The Big Project

AUGUST 2012

JULY 2012

PLUS

Fm and fire safety real estate arbitration building iconic UAE hotels

By royal appointment

The exclusive story behind Saudi Arabia’s $1.24bn King Khalid Medical City, from AECOM vice president of buildings, Anthony McCarter

EVEN MORE tenders and new Top project listings

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AUGUST

Contents REGULARS Editor’s letter 6

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Regional news 9 Top tenders 14 Rounding up the region’s most expensive new tenders

In profile 20 Maskan Arabia CEO Engineer Hossam Al Rashoudi shares his observations of Saudi Arabia’s affordable housing market

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Business brief 26

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Best Interiors on why the luxury market isn’t always the most lucrative option and how to break out beyond it

Supplier news 43 Tenders 49

FEATURES 16 News analysis Gavin Davids reports on how FM and fire regulations can increase life safety standards

23 Legal comment TLG’s Fareya Azfar explains the complications of real estate arbitration clauses

30 Iconic structures Project profiles of Harsco’s most challenging UAE hotel projects

36 Cover story: By Royal appointment The full story behind AECOM’s record breaking contract on King Khalid Medical City, Saudi Arabia

46 Career ladder Ammad Naser on the changing real estate market dynamics in Dubai

Diary 54

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thing contained in this brochure is intended to extend any warranty or representation expressed or implied, regarding the products described herein. Any such warranties or other terms and conditions of sale products shall be in ordance with Montabert's standard terms and conditions of sale for such products, which are available upon request. Specifications and machines can be modified at any time and without notice.

Nothing contained in this brochure is intended to extend any warranty or representation expressed or implied, regarding the products described herein. Any such warranties or other terms and conditions of sale products shall be in

EDITOR’S COMMENT

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Elsewhere, ADPC has announced n the newspaper industry it’s know as T +971 4 440 9129 M +971 50 451 8213 the opening date for Khalifa Port and silly season, but despite the soaring 16 10 6 12 25 6 25 6 15 6 e bar Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation temperatures, empty offices and Commercial director has granted the licence for construction Ramadan working hours, summer 2012 Michael Stansfield 50 of two nuclear2 auto power 12 reactor is already michael@cpidubai.com 1 shaping 1 up to 15 be autoanything 2 auto 2 auto 12 auto auto units 2 auto 12 auto T +971 4 440 9128 at Barakah, Abu Dhabi. Kuwait will other than a ‘slow news day’ for the M +971 55 150 3849 embark on the construction of the construction industry.

Option Option Standard Standard Standard Standard Standard Standard region’s largest oil refinery andStandard contracts New statistics report that in Standard 2012 Marketing manager Carole McCarthy for Jeddah’s sewerage network worth awarded building project values carolem@cpidubai.com 20 $53.3m have been awarded. will increase 13%, to hit $65.5bn; Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes YesT: +971 4 440 9157 In this issue we bring new project completed construction projects will M: +971 55 978 8605 tender announcements on everything increase 71%, to $79.75bn; and the Online editor from Abu Dhabi’s Louvre to the Riyadh value ofsystem. commercial real estate projects % thanks to the energy recovery Monorail, with a new ‘top tenders’ section Gavin Davids will almost double, reaching $15.3bn. gavin@cpidubai.com and dedicated online tenders section, The positive trends certainly reflect T +971 4 4409118 listing the top oil and gas, airport and rail what the industry has told The Big Designer projects.

Project over recent weeks.

Rebecca Teece o The influx of major projects in the Last month Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of rebecca@cpidubai.com region has also been inspiring the Health announced the first in a $4.4bn Photography new Big Project team and September string of health care cities, King Khalid Cris Mejorada rd issue will mark the beginning of a new Medical City.

Webmasters chapter for the magazine.

Not only is it the largest such project Troy Maagma With a new name and new look, we in the Kingdom, but it’s the largest to be Jerus King Bation Erik Briones undertaken by global healthcare specialists will be returning to the original concept Joel Azcuna of ‘big projects’; analysing the biggest AECOM; appointed to handle consultancy and most significant from a range of design services earlier this year.

Printed by perspectives. Ahead of the changes, In an exclusive interview with The Big Printwell Printing Press LLC Project, the man who will coordinate the we’re asking readers to tell us what they want to see more of and we look city, Anthony McCarter, said the project Published by forward to hearing from you. is indicative of a positive trend in the Until then, put your feet up while you development of social infrastructure in still can because things are about to hit the Kingdom. a new high.

Montabert: an international presence in more than 100 countries.

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AECOM appointed to KSA’s largest health care project Tenders for $4.4bn medical city to be launched 2012 end

A

ECOM has announced its appointment to the largest health care project to be undertaken in Saudi Arabia: A $1.24bn medical city, set on a 700,000m² site with a total built up area of 1,000,000m².

Located in Dammam and serving the

Eastern Province’s 4.1million inhabitants, phase one of King Khalid Medical City (KKMC) will comprise of a 1500 bed hospital with six Centres of Excellence, housing and its own utilities plant.

AECOM’s consultancy design services contract, worth $27.85m for the company, will cover master planning, medical planning, architecture, interior design, medical equipment planning, engineering services, landscape and cost consultancy.

“This is a very important project for AECOM,” vice president of buildings for the Middle East, Anthony McCarter, told The Big Project.

“The Ministry of Health was very clear in terms of wanting to ensure the medical city has an identity, rather than being a large hospital, so it has been carefully planned to achieve that level of character,” McCarter added, explaining that the design was based on function, rather than form.

AECOM’s global healthcare portfolio to date includes Cleveland Clinic, Abu Dhabi; American Hospital, Dubai; Qatar Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Hospital; Mayo Clinic, Minnesota; Yonsei University Medial Centre, Korea; Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital, Virginia; Mary Washington Healthcare, Virginia; University of Kentucky and the Albert B. Chandler Hospital.

Tenders for the enabling works on King Khalid Medical City will be launched by 2012

end with the tender for the entire ‘phase one’ due to be launched and awarded by early 2013.

The project, as it is currently planned, is predicted to reach full capacity by 2022, by which time a second phase – providing additional housing, medical education facilities and a community hospital – will be fully operational.

“We are using evidence based design to make the project flexible to meet future needs in terms of the development of healthcare technology, which will validate the design we are currently undertaking, but equally looking at advances in technology and endeavouring to anticipate the potential developments in healthcare,” McCarter added.

Announced by Royal Decree in 2011, King Khalid Medical City is one of four such cities planned by the Ministry of Health with a total budget of $4.4bn. The second largest city will be based in Jeddah but details of the other projects have yet to be released.

“I think the scale of the development reflects the fact the countries are growing very quickly. We are seeing a greater emphasis on these types of projects now, for example healthcare, schooling and housing, particularly in places like Saudi. Those are very strong growth areas and that is why this is such a great project for us,” McCarter continued.

Turn to page 35A for the full story and visit www.thebigprojectme.com to view the King Khalid project gallery

Save the date: Khalifa Port opening announced September 1, 2012 set by ADPC

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bu Dhabi Ports Company (ADPC) and its port operator Abu Dhabi Terminals (ADT) have announced the region’s only semiautomated container terminal is set for official opening on September 1, 2012.

“During the course of the coming months we will continue to transition and test with individual shipping lines

with the aim of officially opening Khalifa Port’s new container terminal on September 1,” ADPC said.

The first phase of the Khalifa Port Container Terminal will initially handle 2.5 million TEUs container traffic and 12 million tonnes of general cargo annuallyand by 2030, it is expected to be able to handle 15 million TEUs and 35 million tonnes of general cargo per year.

The new port has been designed to service the world’s largest seagoing container vessels. It covers a 9-km2 area, including a 2.7 km2 man-made port island.

A full background on the entire Kizad and Khalifa Port and an interview with ADPC CEO Tony Douglas project can be found at www.thebigprojectme.com

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NEWS | REGIONAL NEWS

NEWS BULLETIN

NEWS | REGIONAL NEWS

MENA region to become steel “world centre” Near 6% demand and production rises predicted for 2012

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teel demand in the MENA region is predicted to rebound by 5.7% this year following a 2% contraction in 2011, according to the World Steel Association, with regional production increases in both steel and iron driving the region to ‘world centre’ status within a decade.

The growth is driven by the construction programmes planned for GCC countries – contributing to a Middle East sector predicted to grow 3.5% through 2015 and worth $4.3 trillion by 2020 – and huge state-funded investments facilitated by high oil prices over the last three years. In a global steel market report, Frost and Sullivan attributed the 2%

contraction witnessed in 2011 to regional political turmoil, but concluded the sector now poses “immense future business opportunities”, regionally.

Currently the region is the second largest producer globally, with a production compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.9%; while this puts is more than four times ahead of the third highest producer – the rest of Africa with 1.2% CAGR, it is significantly behind leading producer Asia, at 11%.

Around 2% of global crude steel production was from the MENA region in 2010, mainly contributed by Iran, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Qatar. There are currently 67 steel plants

in the GCC and demand for the product is rising higher than the current global production capacity.

Nass subsidiary removed from India blacklist 100 workers permitted to leave Bahrain after legal bar

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ahraini construction firm Nass Contracting Company, a subsidiary of Nass Corporation, has announced it would allow more than 100 workers to leave the country and return home after withdrawing all cases filed against them, including accusations of absconding.

The Indian labourers were legally barred from exiting Bahrain for six years after leaving the firm before completing their contract terms, which led to banning Nass Contracting from recruiting workers from the Subcontinent since 2006.

The issue prompted over 20,000 people to sign an online petition to send the workers back to their home country.

“We shall immediately withdraw all the court cases pending as of today such that the present runaway workers can leave Bahrain at any time,” Sameer Nass, deputy chairman and managing director of Nass Corporation told the Gulf Daily News.

The Indian Embassy said it will now inform authorities in India to remove the construction firm from the government blacklist. The embassy is now in talks with Indian associations in the Kingdom to raise money to pay for the workers’ plane tickets home.

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Compensation for 17 after Dubai Metro disturbances RTA study recommends concrete barriers to absorb vibrations

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s many as 17 families are to be compensated by Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) for damages resulting from the vibrations and disturbance by a Dubai Metro station.

The move comes after the RTA conducted a study which recommended that residents living near the Al Rashidiya Metro station are to receive monetary compensation, according to Mattar Al Tayer, chairman of the RTA. The study recommended building underground concrete barriers at a suitable depth sufficient to absorb vibrations resulting from the rail traffic and prohibiting the use of horns within the Depot.

“The initial results concluded by the work team entrusted with carrying out site studying and surveying include the disbursement of funds for the maintenance and refurbishment of 17 impacted houses,” said Al Tayer.

The compensation also includes constructing sound barriers to shield the noise from the affected houses provided that such barriers are high enough to ensure the privacy of residents, he added.

The study could also provide lessons for Qatar’s rail project, which will see large portions of track built under existing buildings, through the use of tunnel boring equipment.

Sleeping judge and sabotage accusations mar tribunal

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he Dubai World tribunal, being heard in courts at DIFC, Dubai, has been plagued with demands for re-trials and investigations after a tribunal member was spotted asleep during proceedings and allegations of sabotage were labelled “unsubstantiated”.

The first incident, on May 9, saw one of the three tribunal judges, Michael Hwang, fall asleep during a dispute hearing with The World developer and investor Shokat Mohammad Dalal.

As a result, David Thomas QC, barrister for Clifford Chance, told the tribunal that anything short of a retrial of the case would “damage public confidence in the judicial system of Dubai”, and that any result would be ‘unfair’ to all parties involved.

Tribunal chair Sir Anthony Evans admitted the incident was a “breach of duty”, but that the tribunal had dismissed Nakheel’s complaint because a full transcript of the hearing was available to Hwang, including a video.

In a separate hearing the Public Funds Prosecution was asked to probe un-investigated incidents relating to a graft case involving two Nakheel executives to after almost three years of proceedings.

The Australian suspects are accused of allegedly causing deliberate loss of $11.98m to

Manchester United legend calls for sustainable stadia Spotlight on worldwide impact of stadia construction

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ary Neville, the former Manchester United and England football star, has set up a new foundation aimed at making

the state-owned developer’s Dubai Waterfront project. The project’s former executive director and the ex-operations manager have both denied the charges of abusing public office and intentionally causing loss and dispersing public funds.

Advocates who defended the two executives asked the court earlier to disregard the financial report submitted by the financial control department of the ruler’s court “because it was unsubstantiated and based on unfounded reports and calculations,” according to Gulf News.

Nakheel has had some good news recently.

The same day as the second incident, it was announced that Kele Contracting was the successful bidder to build a 246 room hotel that will become part the 177,000 m2 Dragon Mart Phase 2 development, on the outskirts of Dubai.

On July 1 it was announced Nakheel is to develop a $7.5m neighbourhood mall, Jumeirah Park Community Centre, described as a “key part” of its business plans.

the construction and maintenance of sports stadiums more sustainable and eco-friendly, it was announced on July 16.

In partnership with Dale Vince, founder of Ecotricity, a UK based energy company, Neville has set up the Sustainability in Sport foundation.

The organization aims to bring the sport’s governing bodies, clubs and fans together to take on more responsibility towards reducing the environmental impact of sport.

“The environmental impact of sport is massive but often overlooked. With the Olympics putting sport at the forefront of people’s minds, we believe that the time is right to launch a green revolution in sport,” Nevill said.

“Sporting stars are role models for people

NEWS | REGIONAL NEWS

Dramatic month in court for Dubai World

Saudi reviews 391 Riyadh monorail bids Ministerial committee to release consortia shortlist

A

Saudi ministerial committee has met to review bids from 391 consortia from 50 countries who have submitted prequalification bids for the contract to implement a monorail project in the capital, Riyadh.

The committee will draw up a shortlist of consortia for the contract once the prequalification process has been concluded. When completed, the project will incorporate six main routes covering an approximate total length of 175km.

The network will form the backbone of the public transport system in Riyadh, covering densely populated areas in the city centre, government facilities and commercial centres and will link to King Khaled International Airport, King Abdullah financial district and major universities.

throughout the world and delivering messages on sustainability through sport can reach a diverse global audience,” he added.

He explained that Sustainability in Sport aimed to set eco-standards for stadiums, sports pitches and other related facilities.

Furthermore, Neville said that the foundation would partner with companies to develop technology that would help football clubs produce their own renewable energy and improve their energy efficiency, so as to reduce costs and their carbon footprints.

Vince added that the foundation’s focus was to put environmental issues at the heart of all sport, with the Olympics providing a perfect example of the issues that needed to be addressed.

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NEWS | REGIONAL NEWS

Abu Dhabi reactor Doha Port authorities move to promote construction licences granted greater transparency Unprecedented move will see companies named ahead of appointment

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arties bidding for work on New Doha Port have been told their company name will be published if they apply for prequalification or are short listed to the project.

Part of an effort to “increase transparency” in the tender process and “improve the overall quality of submissions”, authorities involved in New Doha Port have suggested this could become best practice, despite criticism from contractors.

“We are trying to improve transparency between the client and bidders,” explained Nabeel Mohammed A. R. Al Buenain, project executive director, New Doha Port.

“Some companies have complained to us about publishing their names when they have not prequalified, but we believe this creates a more competitive and fair marketplace,” he added.

According to Al Buenain, bidders must satisfy six criteria before tendering for projects, including: “acceptable” cash flow; experience in the field; equipment, skills and staff; and the ability to be “committed to the project and Qatar”.

In order to improve efficiency for the tender process all tender and bid processes are now completed online, where details of past, current and future tender packages are also available.

