ME Consultant September 2014

007 septeMBer 2014

InsIght and analysIs for constructIon specIalIsts

New WAVE

Dubai’s latest island projects rise to the surface Value engineering

Maintaining quality standards in GCC budget hotel design

talent and recruitment

How large firms are nurturing the skills of regional students

consultant profile

Tarek Shauib, managing partner of Kuwait firm Pace

programme management

A day in the Dubai office of built asset consultant EC Harris

SHAPING CITYSCAPES ACROSS THE WORLD

Hyder is an award winning multi-national design and engineering consultancy that has delivered landmark projects in over 100 countries for more than 150 years.

www.hyderconsulting.com

CONTENTS

September 2014

05 05

On topic

22

newS analySiS frOm acrOSS the miDDle eaSt market repOrt

Discovering the state of Turkey’s construction industry

08

DevelOpment

Shining the spotlight on Dubai’s latest island projects

16

05

cOSt cUttinG

Maintaining quality in the design of GCC budget hotels

22 22

in practice cOmpany prOfileS, OpiniOnS anD interviewS

08

Office viSit

46

A day in Dubai with built asset consultant EC Harris

28

inSiGht

Why consultants are tapping up talented regional students

32

OpiniOn

Dr Philip Oldfield on how tall buildings can work in old cities

34

prOfile

Tarek Shuaib, managing partner of Kuwait firm Pace

38

DeBate

How can the market bridge the gap towards true sustainability?

40 40

34

On site BUilDinG reviewS, caSe StUDieS anD SnapShOtS review

First Group’s Matrix Tower in Dubai Sports City

46

SnapShOt

Porta Nuova Varesine, Milan’s new high-rise urban centre

50

Specify me

Bonded and mechanical anchors from Rawlplug Middle East

52

rOUnDUp

News from DSI, Atkins, Broadway Malyan, WSP and more

56

thOUGhtS

Matt Kitson, Hilson Moran Qatar, on façade engineering

56

40 September 2014 Middle East Consultant 1

WELCOME

Editor's note Group

Back to the school of hard knocks

T

his month’s issue shines the light on several tall building projects around the world. Starting with Dubai, we have a site visit to the newly completed Matrix Tower in Sports City.

We also cover Istanbul’s recent order to demolish three towers which were judged to have imposed on its historic skyline. Moving west, into Italy, the Diamond Tower in Milan’s Porta Nuova Varesine is profiled in our project snapshot piece.

Tall buildings will draw criticism and admiration in equal measures.

The typology has fascinated me since my teenager years, and largely inspired me to study architecture as a degree.

During my third year at the University of Nottingham in 2003, I was lucky to get onto a module to design a tall building, after writing an impassioned letter to the tutor in charge. That tutor happened to be Anthony Wood, who is now executive director of the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH).

The project involved designing a residential and office skyscraper on the site of the Heron Tower in London, which at that time was in the pre-construction stage. Six weeks of design work would culminate in a dreaded presentation, or ‘crit’, in front of a panel of tutors. For a student, this architectural X-Factor event would result in one of two possible outcomes: unbridled praise or a Simon Cowell-style roasting.

Unfortunately for me, I got the latter. Despite many long nights of hard work, my project contained more holes than a badger colony. I could not get the right balance between form and functionality and I just about scraped a pass.

As well as teaching me that design was probably not my strong point, I learned to truly appreciate the work of the great tall building architects such as SOM and Adrian Smith.

Over 10 years later and the tall building is still very much a part of my daily job. My interest has not waned one bit.

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Oliver Ephgrave Editor, Middle East Consultant

Printed by Printwell Printing press LLC © Copyright 2014 CPI. All rights reserved While the publishers have made every effort to ensure the accuracy of all information in this magazine, they will not be held responsible for any errors therein.

2 Middle East Consultant September 2014

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05

MARKET REPORT Discovering the state of the Turkish construction industry in a new political era

10

DEVELOPMENT Shining the spotlight on Dubai's new wave of manmade island projects

16

COST CUTTING How the region's budget hotel boom will require careful specification and value engineering

On topic New Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was at the centre of a construction corruption scandal in 2013. How will he take the Turkish construction industry forward?

By Neha Bhatia MARKET REPORT

Turkey in turbulence

F

reshly-released data by the Turkish Statistical Institute (Turkstat) reveals the building construction cost index for Turkey between April and June 2014 increased by 1.7% compared with the previous quarter (Jan-March 2014) and by 11.4% compared with the same quarter of the previous year (April-June 2013).

Furthermore, a report released by Inter Press Service in June 2014 reveals the true scope of construction hazards in Turkey, a country whose economy is largely powered ahead by the building sector. “Turkey’s construction sector accounted for 34.4% of worker deaths – 256 out of a total of 744, the most of any industry – in 2012, according to data from the national Social Security Institution.

“Construction ranked third, after the metal industry and mining, in terms of workplace injuries,” the report continues.

These are not the only worries of the Turkish construction industry right now. Newly elected September 2014 Middle East Consultant 5

on topic MARKET REPORT

“Construction is the engine of the contemporary Turkish economy.”

president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, once popular in Turkey for driving forward infrastructure work, has been facing flak for corruption scandals related to construction projects.

In December 2013, then-prime minister Erdoğan, along with business associates and colleagues from his Justice and Development party (AKP), was found in publicly-circulated police recordings of having engaged in corrupt practices, such as illegally handing out construction permits and trading construction

contracts for business deals. In August 2014, a report

by Turkish daily Today’s Zaman claimed Erdoğan’s wife, Emine, “gave instructions to İstanbul Provincial Director of Environment and Urban Planning… to open a forest area in İstanbul for construction in order to prevent one of her friends from going bankrupt.” Aykan Erdemir, an opposition MP told The Financial Times in May 2014: “In America there was the military-industrial complex; Turkey has the construction-Erdoğan complex.”

Country rankings based on LEED certified projects and gross m2 COUNTRIES

NO. Of pROjECTS

gROSS m2 IN mIllIONS

United States

44,220

595.8

Canada

4,212

62.3

China

1,156

66.5

United Arab Emirates

808

46.1

Brazil

638

18.1

India

405

6.9

Mexico

322

7.9

Germany

299

6.1

Turkey

194

8.9

Republic of Korea

188

15

Source: The US Green Building Council - includes projects registered through the US, GBC, GBCI, Canada GBC and Indian GBC. Note: Different countries use different certifications (BREEAM, IISBE, CASBEE, DGNB). However, this table only indicates ranking based on LEED certifications.

6 Middle East Consultant September 2014

Murat Tabanlıoğlu, co-founder of Tabanlıoğlu Architects, which is one of Turkey’s best-known design consultancies outside of its borders, believes the Turkish construction industry will maintain its presence in the national economy despite the scandals that have befallen the sector of late.

“Construction is the engine of the contemporary Turkish economy,” he insists, stating empirical evidence will validate his view.

Tabanlıoğlu isn’t wrong. Construction has been a remarkable contributor to Turkey’s economy, with the sector reporting a growth rate of 7.1% in 2013 and the value of completed construction projects increasing by 15.6% in comparison with the same figures for 2012. According to a publication released by İNTES (Turkey Construction Industry Employers' Association), the construction industry produces 200 sub-sectors attached to its operations which create heightened demand for goods and services in the country, making construction the “locomotive” of the Turkish economy. Nevertheless, to say all is fair and just in the world of Turkish construction would be incorrect. Istanbul is worried that Erdoğan’s zealous construction projects will damage its rich historical legacy.

Speaking to Newsweek in July 2014, shortly before Turkey’s presidential elections were held, Mücella Yapici, head of İstanbul’s Chamber of Architects, drew attention to the impact of Erdoğan’s ambitions

on topic MARKET REPORT

Erring Erdoğan? İlber Ortaylı, a Turkish historian of the Ottoman era critiqued newly-elected

to promote the city as a “global” destination. “This is being done in the name of modernisation, but the truth is that Istanbul’s history and also its future is being destroyed,” Yapici said. “It’s being done at such a pace that it’s impossible for the city to resist.”

Tabanlıoğlu, being an architect, is equally frank about the challenges foreign construction firms might face on his home turf. “Negotiations with local and central authorities aren’t particularly easy,” Tabanlıoğlu says, without explaining if he is referring to Erdoğan and his allies from local construction bodies. “Of late, mimicking historical, ornamental motives applied in modern building forms, but without respecting existing real values – especially of modern architecture – has also become a burden.”

As well as appealing to tourists, Turkey has attracted foreign investors in its property market.

Mesut Ficicigil, co-founder of Dubai-based Turkish development firm Ideal Sapanca, is aiming to attract GCC buyers. “Construction is like banking; you need to have trust and be sure about what you’re paying for and how it will be delivered to you. My target is to convince customers to visit Turkey.

“Many GCC residents are often concerned about the country’s political scenario, but I think Turkey’s strong economy is attractive enough to persuade potential homeowners to visit. The Turkish government amended a law which enables foreigners to buy any kind of property – land, homes, anything – and gain full ownership of the same,” Ficicigil asserts. “This means they can buy a home and pass it down to their sons and grandsons.”

Yet the state of the property market remains uncertain. An undated report released by Deloitte, named ‘Turkish Real Estate Marker 2014’, says the heat will persist on the country’s residential, commercial and office properties, despite having “outperformed” since 2008.

The report continues: “Since spring 2013… [and in light of] recent political developments in the region, there have been pressures on the Turkish real estate sector.

“Now, opportunistic investors and risk-averse investors from emerging markets seek security in more stable regions such as the US and Europe.

The Turkish real estate players may differentiate themselves by creating new opportunities including joint ventures with international partners.”

Deloitte, however, is optimistic about the future of Turkey’s construction industry, and is hoping it will lend to an improved demand for real estate in the country.

president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan for undertaking restoration work on the mansion of the last Ottoman Sultan Vahideddin. The operations started two months ago despite controversy regarding the possible destruction of nearby buildings.

Ortaylı claimed he supported the use of historical buildings, but expressed concern regarding the compatibility of the current restoration “with the historical reality and architectural rules of its epoch”.

He continued: “Ask the heirs of the property, or architectural historians – no one is in agreement with the restoration that has been conducted. What’s being done is not my responsibility. I cannot interfere in any way with what the government should use and how it should do it.

“But I do not agree with what the building has become. I hope there will be more care for other buildings,” he said, according to the Hurriyet Daily News.

Ortaylı’s criticism is the latest in a spate of opinions from across Turkey, claiming the country’s architectural and historical elements are being damaged as Erdoğan works to modernise Istanbul by the year 2023.

Its report adds: “Logistics infrastructure projects continue to increase logistics industry performance” (sic) and given the expected efficiencies are achieved; more foreigners will be willing to relocate their base to Turkey.

“These developments will inevitably drive demand for industrial buildings and warehouses…

following this, there will also be a demand in these regions for new office spaces.”

Perhaps the complicated political situation has encouraged Turkish firms to spread their operations into international markets. In December 2013, Burak Kizilhan, business development manager for AE Arma-Elektropanc, a Turkish MEP firm, told Big Project ME that he is eyeing up opportunities in the GCC. “Frankly, the UAE, Qatar and Saudi Arabia are the most promising markets for us,” Kizilhan said at the time.

“We are looking to be awarded mega-projects [in the region], and for the last few years, only these countries have [announced] a lot of them. Apart from that, there are of course a number of Turkish companies who are active in Kuwait, Oman and Bahrain, but it is these three countries [the UAE, Qatar and Saudi Arabia] that are the most important markets for us.”

