eral view of the ccity. The tower ground floor f is gn to set a world of its desig own. At the entra ance a ber of facilitie es are numb provid ded togetherr with smarrt solutions inte egrated within n the concept design. d A multipurpose m hall for reside ents and visito ors and a de edicated nurse ery for childrren to play and d spend time is also allotted. ng the best of th his Makin neigh hbourhood, the 22 2 storey towerr is designed we ell spaced from other buildings around it and d be accessed th hrough two could separate entrances that t shall also o the brief act ass exits. Some of speciification is listed d hereafter; Exterio or and Structure Faca ade materials: Beige limestone claddings s, fair face conccrete and composite aluminium panels. Glazzing: tinted curtain wa all at ground floor & at a penthouses, white e aluminium with dou uble glazing for aparttments. Balu ustrades: laminated te empered clear glass with preinsta allation for glass curta ains. Balconies: ston ne flooring and wooden strips ceiling. Structure: anti-seismic de esign with the latest codes & standards.
Interior Arc chitectural Specifica ations Floors: stone flooring in recep ptions, marble in bath hrooms and European n ceramics in services areas. Walls: sto one cladding in lobbie es, timber siding to selected walls. Painting: epoxy and polyurethane in basements, acrylic a emulsion and alkyd resiin in apartments. Interior ce eiling: gypsum board ceilings and bulkhea ads in selected areas. Wood works: light maple or da ark wenge schemes shall be used for all eneered doors, closets and vanity units. solid & ve Kitchen: cabinets c shall be in PVC P vacuum formed panels with solid surfacing counter tops. Sanitary fixtures f and wares: all a sanitary appliances s shall be as manufactured by "ideal standa ard" Europe or equivalent. Waterproofing: externally to all kitchens, terraces & balconies, internally to all toilets & bathro ooms
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We onlly work W k with the bestt in the e world – leading cons sultants a and arc chitects s who a assist uss in ach hieving o obje our ectives. R Representative S Crown Saifi
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SAL LMIYA A CLU UB -MAAKING DREAM D COMES S TRUE E The Pro oject
The Co omponents
An aban ndoned proje ect under the name Salmiah h Tower wass rejuvenated when Real Esstate Solutio ons stepped d in to help client Bawa anee Real Estate Develop pment a and Inve estment Compan ny, the Real Estate arm of The Sultan Centre C Group p.
Real Estate Solutio ons presente ed two scenarios for mix land use including g capital expenditture plan, financial analyssis with revenuess and expen nses assumpttions to the clien nt, whereby de ecision was made m in favour of o a mix de evelopment complex c comprising;
Salmiya a Club decide ed to handovver their vacant land to a developer d o BOT on basis un ntil 2027. Re eal Estate Solutions servicess for devellopment pla an was sought, our challeng ge was to deliver a robust developmen nt program with a maximum rental income i gen nerating potentia al for the land. In otherr words maximizzing of the re ental yield wa as to be defining characteristic of the e area program m.
er-TSC store The Sultan Cente ail space within the podium Reta Clinic within the Tower T floor pla ate 21 flloors Residential tower
ect is located on a 7,000 m2 site of The proje prime lan nd facing the Hammad Al Mubarak M Street in n Salmiya, Kuwait. K The massing m concept has been applied a an FAR F of mmercial 330%, in addition to the com podium.
The Statu us: Currently the project iss passing through Design Con nsultancy Tender phase. Terms of Reference e shall be isssued to qualified consultant c app proved by the clien nt to subm mit their proposals.. An evaluation shall be conduc cted for selection of the consultantt based on pre e defined criteria. The T project will w then immediate ely start with w the subsequen nt design phasses. ct is schedule ed to be The projec completed in 2.5 years including ender and co onstruction design, te phase to cllose out and ha andover of the facility.
The Objec ctives
An integ grated team was w put toge ether for the devvelopment plan p and massing m conceptt with differe ent compon nents of the project to ensurre the conso olidation of the sites’ opporrtunities. The team endeavo or to creatte a devellopment scenario o that is attractive to in nvestors and use ers alike, and that will enhance e and co ontribute to o the surro ounding neighbo orhood.
The Ground and the Mezzanine M po ortion of ect shall be used for rettail and the proje commerccial purposes s resulting in a mix that com mprise of The Sultan Cente er store and othe er retail components. Bassements will be utilized for car parking on to o house other req quired supportt elements.
Salmiya Club C now pre esented a unique op pportunity to redesign the most outstanding mixed m use ent in Kuwait - a worlddevelopme class reta ail centre with h a global reputation, drawing from f best practice in intternational developme ent and build ding on a local co ontext, cultu ure and traditions. The massing g concept was carrefully seleccted and designed to suit its future discerning g tenants and d optimize best value e and return ns for the Client and its investors. One of the first tasks in developing g the massing concept was to es stablish the parameters p that will distinguish Salmiya Club from otherr commercial, business, and developments in Kuwait, K the gion and th he global wider reg market pla ace.
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Create a quality of environment e ets it apart from f other that se commerrcial developments in Kuwait and a builds on in nternational and regiional cultural inffluences. Establishes a hierarchyy of spaces, landmarrks, focal pointss, views and vistas Embrace es the latest in best practice emonstrates and de sibility in respons terms of environm mental design Respons sive to the local climate and oce ean influences around the site Recognizes the value of o the urban fabric an nd adjacent buildings. Provides s a c comfortable environm ment for visitorss and users alike that maxim mizes the nity for access to and use opportun of outdo oor environmen nts through use of traditional and innovative es for contrrolling the measure microclim mate Optimize es convenie ence and connectivity for all occcupiers and visitors
BUILD DING THE T PO OLYGO ON TO OWER VISION N ` The e flamboya ant Polygo on tower was fina ally chosen after a pressentation off four diffe erent conccepts and model were w sho own to the client, each with h its and funcctionality, space utilisation u arra angement, GFA and a maxim mum sellable areas. The polygon design n got the niche overr other conccepts due to t its mosst efficien nt design and space funcctionality. The e Polygon tower t was formed f with h the visio on to createe distinguished environm ments,
wheere people enjoy working, visiting and enteertaining. The vision wa as driven by y the
dessire to prom mote the pro oject as a highh end d modern business b c centre providing an exclusive location for f users and com mfortable office o space e environm ment. The e tower will display a un nique arch hitectural exxpression th hat would stand s out as a lan ndmark in Business Bay Dub bai. The Site is the Plot P No. BB.A A05.050 Prop perty total arrea = 32,292 sq ft (3,000 m2) GFA A = 129,168 sq ft
THE PO T OLYGO ON T TOWER R IS A UNIQUE P PROJE ECT ST TANDING O OUT IN N A CR ROWD DED M MARKE ET. Cu urrent Status: De esign Phase e I to II has s been com mpleted by RE ES on 18th D December 20 007. Th he project Co oncept design is now devveloped by Sp pace Consultt approved by b TECOM on n 17Apr08 Ap pproval for A Architectural Concept re eceived on 27 7May07.
MEP Schem matic Design completed c on 22Jun08.
Structural a and Architectural Schematicc completed on 30Jun08 8
o TECCOM on n 24Sep08 submitted to
Civil Defen nse and DU & EMPOWER R approval received
Maxx height G + 19 & Floor Area A ratio is 4.0 4
n submitted to o TECOM on 30Nov2008 3 MEP design for approval (DEWA Hold ding Approval))
Tota al BUA = 296 6,403 sq ft
Detailed De esign Arch, Sttructural & ME EP is 100% complete
App proximate targeted sella able Gross Area 130,695 sq ft
Shoring and Excavation n design completed and
Detailed De esign Architec ctural , Structu ural & MEP is now 10 00% Comple ete and sub bmitted for
The photograph hs spread around a this page are different co oncept desig gns presente ed to the Sidra Holdiing, the ma ain develope er for Polyygon Tower in Businesss Bay who is the driviing engine behind b the high-quality h office o build ding.
www.ppolygontow wer.com
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TECCOM a approval on 15 5Apr09
Cu urrently the progress on n the tower is i on hold un ntil the curre ent economic c conditionss in Dubai ge et improved. However with w Dubai entering e a virrtuous circle of high eco onomic grow wth, which atttracts more companies and peoplle, whose arrrival in turn boosts the economy fu urther, the Po olygon tower is set to gea ar up soon.
FORM MING THE EPICEN E NTER OF KH HARTO OUM Located directly on the Blue e Nile- Khartoum m in Sudan, Rive erside Plaza is intended to be a mixed-use de evelopment s including a mix of ho ospitality, retail, offices and ho ousing. The de evelopment that offers a full range of services, linear configu uration will have e a series of disstinct urban distrricts progressing g towards a cen ntral urban area. Real Estate Solutions wa as involved m the inceptio on of the right from developme ent study of the e Riverside Plaza pro oject. RES co onducted a feasibility study for the de evelopment w encourage e the owner result of which to procee ed with the R River Side Plaza deve elopment in Sud dan.
The riversside Plaza has been conceived d to usher in the new paradigm. The e concept is reinforced by Sudan’ss e stren ngth. Riverside e growing economic Plaza will create a lifesstyle concept of o ass standardss to provide e world cla seamless residential, commercial and d hospitalityy facility of the highest qualityy. Comprehe ensive ancillary supports to the e hospitalityy commercial and residentia al facilities are tapped for the project. ng Al Masssaleh Real Esstate is seein increasing real estate opportunities in n spite of un ncertainty in th he Sudan in global markets. m The development d w will include three t districts – ‘Urban Cente er District’, ‘Dedicated Officce and Businesss ng District’, in District’, and ‘Housin t all the amenities and security addition to of an excclusive community.
KPC TU UNNEL PR ROJECT Kuwait Petrroleum Corpora ation Head offices requ uire a connectiing access between the e main building gs and the parking lo ot. The land dmark Oil Complex serves as the new, joint for the e Kuwait headquarterrs Petroleum Corporation and Kuwait E Ministry of Energy. ns were Real Estate Solution d for dessign and approached construction n manageme ent. RES successfullyy supervised and managed the construcction of the tunnel project, which links the t two zones.
“
A PR ROJE ECT WEL LL DO ONE
”
Originally wind w breakers were w installed at the drop off level with planting p pits. ose to remove the planting RES propo pits and win nd breakers to be replaced by the glaze ed tunnel. d by a local The tunnel was designed design firm and is equipped with HVAC ghting. and night lig
Concept to R Realisation
Riverside Plaza is Real Esstate olutions focus So on n holistic c urrban pla anning
The land plot has the p potential of becoming literally the circulation K city ccentre. This hub of Al Khartoum strategic location has th he positive er growing attraction and will cate h office,, retail and need for housing, hospitalityy development. The site is such ideallly located that it has easy access to all parts of Kha artoum and a desirablle place to live, work and shop. destined to The Riverrside Plaza is d become a landmark of th he growing capital.
