Big Project ME October 2015

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OCTOBER 2015

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ALSO INSIDE kez taylor construction exoskeleton hvac contractors the big 5 preview

touch the skai

CSCEC (ME) and SKAI Luxury Real Estate Development take us on-site to a building that redefines the concept of high-rise living

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CONTENTS

OCTOBER 2015 09 the big picture Qatar 2022 should have been gcc-wide event Jordan’s prince Ali says World cup should have been a regional event

14 neWs AnAlysis lessons from tragedy can the tragic crane accident in Mecca spark a change in saudi Arabia’s approach to health and safety on construction sites?

22 in profile collaboration is key Kez taylor, ceo of Alec, tells gavin Davids that the gcc construction industry needs to embrace collaboration for its own long-term health

30 site visit – viceroy JuMeirAh villAge circle touch the skai big project Me is on-site as above-ground construction begins on one of Dubai’s most extraordinary skyscrapers

38 sector focus – hvAc contrActors keePing cool experts from etA engineering explain how the hvAc industry is adapting to the drive for sustainability and green building in the gcc

48 inDustry focus – construction exosKeletons construction suits uP gavin Davids reports on a californian company that is building an exoskeleton that could be a game-changer for the construction industry

54 it in focus – sMArt Apps thinking smart Kenneth serapsi of William bennett writes about how landscape architects are using smart apps to improve their project delivery

66 tenDers middle east tenders big project Me lists the region’s top construction tenders for october

72 constructive criticisM Big Project ME tours the Viceroy Jumeirah Village Circle construction site.

Jerusha sequeira says the uAe real estate market could be starting to feel the effects of knock-down oil prices

OCTOBER 2015

MIDDLE EAST

PAGE 30

crude awakening

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READERS' COMMENTS

1

Crane collapse: Saudi Binladin Group barred from new projects

Construction giant’s executives not allowed to travel after Mecca tragedy in which at least 107 died.

2

Mecca crane “could not withstand intense winds”

Crane was reportedly fixed to the ground with four 1000-tonne foundations.

PHOTO GALLERIES

Construction underway at Dubai’s Marina Gate

A visit to the under-construction mixed-use The Residences at Marina Gate development.

See photo galleries at: meconstructionnews.com/photos

3

Mecca crane collapse: Saudi king promises

public investigation King Salman visits the

Craig Smith-Jones, comment to story ‘Mecca crane collapse: Saudi king promises public investigation’

Grand Mosque.

4

Dubai’s $272m Mall of the Emirates expansion completes

READER POLL

The UAE-based retail giant

Can Dubai sustain another ‘megaproject’ like Meydan One?

Majid Al Futtaim opened the mall’s 36,000sqm retail extension on September 28.

5

Cityscape: $5.4bn Sharjah Waterfront

City officially launched

VIDEO

Nissan Patrol breaks world record in Jordan

agreements for two hotels to be

The Nissan Patrol has clinched a Guinness World Record for the fastest production car to ascend a 100m sand dune.

part of the upcoming project.

See videos at: meconstructionnews.com/videos

Sharjah Oasis Real Estate Development has signed

“The Mecca crane disaster was truly tragic and my thoughts go out to those involved. Those responsible – if indeed someone is at fault – should be brought to justice. And the construction industry across the Gulf certainly needs to take note of the safety issues raised. But Saudi Arabia’s quick action to investigate the incident, and disclose the results publicly, is worthy of praise – as is the speedy announcement of compensation to the families of the many victims.”

22%

25%

20%

33%

No: There is insufficient demand

No: The focus should be on affordable projects

Yes: Demand is already there in the market

Yes: Build it and they will come

4

MIDDLE EAST

Log on for the latest from across the Middle East construction sector. Write to the editor at contact@meconstructionnews.com

OCTOBER 2015

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INTRODUCTION

MEconstructionnEws.COm

Make the Change There really is no other place to start this month’s column than with the tragic events in Mecca. The horrific crane accident that killed more than 100 people showed how devastating it can be to not have adequate safety measures in place on a construction site.

As painful as it is, the Saudi Arabian authorities must learn the lessons from these awful events and take steps to ensure that something similar never happens again.

While the authorities have acted swiftly to investigate the causes of the accident, there needs to be a culture of accountability that sees both government bodies and construction firms take responsibility for the health and safety of those on a construction site.

There have been numerous worries expressed over the years about the poor standard of health and safety on construction sites in the Kingdom, and the events of the last month have now brought those fears to life.

Construction firms must also contribute and, in many ways, lead the change for the industry. The way things currently are simply cannot continue.

On a much lighter note, this month, I had the pleasure of speaking to Tom Mastaler from Ekso Bionics, a Californian company that is developing what I believe to be one of the first exoskeletons ever built for the construction industry.

Sadly, while we’re still far away from imitating Tony Stark’s Iron Man suit, I do think that we’re on the cusp of something tremendously exciting. Should these exoskeletons be successful in the market, I believe we’ll see a major rise in productivity and efficiency on a construction site, two things that I’m sure will grab the attention of many a contractor in the GCC. Finally, as I’m sure many of you are aware, we’ve extended the deadlines for the Big Project ME Awards 2015. We’re now accepting nominations until October 20, 2015. So if you haven’t submitted your nominations yet, don’t worry, there’s still time for you!

Group Chairman and Founder Dominic De SouSa Group Ceo naDeem HooD

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Gavin Davids Editor

OCTOBER 2015

while the publishers have made every effort to ensure the accuracy of all information in this magazine, they will not be held responsible for any errors therein.

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WE ARE THE FUTURE

THE BIG PICTURE

gcc event Jordan’s Prince Ali has said that the 2022 World Cup should have been a GCC-wide event.

Qatar 2022 should have been gcc-wide event, says prince ali jordanian royal to stand as candidate in FiFa presidential elections in 2016 Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein of Jordan, a candidate for the post of FiFA President, has said that Doha’s bid for the 2022 World cup should have been for a Gulf-wide tournament rather than one held solely in Qatar. speaking in london to an audience at the royal institute of international Affairs, the Jordanian prince said that a bid of that nature would have been “more feasible”.

While Prince Ali said he supports the 2022 event being held in Qatar, he criticised the initial bid for not stating that the tournament would be played in the winter months. “With World cups, you should have the ability to spread it around the region. Qatar should have bid for the winter in the first place, and that it hosts it regionally with the united Arab emirates and Bahrain, which would be more feasible and easier to organise,” he said.

kIA StAtS n 90% – Concrete structure completed

n 40,000 – Total capacity

n 20,000 – Initial capacity

n 1976 – year the stadium originally opened

Prince Ali is standing as a candidate for the role of FiFA President for the second time, after losing in a vote earlier this year when he ran against current incumbent sepp Blatter. Although the Jordanian royal had the backing of many european football organisations in this year’s vote, Blatter was backed by a number of smaller federations around the world, including Qatari officials.

However, in a surprise twist, Blatter stood down from his role just days after being elected as the head of football’s governing body, amid allegations of corruption swirling around FiFA. Blatter has denied any personal wrongdoing. since the arrest of several top FiFA executives in May, there has been a surge of corruption allegations reported by world media. These events came on the back of FiFA choosing not to release the findings of its own

investigation into corruption. it instead released an “executive summary” that exonerated the bidding process.

The report’s independent author, American lawyer Michael Garcia, resigned from his position in protest. elections for a new FiFA president will take place on February 26, 2016.

Meanwhile, the construction team behind Khalifa international stadium, the first proposed venue for the 2022 World cup in Qatar, has said that the concrete structure for the 40,000 football stadium is 90% complete, with full completion scheduled for november 2015.

The stadium is undergoing a complete renovation to meet FiFA standards for World cup stadiums, including the addition of a new building to the east wing and building a single roof to cover the whole seating area.

OCTOBER 2015

MIDDLE EAST

Big project me TALKS TO Kez TAyLOr ABOUT eMBrACING COLLABOrATION – Page 22 9

THE BIG PICTURE

MEconstructionnEws.Com

project plans KIPCO hopes to begin development of the project in 2015.

Kipco plans to build $5bn real estate project in Kuwait city Vice chairman: inVestment Firm is “hoping For the Best” For 380,000sqm project KuWAiT ProJecTs coMPAny (KiPco), the largest private sector investment firm in the Gcc state, has announced plans for a $5 billion real estate scheme on the outskirts of Kuwait city. in an interview with local newspaper al-Qabas, Faisal al-Ayyar, vice chairman of the investment firm, said that the 380,000sqm project was planned for the al-Daiya area, where several foreign embassies are located.

The project will include residential and commercial spaces, as well as infrastructure such as roads, parks and walkways. united real estate, a unit of KiPco, will be responsible for the implementation of the project. Al-Ayyar

added that other entities would be involved in the construction process, but declined to specify further.

However, he confirmed that KiPco would aim to present its plans to Kuwaiti regulators within a few days of the announcement, and said that the plan was to begin implementation this year.

“The project is considered the largest and most important in Kuwait, especially in the real estate sector,” he highlighted, though he conceded that there were concerns about Kuwait’s welldocumented bureaucratic problems, which previously scuppered KiPco’s successful bid to develop Abdullah al-Ahmed street a decade ago.

That project had received approval before being cancelled by Kuwait’s

project StAtS n 380,000sqm – Size of the KIPCO project

n $5 billion – Value of the mixed-use development

n $84.1 million – KIPCO net profit for H1 2015

parliament, with no clear explanation given to the investment firm.

He said the company was “hoping for the best from national authorities”, given the size of the al-Daiya project. looking beyond the Kuwait market, al-Ayyar said that the majority of KiPco’s investments are on track, including those in high-risk markets like iraq, syria and egypt. “even in iraq, with severe turbulence, our companies are profitable.” in July 2015, the company announced a net profit of $84.1 million for the first six months of the year, a 17% increase from the $71.8 million reported in 2014.

Total company revenue increased by 5.2% to $1.01 billion, compared to $957 million in 2014.

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MIDDLE EAST

Big project me IS ON-SITe AT THe VICerOy JUMeIrAH VILLAGe CIrCLe PrOJeCT – Page 30

OCTOBER 2015

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THE BIG PICTURE

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naKheel steps up development of a number of dubai projects duBai-Based deVeloper signs three contracts worth $654m with contractors DuBAi-BAseD ProPerTy DeveloPer nakheel has signed contracts worth $654 million with three construction firms to help build a residential and retail project at nad Al sheba. The developer said it expects the project to be completed by early 2018. it will include 1,540 residential units along with retail outlets, restaurants and sports facilities, the company said in a statement.

The largest of the three contracts is a $225.9 million agreement signed with Trojan General contracting.

A $214.8 million contract has been signed with united engineering construction, while a $212.6 million deal has been agreed with Metac, the statement said. in 2011, the developer of Dubai’s manmade Palm Jumeirah island agreed to a $16 billion debt restructuring deal. since then it has continued to develop a number of projects, mainly focused on the highend retail and luxury residential markets.

nAkheel projectS n $654 million – Value of three construction contracts signed for Nad Al Sheba project

n 204,386sqm – extra amount of retail space being developed for dragon City

n 1.76 million sqm – Total built-up area of Jebel Ali Gardens project

The developer recently announced it had signed a second management agreement with the uK’s Premier inn for a 250-room hotel in its Dragon city development. The new hotel, scheduled to open in 2018, is part of a master plan to transform the area into a retail, residential and recreational complex spanning more than a million sqm.

The Premier inn property is set to be one of two hotels in the area. The first, to be managed by Accor under the ibis styles brand, is complete and due to open this year.

The new Dragon city includes an extra 204,386sqm of retail space and a twin-tower residential complex with 1,120 apartments. over the next five years, nakheel is planning nine hotels across Dubai. it previously struck an agreement with Premier inn for a 372-room hotel, currently under construction

at Dubai’s ibn Battuta Mall.

At this year’s edition of cityscape, the developer also announced the opening of Jebel Ali Gardens, a new community that will provide accommodation for more than 40,000 people. The new master developed project will comprise nearly 10,000 apartments in 42 buildings.

Apartments range from one to three bedrooms, and each building will also have ground floor retail space.