“It is very important that submissions

12 | www.thebigprojectme.com

demonstrate capability in each of these areas” Al Buenain continued.

During the Qatar Infrastructure Projects conference, held last month in London, a number of professionals looking to tap Qatar’s opportunities, concluded the measures will result in a need for contractors to be more strategic regarding business development practices in the Gulf state.

“What we have now is a cultural disconnection between clients and companies.

Contractors need to change the way they approach a deal, adding more value beyond contractual communications by bringing new ideas and being innovative. Companies have to manage the client relationship as much as the contract. It can mean the difference between succeeding and losing the bid,” said James Brenan from law firm Herbert Smith.

In total, current calculations conclude that there is more than $70bn in major projects to be awarded in order to achieve 2022 objectives

September issue will carry an exclusive interview with Martin Barnes, author of the NEC; the contract of choice for sporting development projects in Europe that is hailed by experts as Qatar’s best options for transparency and potential dispute resolution.

UAE nuclear body names Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation

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he Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation (FANR) of the United Arab Emirates announced on Wednesday that it had granted the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation a license to construct two nuclear power reactor units at its proposed Barakah site in Abu Dhabi.

The license authorises ENEC to construct two Korean designed advanced pressurised water reactors. The reactors are known as APR1400, a type capable of producing 1,400MW of electricity.

However, the license does not allow ENEC to operate them, as that would require the corporation to apply for a separate license from FANR, said Hamad Al Kaabi, the UAE’s permanent representative to the International Atomic Energy Agency.

“The issuance of a construction license is a significant milestone in the UAE’s nuclear energy programme,” he added.

Al Kaabi also confirmed that the license for the construction of Units One and Two of the Barakah Nuclear Facility and Related Regulated Activities was approved by the FANR Board of Management, which is chaired by Dr Ahmed Al Mazrouei, during a meeting on July 17, 2012.

Louvre Abu Dhabi Museum Project Saadiyat Island Development Territory Abu Dhabi Client TDIC Budget $1,000,000,000 Address Behind Khalifa Park,

Eastern Ring Road (Salam Street) City Abu Dhabi Country United Arab Emirates Phone (+971-2) 406 1400 Fax (+971-2) 406 1500 Web http://www.tdic.ae Email info@tdic.ae Description Construction of Louvre Abu Dhabi museum comprising a dome-shaped building, covering an area of 24,000 square metres, including 6,000 square metres of galleries devoted to permanent installations and 2,000 square metres reserved for temporary exhibitions Status New Tender Remarks Abu Dhabi Executive Council (ADEC) has given its approval to resume work on this development.

It is understood that ADEC has approved the budget and deadline for inauguration of the project on Saadiyat Island in close coordination with its partner Agence France Musees.

Client has announced its decision to extend the completion date of this project due to the immense magnitude of work associated with the development. The company is currently working closely with its valued partners on the creation of a new delivery timeline and looks forward to announcing this in due course. Significant progress has already been made on the museum, including

finalised and detailed architectural designs, and all foundation and piling work. The acquisition of vast art collections that will be housed in the museum is already taking place, as well as the training of expertise that will operate this institution.

This 24,000sqm Saadiyat Island projects will feature collections drawn from the Louvre and eminent French public museums Centre Pompidou, Chateau de Versailles, Musee d’Orsay, Musee Rodin and Bibliotheque Nationale de France.

Client has invited contractors to submit bids for the main contract on this scheme.

Design Consultant Nathalie Criniere Agency (France) Engineering Consultant Buro Happold Consulting Engineers Ltd. (Dubai) Main Architect Jean Nouvel (France) Main Consultant Pascall & Watson Architects (Abu Dhabi) Project Manager AECOM Middle East (Abu Dhabi) Civil Engineering Contractor Mero Middle East L.L.C (Dubai)

Foundations, Enabling & Piling Contractor Bauer International (Abu Dhabi)

Steel Products Supplier Mero

Middle East L.L.C (Dubai) Tender categories Construction & Contracting, Leisure & Entertainment

Doha Metro Project - Phase 1 Territory Qatar Client Qatar Railways Company (QRC) Budget $3,000,000,000 Address C/o. Qatari Diar Real Estate Investment Company, Qatari Diar Visitors Centre, Lusail District Bldg.

City Doha Phone (+974) 4497 4444

Fax (+974) 4497 4333 Web www.qataridiar.com Email info@qataridiar.com Description Design and execution of Doha Metro spanning 360 kilometres comprising four lines

Tenders provided by

and 100 stations - Phase 1.

Status New Tender Remarks According to the client, drilling works for this development will commence at the beginning of 2013. Tenders are expected to be awarded by the end of this year.

Client is currently evaluating prequalification entries before short-listing the consortiums to invite to bid for the planned elevated works on this scheme.

Tenders for the elevated part of the scheme are expected to be issued by the end of 2012.

The metro will eventually consist of four lines: Red, NDIA to West Bay; Gold, NDIA and airport city to industrial west Doha; Green, from industrial areas in the south through the center of Doha and to the Education

City; and Blue following the coast road and run from NDIA to West Bay, the Pearl and Lusail with a spur linking up to the Education City.

A joint venture of local Qatari Diar Real Estate Investment Company and Germany’s Deutsche Bahn is acting as the conceptual design and supervision consultant.

Design Consultant Qatari Diar Real Estate Investment Company (Qatar) Design Consultant-1 Deutsche Bahn AG (Germany) Project Manager Parsons Brinckerhoff Middle East (Dubai) Project Manager-1 Turner & Townsend Construction & Management Consultants (Qatar)

Riyadh Metro Project Territory Saudi Arabia Client Saudi Arabia Budget $ 3,000,000,000 City Riyadh 11614 Country Saudi Arabia Phone (+966-1) 488 3331 Fax (+966-1) 482 9331 Web http://www.arriyadh.

com

Email info@arriyadh.com Description Design and build

(DB) contract for the construction of Riyadh Metro, involving the construction of two light rail lines running over a total distance of about 42 kilometres, including 36 stations.

Status New Tender Remarks This project involves the first stage of a light railway scheme in Riyadh. It will include one 25km line with 23 stations and one 17km track with 13 stations.

The client is currently preparing to release ITB to international consultants for the contract to carry out a 30% design of the planned light railway. The design contract will cover both

light rail lines running northsouth and east-west. It is still not clear whether the project would be implemented on a design-build, a design-build-operate or a designbuild-operate-finance scheme.

The client is also in the process of evaluating proposals from international consultants to carry out a comprehensive study for the light railway network. Seven companies, including Parsons Brinckerhoff and Systra, submitted proposals for the contract. The study is expected to take 12-18 months. While the 30 % design will be based on over-ground options only, the comprehensive study might re-introduce an underground element.

Design Consultant Dar Al Handasah (Shair & Partners) Saudi Arabia Design Consultant-1 Egis Rail (France) Tender categories Public Transportation Projects

www.thebigprojectme.com | 13

NEWS | TOP TENDERS XXXXXXXX | XXXXXXXXXX

Top tenders

NEWS | TOP REGIONAL TENDERS NEWS

Top tenders Kuwait Clean fuels project Clean Fuels Project Territory Kuwait Client Kuwait National Petroleum Company (KNPC) Budget $18,000,000,000 Address Imad Commercial CentreCity

Postal/zip Safat 13001 Country Kuwait Phone (+965) 2398 9900 Fax (+965) 2398 6188 Web http://www.knpc.com.kw Email aayprj@knpc.com.kw Description Engineering,

procurement and construction (EPC) contract for implementation of Clean Fuels scheme involving upgrading and increase in capacity at three refineries.

Status New Tender Remarks Work will be split into three main EPC packages: process units at Mina Abdullah refinery; revamp of Mina Abdullah and Shuaiba plants together with off-sites and utilities; revamp and installation of units and interfaces at Mina Al-Ahmadi refinery.

Six companies have submitted bids for a contract to supply reactors for this scheme. India’s Larsen & Toubro (L&T) is the lowest bidder at $609 million, followed by Italy’s Belleli at $734 million. Four other companies

submitted bids in the range of $789 million-$836 million. The client may award this contract to several bidders to ensure speedy delivery of reactors.

A joint venture of local System Development Project Management (SDPM) and US’ Hill International are the project consultants.

It is understood that bids have been opened for the project management consultancy (PMC) contract on this scheme. Australia’s WorlyParsons is understood to be the lowest bidder at a price of $459-million. Other bidders include: US’ Foster Wheeler; UK’s Amec; France’s Technip and US’ Flour.

FEED Consultant Fluor Mideast (Kuwait) Main Consultant Hill International Middle East Ltd. (Kuwait) Main Consultant-1 System Development & Project Management SDPM (Kuwait) Project Manager Fluor Mideast (Kuwait) Tender categories Oilfields & Refineries, Gas Processing

Jubail storage tanks expansion project Territory Saudi Arabia Client Sabic Terminal Services Company (Saudi Arabia) Budget $450,000,000 Address C/o. Saudi Basic Industries Corporation Bldg.

City Riyadh 11422 Country Saudi Arabia Phone (+966-1) 225 8000 Fax (+966-1) 225 9701 Web http://www.sabic.com Email info@sabic.com Description Engineering,

procurement and construction

(EPC) contract for the expansion of storage tanks in Jubail industrial area.

Status New Tender Remarks This project is in Saudi Arabia. It aims at increasing the capacity from (77) tanks to 150-200 tanks. The scheme is currently under planning. The project’s implementation schedule

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is expected to be revealed in first quarter of 2012.

A joint venture of local Saudi Basic Industries Corporation and Netherlands’ Vopak has prequalified at least five international contractors for the scheme.

The contractors include: South Korea’s Hanwa Engineering & Construction, Hyundai Engineering & Construction and SK Engineering & Construction; Local/Singapore’s Petro Steel and China’s Sinopec. The contractors are formulating the bids.

Bids submission date is on May 31, 2012. A decision is expected in the third quarter of 2012. Project is being executed on a lump-sum-turnkey basis. The main scope of expansion includes construction of (37) storage tanks with a total capacity of 330,000

cubic metres. A handling unit will also need to be constructed as well as berth facilities, substation, fire fighting and truck loading and unloading facilities. Tank will be mainly used to store petrochemical products produced at the Jubail Industrial City before export.

Client has received six bids on July 01, 2012 for the EPC contract on this scheme and a decision is expected in the late third quarter or early fourth quarter of 2012. Contractors who submitted the bids include: US’ CB&I; China’s China National Chemical Corporation, Wison and Sinopec; South Korea’s Hanwa Engineering & Construction and Local/Singapore’s Petro Steel.

Tender categories Gas Processing & Distribution, Oilfields

Follow the top transport tenders online via www.thebigprojectme. com and turn to page 49 for The Big Project’s listing to all this month’s newest tenders, in association with Emirates Tenders

July’s top web stories Chinese contractors quit Saudi market over standards, quality Regional CEO made Hastie exit from Middle East over arrest fears In pictures: the world’s tallest…. Lego towers Expert calls on FM companies to revamp approach to Fire and Life Safety Consortium obtain rights for Medinah Airport

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VOLVO OCEAN RACE ABU DHABI STOPOVER DECEMBER 31 – JANUARY 14

NEWS ANALYSIS | FIRE SAFETY

Playing with fire Gavin Davids hears from top FM and fire safety experts on the major issues facing the proper implementation of fire systems in the region

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t the end of May 2012 the GCC was rocked by the news that 19 people, most of them young children, were killed by a fire that began in a nursery and swept through Doha’s Villaggio Mall. As accusations flew and the families’ grief grew, details slowly began to emerge about the cause of the tragedy.

Investigations into the incident by the Qatari civil defence forces found that the fire and life safety systems specified for the mall did not function as well as they could have; contributing significantly to the deaths of children, nursery staff and fire-fighters.

As a result, the tragedy has highlighted a number of issues, prompting mall owners and civil authorities across the Gulf to seriously reevaluate the importance of the fire and life safety codes in operation. In addition, authorities have begun to examine the guidelines in place at shopping malls and revamp them, so as to ensure the events in Doha are never repeated.

One such positive development is the beginning of dialogue between the government authorities and the facilities management companies maintaining malls and other public areas. This progress has been welcomed by some of the region’s leading fire and life safety experts.

“Developers need to talk to each other more.

When I first started in this field around 10 years ago, developers really had a suspicion of local

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“There should be a lobby to the insurance industry, maybe through the government. It could be something RERA could take on and they should be pushing this and not accepting the current insurance methodologies” authority,” recalls Martin Gregory, managing director of Facilities Management Overseas.

“They wouldn’t talk to civil defence, police, and department of health or the municipality authorities, because they felt that if they spoke to them they would interfere,” he adds.

He says the need for a coherent fire code and the prevention of loss of life and property has encouraged both developers and civil defence authorities to be more receptive to each other’s input.

ABOVE: Afschin Soleimani.

In order to further develop the progress made, Gregory has called for the UAE government to establish an inter-body lobby, so as to help change current practices.

Furthermore, he believes the UAE could help set the tone for the GCC when it comes to adopting fire and life safety codes that have been proven to work.

“There should be a lobby to the insurance industry, maybe through the government. It could be something RERA could take on and they should be pushing this and not accepting the current insurance methodologies,” he says.

“I think as well that more government agencies should be included in handovers. It would increase costs but at the end of the day it’s a tiny amount compared to the capital costs of an asset.”

Exemplifying London, Gregory explains that in the UK capital, inspections by the fire brigade and civil defence are required before a building can be operated.

“It doesn’t really happen here. You get inspection from DEWA but only so they know the metres are in. There should be an inspection at least by civil defence,” he asserts, adding: “The UAE is the most mature GCC market because it was built ahead of others. When I first arrived here, Dubai’s FM market was very immature, but now there is a recognition that people need to engage in FM [to move forward].”

RIGHT: Martin Gregory, FMO.

Afschin Soleimani, director of fire and life safety at Ramboll agrees and wants to take it one step further.

“With respect to the management of facilities, especially public facilities, there are always improvements that can be undertaken. Major public buildings should have dedicated fire safety wardens and staff that routinely inspect such facilities,” he says.

“With respect to compliance with fire system provisions, some of the key responsibilities of a fire safety warden should consist of regular visual inspections, ensuring that exit doors are not locked, and so on. It is not

“This is a young code that’s attempting to address a lot of issues in the first place, while the more mature model codes seen in other countries have had time to mature and develop more organically”

uncommon for exit stair doors of public buildings to be locked in order to maintain security of such buildings and prevent theft and breakins,” Soleimani reveals, before confirming such measures are “strictly forbidden” and not the best way to maintain security.

However, Soleimani points out that the situation is steadily improving in the region, with clients becoming more and more likely to prioritise fire and life safety and detection systems.

“Furthermore, recent major fires in the Middle East have taught clients not to underestimate the disastrous effects of a fire, not just on lives but also on property, loss of business and interruptions to operations,” he adds.

Soleimani believes ont thing that will have a positive impact is the UAE Fire and Life Safety Code of Practice, which was launched in July 2011. Often referred to as the Civil Defence Code, it was established to integrate internationally recognised fire and life safety codes and the needs of the local environment.

The code draws reference from well established international regulations, including the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) standards; British standards; and the Gulf Cooperation Council Code of Practice.

However, the predominant influence on the code is from the NFPA standards, which can clearly be seen in the references to NFPA 101:

Life Safety Code, NFPA 5000: Building Construction and Safety Code and NFPA 13: Standard for the Installation of Sprinkler Systems, Soleimani says.