PICK KING UP THE PIECE ES The days of construction c boo om are in the pa ast, so where ca an we go from here? ? QM and VPO list some possib ble future trendss. Memories off the GCC, be eing an island d of opportunity for contractors to o shelter from worldwide w econo omic storms, are e now distant in mosst people's minds. The contrac cting landscape e is so changed from m a year ago th hat it is barely recognisable. Simply S put, there is le ess money for clients, c less bus siness for contra actors and the fear of insolvency for f certain key players. p Clear trends t f the GCC co ontracting mark ket over the nexxt few and themes for years have sttarted to emerge e. First, there will w be a real tessting of existing g contracts. As we all know, in boo om times, time is often betterr spent chasing g new work than picking p over th he bones of current and historic h contracts. Witth fewer opportu unities around and a spare headcount, there is alre eady an increa ase in the num mber of claimss from contractors and clients alike e. From the client's side, the drop in ng to pressurre for construction commodity prrices is leadin ed at the top of the market. renegotiation of pricing agree urn combined with the Second, the speed of the ecconomic downtu egional projectss and the 'dash for cash' will le eave a ambition of re number of lo ocal clients, co ontractors and sub-contractorss with stressed cash h-flow positions.. This is already y showing itself in late payment pracctices and is like ely to lead to a significant s increase in insolvency related problems. Third, forma al bid processe es will become more demanding. Whether it is the value of the e bid bond required or the num mber of w so hard to create c bidders permitted, clients willl not have to work eir projects. Witth hungrier contractors, recentt blunt interest in the pencils will be e sharpened and d margins affec cted. Fourth, the riisk profile of con ntracts will chan nge. Whether th hrough more demand ding financiers in project finan nce, or clients simply s taking advantage of the new market cond ditions, the marrket is ng a move towa ards more 'clien nt-friendly' contrractual already seein terms. In parrticular, apart frrom large undefined projects, which cannot be priced, there is likely to be a significant reducttion in s and a move back the number of cost-reimburrsable contracts p sum turnkey co ontracts. towards lump
Similarly, the marke et has recentlyy tested new lows for caps on liability for conttractors. The s likely to increa ase. level of these caps is uirements of botth clients and Fifth, the credit requ contrractors will be more exacting. With cashflow being all impo ortant, expect to t see much e negotiation on n the payment profile, with more clientts and contractors more keen than ever to be ccash-positive th hroughout a project. p With recen nt calls on perfformance bonds, issuers of perfo ormance bonds s are deman nding higher levelss of collateral, putting further pressure on balan nce sheets. b learned Finallly, with some hard lessons being by clients and conttractors alike, as a they look ous contracts an nd count the back at their previo er important isssues, there is cost of glossing ove wed focus on the e importance likelyy to be a renew of the e terms of the contracts. c As evver, clarity in the ccontracts will be b important. To T conclude, none e of the themes and trendss mentioned abovve will be uniqu ue to the Gee. In fact, they are not even unique to this downturn d or consttruction contrac cts. In a notorio ously cyclical indusstry, we see these trends during very slowd down. What se ets this downturn and the GCC C apart is the combination of o the dizzy heigh hts the boom years reached, together t with the a abruptness and breadth of the slowdown. If and when the uptturn comes, hopefully h the ons of the last fe ew years will no ot have been lesso forgo otten. But don’t count c on it.
Now compleeted
a concept wass realized
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THE NE EW SKYL LINE IN MALTA M
SE ETTING THE T TRE END
The FIMBank proje ect basically has been designed to o cater to the growing for quality g demand comme ercial and office o spaces s in Malta. The client articulated the vision to develop an office buildin ng to serve as a its Headquarters in Ma alta, “The at within E Exchange” Penderrgardens, St. Julians.
Fro om the incep ption the pro oject possed a challe enge. The m main devveloper is responsible to developm exe ecute the ment pro oviding the shell and ccore the serrvices for connectivity, c new w tower was to be design n as succh to absorb the t services and disp plays a uniq que architectural and d interior design expression.
The Client is delig ghted with RES R quality service and good refere ence from related projjects and has assigne ed RES as a the Pro oject Manage er for their de evelopment.
The e project iss now in ffinal dessign phase with w tender phase running parallel. A full f developm ment permit w was app proved by MEPA for the pro oject.
The head office build ding comprise es a total off two comme ercial levels, nine n office le evels and three levels be elow ground serving as car parking and storage e areas.
PROJECT T INFORMA ATION Developmen nt Location : The Exchan nge, Penderga ardens, St. Julians, Malta. oper : Penderrville Ltd. Main Develo Developmen nt Type: High-qualityy office buildin ng Gross Buildiing Area: 9.99 95 m2 Building Heiight: 13 floorss Building Are eas Level -2 / -3 Level -1 Level 0 Level 1 – 8 Level 9 Level 9
- Parking g: 1,600 m2 - Comme ercial : 804 m2 m - Comme ercial : 1,019 m2 - Offices : 6,432 m2 - Offices : 140 m2 - Terrace e : 664 m2
Project Com mpletion Date:: September 2011 2 11 1
STR RUCT TURE THAT T STA ANDS OUT – THE E ARC CADE E Lebanon is currently considered more m stable than it has been b in recen nt years, with h cash flowin ng in to the country as a a result of interest from m buyers from m GCC coun ntries. With six governoratess: Beirut, Be eqaa, Nabatiyeh, North, South and Mount M Leban non, the Lebanese real estate se ector is one of contrasts: from the brilliant succe ess story of the development of the downtown area, to continuing c tro oubles over redevelopme ent of wartim me damage elsewhere; e frrom rocketing land and property prices in the capital, to a flat-at-best housing h marrket in other towns t and ciities. Political stability s in Le ebanon has been b extreme ely fragile ovver the years s, nevertheless, developm ment in the ca apital and neighbouring n g districts has not slow wed down. Despite D the recent poliitical sensitivitiies, construcction activity does d not app pear to have been affecte ed in the cap pital. The lack of high-end office o space in Lebanon has been bu uilding up ove er recent yea ars and many pottential tenantts have been n left in greatt need of new w premises. The T shortage e of quality in office buildings b hass been the main reason th hat rents for commercial spaces and the liquid position of o regional investors and developers is i setting the e tone for a positive p future e for ‘ THE AR RCADES’
Consttructabiility
Our clientt, Al Bawane ee Real Esta ate Developm ment & Inve estment CO. engaged uss (Real Esttate Solution ns) as Projecct Manager to carryout project and construction n managem ment servicess of “The Arccades”. The Clien nt has articula ated a vision n for this devvelopment that is driven by b the desire e to promotte the projecct as medium m to medium m-high end modern m mix development d t complex providing an n exclusive location for shoppers, business b individuals and d users a comfortable c s space enviro onment wherre people wo ould enjoy shopping and d working. The T project will w display a unique arch hitectural exp pression that would stand d out as a la andmark in Zarqa Z city. The Arcad de is located d in major urrban site in Zarqa Z on plot No 868, in Al Abdalyia,, Jordan's second s most populated city located 25-km north h east of Jord dan's capitol Amman. Zarqa Z is a ra apidly growin ng city with in nfrastructure e of a pedesttrian-friendly,, family-orie ented shopping and ente ertainment district. The Pilot Project will be b built adjacent to the existing e comm mercial district in the cityy of Zarqa,, making it a natural extension e off the city's centre and an integral component of the King Abdullah h Bin Abdul Aziz City Project. P MAW WARED hass completed d the infrasstructure for the Pilot Project P and serviced plo ots are now w available for developm ment by interrnational, reg gional and loccal develope ers.
Cr Creation n Projec ct Desc cription
Con ncept
Creeation
The Zarqa developme ent project w will be constru ucted on a la and totalling 25,644 M². M Following are the furth her details; Developm ment Location : Zarqa Citty - Jordan Master Developer : MAWARED M Developm ment Type : High-quality Shopping Centre C & Offfice Building Complex Plot Area a (m2) : 25,64 44 m2 Developm ment total are ea (m2) : Approx. 55,000 0 m2 Approxim mate Height : maximum 22 meters Parking Basement B Arrea (m2) : Ap pprox. 15,000 0m2 Projected d Completion n Date : Refe er to Master Schedule S The Proje ect site lend d itself to a ssuccessful mixed-use m de evelopment, where us sers and vissitors mingle in a lively 24/7 environ nment. The current de esign of the project evolvve with
way/The Sulttan Centre G Group Mega Shopping Ce entre Safew Office e Space Retaiil Shops Supp port facilities and car parkking 12
A PROJ JECT WITH W BIG PO OTENT TIAL
Th he Su ultan Centre C e Gro oup (T TSC) Thee Sultan Centre/Safeway shall cover an a area of 100,500 squaree meters within The Arcadde. The cenntre shall incllude main sttore hall, main corridor seerving an appproximate 40 cashiers stations s andd a group of specialty s shoops. The Cenntre shall be serviced withh the required storage areea, the loadding/downloaading deck area a and largge surface annd undergrouund parking areas a (approox. 350 parkking lots) coonnected to the Centre with w elevators and lifts. The design shall facilitaate the cenntre customerr’s entry and exit at all tim mes from the surrounded streets and development d s.
Concep pt R Refine ement
T Office Build The dings
Creatio on Reta ails & Re estauran nts The group of Retailss & Restaurants shall cover ann area of 3800 square meters. m It shall be designedd as an open air shopping centre including covered walkwayys, arcadess, landscappe and entertainnment facilitiies and the required vertical transportatioons such ass stairs, escalatoors and lifts for thee easy movemeent and floow of the retails customeers and alsso served with w the suitable parking areaas.
Proje ect Currrent Sta atus
The office bbuildings shaall be consttructed as T “ “Core & Shell” developmeent covering a footprint o approximaate 6225 sqquare meterss with 5-6 of t typical floorss concluding a total flooor area of 3 32000 square meters. It shall be dividded into 3 b buildings (a, b & c) withh an averagge area of 1 1850 m2 to 22200 m2. Eaach building shall s have a separate eentrance with the suitablee elevators a stairs. TThe office typical floorss shall be and d divided into ssmaller units with areas varies v from 1 to 200 sqquare meterss and serviceed with the 100 s suitable public toilets andd pantries. The T offices b building shaall also be serviced with w semis separate parrking areas (approx. 4000 parking lots) in the basement with w a dedicaated entry a exit points. and
Co Concept t
The dessign scope foor the Projecct has been awarded to DARB consuultants. The totaal design phhases have been divideed into 6 inntermediate design phases which w shall be b carried out DARB Consultants. The DA ARB Consultant has coommenced the Design Phase I - Data Collectioon/Analysis & Master Plaan Drawings “Concept Design” D early March 2009. Thhe concept of o the projectt is approvedd by the cliennt and the deesign in processeed further forr detailing. The milestone of thhe master plan p and conncept designn of the prooject is approved by the maaster developper (MAWAR RED) includinng the masteer plan layout, thhe floor planss, sections, mass m elevatioons and the area a schedule. Currentlyy the project is running thhrough the seecond phase of the design “Preliminnary Design”, which will be b followed by the permit drawing stagge soon. 13
Crreation n
A STABLE S E BET T IN OM MAN – RAM MADA ENCO ORE SOHAR S R Know wn as jewel off the Middle East, E Oman is one of the oldest o counttries in the re egion. Old an nd some migh ht say wise, as a the counttry hasn’t gone developm ment crazy an nd is in no ru ush to eitherr. But like th he tortoise th hat races the e hare in the e well know wn tale, Oman could be a winner if it carrie es on progrressing the wa ay it has been n.