The project is set on a 510,967sqm site with a built-up area of more than 1.76 million sqm. it is set to provide “quality, affordable accommodation and convenient community facilities” to residents, the developer said. in a separate announcement, nakheel said it would also be unveiling the Palm Promenade at cityscape. The project will see the entire trunk of the Palm converted into a walkable beach, park, retail and café complex, stretching over 1.5km.

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CM

MY

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CMY

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retail space Dragon City will have an extra 204,386sqm of retail space.

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Big project me SeeS HOw THe HVAC INdUSTry IS AdAPTING TO THe drIVe fOr SUSTAINABILITy – Page 38

OCTOBER 2015

THE BIG PICTURE

MEconstructionnEws.Com

tourist attraction Sharjah plans to attract 10 million visitors by 2021.

$5.4bn sharjah waterfront city officially launched at cityscape sharjah oasis real estate deVelopment has signed agreements For two hotels sHArJAH oAsis reAl esTATe Development has signed a series of agreements for its $5.4 billion sharjah Waterfront city project, which launched on Wednesday at cityscape Global 2015.

The developer of the project, which will comprise 10 islands, said it has signed a Memorandum of understanding (Mou) with shaza Hotels, an affiliate of Kempinski, for the shaza – sharjah Waterfront city property. The hotel will be a five-star property consisting of 300 rooms and 350 serviced apartments.

An agreement has also been signed for The Dusit – sharjah Waterfront city to be part of the ambitious waterfront development. it will feature 200 hotel rooms and 200 serviced residences. construction of both hotels is expected to start by the last quarter of 2016, and the properties are set to open to the public in 2019.

“We have launched sharjah Waterfront city, keeping in line with sharjah’s development plans to attract 10 million visitors to the emirate by 2021,” said Hayssam el Masri, president of sharjah oasis real estate. “These robust plans will increase demand for residential and commercial units as well as hotels, especially in prime locations that offer all modern facilities.” sharjah oasis real estate also announced a partnership with invest Bank to fund the project. An Mou between the two parties has been signed to fund the first phase, scheduled for completion in Q3 2018.

“After carefully assessing the project, we realised the potential and the impact it will have on the community in sharjah,” said sami rashid Farahat, GM of invest Bank. “currently, we are funding the first phase of the project. We are also

StAtS n $5.4 billion – Value of the Sharjah waterfront City project

n 36km – Length of shorefront the project will be spread across

n 5,574,182sqm – Total area of project

considering the possibility of financing the remaining phases, and to finance the sharjah Waterfront city end users, subject to the bank’s terms and conditions.” sharjah Waterfront city is a mixed-use project spread across 36km of coastline, with a total area of 5,574,182sqm. construction of phase one will begin in the fourth quarter of this year. The first two phases, comprising hospitality, commercial and residential elements, will be built at a total cost of $2.5 billion. one of the highlights of the upcoming development will be the 139,354sqm crystal lagoon water theme park. in terms of construction progress, the master plan for all ten islands on the project is complete. infrastructure works are ongoing, and Darwish engineering has begun construction work to connect the islands with bridges.

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Big project me dISCOVerS HOw AN exOSKeLeTON COULd Be A GAMe-CHANGer fOr THe INdUSTry – Page 48

OCTOBER 2015

neWs aNaLySIS

MEconstructionnEws.com

Lessons from Tragedy Can the tragic accident in Mecca’s Grand Mosque spark a change in Saudi Arabia’s health and safety laws for construction sites?

T

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MIDDLE EAST

he tragic collapse of the tower crane in the Holy City of Mecca, which killed more than 100 people in the Grand Mosque, has sent shockwaves throughout the GCC construction industry and put the spotlight on construction health and safety standards in the Kingdom.

With early investigations into the tragedy indicating that the crane could not withstand the intense winds despite being fixed to the ground with four 1,000t foundations, questions are now being asked about whether enough is being done to ensure that internationally recognised health and safety standards are followed in Saudi Arabia.

OCTOBER 2015

During a visit to the site of the accident, King Salman promised to open a public investigation into the causes of the accident and ordered the Mecca project contractor, Saudi Binladin Group, to ensure the safety of all the other cranes at the site.

“My visit today is to check what had happened and know how they can rehabilitate the site again.

We will open an investigation into the causes of the accident and then announce the results to the public,” the monarch said at the time.

As part of the fallout of the accident, the King has ordered that Saudi Binladin be barred from taking on new projects in the Kingdom while the investigation is ongoing. In addition, executives

from the construction giant have been issued with a travel ban, Saudi state media reported.

The ban covers “all members of the board of directors of Bin Laden Group, Eng Bakr bin Mohammed bin Laden, senior executives in the Group and others connected with the project”, the reports added.

Given the scale of the disaster and the concerns it raises about the lack of health and safety checks on-site, perhaps it is time to look more seriously at the standards of health and safety on construction sites in the country.

In a statement to Big Project ME, Rob Cooling, head of Health and Safety at WSP | Parsons

neWs aNaLySIS

“WE Will OpEn an invEsTigaTiOn inTO ThE CausEs Of ThE aCCidEnT and ThEn annOunCE ThE REsulTs TO ThE puBliC”

“You can’t really influence others, you can only influence yourself. I think what you’ve got to do is set an example through the way that you operate, and if you do that, hopefully you have a positive influence on others.”

The formation of a contractors association by the Saudi government could be one step in the right direction. While the Saudi Association for Contractors is expected to handle matters related to contractors’ business, including the issue of visas and permits, it could also affect how companies under its umbrella view issues around health and safety.

“The way to get it [HSE] better regulated is

OCTOBER 2015

MIDDLE EAST

Brinckerhoff Middle East, says that a health and safety culture needs to be cultivated in the region if tragedies like the one in Mecca are to be averted.

“Health and safety needs to be embedded in the ethos of all companies working on a project, no matter where it is, which is why a great deal of our focus is on aiding the entire project team to take a collaborative approach,” he explains.

Kez Taylor, CEO of Dubai-based contractor Al Jaber LEGT Engineering and Contracting, agrees with Cooling, pointing out that if a health and safety culture is to truly embed itself in a country, then it needs to be fully embraced by construction firms operating within the market.

17

NEWS ANALYSIS

to make sure that you regulate it for the country and industry,” points out Taylor. “I think that the local authorities should set certain criteria, in terms of ensuring that certain practices are adhered to. There’s a massive difference across the construction industry in the region.”

With the board of the Saudi Association for Contractors likely to be made up of executives from the construction industry, engineers and a representative from the Saudi Arabian Trade Ministry, it seems like its formation could be a perfect opportunity to introduce real reform.

However, there must be adequate government involvement, and to this end, the KSA government could learn from how the UAE enforced health and safety regulations in the local construction industry.

Citing the enforcement of the mid-day work ban, Taylor explains that local authorities strongly police the industry, conducting regular site

MEconstructionnEws.com

“ThE lOCal auThORiTiEs shOuld sET CERTain CRiTERia, in TERms Of EnsuRing ThaT CERTain pRaCTiCEs aRE adhEREd TO. ThERE’s a massivE diffEREnCE aCROss ThE COnsTRuCTiOn indusTRy in ThE REgiOn” inspections across the country to ensure that the rules aren’t being flouted. Companies found breaking the law are fined heavily, with followup inspections to check for improvements.

“The ruling here was made, and it’s been adhered to, in general. In this part of the world, it’s good [to have that]. In terms of health and safety, something similar should happen as well,” Taylor says.

This is also where a consultant on a project

can play a strong role. By ensuring that the rules and regulations are followed on-site, they can lead the way on health and safety implementation.

“It’s also very important that the systems and procedures that govern health and safety are actually being implemented at a site level on a dayto-day basis. We have seen some good progress and some sectors, like oil and gas for example, are very strong and the construction industry is learning from them,” Cooling concludes. n

An ExpErT ViEw on ThE CrAnE CollApsE – DAViD sEmplE from mAniTowoC CrAnEs crane design standards regulate the maximum

so for every crane model, there is a certain amount

significantly less) and those devices can do a number

admissible wind-speeds under which a crane can

of wind above which the crane must not be used,

of things to warn the job-site (sound and light alarms,

operate, as well as the maximum wind-speeds

and when it should be put in ‘out of service’ position

cut-off of some crane functions, email alerts, etc).

the crane is designed to withstand out of service.

as per manufacturer’s instructions (weather-vaning

These wind speeds can vary depending on

position for tower cranes, boom-down for crawlers,

But there will always be the need for human

boom fully retracted for mobiles and so on).

intervention to put the crane into a safe position when hit by high-speed winds – for example,

the product (tower crane / crawler crane / There is unfortunately no safety system on any

a human will be needed to release the slewing

example, france passed some regulations after

crane that can insure 100% that this is done.

brakes on a tower crane and put the hook in the

the December 1999 storm which significantly

Cranes should be fitted with an anemometer

correct position, or to boom down a crawler crane,

increased the out-of-service design wind-speeds

measuring the wind-speed (at the highest point of

or even to retract the boom of a mobile crane,

for tower cranes for most areas of the territory).

the crane, not at ground level where wind can be

should it be necessary for safety purposes.

MIDDLE EAST

18

mobile crane) and on local regulations (for

OCTOBER 2015

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Real estate RepoRt abu dhabi Market

MEconstructionnEws.coM

ABU DHABI M ARKE R E S I D E N T I A L S U P P LY C U R R E N T S U P P LY (2 012-2 015) Current residential supply remains at 244,000 units, with no major deliveries during the quarter.

225K

236K

FU T U R E S U P P LY (2 015 -2 017 ) 6,000 residential units are expected to be added by the end of 2015 and in 2016, while 13,000 units are expected to be added in 2017.

291K

244K 244K

SQ M (GL A)

U N IT S

U N IT S

U N IT S

U N IT S

140K

315K

H2 2015

2016

SQ M (GL A)

2012

2013

2014

Q2 2015

SQ M (GL A)

2017

R E S I D E N T I A L P E R FO R M A N C E 2 B R A PA R TM E N T R E N T & SA L E S G ROW T H SALES: On a q-o-q basis, prices remained stable in Q2 2015 for a 2BR at AED 16,000 per sqm. On a y-o-y basis, sales for 2BRs increased 3%.

RENTS: On a q-o-q basis, rents remained stable in Q2 2015 at AED 163,000 per annum for a 2BR apartment. On a y-o-y basis, rentals for 2BRs increased 9%.

0% SALES

0%

RENTAL

q-o-q (2BR)

9%

3%

RENTAL

3 B R V I L L A R E N T & SA L E S G ROW T H SALES: On a q-o-q basis, 3BR sales did not increase, while on a y-o-y basis, sales grew 7%.

RENTS: On a q-o-q basis, rents saw no change from the previous quarter, but on a y-o-y basis, rents increased 5%.

0% SALES

0%

RENTAL

q-o-q (2BR)

7% SALES

5%

RENTAL

SALES

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y-o-y (2BR)

OCTOBER 2015

y-o-y (2BR)

Real estate RepoRt abu dhabi Market

E T REVIEW

Big Project ME looks at the supply of residential and commercial real estate in Abu Dhabi from Q2 2015

O FFI C E S U P P LY C U R R E N T S U P P LY (2 012-2 015) Total office stock reached 3.2 million sqm gross leasable area (GLA) in Q2.

2.9M

3.0M

3.1M

3.2M SQ M (GL A)

315K

SQ M (GL A)

SQ M (GL A)

140K

SQ M (GL A)

2012

FU T U R E S U P P LY (2 015 -2 017 ) An additional 140,000sqm of GLA is expected to be added to the market in the second half of the year. 2016 will see 315,000sqm of GLA added, and in 2017, supply is expected to take a breather, adding 219,000sqm of GLA.

SQ M (GL A)

291K

2016

2017

SQ M (GL A)

SQ M (GL A)

2013

2014

Q2 2015

H2 2015

O FFI C E P E R FO R M A N C E AV E R AG E R E N T S (A E D/S Q M) In terms of vacancy rate, market-wide vacancies remained at 25% in Q2 2015, compared with 30% vacancy recorded last year in the same period.