When asked why Turkish firms can be successful the GCC, Kizilhan replied: “Everybody asks me this question. The most important thing is that we can literally decide in seconds. We don’t deal with a lot of paper – of course that’s vital – but we focus extensively on construction operations. We finish earlier than other contractors and you can see examples of this all across the GCC. It’s our culture too. That is, Turkish and Middle Eastern culture.

That’s important for the construction industry, where you’re dealing with manpower and not computers.”

Turkey’s woes, born out of an avoidable construction-politics nexus, are not uncommon in countries with potent resources at hand and a burning ambition to rub shoulders with the world’s best. Whether or not Erdoğan can repair the crack he has created in Turkey’s construction sector remains to be seen, but Turkish firms look set to succeed in the GCC, with or without a morally-reformed president to back their efforts.

$102BN Value of projects underway in Turkey

Source: Bloomberg and Zeyno Ustun (New School for Social Research, New York)

September 2014 Middle East Consultant 7

on topic MANMADE ISLANDS

DEVELOPMENT

New wave

With work steadily advancing on Bluewaters and Deira Islands, the UAE’s controversial penchant for creating islands has resurfaced

By Oliver Ephgrave

8 Middle East Consultant September 2014

on topic MANMADE ISLANDS

H

aving set the world’s imagination alight with The Palm Jumeirah and The World Islands – and subsequently suffering high-profile financial problems – Nakheel marked a dramatic return to island development by launching Deira Islands this year.

The project is a scaled down and rebranded version of its partially built Palm Deira megascheme, which was envisaged to be roughly the size of Paris. Deira Islands will add 21km of

beachfront to Dubai's coastline as well as hotels, residences and a mall, with a design contract for the latter awarded to RSP Architects, Planners and Engineers in July.

While Nakheel was behind all of Dubai’s first wave of manmade islands, another mega developer, Meraas, has joined the game, albeit with smaller scale reclamation projects. Yet Meraas’ Bluewaters Island, offshore from Jumeirah Beach Residence, still goes for the superlative by containing the

world’s largest ferris wheel. In addition, Meraas has launched another development, Jumeirah Bay Island, which is said to be shaped like a seahorse.

In May, the developer signed a deal to launch the first Bulgari hotel in Dubai on the 56ha mixed-use island in Jumeirah.

With huge construction cranes now visible on Bluewaters Island, the developer is efficiently moving ahead with its ambitious plans and Dubai’s controversial manmade island programme has

September 2014 Middle East Consultant 9

on topic MANMADE ISLANDS

Construction on Bluewaters Island, August 2014

risen back to the surface. According to Grant Blindell, urban design leader for Woods Bagot, the desire to create islands is born from an innate human need.

He explains: “The human desire for experiencing island life will always be strong – an image of tranquility and seclusion, ideal for the hospitality and leisure markets. People also still want to live there or stay there while on holiday.”

Blindell points out that the islands put Dubai on the map. “If you ask anyone who has not visited the city to name three facts about Dubai then I would venture to suggest that these manmade islands would be one of them.

“Dubai has become known for such feats of engineering, design and optimism. So in terms of attracting people to visit and work in the city then they have a value, which is difficult to measure but certainly positive.”

He says that the return of the developments is a “reflection of the current real estate market” and adds: “At a point in time the developers and leaders of Dubai wanted to create valuable waterfront and also put the city on the world map. Creating the islands was a successful method of achieving these objectives. With a change in the real estate market, 10 Middle East Consultant September 2014

“How many people have been on Google Earth to look at the shape and form of these islands and been amazed?” the islands stopped and only now are we seeing, in the midst of 2020 optimism, the surfacing of new schemes based upon an island theme.”

Gurminder Sagoo, business development and marketing director for WSP, also points to the real estate opportunities that arise from manmade islands. “The primary reason behind creating manmade islands in the Middle East is to open up real estate opportunities, both residential and hospitality in addition to associated retail and leisure,” he says.

“It is clear that waterfront communities attract large numbers of investors and this in turn has a knock on effect to wider communities associated with these developments.

“For example, the trunk area on the Palm Jumeirah isn’t exactly waterfront living, but the real estate in this location does demand a higher value due to the kudos of being on the Palm.”

Elaborating on the construction challenges of creating an island, Sagoo says: “While the core engineering challenges may be easy to overcome, there are factors around the design of islands that do need careful consideration, before breaking ground – or in this case, creating ground.

“These include the impact on tidal flows and associated neighbouring land erosion, marine ecology, access to and from the islands, the provision of water and power (and in the Middle East, cooling), fire risk strategies and security, to name just a few.”

Sagoo also notes that island developers have utilised the existing port expertise in the region.

But is it ecological and ethically-appropriate to build such islands?

“It would be very easy to criticise the creation of manmade islands,” says Blindell. “However,

ON TOPIc MANMADE ISLANDS

Island hopping MEC outlines the various manmade island projects in Dubai

the market demanded unique and very exclusive waterfront, and we had developers, who at the time, were confident they had the ability to sell properties. The rather more difficult question is what to do with the islands now and whether it is appropriate to construct more.”

Blindell states that the new island developments are less audacious than the initial wave. “Thankfully, many of these [developments] have learned the lessons and are either using methods of sensitively occupying existing islands or much more scaled down and ecologically-engineered solutions.”

Yet Sanu Mathew, design manager/director for SEED Engineering, believes that developers should not build more islands. “They were necessary to create the wow factor for Dubai but we have already achieved that. We should not be going beyond the present state and building new islands.”

He continues: “I strongly believe that they will harm the environment and it’s not ethically right to build them. Speaking as an MEP engineer, the main issues are related to power, water and drainage.

They require a huge investment to bring in the power and water to the island and the disposal of solid waste and garbage is a bigger issue.”

Rather than creating new islands, developers should search for existing waterfront sites, says Mathew: “I believe that this option can be looked into – Dubai certainly has enough beachfront and other areas which can be reused.”

Blindell agrees that existing waterfront areas have potential for redevelopment. “Dubai is a waterfront city but for the most part it does not feel like one. The existing Dubai waterfront is full of exciting opportunities; for example, Jumeirah has significant potential.”

Blindell adds: “The urban design challenge is to draw the value of the existing waterfront deeper into the plan of the city, thereby creating value which is beneficial and accessible for more people.”

He states that water can unify future developments, through emotional, not necessarily physical, links. According to Blindell, a good example of urban planning with a connection to the water is Dubai Metro; by slightly raising the elevation, it allows views of the sea from several kilometres away.

“Waterfront landmarks, such as the Burj Al Arab, remind us of the beachfront as we drive along Sheikh Zayed Road and the Dubai Marina has brought waterfront living to tens of thousands of residents,” remarks Blindell.

12 Middle East Consultant September 2014

PaLM JEbEL aLI Nakheel announced this project – its second artificial archipelago – in October 2002. Around 50% larger than Palm Jumeirah, the project vision includes six marinas, a water theme park and homes.

However, work stalled in the wake of the financial crisis with Nakheel chairman Ali Rashid Lootah stating there are “no immediate plans” to reboot the project.

bLuEwaTErS ISLaND Meraas Holding’s mixed-use Bluewaters project, located off Jumeirah Beach Residences, will feature a 210m high ferris wheel. Dubbed the Dubai Eye, the ferris wheel will be the world’s largest and is modelled on the design of the London Eye. Bluewaters will also feature souq and restaurant options, and is due for completion by the first quarter of 2018.

DEIra ISLaNDS In March 2014, Nakheel announced it would begin construction on two of the four islands of ‘Deira Islands’, on the site of its original Palm Deira mega scheme.

The mixed-use waterfront destination development will add more 21km of beachfront to Dubai’s existing coastline, and is expected to include affordable hotels, a marina and a souq.

THE wOrLD Nakheel’s ambitious archipelago project has faced numerous problems since construction began in 2003, most notably during the financial crisis of 2008. In 2013, Dubai-based developer Kleindienst announced it had commenced construction of a resort called Heart of Europe at The World. Other functional islands include Lebanon and Taiwan.

JuMEIraH bay ISLaND Launched post-recession, this project by Meraas Holding features a five-star hotel, to be operated by luxury lifestyle brand Bulgari, on an island which is reported to resemble the shape of a seahorse.

Reclamation work has started on the 55.7ha mixed-use development, which is located around the old Jumeirah Beach Club in Dubai.

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on topic MANMADE ISLANDS

Sagoo points to Meraas’ new retail-focused development, The Beach at Jumeirah Beach Residence, as an example of a well-conceived waterfront property. He continues: “Meraas has done well at The Beach to create a high quality public beach facility and this will have a positive knock-on effect.”

Yet not every spare inch of coastline should be viewed as an opportunity for development, says Sagoo. “While Dubai has done well at creating manmade islands to increase its coastline, there are still large areas of existing coastline that remain underdeveloped. There is a beauty around this.

“Should every inch of the coastline be dominated by hotels and exclusive property? My view is that it shouldn’t. It would damage the fabric of what makes Dubai the place that it is. Instead Dubai has started to plan to create opportunity out of the ‘existing’ and ‘planned’ inland waterfront areas such as the creek. It’s a fine balance and the trick is to ensure areas of waterfront remain accessible by the general public and not the domain of the few.”

Blindell points out that Dubai’s ability to create artificial islands means that it does not have to

scrutinise its waterfront real estate as much as other cities. “Manmade islands shift the focus away from how the city as a whole can benefit from being on the water,” he remarks.

“Other cities of the world may have tighter restrictions on the creation of islands, so they have been forced to look much harder at the existing edges. This involves finding ways of creating value with how people interact with the water either directly, with canals, inlets, basins, or indirectly with vistas, landmarks, character and typology.”

A trademark of Dubai’s manmade islands is their dramatic shape and conceptual theming from an aerial perspective. The Palm islands contain trunks and fronds, Meraas’ Jumeirah Bay Island is said to mimic a seahorse and The World represents a global atlas. So is it a prerequisite for an island project to be built in a striking shape in order to be successful?

Sagoo is unconvinced: “Clearly it is not necessary at all to create islands shaped in themes.

Some would argue that the shape of the palm was a consequence of designing an island that would maximise the return of waterfront real-estate space.

[There are] economic benefits driving the shape

of these islands.” Yet he believes that the theming fulfilled its purpose. “How many people have been on Google Earth to look at the shape and form of these islands and been amazed? How many passengers on planes look out of the window in amazement when flying over Dubai?”

Blindell agrees that the theming was necessary, but times have now changed. “If the islands had no signature they would not have been as successful in attracting the world’s attention. Moving things forward, yes, there is an argument to say that theming and shape making are detrimental to the design and environmental integrity of the exercise.”

SEED’s Mathew reinforces Blindell’s view that Dubai should leave the days of ‘shape making’ behind. “The creation of dramatic shapes is not required now as Dubai has already done that and has created the wow factor.

“Developers and consultants should now concentrate on the ground level and care for the environment. Creating unsustainable and dramatic structures like this will nullify the Dubai Ruler’s efforts to make it a sustainable and energy efficient city,” he concludes.

“I strongly believe that they will harm the environment and it’s not ethically right to build them.”