Of alll Gulf statess Oman has the shortest coastline but b by buildiing huge waterfront develo opments, it has h made the e most of itss peninsulas and seasho ores. Oman has solid to ourism devellopment and its hospitality sector is boo oming maturely. In ord der to tap on n the opportu unity and to grab g the long g term feasib ble returns, Al A Taameer Real R Esate Invvestment Com mpany board d decided to o develop th he Ramada Three T Star Brand “Ram mada Encore” hotel for 154 4 guestrooms on the 1200 sq.mt in norrth coast of Sohar, S Oman.
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We alwa ays keep longevityy in mind d – architectu ure is time eless, yet in nnovative and a progressiv ve. Our fu undamenta al belief in n a design drriven proce ess forms the t founda ation of our unique u app proach to the initiattion, conceptu ualisation (M Massing Concepts) C a and delivery of o RES serv vices for clients projec cts. M. El Ashkar. R Sohar Sr. Architect - Ramada
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Al Taameer wishes A w to cre eate high en nd real estate e, hospitality and d leisure oppo ortunities arou und the Middle E East focusing on destinatio ons that havve high growtth potential such h as Oman. The project vision derive ed enomenon to promote a project a as frrom the phe R RAMADA –ENCORE 3 stars Hotel providing a an exxclusive loca ation for visitors and com mfortable Hote el environment for f the busin ness travelerrs as well a as ocals. The Hotel will disp play a unique e architectura al lo exxpression, while respectin ng the RAMA ADA ENCOR RE B Brand standarrds Development Type: D T P Area (m²): Plot N of Guest ro No. ooms: P Projected Com mpletion:
RA AMADA ENCO ORE 3 Stars H Hotel 120 00 Approx. 154 2012
Al Taameerr is not in franchising and hospita ality business for the short-term m, we remain n optimistic ab bout m outlook fo or the secto or. A significcant the long-term downturn willl affect all industry playerrs to a degree in the short-term m, but Al Taa ameer is well-funded and has a strong, global portfoliio of develo opments offe ering excellent geographical diversity and a favorable risk e adjustmentss are necesssary to main ntain profile. Price sustainabilityy, but as our projectss are uniqu uely positioned, we w believe any a effect will be minimall on RAMADA So ohar. In addiition, our bussiness modell for RAMADA So ohar enables us to effectivvely manage risk and react to market challe enges. Corresponded Al A Taameer Real Estate Investme ent Co.
Hardly a day passes without us being subjected to images of those former masters of the universe from Wall Street slumped at their desks with pained expressions. The global banking and equity markets remain very jittery and it is unlikely that things will change any time soon. All elements of the global economy are affected, including the construction sector, of course. With the value of construction and infrastructure projects in the Middle East the importance of delivering these projects on time without vast cost overruns is now a major concern as development finance to the Gulf construction industry could well slow down. Alongside the global economic crisis, strains in the regional material and resources supply chain remain and many clients want to procure their projects on a fast-track timetable to mitigate rising costs and tight credit lines.
TIMING IS IMPORTANT IN PROJECT DELIVERY In order to give effect to the construction contract, the PCSA, would oblige the contractor to sign the construction contract. This does give rise to an element of uncertainty. That uncertainty could be removed by having a resolution procedure in place whereby a third party would determine what was "fair" in relation to price, design or specification, to the extent to which the contractor had challenged his obligation to sign the construction contract. TRADITIONAL METHOD We have witnessed a number of clients in the UAE reassessing their project delivery methods. A popular method now being considered is the appointment of a contractor by means of a two-stage tender process to enable that contractor to be brought in at an early stage. Traditional one-stage, fixed-price procurement methods can lead to high prices with significant cost contingencies and a slow program schedule. Given there is no cheap money out there any more, costs and program will be scrutinized more than ever before. This reminds me of the old joke about the definition of an engineer's estimate being the cost of construction in Heaven. So, how does the twostage process work? The first stage enables a contractor to be incorporated within the client's team and, in the second stage, take a leading role in relation to the development of the design, the finalization of the specification for the works and the establishment of the contract price. Contractors in competition submit tenders comprising their percentage profit margin, a percentage for site overheads and a lump sum for preliminaries, all based upon provisional design and works information. Each contractor also submits a fixed fee for undertaking preconstruction services during the second tender stage. At the end of the first stage, the client selects his preferred contractor based on an evaluation of the commercial terms and appoints him on a pre-construction services agreement (PCSA). This agreement sets out the services which the contractor must complete during the second stage of the tender process. The PCSA will include the output specification in respect of the project, the current state of the definition of "works" for the project, the current edition of the design drawings and the contract which the contractor would be expected to sign at the end of the second tender stage. The form of contract could be a standard form of choice or could be entirely bespoke.
MASTER SCHEDULE During the second stage, the contractor prepares the project's master schedule, a detailed method statement, component flows, and pre-orders long-lead items. The contractor will also be expected to employ mechanisms for dealing with overspends and under spends of packages against the contract sum and advise the client on liaising with all public authorities, safety, police, fire and security, designing documentation to attract performance of package contractors and any other services which the client may deem appropriate. In addition, the contractor obtains tenders from potential package contractors on an "open book" basis and works with the client and his consultants to develop the design and the specification. Tenders for the works are typically divided into packages. Upon receipt of the package contract tenders, the contractor consults with the client and his team to review the tenders on an open book basis and resolve any package contractor queries or qualifications. The successful package contractors' tenders would then be aggregated together and, with the contractor's profit and overhead percentages and preliminaries price, shall comprise the contract sum for the purpose of the construction contract. At the end of the second stage, when the works have been fully designed, the contract price will have been decided and the works specified, and-the contractor will enter into the design and construction contract The contractor then proceeds to carry out and complete the design and execution of the works using the works and services of the package contractors but retaining overall single point responsibility with the client The client would have direct warranty agreements with package contractors. Two-stage tendering allows a client to have the advantage of a contractor working as part of his design and project team during what would otherwise be the pretender period. It is a procurement method which is likely to be a more and more visible procurement option in the Gulf as projects become subject to fast-track timetables and cost constraints imposed by an unstable outlook. Since Mr. Allaa Arafa has been in the region he has wealth of knowledge, information and experience on Contract Administration, which he is more than happy to share with us. Excellent to talk to if you are looking for a legal overview and information on FIDIC Contracts.
15
EXPERIENCE ON PRIME TOWER
THE BEST LESSON LEARNED 2008 turn out to be a rainy year for UAE and has disrupted most of the projects across Emirates. The Prime Tower was no exception. But the worst case was that the contractors were neither prepared for the rain nor they added any hammock activity to absorb such risk in their schedule. Instead the Contractor on the Prime Tower consider it a Force Majeure and requested extension of time due to such delay. Thanks to our professional staff on the project that not only the claim was resolved but also the project was brought back on track. Mr. Allaa Arafa explains the details of Extension of Time: Force Majeure in Construction Contracts. Many contractors fail in their Force Majeure delay notices considering the event as super-natural and unexpected beyond their control. One definition of Force Majeure could is something beyond reasonable human foresight. Force Majeure event must include these terms: (1.external, 2.Unpredictable 3.Iirresistible and 4.causing non-performance) Consequently; 10 days heavy rain in Gulf area which a party considered force Majeure is rejected as although irresistible & external but predictable. Most wars and earthquakes and (heavy rain more than 30 days a year in Gulf area or floods) are force Majeure because they are external and irresistible and unpredictable and causing nonperformance. We should also monitor the result of cases in DUBAI where lawyers argue WORLD recession as FORCE Majeure being external and irresistible and causing nonperformance but is it unpredictable?
ZERO ENER E GY BRIGH B HTER FUTU URE According to the US Green Buildiing Council, green buildinngs are suppposed to trannsform the w way buildings and commuunities are o If done properrly, green buuildings can facilitate a socially s respoonsible, healthy environm ment that designedd, built and operated. improvess its user’s quuality of life. If that's the case, the answ wer to improving g building quality easing user satisfaction s an nd and performance, incre ple: identify clea ar, maximising ROI in the Middle East is simp en contextuallyy-relevant reassons for buildiing more gree buildings. wer shortages, corporate social Rising energy costs, pow on responsibility, green buildiings decrees, increased carbo g citizenry, political corre ectness. ..all are footprint, global bona fide reasons for designing and d building more t all a bit too feel-good to intelligently, but perhaps they're ers to build with w a collectivve really motiivate develope conscience. Perhaps-it would w be betterr to focus more egislative frameworks. strictly on le h become a popular p marketin ng The word "ssustainability" has tool in the e construction industry of late with man ny developers adding various energy-saving elements to the eir en tag. But ass anyone with a projects to earn the gree d in green de esign will tell you, using low wbackground wattage lig ght bulbs or evven slapping photovoltaic p sola ar panels on the roof are onlyy small steps tow wards being tru uly e. sustainable ect delivery in the Middle Eastt's In order to fast-track proje opers opt for th he highly competitive markett, many develo ed route: Equipping modern structures with old-fashione traditional systems that use proprietary networks fo or anagement systtems and separrate networks fo or building ma telephony, data and televiision. With build dings the large est ducers of waste e and emitters of consumers of energy, prod e gases, it's esssential for devvelopers to build greenhouse smart and build green. Plus, P collaboratiion between de eMs, architects and contracto ors is crucial in elopers, FM finding wayys to use sma art technologies to realise th he largest returns in the shorte est amount of time. THE FIGUR RES Smart build dings - those that feature cu utting-edge, fibrreoptic netwo orking designed to improve ope erating efficienciies while reduccing operationall expenses - bo oast lower enerrgy consumptio on, which translates to lower bills for users an nd, in turn, ha appier tenants. According to Ashley Katz, a spokeswom man for the USG GBC, "A green building b saves 303 50% of ene ergy, 35% of CO O2 emissions, 40% 4 of water and 70% of solid d waste." nned IT infrasstructure in a smart building A well-plan eliminates unnecessary cabling, c conduitts and pathwayys, c cossts. Building sma art which ultimately reduces construction nt of infrastructure needing also trimss the amoun maintenancce, which the en reduces the number of subcontracttors on site and further reducess operating costts. FOCUSING G ON THE ROI ' In order to convince thriftyy developers th hat building sma art heir project than n a plaque on the adds something more to th ucial to focus on o wall and a warm fuzzy feeling, its cru ensuring a healthy ROI. R By und derstanding th he ntal and econo omic benefits of o building sma art, environmen FMs can play p a critical role in guiding their often frug gal clients. And d, while develop pers may not always a see it fro om the outset, there is tremen ndous-value in being b a trailblazzer in the development industrry. COST MAN NAGEMENT AN ND REALISED SAVINGS Cost management inclu udes understan nding the cossts n the project's development and recognisiing involved in appropriate e cost displacem ment versus co ost savings. Wh hile displaceme ent means shiffting costs from m one bucket to another an nd not actually eliminating it, 'savings' mea ans wiping out the t cost altogeth her. oth A carefully planned smartt technology strrategy offers bo ngs in upfron nt capital duriing types of realised savin n arid ongoing operation throughout the t construction development. Savings com me from reducing redundancyy in a technology and personnel, and making better material and erational saving gs are recognissed staffing deccisions. The ope by lowering g the project ma anagement costts and keeping up on annual maintenance, m w which increases the overall life of the building g.