30% Q2 2014

25% Q2 2015

A

GRADE

1,540 1,730 Q2 2014

Q2 2015

B

GRADE

B

GRADE

Source: Jones Lang LaSalle

A

GRADE

1,180 1,180 Q2 2014

Q2 2015

OCTOBER 2015

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VAC A N C Y R AT E In terms of vacancy rate, market-wide vacancies remained at 25% in Q2 2015, compared with 30% vacancy recorded last year in the same period.

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In ProfIle Kez Taylor

MEconstructionnEws.com

co ll a bo r a 22

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Kez Taylor, CEO of ALEC, sits down with Big Project ME to explain why embracing collaboration is the key to ensuring the GCC’s long-term construction health

OCTOBER 2015

In ProfIle Kez Taylor

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tI o n is K e y 23

In ProfIle Kez Taylor

C

ollaboration. For many a contractor in the GCC, that word represents something of a utopian dream. Look around the thousands of construction sites across the region, and you’ll be able to find project director after project director more than happy to tell you just why achieving it is so difficult. The list goes on and on – a lack of communication, unreasonable demands and deadlines, a failure in the supply chain, a misunderstanding of orders – all contributing to an overwhelming sense of fighting against a rising tide.

Given the general sense of frustration that permeates the industry when it comes to achieving collaboration, it’s understandable that contractors, especially main contractors who oversee vast megaprojects, are starting to take their own steps to ensure that their projects at least achieve some semblance of collaboration and coordination.

One of the contractors leading the charge is Dubai-based construction giant Al Jaber LEGT Engineering and Contracting (ALEC). As a contractor, the company has been involved with some of the UAE’s most famous landmarks, including the Dubai and Abu Dhabi International Airports, Dubai

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aiRpORT pROjECT ALEC is working on Concourse 4 at the Dubai International Airport.

OCTOBER 2015

MEconstructionnEws.com

“YOu’vE gOT TO givE pEOplE OppORTuniTiEs and ChallEngE ThEm, BuT YOu’vE alsO gOT TO BE vERY sElECTivE. ThE pEOplE ThaT YOu BRing in fROm ThE maRkET, YOu’vE gOT TO makE suRE ThaT ThEY’RE gOing TO BE a gOOd CulTuRal fiT”

Festival City and the Mirdif City Centre and Dubai Marina malls. Therefore, it’s safe to say that it knows a thing or two about what it takes to collaborate on a major project.

“I think that one of the challenges in construction is that there are many players.

You’ve got a lot of consultants, subcontractors and main contractors. The challenge is how you get them to work together effectively,” says Kez Taylor, the long-serving CEO of ALEC, during a one-on-one interview with Big Project ME at the builder’s offices in Marina Plaza.

“You’re only as strong as your weakest link, and so for us, as a main contractor, if we’re not pulling the job together effectively, or if the

design isn’t in place, then no one succeeds. It doesn’t matter how good a contractor you are, you can’t really go out and execute the work.

That’s the challenge – how you get everyone to do their side of the job effectively, so that everyone succeeds at the end of the day. That’s the challenge in the industry, and I still think that, in the industry, the whole chain is affected.”

With mature clients in the market also beginning to realise the value of having the right teams in place, the spotlight really is now on making sure that collaboration is achieved.

To do so, Taylor says that it’s vital that the right teams also have the right individuals in place.

Having the right individuals on their projects

In ProfIle Kez Taylor

MEconstructionnEws.com

BaCking sOlaR ALEC is backing its investment in the solar power market by setting up its yard in DIC to be solar powered.

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has played a large part in ALEC’s success over the years. With an order book that currently stands at $1.41 billion, Taylor points out that it’s crucial to have staff and team leaders that can make the right decisions and actually contribute towards the vision of the company.

“You’ve got to be very selective up front, you’ve got to look at individuals very closely.

What you’ve got to guard against in this market are what we call the mercenary types. The guy that moves from job to job and doesn’t complete anything, and is just chasing a quick buck. That’s not a long-term approach, and I don’t think it’s good for the individual or the company. We try to avoid those kinds of people as much as possible,” he emphasises.

“Those people who are just in it for the money, I would say that they won’t really fit in [at ALEC]. Of course, you’ve got to compensate people well and reward success, and you’ve got to give people opportunities and challenge them, but you’ve also got to be very selective.

The people that you bring in from the market, you’ve got to make sure that they’re going to be a good cultural fit, and that they’ve got the right attitude to fit into your business.”

Rather than go down the recruitment route, Kez Taylor explains that ALEC prefers to develop people from within and that this is one of the challenges that the company, as

OCTOBER 2015

a leader in the industry, needs to take on.

While it may be tempting to take the easier solution and just bring in external talent, doing so would be a betrayal of the ideals of the company. As a certain French, Premier Leaguewinning football manager is fond of saying, the answer often lies in finding “internal solutions”.

“i Think ThaT OnE Of ThE ChallEngEs in COnsTRuCTiOn is ThaT ThERE aRE manY plaYERs. YOu’vE gOT a lOT Of COnsulTanTs, suBCOnTRaCTORs and main COnTRaCTORs. ThE ChallEngE is hOw YOu gET ThEm TO wORk TOgEThER EffECTivElY”

“We’ve got to challenge people and give them opportunities. If you get that set up right, then the right kind of people have the right kind of qualities. Often, the qualities that you look for aren’t necessarily the things that you’re taught, and we focus on that. We do a lot of our people development internally, and that’s been working for us.

“Our training is done internally, it’s presented by leaders in the business, and then we’ve got various modules that we go through – leadership is one such module, commercial management is a module, alignment with the business is another, and business ethics as well.

“We’ve got a whole lot of modules that we do, and I think we get a double benefit out of it, as it allows for a very good interaction between ALEC’s leadership and the people.

It transfers knowledge both ways, and for us, it’s been a great platform,” Taylor says, adding that he feels that it’s really important for leadership to spend time with its people.

Bringing in an outside facilitator or trainer creates a disconnect between the two, which can only hinder the spirit of collaboration and coordination being fostered.

That thought process led to Taylor and the rest of ALEC’s senior leadership team working with international consultant WSP | Parsons Brinckerhoff to put together a recent workshop

In ProfIle Kez Taylor

for both companies’ graduates, one of the first of its kind in the UAE construction industry.

“What we said was: ‘How do we get closer together?’ WSP | Parsons Brinckerhoff are also progressive in their mind-set, and I think that we’ve got to figure out, between consultant and contractor, how we gel a lot better. At the moment, the industry doesn’t work as well together as it should be. People aren’t clear on their roles and their responsibilities.

“Take the issue of design and shop drawings, that’s a good example. It’s not clear as to where that responsibility starts and ends, and it gets interpreted in different ways by different people. The industry needs to figure out roles and responsibilities more clearly between key players and stakeholders on a job. Once they figure out how they work better together, they’ll end up winning,” he asserts.

Winning is something ALEC is wellversed in. The company has an annual turnover of $952.91 million, with subsidiaries contributing significantly. ALEMCO, the MEP division, contributes $136 million in annual turnover by itself.

The success of the subsidiaries has led Taylor and his leadership team to be more open about exploring new avenues and opportunities in the market. That’s why the company launched ALEC Energy this year, a new division that focuses on Dubai’s nascent renewable energy sector through the development and installation of rooftop solar power systems.

“We’re very excited about ALEC Energy. The playing field in terms of rooftop solar is going to change rapidly. The big change is that you can actually provide power back into the grid. We’re starting with our facility in Dubai Industrial City, and we’re putting on a rooftop solar setup there, We’re also putting up a control centre as well, which will monitor energy consumption.

We’re setting that up on the 28th floor of Marina Plaza, where our headquarters are.

“Then we’ve got ALEMCO and we’ve got Smart4Power, which looks at energy efficiency on existing buildings. Look at where the market trends are going. We believe that rooftop solar is where it’s going to be.

“It’s almost a natural fit. We’re a contractor, we’ve got ALEMCO, Smart4Power, and

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sYnERgY is ThE sECRET ALEC’s Doha Festival City project is an example of close collaboration between contractor and consultant.

“whEn YOu CREaTE a CiTY as dEsiRaBlE as This, ThEn pEOplE will wanT TO sET up hERE. YOu’RE COnnECTEd TO anYwhERE in ThE wORld, YOu’vE gOT a fanTasTiC infRasTRuCTuRE, hEalThCaRE is gETTing BETTER and EduCaTiOn is TOO. ThERE aRE BusinEss OppORTuniTiEs availaBlE, ThERE aRE ChallEngEs”

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now we’re setting up on the renewables side. For a construction company, one of the challenges is that it’s quite a cyclical business, so one of the things that you’ve got to look for is annuity incomes, and in rooftop solar, we believe that it’s got the potential to become an annuity income stream.”

Given that the Dubai construction sector continues to be in rude health, attention obviously turns to other markets on the Arabian Gulf peninsula. Qatar is one market that ALEC is actively involved in.

Having made fine progress on their Doha International Airport project, Taylor says that the contractor is now firmly focused on their massive Doha Festival City project.

“We’re working on a fantastic project in Qatar, at 530,000sqm, it’s a massive shopping centre and we’re working with a very good team. There’s a lot of synergy between client,

OCTOBER 2015

consultant and contractor. Everyone is pulling in the right direction, and in terms of the structure, the guys are doing a fantastic job.

“As far as that project goes, it’s got real momentum, which is a good thing to see.

Projects that have momentum, things tend to happen almost effortlessly. But when it comes to Qatar, we’re selective about the projects that we do. It’s not like we go to Qatar and want do everything. We want to select the right projects and clients that are well suited to us,” he says.

While the company’s Qatar operations will continue to focus on traditional core strengths – airports, shopping centres and hotels – Kez Taylor says that for him, the Dubai market remains the most intriguing in the region, and an agreement with Iran over the lifting of sanctions could have a major positive impact on the market.

“They’re so close, and there are historical ties between them. I think the

sanctions being dropped in Iran, it’s going to have a positive impact. There’s a lot of liquidity in that market that’s going to be able to be invested in certain regions.

“Dubai is a tax-free environment, and the kinds of returns you get here are probably higher than what you’re going to get anywhere else. And it’s still a growing market. In the UAE, the population grows at about 100,000 a year, and with that positive population growth comes the demand.”

For Taylor, the continued growth of the economy and the population is crucial to the emirate continuing to be a good place to invest.

In a cyclical manner, their growth ties into the government’s continued desire to invest in the city’s infrastructure and development, which in turn feeds the rise of the construction industry.

“I went to Cityscape this year and had a look at the Dubai Canal project. That’s a massive undertaking, and they’re building a bridge over an existing highway, while linking in and creating all those boulevards and retail outlets.

They’re also creating a peninsula that goes out into the sea, with beaches and all the rest.

It’s really going to be an amazing project!

“All these types of projects are positives, and when you create a city as desirable as this, then people will want to set up here. You’re connected to anywhere in the world, you’ve got a fantastic infrastructure, healthcare is getting better and education is too. There are business opportunities available, there are challenges. It’s a very desirable place to work in comparison to a lot of other places.”

And that brings him back to where he began the interview, with the concept of collaboration.

By positioning ALEC to focus on assisting their clients with the delivery of challenging megaprojects, Taylor believes his company is set to go from strength to strength for years to come.

“By having an integrated approach, we can come up with renewable energy solutions, MEP solutions, interior fit-out solutions and other construction solutions as well. I think we’ve come up with an integrated approach to megaprojects, or just projects in general,” he emphasises.

“The biggest challenge in the industry is also where I see the biggest opportunity.

How do you get teams to work effectively together? For me, if you can figure that out, then the value to be had by everyone is huge!

“For me, that’s the key thing. If we can get those things right, then we’ll make a quantum leap forwards in terms of the industry.”