Although this is a major step in the right direction, Garald Todd, head of fire and life safety at WSP Middle East, warns that the code is still very much in its infancy.

“This is a young code that’s attempting to address a lot of issues in the first place, while the more mature model codes seen in other countries have had time to mature and develop more organically. This is why the NFPA is a great base to start from as its got substantial amounts of history and experience captured in the requirements of the code,” he explains.

Looking beyond the implementation of the code, Todd admits that he has greater concerns about the actual installation of systems and their maintenance, based on contractor competency, commissioning of systems and maintenance.

In order to overcome this hindrance, Todd says that education is the only answer, especially in light of the shifting landscape in the wake of the market crash.

“We work very closely with civil defence and contractors in raising awareness of the need for inspections throughout the construction process and [we stress] on ensuring competent, qualified third parties are involved in the testing and commissioning to ensure the intent of the strategy and system installations are maintained,” he explains.

Whereas pre-crash, major issue hindering installation of tried and tested systems was a lack of time, post crash Todd says the issue is financial.

“Financial pressures in other countries have forced consultants from those countries into the GCC markets to look for work. These consultants often aren’t familiar with the codes and requirements adopted here, so we end up seeing designs that loosely fit their home countries, with some small tokens to local requirements thrown in,” he observes.

“These are usually poorly implemented due to a lack of understanding and experience behind the intent of these requirements,” Todd warns.

“The other issue is that developers and end clients are also facing extreme financial pressures. So the attractiveness of some of the smaller firms’ lower fees, based on the basic scope of services, is quite high. There’s a saying that’s appropriate in this circumstance, and that’s ‘what is cheap, will end up costing you,” he concludes.

www.thebigprojectme.com | 17

NEWS ANALYSIS | REGIONAL |NEWS FIRE SAFETY

“There’s a saying that’s appropriate in this circumstance, and that’s what is cheap, will end up costing you”

IN PROFILE | MASKAN ARABIA

The wrong project Since his last interview with The Big Project, Maskan Arabia CEO Engineer Hossam Al Rashoudi, says little has changed to tackle the quality, supply and legislative issues in Saudi Arabia’s real estate market, but that it won’t stop the developer expanding its operations across the entire Kingdom. Melanie Mingas reports

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ABOVE: Engineer Hossam Al Rashoudi.

“There is no limit to our ambitions; we want to be in every single city in the Kingdom and beyond” 20 | www.thebigprojectme.com

reated to address a gap in the market for trustworthy developers and quality developments, Maskan Arabia was somewhat of a personal mission for the businessmen who established it.

Entering the market four years ago with a clear remit to build smaller, easier to manage and affordable villas and apartments, it’s an approach that is paying off with a track record of 100% lease rates on all its projects to date.

“We were not happy about the quality of development, so we create Maskan to fill in the gap,” says company CEO Engineer Hossam Al Rashoudi, who today runs the company alongside chair Waleed Abdulaziz Al Saghyr.

“We understand that individual buyers do not have a trust in developers because they are not up to standard, once you have a gap in any business, it is very smart to take the opportunity and work on exploiting that, and focus on the basic needs to meet the consumers’ demands,” continues Al Rashoudi, who worked as a consultant designing residential units before the business was established.

Today the developer is working on a string of residential projects including a 300 unit project north of Riyadh – financed by an award winning SAR600m fund – while aiming to create a brand synonymous with trust and aligned to both its commercial and social responsibilities.

“In reality, this is a very complicated job. It requires a lot of skills, starting from understanding what today’s market needs are and then developing different products that will cater to the different market segments,” Al

Rashoudi relays, explaining the business is structured to assign dedicated teams to research, product development and engineering, as well as the more abstract quality and excellency.

But in the grand scheme of Saudi Arabia’s housing demands Al Rashoudi says these projects are far from enough to house a population that is predicted to hit 31.6 million by 2020. It’s an issue not even $15bn of state spending looks likely to solve.

“We do observe a lot of projects coming in, but even with all these projects there is still a huge shortage of supply.

“Also, most of what is supplied today in the market does not meet the demand in terms of the project type and the price. Up to date, the final resolutions of the mortgage law have not been announced, but at least, introducing this law is part of regulating the market, and any regulations should have a positive impact in the future,” he adds.

Growth

Harnessing the opportunities while they still exist, Maskan is planning to expand into the country’s lucrative Eastern province in Q1 of next year with major and secondary cities next on its radar.

But despite the massive opportunities to be had on the back of rapid population growth, challenges remain. Practically, building in secondary cities is still nigh on impossible as there is little or no provision for quality utilities infrastructure.

Additionally, municipality regulations approve only five housing typographies for construction, whereas worldwide there is closer to 15.

For Al Rashoudi, who lives by the mantra that ‘nothing is impossible in engineering’, these challenges too will have an effect on the price of any completed development.

“Right now we are working on developing new products, such as rural housing and other different kinds of residential units, but these would require municipality approval.

The main challenge is presenting this kind of development to the municipality and trying to get approval for these kinds of development. This will definitely have a tremendous effect on the pricing per unit,” he predicts, and he would know. Graduating from KFPUM with a major in architectural engineering, Al Rashoudi wrote a thesis on value engineering and begin his career in project management.

Maskan’s project pipeline may be a drop in the ocean when compared to the 500,000 units by 2013 target set by the housing ministry, but it is market awareness that has seen the developer grow from start up to “dramatic prosperity” in four years.

“We worked very hard and built on our internal and external procedures to create a team of successful members and employees in the company,” Al Rashoudi says.

“It is very competitive industry and what developers need to understand is the residential market is very limited in the kingdom,” he adds.

Yet his observations are far from a white flag to the Kingdom’s challenges.

“There is no limit to our ambitions; we want to be in every single city in the Kingdom and beyond. Our company name is Maskan Arabia and we would like to be in the GCC area and then the rest of the world within the coming decade.”

“Right now we are working on developing new products, such as rural housing and other different kinds of residential units, but these would require municipality approval” www.thebigprojectme.com | 21

IN PROFILE | MASKAN ARABIA

“It is very competitive industry and what developers need to understand is the residential market is very limited in the kingdom”

Following the recent decision by the Dubai Real Estate Court which rejected a lawsuit by investors in Victory Tower in Business Bay, Dubai, that both the plaintiff and the defendant will lose their right to proceed if they had agreed to an arbitration clause in the contract before the dispute, Fareya Azfar, head of arbitration at TLG The Legal Group, looks at the background

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ABOVE: Fareya Azfar.

“The courts are also allowed to rule on issues of jurisdiction on their own motion, even if neither party has raised an objection”

he United Arab Emirates have always adopted a pro freedom-of-contract attitude when it comes to formation of contracts, including the freedom to decide the governing law and jurisdiction, provided that such is not prohibited by law or is contrary to public order or morals. The parties to a contract usually decide upon the jurisdiction of a body to hear any dispute arising from the contract in the jurisdiction clause.

Book one of Federal Law No.11 of 1992 (as amended) (the “Civil Procedure Code”) deals with the jurisdiction of the UAE Courts to hear all civil, commercial and administrative disputes. However, Article 23 of the Civil Procedure Code also provides, “If the Defendant does not appear and the court does not have jurisdiction to hear the action in accordance with the foregoing article, the court shall rule of its own motion that it does not have jurisdiction”. This Article demonstrates that the courts should reject hearing cases, where it does not have jurisdiction. While it is true that the Dubai Courts jealously guard their jurisdiction for matters of a public nature such as criminal matters or cases relating to personal status, it has been quite meticulous in upholding the principle of freedom to contract by refusing to hear matters, where parties have

expressly agreed to a different jurisdiction for commercial and civil matters.

Arbitration clauses and jurisdiction of the court With the rise of alternative methods of dispute resolution, conferring the “jurisdiction of arbitration” to hear disputes has become a popular practice in commercial and real estate contracts. It is mandatory that the parties agreeing to a jurisdiction of arbitration have expressly agreed so in writing in order for it to be binding.

Where parties have agreed to resolve any dispute in arbitration, they are said to have waived the jurisdiction of the court to hear the dispute. In these cases, the jurisdiction of the court is ousted and the Dubai Courts have rejected cases for want of jurisdiction, provided that the parties have expressly signed an arbitration agreement contracting out of the national courts.

Article 203 (5) of the UAE Civil Procedure Code says: “If the parties to a dispute agree to refer the dispute to arbitration, no suit may be filed before the courts” The Dubai Courts have demonstrated a positive stance in honoring the arbitration

www.thebigprojectme.com | 23

LEGAL | Fareya Azfar

Jurisdiction clauses of arbitration - hitting the ball in the right court

LEGAL | Fareya AzfaR

BELOW: Business Bay, Dubai, where Victory Tower is based.

agreement and stepping down where the parties have agreed to refer the dispute to arbitration.

In the Dubai Court of Decision 192/2007, the judge stated that arbitration is “exceptional mode of dispute resolution” and has regarded it to be a “departure from the general rule that it is the courts that have jurisdiction over all disputes save those are excepted by a special provision of the law” The Courts have construed the arbitration clause narrowly and are alert to see anything that may amount to a waiver of it.

Raising objections to the jurisdiction of Court in the presence of arbitration agreement Having strongly upheld the jurisdiction of arbitration in the presence of an express arbitration agreement, the UAE Civil Procedure Code also provides instances where a dispute can be heard before the court if the other party does not object to the filing at the first hearing. Most people would believe that a party can only rely on the arbitration clause if they object to the filing of the case in the first hearing, but this interpretation would lessen the significance and purpose of the arbitration agreement and for this reason the courts must be cautious of deciding so. It is also worth noting that the provisions of the UAE Civil Procedure Code also provides that any party can raise the defence of the court having no jurisdiction at any stage of the proceedings.

24 | www.thebigprojectme.com

Moreover, the courts are also allowed to rule on issues of jurisdiction on their own motion, even if neither party has raised an objection.

The Dubai courts have rigorously upheld these provisions and further, went on to state that an appeal on a question of jurisdiction, whether raised by the parties or not, is deemed to exist as matter of question within the scope of the appeal before the court In Decision 256/2008, the Dubai Court of Cassation stated: “Questions of jurisdiction of authority and jurisdiction by category are matters of public order, and are always deemed to be in existence in litigation before the court. The court is obliged to deal with such matters of its own motion, and the parties may rely on lack of jurisdiction of authority or jurisdiction by category at any stage of the proceedings”

Non-objection to the jurisdiction of Courts by implicit acceptance Article 203 (5) of the UAE Procedural Code allows the issue to be heard in court if the other party does not object to the jurisdiction in the first hearing by taking it as an implicit acceptance. However, given that the parties have the right to raise objections on jurisdiction at any time during the proceedings by law, the ‘nonobjection’ of filing the suit in the court is not to be taken lightly.

The Dubai Courts have been wary of concluding that a non-objection to an arbitration

clause is to be considered as acceptance of the jurisdiction of the court, since the parties may not resort to the courts if they had agreed that disputes between them should be resolved by arbitration.

There may be instances when the other party did not have the chance to raise an objection in the first hearing by reason of absence or by not being notified of the proceedings in the proper manner. Secondly, if the party raises an objection in subsequent hearings, this demonstrates they have not accepted the jurisdiction of the court, and in the absence of a clear and unequivocal intention of the party to waive the arbitration clause or agreement, the courts must reject to hear the suit, which was wrongly filed.

As lawyers, we have on numerous occasions raised objections to the jurisdiction of the court, where the contract contained an arbitration clause and have found the judges rejecting the cases for lack of jurisdiction.

The Courts have decided that where the parties have expressly agreed to refer the matter to arbitration, they have waived their right to refer the dispute to litigation and therefore the right jurisdiction to hear the matter lies in arbitration. Therefore, the Courts are steadfast in preserving the sanctity of the contract and the principle of freedom of contract by upholding the jurisdiction of the governing body agreed between the parties.

Conclusion

As seen above, the rejection of the suit filed in the courts, in the presence of an express agreement to arbitrate, is not a new practice and this approach has been adopted by the Dubai Courts for some time. This stance derives from the provisions of the UAE Civil Procedure Code, which clearly provides that the parties to a contract cannot file the case in the court, where they have expressly agreed to the jurisdiction of arbitration by way of an arbitration clause or a separate arbitration agreement. The Courts have retained the power to intervene only in certain instances. The Courts have also shown flexibility in hearing objections as to the jurisdiction at any stage of the proceedings as provided in the Civil Procedure Code as nonobjection to the jurisdiction of the Court has to be clearly demonstrated. It is also worth noting that the courts also have the right to decide the issue of jurisdiction on its own motion and this encourages them to adopt a pro-contract approach even where the parties have not raised any objections to the jurisdiction.

XXXXXXXX Business Brief | XXXXXXXXXX | Best interiors

BELOW: A luxury yacht project designed by the firm.

Beyond luxury Interior designer for Best Interiors, Johann Kruger, explains how to break out beyond the niche and the value of hard work

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s far as business plans go, luxury in the Middle East seems a fairly safe bet. But when your core market experiences a crash and need replaces want, it soon becomes necessary to broaden horizons.

“It’s always very difficult to get your first chance at something you haven’t done before,” says Best Interiors’ Johann Kruger.

“The challenge is actually breaking beyond your niche market, because the minute somebody likes your approach and they have the faith and courage to give you a shot, that is it.

From there on if you can prove yourself the door is open. You work and work and don’t look back,” he adds.

For Best Interiors that break came with the contract for Marina 23; a 93 storey residential tower project located at Dubai Marina, to which Best Interiors was introduced as the interior designer of choice by the project’s architect.

Once assigned to the project, three fully customisable pre-designed packages were created for the 48 duplex apartments in the tower – which all have private pools – and the show apartment. It was through the show apartment design that demand then saw the company

26 | www.thebigprojectme.com

approached to help buyers of the smaller, single storey, apartments; many of whom were buying a second property or holiday home and therefore could not commit to their own fit out project.

From there, the project’s ‘grandeur’ and ‘investor’ packages were put together, ranging from a customised small apartment design to furniture and fabrics only.

“We have done high end luxury residential palaces, private yachts, private planes, all things associated with royalty, in a market few can afford, but we are now tailoring solutions to a market that isn’t so high end and maybe just wants to fit out a second home in the region,” Kruger explains.

“It’s about making luxury a little bit more accessible, but at the same time not compromising the chance to get involved in larger projects,” he adds. As the portfolio continues to diversify, other projects currently include large office developments in Qatar and residential and hospitality projects in India.

With one finger remaining firmly on the luxury pulse, the higher end of the current portfolio includes a VIP residence in Fujairah; a high end residential project in Thailand; and an

ABOVE: Johann Kruger.

architecture, interior design and landscaping project Kruger describes as a “very exclusive villa” in Angola. “The work in your portfolio shows your diversity and we want to set ourselves apart,“ he asserts.

“I see challenges everywhere but I don’t shy away from them. We have been able to break into a market with which we have no previous association, for example changing our majority clients from high luxury residential and palaces to corporate hotel developments and high rise buildings,” he adds.

Reaching out

Beyond the diversity in target project budgets comes a diversity in commercial focus, which will be operated under a newly established umbrella company Best Networks.

“We are assuming that sooner or later we will branch out beyond interiors, into for example into architectural consultation and maybe our own line of custom made branded furniture for hotels. Then it’s good to have a mother company over those brands,” Kruger says of the initiative.

In line with the market expansion comes a

geographical expansion and with even more projects in India, the far east and north Africa, Best Interiors has established one office in Delhi and will support this with another in Mumbai.