The Palm Jumeirah during construction

14 Middle East Consultant September 2014

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on topic budget hotels

coSt cutting

Saving stars

With big names looking to develop the UAE’s budget hospitality sector, Middle East Consultant asks whether it is possible to specify quality materials on a limited budget

By Neha Bhatia

E

arlier this summer, Meraas Holding and Emaar Properties revealed Dubai Inn, a budget hotel brand described by Emaar chairman Mohammed Alabbar as a “game changer” for the hospitality industry. Coupled with Nakheel’s Deira Islands project, which is targetting three-star hotel operators, it is clear that some of the UAE’s biggest developers are focusing on an underdeveloped area of the hospitality industry in the lead up to Expo 2020.

In the land of Atlantis and Burj Al Arab, it is worth questioning whether the regional construction industry is ready to deliver quality hospitality on a lower budget. Justin Wells, director of Studio HBA’s Dubai operations, says: “The simple truth is that it requires research. We invest time in exploring new materials and new methods of using existing materials for this very reason. It’s one of our greatest challenges really.”

The economical construction of two and threestar hotels will often involve the use of inexpensive materials. Wells asserts that creative solutions can save money without compromising aesthetics.

“One client we worked with was paying quite a lot

16 Middle East Consultant September 2014

on topic budget HOteLs

September 2014 Middle East Consultant 17

on topic budget hotels

“Value engineering is a necessary evil.

I think it’s a bit like going to the dentist.

Sometimes, you just have to do it, even if you really don’t want to.” of money to invest in silk art for its interiors,” Wells says. “For a particular bedhead detail, we wrapped some silk fabric around timber members – this done en masse can lead to a huge savings in cost without compromising on the design intent.

“With another client, we cut down our spending on paint by using polished interiors. The idea was to use the given context and execute it affordably, which we managed to do to produce a good end-result.”

Wells is quick to point out that creativity often stems from such limitations within a project. He continues: “A demanding aspect regarding the application of innovative materials or techniques is to reuse existing and familiar standards.

“We had a supplier come over last week who looked at some material typically used by the hospitality sector being revamped by us. He couldn’t quite understand how we’d managed to pull that solution out of the bag, but that’s the beauty of it – essentially, we’ve reeducated the supplier about his own product,” Wells proudly exclaims.

“The outcome of working with limited budgets and high quality standards is more creativity than would have been permitted by the original functionality of the material,” Wells explains. “As a habit, we try to understand all our options and consult with various suppliers before anything becomes a part of our final implemented design.

But it must all start with research.”

In the heavily co-dependent world of construction, designers also have to be conscious about the added responsibility placed on other project parties when working with unfamiliar materials or techniques.

Ahmed Shirine, director of hospitality at Abu Dhabi-based APG, an architecture and city planning consultancy, explains the conundrum.

“At the very beginning of the project, we must work to ensure that the material fits the specifications given by the client and operator,” says the man heading design work on Park Inn’s new hotel in Dubai’s Al Jaddaf area.

“This means we have to undertake rigorous research on the market, our existing suppliers, new suppliers as well as new techniques so that we can 18 Middle East Consultant September 2014

get goods of the same – or better – quality at the lowest possible price.

“Later in the construction cycle, we also have to work with contractors and ensure they pick the exact material that was specified by us during design and conceptualisation,” Shirine continues.

“We understand that they too are faced with budget restrictions, so we try to work with contractors whom we are familiar with and whom we can support with negotiations about specifications.

“It often happens that they bring us the same product options, or sometimes, even better ones Dubai Inn, a budget hotel brand launched

by Emaar and Meraas Holding

to pick from. As designers, it’s our duty to support the contractors to make sure they can accrue their reasonable profit from the project,” Shirine adds.

Hospitality units are not alone in the complex battle between affordable and premium construction materials. In July 2014, Andy Dean, head of façade engineering for WSP Middle East had expanded on the other side of the quality control spectrum in the region’s construction operations.

Speaking to Big Project ME about the existing fire codes in the UAE and rest of the GCC, Dean had emphasised the importance of self-policing while

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on topic budgEt hotEls

cheap and cheerful According to Filippo Sona, head of hotels, Colliers International (MENA),

trying to balance the quality and price of building materials for a project.

“There’s always the potential for somebody to try to use a poor quality material that is cheaper. That’s no different from any other procurement process in the market. There are a hundred ways to get around the good intentions of the market and do the wrong thing,” Dean opined.

“An appropriate way of doing things, and this is followed in the Middle East too, is for the industry to formulate standards and self-regulatory procedures to control the inadequacy of products in the market, in collaboration with the local government.

“Fraudulent misuse [of material] comes down to the vigilance of people buying the product and trying to ensure the material is indeed the one they have ordered and asked for,” Dean said.

Clearly, designer diligence is vital, and Studio HBA’s Wells is an unequivocal advocate of creating personal links with suppliers in the market to innovate contemporary products and practices known to the construction industry. “There’s often quite a few points of contact with the suppliers which we create to ensure the quality of our designs,” Wells says. “We also attend shows and visit factories to get a clear idea of our options. Our interaction is usually with local, regional and international suppliers, and we also sort our directories based on both, product price and specifications. This is why we have a suite of products to choose from for all kinds of projects we work on.”

two and three-star hotels contribute approximately 22% of room nights in the UAE, 39% in Sharjah, 14% in Qatar, and 44% in Saudi Arabia, the highest in GCC. He adds: “Two and three-star hotels in the UAE have experienced higher occupancies than four or five-star hotels.

In Oman, the four and five-star segment has achieved higher occupancy, as they have a higher brand penetration, which thereby induces demand.”

Local suppliers are a key part of the equation.

While the UAE is known for its capacities to facilitate international business within its boundaries, the local construction market in the country could do well to promote its homegrown entrepreneurs. APG’s Shirine believes local building material suppliers are a critical ingredient while picking his mix for product directories. “A lot of materials here are of high quality and cannot be ignored,” he says, pointing out RAK Ceramics’ work in the GCC. “So long as a product fits our standards and satisfies the client, we’re ready to use it for the project.

The UAE definitely has a market for construction materials and we consistently use its capacities as much as we can,” Shirine continues.

Often dismissed as a polite term to justify sourcing inexpensive materials at a cheaper price, value engineering is gradually finding takers in the UAE.

Construction cost (in millions) of a Middle East budget/UK mid-market hotel Source: AECOM’s ‘Hotel Build Cost Guide’ 20 Middle East Consultant September 2014

Wells says: “Value engineering is a necessary evil. It’s like going to the dentist – sometimes, you have to do it even if you don’t want to.”

Chris Service, operations manager at Khansaheb Civil Engineering reveals his concerns regarding the practice. “We have a lot of responsibility when working on prestigious four and five-star hotel projects,” Service says, adding this sense of accountability may diminish when hotels for a lower star rating are constructed.

“The responsibility is still there, but some contractors or subcontractors who practice value engineering may jeopardise the quality of materials used in the project. When you have the best designer working on your project, you want to ensure the quality of work matches his designs.

“But the risk of importing poor quality materials, which may reduce your cost and look the same, yet don’t provide good functionality, can certainly compromise the structure’s value,” Service adds.

However, it appears some designers would beg to differ. APG’s Shirine says: “As an exercise, value engineering is healthy for us to undertake and we do so on most of our jobs. It’s beneficial to the clients, who are eventually the party we’re working for. Of course, that isn’t to say compromising on the quality of the project is passable.

“We limit the quality fluctuations permitted so the project does not suffer due to a mistake in product selection committed by the contractor or sub-contractor, who often suggest alternatives to suit their profit margins.”

Shirine continues: “Eventually, whether the product of choice comes through us designers, the contractor, the sub-contractor or a completely different representative, the material should benefit the hotel’s quality without damaging its total value or branding in any way.”

With construction materials – such as cement and steel – increasing in price, many may fear that substandard materials will be used to deliver budget hotel projects.

Studio HBA’s Wells says a good quality lowbudget hotel should be delivered at any cost – even through retrofitting – given the market requirements.

He remarks: “If there is demand for affordable hospitality units, then we need to supply them.

“A solid tourism market has been one of the strengths of economies in the Middle East, so if there is an opportunity to retrofit older units into new, affordable structures, then we should look at it too in the longer cycle.”

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IN PRACTICE OFFICE VISIT

Profile

22 Middle East Consultant September 2014

IN PRACTICE OFFICE VISIT

ThE EC wAy

Middle East Consultant spends a day with EC Harris to understand the workings of an international built asset consultancy

September 2014 Middle East Consultant 23

IN PRACTICE OFFICE VISIT

L

LESS ThAN Two mINuTES AfTER ARRIvINg at EC Harris’ spacious Dubai office in Emaar Square, Middle East Consultant is alerted to the location of the nearest fire escape and the exact procedure to follow in the event of an alarm.

It is mandatory for all first-time visitors to receive a safety briefing, explains Tom Baines, head of health, safety and environment. He continues: “From the very moment somebody comes to our business, our focus on health and safety is embedded into them. Every visitor gets a briefing.”

This procedure is an unusual greeting to an office – especially in a region where safety often falls by the wayside – yet EC Harris is far from a typical construction consultancy. Formed in 1911 in the UK by Edward Charles Harris, the firm made a name for itself as a quantity surveyor, primarily in commercial property.

Having grown in size and scope over the last few decades, EC Harris merged with Holland-based Arcadis in November 2011, growing its available workforce to 22,000 worldwide. Currently EC Harris is branded as a built asset consultancy which is part of the Arcadis Group. It has about 600 people across the region, with offices in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Muscat and Jeddah.

According to Middle East CEO John Williams, a lot of misconceptions arise from the company’s past. He explains: “There is a common held myth that EC Harris is a quantity surveying firm that focuses on commercial property. I can

24 Middle East Consultant September 2014

understand that because its roots are over 100 years old. For the last 30-40 years we’ve steadily become much more multidisciplinary. We are a much broader business, but the legacy is there which people will find difficult to shake off.”

After the Arcadis merger, EC Harris realigned its focus into four global business lines: water, environments, infrastructure and property. “Arcadis has been globally recognised in sectors that maybe EC Harris are lesser known in,” continues Williams.

“For example, Arcadis manages the New York City water department. There are areas of deep knowledge and content that have come to EC Harris. It is bringing new skillsets and market opportunities to the business, in areas where people might not have seen us in the past.”

Tim Risbridger, partner in the infrastructure sector – Middle East, adds: “One of the objectives of our marketing over the last few years has been to educate some of our clients, and the broader market, that we aren’t just doing project management and quantity surveying, in the property sector. The biggest thing, for me, is becoming part of Arcadis. Previously we had some success in areas like ports and highways, but we hadn’t been able to accelerate – now we have over 100 people working in infrastructure in the region and it creates the critical mass.”

Another key capability accrued from the merger was engineering. “That was the single biggest issue which was holding

IN PRACTICE OFFICE VISIT

“There is a common held myth that EC Harris is a quantity surveying firm that focuses on commercial property.” us back in the infrastructure sector,” continues Risbridger. “We couldn’t ever sell ourselves as engineers. As an organisation we were not prepared to take design liability, in any contract. Since the merger with Arcadis that changed instantly and has opened a whole new field of opportunities to us.”

The engineering capabilities of Arcadis, and in turn EC Harris, could be further boosted by the proposed acquisition of Hyder Consulting, one of the world’s top engineering firms.

Terry Tommason, partner and head of property and infrastructure – Middle East, explains that a large chunk of EC Harris’ work in the Middle East is programme and project management for signature projects. “We're necessarily the quantity surveyor in these proojects,” adds Tommason.

