ME Consultant March 2016

24 | March 2016

InsIght and analysIs for constructIon specIalIsts

on topic

The importance of good ventilation

Insight

Maintaining and upgrading MEP systems

merger diaries

Team WSP | Parsons Brinckerhoff reveals the secret behind a successful merger

CONTENTS

March 2016

04 04

On topic

07

news and VIews frOM acrOss the MIddLe east OnLIne news

CPI’s digital platform for construction news

07

12

On tOpIc

The importance of good air quality and ventilation systems

12 12

In practice anaLysIs, InsIghts and InterVIews

18 28

cOMpany VIsIt

WSP | PB talks about the past year and its strategy to making this a successful merger

18

InsIght

Understanding the importance of maintaining and upgrading MEP systems

24

anaLysIs

Assessing highway and bridge design and the importance of maintenance and repairs

28 28

24

32

On site case studIes, OpInIOns and snapshOts

Q&a

Mark Vowles of Nulty+ speaks to Middle East Consultant about its official launch in the region

32

OpInIOn

Tarana Daroogar of MAPEI talks about the increasing acceptance of green innovation in sports facilities

34

cOMpany news

Graham Reid appointed as the new CEO of Arcadis Middle East

40

fInaL wOrd

Martin Payne of Arcadis Middle East talks about the best approach to client satisfaction

34 March 2016 Middle East Consultant 1

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WELCOME

Editor’s note Group FOUNDER DOMINIC DE SOUSA GROUP CEO NADEEM HOOD

Preventive Action

I

n order for any construction project to reach its full life cycle, planning maintenance right from the design phase is crucial. This month’s Middle East Consultant highlights the importance of this while working on different aspects of a project.

For instance, when working with MEP systems, the new Green Building Regulations insist that existing structures will need to be upgraded as per the new code if its performance is not up to the mark after an addition, extension or refurbishment of the structure.

Heating, ventilation and air-conditioning systems too have to abide by the requirements of an international standard called ASHRAE 62.1 which also gives specifications for regular maintenance.

In both cases, the upkeep of these systems will not only ensure that the systems function well for years to come, but also that they are energy efficient and safe for the building’s occupants.

Even in terms of infrastructure projects like highways and bridges, having a good maintenance team and regime in place and incorporating low-maintenance materials is essential and helps avoid unnecessary repairs later on.

Lastly, we’d like to welcome Nulty+, a UK lighting design firm, to the league of consultants in the region. In fact, director Mark Vowels has expressed great enthusiasm about finally setting up shop with full-scale operations in the UAE. He says he is very optimistic and believes that being able to add value through tested economical solutions will help with business development, despite the market uncertainity.

I think it’s encouraging to see that companies still have faith in the business potential of this region. I’m sure if more companies have the same approach and determination, there is no storm that can’t be weathered.

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07

air quality & teMperature control The importance of having a good ventilation system.

On topic a

air quality & teMperature control

WinDS oF cHanGe

Middle East Consultant speaks to the experts about the importance of good air quality in indoor spaces and having effective ventilation systems

cross the globe, people spend most of the day in buildings, be it at school or at the workplace. Maintaining a clean indoor environment, in terms of air quality and keeping the temperature at a comfortable level in a building, is crucial for the health and efficient functioning of its occupants.

Naturally, this involves having a good ventilation system that ensures a constant supply of fresh air and which helps keep CO2 levels in check.

However, Hassan Younes, technical director and partner at Griffin Consultants, points out that CO2 levels are only measured because the other pollutants present along with it cannot otherwise be quantified.

"Actual CO2 is only toxic when it’s above 5,000 PPM, which is never encountered in an office space. But there are other pollutants present in the air in an office that the ventilation system is trying to control. “This includes bio-effluents generated by people which is otherwise impossible to measure, and a concentration of other indoor contaminants, such as volatile organic compounds off-gassing from furnishings and building materials. Since none of these can be measured individually, CO2 levels are checked as a surrogate."

Omar Zaher, principal at IDP Engineering Consultancy, agrees that other gases and contaminants also build up along with CO2 concentrations, and a higher exposure to these can affect a person’s performance, productivity and concentration levels.

In fact, maintaining adequate indoor air quality (IAQ), especially in schools and the workplace, is becoming a top priority for many facility managers and building operating engineers.

Jason Shilliday, business development manager at TROX Middle East, advises that to limit health risks it is useful to establish an extensive list of March 2016 Middle East Consultant 7

on topic AIR QUALITY & TempeRATURe conTRoL

Proper consideration needs to be given to the design and maintenance of the heating, ventilation and air-conditioning system and it must be done according to ASHRAE 62.1.

maximum permissible concentrations and the corresponding exposure times for individual chemicals in the air.

"A good example is in industrial premises where threshold limit values (TLVs) exist. They apply to all workplaces where chemicals are used routinely in the production process. On industrial premises, workers are typically exposed to one or a few chemicals at a time. In offices and similar workplaces, exposure to any individual pollutant is typically much lower than in industry."

Proper consideration needs to be given to design and maintenance of the heating, ventilation and air-conditioning system, no matter the type of building, and this must be done according to the requirements of ASHRAE 62.1, an internationally renowned standard for ventilation. It covers

Hasan Younes, technical director and partner at Griffin Consultants.

8 Middle East Consultant March 2016

not only the design necessities but also the requirements for installation, commissioning and operational stages.

There are many methods to ensure compliance under the ASHRAE 62.1 standard.

The one most used is the ventilation rate procedure, where a specific amount of outside air is delivered per occupant. For example, Younes says, in an office building it should be 5 cubic feet per minute per person and 0.06 cubic feet per minute per square foot.

Two components are considered with this method: a component for people, since occupants exhale CO2; and an area component, for pollutants emitted by space materials like paint and furniture.

Younes briefly explains how he goes about designing a ventilation system for an office

Omar Zaher, principal at IDP Engineering.

building. The first step is to calculate the amount of fresh air or outside air required as per ASHRAE 62.1, since this is the standard adopted by the municipality in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. The next step is to decide on and design the ventilation system.

“I prefer a dedicated outdoor air system, which means it is a centralised system with outside air and exhaust. It supplies every occupied space and then it exhausts from most of the occupied spaces, especially toilets and kitchens. The beauty of this system is that we have a central exhaust and an outside air system so that we can include a heat recovery section.

“The exhaust air, which is normally at 24 degrees celsius and has 60% relative humidity, can pre-cool and dehumidify very hot and humid

Jason Shilliday, business development manager at TROX Middle East.

on topic AIR QUALITY & TempeRATURe conTRoL

The skin of the building should be airtight to reduce the transport of moisture and dust-laden air outside.

summer outdoor air. So the outside air is cooled by the exhaust air before being thrown out of the building. It reduces drastically the amount of cooling required for the fresh air. The amount of cooling required for the fresh air with no heat recovery is humungous in this region.”

The same direct outdoor air system (DOAS) is applied for schools, hotels and residential buildings as well. In Dubai for instance, in order to remove the humidity from the air, it needs to reach a set point of 13 degrees Celsius. At this temperature, after the cooling coil it goes through a secondary heat recovery stage.

“We reheat the air to 20 or 21 degrees so that we don't send very cold air to the space, as that may cause over cooling during humid but not hot outdoor conditions. This is one of the normal approaches for schools. Children are more affected by the temperature changes than adults. We tend to avoid any draughts in the classroom that might alter their attention or cause discomfort,” says Younes.

ASHRAE 62.1 also has requirements in terms of filtration of outside air and installation of systems. For instance, there are requirements for drain pan installation below the cooling coil, wherein the pan slope and size must be able to gather all condensate and discharge it to the drainage system. This is done to dispel any stagnant water in the pan, which later might cause bacterial build-up.

Similarly, the filtration requirements, which are important for the Gulf region where sand storms are expected, demand that the outdoor air filter have a minimum efficiency reporting value (MERV) of 11. All cooling coils must have a filter

of MERV 8.

Another element that plays a role is the building skin. ASHRAE requirements say a building envelope should be designed with a weather barrier, to prevent liquid water from entering the building, and Younes points out that the building’s skin or envelope's role depends a lot on the climate.

In the UAE for instance, the skin should be airtight to reduce the transport of moisture and dust-laden outside air, which can create condensation when it touches cold surfaces inside the building, and can lead to mould formation.

He also says building mechanical systems should be designed to allow the introduction of filtered, treated outside air to different spaces whenever they become occupied.

Shilliday explains further: "A building with a well-insulated envelope which has been tested to have a good level of airtightness, will assist with a lower level of heat transfer though the building walls. It will also reduce the leakage of cool air from the building and hot ambient air into the building. An airtight building with low leakage rates must have fresh air introduced by

the HVAC system."

Regular maintenance of the HVAC is equally important to keeping air quality at a healthy level and avoiding expensive repairs. Zaher warns that this is particularly important in the Middle East, due to the high levels of dust and debris in HVAC systems here. This occurs from the time of construction and is a risk factor for things like building-related illness (BRI) and sick building syndrome (SBI).

"When people talk about the costs of a building, they should also evaluate how much the sick building syndrome will cost them and how much they will lose financially if people take sick days. Naturally an unhealthy and unproductive workforce will affect a company's bottom line."

He also points out that nowadays, the importance of a good HVAC system maintenance goes beyond just controlling energy use and people's comfort.

"For example, most telecommunications systems have requirements for specific environmental conditions to operate properly.