Site ViSit Viceroy Jumeirah Village circle

TOUCH THE SK AI

MEconstructionnEws.com

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MIDDLE EAST

Big Project ME tours Viceroy Jumeirah Village Circle, a one-of-a-kind mixed-use development being built by SKAI Luxury Real Estate Development and China State Construction Engineering Company (Middle East)

OCTOBER 2015

PROJECT

Viceroy Jumeirah Village Circle

PROJECT DEvElOPER

SKAI Luxury Real Estate Development

PROJECT COnTRaCTOR

China State Construction Engineering Corporation (ME)

COnsTRuCTiOn COsT

$150 million

TOTal aREa

6,000sqm

TOTal builT-uP aREa

150,000sqm

HEigHT

60 storeys

PROJECT TyPE

Mixed-Use Development

OCTOBER 2015

MIDDLE EAST

Site ViSit Viceroy Jumeirah Village circle

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Site ViSit Viceroy Jumeirah Village circle

“

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Do you know what the most precious thing in Dubai is?” asks Nabil Akiki as he settles down for a chat with Big Project ME in his offices at the construction site for the Viceroy Jumeriah Village Circle project in Dubai. “It’s the sun. We’re living in a city in which the most precious thing is the sun. This is something a European friend of mine told me.

Imagine how simple this is. But to see and enjoy the sun, you need to have an outdoor space.”

This simple observation reveals the inspiration behind the SKAI Real Estate Development project, which is impressive for its sheer audacity, if nothing else. Envisioned as a 60-storey tower that will house serviced apartments, residences and a five-star luxury hotel run by the Viceroy Hotel Group, what really makes the project stand out is its extraordinary design.

As Akiki, a trained architect and the CEO of SKAI Luxury Real Estate Development, explains, the concept comes from his desire to create a building that marries the functionality of a city apartment with the sense of freedom and space of a countryside villa.

“I was brought up in a mountain village in Lebanon. I used to live there for three months of the year, during the summertime. It was an outdoor space. We used to entertain, cook, sleep and play outdoors. You had the horizon open to you, mountains to climb and beautiful views.

From there, I could even see the Mediterranean.

“But from September each year, we would have to go back to Beirut and live in an apartment, so that we could go to university, to school. We had to live there, because the mountain was very tough to live on in winter,” he recollects.

“I had both experiences, and the contrast

OCTOBER 2015

“We joined this project not just as a contractor, but as a partner.

We’ve also invested in this project and We’re actually shareholders. We’re partners With the client for this project, We’re not just Working as a contractor” between having that open space in the summer, and an enclosed space in a congested city like Beirut, made me ask myself how I could compensate and have the same luxury of an outdoor space that would allow me to enjoy the sun and the weather in a city. That was my motivation and inspiration behind this concept.”

Of course, it wasn’t easy to do, as Akiki freely acknowledges. Having envisioned a tower that rotates by 30 degrees on each floor, integrates sky gardens and offers all-around views, while making use of natural ventilation and cooling, he and his team at SKAI Luxury Real Estate Development were now faced with the task of actually building it.

“I remember the first time I did the model, it was just on a small piece of cardboard so that I could explain what was on my mind.

When I showed it to a consultant, they said,

MEconstructionnEws.com

coordination efforts In order to successfully complete the raft, the construction team had to coordinate the movement of equipment down to the minute.

‘That’s impossible. We can’t do this!’ “They were telling me that while they fully respected what I wanted to do, it was very challenging and that it wasn’t possible, and so on.”

Undeterred, he and his team went back to the drawing board, refining the concept through many rounds of revision, figuring out how to resolve mechanical, electrical and plumbing issues and actually make it a viable project. To assist, SKAI Holdings, parent company of SKAI Luxury Real Estate Development, eventually appointed renowned global consultancy Atkins as lead designer of the project.

“In a normal building, you have your shaft and all your bathrooms one on top of the other.

This is the conventional way of doing things.

But when you have a rotating and revolving apartment, then you don’t have bathrooms in

Site ViSit Viceroy Jumeirah Village circle

across the top 11 floors of the building, and come with a large garden area and a terrace. In total, the building will have 45,450sqm of landscaped gardens, with a total of 271 swimming pools.

In addition, deep soil beds will be placed in every apartment, allowing trees to be grown at a height of 270m. Ground and podium levels will have dining venues and all the required amenities of a five-star hotel. The building has been designed with a distinctive ‘star-wing’ design, with the floor plans consisting of three wings. The total area of the site is 6,000sqm, and the total builtup area, once complete, will be 150,000sqm.

With consensus reached on the design and engineering of the building, appointing the right contractor for the project was the next crucial step. Luckily, this was easily resolved through the appointment of China State Construction

Engineering Corporation (Middle East) LLC, the developer’s longstanding partner on several projects in Dubai. Having worked together on the Viceroy Palm Jumeirah, the two companies have a close relationship and mutual trust, which made the contractor the perfect partner for such a complex and demand construction project.

“For China State, this is our second investment in a project. The first one was the Viceroy Palm Jumeirah. We joined this project not just as a contractor, but as a partner. We’ve also invested in this project and we’re actually shareholders.

We’re partners with the client for this project, we’re not just working as a contractor,” says Andy Zhao, China State’s project director for the Viceroy Jumeirah Village Circle project.

Working on a similar basis to the Viceroy Palm Jumeirah project, China State Construction Engineering Corp (Middle East) has come on board as a key investor and contractor.

The contractor has a small percentage of equity stake, with SKAI holding the majority of the equity stake for the development.

As Akiki explains it, the decision to bring China State on board as an investment partner was an easy one, as it meant the developer had a contractor whose interests were perfectly aligned with its own – to ensure efficient and effective construction delivery.

Zhao adds that coming on board is part of China State’s development strategy.

With tourism in Dubai continuing to have a positive outlook, the contractor believes that investing in high-profile and high-quality projects will garner significant rewards.

“The company believes that this is a very good project and we believe that Jumeriah Village

OCTOBER 2015

MIDDLE EAST

the same location, nor do you have the kitchens [aligned]. You don’t even have the shaft.

“That’s why we had to convert them to the core – to the centre – of the building, where we have the staircase and the elevators. Then we run them vertically, but from there to the apartment it’s horizontal, below the slabs.

There were challenges, but with the efforts of the consultant and our in-house team, we’ve managed to overcome all of this, and you can now see the beauty of the concept.”

In fact, SKAI is so confident about the viability and success of the design and concept, they have had it globally patented in 168 countries.

The tower consists of 234 hotel rooms, with 13 suites. It also has 117 two-bedroom apartments and 104 one-bed apartments, and 33 larger units with four bedrooms each. These are spread

33

Site ViSit Viceroy Jumeirah Village circle

Circle has a lot of potential as an upcoming area,” he says. “We have a very close relationship with SKAI Holdings from the Viceroy Palm Jumeriah.”

“That project was very good, and as far as I know, the sales have been very good in the market.

So that’s good for both China State and SKAI Holdings. This is why we decided to continue the relationship to finance this second project.”

China State’s stake in the project also helped secure the necessary funding for the project, says Akiki. With construction expected to cost $150 million, financing was obtained through a consortium of banks, including three from China.

“For Chinese government banks, they have a lot more trust in dealing with a Chinese company that is well established and also a governmental company,” he points out. “This formula was very beneficial for all parties and puts us all in an aligned interest perspective to do not only this project, but we’ve also started two other buildings in Jumeirah Village together.

They’re the contractor on them. The prospects are open for many more projects to come in the near future. It’s still under discussion, but we have very promising developments in the pipeline, which we’ll announce in time.”

For now, though, the focus is firmly on the Viceroy Jumeirah Village Circle project. When Big Project ME visited the site, construction work was

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MIDDLE EAST

planning ahead The design of the tower means that the project team has to plan well in advance of construction.

OCTOBER 2015

“We used biM to build the entire Model of the project, and noW We can identify any discrepancies. it also helps us visualise [the construction]. otherWise, it Would have been difficult. but noW We can visualise it on the coMputer and design the forMWork and other systeMs”

in full swing, with the raft having been completed and work on the first above-ground levels begun.

“Piling work had already started at the end of last year. But for structural work, as China State, we came on board in early June. As part

MEconstructionnEws.com

of the current plan, we’re looking at the end of 2017 for only this tower,” says Andy Zhao.

“The challenging points for this project, from a construction point of view, is first of all the time schedule. It’s very tight. We roughly calculate that there’s less than 20 months for structural work. That’s just over one and a half years. You need to finish the big raft, plus complete the entire structure, in less than 20 months. That’s a very tight schedule.

“The end date of 2017 includes everything.

It’s 20 months for the structure, and another 10 months for MEP, interiors and fit-out. But that overlaps, and it’s very challenging work.”

The raft was completed successfully early in September 2015, and in many ways it was a spectacular feat of engineering and planning by the entire construction team. Not only did they have a single pour of 11,000m3, they also cast for almost 32 hours continuously.

The raft itself included 16 layers of rebar, amounting to 3,500 tonnes, and at certain points had a thickness of up to 9 metres, Zhao says. And that wasn’t even the most challenging part of the job.

“When we cast the raft, there was not a lot of wiggle room. We had every truck coordinated from the entrance of Jumeriah Village Circle, not even the entrance of the site. It was coordinated from

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the point where it had to arrive. Every truck had a number, so it would know where it was going,” relates Youssef Romanos, technical manager – Engineering Department for CSCEC (ME).

“Every pump, every truck was coordinated, and we knew exactly where each one was, and at what location. We had to know their every move, because there was no space [around the site]. This was planned months ahead, so we had no surprises. We were casting 11,000 cubic metres, we couldn’t afford to have any surprises!

“We planned it to the minute. Unibeton was the supplier, so we coordinated with them, we had people on every crossing of the rounds – this truck goes there, this truck goes there and so on.

We had, in total, nine pumps around the site.”

To carry out such a complex task on time, the contractor had to get night work permits to carry out two shifts per day. They also used two luffing cranes and mobile cranes to help shift material, in addition to 650 labourers working around the clock.

With work on the ground levels in progress, Zhao and his team have already begun mapping out the construction of the higher levels, in collaboration with Atkins and the

SKAI Luxury Real Estate’s in-house team.

“Another challenge is the design complexity.

This tower is a special design. Mr Akiki initiated the idea – each floor rotates 30 degrees. Each unit has a fantastic view. In a traditional building, the view is usually from one or at the most two sides. Here, every unit has a view from three sides. It’s really fantastic,” Zhao enthuses.

“But this design causes much complexity for construction. Because it’s turning, even the so called typical floor is not the same design for each floor. Also, the levels are different, so you have unique designed table formwork for each floor. Usually, for traditional towers, the back propping is not more than two floors, but we have to have it at four floors, because there are openings due to the turning of the floor slab.”

In order to achieve the design of the building, the engineers on the project have decided to use a central core with outrigger beams protruding, taking the weight of the units being built and allowing the construction of Akiki’s vision, as Romanos explains.

“You’ve seen the slab rotating 30 degrees on every floor. When it’s rotating, there are outrigger beams that are rotating with it. There are slabs

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that are rotating. So the formwork of the core itself, at every level, the formwork is turning.

“At the connection between the outrigger beams and the core walls, you’ve got a deep column. That’s also changing, and that’s only on one level. If you look at the 3D model of the core itself, you have a cylinder with columns protruding out and rotating every floor, so the jumping form of the core is extremely difficult.

“Then you have the challenge of reinforcement of the outrigger beams, which are changing at every level, and then you have the slab itself.

The formwork of the slab, because it’s rotating, the key is to find a typical form that – even when it’s changing – can cope with it.”

MEP systems are another major challenge, as Akiki has alluded to earlier. Given the rotation of the building, Atkins’ engineers have already done the coordination between the MEP systems and the structure, says the China State duo.

“It’s extremely hard, even the slabs have, in some places, 15-metre spans, and it’s very shallow post-tensioning. You can’t just put an opening wherever you want for the MEP. Atkins have already done the coordination themselves, and have assigned MEP openings,

OCTOBER 2015

MIDDLE EAST

ADVANTAGES No deep foundations No soil replacement No deep excavations Fast and Economical Reliable Design and Build Approach

35

Site ViSit Viceroy Jumeirah Village circle

MEconstructionnEws.com

natural light The design of the building allows an abundance of natural light and cooling throughout the building.

so we’ll have to trust that at this point, and hope that we won’t have any problems.”

Understandably, given the complexity and time sensitivity of the project, CSCEC (ME) is keen to avoid costly errors during the construction process.