The company has landed consultancy work on several of Qatar’s major programmes, including the Santiago Calatravadesigned Sharq crossing, a series of bridges and tunnels that link Doha’s new airport with the city and Lusail. “It’s arguably the most prestigious piece of infrastructure anywhere in the world right now,” says Tommason.

He continues: “We are doing the largest phase of Doha Metro in conjunction with Jacobs as programme managers – that’s more than 100km of below ground and elevated section of metro. We’ve just delivered Hamad Medical City as programme

managers – the second largest hospital in the world – which is quite extraordinary in scale.”

In a joint venture with Mace, EC Harris is developing a framework with Ashghal – Qatar’s public works authority – to deliver its building affairs portfolio, an eclectic collection of education, ports, zoos and healthcare projects. “That may be the largest programme of buildings is the world at the moment. It is enormous,” says Tommason.

Perhaps the company’s most high profile scheme is the world’s tallest building, Kingdom Tower in Jeddah, which involves another collaboration with Mace.

Tommason explains that around 70% of EC Harris’ workforce is related to programme and project management, while the remainder handles cost and commercial consulting, claims and a new group called strategy and transformation (S&T).

“The S&T team are management consultants,” says Tommason. “It’s a very different animal that supports us through the higher end services that we offer. In the last six or seven years we’ve moved into that strategic space, where we compete with the likes of Booz [now Strategy&], KPMG and McKinsey, but for bigger programmes.”

Tommason believes that EC Harris’ cohesive and extensive suite of services helps to set it apart. “We’re unique because we

Board meeting in full swing (opposite left); employees hard at work, Dubai (above)

September 2014 Middle East Consultant 25

IN PRACTICE OFFICE VISIT

At your service Stewart Cash, partner, describes his daily duties: “My job is to focus on key clients, to make sure we’re providing the right service. I’m in their offices quite a bit, getting close to them and understanding their needs. The important thing for clients is that there is an escalation point if they have issues; I am that point. My role is a bridge between the service and the sales team. I’m taking the work that’s been won and making sure the service proposition is in place.

“The biggest thing I do is making sure that projects are started up in the right way, to protect clients. Speed to market is key for clients here, but we try to put a control on that. Another challenge is getting the resources that they require. You have to pull on strings sometimes but we are a big business and we can pull resources from different places. That’s why clients like big consultancies.”

have that continuity from one service to the other. The asset wheel goes through the whole lifecycle – inception, concept, design, delivery, hand over, facilities management and change of use, coming all the way back round. I don’t think there are too many organisations out there that can support that process from base one.”

Such a diverse team requires a multitude of skills and Risbridger reveals that each specialism comes with distinct personality traits. “We have a pretty strong water team – all they talk about is water stuff and pipe stories. But from my experience, the rail guys are the worst – they really are anoraks.

They love it – they have their own train sets.”

Even at 8.30am the open plan office was in full flow, with employees diligently going about their duties. Rather than having fixed desks, employees can move about to any of the workstations. Risbridger describes the company’s 8am-6pm hours as “fairly standard” for the industry and notes how the best employees are flexible to accommodate client requests.

When asked to describe the company culture, he says: “It’s collaborative and more about the team than the individual.

“People are promoted on merit not on personal relationships.

We have a flat organisation with a matrix management structure.

We try to encourage more teamwork and helping each other instead of the old-fashioned ‘do as you’re told and report to the next guy’ approach.

Williams also uses the term “collaborative” to describe the company culture. “The ability to search for, share and recycle knowledge is something that defines us. We believe the client should be able to feel they can reach right into our business and get the most up-to-date benchmark information on whatever their asset situation should be,” he says.

According to Sarah Siddique, regional learning and development manager, the organisation places an emphasis on internal mentorship. She continues: “We rely on the seasoned professionals working very closely with less seasoned individuals and guiding them. Next year the learning and development strategy features a fully-fledged mentorship process – it’s going to have a complete framework.”

But will higher management actually take the time out of their busy schedules to sit down with juniors? Siddique is adamant they will. “Our managers want to be great leaders and they will find the time,” she says. “Yes they are very busy; however they are really are generous with their knowledge and time. It wouldn’t work and be successful if we didn’t follow these approaches.”

Another focus for the learning and development team is staff training. Siddique continues: “There’s a great emphasis within EC Harris to develop internal talent and capability. This is because there’s a constant need for skills to be readily available to respond to market needs and our clients.

“Most clients will ask for the consultants to have certain qualifications, so there is a huge support internally for getting people qualified and accredited, through bodies such as RICS

26 Middle East Consultant September 2014

or APM. Furthermore, if any of our colleagues want to study a Masters degree that has a direct relevance to their job, they are able to apply for support – whether it’s time or financial.”

Julie Dela Cruz, senior commercial manager, believes that the focus on staff training is a key strength of EC Harris. “We have good support for the assessment of professional competence.

The UAE government, along with the RICS, is trying to improve standardisation, so being a RICS member is as a plus. EC Harris’ surveyors are geared towards getting chartered, and we support them by offering training and doing talks. It’s very structured.”

Bearing in mind the stringent safety briefing for office visitors, it is no surprise that work on site is carefully controlled.

Baines explains: “If you can get a guy on site to wear a hard hat then you’ve made a difference. Our people have the authority to stop work or a process if they feel that health and safety is threatened, either for themselves or the people on site. It’s been used on many occasions.

“At the end of the day, we want people to go home to their families. We have 15 health and safety people on the ground and they work on various projects across the region.”

Dela Cruz reiterates Baines assertion, adding: “EC Harris has one of the most stringent health and safety policies. We carry out a lot of audits and have many health and safety reminders on our projects. I’ve taken around four audits already, in seven years.

I think it’s one of the best here in terms of health and safety.”

With both Williams and Tommason stating that EC Harris is on a continued “growth plan”, the company’s ongoing challenge is to expand its internal support programmes – such as collaboration, mentoring, training, entrepreneurship and health and safety – while maintaining profitability.

“From my experience, the rail guys are the worst – they really are anoraks. They love it – they have their own train sets.”

Risbridger explains: “Now it’s about reenacting all the good things we did before the global crisis. That’s something we’re rolling out now. Going forward, the key is to make sure we open up but still have the same level of governance. Ultimately companies like us are successful if we encourage entrepreneurial spirit in our staff and give them an environment where they can thrive and expand. The challenge is balancing that while still having financial control.”

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IN PRACTICE csr

Insight

By ThE Book In an effort to reach untapped talent pools, consultants are forming key partnerships with local educational institutes

A

ccording to a report by Deloitte in April 2014, Dubai’s construction and real estate sectors will face a combined manpower shortfall of up to 500,000 in 2015. Deloitte’s report ‘Workforce Planning Study’, commissioned by Dubai International Academic City (DIAC), surveyed 2,400 students across 17 markets in the Middle East, Africa and Asia across various companies.

28 Middle East consultant September 2014

IN PRACTICE csr

September 2014 Middle East consultant 29

IN PRACTICE CSR

AT ThE TImE, DR AyouB kAzIm, mANAgINg director of DIAC and Dubai Knowledge Village, said that the fast-paced development of green building codes in the region has led to skill gaps, and the continued growth of the construction industry will “depend on its ability to invest in new talent required to support technological developments.”

Thankfully, many of the GCC’s top construction consultancies realise the benefits of nurturing fresh, regional talent. Mohammed Jaber, head of electrical engineering at KEO reveals how his firm is supporting young engineers in Qatar.

“As consultants, we are only as good as the practices we embrace, and the tie-in with the university gives us an opportunity to borrow from and share with the academic community in the local market.”

“KEO is currently collaborating with Qatar University on their internship programme,” says Jaber. “In the last three years, we have annually worked on identifying the number of engineers and architects we can accommodate in our internship programme. We take them on-board for a period of eight weeks and expose them to the real world. This covers every aspect of the design tools and programmes we use; we also arrange site visits.

“The intent is to provide students with hands-on experience, so when they graduate and get into the real business world, it is not foreign to them. Some students do well and return the next year for more training. KEO believes in giving back to the community and that new engineers deserve a chance to see how things are done in reality.”

Jaber is pleasantly surprised by the level of students’ interest in the building industry. However, he insists more efforts will be required to lure students towards the Qatari construction sector, currently gearing up for the FIFA World Cup 2022.

He continues: “We have noticed through our internship programme that there is a lot of interest in the building industry – a field that usually does not draw a lot of attention. But our professional community must do a lot of work to enhance this field and make it more attractive to future professionals.

“Students are more drawn to the oil and gas sector, and we haven’t noticed any positive impact of the World Cup preparation on students’ choices yet. The professional community needs to work hard on promoting construction education to make it more attractive to the new generation.”

30 Middle East consultant September 2014

Sustainability has largely contributed to solidifying the nexus between construction firms and educational institutes.

In addition to his KEO duties, Jaber is also chairman of the education committee at the Qatar Green Building Council (QGBC) – a role which enables him to promote sustainable building practices.

“We have worked with Qatar University, Texas A&M and Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) to enhance student exposure to sustainability,” he says. “We provided lectures to students at these facilities. We are yet to establish programmes with the schools, but are currently working on it. The intent is to make sustainability part of their curriculums.

“My role at QGBC helped me take up a leadership position within KEO in terms of CSR and sustainability,” Jaber continues.

“As a result, we have implemented a CSR programme within KEO with the help of our sustainability group and the facility management group to ensure we practice what we preach. I do believe this message has reached a lot of people in Qatar and in the GCC.” According to Deloitte’s Workforce Planning Study, the UAE is racing ahead as the preferred destination for higher education in the region. It says: “The positive perception of Dubai as a centre of education appears to be strongest in markets such as India, suggesting opportunity for universities in the UAE to develop stronger linkages with a vast student pool who have unmet needs for high quality education.”

Atkins has also recogised the potential of Dubai as a source for fresh talent. In 2005, Atkins Middle East formed an alliance with the British University in Dubai (BUiD) to improve the standard of construction education in the region. Its earliest syllabus for construction professionals was created in conjunction with the University of Cardiff in the United Kingdom.

Prof Bassam Abu-Hijleh, head of the Sustainable Design of the Built Environment (SDBE) programme at BUiD, says the alliance was essentially a case of “matchmaking” between a construction consultancy seeking experts on sustainability, and a university looking for patrons to further its knowledge of energy efficiency.

Simon Crispe, key account director at Atkins, says the collaboration with BUiD has benefited Atkins’ operations as well. “Atkins is a major player in the consultancy field, so this association with BUiD is partly a response to our CSR mandate,” Crispe remarks. “But we realise that as consultants, we are only as good as the practices we embrace, and the tie-in with BUiD gives us an opportunity to borrow from and share with the academic community in the local Dubai market.”

On a regular basis, students of the SDBE programme are given dissertation and research topics by Atkins. These themes are often plucked from ongoing research work undertaken by the company. “One such project we did here, around five years ago, involved checking the performance of photovoltaic (PV) panels,” Crispe explains.

IN PRACTICE csr

Learning on the job Sustainable Design of the Built Environment (SDBE) is a programme offered by the British University in Dubai (BUiD). The programme is available in both full-time and part-time formats to provide flexibility for those who want to work and study. The duration of the programme varies depending on the degree sought and mode of study, and range from as little as three months for a fulltime PGCert to 24 months for a part-time MSc. The modules taught include Climate and Comfort; Renewable and Sustainable Resources; Investigations in the Built Environment; Sustainable Built Environments as well as Skin and Spaces and Urban Development and Conservation.