“When the economy went south it filtered out a lot of people who didn’t want to ride out the storm. When I came to Dubai 12 years ago it was the only city in the world where even bad designers could get work, but the people who are here now are the strong design firms and for that reason they are bringing the cream of design talent to the UAE.

www.thebigprojectme.com | 27

Business Brief | Best interiors

ABOVE: This Indian residential project drew inspiration from local culture.

“When the economy went south it filtered out a lot of people who didn’t want to ride out the storm.

When I came to Dubai 12 years ago it was the only city in the world where even bad designers could get work, but the people who are here now are the strong design firms and for that reason they are bringing the cream of design talent to the UAE“

XXXXXXXX Business Brief | XXXXXXXXXX | Best interiors

“I think the eyes of Dubai have been opened up to world-wide design trends and what is considered to be cutting edge globally”

28 | www.thebigprojectme.com

“In addition people are capitalising on the fact that while previously they may have been able to get a better deal from somebody else, the quality of the product would have been subgrade,” Kruger observes.

“They are still tight on budgets, but they know that any one of the designers in the UAE that is still here will provide a substantial product that is worth their money,” he adds, saying the melting pot of talent currently in the market has changed the mentality of design.

“I think the eyes of Dubai have been opened up to world-wide design trends and what is considered to be on the cutting edge globally,” Kruger adds.

Design quality

Citing the main lifestyle influences on design as technology, local culture and sustainability, Kruger predicts the sector’s future success will depend on how much and how well innovation can be integrated into a project, as well as how projects can be designed into their Middle Eastern surroundings, rather than contradicting them.

“It’s the nature of the beast. Design is definitely

moving more towards modern technology, not so much for the fact that it’s a design trend, but it’s a comfort trend. Technology I would say is always going to be at the forefront of design and it will shape the future of it,” he says.

Predicting that locally developed design trends will soon spread beyond the region, Kruger says this will all depend on the continuation of a trend that is seeing local students nurtured to study the arts as much as they are sciences.

“What is happening here is something that hasn’t been seen before and it hasn’t been duplicated that much either.

“Sooner or later the Middle East will become the hub of design and architecture for the world.”

“We have good overseas talent and I feel the UAE is investing a lot into cultivating an ambition among the young people to study the arts as well as sciences and that is the best way to infuse the local essence and culture into the design,” he adds, concluding: “As the markets start recovering now and confidence comes back in regards to building, development and decoration, I think things will only become even better than they are now.”

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ICONIC STRUCTURES | UAE HOTELS ABOVE: Kingdom of Sheba.

Harsco Hotel Formwork supplier Harsco has supplied more than 20 hotel projects in the UAE. But increasingly complex architecture and higher demands from luxury brand clients, bring their own challenges to each project. With the country’s hotel building boom still in full swing, The Big Project takes a look at the most difficult projects in the firm’s portfolio Fairmont Hotel, Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai Building size: 34 storey Building type: Mixed use hotel, office and retail Materials: Mark II Soldiers Frame time: 18 months Challenge: Complete formwork solutions using standard and special material to tackle complex architectural shapes and construction methods This Dubai-based new build project is one of Harsco’s best known and over the 18 months spent onsite, the company

30 | www.thebigprojectme.com

devised three systems:

Nation Towers, Abu Dhabi

- Ground up scaffold for larger voids in the distinctive recesses - Mark II Soldiers beamed across narrower inserts, which were themselves supported with diagonal raking shores - Lift shaft and stair core walls used special steel formwork panels that can be re-used on complex geometric shapes.

Standard support and decking systems were used to construct all typical floors and transfer beams with a depth of 6m were constructed using a mix of standard innovative construction techniques agreed with the contractor

Building size: Two towers of 64 and 51 storeys Building type: Mixed use Materials: ID15 / H20 Tables / MANTO panels/ Mark II Soldiers Cuplok Frame time: 15 months Challenge: Provide support for a steel truss for an aerial sky bridge connecting the towers This two tower project features a connecting sky-bridge for which the steel truss had to be supported from ground level. Harsco engineered the support to enable the entire truss to be assembled

News

The value of the Nation Towers project, Abu Dhabi

BELOW: Bridgeway Hotel.

ABOVE: Ibn Battuta Gate.

before lifting. The wall formwork was designed to take self-compacting concrete and used shutters reaching 10 metres in height for the construction of the walls at the basement and lower level.

Kingdom of Sheba, The Palm Jumeirah, Dubai Plot size: 141,500m² Building type: Mixed use Materials: Cuplok / Metriform / Rapid Column Arms / S150 Beams Frame time: Drawings produced by Harsco between September 2008 and February 2010 Challenge: More than 500 drawings were completed for various villas plus three blocks of main building consisting of 12 storeys and roof.

Another project for Fairmont Hotels, Kingdom of Sheba is composed of four and five bedroom beach villas, health clubs and a private residential club. The

repetitive nature of the project helped speed up construction.

Landmark Tower, Abu Dhabi Building size: 72 storey Building type: Mixed use Materials: Cuplok / Tube &Fittings / Mark II Soldiers Frame time: 10 months Challenge: Providing the equipment and personnel to erect complex geometric scaffolding to support structural steelwork for two steel and glass canopies Located on Abu Dhabi corniche, this 330m project will be the tallest building on Abu Dhabi Island. During construction of the canopies fixed above the north and south entrances, a grid of complex scaffolding – designed, supplied and erected by Harsco Infrastructure – was used to support the structures.

ICONIC STRUCTURES | UAE HOTELS

$260m

“There is really no limit to the type of architectural design you may receive, but this puts pressure on the formwork suppliers to deliver solutions to achieve an iconic structure. For example hotels often have big void atriums which require the use of advanced scaffolding and formwork solutions,” Stuart Bland, senior scaffolding and formwork consultant, Harsco. www.thebigprojectme.com | 31

ICONIC STRUCTURES | UAE HOTELS

$500m value of Landmark Tower, Abu Dhabi

BELOW: Formwork in place at Ibn Battuta Gate, Dubai.

Conrad Dubai, Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai

Challenge: Construction of a 60m arch way, larger than Arc de Triomphe, Paris

Project size: 46451m² Building type: Mixed use Materials: ID15 / Lightshore tables / Cuplok / Mark II Soldiers / Special Steel Formwork Frame time: 36 months Challenge: Client expectations for a newly introduced luxury branded hotel chain

The ‘arch’ is in fact, a bridge between two buildings. The project, described

by Harsco as being “wrought with complexity” began with the gantry arrangement over the main road by the contractor. Harsco then: - Built supports reaching a height of 38m to provide a workable platform height for the top of the final archway in the later stages.

- Erected 4.7m high supports and shutters of 4.8m,to form the four main beams creating the bridge between the two buildings.

- A third level of 4.8m high supports were erected to form the top slab linking the bridge beams and creating the main walkway between the two pre-constructed buildings.

- Columns were built, further supports added to form the roof of the walkway

This 559 room hotel is a flagship for Hilton’s luxury brand, Conrad.

Movenpick, Ibn Battuta Gate, Dubai Building size: 400,000 sq ft Building type: Mixed use residential, offices and hotel Frame time: 26 months

32 | www.thebigprojectme.com

and the castellated feature at the top of the bridge.

- Almost 26 months later the work to, and above the bridge, was completed and the top sections of the support scaffold were removed. The Contractor was thus provided with a working platform at 38m for finishing works to be completed and to erect the top section of the pre-fabricated architectural archway.

Wind load calculations were completed for each element of the design to take into account the tall buildings on each side of the structure, which had the potential to cause a tunneling effect on the temporary support scaffolding and the formwork.

The final leg load calculations were complicated because of the various erection stages, differing grid sizes and differing heights involved, self-weight of the system and high wind loads.

News

value of Conrad Dubai

ABOVE: Conrad Hotel.

UAE project name

Contractor

Burj Khalifa - Dubai

SIXCO / Samsung / Arabtec

Emirates Towers Hotel

SIXCO

Fairmont Hotel – Palm Jumeirah, Dubai

DCC

Fairmont Hotel – Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai

DCC / Arabtec

Ibn Batutta Gate Hotel – Dubai

Higgs & Hill

Kingdom of Sheba – Palm Jumeirah

DCC

Conrad – Dubai

Arabtec/ DCC JV

Dusit Hotel, Dubai

Al Habtoor Eng.

Bab Al Qasr Hotel – Abu Dhabi

NUROL contracting

Bridgeway Hotel & Resort - Abu Dhabi

Al Husam / OEC

Dubai Marriott Harbour Hotel & Suites

Al Naboodah Building

Khaladiyah Palace Hotel – Abu Dhabi

NUROL Contracting

Rotana Hotel Yas Island – Abu Dhabi

J&P

Sadiyat Island HLGMR

ABOVE:The Fairmont Hotel, Dubai.

Laguna Beach Hotel – Ajman

SEDICO

Madinat Jumeriah

ALEC / Bu Haleebah

Ritz Carlton Hotel – DIFC, Dubai

Bouyges

Meridien Al Aqua – Dibba, Fujairah

FNC

ICONIC STRUCTURES | UAE HOTELS

$194m

www.thebigprojectme.com | 33

FOAMGLAS® Insulation

Tapered roof and void former on metal deck New Doha International Airport (NDIA) is slated to replace the old Doha International Airport as Qatar’s only international airport in 2011. It was expected to be the first airport worldwide to fully handle Airbus A380, the world’s biggest commercial aircraft. Qatar has witnessed a high growth in passenger and cargo traffic in the recent years, so the old terminal suffered from overcapacity. The FOAMGLAS® roof system is used on the metal roofs of the 54 roofs of the jet bridges. The build up comprises on the corrugated metal deck a dense deck to span the gap between the big support. The gypsum board is mechanically fixed. The first layer of FOAMGLAS® is used instead of light weight concrete because of the high rigidity without compression, non combustibility and the light weight. Above the FOAMGLAS® TAPERED ROOF SYSTEM with integrated slope is used to create the slope and provide thermal protection. FOAMGLAS® contains 66% recycling glass content and is environmentally sound in it’s manufacturing, usage and eventual disposal.

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New Doha International Airport, Qatar Architect Bechtel / HOW Engineering Bechtel Construction 2007 – 2012 FOAMGLAS® Roof Insulation 11000 m2 as TAPERED ROOF SYSTEM (54 jet bridge roofs) 5 4

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Build-up 1 Metal Deck 2 Substrate board 3 FOAMGLAS® T4 180 mm flat 4 FOAMGLAS® T4 TAPERED ROOF SYSTEM 50 – 350 mm laid in hot bitumen 5 Roof cover board 6 Two layers of bituminous waterproofing membranes, top layer UV-resistant

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Light, rigid, safe and durable. The most simple system on metal deck.

Web: www.foamglas.ae Email: info@foamglas.ae Dubai office Tel: +9714 434 7140 Doha office Tel: +974 465 5360

COVER STORY | AECOM

By royal appointment Last year, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia announced a US$4.4bn Royal Decree for the development of four major tertiary care Medial Cities across the Kingdom. On July 10 it was announced via the New York Stock Exchange that the design consultancy services for the largest of these, the $1.24bn King Khalid Medical City, will be completed by AECOM. Vice president of buildings for the Middle East, Anthony McCarter, tells The Big Project about coordinating, building and future-proofing the Kingdom's largest healthcare mega-project

H

owever successful a company is, it’s not every day a project with a total phase one built up area of 1,000,000m² is awarded by a government ministry based in one of the most lucrative construction markets in the world. But on July 10, that is exactly the announcement AECOM shared with the world.

Following nine months of feasibility studies and masterplanning, multidisciplinary global construction powerhouse AECOM announced its appointment to a $1.24bn project with a contract value of $27.85m, to undertake consultancy design services for the largest health care project in both Saudi Arabia’s and its own history.

King Khalid Medical City will be built on a 700,000m² greenfield site and will comprise a 1500 bed hospital; six Centres of Excellence; research offices; residential staff accommodation; gardens; a community centre; and its own utilities plant.

This phase, the first of two planned to date, will be functional by 2017 but is due to reach full capacity by 2022. When that happens the city will grow again to include additional housing; a hospice; medical education facilities; and a hotel. A third phase has not been ruled out.

“This is a very important project for AECOM,” says vice president of buildings for the Middle East, Anthony McCarter,

who was personally responsible for finalising the contract and who will now steer the execution stage, liaising between the Kingdom’s Ministry of Health, project managers and other project partners.

“Clients look for the best international expertise, coupled with local knowledge, and AECOM has been in the Kingdom for more than 45 years in one form or another.

Far from replacing existing medical facilities, King Khalid Medical City (KKMC) will support its neighbouring hospitals and clinics while providing the specialist tertiary care they cannot, with a remit to “set new standards” for the

www.thebigprojectme.com | 35

COVER STORY | AECOM

“A number of different concepts were developed in terms of look but function has driven the whole planning of the project” delivery of complex health care for residents of the Eastern region.

Now in the schematic design stage, tenders for the enabling works will be awarded before the end of this year with construction contracts awarded, and beginning, early 2013.

“I am excited to be continually involved in this project because it is such a high profile and high quality development,” he adds with an air of excitement that is measured yet evident as he explains that while AECOM’s other regional flagship healthcare project – Clevelend Clinic, Abu Dhabi – may be more expensive than KKMC, this far exceeds it in terms of built up area.

AECOM’s contract commenced on March 3 this year and will last 24 months – a tight deadline, but one McCarter reassures will need nothing but expertise, global support and collaborative technology.

Having already hit the ground running, he comments: “It will be a challenge but luckily we’re a large company with a lot of resources and we will draw on those, getting the teams to work very efficiently. We will utilise BIM platforms that were specified in the tender but are used as an AECOM standard. This will allow us to draw on the significant experience and expertise of our staff who have worked on healthcare projects around the world.”

provide outdoors facilities for those patients able to enjoy them, and similar features brought inside through the channelling of natural light to entrances and public spaces.

“The buildings are designed to be attractive and to create a statement, but equally it’s a healthcare facility very much designed with the patient and end user in mind. There will be very attractive buildings and there will be very appealing spaces, but their purpose is that they are designed to be very efficient,” says McCarter.

Aside from the efficient and aesthetic elements of design, KKMC is also planned to be self sufficient in terms of utilities provision, with full onsite power and safety infrastructure covering electricity, water, fire prevention, district cooling, waste water treatment, waste transfer, medical gases and steam generation.

Design

The centre piece of it all is the main hospital facility, housing 1500 beds and six Centres of Excellence, which will specialise in cardiovascular, neuroscience, metabolic and genetic diseases, oncology, multi organ transplants and ophthalmology.

“The Ministry of Health was very clear in terms of wanting to ensure the medical city has an identity, rather than being a large hospital. So it has been carefully planned to achieve that level of character,” McCarter says, explaining that design is based on function, rather than form.

“A number of different concepts were developed in terms of look but function has driven the whole planning of the project,” he adds, naming efficiency and future maintenance of the built asset as key aesthetic drivers.

The curved and coloured roof is one such demonstration of the “character” specified as essential to the project, and master planning has ensured the built environment is punctuated with ‘healing’ gardens, landscaped to

36 | www.thebigprojectme.com

ABOVE: A rendering of the completed plaza area.