As a result, the team has invested heavily in Building Information Modelling (BIM), to exactly map out and plan the entirety of the project. “[Having the rotating floors] is why we have BIM technology on this project,” says Andy Zhao.

“At the beginning we built a 3D model, and to assist us we built a formwork system, and also a system that designs the MEP, the architecture and the structural coordination. It’s quite important!”

“We used BIM to build the entire model of the project, and now we can identify any discrepancies. It also helps us visualise [the construction]. Otherwise, it would have been difficult. But now we can visualise it on the computer and design the formwork and other systems.”

“For every floor, we put in the framework and

started rotating it,” chimes in Romanos. “And with every rotation, we found the adjustment it needs to carry the double-height and tripleheight floors. In some places, the openings are turning, and in other places, they’re not turning enough. So you’ve got double and triple heights, and we ended up having tables on four or five levels. This was really a challenge.”

Despite the numerous challenges and technical difficulties this project poses, Nabil Akiki has no doubt about its importance, not just as a business venture for SKAI Luxury Real Estate Development, but for the wider construction industry in Dubai.

For all its complexity, the project’s design has a number of sustainable and environmental benefits. Having received permits to build without height limitations, Akiki and his team were able to expand the construction vertically and create a building that he likens to a “breathing sponge”.

“We’ve done, in collaboration with the consultant, a lot of studies for the air circulation – how the ventilation is happening all over this

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“We’ve done, in collaboration With the consultant, a lot of studies for the air circulation – hoW the ventilation is happening all over this rotating void. the results are aMazing. the teMperature is cooled by one to tWo degrees by the natural ventilation of the building”

OCTOBER 2015

rotating void. The results are amazing. The temperature is cooled by one to two degrees by the natural ventilation of the building.

“Lighting is another benefit. There’s natural lighting coming in. You have daylight, but it’s not direct sunlight. [Look at] the benefits of these elements – natural light, ventilation and also the quantity of the gardens. If you take the sum of all the gardens in the building and you spread them out, it’s bigger than a park! It’s a vertical park that has been built into a building.

It’s like merging conventional residential apartments into a park. That’s what the green regulations everywhere look for,” he asserts.

Given the odds faced by the entire team in bringing this hugely impressive project to life, it’s fair to ask if at any point they ever thought it would not actually come to fruition.

“No, never,” is the categorical response from Akiki. “I was fully convinced – from the first moment – that it was doable, being a developer and an architect with more than 20 years of experience.”

“This is not the first time we’re exploring the outdoor space. If you see the project on the Palm, the outdoor space is very visible and it constitutes a major part of the design. Also, in Jumeriah Village, there are three or four buildings that are purely residential, and the optimisation of the outdoor space is there as well.

“It’s always been on my mind, and I’ve carried it through all the designs that we do as developers. But with this concept, I felt that ‘Yes, I’ve done it’. Before, it was like they were trials, but in this one, when I saw it materialised in a small model in my hands, I was pretty sure about it!”

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sector focus HVAC

MEconstructionnEws.Com

Big Project ME talks to three HVAC experts from ETA Engineering to find out how demand for energy-efficient, sustainable buildings is changing the way cooling systems are designed and built in the GCC

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Keeping Cool

OCTOBER 2015

sector focus HVAC

W

With the inCreased foCus on sustainability and energy effiCienCy, hoW are hvaC-foCused ContraCtors adapting to the neW demands of the market?

Speaking for ourselves, as an MEP contractor, ETA has worked jointly with the UAE government to ensure that facilities where we’re engaged are in compliance with sustainability and energy efficiency regulations.

It has become mandatory in the emirate of Abu Dhabi to comply with Estidama requirements, which is led by the UPC [Urban Planning Council]. The authority has developed a point-based audit mechanism that rates a facility on sustainability and energy efficiency services in the following categories: Pearl I, Pearl II, Pearl III and Pearl IV, Pearl IV being the highest grade. The grading system is not just limited to HVAC, but to the whole building, from chillers to the waste management.

international standards International standards for energy efficiency requirements could boost the HVAC industry.

What has been the impaCt of international and regional poliCies and standards governing the hvaC industry? What impaCt has the adoption and integration of standards and regulations like ashrae, hardi and smaCna had on future investments and projeCt Costs?

International and regional standards on sustainability and energy efficiency requirements would certainly provide a boost to the HVAC industry, as they improve overall performance of the building, reduce the running cost and provide environmental protection.

Though these benefits exist, implementation of these regulations comes at additional cost in terms of changed design and execution.

We would suggest that investors take this into consideration and allocate higher budgets for project execution. One convincing aspect to this, though, is that the higher costs incurred on executing these guidelines can be offset by the reduction in running costs.

Beyond the mentioned international standards, the HVAC Industry in the Middle East is additionally governed by the following standards and norms: • IKW/Ton: Full- and part-load efficiency metric. Typically used for water-cooled

“With limited energy and Water resources, there is increased pressure on energy prices, Which in turn leads to increased running costs and conservation becoming mandatory and no longer optional”

centrifugal and positive displacement chillers as per the ASHRAE 90.1 standard.

Compliance can be achieved by meeting the requirements of either Path A or Path B. • Compliance Path A is intended for applications where significant operating time is expected at full-load conditions.

This is ideal for base-loaded chillers.

• Compliance Path B is an alternative set of efficiency levels for water-cooled chillers intended for applications where significant time is expected at part-load.

It is ideal for trim-loaded chillers.

• AHRI 550/590: Standard used to rate chillers.

• EER (Energy Efficiency Ratio): Single efficiency rating point at full load at defined duty conditions.

• IPLV (Integrated Part-Load Value): Calculated from multiple efficiency rating points. Efficiency metric measures partload conditions, with weighted average calculation of part-load scenarios.

• NPLV (Non-standard Part-Load Value): For non-AHRI 550/590 rating conditions. Applicable for non-standard operating conditions, within limits.

What effeCt Will these standards have on future projeCt Costs and investment plans?

The above-mentioned standards increase the cost of the project, but sometimes the end customer is not aware of the benefits. Electricity is by far the cheapest form of energy available for bulk consumers, which has been greatly subsidised by the state; this has thwarted the adaption and evolution of sustainable designs at home, for lack of user end incentives, until

OCTOBER 2015

MIDDLE EAST

ith summer temperatures in the GCC reaching as high as 50°C, HVAC is not so much a luxury as a necessity in the region. Despite efforts to incorporate elements of natural cooling into buildings and architecture, the prevalent trends remain firmly within the HVAC sphere.

However, with the region’s governments increasingly focused on promoting sustainability through the introduction of new regulations and the adoption of codes like ASHRAE, HARDI and SMACNA, local HVAC-focused companies are tasked with adapting to a rapidly evolving market.

To get an idea of how the industry is gearing up to take on this challenge, Big Project ME spoke to three HVAC experts from one of the region’s best-respected MEP contractors, ETA Engineering. A division of the ETA Group, the company specialises in HVAC, electromechanical projects and services, and MEP work.

Senior project directors Jacob John, Sreenivas and Mahmoud Mufleh Al Qammaz sat down to answer questions about how the industry is adapting to the new demands of the market.

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MEconstructionnEws.Com

plant efficiency for any given load.

• Base-loaded chillers – these chillers should operate for much of the time at or near to full loads, to maximise full-load efficiency (recommended Path A method).

It is important to consider these matters from the early stage of design – not only in HVAC, but also during the architectural design phase, by providing the U-value corresponding to highspec materials, sufficient space for equipment installation and maintenance, walkways, etc. hoW has hvaC design has evolved, and hoW Will it groW over time? agent of change HVAC systems have changed the way buildings are designed, built and occupied.

the state stepped in with regulatory bodies.

Multi-tier tariffs may be a reality in the near future, inferring from the imposed dynamic gas pricing.

Usage of solar energy – available in abundance, neglected hitherto – may now be sought-after.

However, in any built space with captive chillers, HVAC is the biggest power guzzler.

Therefore, working in tandem with other industries – for instance, capturing the solar incidence on façade for supplementing power – benefits the user, the state and the environment.

What best praCtiCes Can be implemented for the installation, Commissioning and maintenanCe of hvaC faCilities?

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Some of the best practices that should be implemented in HVAC facilities are: • Usage of pre-fabrication techniques, nonsteel piping for chilled water where possible, which resolves any architect-HVAC engineer conflicts in favour of running costs and maintainability of facility, over mere aesthetics.

• Third-party commissioning for ensuring that the designed conditions are delivered.

• Having an experienced and well-trained service team that is used for regular preventive maintenance as required by the installation, and not simply resorting to responding only to reactive calls, inherently destroying the longevity.

• Well-maintained BMS with all its peripherals (such as control valves, sensors, etc) is an asset and should never be undermined of its relevance.

• Usage of environmentally friendly refrigerant (with zero ozone depletion potential) equipment.

• Variable frequency drives can be used for

OCTOBER 2015

saving a substantial amount of power.

• Air-cooled systems with efficiency close to that of water-cooled systems are preferred, to save on the usage of precious water and prevent related waterborne diseases.

• Adapting the use of district cooling, which reduces the initial cost as well as power required.

• Effective use of BMS to control the plant’s operating costs.

• Sufficient space for equipment installation and maintenance, walkways, etc.

There should also be an increased focus on U-values as well. Across HVAC facilities, there has been a consistent focus on improving architectural designs by providing the U-value, corresponding to high-spec materials.

At the execution part, the sustainability and energy efficiency requirements should be included in the procurement procedures so as to have all the materials comply.

The installation, commissioning and maintenance should be as per the manufacturer’s recommendations.

For individual chillers, staging and sequencing multiple compressors and the use of variable speed drives and motors should be encouraged.

For chiller plants: • Staging of multiple chillers – consider efficiency curves for each chiller, to maximise

HVAC systems have changed the way buildings are designed, built and occupied, thereby allowing investors and contractors to build bigger, taller and increasingly massive MEP facilities. It is now possible to ventilate and fully condition the air that comes into a building.

The evolution of electronics in equipment has made HVAC systems smarter, smaller and more efficient. They have reshaped how the systems are installed, how they are maintained and how they operate.

Furthermore, the widespread use of electric motors and drives, microprocessors and increased automation have improved the efficiency of systems and enabled the accurate monitoring of their performance.

Going forward, increased energy costs, consequent to rapidly depleting reserves, and growing environmental restrictions will help to continue the evolution of the HVAC market segment in the future. There is a greater necessity to approach the design of built environments holistically and not merely exerting thrust on HVAC. The implementation of the sustainability and energy efficiency requirements should take place at the design stage of the HVAC system.

Consideration should be given to some main key issues, such as the COP (coefficient of performance) for chillers, SFP (specific fan power) for FAHU, AHU, FCU and fan.

There are also some secondary issues that can be implemented, such as the refrigerant recovery system (RRS) and gas leak detection system.

“the implementation of sustainability and energy efficiency requirements should take place at the design stage of the hvac system”

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N 15 IO E 20 AT IN IN L R M D E O A B N DE O

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6 December 2015 The Terrace Between the Towers, Jumeirah Emirates Towers www.meconsultantawards.com

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industry focus coatings

MEconstructionnEws.com

a fresh coat Big Project ME looks at how paints and coatings can help increase sustainability and energy efficiency on buildings

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hen discussing the energy efficiency and sustainability of a building, talk tends to revolve around the design and engineering of a structure and how improvements can be made to ensure better performance and delivery.

Often, however, these discussions ignore a simple and cost-effective solution that contributes in a major way to overall efficiency and sustainability. Paint and coatings, for long considered nothing more than a finishing layer for a building, have made rapid advances in recent years and are now an integral part of the sustainability process.

Big Project ME spoke to some leading paint and coating manufacturers and suppliers to find

OCTOBER 2015

out how their products can be used to improve the energy efficiency performance of a building.

“There’s always sustainable parameters in anything we do. Anything that we do is directed towards sustainability,” says Olaf Conreur, global marketing director – powder coatings for Jotun A/S – Powder Coatings Segment. “It can mean a lot of things. It can be using powders on a certain surface, which is for efficiency. It can be about higher durability, because Jotun’s products are more durable. It can be a lot of things.”