Temperatures and humidity levels that fall outside of this range can lead to interruption in services

“When people talk about the costs of a building, they should also evaluate how much the sick building syndrome will cost them and how much they will lose financially if people take sick days” March 2016 Middle East Consultant 9

on topic AIR QUALITY & TempeRATURe conTRoL

With any new building, it is important to ensure the proper supply of outside air humidity content as it affects the indoor thermal comfort and air quality.

and maybe costly system failures. Sometimes the difference between keeping a business running and having to shut down is nothing more than proper HVAC system maintenance."

Shilliday adds that a vast majority of manufacturers recommend that HVAC systems be professionally serviced or maintained at least once a year. "If equipment has not been properly maintained, warranties can be denied coverage or voided. You have to remember that the HVAC system often works its hardest during freezing or scorching temperatures.

"Therefore, if there are any underlying issues with your system, it may not pop up until your system is working at its hardest for a long period of time. By maintaining your HVAC system regularly, weaknesses or underlying issues can be determined and fixed immediately."

Technology has advanced such that there are easy and relatively inexpensive measurement tools to measure CO2 levels and check if the ventilation system is delivering the recommended minimum quantities of outside air.

Zaher says that demand control ventilation systems based on carbon dioxide measurements are popular. These adjust ventilation rates according to the actual carbon dioxide levels present, rather than using pre-determined ventilation rates based on maximum occupancy.

10 Middle East Consultant March 2016

Shilliday agrees, adding that one of TROX's products has a similar function. A CO2 sensor and a room control panel is connected to what they call the X-CUBE control system, which in turn indicates when and how much fresh air needs to be pumped into a building.

Another method is a variable speed drive for both fresh air and exhaust air, which can be controlled via CO2 sensors in the exhaust air ducts, making it ideal for office buildings, theatres, conference rooms, sporting arenas and restaurants, for example.

One building that exemplifies good energy and ventilation practices is Masdar HQ in Abu Dhabi, the centerpiece of Masdar City, Zaher points out. Among the ventilation elements used are 11 cone-shaped adaptations of traditional wind towers, which act as outlet wind towers during the day, drawing hot air upwards. At night, the wind cones reverse role and act as inlet wind towers, drawing cool night air downwards to cool the building structure.

There are challenges involved in ensuring a good ventilation system functions at an optimum level. Both Zaher and Shilliday agree that intense heat and humidity in the Middle East is always one of them. The cost factor for certain technologies is also an issue at times, with technology like chemical filters, which are used widely in Europe

and the US, not as affordable here.

Younes adds that different issues arise through the different life stages of a building.

"A wrong supply of outside air humidity content is one of the most common design mistakes we see, which reduces indoor thermal comfort and indoor air quality. Wrong installations where an exhaust air louver is placed close to an outside air louver are one of the most common mistakes we see on-site."

"Improper commissioning, where sensors and the sequence of operation of ventilation systems are not properly configured, is also a very common problem we face in many existing buildings. Last but not least is operation and maintenance, where uninformed technicians sitting behind building management systems stations override controls, which normally leads to lower indoor thermal and air quality."

Despite these challenges, the trio agree that the future seems bright for ventilation systems. They say the focus now needs to be on making existing systems more efficient and environment-friendly.

Lastly, new technology, such as more demandbased smart controls, can be looked forward to and software could become more connected and multifaceted, by having HVAC-compatible mobile applications.

WHAT WILL THE FUTURE OF RAIL LOOK LIKE? #LetsTalkAbout…Rail

www.wsp-pb.ae/rail

IN PRACTICE WSP | ParSonS brinckerhoff

Company visit

STRENGTHENING TIES Davina Munro spends the day at WSP | Parsons Brinckerhoff to learn how they have made this merger a success 12 Middle East Consultant March 2015

IN PRACTICE WSP | ParSonS brinckerhoff

T

HRouGHouT HISToRy, SoME of THE MoST

remarkable success stories have stemmed from two entities joining forces. Such is the tale of design and engineering consultant WSP | Parsons Brinckerhoff, which a little over a year ago announced the decision to merge and form one of the largest multi-disciplinary firms in the architectural world.

Today the company stands firm, with nearly 34,000 employees worldwide and a range of services that can comfortably take care of a project throughout its life cycle.

Middle East Consultant decided to spend the day at the firm to see how the integration is going and what effect the merger has had on operations in the region.

For managing director Tom Bower, thinking back to those first days and weeks when the two teams were first getting to know each other brings home a realisation of just how far along the journey they’ve come. In terms of the Middle East business, it is now a 1,500-strong unified team and is even winning new work off the back of increased capabilities, which was a fundamental point of the union.

Naturally, this integration also required a new strategy and philosophy for the company, and Bower says the group has a clear vision for the next three years for the combined business. This strategy has been built around the four pillars that he believes are the bedrock of the business – its people, clients, enhancing operational excellence, and ensuring that it is constantly upskilling and developing expertise.

“We have four key delivery themes that underpin everything we do and ensures that we can deliver on our vision – health & safety, quality, sustainability and technology. 2015 was a very exciting year, we doubled in size globally and regionally, and of course integrating two large businesses comes with its challenges.

“However, we are now fully integrated and are operating as one business, which I think is a great success story. Our focus during this time has been on identifying and delivering synergies as a result of our new combined capabilities. We are now able to provide full service across the whole life cycle of a project.”

As one of the only divisions that was entirely WSP previously, Dean McGrail, director of Property and Buildings, says it used to be more of a professional services and design division. Now, however, from a technical level the aim is to gain some synergies with the new PMO and PMC capability, an area it previously didn't cover.

In terms of integrating Parsons Brinckerhoff (PB) staff into the division, McGrail says that no one was added to the team in the Middle East because, interestingly, PB’s property and business component only existed in Asia.

“The biggest part of our business is in Asia, so within Parsons Brinckerhoff and within our existing Asia business, March 2015 Middle East Consultant 13

IN PRACTICE WSP | ParSonS brinckerhoff

(Left to right) Dean McGrail, director of Property & Buildings.

Jeff Larkin, director of Power & Water.

there are now 1,400 building services engineers that are just purely property and building related. That's bringing on a very strong structural component, because the WSP business covered structures and building services in Asia, while the PB side was very strong in building services as well there.”

As for the vision for his team, McGrail says that while 80% of its business comes from repeat work for core clients, he would like the division to move into the healthcare arena and have BIM as the standard way of working from a cultural perspective.

Another team that has not seen any integration of employees in the region is the power and water division that was a core of the Parsons Brinckerhoff business. Based in Abu Dhabi, Jeff Larkin, director of Power & Water, says that from his point of view it wasn’t about integrating different resources within the Middle East. It was about integrating the business unit of 200 people in the region into the bigger business and adopting the procedures that the new entity was embracing.

He says that while it hasn’t had a big impact internally, they have combined their offices with the bigger WSP | Parsons Brinckerhoff business in Abu Dhabi and Qatar, while in Dubai they will also see some integration in the months ahead. In terms of how the division has benefited from the merger, Larkin notes that it has given them a bigger pool of resources across the Middle East region and opened a wider global market to operate in.

“We've got a large construction supervision team within power and water and have a lot of site-based staff. While there are similar practices within WSP on all the sites that they are responsible for, we're bringing in construction supervision expertise. We're trying to establish a common approach across the whole business in terms of doing things on-site, delivering projects and ensuring the health and safety aspects of things.”

There were indeed challenges along the way, the biggest of which was getting familiar with the change in management and processes. Like with any merger, it is important to ensure that people are comfortable with all the changes, so he had 14 Middle East Consultant March 2015

to ensure that his staff were guided through every step of the way. In doing so, they have seen positive results in the way they work and feel that they operate in a far more efficient way than before.

In the next year, Larkins says securing a strong market position is top priority, and he thinks they can learn a lot from the property and buildings division.

“We’re looking at how other parts of our business deliver detailed design, especially the property and buildings division, and eventually do that within the power sector. We could do it earlier, but we lost that part during the acquisition process, so we want to get that re-established primarily in our off-shoring centre and use that to deliver some detailed designs.”

With a 180-strong team from the WSP business and 60 people from the Parsons Brinckerhoff side, the transport and infrastructure division did have some overlap. In terms of services, Martin Bassett, director of Transport & Infrastructure, says that at that time WSP focused on providing pure play design services and supervision of design and construction, whereas the Parsons Brinckerhoff side was far more fixed on project and programme management.

In a way they were lucky, he says, because culturally the two firms were quite aligned, as they also were in terms of technical disciplines. In fact, this made it easier for them to jointly start delivering on several projects that Parsons Brinckerhoff are working on in Kuwait and Qatar.

The three major ongoing projects that came over from the Parsons Brinckerhoff side were the $35 billion Qatar Rail programme, the $16.5 billion Makkah Public Transport Programme (MPTP) which includes the new metro line and a major bus network, and the $13.7 billion Local Roads and Drainage Programme in Qatar.

At the same time, the Parsons Brinckerhoff team are able to contribute to projects that the WSP business is working on, such as several significant rail projects, Qatar Education City People Mover System, and Downtown Trolley in Dubai.

IN PRACTICE WSP | ParSonS brinckerhoff

(Left to right) Martin Bassett, director of Transport & Infrastructure.

Robert Carr, director of Environment & Sustainability.

“Looking at the two teams and the nature of the consultancy, the people we have do have broad skills anyway.

Some are subject matter experts, while others have worked in quite a few things. Bringing the businesses together has given us the opportunity to give individuals a chance to work in certain sectors that they haven't worked in for some time but have a passion for, and that not only assists us in the services that we offer as a business, but it's also good for those people.”

However, there were teething issues while bringing both the divisions together, in terms of slight variances in systems and processes. Differences had to first be ironed out by spending time with people in both organisations, addressing their scepticism and explaining things to them.