MANAGEMEN NT AND R REALISED COST S: Cost management m includes SAVINGS understan nding the costs s involved in the e project's developm ment and recog gnising appropriate cost displacem ment versus cost savingss. While displacem ment means shifting s costs from f one bucket to o another and not n actually elim minating it, 'savings' means wiping out o the cost altogether. mart technologyy strategy A carefully planned sm alised savings in upfront offers both types of rea uring constructio on arid ongoing operation capital du throughou ut the developm ment. Savings come c from reducing redundancy in technolo ogy and el, and making better mate erial and personne staffing decisions. d The operational sa avings are recognise ed by lowering the project management costs and d keeping up on o annual maintenance, which inccreases the overrall life of the bu uilding. B VERGENCE TOTAL BUILDINGCONV Most builldings, whetherr they're comple ete or still in the dessign stage, con ntain control sysstems that are prop prietary and disconnected from other systems within w the building. A truly sma art building converges all the build ding's systems into one ata and turns it into valid, interface that collects da usable infformation. c ha as become the mantra m for Network convergence modem building comm munication an nd power erating on systems. Functions and applications ope individuall, isolated infrrastructures arre rapidly becoming g obsolete. A wired and wireless technolog gy infrastructure e monitors and d controls these and d other building g and occupant functions, such as energy statis stics, security cameras, ms and more e. These communication system asic building sysstems and exampless, as well as ba traditional IT, are all desiigned separately.
Y BENCHMARK KS BUILDING EFFICIENCY While a smart building creates numerous es in the building's construcction and efficiencie operation n phases, it is difficult to know which are appropria ate for which prrojects. In some e markets, benchmark projects can make a big diff fference in ng returns on in nvestment and, thus, can maximisin be used as a models for fu uture projects.
S Smart buildings s can be equ uipped with e extra-low voltage e (ELV) systemss which use a common web b interface for monitoring, d displaying, arc chiving, repo orting and ccontrolling value e-added services like online billing, build ding performance displays a and maintenanc ce requests. EL LV systems m may include fire detection/alarm, voice e evacuation, vo oice/data com mmunication, p public address capabilitiess, access ccontrols, intrusio on detection, CC CTV, audiovvisual supportt and cellu ular/wireless d distribution netw works. and B By providing g technologies in nfrastructure tha at contribute to safety and security (i.e. imp proved quality of o life) smart b buildings allow owners to charge tenants fo or use of those facilities. Obvio ously, these tyypes of revenue e streams can be fixed or vvariable depend ding on the ne eeds of the o owner and the la anguage of tena ant leases. A FINAL WORD D Iff it is indeed the case tha at builders, o operators, tenan nts and even the e structures th hemselves' are getting smarter, d developers are going to have e to take a g good, long look k at what consstitutes best b business practic ces. Strategiess based on th he age-old formula f of bu uying low, d developing chea aply and sellin ng for high re eturns are prov ving unpopular at a best and, a at worst, unpro ofitable. Now, with legal frrameworks thro oughout the reg gion making e environmentally--responsible building m mandatory, a shift s has to co ome at the e earliest stages of o the development process a and it may well end up being le ed by those h holding the purse e strings. M Moreover, with smart s buildings, consumers re ealise their eco onomic savingss, FMs laud th heir operation nal efficiency and IT p professionals marvel m at their hi-tech ccapabilities. Rea alistically, withiin the next 12-18 months, these t groups of o users are g going to have a legitimate ch hoice about w whether they want w to live an nd work in smart buildings. Developers tha at refuse to ollow the trend could find themselves fo ccursing their dum mb constructions.
UE STREAMS REVENU In addition to capital and operatio onal cost e streams are e another savings, extra revenue o achieving des sired ROI resultss. Though method of the formula seems sim mple -additional revenue echanisms for achieving equals higher ROI -me evenue are actually built in nto smart higher re buildings.. Mr. Khan is considerred the steward of the enviroonment. Hiis commitment to thhe Green building and Suustainability brings Addded value to the Prrojects he is involveed
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There are, in fact, only a limited number of options when it comes to financing the projects. I have studies the few popular models in detail as presented hereunder. It is a case of knowing what they are, which are best for your project, and then using your knowledge and skills to make them happen. Unless you were born with a billion dollars set aside for you, then there are really just five main options to finance a development.
The first is the most obvious and oldest type; you or your developer go to the bank and get a loan, some have already done it for a car, to pay the rent; maybe even to take a nice holiday or to get married, well, you can do the same for a US$ 200 million project. The second option, which is becoming the latest trend in the market, is equity finance, whereby you raise funds from retailers and institutions, and give them a share in the project in return. A third option is raising funds through a Sukuk or bond sale (usually in Middle East for projects of US$ 500 million or more).
Fifth, is the yielding business whereby you can rent out part of your building for one year in advance. This will give you good mezzanine finance' to start the project and then the banks can finance you later. Finally, there is what I call the exit strategy, but some people are now using it at the beginning, and that is an initial public offering (IPO). So, where do you go from here and why? It really depends on the type of project and your own situation”, and how much risk you want to take.
RAISING FINANCE
First, let's look at these in some more detail, beginning with equity finance, Exactly what is it?
Fourth is pre-sale; you can sell most of your project to buyers before one brick has been laid, using that money to actually build the project.
The Financial Options
FANTASTIC FINANCE There are a lot of smaller companies that actually use equity finance not necessarily in the property business and they don't even realise they are doing so. It is currently the latest trend, but that is just in the Middle East. In the UK, nearly two-thirds of all new businesses are launched with either personal capital or it has come from friends who take a stake in the business in return for equity. It is popular because, in theory, it never has to be repaid and there is no interest to pay back on the money. Those who give you the cash are obviously raising their own money because there is no guarantee of the investor getting their money back. If everything fell apart and was a disaster, then those who put up the equity finance are usually at the back of the queue when it comes to repayment. So why do they bother? Because it can be very lucrative. The return from the equity investment, comes either by a sale of the shares once the company has grown or through dividends. But, for the most part, people will give you the cash so they can take a share of the business in return. Formal equity finance is available through a number of different sources and, on property developments, usually comes from Institutions and retailers. What they all want to see is a business that grows -a development that works. If you cannot show growth rates of 20% for a business, of similar returns on a property development, there are not likely to be many takers in any equity finance deal you put together. Right now, equity finance seems to be the way forward for all kinds of projects. Raising Equity Finance is the best way because you are diversifying your risk. What you are doing is putting together equity funds. You structure a product so you are selling units as shares. For example I can put seed capital of US$10 million into a project and go to the end user to raise US$40 million. I show them how they can make money from the success of the project. The good thing is you are not paying interest and it is generally a four to eight year deal. Fund managers get to make their 0.5% placement fee on money brought from institutional investors and you are giving them shares in the project. This is one of those deals in which 'everyone is happy' if it works.
THE PRE-SALE SMILE Equity finance is not your only option. Pre-sale finance is another one. The theory and practice are actually very simple. I want to build a US$ 100 million residential development. I sell all the units long before I have started building it. My investors begin with a 10% down-payment and, if I do my sums correctly, that gives me US$ 10 million. I give that to the contractor who begins his work. After he finishes the first phase, my investors owe me another 10% -another US$ 10 million -which I happen to owe the contractor again and effectively pass this money straight on to him. In some ways, with this your return on equity is infinite because you don't even pay for the land. I call it IRR infinite rate of return. This is the dream scenario, but it will not last forever because you will not always have a market with huge demand and short supply. These kind of markets are very hard to find. The liability is with the customer in this scenario. But, as a developer, you have to be very careful and only use that money for that project.
The Middle Eats market is full of developers who have used the money to invest in second and third projects That can bring you trouble. A developer I know owns eigth towers but, for three of them, he doesn't have the money to actually build them because he used it on other projects. This is rather like taking a new credit card to pay for the one you have already used up but cannot afford the repayments on. It seems like a good idea, and is very easy to do but, ultimately, you will hit a brick wall. Or, in this case, no wall; you can't afford the bricks anymore. For pre-sale to succced the most important thing you need is a brand and people have to trust in you. Simple as that. If they do not, you won't get a single pre-sale. Another finance option that grew in popularity over the last few years is going for an IPO before you start the development. Some developers I know of started with because they thought there was good cash in the market, however, it doesn’t prove to be successful always. It’s preferable to buy the land, do the design then value it and go to an IPO route. That way the developer will have assets, at least something tangable to show. Initial Public Offering Equity Finance
It simply means that I can issue an Islamic bond to you for my project, you come up with the money and effectively own part of it held in trust. You get a share of the profits some years later when I give you the cash back. There are many self-explanatory examples of this, such as when Liquidity Management Centre, Emirates Islamic Bank and Alpen Capital (ME) Ltd recently announced the closure of a US$ 130 million Sukuk issue arranged for Berber Cement Company. The US$ 130 million proceeds, along with a US$ 70 million equity contribution by Berber Cement Company's shareholders, will be used in the development and construction of the US$ 200 million Berber cement project over the next 18 months. The Sukuk will be for seven years, with an average life of 4.75 years and paying semi-annual fixed returns. This is a typical modern day Sukuk deal with an average life span of 4 to 5 years. These are attractive investment products especially for affluent Muslim investors looking for' investment options that comply with Shariah law Sukuk structures are being used for a variety of purposes and have evolved rapidly in response to the demands of issuers and investors. Sukuk issues have ranged from the
simple sale and leaseback (ijara) structures, such as the US$ 1 billion Dubai Department of Civil Aviation Sukuk issued in November 2004, to the US$ 2.53 billion trust finance Sukuk structure issued by Aldar Properties in March 2007.
Loan
Pre-Sale Sukuk/Bonds
RISE OF THE SUKUK The final finance option is that of a sukuk, which is something we are seeing more of these days, through generally for projects worth more than US$500 million. UAE was the first to start Sukuk bond options, back in 2002 the total value of sukuk issues was around US$1 billion in UAE. By August 2006, the total value of issues in the 12 months before was a staggering US$ 12 billion. So what exactly is it? Let's get technical for a moment - the best definition I have found reads like this: "Although the Sukuk is sometimes reffered to as Islamic bond it is better described as an assets based investment as the investor owns an undivided interest in an underlying tangible asset which is proportionate to his investment. The Sukuk certificate evidences this ownership interest. Monies raised by the issue of the Sukuk note are used to invest in an underlying asset, a trust is declared over that asset and thereby the certificate holder will own a beneficial interest in that asset in proportion to its investment and is therefore entitled to all benefits that entails, including a proportion of the return generated by the asset. 17
The Central Bank of Bahrain, on behalf of the Government of Bahrain, regularly issues Sukuk-AI-Ijara and Sukuk AI-Salam to finance various infrastructure projects in Bahrain. Malaysia's Global Sukuk, launched in June 2002, was similarly backed by an Ijara lease on a single piece of government property. The money raised by the Government of Qatar through the US$ 700 million Qatar Global Sukuk is being used partly to finance the construction of the Hamad Medical City. Back in' 2006, Dubai property developer Nakheel Group sold the world's largest Islamic bond after increasing its size by more than 40% to US$ 3.52 billion to meet demand. Nakheel will use cash from its Sukuk to fund projects in Dubai, which is leading a surge in Gulf Arab investment in real-estate developments.