AECOM’S responsibilities Master planning Medical planning Architecture Interior design Medial equipment planning Engineering services (civil, structural, mechanical, electrical, public health/ plumbing) Landscape Cost consultancy

Project stats

US$4.4bn total project budget for all four planned Medical Cities across Saudi Arabia US$1.24bn budget value for King Khalid Medical City, the biggest of these projects and the largest health case project in the history of the Kingdom $27.85m the value of AECOM’s contract 1,000,000m² total build up space 700,000m² Greenfield site in Dammam 1500 beds across six Centres of Excellence and supporting facilities planned for phase one 4.1 million people living in Easter region ‘catchment zone’ Project owner/ sponsor: Ministry of Health, Saudi Arabia Client: King Fahad Specialist Hospital Dammam (KFSH-D).

Despite the complexities of coordinating a construction project of such scale, it is these elements that present the greatest challenges during the execution of healthcare projects; along with building services designed to prevent the spread of bacteria and disease; and the future proofing of facilities in order to accommodate the next generation of medical equipment: considerations that are

all achieved through the use of evidence based design.

“Building services need to be very well planned, as do power services in terms of uninterruptable supply. The challenges are, in addition to the medical and equipment planning, future proofing the design and being able to incorporate the latest equipment technology within that design,” comments

March 3 2012, AECOM’s contract commencement date 24 month contract duration 2012 site preparation to begin 2013 main works to tender in Q1 2017 planned opening 2222 estimated year phase two will be required

www.thebigprojectme.com | 37

COVER STORY | AECOM

“The Ministry of Health was very clear in terms of wanting to ensure the medical city has an identity, rather than being a large hospital, so it has been carefully planned to achieve that level of character”

COVER STORY | AECOM

“We are seeing a greater emphasis on these types of projects now, for example healthcare, schooling and housing, particularly in places like Saudi. Those are very strong growth areas and that is why this is such a great project for us”

ABOVE: One of the early stage development drawings.

McCarter, exemplifying the recent developments in bedside technology used by patients that is more akin to an inflight entertainment system than a hospital ward.

“Equally significant is the move towards electronic records because those IT systems need to be very carefully designed. Healthcare projects do present many interesting challenges for the design team.”

Healthy outlook

While the building systems themselves are the underlying factor in achieving a sustainable development, the sustainability of KKMC isn’t solely about the technology that will be used within the city, but the technology used to

38 | www.thebigprojectme.com

build its individual components and the feasibility of that building programme as a whole.

While the feasibility study itself identified the main facilities KKMC would require to serve the local population (see box), further studies took into account travel distances between facilities, the materials used to build the facilities – in particular, facades – and the orientation of them. Well rehearsed steps that when combined, could in future contribute towards a LEED certification.

It’s a subject for which McCarter is an advocate, having spoken publically on everything from the frequency of lifts in a building to the importance of modern engineering techniques, in order to promote sustainability.

ABOVE: Anthony McCarter.

ABOVE: Planned interior design for the South Lobby area.

Recruited by AECOM two years ago, he first arrived in the region in 1994, initially for a two year period, but ended up staying due to the continuity of “once in a career” projects.

“The region has great opportunities from a projects perspective and also from an overall economic perspective,” he comments.

“But the ambition is what is appealing. It is the scale and the nature of the projects and from a personal point of view I thought the project I initially came here for back in 1994 would be the pinnacle of my career.

“That’s the benefit to our staff and for us as a company. The scale of the projects does provide an opportunity to bring that talent to them,” he says.

Hospital facilities identified during feasibility studies

AECOM’S healthcare highlights

30 operating theatres Radiography suite

Dubai Healthcare City and Partners Harvard Medical International Dubai, UAE

Nuclear medicine

The City Hospital, Dubai UAE

Radiation therapy

University of Sharjah Teaching Hospital, Sharjah

Emergency departments

American Hospital of Dubai, UAE

In and out-patient beds and wards

MDHC Hospital, Sharjah, UAE

Procedural rooms

RAK Private Hospital, Ras Al Khaimah, UAE

Diagnostic and treatment areas

Sidra Hospital, Doha, Qatar

Logistics support, including a central utility plant

Creek Hospital, Dubai, UAE

www.thebigprojectme.com | 39

COVER STORY | AECOM

In a statement AECOM said it is: “Working collaboratively with the Client and project stakeholders to achieve this ambitious project within a challenging schedule using best international healthcare planning and design expertise from our US based business in association with our regionally based healthcare experts and designers in the Middle East and our locally knowledgeable resources in Saudi Arabia”

COVER STORY | AECOM

“Building services need to be very well planned, as do power services in terms of uninterruptable supply. The challenges are, in addition to the medical and equipment planning, future proofing the design”

ABOVE: Another of AECOM's concept stage renderings.

Now heading the AECOM division currently working on Yas Mall and Etihad Towers, Abu Dhabi; UAE University, Al Ain; healthcare projects in Sharjah; Barwa City and Barwa Commercial Avenue, Qatar; he rightly describes the team as “active and diverse”.

The talent required to execute this project will be drawn from almost every AECOM office globally, with architects in America and engineers in the Middle East. Combined, this network of offices employs around 50,000 personnel who are connected via Revit, the BIM platform used in every AECOM project.

“King Khalid Medical City is a multi-location project, which presents a challenge, but all our skills come from the international AECOM network, so it’s a truly international collaboration,” McCarter says, continuing to explain that

40 | www.thebigprojectme.com

talent working specifically on healthcare and equipment planning has been tapped from American offices, with engineering drawn from throughout AECOM’s network and project overview provided by the global healthcare leader in Australia.

In turn, these people then support the 3500 workers already based regionally, who are working directly on AECOM’s other current projects, including the Jeddah stormwater drainage project, designed to prevent another occurrence of the floods that have caused dozens of casualties and deaths over recent years.

Other active projects include Doha Port and Saadiyat Island; the experience of which will be used to leverage new, similar contracts in the region.

“I think the scale of the development reflects

the fact that these countries are growing very quickly. We are seeing a greater emphasis on these types of projects now, for example healthcare, schooling and housing, particularly in places like Saudi. Those are very strong growth areas and that is why this is such a great project for us,” McCarter concludes.

The other cities outlined

by Royal Decree in 2011 King Fahd Medical City-Riyadh King Abdullah Medical City-Makkah King Faisal Medical City-Southern Region Prince Muhammad Bin Abdul Aziz Bin Abdul Rahman Al Saud Medical City -Northern Region.

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CAREER LADDER SUPPLIER | NEWS | Coryn Hellewell

Supplier news A round-up of the latest news and announcements

Summertown Interiors

Jotun Powder Coatings

DuPont

Sustainable fit-out contractor, Summertown Interiors, has announced it is due to achieve carbon neutrality by 2020.

The target will be achieved through the company’s Eco-Leaders Green Committee, an internal body established one year ago to implement and track the nine year plan.

“As a green fit-out partner, the Eco-Leaders Green Committee forms an integral part of our CSR strategy,” commented MD, Marcos Bish.

The plan will be used as case study by Dubai Chamber’s Centre for Responsible Business to educate other UAE businesses on ‘Integrating CSR into Business Strategy’. According to studies conducted by the chamber, only 28% of Dubai companies have an environmental policy.

“The UAE’s Vision 2021 aims to further the position of the country as a sustainable nation and our goal to become carbon-neutral is in accordance with this. It is just as important for companies in the private sector to integrate sustainability into their business strategies as it is for government entities.

“However, a company cannot fully achieve its sustainable goals if they do not secure their employees’ commitment to these and develop an environmentally-conscious culture both within and outside of the workplace.”

Summertown, which has a LEED certified showroom in Dubai, focuses on executing green projects for its clients, of which it has completed three in 2012. The committee will now ensure that all projects undertaken by the company will achieve such objectives, whether specified by the client or not and green products are being developed at the company’s joinery facility.

A “new generation” of low temperature curing product has been introduced to global markets by Jotun Power Coatings.

The new coating product is designed to address the demand for a faster curing product that does not require high temperatures in order to be effective, currently seen in the OEM market. Developed for both wet and dry applications, the coating reduced energy costs and can cover more heat sensitive objects, allowing for wider applications on products such as fixtures and furniture.

“We are very excited to launch this innovative product to the global market. ‘Reveal Tempo’ is our answer to the OEM market’s growing demands for a low temperature cure powder coating that is highly productive, energy efficient, and meets the corrosion, chemical and mechanical requirements of the industry,” said Olaf Conreur, industrial category manager for Jotun Powder Coatings.

“The call for a highly efficient and ecofriendly low curing product has long been a key focus area for the powder coating industry. The release of ‘Reveal Tempo’ demonstrates our ability to meet these requirements,” Conreur added.

The product can cure at temperatures ranging from 130°C/20min, to 180°C/3min. Because it can be applied at a thickness of 55 µm or lower when applied on an organic primer such as an e-coat, its efficiency increases the number of goods that can be coated.

The product reduces energy use by 25%; contributes towards coating heat sensitive objects; facilitates the curing of pre-assembled materials, or even combine several of these benefits, resulting in a mix of increased productivity and energy savings.

Global surfacing supplier DuPont has provided its Corian product for a Romanian project executed for the Petrom headquarters in Bucharest, Romania, as part of its modernisation programme.

The south east European oil and gas producer specified DuPont Corian in order to create a “unique office environment” and align the company with international standards.

Based on the Working Environmental Branding (WEB) concept, Petrom City is a fivebuilding complex. Between two of the buildings, DuPont has supplied “organic shaped furnishing elements” that guide visitors to a primary atrium area. DuPont Corian was also used to create a 14 metre reception desk, signage panels, benches and flower pot containers in two of the buildings’ atria. Each furnishing element is based on the same concept: natural stone for the base and a DuPont Corian “organic skin” for the functional upper part.

The project was realised in collaboration with Bucharest-based Square One Studio.

“We had to choose a material that could be curved and twisted to thermoform the parts,” Square One GM, Adrian Cancer, said.

“Also, we had a strict deadline to finish the work and for this reason we did not use traditional architectural sketches that would have taken too long to implement. Instead, we sent the 3D files of our project to the fabricator that made the molds very quickly, helping us save considerable time. The entire process from virtual shapes to the physical implementation on site was incredibly smart and quick, with great results,” he added.

Carbon neutrality on track for 2020

STAND Reveal Tempo launched

Surfacing materials provided in Romania

www.thebigprojectme.com | 43

SUPPLIER | NEWS

“It is just as important for companies in the private sector to integrate sustainability into their business strategies as it is for government entities”

25% potential energy savings can be made through application of the new Jotun ‘Reveal Tempo’

Danube

Schöck ME FZE

Dow Corning

Compared to H1 2011, Danube has registered sales growth of 20% over the same period in 2012, due to regional expansion that has serviced growing demand in Middle East and African markets.

Following the establishment of new branches in Bahrain, Oman, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, the UAE-based merchant is now planning to explore potential investment opportunities in Africa.

“This year is a landmark year for us and the expansion has not only strengthened our market presence in the region, but has also helped us reach a wider audience. The company is in excellent position to meet its target for the annual year with record volumes and sound profitability,” said Danube chairman Rizwan Sajan.

In the last 12 months Danube has opened a new 550,000 square feet warehouse in JAFZA South, Dubai and Sajan has accepted the Dubai Quality Appreciation Award, The Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Business Award (MRM) and the Businessman of the Year Award.

“I think businesses should take calculated risks and learn to be more aggressive. You should learn to be more aggressive and always be on the lookout for opportunities, regardless of being big or small,” Sajan told The Big Project last year.

Danube was founded in Deira, Dubai in 1993 and began as a single store operation, led by Sajan. In 2010 the company reported annual turnover of AED 1.25billion, with a growth rate of 25%; the target for the coming years was then to achieve the same growth rate and revenues of US $1bn by 2015 — at the latest.

Today the company sells 25,000 products to international markets and is planning a SAR 300m investment in Saudi Arabia alone.

A new high strength glass fibre bent bar, Bent GFRP, has been added to the Schöck ComBAR portfolio by its German producer Schöck.

Designed specifically for use in the shaft walls of tunnelling projects, the bent bar can achieve strengths similar to those of the straight bars. Schöck also says the bars enhance the safety and speed at which projects are executed.

Allowing tunnel boring machines (TBM) to dig a tunnel without being interrupted by supporting steel rebar, steel reinforced concrete diaphragm, or drilled pile walls, the use of the ‘new generation’ Bent GFRP Bars reduces project timescales and creates a more cost effective design.

The company is now eyeing the region’s massive infrastructure projects for introductory applications of the bars in the Middle East. These projects include subways, sewers and tunnels, all of which are constructed with use of the TBM. “The development of high strength Glass Fibre Reinforced Polymer rebars brought the solution to this problem. The GFRP bars are installed in that portion of concrete shaft walls which the TBM has to penetrate, the so called soft-eye. Even though the material is more expensive than steel rebar, the overall savings in construction time and cost are substantial,” a statement from the company read.

Like its parent company, Schöck ME FZE, the Middle East freezone subsidiary of Schöck AG, specialises in the reinforcement of industrial flooring, facade, bridge engineering, marine and harbour construction, and coastal protection, amongst other project types.

The construction division of Dow Corning has announced the introduction of new colours for a string of its sealant and glazing products.

Dow Corning 993 Silicone Structural Glazing Sealant, Dow Corning 3362 Silicone Insulating Glass Sealant and Dow Corning 895 Silicone Structural Glazing Sealant are now available in black, white, light grey, middle grey and dark grey. Custom colours are also available on request.

The expansion increases the design versatility of the products and will be targeted to architects, contractors, building owners, consultants, formulators and design specifiers and is complimented with a colour matching service.

The products have also been approved by the EOTA for structural applications: 993 Silicone Structural Glazing Sealant approved ETA01/0005; and 3362 Silicone Insulating Glass Sealant approved ETA-03/0003.

They are accompanied by a range of compatible, proven silicone weatherproofing sealants and also the one part structural sealant 895 Silicone Structural Glazing Sealant in matching shades.

Dow Corning also last month announced a new to market cost-effective cleaning material to its 7000 product catalogue. Engineered to flush the catalyst elements of manual and automatic two-component pump dispensing equipment, the Dow Corning 3535 Catalyst Cleaner offers a quick and easy cleaning solution, particularly when a fast switch over of different colour catalysts is needed.

A video demonstrating the new colour range and how the products can be used can be viewed via http://tinyurl.com/bun4hgs .

Regional expansion yields 20% growth

44 | www.thebigprojectme.com

Bent GFRP Bars launched

New colours added to glazing sealant range

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CAREER LADDER | Ammad Naser

Specialist subject The Legal Group’s head of real estate, Ammad Naser, tells Melanie Mingas about his new employer’s expansion drive in the face of the UAE’s developing real estate regulation

T

he figures speak for themselves.

Earlier in 2012, statistics showed real estate transactions in Dubai to be up 9% on the previous quarter with the total number of transactions up 5% year on year.

While the Emirate’s “emerging” residential locations, such as IMPZ, Sports City Silicon Oasis and Jumeirah Village, still struggle to attract tenants ahead of the completion of vital infrastructure, the market is also witnessing an increase in foreign investors willing to buy distressed assets.

“The partners here have realised that the market is gaining traction again and that they require the diversity and ability to handle transactional work as well as the disputes that are going on,” explains The Legal Group (TLG) recently appointed head of real estate, Ammad Naser, who has been brought in by TLG to do just that, in light of observations of the changing market dynamics.

“Disputes unfortunately are always going to

46 | www.thebigprojectme.com

be there because of what happened in 2008, but because there is now more movement on the transactional side, and with foreign investments coming in to buy distressed projects, there needs to be somebody there who can handle the transactional side,” Naser adds.