Bassett explains that next, over the Christmas period in 2015, they began straightening things out, starting with the financial system, by migrating Parsons Brinckerhoff employees from their Oracle platform into the Agresso platform.

“Quite often when you bring businesses together there's a heavy emphasis on cost synergies, in other words how can we save money. That's not the case of how we brought these two businesses together. We've looked at revenue synergies and where we can effectively pursue opportunities that weren't available to us previously, and there's been quite a few already that we've pursued, such as a number of large projects in Kuwait.”

Looking at the road ahead, Bassett says WSP | Parsons Brinckerhoff ’s rail business will be in focus, while aviation is another area they will be closely looking at. They’re also looking forward to providing strategic advisory services wherever possible, rather than just delivering the detailed design and the concept design.

As director of Environment & Sustainability and a member of the leadership team, Robert Carr says his division saw little or no changes, as there were only three people from Parsons Brinckerhoff to integrate into the division. However, the more significant change was when they brought the health and safety services into the team.

“It gave us an opportunity to take our health and safety services that were largely undertaking site supervision and construction supervision work, and we sort of pulled that together with the guys from Parsons Brinckerhoff who were undertaking health and safety consultancy and training.

“Today we have around 25 people in health and safety and around 73 people in environment and sustainability, and I think it’s a really good fit with what we are, because essentially the two marry together quite well. It was a major benefit to our clients too, and we’ve picked up work that we otherwise would not have picked up on.”

Coordinating across these teams and ensuring that the highest quality is maintained on all projects is the Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) team.

“Globally we have made no secret that we have a strategy of growth through acquisition.

Our target is to reach 45,000 people by 2018, so watch this space!”

Steve Lankester, Director of IPD, says that the strategy has been to better understand how the firm is delivering projects, identify the common threats to successful delivery and use the lessons learned to support continuous improvement.

One thing that has helped them is a new Business Management System (BMS) that they’ve developed and implemented across the entire firm to help coordinate and maintain quality on all projects, delivering training to ensure people use it effectively.

Other initiatives have been in the area of business operations, in particular internal project reporting, covering matters such March 2015 Middle East Consultant 15

IN PRACTICE WSP | ParSonS brinckerhoff

(Left to right) Tom Bower, managing director, Middle East.

Steve Lankester, director of Integrated Project Delivery.

as opportunities and risks and financial performance.

“Some of the areas we look at are cost and budget control, bidding, project directorship, construction supervision. Using construction supervision as an example, our lead for this discipline has been focusing on assessing our approach, reviewing the quality and supporting our construction management teams, seeking to ensure that all projects under our management are delivered safely and to our client’s requirements.

“The team also has primary responsibility for securing programme and project management assignments within the entire business, including major projects.”

One challenge has been promoting the delivery of both programme and project management services alongside detailed design services, to the same clients within the same market. Lankester says that in fact this differentiates the firm in the market, as it is able to offer clients a full range of services throughout a typical project life cycle.

Bower agrees that the IDP team has delivered well on coordinating internally and with clients and different

The 1.7 million sq ft luxury marine complex, Bulgari Hotels & Resorts, is set to open in 2017.

16 Middle East Consultant March 2015

disciplines. In some cases it has even delivered over 20 services for a single project, which has helped clients feel like they’re dealing with a single business rather than multiple entities.

On the company’s performance over the last year, Bower says that globally the firm expects to exceed the forecast annual synergy savings off the back of the acquisition – by a significant amount.

Bower says that property and buildings and transportation have been key sectors, with project awards including roles in the Dubai Mall Boulevard Expansion, Seventh Heaven at Al Barari and Bvlgari Hotel & Residences in Dubai; Orbital highway Contract 1 and Al Wakrah Bypass Road in Qatar; Rabigh PP2 in KSA; New York University in Abu Dhabi; and Al Mutlaa Housing Project in Kuwait.

Carr adds that he thinks the waste sector is a tremendous opportunity in the UAE and in the wider region, and they're seeing a lot more interest in waste infrastructure, waste economics, waste management and waste governance.

In terms of markets, Bower says the firm is focusing on the UAE, Qatar and Kuwait specifically, though he does see a lot of opportunity in KSA and Oman as well.

Speaking about plans for the company and the year ahead, Bower says, “We are cautiously optimistic that with Expo 2020 and the World Cup 2022 driving development in most sectors, it will improve as we move through 2016. We are actively targeting expansion into new markets, particularly capitalising on our increased capabilities in programme and project management, and we have started to see prospects coming to market which we are engaged upon.”

As for future acquisitions, he teases, saying, “Globally we have made no secret that we have a strategy of growth through acquisition. Our aim is to be 45,000 people by 2018, which will in part be met by further acquisitions, so watch this space!”

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IN PRACTICE MEP CONSULTANTS

Insight

BREATHING NEW LIFE

Davina Munro speaks to the experts about the impact of the new Green Building Regulations on existing MEP systems

18 Middle East Consultant March 2016

IN PRACTICE MEP CONSULTANTS

W

ith the population of the UAE soaring over the last decade and a half, the demand for infrastructure, malls, office space and residential units has soared, leading to a construction boom in hubs like Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

KEEPING IN MINd THE WELFARE oF THE PoPuLACE, and the increased need for energy efficiency,

the government has introduced new Green Building Regulations to improve the performance of buildings and reduce the consumption of energy, water and materials.

This can be done by enhancing the planning, design, construction and operation of the structures themselves, which means that a closer inspection of the mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP) systems is needed.

According to Clause 101.06 of the new code, the regulations mostly apply to all new buildings. But that does not mean that existing structures are exempted. It states that any additions, extensions or refurbishment of existing buildings which require a building permit from Dubai Municipality also need to comply by the codes. If after these modifications, the existing portions of the building continue to perform in a less energy-efficient manner, they will also have to be upgraded.

With a long history in the region and a portfolio that includes buildings constructed as far back as two decades years ago, Murali Serpakkam, managing director at AlFuttaim Engineering, understands the importance of keeping MEP systems up to date.

He explains that that the MEP system is the only dynamic, live thing in a building and therefore needs to be kept working efficiently.

"What gets built today, in terms of standards or quality, is a lot better than 25 years ago. But over a period of time systems deteriorate, and none of these structures are built for a lifespan of 50 to 100 years.

"One of the main reasons for updating MEP systems is that temperatures hover around the 46-48 degree mark in the Middle East, and therefore the region has got the highest air conditioning loads per square metre as compared to anywhere else in the world. “This imposes a huge load on the air-conditioning equipment, and then you obviously have the electrical distribution that needs to treat these machines, so it's extremely important to upkeep, retrofit and refurbish these

systems once in 15 to 20 years."

But it's not just about energy efficiency, says Alistair Davis, associate director at Dubai contracting firm Black & White Engineering. In his book, maintaining optimum air and water quality not only ensures the safety of occupants but also prevents a whole catalogue of items from going wrong with a building.

For instance, he says, failing to maintain the cooling towers and domestic water networks in a building in any part of the world can allow deadly bacteria such as legionella to grow, which can lead to serious illness in young, elderly and sick people. “There are many legislative requirements here in Dubai that require you to maintain your property effectively, with the Dubai Municipality Green Building Regulations and Specifications. For existing buildings, it references many areas of that need to be focussed on during the life of the building. This covers areas such as, indoor air-quality, use of low VOC paints, carpets, cleaning of HVAC systems, water quality for water features and heat rejection equipment to name a few. So purely from a health and safety perspective, it is paramount to keep MEP systems in check."

Speaking about the plumbing systems, Barnie Bouwer, senior manager at CKR Consulting Engineers says that being one the few MEP systems which occupants are in contact with on a daily basis, maintaining it is crucial.

In fact, ensuring that the water quality delivered to the various faucets within a building is essential and ensuring the hygienic discharge of waste and foul water at all times is necessary for the safety and comfort of occupants and the surrounding environment.

Davis builds on this point saying that ensuring a fully functional plumbing system is especially important during the summer as the heated water in tanks create an ideal location for water borne bacteria to breed.

He says that one of the ways of preventing this is by ensuring that the domestic water system is properly designed, the tank is correctly sized and effective maintenance regime is in place.

March 2016 Middle East Consultant 19

IN PRACTICE MEP CONSULTANTS

(Left to right) Alistair Davis, associate director at Black & White Engineering.

Nabil Amry, MEP director at Lacasa Architects & Engineers.

Murali Serpakkam, managing director at Al-Futtaim Engineering.

Barnie Bouwer, senior manager at CKR Consulting Engineers.

Despite the necessity of implementing these things, there are obvious challenges involved with retrofitting existing buildings. "Some of the biggest challenges during the upgrade of an existing building are to constantly maintain the safety of the occupants and ensure limited or no interruptions of utilities during the remedial works," says Bouwer.

"Buildings that are occupied 100% of the time, and which have not originally been designed taking into consideration maintenance access to various areas of the MEP installations, would be challenging to work with while retrofitting."

Davis expands on this further, saying that if a building is fully operational, what ideally has to be done is target one floor at a time, be it a commercial office space or residential tower. And though the fittings themselves are complicated enough, the bigger question that remains is where to temporarily place the people on that floor.

He explains that in such a case, an office building is a little easier to work with, especially if it’s a large organisation where people can be shuffled around and squeezed onto other floors while work goes on. But for a residential building, it is exceptionally challenging, unless an empty floor or (ideally) an empty building is available, to accommodate those people.

Other challenges include the shutdowns required to make those upgrades. For instance, Davis says if the domestic water network needs to be done, the water can't be shut off for more than a couple of hours to live floors, because it's a basic requirement.

Serpakkam illustrates the point with an example of electrical distribution changing work that his firm they did on a residential building that was built in 1978.