Mr. Khan has interest in emerging financial markets and is keeping an eye on the financial developments in the local market.
IPA Con nsulting is an n Alliance be etween Real Esttate Solutionss and Duplex x Real Estate Branding. B It brings togetther a team prroperty of international onals, set up p to assist prroperty professio develope ers and inve estors from around a the worlld to develo op unique prroperty developm ments and briing them to market. m
The IPA Team T has be een helping itts clients meet their real estate e investm ment objectivves and consstruction milesstones, increasing overall effficiency, imprroving profitab bility and reducing operation costs. IPA A have achievved these goa als by transfo orming visionss into reality and d challenges into results; by b representin ng strength an nd commitme ent to partnersship and conttemporary thin nking. IPA’s evo olving successs is the res sult of a provven professio onal ability to o operate ass an extensio on to their clients, maxim mizing performan nce through an integrated package of o intelligent decisions. IP PA operates with strict adherence to four fundam mental principles: Passion, Effficiency, Acco ountability & Commitment. C
SER RVICES
CONTACT
In ntegrated Projject Managem ment Solution ns P Preconstructio on Services The Pre-design Stage M Materials & furrnishings proc curement P Project Deliverry S Sales Office Core C Services P Post Constructtion Services
Kuwait P.O Boxx 4893, Safat 13 3049, Kuwait.
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T. +965 2461 3950 F. +965 2461 3954 @ipaprojects.com m E. info@
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HARM MONY IS NO OTHING G MOR RE THA AN A CLEV VER CO OMBIN NATION OF DETAILS Procure being g a subsidiary off Real Estate Solutions and Al Massa aleh Real Estate e group of comp panies was setup in mid 2008 with a specific scope which was to enhan nce the group’s reach within the real estate full cycle ensuring that t the client would receive the best b possible serrvice through hav ving a complete solution for their needs n thus expa anding he project which is the also into the final stage of th ocurement of matterials. finishing / pro Procure reprresents over 80 00 manufacturerrs and suppliers wo orldwide to provvide a compreh hensive package of high-value, cost-effective c fin nishing a building project, specializing mainly solutions for any in the hospita ality sector. It offers a on ne-stop-shop service, providing finishing req quirements of real estate, restaurants and a office soluttions, which is quality, innovvative in design,, lower in cost, also on both time t and energy..
all the hotels, top in saving
ughout Europe and a the Procure, whicch operates throu Middle East, can in fact ma anufacture and supply t client’s own design, specific cations products to the and requirem ments, and can also a assist the client to create from conceptual idea as to full desig gn and g details. manufacturing
desig gn
SERVICES
Arrtworks & decor Ba athroom productts Carpets Doors & frames Ellectrical fixtures & fittings procuremen nt Ellectronic locks syystems Fllooring Fo ood & beverage items Frront of house ope eration items Custom build furniture anagementt ma ecurity systems Se Office furniture hop shelving sysstems Sh Au udio-visual equip pment Ad dvance telephon ny system House keeping ite ems onmonger items Iro Linen & fabrics M bars Mini M safes Mini M Mirrors & frames Tableware Natural stone Uniforrms PU products Wallpapers Siignage ght iron productss Wroug Siilverware
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Sandro Bianco, recently aappointed director of o Procure who hass been in top manaagement positions over the past 9 yeaars and has always strived to ensure thhat customer satisffaction is achieved through t the quality oof delivery for the prooducts supplied and output of his well trained professioonal staff members.. This has prroven to add to his expertise byy having knowledgeablee firsthand experience of the variouss industry sectors. Throuugh this expertise hee is able to communnicate and deal in a harmonious h way with the varied customer requirements and a needs from mosst market segments Together with his team and having specialized his sstudies in International Sales Marketing Management M and Business Management he is a charismatic hands on persoon that is focused on opptimizing business prractices and methodds in order for the companny to deliver leading products and directt solutions to businessess worldwide he is responsible r for direecting the company’s vission throughout and portraying the ccompany’s professionalism m and rigour througghout the internationnal market sphere. Sandrro speaks fluently in English, Maltese, Ittalian and Bulgarian andd is currently bruushing up his Freench and envisaging staarting off learning Araabic.
w w w w . p r o c c u r e a l l . n e t
PLAYING TH HE POL LITICAL L GAME Tarek Manso our, Operations Director of Rea al Estate Solutions offers tips on handling offiice politics with h a view of achieving a harrmonious working environment. One of the ob bservable facts the project man nager encounters recurrently iss the politics within n an organisatio on, project or both. All project managers need d to have enough h tactics in dealing and handling office and project p politics. The larger the prroject gets, the more the issues will be political in nature. The issues usuallly are about the t use of ressources, projectt direction, pro oject deliverables, dealing with pe eople who are not n strategicallyy focused to pro oject ect impacts peo ople, objectives, how the project should be run,, how the proje oject proper tools and techniquess to be implemented to deliver and meet pro mong objectives, ettc. The resolution of these isssues requires a consensus am people that have h differencess of opinion. Th he resolution re equires the skills to recognise and deal with polittics. NG AND INFLU UENCING INTERACTIN Generally speaking, politiccs is all abo out interacting with people and hem to get thing gs done. This ca an be a good th hing, a bad thing g, or influencing th a neutral thing, depending g on the tactics people use. The behaviour of m office or project p politics good or bad. Let's consider so ome people can make examples of how utilising po olitical skills mig ght be good, butt can also be ba ad. It eas can be move ed forward in the organisation for f people to acct on is good if ide them but also o bad by curryin ng favour, suppressing opposin ng ideas and takking credit for the e ideas from otther staff members. It is also good to have the ability to rea ach consensus on complex matters m with a number n of diffe erent stakeholderss but also bad iff working behind the scene witth people in pow wer, making dealss and destroyin ng people who don't get on board. b It is good d to develop a re eputation as someone who can get things do one but it is bad in using legitimate and illegitim mate tactics by walking w over pe eople that get in the oint of these exxamples is to show s that influe encing people and way. The po getting thing gs done is gen nerally termed "dealing with politics", Howe ever, sometimes the t term is ussed to describ be the shady methods that are employed to get things don ne. It is not unccommon for a project team to o be o or project politics. This ca an occur when there is a differe ence affected by office of opinion on n the project de eliverables, requ uirements, proje ect detailing, sccope change reque ests, handling project p risks, pro oject staffing etcc.
A PROJ JECT T AT HEAR H RT Reinventing the Wheel – A liffetime experiennce from the diaary of Karl Karl Azzopardi Con nstruction Mana ager shares with h us his best prractices on he Courtyard House H – a the project he was involved in. Reinventing th cess factor resulting from a vvery good syne ergy between the project succ arch hitect and the prroject / construcction manageme ent techniques. At th he time I was employed as a p project managerr for Farrugia In nvestments Ltd, which part off the business included real estate manage ement and prop perty developme ent. The original idea behind b the proje ect was to redev velop a site (35 500sqm) in the northern part of o Malta consisting of a sprawliing 1970’s builtt bungalow ated in the centrre of the site surrrounded by ma ature landscaped gardens. loca Con nsidering the way the infrastru ucture on the island evolved during the yearrs, the idea behind this new p project was to re-develop r the site into a clus ster of high qua ality houses in order to make more efficient use of the land d area available e while at the sa ame time maintain the reputation the site has for its beautiful gardens. Objectives set: 1)
hould consist o of an ‘internal development’ d su urrounded The project sh by landscape gardens including a ‘cul-de-sac c’ access scena ario. n terms of 2) Build ‘minimallist’ yet high quality houses to perform well in architectural characteristics, c sstructural integrrity, sound MEP P, passive solar propertie es and comfort iin use. 3) The third main objective was that the proje ect should be financially f ompromising on n quality, viable and iss to achieve tthis without co rigorous proje ect manageme ent methods, good g site man nagement, innovative bu uilding techniqu ues that maxim mise off-site works w and minimise on-ssite wet trades w were employed. At the t request of the t owners it w was decided to adopt a a modern n version of the traditional (local) courtyarrd house thus exploiting the excellent e alities of this traditional t form m and complem menting it with modern qua technological soluttions and techniques available locally.
DIFFERENC CES OF OPINIO ON These differrences of opinio on people in pow wer, making de eals might resullt in office or clie ent politics, or just j a legitimate and valid diffference of opin nion between peo ople who think that t they are representing the best b interest of the project.
e architectural and structura al aspects were left to the Project The Arc chitect’s respon nsibility. Howevver, the objectiv ves set under point 3) abo ove mentioned proved to be the most important of all tow wards the suc ccess factor of this t project. Pro oject manageme ent techniques including i con nstruction management know w how were employed e at the t very ince eption stage. This ‘married’ we ell with the Arch hitectural and Structural S tasks along the de esign process. The continuous research of materials m ailable, the costt and time impa act of the variou us alternatives available a ava together with the re-visiting r of cossts along the de esign process proved p to decision making g. The design process be of valuable information for d aybe took longer than one norm mally expects fo or this size of a project, ma how wever it ensured d a shorter pay back in the long g term. Once th he design and d details were e approved, th he construction phase proved d to be smoother and sho orter given the effort made on research, proccurement stra ategies and construction meth hodologies that were conducte ed much earrlier at design sttage.
andard project management process. p A projject Office politiccs is not a sta manager can't utilise a che ecklist to resolve political issue es. However, on nce s be identiffied politics start to adversely afffect the project, the situation should e. Political prob blems are peop ple-related and situational. What W as an issue works for on ne person in on ne situation mayy not work for, another person n in the same situation s becau use people, an nd their reactio ons, are differe ent. Identifying th he problem as an issue will bring b visibility to o the situation and a hopefully ge et the proper peo ople involved in n the resolution. Project manag gers need to beco ome good at ide entifying and tryying to resolve political issues. As a project ma anager, try to re ecognise situatio ons and events where politics are most likely to t be involved. This could incclude decision points and settting project direcction and prioritties. Balanced view v In generall, deal with peo ople openly and honestly. h When an opinion or recommendatio r n is presented, the pros and co ons should be expressed to provide p a balan nced view to otther parties. Factts should be disstinguished from m opinions so all a parties know the difference. Iff political issuess are not resolved at this level,, then an appea al to someone hig gher up in the organisation might help as tha at person tendss to have more political p and positional autll0riL Ly. If things are e getting done and a people arc working w harmoniously, then politics are being handled h in the riight way. If on the other hand people feel the ey are being tre eated unfairly and a e seen as practtising the dark side s thing are nott getting clone, then this can be of politics. T Tarek is easy to talk to, professional inn his appproach to constructtion business. Exceellent too talk to if you are loooking for an advicce on peopple side of the businness
onstrates (in th he local contex xt) that it is possible to This project demo dustry, at intrroduce changess in the methodss used by local construction ind least in the low rise housing ssector, which allow a significan nt quality provements witthout adding tto construction costs. Marryying the imp arc chitectural and structural asp pects with the e project management techniques at a ve ery early stage iss of essence tow wards success factors. f
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Karl is an n approachable e Construction Manager M with posiitive outlook on the construction n sector Straightfforward in his w working relations ship and kee ep profound con nstructability kno owledge
B LDING BUIL G INF FORM MAT TION MOD DELIING BIM helpss PM and a architects sta ay competittive in an increasing gly complex x business climate by b giving them the ability to be etter predict the outco ome of a building before b it iss built. BIM M enables PM and architectss to create e more su ustainable, accurate a designs with w fewer errrors and les ss waste, which w can result in higher h profitss and more satisfied clie ents. BIM also optim mizes team c collaboration n because itt enables PM and architects to more clearly and d reliably communicate design n intent to engineers, e contracto ors and owne ers.