To this end, the company has launched a new range, the Aurora Collection, which provides Jotun’s construction customers sustainable and environmentally friendly solutions in powder coating technology. Usable on both

aluminium and steel, the coatings provide consistency in application, hiding any substrate imperfections, with minimal negative impact on the environment. Conreur adds that the product uses 40 times less water, 10 times less electricity and 20 times less gas during the production process, saving both time and natural resources.

“At Jotun Powder Coatings, we have been providing consultants and engineers with highquality, cost-effective, sustainable and protective powder coating solutions for many years. Our products are known for withstanding extreme levels of UV light, various levels of humidity, corrosion and other environmental pollutants to preserve their strength and appearance,” he says.

“Sustainability is so important when

Healing Environments for Patients

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industry focus coatings

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driven by SuStainability Olaf Conreur says that Jotun strives to produce sustainable products that help their customers achieve energy efficiency.

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developing our products, especially in a region which is susceptible to such harsh climates.

Our products are designed to meet the latest industry standards and always developed with the environment in mind. The Aurora Collection is the result of a long journey of research and development, and it is important we provide our customers with the latest technology and trends in powder coatings.”

Jotun is not the only paint manufacturer exploring sustainable as a viable business stream. Hempel Paints regional managing director Ahmed Hussein Abdel Raouf explains that his company’s Topaz Zero product is specifically designed to improve the performance of a building through its makeup.

“Topaz Zero Emulsions is an environmentally friendly, water-based topcoat that is designed to provide a luxurious finish with excellent opacity, washability and colour retention properties,” he says, pointing out that the product has a few special features that make it appealing to potential customers, including zero VOC, which contributes towards improving indoor air quality.

It is also free of formaldehyde, APEO and lead, creating a hazardous material-free environment.

Raouf adds that it has been formulated using 100% pure acrylic, for an extended lifetime.

Hempel has developed another range of paints that includes silver ion technology,

OCTOBER 2015

Raouf says. In addition to having all the features of the Zero Emulsions product, it includes silver ions for enhanced anti-fungal and anti-bacterial properties, making it ideal for areas with strict hygiene control measures.

“Silver has been used for centuries as an anti-microbial and anti-bacterial agent. It has natural germicidal properties that help inhibit the growth of harmful bacteria. The Ancient Egyptians and Greeks used silver-coated bottles for water, to keep it fresh and drinkable,” he explains.

“When a silver-based compound is exposed to a small amount of moisture, it releases an active form of silver, which is the silver ions that eliminate bacterial growth on surfaces by killing existing microbes through damaging the microbial cell DNA. This action can happen on many different types of surfaces like door handles and painted surfaces, and it can even be embedded

into textile products like hospital gowns.”

Given the breadth and scope of their applications, it’s clear that sustainable products are the way forward for any paint company looking to tap into a market that’s slowly waking up to different ways of looking at energy efficiency. With green building regulations becoming increasingly stringent, products that offer easy sustainable and efficiency gains are something of a no-brainer.

As Conreur explains it, creating sustainable coating products isn’t just a fad or a quick buck.

Increasingly, suppliers and manufacturers are buying into the belief that going green is the future.

“I can say that sustainability is a key driver for our research and development. We strongly believe that all buildings have to be sustainable and that we can contribute to it. Durability, efficiency and so on, that all comes under that umbrella. That’s the way we think.”

“SuStainability iS So important when developing our productS, eSpecially in a region which iS SuSceptible to Such harSh climateS. our productS are deSigned to meet the lateSt induStry StandardS and alwayS developed with the environment in mind”

industry focus ConstruCtion teChnology

MEconstructionnEws.Com

ConstruCtion SuitS up

Big Project ME talks to Ekso Bionics, a California-based firm developing an exoskeleton that could completely revamp the way contractors operate around the world. Gavin Davids reports

S

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cience-fiction fans know the concept of a powered exoskeleton being used in an industrial setting is nothing new. Legendary film-maker James Cameron riffed on the concept back in 1986, when he had Ellen Ripley take on the titular villain using a ‘power loader exo-suit’ in the climax of the classic film Aliens.

While we’re still a while away from having a suit intricate and robust enough to take on a terrifying Alien Queen, manufacturers and developers are looking closely at how to develop exoskeletons that allow construction and industrial workers to perform tasks beyond their current physical capabilities.

One of the first to enter this fascinating field is Ekso Bionics, a Richmond, California-based company that claims to have pioneered the field of robotic exoskeletons that “augment human strength, endurance and mobility”.

Having begun life working on projects for the US military out of the University of California – Berkeley, Ekso Bionics was heavily involved in developing what it called a Human Universal Load Carrier, HULC for short. However, it soon became apparent that a university environment wasn’t the right place to move forward as a company, and as a result Berkeley Exo-works was formed in 2005, explains Tom Mastaler, business development – Industrial at Ekso Bionics, during a Skype interview with Big Project ME. “We were really looking at continuing our mass-military applications, but those tend to be very far-out types of projects that are very futuristic. They’re not going to lead to any commercial business. So, based on the successes that they were having, the company ventured off into the medical space, and there was a natural fit for taking the technology-focused solutions that were being brought to bear by military projects and putting them to a very practical use.”

OCTOBER 2015

extra power Exoskeletons give users the ability to carry and operate heavy weights for longer, with less fatigue and more productivity.

industry focus ConstruCtion teChnology

“the chassis is what directs all the weight down to the ground. off that chassis, we can either put in what we call support arms, where if a worker is doing something where they need the dexterity of their hands, or if their arms are in an upward motion, then they can work all day, without feeling fatigued in their arms and their shoulders”

The company began by creating powered exoskeletons for spinal cord injuries. That is a fairly limited market, but it turned out to be a very good one, as customers were highly motivated and willing to experiment with the suits during their rehab periods, giving the design and build team a lot of valuable data and feedback.

“Based on that, the company began to ask, ‘What would be next?’ By marrying some of the military software programming and the medical units, we were able to come up with what we called a Variable Assist Exoskeleton.

What that allows us to do is expand into stroke patients, in terms of rehab. As you can imagine, in a number of cases stroke patients can fully recover, but in most cases they recover to some extent and become ambulatory again. What the Variable Assist system does is that it’s able to tune each of the joints of the exoskeleton to the amount of power that the person has lost.”

With the first medical exoskeleton launched in 2012, Ekso Bionics now has about 125 units out in the field today, evenly distributed between North America and Europe, Mastaler says. But from 2013 on, the company began looking at powered exoskeletons for outdoor use, much like those that would be used in the military, for troops that have to carry heavy packs and still be able to move quickly.

As such, Mastaler recounts how they looked at naval shipyards, where a lot of dirty, dangerous and demanding work needed to be carried out.

These initial explorations convinced the Ekso Bionics team that they could expand the reach of the exoskeleton beyond shipyards and into the construction and industrial landscape.

“What we discovered was that we didn’t actually need a semi-powered exoskeleton, because we have, through some of our own technology – that we’ve patented – the ability to take a weight from around a person’s torso down to ground. Therefore, they’re not actually strapped in or carrying the additional weight of a tool or a mechanism that’s holding a tool,” says Mastaler.

“We refined that a bit further in 2014, and really started talking to potential customers.

A lot of them had already heard about us and they understand a lot more about exoskeletons today. We were getting a lot of phone calls, and as we looked into that, we tuned an exoskeleton to what we called an advanced prototype.”

Around this time, the company began speaking to construction firms about the possibilities of their exoskeletons. Like most companies that look to introduce new technology into the construction industry, they were

OCTOBER 2015

MIDDLE EAST

patient assist Ekso Bionics first began in the medical field, designing exoskeletons for people with spinal injuries and stroke patients.

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industry focus ConstruCtion teChnology

met with initial reluctance and hesitation.

“We started going out and talking to large construction companies. The reason that’s important is because whenever you’re introducing a new technology into a new environment, especially in an industry like construction, there’s a lot of hesitancy to be the first on board.

What we discovered during the investigations was that the large companies were more sophisticated and could help us get not just the launch of the product, but also the adoption of the product as an everyday tool for workers.”

Ekso Bionics started to work with these construction firms, tuning the exoskeleton into applications that have heavy-duty cycles, can carry heavy weights and can operate in the kind of unstructured, confined environment found on construction sites. To do so, the team went back to the results they had obtained from their military projects, knowing that those could be trusted, given the high standards and specifications required by military clients.

“We looked inside the ergonomics associated with them, and what they liked and disliked.

We also looked at the medical space. Even though a person with a spinal cord injury has no feeling, you can still tell based on the straps that they have to wear over their shoulders.

You can tell by the sores that they might be developing – because there are rubbing points on the exoskeleton – and a lot of the things that we had solved already in these two spaces, we brought into the industrial space,” says Mastaler.

Made of lightweight aluminium, the exoskeleton is adjustable to different sizing requirements, which means it can be used for multiple applications or workers. A lot of attention was also paid to form-fitting, as workers have to walk to and from work and up and down stairs, and the suit needs to be able to accommodate those movements.

“They’re not always going to be using the tools that we’re providing, so how can they use a different tool [on the exoskeleton], or if they don’t need to use a different tool, how can they continue

heavy duty The exoskeleton can allow users to carry heavy weights and operate in unstructured, confined enviornments.

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to wear the exoskeleton for the short period that they might be doing something different, in a way that doesn’t make it cumbersome?

“We’re still working through it, as a matter of fact. The advanced prototypes have now gone into field testing. We have sites in the United States and in Europe. We’ve really just started the process of training a company in how to put a worker in an exoskeleton. We’ll be able to watch them work and take their feedback on what we did well, and also what we didn’t do as well as we’d hoped to do.”

The next phase of development will be redesigning a production-available cycle

MIDDLE EAST

“the advanced prototypes have now gone into field testing. we have sites in the united states and in europe. we’ve really just started the process of training a company in how to put a worker in an exoskeleton”

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OCTOBER 2015

MEconstructionnEws.Com

of the unit. That is pencilled in for late this year or early next year, according to Mastaler.

“While we do that, we’ll continue to go back into the field, because it’s most important to us that the worker is comfortable and that we’re providing a tool that assists and doesn’t detract from how a worker does their job.”

At the moment, for the construction industry, Ekso Bionics is focusing on developing a completely non-powered suit consisting of a chassis which runs from the ground up through to the hips, and has a harness and a back-plate.

“The chassis is what directs all the weight down to the ground. Off that chassis, we can either put in what we call support arms, where if a worker is doing something where they need the dexterity of their hands, or if their arms are in an upward motion, then they can work all day, without feeling fatigued in their arms and their shoulders.

“The other application is to be able to take a power or a hydraulic tool – something that has to be held in place – and we have a balance arm, which is basically a springoffset arm that’s attached to the chassis and

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industry focus ConstruCtion teChnology

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sits in front of the worker. That allows the tool to become weightless, and now the worker becomes more of an artist than a weightlifter.”

With the current set-ups available, the suits can comfortably take tools in the 15-20kg range, while some field tests have revealed that they can go up to as much as 35kg. In addition, the field tests have shown tremendous results when it comes to increased productivity and performance, as Mastaler explains.

“We’ve seen workers who might be using chipping tools or hammers to demolish something. They might do five to seven minutes of work, and then take a five-minute break to recover, followed by another five to seven minutes of work. As you can imagine, over the course of a day, those five to seven minutes get shorter and shorter as fatigue takes over.

“The longest we’ve actually done [with the suit], before we stopped the work, was continuously doing chipping work with a demolition hammer for 40 minutes. If you take five times that, and you look at the breaks in between, then you’re tripling your productivity, without the fatigue factor. In fact, at the end of 40 minutes, the worker asked us why we had stopped him from working!

“Other workers responded that in the morning when they’re fresh and start their work, they feel fine, but over the course of the day, it becomes harder for them to hold tools steady, and they notice more defects that quality inspectors uncover, and don’t do as much work. So in their instances, it’s a two to three times increase in productivity.”

While increasing productivity of the workforce is obviously a major attraction for any contractor, Mastaler is keen to play up other aspects of the exoskeleton.