“We extended the research to BUiD, and the programme involved setting up a PV grid on the roof of a building in Downtown Dubai. We then monitored the performance of the panel because such an intensive study of PV ratings was not undertaken in the Middle East back then,” Crispe says.

“So it was good to check on how the panel reacted to extreme hot or cold weather; the maintenance problems it posed; the most ideal angle it should be placed in and other such factors.”

Atkins has subsequently formulated additional initiatives with students at BUiD, he reveals.

KEO’s Jaber says the focus on sustainability has increased due to his company’s links with reputed universities such as Qatar University and CMU. “The focus on sustainability has increased quite a bit as a result of the programmes we launched four years ago.

“Additionally, changes to the regulations have led to sustainability becoming a part of almost every project in Qatar and the UAE; this is showing its benefits.”

Jaber is confident that KEO’s work with the universities will eventually reap rewards for the consultancy firm. “KEO will eventually gain from the student pool in Qatar because the eight week-long internship programme can identify great potentials and recruit them. With a longer programme in place, we will also

work on providing the students with research responsibilities to further train them for real-world scenarios.”

Education initiatives are not just limited to undergraduate students – BUiD also receives enrolment requests from construction professionals. Prof Abu-Hijleh reveals that admission to the university’s SDBE programme has ebbed and flowed over recent years.

He continues: “Before the downturn, around the year 2007, there was a massive hype about green building practices, and we saw that in the high number of students enrolling for the programme. The market crisis impacted our enrollment figures because our students – who were essentially professionals working with construction firms in the city – either had to repatriate, or couldn’t afford to pay for the course.

“But with municipal-level initiatives, like Estidama and Dubai’s Green Building Codes coming into the market, the SDBE programme has found takers again in the industry.”

According to Deloitte’s Workforce Planning Study, Vocational Education Training (VET) is in a nascent stage in the UAE and the region. It says that large corporates are increasingly taking on the role of setting up in-house academic training centres to address specific skill gaps amongst their workforce. In spite of this, Dubai is strongly perceived as a training hub with 62% of corporates surveyed identifying Dubai as “good” or “excellent” in this area.

Furthermore, the study identified that at least 56% of corporates opt to outsource their training programmes with a strong preference for local (38%) and regional (44%) training options. Another key insight from the study is the potential of the UAE to benefit from stronger links between higher education and VET through regular forums of interaction.

From the initiatives in place at Atkins and KEO, it is evident that two of the region’s top construction consultancies recognise the value of industry-related education, both at grassroots level and within the workforce. It remains to be seen whether such initiatives – a potential answer to a predicted skillset shortage – will become more commonplace before the region’s construction programme moves into fifth gear.

From l-r: Simon Crispe; Prof Bassam Abu-Hijleh; Mohammed Jaber

September 2014 Middle East consultant 31

IN PRACTICE dr philip oldfiEld

opinion

Dr Philip Oldfield is course director for a Masters in Sustainable Tall Buildings at the University of Nottingham

Height and heritage

Tall buildings don’t have to be the enemies of historic city centres

The proposed demolition of three brand new apartment towers in Istanbul due to their adverse effect on the city’s historic skyline brings to attention the challenging relationship which tall buildings can have with heritage, both at a local level and as part of historic cityscapes.

Putting aside the shameful loss of thousands of tonnes of steel, concrete, energy and resources that went into the construction of these towers in the first place, this unfortunate situation suggests that – despite a global tall building construction boom – questions remain over where is the ‘right place’ for tall buildings within the historic city fabric.

However, Istanbul is not alone in facing this challenge, and ever since their creation in the late 19th century, tall buildings have been charged with having a negative impact on their surroundings. As far back as 1915, the construction of the bulky 40-storey Equitable Building in New York cast a seven-acre shadow across the city and, according to its detractors, stole light and views from surrounding buildings, ushering in new zoning laws.

The construction of the monolithic Tour Montparnasse in Paris, so out of scale with the rest of the city, caused enough controversy that two years after its completion in 1973, high-rise construction was banned within the city centre.

In the Middle East, perhaps the most notable example of this theme is in Mekkah, home to the 601m-tall Makkah Royal Clock Tower, the second tallest building in the world. Built on the site of an 18th century Ottoman Fort, this mega-tall skyscraper is soon to be surrounded 32 Middle East Consultant September 2014

by a vast sway of new towers. In addition, future visions of the city show a dense pattern of low-rise courtyard housing sitting adjacent to gleaming glass high-rise, complete with the occasional regional motif, which seem to have little concern for the city’s historic character and heritage buildings.

The Institute for Gulf Affairs estimates that 95% of Mekkah’s historic buildings have been demolished in the past two decades alone. There can be little doubt that significant development is needed, due to the sheer number of pilgrims, but at what cost to local heritage?

Regardless of whether one thinks these historic buildings should be preserved, this glittering skyline will have a dramatic and irreversible effect on the city’s character.

So what can be done? How can tall buildings better respond to historic urban centres? Firstly, there needs to be a greater acknowledgement that tall buildings have a significant impact on the city far beyond their site, affecting views often several miles away. Furthermore, there needs to be greater exploration on how this impact can be positive. Too often, tall buildings only respond to a skyline by attempting to stand out, be taller, or more dramatic in shape than its surroundings, with the Middle East one of the key offenders.

However, we must not think for one moment that the tall building is an enemy of the historic city. We need to recognise that high-rise construction can be a key tool in the preservation of the historic urban realm; it allows for the necessary development, that our global population growth demands, to be concentrated away from historic areas that need to be preserved to maintain a city’s character.

La Défense – the cluster of towers on Paris’ periphery – for example, has allowed the city to develop a dense office district, while maintaining its historic boulevards.

Tall buildings in themselves then are not the problem, and can actually contribute to protecting heritage, but we must do better in making a typology that inherently stands out, also fit in.

IN PRACTICE TAREK SHUAIB

Profile

“One of the biggest challenges is to make architects and engineers think together.”

Tarek Shuaib, managing partner of Pace, gives the lowdown on Kuwait’s top multidisciplinary consultancy

34 Middle East Consultant September 2014

IN PRACTICE TAREK SHUAIB

T

TAREK SHUAIB JOINED PACE IN 1988, WHERE he kicked off his career working on a number of esteemed projects such as the Bayan Palace and the Central Bank of Kuwait. Since becoming partner in 2005, Shuaib has been leading Pace as a design principal, focusing on a number of key projects in the state. As well as being a committee member of the Technical Board of the Union of Consulting Offices, Shuaib is also an international associate member of the American Institute of Architects and member of the Kuwait Society of Engineers. Having been formed in 1968 by Hamid Abdulsalam Shuaib and Partners, Pace has grown to employ over 300 professionals and has worked with the likes of Zaha Hadid and SOM on signature projects in Kuwait.

What valuable lessons did you learn from your father, the founder of Pace?

My father was always ahead of his time. He was a visionary who foresaw a golden opportunity for local architects and engineers to be a part of a historical transformation and leave a permanent mark on the country’s history. He was very accessible to all the staff members, from top to bottom, and had a wealth of knowledge. My father was an expert within his field – he was the chief architect in Kuwait Municipality and people from all across the construction industry used to come to him for advice. He started his own company in 1968 to fill what he saw as a major gap in the on-rise Kuwaiti market. In a reflection of the spirit of the time, he called the firm the Pan Arab Consulting Engineers. Back then, there were hardly any consulting offices who were designing and building anything across the country and it was my father’s ambition to create the best architecture along the highest international standards.

We learned a lot of lessons from him. Firstly his good nature influenced the business because clients and employees were devoted to him. Pace was never just a business – it was a family firm. And this is one of the traits we try we instill in the firm nearly 45 years later.

What is it like to work for Pace nowadays?

Jamal Abdul Nasser Street and Jahra Road Development, Kuwait.

Credit: Nick Merrick © Hendrich Blessing

It is very important for me that all employees feel proud to be part of Pace. As managing partner I always try to be a handson leader and as accessible and close to all my colleagues as possible. I believe that if we have a clear vision of who we are, we know where we are going as a firm. When we make commitments to client, we deliver on them. ‘My building should be a landmark’ is a standard statement we hear from clients. Therefore, creativity is an important factor in our work – each architectural design should be different. As a firm, we always need to adapt and stay current. Therefore, we make sure that our employees get the training that we feel is the most

relevant to their particular skill sets. There are many people who have been at the company for a long time – 40 years in some cases. Staff retention is very high at Pace compared to other work places and we believe that this, among other things, is a reflection of the close-knit working environment we have always maintained.

Pace offers many services such as architecture, engineering, planning, interior design and quantity surveying. Was the initial vision to have a multidisciplinary consultancy?

No doubt Pace started as an architectural firm, but the need to have engineering disciplines under one roof became a vital necessity. Because of the local requirements, we developed all the other engineering departments by bringing in the best experts at that time. Pace is now the home of exemplary creative minds heading our various departments of engineering – mechanical, electrical, plumbing – essentially, all the services that are needed for the complete design of a building. A new discipline we have added in the last few years is highway and transportation engineering.

What are the main challenges of operating a large multidisciplinary consultancy?

Multidisciplinary organisations usually face many challenges.

Working with a diverse team of experts does give us an edge at Pace where our team comprises a number of professional architects, engineers and consultants from different backgrounds – each bringing in their own expertise to the table. However, in order for us to maintain cohesion as a team, communication is a must. An architect has the vision but the engineer has to make sure it is implemented. Naturally, this means there can be plenty of room for misunderstanding.

Therefore, one of the biggest challenges is to make architects and engineers think together. One way we try to ensure this happens is by having regular team meetings, where we enable people to sit and interact together. Our meetings are an open forum and a space for creative dialogue, and we have found them to be very useful. For quality purposes, we ensure that all parties and sub-consultants are also involved. Communication is, of course, key.

Is there any discipline which Pace has to bring in from an external consultancy?

The full spectrum of the construction industry is met by all our disciplines, but sometimes we have to get assistance from specialist sub-consultants. For example, IT-AV consultants, specialist lighting designers and security consultants. However, one of our goals is to have some of these capabilities added to September 2014 Middle East Consultant 35

IN PRACTICE TAREK SHUAIB

“My father foresaw a golden opportunity for local architects and engineers to be a part of a historical transformation.” our own internal team soon, so that we become less reliant on external specialists.

Which of the disciplines bring in the majority of Pace’s revenue?

The main three major revenue generators for us are: architectural buildings, roads and infrastructure and construction supervision. The company began with architecture and engineering services being the major source of revenue but over the past five or six years, highways and infrastructure has become a larger revenue generating source.

This is because most of the developments in the region have been focused on roads and infrastructure. Construction supervision is also a very important discipline and generates substantial revenue.

Pace is working with HOK on the Central Bank of Kuwait. Are you partnering with any other international consultants in Kuwait?

As early as the 1970s, Pace was the first in the market to introduce the concept of bringing in specialist architectural firms. We have worked with many renowned consultants 36 Middle East Consultant September 2014

such as SOM, Gensler, BDP and Arup, as well as signature architects such as Zaha Hadid. For example, on the Avenues project we were working with Norr during phase one and two, and from phase three onwards we are working with Gensler. For Kuwait University we are working with SOM and we have teamed up with Louis Berger for Jamal Abdul Nasser Street and Jahra Road – one of the biggest highway projects, not only in Kuwait but also in the region. We have always been able to identify with these big international players and associate with them successfully. A lot of them – such as Gensler and SOM – have been repeat partnerships.