g design, visualizing v a form in the earliestt stages In building enhances a designer’ss ability to co ommunicate ideas; and th he ability to analyze e and evalu uate these forms yield ds an advan ntage in predicting and optimizzing the real-world perfo ormance of the built project. These T attribu utes form a core value of the building information n modeling (B BIM) processs. reliable BIM is an a integrate ed process built on coordinated, c information n about a prroject from design d throu ugh construcction and into operations. By ad dopting BIM, PM and arcchitects can use this consistent information n throughou ut the proce ess to dessign and document innovative projects, p acccurately visua alize appearrance for better com mmunication, and simullate real-wo orld performa ance for better und derstanding of cost, scheduling, s and enviro onmental impact. The conce ept of BIM works w on the theory that iff every piece e of data required to t design and a construcct a projectt were ente ered and developed d within a sin ngle integrated system, the t project would w be constructe ed in the virtual world first. The system s could d create dependable 3-D mod dels and add a addition nal fourth and a fifth dimension ns of schedule and cosst. Attaching g cost estim mates to various de esign and schedule optio ons will allow w the team to o do cost time benefit analysiss of differe ent designss and construction sequence,, almost insta antaneously..
Material Takeoff T This featu ure in BIM softtware helps ca alculate detaile ed material quantities with Material Takeoff. Idea al for use on sustainable s ojects and for p precise verifica ation of materia al quantities design pro in cost esstimates, Mate erial Takeoff significantly s sm mooths the material quantity tracking process. As projects evolvve, the BIM hange engine helps ensurre material software parametric ch o date. takeoffs arre always up to
Purpose-b built for build ding informattion modeling (BIM) is to o provide superior support fo or sustaina able design n, clash detection, d constructio on planning, and fabriccation, while e helping you y work collaboratiively with engineers, con ntractors, and d owners. An ny and all design changes alo ong the way are au utomatically updated throughout your evolvving design and docum mentation, making for more coorrdinated proccesses and re eliable docum mentation.
Schedules Scheduless provide an nother view of o the comprrehensive Autodesk Revit Architeccture model. Changes C to a schedule a re eflected in all other views. view are automatically Functionality includes asssociative splitt-schedule secctions and e design eleme ents via schedu ule views, form mulas, and selectable filtering.
Authorita ative Decisions, Sooner The BIM so oftware supportss early analysiss of your building forms so your team can make bette er informed deccisions at the earliest stages of o your project. The team use this capability c to co omprehensivelyy clarify areass and volumess, perform daylighting and energy analysis, and gain n insight into manufacturing m viiability and early constrruction material takeoffs.
Parametric Componentts A change e anywhere iss a change everywhere. e P Parametric componen nts, also know wn as families s, are the bassis for all building components de esigned in BIM. These com mponents pen, graphical system for de esign thinking and form offer an op making, while w providing the opportunity y to adjust and d express design inte ent at increasin ngly detailed le evels. Use of parametric p componen nts for the m most elaborate assemblies, such as cabinetry and a equipment, as well as fo or the most elementary building pa arts, such as walls and collumns could be b useful. Best of all, no programm ming language or coding is necessary n d for latest BIM M’s. or required
Function nal Forms The BIM also a helps tran nsform concepttual forms into fully functiona al building designs. Th he softwares fo or BIM comes with w default cap pability to selecct and add faces to dessign walls, roofss, floors, and cu urtain systems. Extract important building information, including grosss area per floor. oftware helps PM M and architects provides and presents everyy schedule, The BIM so drawing sh heet, 2D view, and 3D view from a single e foundational database, automaticallly coordinating g changes acro oss all facets and a presentatio ons as the project deve elops and evolvves.
Bidirectional Associativity A change anywhere is a change everyw where. In BIM,, all model info ormation is stored in a single, coordinated database. Revisions and alterations to information t the model, and sig gnificantly reduccing errors is automatiically updated throughout and omissio ons.
Detailing g The extenssive detail libra ary and detailin ng tools enable extensive prresorting, easing alignment with the e CSI format. Detail D libraries can c be created,, shared, d to accommoda ate your office standards. s and tailored
Interferenc ce Check Use interfe erence checking can be ussed to scan th he building model m for collisions between b eleme ents. 20 2
Inttelligent Build ding Sys stem ms Abdu ullah Khan,, Facilities Director Real R Estate e Solutions offers advvice on how w to successfully develop and de eploy intelliigent building system ms integration for efficcient facilitty design. Intelligent building systems s are in vogue accross the vibrant Mid ddle Eastern construction c and prope erty More sectors. develope ers, contractorrs and facility owners are eyeing th he deployment of "smart" automated d functions into th heir portfolios, by property driven governme ent manda ates requirring sustainable methods of developm ment and a highly competitive and a demandin ng regional market m seekking best globa al practices and a standard ds.
It iss worth notin ng that expense will be e a majo or considera ation, so the IBS develo oper shou uld provide a realistic co ost estimate and a regu ularly update e the owner on possible e or nece essary chang ges. Fina ally, the IBS projects sho ould be properly sequ uenced and coordinated d to run para allel to the overall property developm ment sche edule.
ed as expenssive While initially perceive and frivo olous add-o ons, intellig gent building systems s (IB BS) have since become integral components of efficient fa acility design n. Such syste ems are now re ecognised fo or their vital role r in energyy efficiency, life safety and a security, advancced telecommunications, and workpla ace automatio on. INTEGRA ATION Network enabling e ele ectronic devices throughou ut a buildin ng allows the integration n of subsysstems, such as air-conditioning, ligh hting elevattors and secu urity, into a single and a building efficient managem ment network. However, although a ma any people the now und derstand importancce of IBS S in faccility managem ment, those in n charge of th heir evaluation n and implementattion sometimes fail to movve from conccept to actual deployment. d c in this Many facctors may conspire inability to follow through, frrom financial concerns to t design and a client constraints. It iss thus essen ntial that IBS be b ingrained d from as ea arly as the dra awing board d stage, so that t future cha allenges can n be anticipa ated and viable e solutions fle eshed out. PREPARE E A carefullyy-specified IB BS starts witth a thorough understandin ng of the natture uilding and what it will be of the bu used for, as the strate egy and deg gree of integration variess considera ably g on facility type. t The ow wner depending should the en be fully briefed b as ea arly as possib ble on the planned p IBS so that the proper pa arameters and a automatio on targets are e set.
INSPECTION Manyy influences may come into play that ccan compromise the installation and sspecification of the IBS, from f time consttraints to changing customer c requirrements. It is importa ant' that developers perse evere and in nsist that the o original lBS plan be follo owed as closely as poss sible. This can be ensurred through constant in nspection and ssupervision throughout t th he entire installation and testing t phasses, and contin nuous coorrdination with w the owne er, developers s and contra actors. In to oday's rap pidly evolving and aggre essive Middle East rea al estate development ma arkets, IBS provides the m much-needed d edge for property owne ers and deve elopers to stand s out above e the rest. The smart building techn nology brings s added valu ue that is not ju ust good for the owners and end userss, but good fo or everyone.
cialist Spec The T designe er team shou uld include the t a architects, m mechanical and electriccal e engineers, a well as th as he construction m managers. It may be advisable to e employ a sp pecialist con nsultant to coc o ordinate the e design as a all parties involved in the t design and a installation o a building of g’s components, need to c cooperate so o that they call c adjust their t tasks to accommoda ate the IB BS installation. F custodians comprise c t the Facility p persons invvolved in daily facillity m managemen safety and t, life These entities information technology. t a in charge are e of the day y-to-day use of t the systemss that will eventually be integrated un nder the IBS S umbrella, and h have vital kn nowledge of what needs to b be done to ensure e operation nal e efficiency and cost effecttiveness. A ma atrix of all the subsystem ms that need to be integrated along a with their speciific functtions, essen ntial technical dimensio ons and requireme ents will have h to be consstructed. Thiss subsystems s profile will be need ded to deterrmine if the ey need to be integ grated on a physica al, logical or functtional level, and will also reve eal comm mon elemen nts that can n lead to co ost savin ngs or enhan nce efficiency y.
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It’s likke an artificial intelligencce brains that glue together many different indep pendent systems, and not just within n the building g. The techn nology is down to offer smart s homess, smart buildings, smart communities and, furthe er down the line, smart cities. c We help designers shape the building injecting technolo ogy within a business mode el that makes s sense to re eal estate developers. But the basic sy ystem pays for itself thoug gh the efficie ency saving aspects and a added value, provided yo ou do not go ovver the top with w gadgets.. It is not a mattter of the mo oney -it is sim mply that your home should be readyy to take such a product.
Abdullah Khan is ent to talk to if excelle you are looking to art undersstand the Sma Buildin ng Technolog gy. He is fully aware of the et and keeps an marke n the latest trends eye on in efficient and nable building gs. sustain His ttechniques have been successfu ully d on RES live applied projects, which resulted in posiitive outcome.
Solu ution to your y Proje ect Ma anage ement Info ormatiion Sysstem - Info oBox®
Saa aS (Softwa are as a Se ervice) Major M projects rely on officess from all ove er the world to o generate drawings d and do ocuments that e enable the actua al work on site to t proceed as a planned. Th here is certainlyy a spread. There are a lot of o different levels of sophisstication within organizations, but the trend is certainly towards t doing th hings better. ®
®
Why was s InfoBox Required R The interna ational project teams are beco oming the norm on mega proje ects in the Gulf region. The up-side of o this fusion is that the world'ss most skilled, specialized s nging their ow wn unique organizations are often working together, each brin e and expertise. The challenge e this presents to RES, howevver, is how perspective to effective ely and efficien ntly collaborate when project teams are spa anning the world. e Solution havve its projects, regional office es and professsional staff Real Estate dispersed globally, g it rely on offices for deliverables d and d documents th hat enable the actual work w on project to proceed as planned. p nge today is gre eater than ever, due to the industry's globalizattion and The challen the sheer volume of inform mation that flowss between team members. Doccuments pondence itemss are essentiallyy the lifeblood off a project, and the and corresp consequences of not contrrolling the inform mation can be high. Late, inaccurate or ents are often th he primary conttributor to delayss, disputes and quality lost docume issues. The e ultimate outcome of this is tha at organizations can be expose ed to the macro riskss of financial losss, reputation da amage and even n litigation.