The changes are being driven by the introduction of a number of laws and regulations, covering property and local and international investment.

“We have actually seen a reduction in service charges since the Strata Law was introduced and there are more transactions as a result. Also investors can actually see a difference with regards to the development they live in or have invested in,” Naser observes, further commenting that the impact on the market has been “fantastic”.

It was whilst working for Bangash Holdings that Naser had his first opportunity to be involved in the development of Dubai’s new real estate legislation; restructuring the JOPD

ABOVE: Ammad Naser.

News

XXXXXXXX CAREER LADDER | XXXXXXXXXX | Ammad Naser

prior to obtaining disclosure for his client.

As opposed to outsourcing the work, it was decided to keep the work in house, thus providing Naser opportunity to draft and prepare all documentation required by RERA. Recalling the work was “stressful”, he says the regulations introduced by the body are integral to the continuous improvement of investor confidence.

“It will take time and personally I think it will be about five years before the market sees a steady incline; not to the same levels as pre2008, but I do see Dubai in five to ten years time at the same levels as New York and Paris, where you always have an increment in the prices and values of properties,” he predicts, saying the upturn in the market will be completely dependent on new laws, specifically to protect investors.

“The trust account was a fantastic move, albeit a little late, but these sorts of small nuances are helping the market regain its traction,” he continues.

Criticism of Dubai law has been levied from all corners; but mostly disgruntled investors and overseas business people, but Naser responds: “One thing everybody has to remember is that Dubai’s legal system is still in its early stages.

The powers that be realise new laws need to be implemented and it will be a slow process.

“It’s not a case of not wanting to evolve, they want to become the hub of business trading in the Middle East, the next Singapore or New York, and it will get there,” he adds.

Dubai bug

Born and raised in Manchester, UK, Naser initially studied accountancy and finance before realising that his interests lay in law. A graduate of the University of Central Lancashire, Naser’s career began with a voluntary internship at Wolstenholmes, south Manchester, which then led to three and a half years’ paid work with the firm, during which time Naser worked his way through the ranks to the position of non-executive, associate director.

Naser has also acted as external counsel for Main Finance, HBOS and Santander where independent counsel was required in addition to the lawyers working on transactions. Naser recalls that is was after this he “caught the Dubai bug”.

“To be honest with you, even at law school

I didn’t see myself finishing my career in the UK. I wanted to move abroad, take the skills I had honed in the UK and export them to a place like Dubai that was and still is growing as a legal entity,” he says.

Now that Dubai is his home, Naser says the best opportunity is to be involved in the development of the Emirate’s laws and has completed the DEIR owner association management programme, since moving to Dubai in order to gain the bigger picture overview of how various legislations interlink.

“The laws that are being implemented at the moment in regards to the protection of investors have actually been emailed across to all lawyers through West Law providing a medium for them to pass comments.

“For a lawyer it’s fantastic to have that involvement because you can actually have a say in the laws that are being created, whereas if you are back in the UK, it’s all done much higher in the echelons of government and by the lobbyists that are dealing with the laws that are being passed,” he concludes.

“Disputes unfortunately are always going to be there because of what happened in 2008, but because there is now more movement on the transactional side, and with foreign investments coming in to buy distressed projects, there needs to be somebody there who can handle the transactional side“ CAREER Close up Head of Real Estate - The Legal Group, Dubai Ammad specialises in legislative and regulatory issues for investors, owners and developers particularly advising on the 2007 Jointly Owned Property Law or Strata Law. He advises Owners Associations and managers on mixed use, sub division, acquisition, sale and compliance with Strata legislation. Ammad also focuses on portfolio management, acquisitions and sales, contract drafting and negotiation.

Associate Director – Bangash Holdings, Dubai In house legal director responsible for all legal and commercial contracts for parent and associated companies, reporting to the Board Property Lawyer – Ross Coates, Solicitors, UK Property solicitor representing UK corporate and private clients on commercial and residential property transactions.

Property Lawyer – Wolstenholmes LLP, Solicitors, UK Real estate solicitor acting for national & international investors on commercial & residential transactions, advised lenders such as HBOS plc, Santander (UK) plc and Blemain Finance plc on high value development facilities.

ABOVE: Henrik Ulrich.

www.thebigprojectme.com | 47

Passive fire protection

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INTUMEX速 sealants, seal, collars, mortar and more.

AUDAX-Keck GmbH Germany Phone +49 70 51/16 25-0 fire@audax.de www.renitherm.com

Saving time for more safety!

Saudi Arabia Project name King Khalid International Airport Expansion Project

Territory Saudi Arabia Client General Authority of Civil Aviation - GACA (Saudi Arabia) Address Bin Malek Street, Old Airport Area City Jeddah Postal/zip 21421 Country Saudi Arabia Phone (+966-2) 640 5000 Fax (+966-2) 640 1477 Web http://www.gaca.gov.sa Email gaca-info@gaca.gov.sa Description Status New Tender Remarks This project is in Northern Region of Saudi Arabia. The complex will have academic and clinical centres, as well as research centre, office buildings, service station and car parking. Client has invited companies to submit bids by March 12, 2012 for the project management contract on this scheme.

US’ Hill International has been awarded the project management consultancy (PMC) contract on this scheme.

Tender categories Construction & Contracting, Airport

Project name MixedUse Development Project - Obhur District

Territory Saudi Arabia Client Rayadah Investment Company (Saudi Arabia) City Riyadh Postal/zip 11564 Country Saudi Arabia Phone (+966-1) 205 9911 Fax (+966-1) 205 9922 Web http://www.raid.com.sa Email info@raid.com.sa Description Design and construction of a 2.4 million square metre mixed-use development in Obhur, which includes (240 Nos.) residential towers, (1,200 Nos.) villas, a five-star hotel, hospital, clinics, mosques, commercial district, schools and municipal buildings.

Status New Tender Remarks This project is at Jeddah in Saudi Arabia. Client has received prequalification entries for an infrastructure package on the residential scheme and is planning to issue tender documents for the contract

by July 2012. Local office of KEO International Consultants has been appointed as the project manager on this development.

Client has invited contractors to submit bids for the first infrastructure and

earthworks package on this scheme.

Client has set a deadline of August 13, 2012 for the tender. Local Saud Consult has been appointed as the infrastructure consultant on this scheme.

Infrastructure Consultant Saudi Consulting Services (SaudConsult) - Saudi Arabia Project Manager KEO International Consultants (Saudi Arabia) Tender categories Construction & Contracting, Hotels, Medical & Healthcare

Project name Riyadh Monorail Project

Territory Saudi Arabia Client High Commission for the Development of ArRiyadh City Riyadh 11614 Country Saudi Arabia Phone (+966-1) 488 3331 Fax (+966-1) 482 9331 Web http://www.arriyadh.com Email info@arriyadh.com Description Construction of monorail system with six main routes covering a total length of about 175-kilometre in Riyadh.

Remarks This project is in Saudi Arabia.

The network will be the backbone of the public transport system in Riyadh, covering densely populated areas in the city center, government facilities, commercial centers and link to King Khalid International Airport, King Abdullah Financial Districts and major universities. It will relieve pressure on the roads and also ease traffic congestion, especially during peak hours. It will use state-of- the–art technology to help its integration with a network of buses and other modes of transport. Trains will operate without driver. Air conditioning system will work both inside the trains and also at the stations. Communication system has been designed to cater people with special needs. Train stations are also designed to facilitate easy movement between train and other means of transport through public parking facilities to cars as well as supporting facilities for the network such as maintenance and warehouse stations, offices and depots for the trains and control centers.

The client is examining the bids from number of consortiums vying for a contract to implement the scheme. (391) Companies from (50) countries applied during the prequalification process. A shortlist of consortiums will be drawn-up once the prequalification process is completed.

Tender categories Public Transportation Projects

Project name MixedUse Development Project - Obhur District Territory Saudi Arabia

Client Rayadah Investment Company (Saudi Arabia) City Riyadh 11564 Phone (+966-1) 205 9911 Fax (+966-1) 205 9922 Web http://www.raid.com.sa Email info@raid.com.sa Description Design and construction of a 2.4 million square metre mixed-use development in Obhur, which includes (240 Nos.) residential towers, (1,200 Nos.) villas, a five-star hotel, hospital, clinics, mosques, commercial district, schools and municipal buildings.

Status New Tender Remarks This project is at Jeddah in Saudi Arabia. Client has received prequalification entries for an infrastructure package on the residential scheme and is planning to issue tender documents for the contract

by July 2012. Local office of KEO International Consultants has been appointed as the project manager on this development.

Client has invited contractors to submit bids for the first infrastructure and earthworks package on this scheme.

Client has set a deadline of August 13, 2012 for the tender. Local Saud Consult has been appointed as the infrastructure consultant on this scheme.

Infrastructure Consultant Saudi Consulting Services (SaudConsult) - Saudi Arabia Project Manager KEO International Consultants (Saudi Arabia) Tender categories Construction & Contracting, Hotels, Medical & Healthcare

Project name Umm Waal Phosphate Mine Development Project

Territory Saudi Arabia Client Saudi Arabian Mining Company (MAADEN) City Riyadh 11537 Postal/zip Country Saudi Arabia Phone (+966-1) 874 8000 Fax (+966-1) 874 8300 Web http://www.maaden.com.sa Email info@maaden.com.sa Description Engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract for the development of Umm Waal phosphate mine including construction of 10 plants to produce 16-million tonnes a year (t/y) of phosphate concentrate, sulphuric acid, phosphoric acid, calcium mono-phosphate and calcium diphosphate.

Status New Tender

Budget $5,600,000,000 Remarks Client is planning to increase its phosphate production through the

exploration of new mining reserves at Al Khabra mining deposit in Umm Waal near North East Tarif in Saudi Arabia.

Project will cover an area of 150 square kilometres and it would add 1.5-milliomn t/y of phosphorous oxide to clients planned phosphate capacity. Measured reserves o the mine are estimated at 234-million tons of phosphate with low heavy metal content. It include construction of (10) production plants, 7 of which will be built in Waad El Shammal Industrial City and 3 will be built in Ras Al Khair. Client is carrying out an in-house pre-feasibility study on this scheme.

Project completion is expected in the fourth quarter of 2016.

Client has appointed UK’s HSBC to act as financial adviser on this scheme. Project is expected to start production in late 2016 and banks are expected to be approached to finance the scheme in 2013.

FEED Consultant Jacobs Engineering (Saudi Arabia) Financial Consultant HSBC Ltd. (Saudi Arabia) Project Manager Jacobs Engineering (Saudi Arabia) Tender categories Industrial & Special Projects

Project name King Abdulaziz International Airport Expansion Project Territory Saudi Arabia Client General Authority of Civil Aviation - GACA (Saudi Arabia) Address Bin Malek Street, Old Airport Area City Jeddah Postal/zip 21421 Country Saudi Arabia Phone (+966-2) 640 5000 Fax (+966-2) 640 1477 Web http://www.gaca.gov.sa Email gaca-info@gaca.gov.sa Description Expansion of King Abdulaziz International Airport involving construction of two new passenger terminals, passenger gangways, car parks, etc.

Budget $7,200,000,000 Remarks This project is in Jeddah. Scope of work includes construction of two new passenger terminals, refurbishment of the existing terminal, a new concourse with 25 contact gates, three connector buildings, additional parking facilities and a new access road. The upgrade of both landside and airside infrastructure and utilities is also planned. The expansion will relieve growing pressure on KAIA and will also push capacity from 13 million to 21 million passengers a year. The client is expected to issue an international tender in early 2002 for the contract. Work is

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Design Consultant Aeroports de Paris AdP (France) Financial Consultant International Finance Corporation - IFC (USA) Financial Consultant-1 Gulf International Bank - GIB (Bahrain) Main Consultant Khatib & Alami Consolidated Engineering Company (Saudi Arabia) Master Plan Consultant Netherlands Airport Consultants - NACO (Netherlands) Project Manager Dar Al Handasah (Shair & Partners) - Saudi Arabia Specialist Consultant-1 Hill International Middle East Ltd. (Saudi Arabia) Contractors Almabani General Contractors (Saudi Arabia), Saudi Binladin Group (Saudi Arabia), Aquatech International Corporation (USA), WTD (Italy), Huta-Sete Marine Works Ltd. (Saudi Arabia), Al-Shaer Engineering (Saudi Arabia), Bong Kyung Construction Company Ltd. (Saudi Arabia), Consolidated Contractors International Company - CCC (Saudi Arabia), Saudi Oger Limited (Saudi Arabia) Specialist Contractor-1 Lakesmere Ltd. (UK) Tender categories Water Works, Roads, Bridges & Infrastructure, Airport, Sewerage & Drainage, Power Plants & Alternative Energy, Communications/ Telecommunications, Construction & Contracting

Project name Apron Construction Project King Khalid International Airport

Territory Saudi Arabia Client General Authority of Civil Aviation - GACA (Saudi Arabia) Address Bin Malek Street, Old Airport Area City Bin Malek Street, Old Airport Area Country Saudi Arabia Phone (+966-2) 640 5000 Fax (+966-2) 640 1477 Web http://www.gaca.gov.sa Email gaca-info@gaca.gov.sa Description Construction of a new apron at King Khalid International Airport.

Status Current Project

Budget $60,000,000 Remarks This project is in Riyadh. Scope of work involves construction of an apron at the existing Terminal 3 and the future Terminal 4. Terminal 3 is currently used for domestic flights by national carrier Saudi Arabian Airlines and budget airlines Sama Air and Nas Air. The contract is part of an overall expansion plan for Riyadh airport. This expansion is expected to increase the airport's annual capacity to

about 24 million passengers from the current 14 million. It is understood that bids have been submitted for the main construction contract. Local Al-Mabani General Contractors has submitted the lowest bid of $58.5 million. Other bidders include a joint venture of Turkey's TAV and local Al-Arrab Contracting at $76 million; local Unimac at $60 million; local Shibh Al-Jazira at $73 million; local Al-Khodari at $91 million; and local AlYamama, with Nassir Hazza al-Subaei at $75 million. Evaluation of bids is expected to take about two months before the contract is awarded. Netherlands Airport Consultants (Naco) is acting as the consultant on this scheme.

Local Al-Mabani General Contractors has been awarded an estimated $58.5-million main contract on this scheme.

Main Consultant Netherlands Airport Consultants - NACO (Netherlands) Main Contractor Al-Mabani General Contractors (Saudi Arabia) Tender categories Construction & Contracting, Airport

Project name King Khalid International Airport Expansion Project

Territory Saudi Arabia Client General Authority of Civil Aviation - GACA (Saudi Arabia) Address Bin Malek Street, Old Airport Area City Jeddah Postal/zip 21421 Country Saudi Arabia Phone (+966-2) 640 5000 Fax (+966-2) 640 1477 Web http://www.gaca.gov.sa Email gaca-info@gaca.gov.sa Description Carrying out expansion of King Khalid International Airport.

Remarks This airport is located about 35 kilometres North of Riyadh in Saudi Arabia.

Expansion will increase the airport’s annual capacity to about 24 million passengers from the current 14 million. Scope of work involves construction of a new terminal, Terminal 5, including renovation of the existing Terminal 3 and Terminal 4, as well as adding (4) new concourses – A, B, C and D. Preliminary studies and design work for this development has been completed.

Construction is expected to commence within six months and completed by November 2013. Client has invited companies to submit bids for the project management consultancy (PMC) contract on this scheme. Firms have until June 16, 2012 to submit bids.