"Everything had to be ripped up and new systems had to be installed, as it was not what today's regulations require.

Being a residential building, you can't disconnect the power supply, so we had to put in temporary connections and keep the systems alive while doing the permanent changes on the side. We had to thoroughly plan everything that needed to be done and make sure that it all took place

20 Middle East Consultant March 2016

within a certain timeline.

"On the same building, six years later, we replaced the air-conditioning system. The whole system was operating at an efficiency of 1.8kw per tonne and from that we straight away went down to 0.8kw per tonne machines. That's half or even less than that, and this resulted in significant savings on the energy bill from the day the air-conditioning system got changed.

"All of this was challenging, but what it did was give the building another 10 to 15 years of life, provided the architectural structure allows it."

Nabil Amry, MEP Director at Lacasa Architects and Engineers is of the opinion, that the costs involved with upgrading and convincing the developer of the need for an upgrade are equally challenging. He also says that the problem with retrofitting commercial buildings is that a temporary shutdown disrupts revenue flow of commercial operations, which affects a developer's profits.

With various components playing a role in the life expectancy of an MEP system, there are ways to avoid major repairs and this starts at the design stage. The first thing to do, Bouwer says, is ensure that major MEP reticulation networks meet the required international standards and current local authority regulations.

The next is making sure that all major equipment being installed is of good quality and meets building requirements.

This gives rise to the importance of upholding the quality of the value chain.

To ensure this, Davis says the client himself needs to have a clear direction of what he wants when he brings in the consultants, engineers and architects. If in case he doesn’t, then it is up to the design team through the design process to provide that direction and obtain the client’s approval.

When the design moves to site, the contractor takes on this responsibility with direction from the site supervision team, to ensure that quality is maintained. This is crucial, because it doesn’t matter how effective the building design was, if the

IN PRACTICE MEP CONSULTANTS

Dubai Green Building Codes 101.06 APPLICABILITy a) The regulations apply to: 1. All new buildings; 2. Additions, extensions, and refurbishment of existing buildings which require a building permit from Dubai Municipality; and 3. Existing buildings, when specified. b) Mixed Use Buildings – When a building combines more than one use, each portion of the building must comply with the relevant regulations for that particular typology. c) Refer to the regulations on the applicability of specific regulations to specific building typologies. d) Change of Use – When there is a change of use for a building (for example, the change in use from a residential villa to a school), these regulations apply for the new use.

contractor does not purchase the correct equipment or install the systems correctly, then the building will not perform as per the client’s requirements.

Serpakkam agrees that the skin in the game for the contractor is much bigger than a consultant or a designer, but adds that the supply chain has a liability for a maximum of two years from the time of supply, beyond which the contractor isn't responsible.

“In any building, the problems do come to the fore in the first or second year itself. If it hasn't come up in this time frame, then you can be reasonably sure that it is going to work well for the rest of its life, until and unless there are certain changes,” he says.

Ongoing maintenance is also required for any MEP system to function well and naturally, which highlights the necessity of an efficient facilities management (FM) team. Both Bouwer and Amry agree that one of the major responsibilities of the FM team is preventive maintenance.

Maintenance should be done according to the manufacturer's recommendations and in a timely manner, in order to optimise the efficiency of the MEP system, prevent any further damage due to existing issues, and ensure life expectancy.

One of the easier technological ways of doing this, especially in older structures, is considering installing a building management system (BMS) which can monitor the status of equipment, says Amry.

For example, the status of the fresh air handling unit can be monitored, as can that of pumps and other items. This helps the person monitor the entire system a day to day and alerts people if something isn't functioning as it's supposed to.

Going forward, many expectations and developments in the field of MEP technology will assist maintenance and ensure efficient functioning.

Davis believes that the biggest advancements in the next five to ten years will be in the use of technologies like BIM. "There has been a move by the contractor on a couple of

Black & White projects to take the BIM created and use this for the creation of their shop drawings.

“The long term goal would be for the ‘as-built’ drawings produced by the contractor to be created in BIM. From this all pieces of equipment could be tagged and the information incorporated within the model, so that the FM team would have a complete 3D model of the building with all the necessary operational and maintenance details embedded.”

Serpakkam agrees, adding that he hopes that since we live in an app world, it would be great if apps could be developed to help the construction industry to do its job more efficiently and easily.

Amry shares his final thoughts saying that new AC and water pump technologies should be considered to improve the performance of buildings.

It is essential to ensure that major MEP reticulation networks meet the required international standards and current local authority regulations.

“What gets built today, in terms of standard and quality, is a lot better than 25 years ago. But systems deteriorate and none of these are built to last for 50 to 100 years” “The use of VRF (variable refrigerant flow) for air conditioning in villas and big premises, which controls the refrigerant flow based on the demands of the system. A sensor-based system is also being developed which can detect areas that aren’t heavily occupied and set the temperature based on the number of occupants, saving energy.

“Similarly, water pumps in buildings should be fitted with a VFD (variable frequency drive) system, which can control the rotation of the motors of pumps as per the demand of the water. It doesn't have to work at the same constant maximum speed which means you can ensure a longer life and optimum performance of the system.”

March 2016 Middle East Consultant 21

in practice Steve MayeS

Opinion

Steve Mayes, director and head of agency Bahrain, CBRE Middle East.

Considerations for an office relocation

Cost, location, parking and accessibility are a few things to be considered when leasing office space Numerous drivers may influence the decision to relocate your commercial office space, whether it be upscaling the requirement to facilitate business expansion or downsizing for reasons of consolidation; shifting because of location or simply to provide more facilities. Whatever the reason behind the move, it will involve a significant upheaval for the business and your staff and require substantial management resources, so it is vitally important to carefully consider every possible component of the decision-making matrix, to avoid potentially costly pitfalls.

CBRE has experience across the MENA region in advising not only leading global companies, but also regional and private entities, in planning and implementation of office relocation strategies, including search and acquisition of office space, 22 Middle East Consultant March 2016

project managing fit-out, space planning and workspace solutions. Here is a guide to the practical considerations that should be taken into account.

COST: Assuming that the quoted leasing rates fall within approved budgets, the selected space option should be benchmarked against similar space solutions to ensure competitiveness and value for your business. This also applies to service charge costs and should include a thorough analysis of items included in that charge and landlord’s contractual obligations.

LOCATION: Does the location meet your business needs? Where are your competitors and clients? Does the location give your personnel acceptable access via private and public transport? Will you be able to retain key staff if you move to this location? Don’t forget the personnel issues involved in office relocation.

FLOOR PLATE PRACTICALITY/ EFFICIENCY: Whether you are taking

multiple floors, a single floor or subdivided space, the efficiency and practicality of the space should be a primary consideration.

Space planners dislike irregular shapes and column intrusion. Often the most standardlooking buildings, with central service cores and rectangular design with right-angle corners, make the most cost-effective office space. Iconic buildings with twists and curves are not the most efficient. Make sure that floor to ceiling height is building code compliant and meets your needs. · SPECIFICATION: IT and telecoms connectivity ranks high on this list for the modern work place. Server room provision?

Raised flooring, cabling and ducting provision? Power supply and back-up

in practice Steve MayeS

Opting for a LEED-certified office space may help reduce utility consumption and occupancy costs.

generator? Air conditioning infrastructure – are fan cooling units provided?

PARKING: What parking allocation is included in the rent and at what ratio to space taken?

Is there additional parking available, and if so, at what monthly cost? Are the parking bays of correct dimensions and does the car park circulation allow easy parking? Ceiling and barrier maximum heights and ramp gradient should be considered. Is there casual parking available close by for junior staff?

LEGALS: Lawyers are not always engaged for Middle East lease acquisitions, but best practice dictates a detailed third-party review of lease documentation, with negotiated revision as appropriate. Due diligence considerations include municipality approvals, building permits and adherence to building codes with respect to safety, civil defence and disability legislation. What measurement protocol is used, and has this been verified?

ACCESS: Does the building offer staff and

visitors uninhibited ingress and exit from parking and common areas in the building?

What security measures are in place? Are there smart cards for parking and access to lift lobbies, lifts, office floors and other facilities?

Does the building offer sufficient elevator provision in relation to level selected?

ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES: LEED certification may be required to adhere to corporate policies. Building sustainability and energy efficiency may reduce utility consumption and occupancy costs.

BUILDING FACILITIES & PROPERTY MANAGEMENT: Is the building managed

by a reputable professional company to international best practice standards? Are maintenance, cleaning and security issues adequately provided for and documented?

Are service charge accounts audited and transparent? Is there a building occupiers

guide published, and is there a fit-out guide/manual? Are as-built drawings made available to tenants in all formats? How was your enquiry handled by the leasing team?

Are they professional and knowledgeable, courteous and efficient? Does the marketing collateral communicate confidence in the space being leased?

REPRESENTATIVE ADDRESS: Is the chosen building representative of your corporate image or brand profile? Does the building engender confidence in your business and give the right message to your market, employees and customers?

The above is not intended to be exhaustive or in order of importance. Every company has their own priorities and drivers, but this guide provides a foundation on which to build your own relocation analysis and decision-making matrix in selecting the right office space for your organisation.

March 2016 Middle East Consultant 23

IN PRACTICE HIGHWAYS & BRIDGES

Analysis

PAVING THE WAY ME Consultant speaks to the experts about the pace of highway and bridge development and the road ahead

A

s governments across the GCC look to improve connectivity and facilitate trade among nations, infrastructure activity has picked up. Major developments are being implemented everywhere, with highways and bridges the focus of the construction industry.