RES R decided to o present Infobo ox as SAAS (S Software as a Service). S It can c generate re evenue for the ccompany as we ell as establish a standard to t delivers total project manage ement control fo or construction projects p by automating a dayy-to-day tasks and processes s, from project design to close-out. c As a complete cconstruction ma anagement sollution, the ® Infobox I is enab ble to: Manage prroject collaborattion workflow Perform roobust constructioon project manaagement Reduce thee project schedule by collaboraating more effecctively with the projectt team Manage multiple m projects in one database e Generate summary s reportts and queries across a all projeccts Globally view projects to ffind trends and identify i problem ms early Make crittical decisionss quickly using accurate corporate information n Do more with less, and it helps makee the existing staff s more efficient Standardizze the projecct data and organization's business processes across all proje ects
Peop ple can n come and go. Wh hat you and your cllient need d is the e inforrmation n to rema main.
Audit pro ojects for deficie encies and risk exposure e Track keyy performance indicators (KPIss) to monitor all levelss of company profitability, effficiency and performa ance Improve document co ontrol by strea amlining the process, tracking revisions and storing review p master filles in a central project databasse Increase productivity witth efficient data modification tool
Address sing the Corre Issue Collaborration and te eamwork in the constructtion industry is now at the core of a su uccessful project. A need n for web-based w collabora ation system ms was requirred by RES to t track and control all the information that flows f betwee en the various parties working on a project.R RES realize that there ha as to be a better b way off handling the masssive volume e of information that iss passed around a on projects..
Centrralizing operatio ons when practiccal for better control. Reducing paper flow w and dependence on paper, be ecoming more efficient. e ment and knowing who has view wed what document. Never losing a docum or approval of ch hange orders, payments and invoices. Reducing the time fo wing project man nagers and othe ers instant acce ess to project documents to Allow betterr manage their projects. p Revie ewing documentts anywhere, an nytime with the proper p security.. Increa asing profitabilitty by being ablle to do more with w less and grow g without addin ng people. Know wing required pro ocedures can be b built into the system and willl be followed everyy time. Provid ding a long-term m reduction in co osts. Provid ding backup to o all their documents off-site, something tha at cannot be done with paper. des instant acccess to docum ments, enabling clients busine ess to make Provid betterr business decissions. Increa ased transparen ncy in communications Reduced Bottleneckss oved project teamwork Impro Reduced project exp penses ase access to Project P Overview w Increa Accesss Anywhere An nytime: Securrity and Disaste er Planning Fast Tracking T Collab boration: Tailorr Made
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With Infobox® Project Managem ment Tools, you and y your clientt can:
Optim mize company p performance by y standardizing project data and project m management prrocesses acrosss your entire organization ase visibility into o your business s by managing multiple Increa projeccts in one datab base, allowing summary s reportting and queryying across proje ects Reducce paperwork a and review cycle es on all projectt related docum ments including g RFI’s, chang ge orders, sub bmittals, meeting minutes, drawing pack kages, contraccts, all d more imporrtant emails, and Increa ase staff pro oductivity by automating re epetitive processes and time-cconsuming task ks Keep project costts on target with real-time cost management and budget tracking aims litigation by incorporatin ng audit Reducce risk and cla trails, and preventing g lost project info ormation nce indicators to t monitor all le evels of Trackk key performan company profitability, efficiency and performance ove communiccation and collaboration across Impro geogrraphically dispersed project teams and external e vendo ors Impro ove field-level performance with a centralized project site tracking system e your projectt data with other o critical business b Share appliccations by in ntegrating to accounting systems, sched duling applicatio ons, Microsoft ap pplications, and d more
Gearing up
for PMP Examination
Improving project management skills is the most essential part required by all organization in the near future. Maneer expresses his views on how to adopt the best strategy and route to pass the Project Management Professional examination. I was lucky to escape the PMBOK 4th edition batch of PMP examination. Anyone who wishes to proceed with the PMP has to start now with 4th Edition which is release recently. Although the principle and fundamentals of the Project Management remains the same, however some modification has occurred in Knowledge areas and the phases, thus all the study guides and materials shall change. Individuals who are planning to go for PMP Certification in Middle East for instance; they have no idea that PMP examination requires experience in real life as PM first. One of the first things to keep in mind when preparing to take the PMP exam is that knowing everything is not possible. The second fact is that you cannot pass the PMP exam if you only study the Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK). There is a middle ground in which proper study plus real-life experience equal the knowledge, skills, tools and techniques necessary to pass the exam. The PMP certification exam is based on an ideal project The best route to start with is written in simple three steps STEP # 1 Register as Member with PMI This step will let you introduce to the basis of what PMI and Project Management is all about. You’ll start receiving journals, magazines and newsletter, which will open up your mind to the subject. STEP # 2 Apply for PMP certification Exam Have you noticed that we do not advise you to prepare for exam rather suggest to apply directly for examination. The reason is simply “Motivation”, unless something keep pressing you to be on schedule, its difficult to stick to it. This motivation will lead you to prepare well on time for the examination. There is however a chance to delay the exam one time but second time you have to pay additionally. STEP # 3 Start Preparation for PMP We recommend a daily 2-3hr committed study. Based on our experience we recommend to follow the pattern as stated next
STUDY PATTERN 1- Understand the PMP glossary and terminology with all brief definitions. This should include a cursory review of the PMBOK 4th edition. 2- Understand the Phases and 9 Knowledge Areas. We recommend that you dive deeply into the knowledge areas with complete understanding and their applicability as it is the basis of PMP. 3- Reread the with PMBOK 4th Edition – second time but with complete understanding. 4- Read and understand your preferred study guide supporting the PMBOK 4th Edition. You should at this stage start taking questions/answers with each chapter. 5- Next read any secondary preparation guide (Preferably RITA) and take questions/answers with each chapter 6- Learn to understand and implement all the Management processes (44) and sub processes, their sequence and applicability on live project. 7- Revise all books 2nd time. In addition you should seek help from external sources/references on topics and discussions which is not understandable to you in the books you read. It would be more prudent if you could try to make mind map. 8- Hands on the computer based test Software’s and test are available in the market. 9- Revise all the books 3rd time - Take questions/answers with each chapter. 10- Take the computer based tests and guides if available with you. 11- At final stage if you feel that your score falls behind 80% and that you are not fully prepared and then simply revise the books forth time and concentrate on the tests and especially the 44 processes. Linking the Knowledge Areas and PM Processes
TIPS 1- Understand the basic assumptions made by PMP. This will straight up several questions on PMP exam. 2- You need to make your mindset out of the typical Organizational values. 3- You are the Project Manager and you have complete power as PMP. 4- You should say NO to anything against the project. You must control the project in benefit of your client/owner. 5- For exam preparation, you should assume that you are in any industry (not only construction). 6- You have to prove that you are proactive and not reactive. 7- Focus on preventing problems to surface and not deal with them after they arise. 8- Forget the way you work in an organization in Middle East. Change your direction. 9- Keep your technical skills aside for some time and focus more on leadership and business skills. 10- Try to focus on cultural differences and show respect for other culture. 11- Try to understand the conflict resolution styles and focus on how to resolve issues. 12- Know your stakeholders, identify them, speak to them and involve them. 13- Try to understand the people part of the business. 14- There are many reasons projects fail, but at the root of most failures is resources not knowing what their roles are, or lack of education about how to fulfill their roles, try to understand the roles and responsibilities on a project. TRICKS Highlight anything to everything which is; 1- New to you 2- Not understandable 3- Need to revise – Especially in test
Act
Plan the Exam 23
Prepare for the Exam
TOP 10 ANNOY A YING HABITS AT A WO ORK A big partt of your job b is likely to collaborate effectively with w others. That's T tough to do if your colle eagues and supervisors s f find you irrita ating. And it''s easier than you might think to rub people the wrong way, even n when you u're sitting at a your desk k minding yo our own business.
01 02 03 04
You u're Unprepare ed Showing up u for mee etings, interview ws or arranged d work sesssions without th he information or o data that you need dem monstrates a la ack of pect for your cow workers and you urself. resp You, Umm, Sme ell: Your scen nt is ortant, especia ally when you're y impo workking in RES small, poorly ventiilated spacces with lots of other staff mem mbers arou und. Be con nsiderate of your neighbors by takking care no ot to erate strong smells that will gene perm meate t their sp pace. You're Loud on the Phone: Loud L phone converrsations can be telep offen nsive to your neighbors, so trry to keep p your voice lo ow and even. And keep p personal calls short. You u're Not Self-Re eliant: Only askk for help p when you really need it.
05
You're e Not a Team m Player: You u have to t be willing to o pitch in when n anothe er member of th he team needss help. There's T nothing more annoying g than watching som mebody do a word puzzle while you're buried d crossw in worrk. And if a cow worker needs a little tiime off to run n an importantt errand, be flexible and help outt you can.. when
06
You Walk W Like an Elephant: E Try to movve around the office quietly to avoid disturbing d the people p around you. And A if you must speak to anothe er colleague, ke eep your voice down.
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Your Cell C Phone Is s Always On:: Unless absolutely necessary, celll urned off while e phones should be tu n the meetings.. If you need to o you're in keep yo our phone on, use a soft orr silent ringer or vibrate v mode..
IMPRO OVING HE EALTH & COMFO ORT IN THE T WOR RKPLACE THE SEA ATING ISS SUE The typical officce worker spends more time sitting in their office chaiir than they spend anywhere else, witth the possible exxception of their ownn bed. Most of our staaff spend eight or more m hours a day in seated posturees, we therefore would like you to t understand the basics of seating ergonomics e in ordeer to avoid the sttress produced byy sitting for so long that could turnn comfortable in well-designed w chairrs that can providde optimal ergonom mic support for the tasks you peerform. The disccomfort could be associated withh low back pain, most m often the direcct result of long-tterm sitting in pooorly adjusted chairss. The awarenesss of the importannce of comfortable seating is important to boost your productivity.
KEY FEATURES S TO LOOK FOR IN A TASK CH HAIR Must -have featu ures Dynamic weight-sensitive reclline encouragess movement and reeclined postures Easily adjustable arm supports accoommodate differentt tasks and seated positions Arm supports thhat connect to thee backrest providee continuous arm support s during reclinne Seat height and depth d adjustments ensure proper fit Adjustable or dynamic d lumbar support providess customized lowerr back support Good -to -have feature f Gel seat cushionn maximizes weight distribution andd long-term comforrt Features to avoiid Recline locks orr limiters encouragge static postures,, which can lead too injury Manual recline teension adjustmentss are seldom used,, leaving chair adjuusted incorrectly Arm supports that connect to seat s pan providee inadequate suppoort during recline Mesh seating surrfaces do not distribbute weight as welll as contoured foam m or gel cushions.