At least seven groups have been submitted bids for the project management consultancy (PMC) contract on this scheme. US’ Parsons International is understood to be submitted the lowest price of $72-million for the contract. Other bidders and prices include: US’ Aecom submitted a price of $76-million South Korea’s Incheon International Airport Corporation submitted $76-million US’ Hill International submitted

$77-million US’ Parsons Brinckerhoff submitted $84-million Lebanon’s Dar Al Handasa submitted $89-million UK’s Halcrow / US’ CH2M Hill / Bahrain’s Projacs submitted $93-million.

Tender categories Construction & Contracting, Airport

Project name Medina International Airport Expansion Project - Phase 1

Territory Saudi Arabia Client General Authority of Civil Aviation - GACA (Saudi Arabia) Address Bin Malek Street, Old Airport Area City Jeddah Postal/zip 21421 Country Saudi Arabia Phone (+966-2) 640 5000 Fax (+966-2) 640 1477 Web http://www.gaca.gov.sa Email gaca-info@gaca.gov.sa Description Expansion of Medina International Airport to develop airside and landside facilities, including the construction of a new terminal with capacity of 14 million passengers a year, renovation of an existing runway and construction of a second runway.

Budget $1,500,000,000 Remarks This project is in Saudi Arabia.

It will be developed in two phases on a public-private partnership (PPP) basis.

The airport currently handles about 3.5 million passengers a year. Later expansion plans involve the construction of a new passenger terminal, the renovation of existing runway, the possible construction of a second runway. Client has prequalified eight consortiums to bid for the main contract. They include: - South Africa's Airports Company - Turkey's YDA, Spain's Aena Desarrollo Internacional and OHL - Badr Consortium comprising local Integrated Transportation Company, South Korea's Incheon International Airport Corporation, Central Japan International Airport and South Korea's Samsung.

- Local Saudi Binladin Group, France's Aeroports de Paris and Bouygues.

- The Saudi airplex consortium comprising local El-Seif Engineering, Canada's MMM Group, US' Airport Development Corporation & Houston Airport System and UAE's Emirates NBD. - Turkey's Limak Investment, India's GMR Infrastructure and Turkey's Mapa Construction.

- The Tibah consortium comprising Turkey's TAV, local Saudi Oger, Al Rajhi Holding Group and Athens-based Consolidated Contractors Company.

- The Saudi-Malaysian consortium comprising local Bakri International Energy Company, Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad, local Almabani General

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Contractors, Italy's Impregilo and local/ Malaysian Riyad Bank. The International Finance Corporation, part of Washingtonbased World Bank, has been appointed as the financial and legal advisor.

It is understood that key documents has been signed with banks and investors. The documents included the build, transfer and operate agreement (BTOA) and direct credit agreement with banks that are to finance the project.

New airport will have a capacity to accommodate eight million passengers in the first phase, which will be ready in three years. The capacity will be increased by 12-million in the second phase, which will be completed in 2020.

TAV Airports Holding Company has reached financial close on this scheme.

The deal has been financed by the local National Commercial Bank (NCB), SABB and Arab National Bank after Japan’s Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation pulled out of the deal in the final stages.

NCB is the largest lender to the project, and also acted as documentation bank.

Financial Consultant International Finance Corporation - IFC (Saudi Arabia) Main Contractor TAV Airports Holding Company (Turkey) Main Contractor-1 Saudi Oger Limited (Saudi Arabia) Main Contractor-1 Al Rajhi Saudi Group (Saudi Arabia) Tender categories Roads, Bridges & Infrastructure, Construction & Contracting, Airport Tender products

UAE Project name Khalifa Port & Industrial Zone Project - Phase 1

Territory Abu Dhabi Client Abu Dhabi Ports Company (ADPC) Address Mina Zayed City Abu Dhabi Country United Arab Emirates Phone (+971-2) 673 0600 / 673 2600 / 673 0051 Fax (+971-2) 673 1023 / 697 5174 Web http://www.portzayed.gov.ae Email minazayd@emirates.net.ae Description Construction of Khalifa Port & Industrial Zone comprising a container handling terminal and piers to handle raw and bulk cargo, as well as an industrial area serving basic and heavy industries.

Budget $7,000,000,000 Remarks This project will be located near Taweelah in Abu Dhabi. It will be built on a public-private partnership basis. The scheme will eventually replace Mina Zayed port, which will in turn be

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used for real estate. The project will eventually have capacity of 8 million 20-foot equivalent units (TEUs), 8 million tonnes a year (t/y) of break bulk and 15 million t/y of bulk cargo. It will be made up of an eight-square-kilometre offshore port, connected to the mainland by a 4.5-kilometre-long causeway.

A new authority, the Committee for the Restructuring of Abu Dhabi Port Sector, is overseeing this project. The authority includes representatives from Abu Dhabi Seaport Authority, Mubadala Development Company and the Higher Corporation for Specialised Economic Zones.

It is understood that client has announced the arrival of first ever commercial container vessel to call at the Khalifa Port, which is schedule to open on September 01, 2012. The vessel Ever Dynamic from Evergreen Line sailed from Shanghai and reached port on July 18, 2012.

Design Consultant Halcrow International Partnership (Abu Dhabi) Financial Consultant HSBC Bank Middle East Limited (Abu Dhabi) Financial Consultant-1 National Bank of Abu Dhabi Master Plan Consultant Han Padron Associates (Dubai) Master Plan Consultant-1 GHD Global Pty. Ltd. (Abu Dhabi) Project Manager Bechtel (International) Company Limited (Abu Dhabi) Specialist Consultant-1 Injazat Data Systems (Dubai) Specialist Consultant-2 Arcadis Gulf (Abu Dhabi) Specialist Consultant-3 EC Harris International Limited (Abu Dhabi) Aluminium Products Supplier Alumco L.L.C (Dubai) Cables Supplier Tratos Group (Italy) CCTV & Access Control Systems Supplier Al Jaber GIS Establishment (Abu Dhabi) Communication Systems & Equipment Supplier Al Jaber GIS Establishment (Abu Dhabi) Crane Supplier Konecranes Plc (Finland) Electrical Contractor Larsen & Toubro Ltd. (Abu Dhabi) Main Contractor Archirodon Construction (Overseas) Company - Abu Dhabi Main Contractors Boskalis Westminster Middle East Ltd. (Abu Dhabi), Hyundai Engineering & Construction Company Limited (Abu Dhabi), Ed Zublin AG (Abu Dhabi), Al Jaber Transport & General Contracting Establishment (Abu Dhabi)

Project name Restless Planet Theme Park Project - City of Arabia Development - Dubailand

Territory Dubai Client I & M Galadari Group (Dubai) Address 10th Floor, Capricorn Tower, Sheikh Zayed Road City Dubai Country United Arab Emirates

Phone (+971-4) 331 1022 Fax (+971-4) 332 2311 Web http://www.imgaladari.com Email info@imgaladari.com Description Development of Restless Planet Theme Park comprising a fully air-conditioned indoor resort and theme park, including three rides and more than (100) life-like, real-size robotic dinosaurs.

Budget $165,000,000 Remarks This project will form a part of City of Arabia development, located adjacent to Global Village in Dubailand, off Emirates Road. The park will cover an area of approximately 0.5 million square feet (including a 90-metre-high translucent dome) of which built-up area will be about 42,000 square metres.

Thirty-four species of dinosaurs will be on display and be able to move, roar and walk. Invitation to bid for the main contract is expected in May 2007. An award for the main contract is anticipated

by December 2007, with construction expected to commence in January 2008. Bidders for the piling contract include Bauer, Swissboring, Middle East Foundations and local NSCC. An award is expected shortly. The package, worth $80 million, will take six months to complete and involve the sinking of 26,500 piles covering a 20 million square feet area.

Dubai-based Palmer & Turner Architects (P&T) is acting as the engineering and design consultant. Japan's Kokoro Company will construct the dinosaur replicas. US' Jack Rouse Associates is acting as project manager for the theme park. Local Wade Adams Contracting has commenced grading and excavation works. Completion is expected by the beginning of June 2005.

The client is busy with advanced negotiations for the piling contract.

Local Middle East Foundations is the front-runner. Specifications for the piling contract have been modified, with reduction of the number of piles from 26,500 to 16,000.

It is understood that work on this scheme has been restarted. Project completion is expected in December 2013.

Tender categories Leisure & Entertainment, Construction & Contracting, Agriculture & Irrigation

Project name Bu Hassa, Bab & Thamamma Pipeline Construction Project

Territory Abu Dhabi Client Abu Dhabi Gas Industries Limited (GASCO) Address Tower H, Corniche, Near Al Ain Palace Hotel City Abu Dhabi Phone (+971-2) 603 0000 Fax (+971-2) 603 7414 Web http://www.gasco.ae Email info@gasco.ae Description Engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract to build a 50-kilometre, 24 inch in diameter

pipeline linking Bu Hassa, Bab and Thamamma.

Status New Tender Remarks This project is at Habshan in Abu Dhabi. Invitation to Bid (ITB) for the EPC contract is expected to be issued by the end of July 2012, with an award expected in the first quarter of 2013.

Project completion is expected in the first quarter of 2014.

Tender categories Gas Processing & Distribution

Project name Expansion Joints - Dubai International Airport Expansion (Phase II)

Territory Dubai Client Al-Jaber L.E.G.T Engineering & Contracting - ALEC (Dubai) Address 3rd Floor, Bldg. 1, Dubai Industrial City, Emirates Road City Dubai Country United Arab Emirates Phone (+971-4) 429 0599 Fax (+971-4) 429 0216 Web http://www.alec.ae Email dubaioffice@alec.ae Description Procurement and construction of Expansion Joints, including all backing; priming; metal strips; accessories and protections of works as per the tender drawings and in accordance with the applicable specifications and within the designated timeframe, as part of an international airport expansion project.

Status Current Project Remarks This tender is in pre-qualification stage - Package Ref. No. AX124/DOM16.

The project is part of the continuing development of Dubai International Airport expansion (Phase II). Local Al Jaber L.E.G.T Engineering & Contracting LLC (ALEC), being the Main Contractor for construction, completion and maintenance of the civil, architectural, MEP, SAS and signage works of Concourse 3 at Dubai International Airport, has invited interested specialist sub-contractors to pre-qualify for this package, which will form part of the Main Contractor Scope of Works. The new Concourse 3 is to accommodate 20 Aircraft Contact Gates, out of which 18 are for A-380, in addition to 6 gates for Remote Stands. The footprint of Concourse 3 is 90 metres wide and 645 metres long, and its built-up area is approximately 528,000 square metres, including in addition to the arrivals and departure floors, Emirates Airline lounges, four and five-star hotels, and a large Duty Free shopping area. Interested Sub-contractors must have the necessary capacity and experience of undertaking the above works on this project. The Subcontractor will be appointed by the Main Contractor (ALEC). The selected Subcontractor will be required to co-ordinate his works with the Main Contractor and other Associated Contractors and Subcontractors. In order to be considered for participation, applicants are to provide a fully completed Pre-qualification Questionnaire for assessment. Applicants are requested to attend a pre-

qualification briefing, which will be held on June 25, 2009 at 11am in the Site Office (Marrakech St) where the necessary documents will be issued and explained.

Any queries shall be directed to: The procurement Manager, ALEC L.L.C E-mail: prequal@alec.ae Applicants must submit in person 4 hard copies and 4 CD copies of their prequalification documents to: Project Procurement Manager, ALEC Site Office, Marrakech Street, Dubai, UAE. Local Al Naboodah Contracting has been awarded the main contract on this scheme.

Main Consultant Aeroports de Paris International - ADPi (Dubai) Main Contractor Al Naboodah Contracting Company L.L.C. (Dubai) MEP Contractor Emirates Trading Agency L.L.C. - ETA-Ascon (Dubai) Tender categories Construction & Contracting, Airport

Project name Alumina Refinery Project

Client Mubadala Development Company - MDC (Abu Dhabi) Address Mubadala Development Company - MDC (Abu Dhabi) City Abu Dhabi Country United Arab Emirates Phone (+971-2) 413 0000 Fax (+971-2) 413 0001 Web http://www.mubadala.ae Description Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) contract to build an alumina refinery with capacity of at least 1.5 million tonnes a year (t/y).

Status New Tender

Budget $1,500,000,000 Remarks This project will be build next to the Emirates Aluminium (Emal) Smelter at Taweelah in Abu Dhabi and will be the first upstream aluminium plant of its type to be built in the UAE. Client has received bids from international engineering consultancies to conduct a feasibility study on this scheme.

Engineering consultancies that have bid on the scheme include: US’ Bechtel, Flour Corporation; Canada’s Hatch, SNC Lavalin; France’s Technip and Australia’s WorleyParsons. Project is still in early stage, exact scope of the work has not yet been formulated.

Canada’s Hatch and SNC Lavalin have been appointed to carry out feasibility studies on this scheme. The two engineering firms will carry out separate studies for the project, with Hatch looking at the core technology and SNC Lavalin responsible for other proponents such as utilities and offsites. Separate studies will be conducted over the coming months and when the studies are completed a decision regarding the scheme will be made.

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Specialist Consultant-1 Hatch (Abu Dhabi) Specialist Consultant-2 SNC-Lavalin International Inc. (Abu Dhabi)

Project name Fujairah Oil Refinery Project

Territory Northern Emirates

Budget $1,400,000,000 Client International Petroleum Investment Company - IPIC (Abu Dhabi) Phone (+971-2) 633 6555 Fax (+971-2) 633 6555 Web http://www.ipic.ae Description Construction of a refinery consisting eight reservoirs to store crude oil in Fujairah.

Status New Tender Remarks This project is in United Arab Emirates (UAE). It will have (8) reservoirs, each with capacity to accommodate over 8-million barrels of oil. Client is planning to conduct technical and technological studies to set up the biggest oil refinery in the region. Work on this scheme is expected to commence in the second half of 2013.

Project name Reem Diamond Tower Project Shams Abu Dhabi - Al Reem Island Development

Client Sorouh Real Estate (Abu Dhabi) Address Abu Dhabi Mall, 5th Floor, East Tower, Tourist Club Area City Abu Dhabi Country United Arab Emirates Phone (+971-2) 444 0006 / 697 8888 Fax (+971-2) 444 0066 Web http://www.sorouh.com Email customerservices@sorouh.com Description Design and construction of 12-storey Reem Diamond Tower, including duplex and penthouse, two basement roofs and associated facilities such as swimming pool, Jacuzzi and smart home systems.

Status Current Project Remarks This project will be located at Sector 6, Plot No. S6-C05 at Shams Abu Dhabi in Al-Reem Island development.

The tower will have a height of 39.67 metres. The plot is being developed by local Smartwill Asia Ltd. a subsidiary of Hong Kong’s Chun Wo Development Holdings Ltd.. Abu Dhabi-based Chun Wo Building Construction Ltd. has been awarded the main contract to carry out this scheme. Local Meera Engineering Consultancy is acting as the main consultant. Hong Kong’s Leigh & Orange is the main architect. It is understood that parking and ground level work has been completed. Formwork is in progress.It is understood that level 5-construction work has been completed.