Key construction jobs often require skilled labour, and in an industry where there is an increasing gap between new, incoming workers and those at the end of their careers, finding ways to increase the longevity of an existing skilled worker is becoming crucial.

“Large construction companies understand that they’re looking for productivity; however, they’re also stressed these days with skilled workers in key jobs. They’re extremely stressed with adding new workers to their workforce, because the younger generations coming along are not as interested at wanting to be in construction-centred trades.

“There’s a gap that’s forming, where new workers coming into the space are declining, while the number of workers at the end of their careers are going to expand. You need

OCTOBER 2015

greater productivity Tests have shown that construction workers are able to be two to three times more productive when wearing the exoskeleton.

“what we discovered during the investigations was that the large companies were more sophisticated and could help us get, not just the launch of the product, but also the adoption of the product as an everyday tool for workers” to do something different to what you’re doing today, because otherwise you’re going to run into the hard, arduous type of work that has to be done by skilled workers, which they’re not capable of doing any longer.

“Companies are coming back to us and telling us that these fatigue factor and saving concerns are adding up to larger savings for them as a business. Where they’re coming from is that the fatigue that occurs during the day, the defects that have to be fixed, the lost time, the accumulation

MEconstructionnEws.Com

of injuries over time – at the end of the day, the companies cannot get their workers to do as much as they think they can get out of them.

The revenue side of it can also be expanded by having workers stay on a job-site longer, and not have as many injuries. So while productivity will always be a key measure, I believe that it’ll start to become a low bar to get over, while the high bar will be on the fatigue side.”

Of course, the Middle East is an entirely different market to the US and Europe. However, Mastaler reckons that Ekso Bionics’ business plan will allow it to succeed in a market where early adoption levels aren’t necessarily the highest.

“We’ve basically built our business model around our Round One applications being successful. We’ve targeted six major applications that we’ve found. Whether it’s in the metal side of industrial construction or the concrete side, it’s fairly balanced between the two. It allows us to access large construction sites, which you have in Dubai, as well oil refineries, where metal is prevalent pretty much everywhere.

“As we’ve looked at these applications, we’ve talked to customers about how workers perform, but also how they fit into a segment that is the most demanding, heavy-duty cycle, but also the most dangerous type of safety environment. That market alone is enough to support exoskeletons, and we believe that it’s a foothold in the market that gives us options.

“The Round Two applications, which are lift-and-carry, that’s probably the most prevalent activity on a construction site. So you would think that there would be many more workers that would be eligible for exoskeletons in that type of an environment. In addition, we’re talking about factories, warehouses and logistic centres, because that’s what they do.

Coming to the Middle East market itself, Mastaler says Ekso Bionics will adapt their business plan accordingly and offer their products to factories and logistics firms, who will have workers doing similar jobs in the lift-and-carry sector.

While he says pricing hasn’t been confirmed yet, Mastaler is quick to assert that the company is looking at the production design and working to come up with figures that balance out the manufacturing costs, taking into consideration the after-market services they will also have to offer.

“As we’re pursuing that, and getting clients in, then we’re able to look at it from our own business perspective, what level of margins are we willing to go into the market with and grow into with, and how we go forwards,” he concludes.

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it in focus construction apps

MEconstructionnEws.com

think sm art Kenneth Seraspi of desert INK writes about how smart apps are changing the way landscape architects and consultants deliver projects

S

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martphone applications are greatly affecting the way we live, interact, collect and share data – whether at home, in the office or anywhere in between. A growing number of landscape architects now use apps in their workplace: in a recent survey by the American Society of Landscape Architects, 76% of respondents said that they use apps in analysing a site, 44% use apps for conceptualising their ideas and 50% use landscape apps during construction. While there are no specific figures yet in the Gulf , at desert INK we have started incorporating apps in our work processes. We’ve compiled some of the most useful tools and apps for landscape architects to show where we think the industry might be heading in the near future.

OCTOBER 2015

sItE aNaLYsIs

Commencement of every project requires landscape architects to study and make inventory of the site. Before, armed with a pen, a notebook and a digital camera, landscape architect wrote and sketched their observations.

Today, with the help of several smartphone apps, landscape architects can make their site inventories quicker and more accurate.

Technical assessments can be made with applications such as Clinometer (an app that measures the angle and percentage of the slope) or Sunseeker (which uses GPS and a magnetometer to trace the path of the sun).

Planimeter measures land area and distance on a map, while Soil Web lets you access USDA-

NRCS soil survey data. These apps all help landscape architects get necessary data faster, rather than relying on the client’s information.

Google Earth and Street View and camera applications like PhotoSynth can be used to visualise the site with 360-degree photographic stitching. At desert INK, we frequently use Google Earth to locate existing trees and understand built structures, views and 3D structures. Sunseeker has also been of great assistance in assessing those areas of a site which will receive most sun, and extremely useful when positioning a swimming pool or lawn which requires full sun, or locating seating areas, which ideally enjoy shady conditions. The accuracy of these applications is improving at a rate of knots,

it in focus construction apps

DEsIGN CONCEPt

and although some tend to be US-centric, they possess great potential to make landscape architects’ work increasingly efficient.

PLaNt IDENtIFICatION

Botanical and horticultural knowledge is of great importance to landscape architects.

Books are a good place to start when identifying and selecting plants, but leafing through pages and pages of different plants can be cumbersome and inefficient. Enter the smartphone apps that help identify plants easily. Leafsnap, an app developed

by Columbia University, the University of Maryland and Smithsonian Institution, uses visual recognition software to help identify tree species through a photographs of leaves. The app is still geographically limited to the US, but this great initiative will soon be replicated across other regions.

An online database of trees and shrubs of various regions will help to improve our knowledge of a site, which ultimately improves our design capabilities.

“in a recent survey by the american society of Landscape architects, 76% of respondents said that they use apps in anaLysing a site, 44% use apps for conceptuaLising their ideas and 50% use Landscape apps during construction”

Conceptualising design involves a LOT of paperwork. We’re talking countless reams of tracing paper, design drafts and sketches. Apps that allow us to sketch on screen and save in digital format are great ways to create ideas, collaborate and save paper. Digital sketchbook apps like Autodesk Sketchbook and Morpholio Trace are just two of many excellent examples.

The Autodesk app has a wide range of brushes and a colour palette that lets designers create anything from simple sketches to full-blown presentation drawings.

We are now successfully using Sketchbook to create sketches that are presentable for concept submissions. Morpholio Trace is a similar app for sketching and commenting over a drawing or photograph.

As with other design disciplines, landscape design involves a lot of feedback, and this app is fantastic for creating markups quickly and exchanging feedback.

Renderings also help with concept presentations, as they portray design intent

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MIDDLE EAST

morphoLio trace An app that lets you create digital mark-ups on drawings for rapid presentation and collaboration.

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it in focus construction apps

MEconstructionnEws.com

Leafsnap An app developed by three American universities which uses visual recognition software to identify plant species.

realistically to our clients. We at desert INK have raised our game above our competitors significantly through the use of Lumion software. While not strictly an app, Lumion has allowed us to transform blocky Sketch-Up 3D models into realistic renderings without the complexity of a more cumbersome program such as 3D-Max. Lumion’s extensive database of plants and components is particularly useful for landscape architects, as is the ability to represent light more realistically.

CONstrUCtION

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Time, programming, scheduling and data organisation are important during construction. Topping the list of best construction apps is Aconex mobile, which enables contractors to access and capture

OCTOBER 2015

kenneth seraspi Desert INK uses Lumion software to transform blocky 3D models into realistic renderings.

“these apps are just the tip of the iceberg. as our technoLogy becomes more responsive and specific, we can aLL Look forward to being more accurate, eLoquent and efficient in our work”

important project information on-site.

Contractors and consultants can instantly share and catalogue videos, images and project documents, send marked-up documents to other project team members and store records for offline access. Another useful tool for contractors is the iScape App, which lets you preview the hardscape and softscape installation prior to commencing work. It helps the client and the designer visualise the end result of every material option onsite, before any physical work is started.

Clearly, these apps are just the tip of the iceberg for landscape architects and other industry professionals. As our technology becomes more responsive and specific, we can all look forward to being more accurate, eloquent and efficient in our work.

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COMMENT AmmAr EnAyA

MECONSTRUCTIONNEWS.com

ammar enaya

Smart construction will usher in the era of the smart city in the Middle East Wi-Fi connectivity will be key enabler for procurement, logistics and workforce planning at construction phase

T

he Middle East is all abuzz with excitement about smart cities – and rightfully so!

Economic, social and technological factors have converged to make the region prime and ready for wide-spread smart city developments. Design and planning of these cities of tomorrow are already underway, with governments in the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar already solidly backing such initiatives.

As the region ushers in this new era of advancement, much has been predicted and promised about the integration of ICT in every aspect of the completed city developments.

There is, however, no reason the benefits of technology cannot be leveraged much sooner than that – at the construction phase itself, where mobility can streamline operations.

The computing capabilities of mobile devices have advanced to a level that has made them capable of aiding the planning, designing and building phases. But turning mobility into an effective tool requires not only computing power but also connectivity. And at job-sites, wired connections are not feasible and cellular networks are not always available. A strong case can therefore be made for developers to use Wi-Fi solutions. These are not only easy to install and manage, but are now also affordable and rugged enough to see deployment

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“To ensure a smooTh TransiTion from TradiTional meThods To The modern mobile consTrucTion siTe, iT is besT To ensure ThaT all Team members are wellversed in and comforTable wiTh all aspecTs of mobile Technology”

OCTOBER 2015

in harsh construction environments.

Facilitating workFlow

It isn't uncommon for construction workers to still rely on paper documentation.

Besides being cumbersome to transport and maintain, these documents need to be regularly updated, often at the site itself. With the introduction of tablet devices, mobile project management has emerged as a worthy replacement for age-old methods. Coupled with the broad ecosystem of feature-rich mobile applications and the ability to draw from vast amounts of remotely stored data and cloud services, these devices are capable of granting contractors, engineers and supervisors access to blueprints, schematics and other vital documents. Moreover, with the ability to instantly push updates to all members working on the project, mobile computing devices can aid collaboration and revolutionise the building information modelling (BIM) process in real time.

With site-wide high-speed wireless connectivity for all mobile devices, workers gain the ability to transfer high volumes of data back and forth between each other and HQ. This significantly streamlines communications, while cutting costs and improving operational efficiency. It also has attractive green side-effects, as staff no longer have to make regular trips to and from HQ. Enabling assEt tracking and bEttEr invEntory

At job-sites, company assets are a major investment and the progress of construction is heavily reliant on their functionality.

Heavy equipment such as cranes, bobcats and cement mixers are often required to

COMMENT AmmAr EnAyA

greaTer connecTiviTy With site-wide, high-speed wireless connectivity for all mobile devices, workers can transfer high volumes of data back to HQ.

sitE sEcurity

Another vital area of a construction site

where mobile technology can be applied is video surveillance. Not only does this enable better collaboration and remote supervision, it is essential to site security.

High-speed connectivity for robust and cost-effective camera equipment means ready availability of high definition video, making both identification and collaboration easier. These video systems are also a key part of asset-tracking systems. assEssing wi-Fi solutions For thE construction sitE

The challenge for the developer is to find a robust enterprise-class WLAN that is affordable in terms of capital expense and operational overhead. While construction companies may be staffed with savvy IT professionals at headquarters, they have limited resources and RF expertise at remote locations. Consequently, they must use mobility solutions that are simple to set up, highly reliable and can be managed centrally.

While portable enough to be transposed from one site to another, these systems must also offer enterprise-grade WLAN functionality.

As construction integrates more deeply with IT, network uptime will become an increasingly important factor. It is therefore prudent to invest in network management tools to provide maximum network availability. Software that periodically backs up all device configurations on the network is simple but extremely useful.