We have introduced some of them into the Kuwaiti market in order to bring in the highest level of design professionals.

This all, of course, culminates in client satisfaction.

Do many clients use multiple services from Pace, or is it mainly engaged for just one service per project?

Clients tend to use multiple services as most of them are aware of all the multidisciplinary services we provide. As clients usually want things in the shortest time possible, most of the projects are fast-track and we normally get projects that have everything together, including construction supervision – which is the trend we are seeing right now. All of this has given us a lot of market confidence.

Wayfinding and graphics is also listed as a service – how important is wayfinding in projects?

Over the years, wayfinding and graphics have not been part of any particular discipline. Towards the end of the

IN PRACTICE TAREK SHUAIB

project is when people usually remember to think about their signage. Usually a sign is put up that doesn’t reflect any of the architectural finishes in the building or the institution. Sometimes it will be very unsightly and doesn’t serve the purpose of why it was put there. Wayfinding has now become very important and RFPs have come to specifically include it as an element of the scope of work.

We have our graphic design team who are responsible for design of wayfinding and signage. They work closely with the architectural and interior design groups to achieve the most creative solutions. We should remember that once a project is complete, the signs are what the people and the visitors see first. Especially in the case of corporate, hospitality, education, airport, and healthcare projects, we

can’t overemphasise the need for the proper development of wayfinding and graphics.

What projects is Pace working on internationally?

Pace continues to expand its presence on a regional and international scale. We have an international division within our firm and this concentrates on all of our projects both in and out of the Middle East. We also have multiple regional offices and branches in several markets, including Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Iraq, Djibouti and Tunisia, with projects in Yemen, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Ethiopia and Mauritania.

Due to the large amount of development taking place, Saudi Arabia has now become a major area of focus. We've set up an office there and are working on numerous projects.

l-r: Arraya Tower, Kuwait City; Kuwait Business Town. Credit: Nick Merrick © Hendrich Blessing

September 2014 Middle East Consultant 37

IN PRACTICE SUSTAINABILITY

Debate “Sustainable techniques will develop according to the market. We shouldn’t be advocating to subsidise elements when we can instead promote them.” saeed alabbar

Bridging What is needed to galvanise the UAE construction industry The role of governmenTs Jens nielsen: The problem with top-down

With Abu DhAbi’S homegroWn Pearl Rating System now rubbing shoulders with international standards such as LEED and BREEAM, plus an increase in government initiatives, all seven emirates are now making sustainable construction a part of the mandate for city planning. Nevertheless, it is fair to question whether the various players within the national construction industry are adopting sustainability, with many small firms citing commercial viability as an obstacle to going green.

Middle East Consultant speaks to Saeed Alabbar, chairman of the Emirates Green Building Council, and Jens Nielsen, partner at World Climate Ltd, about the role of governments and incentives in driving sustainable building practices. Their responses reflect an industry with divided opinions.

38 Middle East Consultant September 2014

is best explained in economic terms; you want growth, but not all growth is green. It’s very hard to take some of the fast-expanding countries in the world, like China, Indonesia or South Africa and tell them to build green. With populations who don’t even have access to housing, green housing becomes an illogical demand placed on them. Growth by itself comes before green growth, so to pursue it in a top-down governmental way is quite challenging. saeed alabbar: There’s two sides to sustainability; government regulations are definitely stimulating sustainable real estate development in the UAE. Dubai Supreme Council of Energy and Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) have both taken initiatives to increase awareness about sustainable operations, as have the Dubai Municipality and Abu Dhabi Urban Planning Council. The need for government funding could possibly intensify when the energy-efficiency of existing buildings has to be improved, since processes such as retrofitting involve sufficient investments. For example, a

certain amount is definitely required to kick-start the retrofitting project, but there are other alternatives to procuring these funds.

The role of The privaTe secTor Jn: Green growth has to come from stakeholders. If you take governments, businesses, financial institutions, each has at least 10-20% of its members who are completely for green practices. On the other side of the spectrum you can probably find the 10-20% who are absolutely against the implementation of sustainability measures. The 60-80% in the middle – who are unsure about their stand on green practices – are the ones you need to get moving, and this requires green converted entities to lead this batch who doesn’t know which direction to take. Businesses like Unilever, Siemens and so on are openly sustainable but there are tonnes of others in the middle, between these giants and those who are against sustainability. These companies in the middle have to be moved towards green – and in unison. sa: The UAE market doesn’t entirely depend on the government to source its green funds. Developers are implementing sustainability out of their own choice. They see the added value it offers them, and

in PrACtiCe sustainability

“There is high awareness in the UAE driving the race to green, but subsidies can help a lot and I don’t think they’re implemented enough in this region.”

Jens nielsen

the gap

into embracing sustainability? Two experts offer their views more importantly, they have begun to understand that sustainability does not come at an additional cost. The understanding that green construction does not require special funding or financing is a gradual one. Green investors are remunerated from the savings generated by the implementation of the technology. At EmiratesGBC, the strategy since the beginning of 2014 has been to attract small and medium enterprises (SMEs) into our setup. The council can bridge the gap between government initiatives aimed at the private sector and the SMEs, which can benefit from our existing network of sustainability-conscious organisations.

The need for subsidies Jn: Incentives can play a big role in the motivation

towards energy-efficiency – I agree there is high awareness in the UAE driving the race to green, but subsidies can help a lot and I don’t think they’re implemented enough in this region. Big companies have the appeal to take the lead, besides just through regulating their supply chains in terms of financing green projects. There’s a lot of inertia in the market because it’s been outside our normal way of looking at things; that is why big companies have to show

and lead the way. It’s definitely possible – and why shouldn’t it be? If you look at Unilever, their practices have a clear long-term sustainability strategy underlining them. Generally, shortsightedness and competition make it difficult to separate profiteering from business operations. Nevertheless, there needs to be a stronger push towards foresightedness. sa: As an industry, we shouldn’t be looking to subsidies as something we absolutely need.

Sustainable products and techniques will develop according to the market demand for them, and we shouldn’t be advocating to subsidise elements – such as eco-friendly products or retrofitting – when we can instead promote them. Will an energy-efficient AC manufacturer continue to manufacture his products if he doesn’t see merit in their sustainability promises?

Suppliers shouldn’t be forced to pursue sustainable practices, unless they can calculate a clear commercial self-interest from implementing them. The UAE market is competitive enough to survive on its own two feet even without subsidies. As such, sustainability should be developed as a response to market demand for the same. Eventually, a proposed green technology or product will not only survive, but also thrive in the market if it is economically sustainable.

The impacT of consumer behaviour Jn: Half the world’s climate change issue could be

solved by people behaving more energy-efficiently.

That’s easy on paper, but requires a change in behaviour, which needs to be motivated in a better way than is found in this region. Denmark, in the 70s, had no access to oil; this led the country to the formation of an energy-efficient culture. The country’s energy efficiency culture is one of the strongest there is now, and that’s something the best in the world can learn from because it’s an area no one thinks about. sa: At this stage, sustainability is being driven in the commercial sector by the occupants of those properties. Major multinational corporations occupying those buildings are being asked about the company’s energy conservation policy by their staff, who are demanding that the environments they work in are focused on sustainable practices.

That shift in occupier mindset is leading us to a stage where companies make sustainability and energy-efficiency a part of their total corporate social responsibility offering. European markets are a good example of how end-user awareness can promote sustainable behaviour on a macro level.

September 2014 Middle East Consultant 39

ON SITE MATRIX TOWER

Review

40 Middle East Consultant September 2014

ON SITE MATRIX TOWER

Queen of the Stone Age

With its earthy materiality, the newly completed Matrix Tower brings a hint of European modernism to the sandy heart of Dubai Sports City

I

“IT’S a bOld STaTEmENT IN STONE aNd concrete, softened by the beautiful blue sky,” says Salim Hussain, head of design for Brewer Smith Brewer Gulf (BSBG), as he arrives at the site of The First Group’s Matrix Tower in Dubai Sports City.

Hussain’s comment recalls a widely held sentiment towards the legacy of legendary French-Swiss architect Le Corbusier, whose seminal Unité d’Habitation housing estate in Marseilles was one of the most influential residential buildings of the 20th century. While Le Corbusier’s 1952 grey concrete monolith is complemented by the Mediterranean sun, many of the imitations in Northern Europe do not enjoy such glorious, lush settings.

The Matrix Tower, with its rippled pre-cast concrete and stone panels bathed in intense Dubai rays, is in many ways a modern-day embodiment of Le Corbusier’s vision. But instead of a grey façade, the Matrix adds a desert twist by going for brown and differentiating itself from the other buildings in Sports City.

Hussain continues: “The colour difference is important – it’s a subtle appreciation of what’s going to work. Dubai has a lot of grey and ‘soft’ colour buildings around, so the brown makes it stand out in its context while being relevant to its surroundings. It makes it unique.”

A range of different materials, in complementary shades of brown, make up the building’s façade. The colour and texture of the concrete precast panels on the podium – from ground to level four – are mimicked by a brown stone cladding on the apartments themselves.

In addition, a lighter brown PC aluminium mesh is used at the crest of the tower as well as the podium. The metal mesh at the crest, and dotted around the façade, adds some relief. “If you have one strong, hard material it can become a bit overpowering – the mesh softens the façade, especially when you have light coming through,” adds Hussain.

The balconies act as another form of architectural expression and give the building its twisting appearance.

While the building’s structure remains regular, the balcony parapets slope to give the illusion of a twist. This creates an expression in a practical and functional way and helps to bring the façade to life.

Developed by The First Group, the Matrix Tower was initially conceived and designed for them by JRHP with BSBG redesigning substantial elements of the project and obtaining the planning approvals. BSBG then completed the design development as well as lead consultancy, architecture and structures for the building’s delivery, while MEP was provided by Mario Associates.

The team dEvElOpEr First Group archITEcTurE, STrucTurES BSBG mEp Mario Associates

September 2014 Middle East Consultant 41

ON SITE MATRIX TOWER

Interior designs were conceived by the client and documented by BSBG’s ID team

At 34 storeys it is one of the tallest buildings in the area, and contains a total of 381 studio, one-bed, two-bed and three-bed apartments.

The ground level features a lobby, diagonally carved into the podium and set behind meaty columns. One side of the building faces a dry trench, which in time will become a canal running across Sports City. Artistic renderings of the tower depict a bustling ‘riviera’ waterfront, not unlike Dubai Marina. Further developments are planned, including F&B that will help to invigorate the area.

While the exterior is dominated by a dark, solid mass, the lobby offers lightness and transparency, with white porcelain and metallic panels opposite a fully glazed, sloping wall. The setback entrance, which has mesh from the overhanging podium face turning into the soffit, provides shade for the glazing. This helps by allowing a controlled level of ambient light into the lobby.

Containing 374 car parking spaces, the podium rises up to the fourth floor and provides a roof garden for the apartments. The residential units feature floor-to-ceiling windows, international-style open plan kitchen/living areas and homely décor. The interior design was conceived

42 Middle East Consultant September 2014

by First Group and documented by BSBG’s interior design department.

Higher floors boast sweeping views over the immense Dubailand, with the spectacular Marina skyline in the far distance. From a lofty level, the monumental masterplan of Sports City can be appreciated. Although the canal is yet to be filled, the trench forms as dramatic axis, recalling a crop circle carved into the desert landscape.