It is understood that level-9 construction work is currently underway on this scheme Main Architect Leigh & Orange (L&O) Ltd. (Hong Kong) Main Consultant Meera Engineering Consultancy Bureau (Abu Dhabi) Main Contractor Chun Wo Building Construction Ltd. (Abu Dhabi) Tender categories Leisure & Entertainment, Construction & Contracting

Project name Ras Al Khaimah International Airport Expansion Project

Budget $50,000,000 Client Department of Civil Aviation (Ras Al Khaimah) City Ras Al Khaimah Country United Arab Emirates Phone (+971-7) 244 9111 Fax (+971-7) 244 8861 Web http://www.rakdca.com Email dcaservice@rakdca.com Description Carrying out expansion of Ras Al Khaimah International Airport involving the installation of flight information display system (FIDS), a new cargo hangar covering an area of 600 square metres, landscaping, renovation of VIP and passenger boarding halls, the arrival hall, expansion of the duty free area, including modernisation of air navigation equipment and runway.

Design Consultant Aeroports de Paris International - ADPi (Abu Dhabi) Main Architect Khatib & Alami Consolidated Engineering Company (Dubai) Main Contractor Siemens L.L.C. (Abu Dhabi) Main Contractor-1 Al Hamra Construction Company (Ras Al Khaimah) Status Current Project Remarks This project is in Ras Al Khaimah. The scheme is part of an overall 20-year master plan for the airport.

Tender categories Construction & Contracting, Airport, Roads, Bridges & Infrastructure

Iraq Project name Basra Power & Steel Plant Project

Client State Company for Iron & Steel (Iraq) City Al Basra Country Iraq Phone (+964-770) 904 5628 Web http://www.steel-iraq.com Email steelbasra@yahoo.com Description Construction of a power and steel plant in Basra.

Status New Tender

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Budget $3,000,000,000 Remarks This project is in Iraq. Client is planning to build the integrated power and steel complex in two or three phases, with the first phase costing $730-million, including a 500MW gas-thermal power plant and electric furnace. The power plant will supply 300MW to the steel mill and rest to the city of Basra. Ministry of Industry & Minerals is currently evaluating the seven bids to build the scheme. The bidders are from Turkey, Korea, Italy and German- Egyptian consortium, with the Turkish bid is understood to be most likely to win the scheme. An award will be announced before December 2012 and work on plant construction will commence in early 2013.

Tender categories Industrial & Special Projects, Power Plants & Alternative Energy

Project name Zubair - Fao Field Onshore Gas Pipeline Project

Client South Oil Company (Iraq) Address South Oil Company Complex, Bab Al Zubair Area City Basrah Phone (+964-40) 319 310 Web http://www.soc-basrah.com Email info@soc-basrah.com Description Lump sum turnkey (LSTK) engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract to build a 105-kilometre-long, 18-inch-diameter onshore carbon steel gas pipeline to transport 100 million cubic feet a day of gas from Zubair field to the Fao field.

Status New Tender

Budget $150,000,000 Remarks This project is in Iraq. Scope of work involves construction of an onshore pipeline, including: - Execution of a 10-metre-wide service road along the pipeline route.

- Dredging of pipeline route.

- Welding and boring procedure for the road, railway and cable crossings.

- Excavations of the pipeline trench.

- Hydrostatic testing and creating collaboration between the Zubair and Fao fields.

- Tie-in works with the Zubair and Fao depots.

Invitation to bid (ITB) has been issued for the EPC contract.

It is understood that the client has issued another re-tender for the EPC contract on this scheme. This is the sixth re-tender for the deal. At least seven firms have been submitted the technical proposals in early May 2012. Some of the bidders include: Italy’s Saipem and Dubai-based Dodsal.

Commercial proposals are duel on July 22, 2012. Construction work is expected

to take (10) months.

Tender categories Gas Processing & Distribution

Project name Crude Oil Production Facilities Rehabilitation Project Majnoon

Budget $100,000,000 Territory Iraq Client Shell Group (Netherlands) Address 5201 AN The Hague Country Netherlands Phone (+31-70) 377 9111 Description Carrying out rehabilitation of crude oil processing facilities at Majnoon Oilfield.

Status Current Project Remarks This project is in Iraq. Client has invited companies to submit proposals for the rehabilitation of crude oil processing facilities. In addition to rehabilitation work, the contractor will debottleneck the two degassing stations to increase the capacity to 120,000 b/d.

There are currently (12) producing wells, some of which will require work-over to improve their technical integrity.

The existing facilities do not have a functional emergency shutdown system.

The facilities will be integrated into new central processing facilities. Client had invited five engineering and construction firms in May 2012 to submit bids for the construction deal, they include: India’s Punj Lloyd, Dubai-based Dodsal; Italy’s Saipem; Athens-based Consolidated Construction Company and Turkey’s Enka.

UK’s Petrofac has been awarded the engineering, procurement, construction and management (EPCM) deal and has carried out the engineering studies and detailed designs.

Main Contractor Petrofac International (UK) Tender categories Oilfields & Refineries

Kuwait Project name Kuwait Metro Project

Territory Kuwait Client Partnerships Technical Bureau (Kuwait) Address Touristic Enterprises Co. Bldg., 2nd Floor, Al-Jahra Street City Shuwaikh Country Kuwait Phone (+965) 2496 5901 Web http://www.ptb.gov.kw Email infor@ptb.gov.kw Description Implementation of Kuwait Metro scheme spanning more than 160 kilometres comprising (69) stations Budget $7,000,000,000 Status New Tender

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Remarks This project is in Kuwait.

Line 1 will connect Kuwait's southern metropolitan area with the centre and also run through the main university, a total of 25.8 kilometres. Line 2 will contain 25 stations along 20.9 kilometres and connect the main business district with the main residential areas of Salmiya and Hawally. Line 3 will be 18.5 kilometres and connect the city to Kuwait International Airport and connect residential areas and Shuwaikh Industrial Zone. 65% of the network will be underground. Spain's Ingenieria y Consultoria S.A is expected to complete feasibility by the end of January 2008. A conference will be held in January 2008 or February 2008 inviting all interested parties to consider the study's findings.

After the conference, the operator Kuwait Overland Transport Union - will begin planning a tendering process.

Financial Consultant Ernst & Young (Kuwait) Legal Consultant Ashurst Morris Crisp (UK) Master Plan Consultant Atkins & Partners Overseas (Kuwait) Master Plan Consultant-1 Parsons Brinckerhoff Middle East Ltd. (Kuwait) Master Plan Consultant-2 Gulf Consult (Kuwait) Specialist Consultant-1 Kuwait Technical Consultant Bureau (KTCB) Specialist Consultant-2 Al Dashti International Group General Trading & Contracting Company (Kuwait) Technical Consultant Atkins & Partners Overseas (Kuwait) Tender categories Industrial & Special Projects, Public Transportation Projects, Tender products

Qatar Project name Laffan Refinery Expansion Project

Territory Qatar Client Qatar Petroleum (QP) Phone (+974) 4440 2000 Fax (+974) 4483 1125/ 4449 1400/ 4483 1995 Web http://www.qp.com.qa Email contracts.services@qp.com.qa Description Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) contract for expansion of Laffan Refinery, which currently processes 140,000 barrels a day (b/d) of condensates

Project name Abraj Towers Project - Abraj Quartier Development

Client United Development Company q.s.c. (UDC) - Qatar Address 6th Floor, Office No. 62, Al Fardan Centre, Grand Hamad Street City Doha Country Qatar Phone (+974) 436 1542

Fax (+974) 435 5219 Web http://www.udcqatar.com Email info@udcqatar.com Description Construction of (2 Nos.) 40-story Abraj Towers.

Design Consultant Webb Zerafa Menkes Housden (Canada) Status Remarks This project will be located at Abraj Quartier Development on Pearl Qatar real estate in Qatar. Client has invited contractors to submit bids for the main contract on this scheme. It has set a submission deadline for the first tower on August 05, 2012 and for the other tower is on August 13, 2012. Canada’s Webb Zerafa Menkes Housden (WZMH) is acting as the design consultant.

Budget $1,000,000,000 Remarks This refinery is located in the north of Qatar. The 140,000-b/d refinery started production in September 2009 and is Qatar's first to process condensates. The proposed expansion would make it one of the largest condensate refineries in the world.

The scheme will enable the complex to process 147,000 b/d of condensate from North Field into liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), naphtha, kerosene and gas-oil. It is understood that the client has entered into talks with French oil major Total over plans to expand this refinery. Total already has a 10% stake in the Laffan Refinery Company joint venture along with US' ExxonMobil and four Japanese firms - Cosmo Oil Idemitsu, Marubeni Corporation and Mitsui. A tender for the EPC contract is expected to be launched in second half of 2012. France's Technip is currently working on the front-end engineering and design (FEED), which is expected to be completed in early 2012.

Client has invited companies to submit bids for the EPC contract on this scheme.

It is expected to select a contractor for the condensate facility within two months.

FEED Consultant Technip (Qatar) Tender categories Gas Processing & Distribution, Oilfields & Refineries

Project name Doha RO Desalination Plant Project

Client Ministry of Electricity & Water (Kuwait) Address Ministry of Electricity & Water Bldg., South Al Surra Street, Ministries Area City Safat – 13001 Country Kuwait Phone (+965) 2537 1000 Fax (+965) 2537 1420 / 1421 / 1422 Web http://www.energy.gov.kw Email webadmin@energy.gov.kw Description Construction of a reverse osmosis (RO) desalination plant with capacity of 100 million gallons a day (g/d)

in Doha.

Remarks This project will be located in Kuwait. It will be carried out in two phases, each with a capacity of 50 million g/d. Stage one which includes construction of 50-million g/d unit in addition to the infrastructure for stage two, will be commissioned by 2016.

Phase two will be commissioned by 2017.

Client has issued request for qualification to contractors to submit statements of qualification until July 09, 2012.

It is understood that client has received (31) statements of qualification (SOQs) from contractors for the main contract on this scheme.

Tender categories Water Works

Oman Project name Gypsum Board & Plaster Board Plant Development Project

Territory Oman Client Zawawi Minerals (Oman) City Muscat Country Oman Phone (+968) 2449 3808 Web www.zawawiminerals.com Description Carrying out development of a plant with capacity to produce 8-million square metres of gypsum board a year and 200,000 tonnes a year (t/y) of Plaster of Paris.

Budget $60,000,000 Remarks This project is will be located at Salalah Free Zone in Dhofar Region in Oman. It is being implemented in joint venture with US’ USG Corporation.

Oman-office of SNR Denton is acting as the legal advisor for the scheme. The plant is being developed to meet the growing demand for USG’s building products in the Middle East and Africa.

Legal Consultant SNR Denton & Company (Oman)

Egypt Project name Nile Towers Project

Budget $153,000,000 Territory Egypt Client Saudi Egyptian Construction Company (SECON) - Egypt Address Ganaklis City Alexandria Country Alexandria Phone (+22-03) 5820699/5827011

Description Construction of 22-storey Nile Towers consisting a five-star hotel tower and a residential tower.

Status Current Project Remarks This project is in Egypt. The scheme will have a total built up area of 105,000 square metres. First tower will be a fiver star hotel managed by Hilton International, with a total of (256) rooms and the second will be for residential use and will consist (114) hotel apartments.

A joint venture of Dubai-based Arabtech Construction and local SIAC Industrial Construction & Engineering Company has been awarded the main construction contract on this scheme. Work is scheduled to commence in 2012 and completion expected in 2015.

Main Contractor Arabtec Construction L.L.C (Dubai) Main Contractor-1 SIAC Industrial Construction & Engineering Company (Egypt) Tender categories Hotels, Leisure & Entertainment, Prestige Buildings

Libya Project name Nafoora & Amal Fields Crude Oil Pipeline Construction Project

Budget $38,000,000 Territory Libya Client National Oil Corporation - NOC (Libya) Address Bashir Saadawi Street City Tripoli Country Libya Phone (+218-21) 46180 Description Construction of a 24-inch, 55-kilometre crude oil pipeline with a capacity of 100,000 barrels per day (bpd) to connect Nafoora and Amal Fields.

Status Current Project Remarks This project is in Libya.

It will connect Nafoora and Amal fields in the Sirt Basin east of Tripoli.

Germany’s Wintershall has been signed an agreement with client to build the pipeline. The 140,000 barrels a day (b/d) Nafoora filed is operated by Arabian Gulf Oil Company (AGOCO), while 30,000 b/d of Amal field is operated by Harouge Oil Operations Company. Engineering studies for the scheme has been completed. A material supply contract has been signed and first shipment of pipes has been received. Installation and construction is set to commence in August 2012.

Name of the materials supplier has not been disclosed. The pipeline is due to be handed over to the Agoco by the end of March 2013.

Main Contractor Wintershall Holding GmbH (Germany) Tender categories Oilfields & Refineries

www.thebigprojectme.com | 53

MENA PROJECTS | TenderS

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DIARY | INDUSTRY EVENTS

DIARY

AUGUST 2012

GLOBAL TRENDS

4.5% growth

in Saudi Arabia’s construction sector between 2013 – 2017

$8.8bn to be

allocated to 15 new projects, commissioned

by Saudi Energy

$240m will be

spent on 450 new villas across Saudi Arabia

$83.2m to be

invested in emergency water storage reservoirs in Muscat

120.7 MT

predicted regional cement capacity increase by 2013: A 13% increase on 2011 figures

54 | www.thebigprojectme.com

Expo Maquinas

Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil: August 1 – 4 This infrastructure machinery event is designed for professionals interested to learn about machinery and maintenance. The event runs along side Contrusul, the largest event in Southern Brazil.

Construsul

Porto Alegre, Rio Grand Do Sul: August 1 – 4 The largest event in south Brazil , this event is for retailers and buyers of building materials and an important event for the housing sector and construction technology.

Break Bulk Africa

Southern Sun Cape Town, South Africa: August 7 – 8 Speakers will address the barriers to trade and transportation challenges for South Africa; one of the world’s most significant breakbulk/heavy-lift markets. New capital projects, port and rail productivity, coastal shipping and anti-fraud best practices, will also be discussed.

Sontha Veedu Expo

KPK Rathnabai Mahal, Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu, India: August 10 – 12 This building and construction trade show is now in its fifth year and will feature builders and building materials.

Nirmaan

West Bengal, India: August 13 – 16 A gathering of the leading companies designing and manufacturing the tools and machinery used by architects and builders.

Conference sessions and interactive talk sessions are held alongside the exhibition.

Interbuild Africa

Johannesburg Expo Centre, Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa: August 15 – 18 Interbuild Africa networks buyers and suppliers to help create lasting relationships for the benefit of the whole construction industry in the country.

Green construct Mall of Asia SMX, Manila, Philippines: August 16 – 18 Aimed at international engineers, this event will cover pollution control, project management, project control and vegetative rooting, with networking and educational sessions scheduled.

Turkmenistan Construction Sergi Kosgi Exhibition Palace, Ashgabat: August 23 – 25 Construction machinery, building equipment, renovation tools, building materials machinery, accessories and components of construction machinery are all featured in this show for both foreign and regional players in the sector.

Been Egypt Cairo International Convention and Exhibition Centre: August 30 – Sept 2 Showcasing the latest achievements, best practices, innovations in design, products, services and solutions for the infrastructure, construction and building industry, the show provides the ideal forum for industry professionals to forge business relationships rooted in the implementation of the many new construction and development initiatives currently underway.

CityScape Global Dubai World Trade Centre: October 2 – 4 The real estate exhibition will run alongside the World Architecture Congress, Retail City Conference and Global Real Estate Summit.

Speakers will include Sherif Anis, Thierry Parret and Steven Miller.

The Big 5 Dubai World Trade Centre: November 5 – 8 Returning to Dubai World Trade Centre three weeks earlier than usual, this year The Big 5 will run alongside PMV Live, Middle EastConcrete and FM Expo.

IBC

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