24 Middle East Consultant March 2016

iN PRACTICE HIGHWAYS & BRIDGES

SoME of THE bIGGEST PRojECTS bEING

executed across the GCC are the new $571.7 million Abu Dhabi-Dubai highway in the UAE due for completion in 2016; the $600.7 million Al Wakrah Bypass Road and the Orbital highway due in Q1 2018 and Q3 2017 in Qatar; and the $3 billion King Hamad Causeway connecting northern Bahrain and eastern Saudi Arabia, with estimated completion in 2018.

Looking at the complexities of modern-day infrastructure, experts agree that the design and engineering of highways and bridges in the Middle East has come a long way.

Unlike 30 years ago, when bridges and highways only needed to be simple structures to connect two places, governments today expect a lot more. They demand high-quality construction, a longer life span, a safer and aesthetically pleasing design and for it to be future proof.

In order to accommodate all these requirements, Leighton Greenland, infrastructure director at Mouchel, says that the first thing that needs to be considered when building these structures is the volume of traffic and loads to bear.

In fact, one of the biggest problems for existing older infrastructure in the Middle East is that the highway networks carry more traffic, especially heavy trucks, than anticipated when the system was conceived and constructed. There are also stringent environmental, community and safety requirements that need to be taken into account as well these days.

“Expectations of what a highway should be, how it should operate, and how it should interact with the environment and adjacent communities are constantly evolving, and for good reason. Designs to promote safety, measures to mitigate a growing list of environmental impacts, and attention to aesthetics have fundamentally changed the scope of major highway projects throughout the region.”

The availability of better construction technologies like Building Information Modelling (BIM) is also helping improve designs. Christopher Tebb, BIM practice leader at Mott MacDonald, points out that although from the outset of BIM there has been a stigma that it is most beneficial for non-linear assets, this assumption is rapidly changing, and the use of digital techniques for linear assets, such as highways and bridges, is now becoming predominant.

In fact, digital information models are enabling them to use Virtual Design and Construction (VDC) to validate designs prior to work beginning on-site which, he says, is particularly relevant with regards to utility works.

Using quality materials is also something the government

is stressing, as this affects the quality of construction. Nag Maremanda, director, UAE at Janaco International, says that unlike before, authorities like the RTA are considering superior materials for bridge bearings, expansion joints and bridge parapets.

"Special sliding materials like Roboslide and self-protecting Corten steel are being used for the fabrication of bridge bearings, keeping in mind the corrosive climate and high temperatures. On bridge expansion joints, the RTA is now opting for very high performance fatigue resistant materials tested to six million load cycles, which means that these joints can last for decades, as compared to other types which are frequently failing well within a decade.

"On bridge parapets, many untested products or low performance systems were used in the past, which has changed.

Also from the safety point of view, the RTA and other road authorities in the UAE have been using crash cushions at gore areas, and these have definitely reduced fatalities.”

Despite most highways and bridges being designed for a life span of nearly 100 years, and the advancement of technology and materials, exposure to the elements takes a toll on these structures. The high temperatures in the Middle East, humidity, salt, airborne sand and aggressive soil particles can all be very detrimental to these concrete structures.

For instance, Greenland says that hot dry weather can cause the water in concrete and masonry to evaporate too fast. This produces concrete with a lower compressive strength and a finished concrete that tends to spall.

The weather can also affect both the application and performance of paint.

"During application, when the ambient temperature or surface temperature of the substrate is too high or the relative humidity is low, the solvents in paint evaporate too fast. This rapid evaporation prevents the paint from curing properly, possibly causing delamination, wrinkles, blisters, peeling and cracking.

"Ultraviolet exposure is the worst enemy of paint performance. Eventually, all paint will succumb to it, ultimately prompting fading, chalking and embrittlement. However, some paints, such as high performance polyurethane and 100 percent acrylic, are formulated to be more resistant to UV exposure."

UV exposure can reduce the resiliency of seals and sealants, resulting in a loss of elasticity which also causes embrittlement.

Greenland also says that depending on thermal coefficients of expansion, some materials move significantly more than others when exposed to temperature variations, and if the design

“Designs to promote safety, measures to mitigate environmental impact and attention to aesthetics have changed the scope of major highway projects” March 2016 Middle East Consultant 25

IN PRACTICE HIGHWAYS & BRIDGES

does not allow for thermal movement, the joints can open and components can distort or fail.

A good maintenance regime, and ensuring repairs are taken care of early on, is one way to combat the effects of climate and ensure a longer life for the structure. Greenland suggests that asset owners use a Bridge Management System (BMS) to prioritise the maintenance works identified by routine inspections, and from this an annual programme for maintenance work should be drawn up.

Minor maintenance work carried out from time to time includes repointing and brickwork repair, the repair and replacement of handrails and parapets, repair of protective coatings, and repair or replacement of expansion joints. The maintenance team should also be quick to fix emergency repairs like those caused by vehicle collisions, which can severely damage highway structures and leave them in an unsafe condition.

Fareed Siddiqi, director of Highways & Bridges, UAE & Oman at AECOM, agrees on the importance of implementing a world-class asset management system equipped with the latest technology for monitoring the structural health of assets.

He says that putting a well-planned maintenance system in place not only allows authorities to keep complete stock of their assets and review their condition, but also helps owners plan budget expenditure and spend money only when and where it is really needed.

He adds that another way clients can also keep maintenance costs low is by focusing on OPEX rather than the initial CAPEX during the design and construction phase.

"The main principle to keep in mind is that in addition to designing for low cost, aesthetics, strength and durability, bridges especially need to be designed for maintainability. By giving this attention at the design phase, bridge components could be detailed in a way that they require low maintenance.

(Left to right) Nag Maremanda, director, UAE at Janaco International.

Leighton Greenland, infrastructure director at Mouchel.

26 Middle East Consultant March 2016

"Globally, there has been a trend for some years to design joint-free bridges where possible, since most of the maintenance issues come from bearings and joints. Components with a longer design life should be preferred. Recently, such bearings have become available in the Middle East market that can yield 50 years of design life rather than the usual 20 years."

However, not all clients are proactive about maintenance and incorporating low-maintenance materials, says Tebb. Convincing some clients, especially local authorities, can be a challenge, although a change has been noticed in the last few years.

“As an example, we are the main consultant on the New Orbital Highway in Qatar, which consists of around 7km of bridges, and we have introduced elastomeric bearings. To do this we had to engage with the client Ashghal and the Operations and Maintenance Department in Qatar, to convince them the use of elastomeric bearings would be the best solution for this environment, due to its immunity from dust and ease of maintenance, replacement and inspection.”

In terms of using low-maintenance materials, Maremanda does not recommend elastomeric (rubber) expansion joints, though they are still popular in the UAE. This is because they need to be frequently maintained and replaced. In fact, he has seen several failures of elastomeric expansion joints where the bolts get loose and chunks of rubber start coming out.

In terms of bearings, he recommends spherical bearings with a design service life of about 50 years.

“Spherical bearings perform for decades with or without minimal maintenance. For example, on Sharjah Airport Interchange, spherical bearings were used nearly 35 years ago and are still functioning well with practically no maintenance.

“As for expansion joints, they are very critical and need to be fatigue-resistant, like Mageba’s Tensa Modular, since the joints really take a beating from traffic. A good example is the Emirates

iN PRACTICE HIGHWAYS & BRIDGES

Road intersection with Sharjah-Dhaid Road. The rubber joints on that bridge are coming out within months of being replaced due to high volume of heavy traffic.”

Even problems of corrosion can be solved using stainless steel reinforcement, which is far superior to using chemical additives, special paints, epoxy coated reinforcement or cathodic protection, says Torben Krebbs, general manager at Arminox Middle East.

“The use of stainless steel reinforcement in the critical areas of a structure completely eliminates the need for other provisions for ensuring a maintenance-free lifetime of at least 100 years. Most reinforcement used in the Gulf (outside Saudi Arabia) is specified according to British Standard. This includes both normal carbon steel reinforcement as well as stainless steel reinforcement.

“Furthermore, the steel industry has introduced a very stringent quality assurance code, named CARES, which ensures the clients that the steel is of the highest standard at all times. For the stainless steel reinforcement, the relevant standard is BS6744 for material and BS 8666 for fabrication.”

Several challenges face highway and bridge projects in the region. Greenland says that one of the biggest engineering challenges is keeping traffic disruption to a minimum during construction. This is because any sort of disruption such as lane and roadway closings, especially in major urban areas and on key expressways, can cause massive traffic delays. As a result, repair and reconstruction operations must often be done at night, which introduces a variety of additional complexities and safety issues.

There are many cost increase issues as well, partly due to the expanded scope of highway projects and construction in demanding settings. In addition, the costs of the principal materials – Portland cement, asphalt and steel – have risen dramatically as the world, particularly China, has gone on a major construction expansion.

Dropping oil prices have been a burden too. Siddiqi points out that there are obvious uncertainties in the market on the expected pace of growth in the region, which may result in some highway infrastructure projects being either scaled back in size or deferred.

“We need to be able to use our engineering planning and design skills to adapt to our clients’ needs and come up with flexible plans to construct what is needed today, yet be able to expand tomorrow when the demand returns, with minimal financial waste.

“For example, if an interchange is required to have several bridges and directional ramps to fulfil 2030 traffic demands, and this demand is uncertain in view of the current market, we need to design an intermediate configuration for that interchange that can serve the demand for the next five to ten years but still be adaptable for the full-built configuration.”

In terms of expectations going forward, Tebb says that in the short term the focus will be on transitioning to digital design, construction, operation and maintenance. This will generate more information on assets and help provide better, more reliable roads and safer, smoother transport for all. It will also allow consultants to better plan and execute road projects across the GCC and ensure that the infrastructure stays useful for future generations to come.