Surveying Sports City from the balcony, Hussain comments: “When it’s finished, it will be amazing. You can see [the masterplan] is all laid out. People will learn from what happened before and they will make more community friendly places to live in.”

The absence of hand rails on the glass balconies allows completely unobstructed views. Hussain adds: “Not having that hand rail – which you are used to – makes it different.

It is much more visual – you are able to lie in your bed and see out.”

In addition, balconies are cantilevered over the building.

Combined with the clear glass wall, the user almost feels as though they are floating midair. It creates an exhilarating experience, although not necessarily for anyone that is afraid

ON SITE MATRIX TOWER

“The colour difference is important – it’s a subtle appreciation of what’s going to work. Dubai has a lot of grey and ‘soft’ colour buildings around, so the brown makes it stand out in its context.” of heights. Just like Le Corbusier’s housing schemes, the building promotes a community spirit. Balconies are left open, without partitions, allowing users to chat with their neighbours.

“This is a deliberate effort to encourage more interaction.

A balcony is a balcony – everyone has one. [The open type] makes you aware of who you’re around. Even if it is just to say ‘hello’, it is builds a sense of community,” says Hussain.

Another similarity with the Corbusian model is the use of a garden on a flat roof; the Matrix adapts this principle for Dubai, by placing the obligatory swimming pool on top. Yet, while the Unité d’Habitation has an unobstructed view over Marseille and the Mediterranean, the roof of the Matrix is enveloped by a sloping mesh crown, which forms the tower’s

spiky crescendo. The mesh has small punctuations, allowing swimmers and sunbathers a hint of a view rather than an unobscured panorama.

“The crest’s metalwork frame has the sense of the steelwork frame of a skyscraper” remarks Hussain. “There’s always a question over how you end a building – the solution has to be practical as well as aesthetic. The mesh gives you shading and privacy as well as hiding the plant. Do you put a lid on it and forget about it, or do use the lid as an opportunity to actually make an expressive statement? The Matrix certainly does the latter.”

When asked whether the mesh could have been more transparent, Hussain replies: “Yes, but you have to ask, ‘what is the viewer going to get out of it?’ I think this area is more

September 2014 Middle East Consultant 43

ON SITE MATRIX TOWER

“There’s always a question over how you end a building – the solution has to be practical as well as aesthetic. The mesh gives you shading and privacy as well as hiding the plant.” of an internal, inward focused space. If it was open enough to see out of it, you would lose the mesh effect.”

The executed solution gives a strong architectural element where the building meets the sky and offers glimpses of the outside world. These glimpses are in contrast to the more open and long views from the balconies.

The mesh is effectively a second skin which is held up by meaty steels and protrudes around 1.5m from the main 44 Middle East Consultant September 2014

structure. The spider-like support structure for the crest is highly visible from the gym on the penultimate level and while it is a point of interest in itself, it is generally hidden from the outside.

Hussain says: “The framework for the crown is a fantastic, expressive structure in itself and the fact that so much care has been taken on something that is not generally seen has to be applauded. That offset [of 1.5m] gives some breathing space between the building and the crest. If it was up against the glass it would make the gym feel very uncomfortable.”

Another aspect of the sloping mesh is that it mimics the diagonal line at podium level, providing coherence to the form. “The reference to the ground floor makes it a little bit more interesting,” adds Hussain.

With its earthy materials, monolithic form and sleek touches, the Matrix certainly recalls the work of the great European modernists. Fast forward several years, when the trickling riveira and lush landscaping is in place, and residents will feel even closer to Le Corbusier’s fabled corner of Mediterranean France.

ON SITE Porta Nuova varesiNe

snapshot

46 Middle east Consultant September 2014

ON SITE Porta Nuova varesiNe

In detail LOcaTION Milan, Italy hEIGhT 143m (Solaria) 137m (Diamond Tower) arEa 82,000m2 GrOSS fLOOr arEa 42,000m2 (office) 33,000m2 (residential) 7,00m2 (retail) 3,000m2 (cultural) car ParKING 2,000

Porta Nuova varesiNe

With the backing of Qatari investors, Milan’s new high-rise urban centre has taken shape on a former World War Two bombsite

L

LOcaTEd IN MILaN, ThE hOST cITy fOr Expo 2015, Porta Nuova Varesine is a huge urban renewal project containing high end residential, offices, retail spaces and gardens. It is part of the overall Porta Nuova scheme, covering 400,000m2 and worth $1bn, which also contains Porta Nuova Garibaldi and Porta Nuova Isola. The entire Porta Nuova district is developed by Hines, with a 40% stake by a Qatari investment fund. Middle East Consultant was given a tour of Porta Nuova by Michele Masnaghetti, construction director for the project developer Hines Italia, and representatives from Siemens. Masnaghetti said: “This area was abandoned since World War Two – it was a railway yard that was bombed.

[Hines] went to the municipality with a common plan and negotiated the exchange of areas. One of the big problems was that this area was owned by a huge number of landlords.”

Construction began on Porta Nuova Garibaldi in 2005 and the three districts have taken shape, with several buildings now complete and in the process of being occupied. The Varesine section contains 100ha of mixed use space and the striking 4,000m2 Linea Garden. Porta Nuova Garibaldi contains a large public square, Cesar Pelli’s distinctive Unicredit tower and extensive transport links. The Isola area features several cultural and exhibition spaces. “One of the most important things for us in Porta Nuova is sustainability and many of our buildings are certified LEED Gold,” added Masnaghetti. “A problem is that the ground water is very high – 10m below the ground. It was a great opportunity for us because we went to the municipality and asked them to use the water as fluid exchange. Porta Nuova is not going to be releasing one single gramme of CO2 into the Milanese air.”

September 2014 Middle east Consultant 47

ON SITE Porta Nuova varesiNe

Masterplan

architecture

KPf Containing a number of buildings of varying heights, the masterplan is configured as a variation on the typical Milanese style, incorporating blocks set within an urban garden. The design connects the urban destinations and routes through public spaces in an entirely pedestrian precinct. A series of gardens serve to unify the disparate elements of the overall development. The massing and language of the buildings responds to masterplan guidelines and site restraints to create a cluster in contextual relation to the immediate and wider setting. The sequence of tall buildings is read along the east-west along axis towards the 137 metre-high Diamond Tower, a form sculpted and modulated by a series of inclined panes.

VarIOuS Miami-based Arquitectonica was behind two residential towers, a 17-storey building called Aria as well as Solaria, the tallest housing block in Italy at 143 metres, designed in association with Milanese firm Caputo Partnership. Solaria consists of three separate wings that meet in a central core, which radiates natural light onto every floor. Elsewhere on the site, KPF acted as executive architect on the business district, containing two nine-storey buildings and Diamond Tower which contains 28,467m2 of floor space. Across from the 4,000m2 Linea Garden, Le Ville di Porta Nuova consists of six buildings designed by Studio M2P Associates. It contains exclusive, cutomised villas with large rooms, private gardens and terraces.

48 Middle east Consultant September 2014

ON SITE Porta Nuova varesiNe

structures

automation

aruP The technically challenging development required innovative construction materials, such as high-strength concrete and steel, not previously used in Italy. Developing the site close to the historic centre of Milan required foundations and retaining structures to be designed around existing infrastructure and adjacent buildings. A three-level basement, free of movement joints, covers the whole site area to provide room for car parking, storage and plant equipment. Another structural challenge for Arup was the irregular folded glass façade of Diamond Tower, which is supported by kinking perimeter columns. The daring structure is arguably the standout building in the district.

SIEMENS The entire district is managed by Siemens Desigo building management system (BMS). Desigo controls around 60,000 variables associated with the technical systems supplied by Siemens and third parties. Daniele Pennati, head of marketing and named accounts for Siemens Italy Building Technologies Division, said: “Desigo is simple, streamlined, flexible, adaptable and open.”

A control room provides real-time information on all buildings, allowing remote control actions and alerting personnel to possible faults and anomalies. Pennati added: “With Desigo, it’s possible to profile the data. A MEP engineer can only access the HVAC data, a security operator can only access the security system, and so on.”

September 2014 Middle east Consultant 49

on site RAWLPLUG

Specify ME Rawlplug Bonded Anchors

Trust and innovation

Why consultants should specify the proven quality of Rawlplug

F

or over 90 years, the Rawlplug brand has been synonymous with innovation, reliability and safety in the development and manufacture of construction anchors and ancillary products.

In the GCC, Rawlplug Middle East has been supplying world-class anchoring and fixing solutions to a wide base of clientele in the construction industry, contributing to the many ambitious 50 Middle East Consultant September 2014

development schemes taking place in the region.

An ongoing research and development programme adds new technical innovations from Rawlplug UK, empowered by Rawlplug Group’s experience as a leading manufacturer of fasteners in Europe.

Its quality products are being used in several landmark projects across the Middle East, supported by a network of distributors and direct salesforce

that extend its coverage to other continents such as Africa, Australia and Asia.

Unrivalled legacy

The Rawlplug Company Ltd was born in 1919 after John J Rawlings’ development of the first ever specialist wall fixing. His revolutionary Fibre Plug was the product from which the modern range of Rawlplug fixings was born. The company expanded

on site RAWLPLUG

About Specify ME Specify ME is a new monthly feature from Middle East Consultant which aims to educate consultants and developers on how quality products offer enhanced benefits in terms of maintenance, aesthetics, performance and user experience.

For more information, contact Michael Stansfield on michael.stansfield@cpimediagroup.com or +971 55 150 3849

dramatically and today it is one of the world’s leading fixing manufacturers distributing its products on every continent.

Innovation remains at the heart of Rawlplug’s success, including significant developments of mechanical and bonded anchor systems, facade insulation systems and stone cladding fixing systems for safety critical applications.

Throughout its history, Rawlplug has been constantly monitoring and embracing changes in the market to improve and evolve its range of products to satisfy the requirements of customers and those of the ever-changing markets it operates in.

Along with high quality products and outstanding customer service, it also supports all areas of its business with technical support and advice.

approvals (ETA) for cracked and non-cracked concrete. Products are manufactured using some of the most advanced production facilities in the industry, and are renowned for their consistently high quality and performance.

The company’s quality system is approved to BS EN ISO 9001: 2000 for design and manufacture.

It also places great emphasis on providing a safe working environment for its employees.

Achievement and maintenance of the numerous approvals is largely due to the extensive technical facility at Rawlplug’s modern testing centre in Glasgow. Equipped with 3D solid modelling technology, finite element analysis systems and the latest equipment, the company’s testing capability is among the best in the world.

QUality ensUred

extensive sUpport

The proven quality and performance of Rawlplug anchors is demonstrated by the numerous independent approvals carried by the products.

This is backed up by Rawlplug's technical research and development team, which is second to none in the industry. In 1999, it became the first UK manufacturer to obtain European technical

Rawlplug’s Technical Advisory Service offers free advice on the correct selection and installation of anchors to distributors, specifiers and end-users around the world. It is staffed by qualified engineers with many years of experience.

With its wordwide distribution network, Rawlplug has subsidiaries in the UK, Germany and

other global locations. The UAE, with its strategic geographical location and plentiful construction opportunities, is the established hub for Rawplug in the Middle East and Asia region. to find out more details about rawlplug in the Middle east, please send an e-mail to tech@rawl.ae or call +971 4 347 57 18 you can also find technical information at www.rawlplug.co.uk or corporate information at www.rawlplug.com

Sustainable Rawlplug As part of its effort to achieve an optimal balance between production efficiency

Rawlplug Mechanical Anchors

and environmental responsibility, Rawlplug has implemented an Environmental Management System (EMS) in accordance with ISO 14001 standards. Rawlplug’s Environmental Management System provides a formal, standardised system to improve the efficiency of which it uses raw materials, reduces the volume of waste generated and operates with greater energy efficiency.