REDUCING LIG GHTING COSTS C & IMPR ROVING PRODUCTI P IVITY The belief that more light would lead to better visual performaance—the brighter, the better—and too a more productivee workforce belief turns out the only measurabble results from ann w are wassted energy, increaased energy costs,, over lit workplace and a vaariety of human facctors issues—includding eyestrain, andd headaches— which ultimateely have a negativee impact on workerr productivvity. In fact, many m office environnments are over-lit, which contributess to glare and vision issuess such as eyestrain and headaches,, ferred to as Com mputer Vision Syndrome (CVS)—aa also refe conditionn OSHA says affeccts up to 90 percent of office workers.. Studies from f the Lighting Research R Center (LR RC) at Rensselaer Unfortunately, most officces are designeed and built too w requires refleected light. Today’ss accommodate paperwork, which offices are mostly computer- based and compputer displays havee their ownn light. These twoo different lighting requirements cann create a conflict in the amoount of light neededd to see clearly andd comfortaably.
Need to t Know: What is task lighting and why should we usse it? Task lighhting provides the correct amount of light for the taskk being peerformed. Viewing a computer monitoor or walking downn an aisle requires far less ligght than does reading a printed page,, making it neither effectivve nor efficient too light the entiree ment at the same leevel. When utilizing task lighting, thee environm general lighting level in thhe facility can be lowered to a level appropriaate for monitor vieewing, thus creating a softer, moree pleasant atmosphere and saving s energy. Why cho oose a compact fluorescent task lig ght? Compactt fluorescent bulbs use less energy than incandescentss (about one o fourth), and laast up to 8 timess longer. Compactt fluoresceent bulbs are also much m cooler in opeeration than regularr incandesscent bulbs or haloggen bulbs and are, thereby, safer andd more com mfortable to work near. n What Co olor Rendering In ndex (CRI) should d task light bulbss have? CRI is a method for describbing the effect of a light source on thee color appearance of objeccts being illuminated. A CRI of 1000 represennts the reference condition of dayligght (and thus thee maximum m CRI possible). In general, low CR RI illumination mayy render some colors unnatuural and lamps witth a CRI under 600 n be used. It has been proven that at a certain point,, should not the higheer the CRI, the loweer the illuminance. 24
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You Shak ke Hands Like a Fish and Avoid ct: When Eye Contac e in the eye somebody won't look me m some energy in their or give me handshak ke, I feel like they're avoiding me or snubb bing me in m handshake some way. "I like a firm and a friendly smile."
099
You're Unhealthy: U If you're y sick, stay home. If you have the sniffles c in, cover your y mouth or must come and do whatever w you ca an to avoid infecting your coworkers.
100
Your Mo obile Phone Volume Is Blasting:: Nobody wan nts to hear somebody else's bells and a whistles ey're trying to concentrate. c when the
PREV VENTING CAR RPAL TUNN NEL SYND DROME f the Better, Today’s Work Environmeent is Changing for and Ergoonomics is Respo onsible. Intuitive, easy-to-use workk tools that encourage low-risk postures and adjust effortleessly are the result of ergonomic design. S Sound ergonomic workspace w is built around a four key componeents: task chair, articulating keeyboard/mouse support, adjustable monitorr arm, and task lighht. Each of the four components collectivelyy supports the health and comfort of compuuter users as part of the whole. For peopple who work on a computer c for 2 or more m hours per day, a w well designed articulating keyboard system—with intuitive adjustability, moouse support and total knee clearancee— can provide seerious protection froom a variety of musculosskeletal disorders, including carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS), neeck pain, and uppeer and lower back pain. p Height aand tilt adjustments: Height and tilt adjustments play a keey role in the user’s ability to assumee neutral upper extremityy postures. By mooving the keyboardd from a fixed work surrface and onto ann adjustable platfoorm, the lower height ussually enables one to sit supported by b the backrest of the chhair with their arm ms resting by their sides. With a lower keyying height, it’s impportant that the platform be flat or angled aw way from the user.. This allows the haands to extend along thee same plane as the t forearms—keepping the wrists straight. This postture is best achievved with the use of an articulating keyboardd holder with negative tilt adjustabilityy. Beware of a positive-ttilt keyboard arranggement in which thhe keyboard is angled tooward the user. This dangerous posittion causes the wrist to bbend up and towardd the body, increasing the amount of pressuure on the mediann nerve, and thus increasing the risk for ccarpal tunnel synddrome. An ergonoomic keyboard support sshould never allow the keyboard to bee angled in this way. Locationn of mouse: The keeyboard support neeeds to provide a supportt for the mouse nexxt to the keyboard and a at or about the samee height as the keyyboard or just abovve the numeric pad. Incrreased shoulder abbduction or lateral rotation of the upper arm results when thhe mouse is not loocated close to the keybboard. These postuures, especially whhen held for a prolongedd period of time, increase muscle tension and strain on shoullder motion units. Look for a mousee platform that offers maaximum adjustability for user comforrt and support, and can be easily placed on o either side of the keyboard for left/right-handed mousing.
TTING G TO KNOW TH HE ST TAFF GET PROJECTS S CONSULTA ANCY DIREC CTOR
SEN NIOR ACCO OUNTANT
Vinod Kumar iss a qualified Ch hartered Financial Analyst and an MBA with w engineerin ng background.
Mr. Abdul Latif has h joined RES S in the pacity of an Acc countant and is recently cap pro omoted to seniorr Accountant.
andard and Poo or He started his career from Sta nal Software (a an as rating anallyst and Ration IBM Subsidiary), later joined Global ouse and was also a employed by b Investment Ho Al Massaleh. RES will ben nefit from his wealth of expe erience and kn nowledge. He is currently assigned Project Consultancy Director, D responsible to overse ee s be assistin ng RES projects development fiinancial services. Mrs. Sunita shall P departmentt. him as Financcial Analyst in PCD
ersed with the a accounting softtware Microsoft Great He is well ve Plains and is in-charge of ma anaging the sofftware. Mr. Abdul Latif w all budgetin ng processes and a finance issues at is involved with RES assisting g the Chief Acco ountant in his as ssignments.
d knows his business. b He is Vinod is eassy to talk to, punctual and approachable e with a positive e outlook on the e Real Estate Market. M Excellent to talk to if yo ou are looking fo or advinse on fin nancial issues, investments, rissk and project co onsultancy deve elopments.
dge of Mr. Abdul Latif brings witth him an in--depth knowled ounting accountancy and strongly follows the General Acco Practice.
FINANCIALL ANALYST
EXE ECUTIVE SE ECRETARY Ms. Parnada joined d RES Dubai branch b e and has been promote ed to office execcutive secretarry for the re egional branch. She brings s with her wea alth of erience while working w administrative expe mployers in Emiirates. with her previous em
Ms. Su unita is an intelligent and dynam mic analyst with good in nterpersonal skiills and an aptitu ude for working with prredictable outco omes. She is acctively involved in Rea al Estate Solutions projectt development financia al services.
er new assignm ment, Ms. Parna ada will In he be re esponsible for overseeing o secrretarial taskss at UAE branc ch office assisting the Area a Manager and the t local staffs.
Ms. Sunita is responsib ble for executio on of financiall analysis and f studie es, market analyysis, investmen nt due diligence planning, feasibility and site ap ppraisals to deccide upon the client investmentt overall current and predicted strength. Ms. Sunita is well awa are of current ents in the consstruction industrry and specializes in preparing developme financial models m to prediict future econo omic conditionss for numerous number of variables.
e task She is taking all administrative ently and is open to commu unicate dilige and coordinate adm min issues.
a is open and ha appy to share kn nowledge and her h experience Ms. Sunita of financial studies.
TRAN NSFE ERS
PR ROM MOTIO ONS
TECHNICAL MANAGER R
COM MMERCIAL MANAGER M Mr.Gayar brought b with him wealth of o experience through his involvement in t design and constructio on managing the projects working previoussly with variou us c f firms. He ha as renowned consultancy successfully contributed to t our projeccts egions and is no ow transferred to t across the re Egypt – his home h town.
Reccently promoted to Com mmercial Manager, Mr. Pasqual P has excellent e owledge of implementation of o latest kno cosst planning, cost c control, contract doccumentation for different phase es of the pro ojects includ ding pre-con nceptual, con nceptual, de esign development, tendering and cons struction phasess.
Mr. Gayar iss serving RES in a leading role in the Design n department an nd involved in th he company’s architectural services. s He is olve with The Arcades projecct, currently invo The prime Tower, T Encore – Morocco an nd soon will ge et involve with h Salmiya Clu ub design mana agement phase.
He is also han ndling the Pro ocure Company y and is part of the ommercial operrations. In addittion he has suc ccessfully mana aged the co co ontracts for Prim me Tower in Dubai. We W congratulate e his on his su uccess and pro omotion to Com mmercial Manager M and ho ope that his valu ued experience and knowledge e will be ad dded value to RES. R
W WA WE ANT UN NIQUE PEOPL P LE FOR UNIQU UE OPP PORTU UNITY Real Esta ate Solutions is looking for talen nted staff and has h opening for the following po ositions, if you know k your peer capable and dy ynamic to take the challenge e, then RES is th he right place fo or them. Place all a your CV’s to hr@res.com.kw w or Fax at +96 65 2461 3954 Project Manager
- At A least 10 yearss of experience, a PMP with engineering backg ground, excellen nt leadership, communication and a problem sollving skills.
Senior Scheduler S
-Att least 7 years of o experience wiking with a projject management consultant, good g command o on Primavera, can c work as a te eam.
Project Engineer
-Att least 5 years of o experience, Bachelors B Degre ee in Engineerin ng or Architecturre, excellent ma anagement skills s, good IT know wledge. 25
Environment Regenerative Energies Sustainability Project Life Cycle Standards Consumption Solar Epoch Bio Fuel Energy Efficiency Savings Green Building Functionality Value Advance Technology Regulations Commitmen Performance Renewable Materials Low Carbon Footprint Safe Durable Highe Resale Value Recyclable Low Utility Bill Clean Water Less Waste High Abundant Day Ligh Cost Effective Clean Air Productive Environment Regenerative Energies Sustainability Project Life Cycle Standards Consumption Solar Epoch Bio Fue Energy Efficiency Savings Green Building Functionality Value Advance Technology Regulations Commitment Performance Renewable Materials Low Carbon Footprint Safe Durable Real Estate Solutions Recyclable Low Utility Bill Clean Water Less Waste High Abundant Day Light Cost Effective Clean Air Productive Environment Regenerative Energies Sustainability Project Life Cycle Standards Consumption Solar Epoch Bio Fuel Energy Efficiency Savings Green Building Functionality Value Advance Technology Regulations Commitmen Performance Renewable Materials Low Carbon Footprint Safe Durable Highe Resale Value Recyclable Low Utility Bill Clean Water Less Waste High Abundant Day Ligh Cost Effective Clean Air Productive Environment Regenerative Energies Sustainability Project Life Cycle Standards Consumption Solar Epoch Bio Fue Energy Efficiency Savings Green Building Functionality Value Advance Technology Regulations Commitment Performance Renewable Materials Low Carbon Footprint Safe Durable Higher Resale Value Recyclable Low Utility Bill Clean Water Less Waste High Abundant Day Light Cost Effective Clean Air Productive Environment Regenerative Energies Sustainability Project Life Cycle Standards Consumption Solar Epoch Bio Fuel Energy Efficiency Savings Green Building
RES-Link
The Real Estate Solutions News Magazine. Issue # 02, August 2009
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