Siddiqi says that despite the apparent slowdown, economic growth still depends heavily on the availability of infrastructure.

The development of highways and bridges will thus continue, although their asset management will be the main focus in future.

Maremanda too is very optimistic, especially with the UAE and Qatar preparing to host Expo 2020 and the 2022 World Cup. “The structures in the GCC are now certainly at par with the West, if not better, and beautifully designed as well. I think the authorities are moving in the right direction, and in the next ten to fifteen years we will see a lot more development in the region.”

(Left to right) Christopher Tebb, BIM practice leader at Mott MacDonald.

Fareed Siddiqi, director of Highways & Bridges, UAE & Oman at AECOM. March 2016 Middle East Consultant 27

ON SITE nulty+

The company has a strong presence in retail and residential, although it will not be limiting itself to certain sectors.

28 Middle East Consultant March 2016

ON SITE nulty+

Q&A

Beyond Borders

Middle East Consultant catches up with Mark Vowles, director at Nulty+, as he sketches out his plans for the region

T

ell us about Nulty+. What prompted you to launch in the Middle East?

Nulty+ is a relatively new design studio, being just under five years old, but in that time we have grown to become one of the largest independent lighting design companies in the UK. The secret to our success is simple – the team and the service they offer. We have a broad spectrum of backgrounds within the team, ranging from interior designers to architects and product designers. A passion for light and this mix of experience means that we have a very diverse pool of creativity to truly bring new and exciting lighting design ideas to our clients.

Dubai was an easy choice as the next location for Nulty+.

Its location makes for a great hub to access the rest of the Middle East, Africa and even India. Though young, it is quickly becoming a powerful platform for world architecture and is pushing the envelope of new design and technologies.

This, coupled with the two massive looming events – World Expo 2020 and the neighbouring World Cup 2022 – we felt it was the right time to enter the market.

You’ve already completed a couple of projects in the region. Can you tell us a little about your work so far?

We have worked on a range of projects in the Middle East, from a private residential project in Jordan to a Kurt Geiger store in Dubai. We worked on a section of the exterior lighting for the CityWalk project here in Dubai, and we are hoping to be invited to bid on more now that we have a local presence. On the board at the moment are three large

department stores across the region, a high-end residential property in Muscat, a residence on the Palm Island and an 84,000sqm BUA mixed-use development, also in Muscat.

What is your philosophy for the company in the Middle East? How will it differ from other regions, such as the UK?

The philosophy will be exactly the same as London: good service. Time and time again, I hear from architects and clients that the level of service in the region is sub-par, and a lack of clear, precise communication leads to frustration and ultimately mistakes. We have a very strict company policy on client service and we intend to go above and beyond here in Dubai.

In terms of sectors and services, what will Nulty+ be focusing on and why?

I don’t think we are going to limit ourselves to a certain sector.

Historically we have been very strong in retail and residential, and we will continue to work on these elements here in the region as our clients continue to use us on their future projects.

We certainly will be getting involved in more façade and landscape projects, as that is not as big a market in the UK. Besides the UAE, which other countries are you targeting in the Middle East?

For now we are focusing on the GCC and North Africa, but as the team grows we are looking to expand into central March 2016 Middle East Consultant 29

ON SITE nulty+

100%, we will have a local design team. Paul and I were on the same page from day one that this would not be a postbox for London. We are in a lucky position, as a start-up, to have such a great team in London who are willing to come down to Dubai and support us while we build the team here. We have already made two appointments for the Dubai office, and I hope to be making more in the next couple of months as the work comes in. There is no limit to how big this office could be – we just need to focus on building a good reputation among architects, developers and interior designers and the rest will organically grow!

There is much talk about the slowdown this year; the construction sector is safeguarding itself as much as possible. How do you plan to navigate these conditions as a new company?

I agree that there are mixed feelings about 2016. That said, we have already been invited to bid on 24 sizeable projects in the past five weeks, so if a few of those come to fruition we will be in a comfortable position. When a market is down and budgets are tight, this is where a good lighting designer can bring added value. We have enough knowledge and expertise to produce an excellent design with a minimal budget. We have proven and tested economical solutions without jeopardising the integrity of the quality or design.

Too often, the client goes with a 'free' design from a supplier and this results in them paying more in the long run for over-complicated solutions or disappointment from a sub-par design; there is no such thing as a free lunch!

Nulty+ has already worked on a number of projects in the region.

It is focusing on the GCC and North Africa and will eventually expand into India.

Africa and eventually India, but ideally that would require a local office, as it is a very different market to the Middle East.

How do you plan to differentiate yourselves from your competitors?

Our customer service will be the first thing that clients will find different when they engage with us on a project. The second thing will be our project management and delivery speed. We are a large team, which gives us the flexibility to react very quickly, and we are one of the only independent lighting design studios I know of going through ISO9001 certification. Thirdly and most importantly, the quality and innovative designs we produce. We are lucky to have some of the most talented and creative individuals in our field, which allows us to deliver brilliant, exciting and bold designs.

Take us through your recruitment plans. How large is your team likely to be? Will you have a lighting design team in this office, or will it purely be an operations and relationship-building unit?

30 Middle East Consultant March 2016

What challenges are likely to come your way while establishing a new business in the region, and how do you plan to overcome them?

We are the new kids in town, so getting people to give you a chance is always going to be the first hurdle, but we are fortunate to have a great portfolio and some loyal clients who have given us opportunities.

Dubai is a tight-knit design community, so once we are up and running with some completed projects, I’m sure word of mouth will quickly establish us as a leading design practice in the region.

Then the next hurdle is gearing up and pulling together a good team. We are constantly on the look-out for new, talented and creative people, but it takes time to find them and potentially bring them into a new city.

What's your outlook on 2016, and future plans for the company?

To quote a well-known mobile communications provider in the UK: “The future is bright!”Organic and sustainable growth is the target for the company within the next 12 months.

INSIGHT AND ANALYSIS FOR CONSTRUCTION SPECIALISTS

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INSIGHT AND ANALYSIS FOR CONSTRUCTION SPECIALISTS

INSIGHT AND ANALYSIS FOR CONSTRUCTION SPECIALISTS

INSIghT AND ANALySIS fOR CONSTRUCTION SpECIALISTS

Insight

Increasing productivity with the non-visual spectrum

Insight

Remodelling mid-market hotels

On Topic

Making cities smart and future proof

On Topic

Exploring the in-house / agency recruitment partnership

Analysis

Decoding the value-add of project management

Analysis

Understanding the relationship that keeps a structure standing

On Topic

Analysing the evolution of schools Analysis

Site Visit

Evaluating the best building skin technology for the GCC

SETTING THE PACE

Tarek Shuaib on how Pace has shaped the face of Kuwait over the last five decades

SCALING NEW HEIGHTS Skidmore, Owings and Merrill reveal its strategy for the Middle East

22 January 2016

21 DECEMBER 2015

Discovering why SISD is the first low energy building in the region

modErN fAmIly

Team Lacasa reveals how it functions as a family business and maps out the road ahead

23 fEBRUARy 2016

InsIght and analysIs for constructIon specIalIsts

INSIghT AND ANALySIS fOR CONSTRUCTION SpECIALISTS On Topic

Analysis

The importance of lifecycle cost modelling on a project

Evaluating design and build in the region

On Topic

Analysing if sustainable projects can be truly be cost-effective Insight

Understanding the importance of fire testing and certification Analysis

Identifying the elements that work best for Middle Eastern malls

AVIATIoN EVolUTIoN Airport design gets cleared for take off

wINNING dESIGNS

Celebrating the Middle East consultant industry

BUIldING HoPE

Robert Hope reveals his formula for success and talks about his plans for SSH Design

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On Site MAPEI

Opinion

Tarana Daroogar is the technical services director at MAPEI.

The Green Game Sustainable design and green innovation is increasingly being embraced by designers, contractors and facilities managers of sports Society has always attached great importance to the impact of sport on economic, social and cultural development.

Sport is undoubtedly a powerful tool for change, and has tremendous ability to transform cities and put them on the international map. On a par with public places for cultural entertainment, sports facilities have become an integral part of urban construction and their presence has an undeniable importance for the cities where they are located.

Owing to the wide popularity of professional sports across cultures, the adoption of sustainable projects has the potential to inspire positive social change.

Sustainability has become an increasingly important concept in the building industry.

Life cycle analysis (LCA) of products, products with low emission levels of volatile organic compounds, innovative admixtures and heat insulating systems are examples of the industry’s growing commitment to sustainability in the construction of sports facilities as well.

32 Middle East Consultant March 2016

The purpose of sustainability in the construction of sports facilities is to identify building materials and methods that are safer, cleaner and more environmentally responsible.

This can be done using products that have the ability to provide high-performance solutions that not only meet and exceed local and international standards, but also comply with the most stringent health and environmental requirements – such as LEED, which classifies and certifies the sustainability of buildings.

International investors are increasingly interested in LEED-certified buildings.

Designers, contractors and facilities managers are also embracing environmental sustainability and the concept of green innovation from the inception of a sports project. They are starting to regard sustainability as an integral issue throughout the whole work cycle.

The green innovation label applies to products that meet the requirements of LEED regulations and the most important European and American certification institutes for environmental sustainability such as GEV, DIBt and Der Blaue Engel. They also have other characteristics that are developed using special technology which improves environmental comfort and user safety.

Designing and constructing sports facilities using eco-sustainable criteria is a commitment of responsibility that requires concrete choices to be made and the use of solutions that can really be applied.

Reliability over the years and durability are the key distinguishing features of true sustainability, reducing consumption of materials and energy, and contributing to improving the quality of life.