The company is also participating in the manufacture of products catered for green buildings, with their recent innovations in the area being the TFIX range of facade insulation fixings and Cartridge-Free System (CFS+) for resins.

Rawplug places additional emphasis on sustainably packaging and transporting its products, and also engages in employee education programmes to ensure the company’s environmental goals are embraced at all levels in the organisational hierarchy.

For more information, go to sustainable.rawlplug.com

September 2014 Middle East Consultant 51

on Site roundup

Company update drake & Scull reports 38% decrease in net profit Affected by operational delays in Saudi Arabia, Drake & Scull International (DSI) reported an 8.2% decrease in revenue and a 37.6% drop in net profit compared to last year.

The firm recorded $653.3m in revenue and a total net profit of $19.5m for the first half of 2014.

Commenting on the results, Mukhtar Safi, CFO of DSI, said: “Despite the increased momentum in market activity in the region, the first half of the year was challenging for DSI. “Our revenue growth was slightly hindered and our profitability dropped year-on-year due to the delays on our major projects in KSA. He continued: “We incurred significant cost overruns in the general contracting business in

Q1 and Q2 which affected operational margins and our bottom line.”

However, Safi is optimistic that the company’s financial performance will improve in the latter half of the year. He continued: “These costs are covered by large claims which we expect our clients to approve towards the end of this year, to early next year.”

Safi added: “We remain optimistic on the prospects of the second half of the year across all our markets and we expect to compensate for the shortfalls incurred in Q1 and Q2 as we are well geared to boost our operations and to recover our claims with strong emphasis on improving liquidity and profitability.”

Former civil engineer to oversee Reem Mall Kuwait-based real estate developer National Real Estate Company (NREC) has appointed Stuart Ingram as director of development for its $1bn Reem Mall project in Abu Dhabi.

A chartered civil engineer, Ingram has more than 20 years of experience in international real estate development

52 Middle East Consultant September 2014

projects and has won five international construction awards.

He has previously worked on Dubai’s Mall of the Emirates, Ski Dubai and The Wave, Muscat.

Shane Eldstrom, NREC’s vice president – development, said: “Stuart has managed prestigious multi-million

dollar construction developments in the UK and the Middle East and is a fantastic addition to our team. Stuart has a pedigree of proven project delivery, and his focus absolutely will be the timely delivery of this mall.”

Construction is scheduled to begin in 2015, with completion in 2018.

on Site roundup

Arcadis buys global design firm Callison

AtkinS AppointS mAjor projectS director Phil Todd has joined Atkins as group managing director, major projects, to further strengthen its delivery of large schemes around the world.

Todd joins Atkins from Fluor and will report directly to Donald Lawson, a member of the multidisciplinary consultancy's senior leadership team.

With experience in the UK, Europe and the Middle East, Todd has led complex rail and infrastructure programmes, in both public and private sectors.

At Atkins he will lead the major projects unit enhancing project and programme capability across Atkins’ businesses, to support efficient and effective delivery.

Atkins’ chief executive officer, Prof Dr Uwe Krueger, said: “We welcome Phil, who brings a wealth of experience to Atkins.

Krueger added: “The appointment of a group major projects director is a strategically important step for Atkins as we look to increase our focus on winning and delivering large and complex projects.”

Callison, a global architecture and design company with an office in dubai, has been acquired by Hollandheadquartered consulting firm Arcadis.

The design company will join Arcadis in the third quarter of 2014, adding to the group’s portfolio of companies, which already includes EC Harris, rTKL and Langdon & Seah.

John Jastrem, Callison chairman and CEo, said: “We are excited to participate in the creation of a next generation global leader in high level design and architecture. This move will broaden our capabilities, add global reach and benefit our valued clients and employees through additional service offerings.”

With 11 offices on three continents, Callison specialises in retail design and mixed-use centres, providing comprehensive services for top retail brands, developers and corporate clients globally. Callison is particularly strong in China, with offices in

11

Number of Callison offices, on three continents, specialising in retail design and mixed-use centres Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou to capitalise on projects. one of its major uS schemes is the City Creek Centre in Salt Lake City, utah (pictured).

“By leveraging Callison’s capabilities with those of our other top of class expertise companies within Arcadis, we are creating a true leadership position in high end design and architecture,” said neil McArthur, CEo of Arcadis.

At the time of going to press, Hyder Consulting is considering a takeover offer from Arcadis.

September 2014 Middle East Consultant 53

on site roundup

project update WSp wins oman, Qatar infrastructure contracts Technical consultancy WSP was recently awarded infrastructure contracts for Salalah and Muscat airport in Oman, as well as the New Orbital Highway in Qatar.

WSP will work on maintenance and cargo facilities at Muscat airport and a cargo facility at Salalah airport. Together the developments contain 150,000m2 of facilities with the maintenance hangar at Muscat sized to accommodate an airbus A380 and two Code C aircrafts simultaneously.

WSP is providing civil, structural, building services and specialist support services including fire, acoustics and security.

Qatar’s New Orbital Highway comprises 45km of dual five lane highway, plus a two-lane truck highway and four major grade separated junctions. WSP’s consultancy services for the project will include bridges and civil engineering structures.

“We are extremely pleased to have won these contracts, delivered by our teams in the UK and Middle East,” WSP director Jim Ratliff said.

He added: “We have been developing our skills addressing the Middle East market for some time now and have established a good market presence for infrastructure and commercial development.”

Jumeirah Beach Hotel set for expansion Broadway Malyan has released images of a sleek looking expansion to Jumeirah Beach Hotel, set for completion in 2018.

The fifth phase of the hotel’s expansion plan was endorsed by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.

54 Middle East Consultant july-August September 2014 2014

The project is being designed by Broadway Malyan in Abu Dhabi and Portugal on behalf of Jumeirah Group.

Comprising 350 hotel rooms with beachfront views of Burj Al Arab, the extension contains private beach experiences, spas, health clubs, elevated tennis courts, a sports

complex and a range of sea-facing retail, food and beverage outlets.

The new resort will also double the capacity of the existing yacht marina.

Jumeirah Group, a member of Dubai Holding, is planning to build 10 new Dubai hotels in line with the emirate’s tourism push for Expo 2020.

on site roundup

The Big Five top tAlleSt BUildinGS in iStAnBUl, tUrkey Source: Emporis

01 Sapphire tower 54 floors 2010

02 Anthill 1 & 2 55 floors each 2010

03 Spine tower 51 floors due 2014

04 torun tower 44 floors due 2014

05 varyap m’dien 52 floors 2012

261m

210m

201m

190m

188m

cAlAtrAvA'S UniverSity openS in FloridA Florida Polytechnic University’s 170-acre campus and central building, designed by Santiago Calatrava and engineered by Thornton Tomasetti, is now open.

Located in Lakeland, the university will focus on the subjects of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.

Completed on time and under the $60m budget, the main building contains 19,000m2 of education space, including classrooms, laboratories, offices, meeting rooms, and an amphitheatre.

The exterior of the main form is typical of Calatrava’s signature style, and is constructed using aluminium, concrete and glass.

The internal spaces feature a raw, industrial aesthetic with concrete, plaster, glass and steel.

170

Area of the new Florida Polytechnic University campus (in acres), designed by world-famous consultant Santiago Calatrava

Istanbul eyesore towers to be demolished Three newly built towers in Istanbul are to be demolished in an effort to clean up views of the city’s key monuments, including the unESCo-listed Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia.

The Turkish government has approved an order to demolish the three offending residential towers in the onalti dokuz development in the west of the city. designed by Alpar Architecture for developer Astay Gayrimenkul, the controversial towers vary in height from 36 to 27 storeys and form the

centrepiece of a 12ha development.

The demolition order follows a threat from unESCo to strip the city of its World Heritage Site status, after multiple warnings about its approach to site management and city planning.

In december 2013, an administrative court ordered the destruction of the sections of the onalti dokuz towers that were visible above Istanbul’s historic skyline.

Appeals from the developer and the Istanbul municipalities have been rejected by the Council of State.

September 2014 Middle East Consultant 55

THE BACK PAGE MATT KITSON

Thoughts I gradually began specialising in building performance,

energy

targets,

implementing

sustainability and so on. I’ve been with Hilson Moran

since 2000, and I started working on projects in the Middle East around 12 years ago.

Back in the day, the concept of energy-efficiency and heat reduction was controlled by products like soft coatings, which, for example, kept 70% of the sunlight

out and allowed 60% of heating qualities in. They weren’t bad products but the market has technologically evolved over the years. My keenness to understand the impact of façade engineering on improved sustainability also grew by going through these experiences.

Architects may find that their original sustainabilityconscious design hasn’t been implemented on-site,

and that’s a shame because it doesn’t have to be like that.

Communication really is key in a region as ambitious as the Middle East. Architects and engineers should be supervising their designs on-site as the project progresses, but quite often, that doesn’t happen enough.

Some clients tend to be more aware and conscious of the intelligent technologies available than some others. I think the lower you go down the food chain, the likelier you are to find errors. For instance, you get down to the main contractor who works to implement your design, but may not be supported by sub-contractors and suppliers in that endeavour. There’s definitely a lack of communication in that sense which needs to be resolved.

An intelligent façade is one that can use the best

Why I chose my job Matt Kitson, country manager – Qatar, Hilson Moran

M

y engineering career started a long time ago!

I got a degree in mechanical engineering and that made me understand, very early on, how the skin of a building has a profound impact on its total performance, the comfort it offers, how it interacts with the outside world and how people perceive it.

56 Middle East Consultant September 2014

of what Mother Nature has to offer and optimise it for

the quality and performance of the building. A lot of it is just about adaptability; we’re essentially using physics to control nature and manoeuvre it for our benefit.

In the Middle East, façade engineering provides an interesting contradiction because there are certain

clients who might prefer their privacy, but also understand that allowing light into your structure has proven to reap positive results. A mall will post better customer retention figures if it accounts for the extent of daylight and amount of space available indoors. So choosing the right façade in this region really comes down to picking the right balance between keeping light out, energy in and aiming to cut airconditioning and lighting costs by as much as is possible.

You gradually understand that true sustainability isn’t just about performance, but also about awareness of

the factors that contribute to it. That is especially important in the Middle East because of the weather, cultural and economic aspects of the region. Today, it’s a bigger drive towards a healthier built environment in the region because the cost of the material is also important. For us, it’s about keeping an eye on the market and procuring products that will work best bearing in this environment.

WE MAKE SAFETY OUR PRIORITY WE ARE WSP...

ONE TEAM WORKING SAFELY

Abu Dhabi, UAE PO Box 112046 Tel: +971 2 418 0999 Fax: +971 2 418 0998

Dubai, UAE PO Box 7497 Tel: +971 4 350 5000 Fax: +971 4 350 5001

Sharjah, UAE PO Box 1924 Tel: +971 6 598 1777 Fax: +971 6 598 1666

Doha, Qatar PO Box 13885 Tel: +974 4 020 6450 Fax: +974 4 020 6451

For more information about how we can add value to your project, please contact: info@wspgroup.ae www.wspgroup.com