Guaranteeing higher durability means not having to intervene in the sporting infrastructure

On Site MAPEI

Investing in sustainable and energy efficient sports facilites has a positive impact on the cities and communities surrounding them.

at a later date. Safeguarding the environment is about making choices with the future in mind.

Today, consumers express an increasing level of interest in products with a lower impact on the environment, and important initiatives have been promoted to reduce greenhouse gases, such as the Kyoto Protocol of 1997 and Europe 2020.

With the Kyoto Protocol, countries participating in the project committed to reducing certain greenhouse gases from 20082012 by at least 5% compared with the levels in 1990. Similarly with the Europe 2020 strategy, the European Union has set an objective to

reduce the emission of greenhouse gases in 2020 by 20% or 30% compared with the levels in 1990.

A growing number of companies in the industry are focusing on the notion of carbon footprint. A carbon footprint measures the effect of human activity on the greenhouse effect.

Expressed in tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2 eq), a carbon footprint identifies and quantifies the consumption of raw materials and energy in the phases within the life cycle of a product or process which are normally associated with the emission of greenhouse gases.

Carbon footprint is an excellent tool to monitor the real sustainability of products used in the construction of sports facilities as it offers an objective, measurable value of CO2's contribution to the greenhouse effect.

Sport is emblematic of health, but ironically it can also degrade the environment upon which good health depends. Whether played or watched, sport has the potential to produce a huge environmental footprint. Investing in changes that make sports facilities more energy efficient and sustainable will have a vital impact on the cities and communities supporting them.

March 2016 Middle East Consultant 33

on site roundup

Update Arcadis appoints new Middle East CEO Global consultancy firm Arcadis has announced the appointment of Graham Reid as its new chief executive officer in the Middle East. Reid’s term in office came into effect on February 1, and he will succeed Wael Allan, who has stepped down to pursue opportunities outside Arcadis.

Reid will report to executive board member Stephan Ritter and will be responsible for leading 2,200 employees.

He previously served as the Hyder UK managing director and a member of the executive board, where he completed three acquisitions.

Commenting on Reid’s appointment, Ritter said, “Graham is a collaborative

Graham Reid, chief executive officer, Middle East at Arcadis.

34 Middle East Consultant March 2016

and results-oriented leader with a strong track record. We are pleased to welcome Graham to the regional operations of the Middle East and look forward to his leadership approach in helping our clients solve their business challenges and our people in working together as the leading design & consultancy firm.”

Commenting on Wael’s departure at the end of January, Ritter said, “Wael has played an instrumental role in the transition to one Arcadis in the region during the company’s integration of Hyder Consulting. He is one of the most respected leaders in the Middle East construction & engineering industry, and I wish him well with his next endeavours.”

Plans subMitted for City of london’s tallest skysCraPer The City of London Corporation has received design plans for what would be the tallest skyscraper in the UK capital’s Square Mile financial district, it has been reported.

According to the Construction Enquirer, architect firm Eric Parry has lodged design plans for the construction of a 73-storey tower at 1 Undershaft. The project will be facilitated by the demolition of the Aviva headquarters, the report added.

The tower will rise to 309.6m AOD (Above Ordnance Datum), which will put it level with the Shard’s tallest steelwork point, in London Bridge. Aroland Holdings, the Singapore-based developers, commissioned Eric Parry Architects to work on a design for the site, which has now been submitted for planning approval.

Once complete, the development will cover 90,000sqm and will accommodate 10,000 people. It will also include a large public square at the base of the tower and a free public viewing gallery, education centre and restaurant at the top, which will be London’s highest public sky restaurant.

1 Undershaft would stand 28m higher than the replacement tower for the Pinnacle scheme, at 22 Bishopsgate. Prior to the current planned design, the site’s previous owner had commissioned a conceptual design by Avery Associates, which proposed an angular sloping sided glass tower which peaked at 270m. The new design is a more conventional office block tower, with distinctive visible structural cross-bracing.

on site roundup

Majid Al Futtaim to invest $3.7bn in two Riyadh malls

Mall of Saudi will be the largest mall in the kingdom, while City Centre Ishbiliyah in Riyadh will be the first of its kind as well.

Majid Al Futtaim plans to invest $3.73 billion in the construction and development of two shopping malls in Saudi Arabia’s capital, Riyadh. The Dubai retail giant said that one of the projects would be the Mall of Saudi, set to cover 300,000sqm, making it the largest mall in the kingdom. It will include shops, restaurants, entertainment

areas, offices, hotels and residential units.

The project will also house Saudi Arabia’s first indoor ski slope.

In terms of total land area, the Mall of Saudi will cover more than 866,000sqm.

Work on the project is expected to start in mid-2017, with phase one expected to be completed by 2022, the developer said.

The first phase will include the mall, ski slope, a hotel and a serviced apartment building, as well as the general infrastructure, Majid Al Futtaim said. Future phases will include the development of residential, office, medical and hotel spaces.

Majid Al Futtaim’s second planned retail project is the City Centre Ishbiliyah in east Riyadh. This will be the first City Centre project in Saudi Arabia and will cover more than 100,000sqm of gross leasable area, with 250 stores and a 9,000sqm Carrefour hypermarket.

“Our new mall developments in Riyadh [will] deliver more than 10,000 direct and indirect jobs to the capital,” said Alain Bejjani, chief executive officer at Majid Al Futtaim – Holding. “Bringing to life such iconic destinations requires a significant amount of collaboration between the public and private sectors. We are privileged to witness the authorities welcoming our projects and investments by ensuring the highest levels of support and collaboration.”

The two new developments will bring the total number of Majid Al Futtaim owned and operated malls to more than 20 across the MENA region.

UK’s Downley Consultants opens joint venture office in UAE UK-based trenchless technology firm Downley Consultants has opened an office in the UAE to serve the wider GCC region, the company announced. The UAE office is a joint venture with Faiz Alelweet Engineering Consulting Office of Riyadh, a regional specialist in water and wastewater networks.

Tom Sangster, managing director of Downley Consultants, will act as general manager of the joint venture, which will provide engineering expertise to the

region’s water and wastewater utilities and operators in inspection, condition assessment, rehabilitation and asset management of water and wastewater networks.

In terms of capabilities, the joint venture will be able to provide acoustic, electrical and electromagnetic inspection techniques through condition assessments, as well as a full range of trenchless rehabilitation and replacement technologies.

March 2016 Middle East Consultant 35

on site roundup

Update Two US firms appointed for Mina Al Arab resort RAK Properties has announced the appointment of two American firms to provide architecture and interior design services for its Anantara Mina Al Arab Ras Al Khaimah Resort: New Yorkbased Perkins Eastman – known for interior design, urban design, planning, landscape architecture, graphic design and project management services – and Dallas-based Wilson Associates, known for luxury interior design projects.

While the exact scope of work has not been revealed, the two firms are the latest additions to the list of contractors and partners collaborating on the Ras Al Khaimah eco-themed waterfront resort

project, which is due for completion in 2018.

“Mina Al Arab was created with the environment in mind, showcasing and protecting Ras Al Khaimah’s natural beauty, particularly along its natural coastal wetlands,” said Mohammed Sultan Al Qadi, managing director and CEO at RAK Properties.

“Its master plan includes provisions for unique natural trails that will immerse guests in the richness and diversity of the Ras Al Khaimah natural environment. Perkins Eastman and Wilson Associates will help capture these elements in the hotel’s interior and exterior appearances.”

$352bn rail projects underway in MENA Sixteen major railway projects worth $352bn are underway in the Middle East and North Africa, according to Terrapinn Middle East. The organiser of the Middle East Rail conference notes that Saudi Arabia has the largest expected investment in rail services at $118.9bn, which includes projects like a metro, tram, high-speed and long-distance freight and passenger networks.

Qatar has planned investments worth $46.7bn, along with Algeria ($34.4bn), Egypt ($30.9bn), the UAE ($27bn) and Iran ($24.6bn). Oman, Kuwait, Iraq and Bahrain have investments ranging between $17bn and $12bn, the company said.

According to another report by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Oman will likely see the biggest windfalls, with logistics forecast to contribute 13.6%, 12.1%, 11.7% and 11.7% to their respective economies by 2018.

“With current market conditions as they are, it’s a great opportunity for international rail suppliers to enter the market. Governments are now diversifying their resources, putting 36 Middle East Consultant March 2016

Sixteen major railway projects are underway in the region with Saudi Arabia accounting for the largest investment in rail services.

more emphasis on projects that are not oil-related,” said Jamie Hosie, project director at Middle East Rail.

“With transport and logistics sectors playing an increasingly important role in

the region’s economies, governments are now looking towards innovative technologies to boost economic sectors that will boost intra-regional trade and tourism activities."

on site roundup

Dubai property prices fell in 2015 – Asteco

Sale prices of Dubai villas and apartments fell by 11% and 8% respectively in 2015, while average rents dipped 1% across the board, according to a report by Asteco.

The real estate consultancy said villas on the Palm Jumeirah recorded a price decline of 13% over the year, dropping to AED 2,475 per square foot on average. The Meadows was also down 15% to AED 1,150, while Jumeirah Beach Residence was down 16% to AED 1,370 per square foot.

However, Asteco said that new communities such as Mudon and

Arabian Ranches Phase 2 saw improved levels of activity, offering betterpriced, quality alternatives to some of the more established areas.

The biggest rental declines were in areas such as Jumeirah and Umm Suqeim, where three-bedroom villas dropped more than AED 50,000 – 20% on average – to AED 195,000, while larger four-bedroom villas in Arabian Ranches and Jumeirah Park were down 19% to AED 243,000 and 15.5% to AED 145,000 respectively.

Only Al Barsha and Mirdiff bucked

the trend, with the former recording an increase of 9.2% for threebedroom villas to AED 213,000 per annum, and properties in the latter rising 4.2% to AED 138,000.

The report says that a total of 13,500 apartments and 800 villas were added to Dubai's residential real estate supply in 2015, while 22,000 apartments and 7,700 villas are scheduled to be delivered in 2016, which is likely to see the downward rental rate pressure continue through to 2017.

John Stevens, managing director at Asteco, commented on the report: “With fresh new supply entering the market, this is forcing property owners, especially of older independent villas, to become increasingly competitive on pricing. If we look to the medium and long term, the outlook is more positive, with demand more than likely to grow in line with the progress of key infrastructure projects currently underway, such as Dubai World Central Airport and Expo 2020.”

Dubai’s Al Futtaim Engineering launches new Control and Life Safety division The Dubai-headquartered Al Futtaim Engineering says it has introduced a new business division that will carry out the design, installation and maintenance of fire protection and detection systems. The company says its Control and Life Safety division will specialise in firefighting systems, emergency lighting services, gas fire suppression, fire alarms, lighting control, access control and CCTV. The division will also carry out annual maintenance and breakdown maintenance of fire protection and building management systems, to ensure safety of life and property. Its systems will cover commercial, residential, industrial, retail, hospitality and infrastructure projects.

The new division has been approved by the

Dubai Civil Defence and complies with all major international fire and safety codes and standards, including the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), the UAE fire code and the Loss Prevention Certification Board (LPCB).

“With the launch of this new division, Al-Futtaim Engineering is now able to provide complete 360-degree solutions to our clients,” said Dawood Bin Ozair, senior managing director at Al-Futtaim Engineering & Technologies. “With an experienced leadership team, supported by qualified and experienced engineers and technicians, the Control and Life Safety division can handle the most demanding fire protection and building management system projects and maintenance requirements, to deliver high-quality work on time.”

Dawood Bin Ozair, senior managing director at Al-Futtaim Engineering & Technologies.

March 2016 Middle East Consultant 37

on site roundup

Dubai Parks spending hits $1.6bn at end of 2015

Dubai Parks and Resorts is on track to open in October, with cumulative project expenditure including land amounting to AED5.8 billion ($1.6bn) at the end of 2015, the developer said. The theme park developer, which is listed on the Dubai Financial Market, said in a statement that its total assets stood at AED8.6 billion ($2.3bn) at the end of 2015.

“We remain on track and on budget to open in October,” said Raed Kajoor

Al Nuaimi, chief executive of Dubai Parks and Resorts.

Construction is progressing steadily on the project, with 100% of the design, 88% of overall facilities structure works and 70% of overall infrastructure now complete.

The project’s substation has been handed over to the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA).

The Dubai Parks and Resorts development – which comprises three theme parks, one water park, a hotel and a retail dining district – reached a key milestone last October with the installation of the first ride, Legoland Dubai’s Dragon Coaster. “We have now completed 89% of the ride system production, with 16

complete rides delivered,” Al Nuaimi said.

There are currently 13,500 workers and 41 contractors on-site at the project, the statement said. Contractors are currently building access roads and multi-lane bridges over Sheikh Zayed Road to lead directly into the resort. Tram systems will transport visitors within the development.

Close to 16,000 trees, 6,100 palms and over 1.4 million shrubs and groundcovers, both locally and from overseas, will feature in the project. The developer also recently announced the start of a global audition tour across MENA, the UK and Australia in search of 400 performers to join the entertainment team.

“As we enter 2016, we are now firmly focused on achieving monthly milestones to ensure we open the destination in nine months’ time,” Al Nuaimi concluded.

Dubai Parks anticipates revenues of AED2.4 billion ($653.4m) in its first full year of operation.

JLL in agreement to launch Jeddah housing index Real estate advisory JLL says it has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce & Industry ( JCCI) to jointly launch a housing index for the Saudi city.

The JLL-JCCI Jeddah Housing Index has been launched with the objective of collecting, consolidating and sharing data on the local market. This will help bring transparency to the market and improve the quality of information available to investors, JLL said.

The first report on Jeddah is set to be released in the second quarter by JLL. Jamil Ghaznawi, National Director and Country Head of JLL KSA commented on the agreement: “It is a privilege to once again partner with the JCCI, this time in bringing greater clarity to Jeddah’s residential market. We are especially proud of the use of technology to enhance data collection and analysis, which is surely a first in 38 Middle East Consultant March 2016

KSA’s fast evolving real estate sector.”

Zyad Al Bassam, Vice Chairman of Jeddah Chamber of Commerce, added: “The JLL-JCCI Housing Index will be a valuable resource for private sector investors as it will provide strategic insight which is not currently

available. There will be a greater volume of high quality and trustworthy information available as a result of our combined expertise.

Overall, the index can contribute towards making the city’s housing market more attractive to public and private investors.”

The index has been launched with the objective of collecting, consolidating and sharing data on the local market.

on site roundup

New Muscat airport ‘on track for completion’ Construction of the new Muscat International Airport will be completed this year, although work fell slightly behind schedule in 2015, a senior official has told the Times of Oman. Speaking on the sidelines of the annual general meeting of the Ministry of Transport, Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Futaisi, Minister of Transport and Communications in Oman, said the official launch date of the airport cannot be announced, as it will take four to six months to start operating flights after construction has finished.

Al Futaisi noted that 86% of the project had been completed by the end of 2015, although the target has been 90%. This was because of multiple factors, including delays by the contractor, he said.

Commenting on the increase in air traffic in 2015, Mohammed bin Nasser bin Ali

The new Muscat International Airport is set for completion this year.

Al Zaabi, CEO of the Public Authority for Civil Aviation, said that nearly 1,400 planes

fly over the sultanate's skies every day, an increase of 19% compared to 2014.

Dubai’s Nakheel ‘seeks $1.4bn loan to fund projects’ Nakheel has asked banks to provide it with prospective pricing if it borrows for an eight- to ten-year term.

Dubai-based developer Nakheel is looking to borrow AED 5 billion ($1.4bn) from banks to fund new projects, sources have told the news agency Reuters. The state-owned company has asked banks to provide it with prospective pricing if it borrows for an eight- to ten-year term, Reuters reported, quoting unnamed sources. The funds would be used for construction projects, the sources said.

Such a move would be the developer’s first attempt to raise sizeable funds since the turn of the decade, when it almost collapsed during the real estate crisis.

Nakheel declined to comment on loan talks, but a spokesperson told Reuters the company already has sufficient capital to cover the repayment of an AED 4.4 billion ($1.1bn) sukuk maturing in August 2016.

Nakheel’s flagship project is the giant Palm Jumeirah manmade island in Dubai. It is also planning to develop 10 new hotels across the city.

March 2016 Middle East Consultant 39

On SiTe Martin PaynE

Final word

Martin Payne is the commercial director at Arcadis Middle East.

The Business Of Relationships

The best approach to client satisfaction is incorporating client suggestions into the work After a brief stint in the Middle East from 1996 to 1998 as a young quantity surveyor, I returned to the Middle East in early 2006 as a commercial manager, and now as a commercial director for Arcadis. A lot has changed between 1998 and 2006, and continues to change – the pace of development has accelerated (oil prices notwithstanding). I have always been fortunate enough to work with some of the most astute Emiratis, Saudis and Qataris, who were both clients and colleagues.

Through all this time one observation that has continued to frustrate me: that people here understand the cost of everything but the value of nothing. I disagree and suggest we listen more closely and observe more carefully.

For someone fresh off the plane, then or now, junior or senior, there is a temptation to bring preconceived notions about what ‘good looks like’ with us. You have heard this before, I am sure, but what have you done about it?

Try this. As a consultant, if you deliver something that is in truth inappropriate to the context or culture, whether it be a service, piece of work or professional advice, you will be thanked politely and then silence. Do it again, and you may be lucky to hear a thank you, but the silence will be longer. Do it yet again, and all you will hear is silence.

Often we mistake this for negotiation, 40 Middle East Consultant March 2016

and the price of work is reduced or the work is re-done, but more often than not, this is a disappointment.

What ‘good looks like’ can be a matter of perception. Not every client is an architect, engineer or some other construction professional, and they may not be skilled in communicating a vision in the way we are used to. But make no mistake, there is a vision and it has weight and value.

Through trial and error, I have seen other consultants often stumble in frustration repeatedly, in an attempt to realise this vision, and if they are lucky, they get to hear the final word!

This is the ‘tell me what I want’ approach to client satisfaction. Thank you means no, and only yes means yes! Confusing isn’t it?

What should you do? Be patient and listen.

There is good humour in this part of the world, and clients do see the irony. Someone wiser than me once said, "There are no business relationships in this part of the world, it is all personal."

It is obvious really, when you think about it, but do we really listen to our clients as confidantes to gain their trust and vision? Or do we presume too much without asking, and then disappoint?

A dialogue may commence based on previous good work elsewhere, but to clients, it is about the intimate and immediate understanding of what something means to them here and now. Listening is about trust, understanding and asking the right questions. This does not have to be rocket science.

Ask, do not presume.

Much of the Middle East is a developing economy.

In broad terms, the canvas has background and the foreground continues to be added and funded through the returns from oil and gas, and the development of schools, hospitals, housing, hotels, roads, ports, utilities, etc.

To be part of this, we must be here. To stay here, we must deliver. That has to be a promise, and to promise, we must do as we say. This is our invitation to listen.

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One day I will architect the building of my dreams

What will you do one day?

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