Finally, developers must also invest in training personnel in new technologies. To ensure a smooth transition from traditional methods to the modern mobile construction site, it is best to ensure that all team members are well-versed in and comfortable with all aspects of mobile technology. Once this has been achieved, smart construction will usher in the era of the smart city. n Ammar Enaya is general manager of Aruba Networks Middle East, an HP Company

OCTOBER 2015

MIDDLE EAST

be left on-site overnight. This makes them a prime target for theft. Asset-tracking technologies help monitor equipment in remote locations and automatically detect and report suspicious behaviour. These systems can also determine utilisation of expensive equipment to help supervisors determine if it is being over- or under-utilised.

Developers also benefit from automated maintenance schedules, logs and reports.

Cheap and easy RFID technology makes automation of inventory management possible. By knowing in advance which materials will soon run out, construction companies can anticipate and avoid material shortages, eliminating losses in productivity.

All these systems can only be deployed on a robust Wi-Fi platform. Connectivity is becoming essential to procurement, logistics and workforce planning.

59

COMMENT Filippo Sona

MECONSTRUCTIONNEWS.com

filippo sona

Egyptian tourism industry continues to rebound Despite political turmoil over the last few years, the Egyptian tourism industry is starting to see signs of a turnaround in 2015, enabling the market to recover, says Filippo Sona of Colliers International

F

ollowing a challenging last few years, where political turmoil and fear of political violence have deterred tourists from visiting the country, we are starting to see a turnaround enabling the market to recover.

The situation remains challenging; however, with consumers and businesses building confidence, the rest of 2015 should see the continuing recovery of Egypt's tourism market.

In the first half of 2015, the number of room nights sold in Egypt's key cities (Cairo, Alexandria, Hurghada, Sharm El Sheikh and Luxor) grew 13% year-on-year.

Cairo in particular saw a 39% increase in demand, while Hurghada experienced a decrease of 7% due to strong competition from neighbouring Sharm El Sheikh.

In another positive move for the tourism industry, August 2015 saw Germany lift its travel ban on all tourist destinations in Egypt.

The lift is expected to lead to higher visitation figures from this key source market, which contributed approximately 800,000 tourists and EGP 2 billion in revenues in 2014. Germans' length of stay is also expected to increase from its current average of one week, slowly returning to the two-week stays witnessed in 2010.

In addition to traditional source markets, the Ministry of Tourism is aiming to diversify

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“With the recovery in full sWing, hotel investors interested in egypt are noW reaching their highest level of confidence of the last four years”

OCTOBER 2015

its demand base, for instance by targeting 200,000 Iranian tourists by 2016, and 1 million Indian tourists by 2017. The tourism authorities are bullishly targeting a total of 20 million tourists by 2020, up from 9.8 million in 2014.

The improved confidence in the hotel industry is apparent in the recent signings of international hotel brands, such as the Swissotel Katameya in Cairo, the DoubleTree

by Hilton in Ain Al Sokhna and the Westin Resort in Soma Bay. With the recovery in full swing, hotel investors interested in Egypt are now reaching their highest level of confidence of the last four years.

For the Egyptian hotel market, the last four years have given rise to new markets, such as Ain El Sokhna, traditionally developed as a holiday home destination for the domestic market, now on course to be a destination for the millennial generation.

Historically, Ain El Sokhna absorbed a substantial proportion of local tourism previously captured by other Red Sea areas such as Sharm El Sheikh and Hurghada, due to its proximity to the capital and affordable prices. It is regarded as a quick weekend getaway for residents of the capital, particularly those living in emerging areas of New Cairo.

The area’s good beaches and proximity to the city are a strong formula for leisure demand.

Tida Industrial Park is a strong source for corporate demand, while the area’s coastal nature provides a strong events profile for corporate and some social purposes.

Cairo’s new capital project is expected to take place near Ain El Sokhna. The development is anticipated to provide substantial residential, commercial, healthcare and recreational facilities, inducing demand for existing and future resorts of Ain El Sokhna.

COMMENT Filippo Sona

services working on the Suez Canal Master Plan, and an increase in cruise business, which will also add room nights to Cairo hotels.

The social unrest in Egypt over the last four years has highlighted that the size, structure and growth of the hotel business in a country are functions of the prevailing economic structure. Thus, fundamental to comprehending the economic ascent of the hotel business is an understanding of the structural development of the economies in which hotels operate and which provide the fertility for hotel demand and supply to grow.

However, as we have witnessed many times, the real estate industry is characterised by tenyear cycles with five-year memories, and it is easier to abandon development plans than to turn challenging situations into opportunities.

In fact, having conducted numerous hotel valuations during the social unrest, an opportunity that only a few hotels capitalised upon was the unexpected growth of the

banqueting business as a generator of room demand. Before the unrest, hotels that catered for large functions had only 5-8% bedroom take-up for a wedding, while during the unrest this grew to 13-15%. This phenomenon is a result of consumers wanting to feel safe, what in master planning we call â&#x20AC;&#x153;sense of communityâ&#x20AC;?, meaning everything in easy reach, which in hotel business translates into staying in-house and close together.

The economic ascent of the hotel business has not been uniform, because the development of economic structures has not been uniform; however, the Egyptian economy is witnessing not just a growth after a market decline, but a migration of solid historical foundations into new facilities and services to cater for the new generations. n Filippo Sona is the director and head of Hotels (MENA region) for Colliers International.

He can be reached at: filippo.sona@colliers.com

in full sWing A number of international hotel brands, such as Westin and Hilton Hotels, have entered the Egyptian market.

OCTOBER 2015

MIDDLE EAST

A landmark of the area is Porto Sokhna, a complete leisure offering developed through the years by Amer Group. Companies such as Tatweer Misr are developing the new generation of lifestyle resort, mixed-use developments aiming to capture new bluecollar Egyptians. The company has put forward plans to develop a major tourist destination covering 2.5 million sqm of land just north of Porto Sokhna. The development will comprise multiple internationally branded hotels as well as outdoor activities, with facilities able to cater to all age groups. North of the Tatweer Misr scheme is Al Galala, a new city expected to span 85km along the Zaafarana Road near New Bani Swaif.

The Suez Canal expansion nearby will boost urban tourism development of the key cities along the canal â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Ismailia, Suez and Port Said.

The additional trading generated will increase tourism for hotels in Ain Sokhna. This business growth will be fuelled by trade and professional

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show preview the big 5

OCTOBER 2015

MEconstructionnEws.com

show preview the big 5

The Big 5: A plAce to connect Big Project Middle East previews the 2015 edition of the Middle East’s largest construction-focused trade show Among the highlights will be an update on Dubai Municipality Green Building Regulations and, with total registered and certified leasable LEED space in the country reaching 47 million gross sqm, there will also be a session on updated energy modelling strategies for LEED v4. There will also be a seminar on how to trade in the UAE for exhibitors looking to grow their presence or set up operations in the region. This will offer information on navigating the complex regulatory framework to set up a business and win work in the region’s booming construction markets, as well as provide key insights into local laws and effective business practices in the UAE. Freezones will also be a central feature of this seminar, on account of the role they have played in promoting the growth of the non-oil economies in the UAE. Trade through freezones increased 7% year-on-year in the first half of 2014 to $73 billion, while imports through freezones also expanded by

“To conTinue wiTh The expansion and developmenT of The Big 5, focus is a hall dedicaTed To a range of feaTures ThaT have Been inTroduced specifically To meeT The needs of our visiTors, providing addiTional value”

10% to $41 billion. In addition, direct exports and re-exports from freezones have increased 5%, to around $3 billion and $28.8 billion respectively.

Other workshops at The Big 5 will focus on this market potential and business development, as well as improving supply chain competitiveness, managing cultural diversity and ethical issues, fire safety, the complexities of designing healthcare facilities, and an introduction to smart cities and the Internet of Things – among other things. All are essential in providing learning opportunities that help visitors maintain pace with booming GCC construction markets.

This will be increasingly important, given that a shortage in labour is one of the biggest challenges facing the Middle East construction industry. In addition to technical skills, demand for soft skills across the region is in some cases more important among selective employers.

“The implications of skills shortages in the GCC are such that project delays and avoidable costs could become a real possibility,” says Andy White, vice president of dmg events Middle East and Africa. “However, when you consider that some skills shortages are emerging amid a renewed confidence in construction, economic growth, rising populations and a revival of projects put on hold during the global economic recession, employment trends are actually extremely positive.”

In an effort to better align local, regional and global suppliers with the specific needs of local markets, The Big 5 will feature a plethora of live product demonstrations of technologies and innovations that are shaping the construction industry. In a similar fashion to the workshops and seminars, participating exhibitors will bring experts to showcase products in action, giving all visitors the opportunity to assess the suitability of a product for their projects in real time.

Meanwhile, a series of green initiatives, including the Gaia Awards, will be held during the event. Launched in 2008 to honour companies in

OCTOBER 2015

MIDDLE EAST

A

s construction events in the Middle East and North Africa go, they don’t come much bigger than The Big 5. In anticipation of this year’s event, we explore what is in store for visitors to this year’s exhibition and how the region’s biggest construction event is preparing to redefine the regional industry.

The number of large-scale developments in the GCC region is increasing, with a recent list of the top 30 projects alone valued at over $340 billion. With such high stakes and long construction timeframes, being able to rely on trusted suppliers capable of responding to planned and unforeseeable deviations in construction is essential in sustaining growth.

With more than 2,000 plants engaged in the production of building materials, accounting for 17% of small and medium-sized factories in UAE, opportunities are also emerging for suppliers to secure contracts. As GCC countries increasingly turn to green building materials, amid a need to comply with green building codes and sustainable development plans, the market for marble, stone and ceramics is expected to rise from $5.1 billion in 2014 to an estimated $5.4 billion in 2015. Glass is another material set for tremendous growth.

Concrete production from recycled materials, such as ash from power furnaces and wood from proven, sustainable forests, is booming, as are water-efficient plumbing fixtures and energy-efficient lighting fixtures, both of which are expected to experience growth.

In this context, this year’s The Big 5, which will be held 23-26 November 2015 at World Trade Centre, is shaping up to be one of the most engaging opportunities for professionals to connect with the region’s construction sector in new and exciting ways. As in previous years, visitors will have guaranteed access to a comprehensive programme of free CPD workshops and seminars, each led by an industry specialist who will share relevant cutting-edge insights.

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construction whose products and services have demonstrated a reduction in the impact on the environment, Gaia has grown into the industry’s most respected awards, with winners eligible to receive $50,000 in marketing support, in order to showcase the winning product to market. The awards are open to exhibitors and non-exhibitors whose products are distributed within MENA. Another popular feature at The Big 5 is the Design Summit, which will be held on the second day of the show in 2015. The summit brings together leading architects, consultants, urban planners, engineers and contractors and is the only conference in the region to offer comprehensive free insights into the latest design trends, technologies and techniques such as sustainability and costefficiency, while also providing an unparalleled analysis of local and regional GCC markets.

With 3,000 exhibitors and 85,000 visitors expected to descend on Dubai World Trade Centre when The Big 5 opens its doors, the event is bracing for another record-breaking year after the 2014 event broke all attendance records in the show’s 35year history. Available floor space is also set for an 8% increase, from 52,265sqm in 2014 to 56,400sqm in 2015, following the expansion of Dubai World Trade Centre and strong demand from exhibitors.

With strong demand, extra floor space will

OCTOBER 2015

MEconstructionnEws.com

also be used to accommodate a new hall called The Big 5 Focus, which will be making its debut at the 2015 event. As the latest addition, The Big 5 Focus has been created to serve the increasing number of visitors seeking information on the challenges and opportunities for technology in construction and project management.

In speaking about The Big 5 Focus, dmg event director Ashley Roberts explains the rationale behind the new hall and that The Big 5 Focus will offer more stand space for companies wishing to increase their presence at the event.

“The 2014 edition of The Big 5 was a recordbreaking year, which was attended by 80,178 participants. To continue with the expansion and development of The Big 5, Focus is a hall dedicated to a range of features that have been introduced specifically to meet the needs of our visitors, providing additional value.”

With this in mind, we’ve put together a snapshot of the not-to-be-missed CPD workshops and seminars at The Big 5: 1. Updates to Dubai Municipality’s green building regulations 2. GCC construction sector update: Market potential and business development opportunities 3. Introduction to smart cities and

the Internet of Things 4. Updated energy modelling strategies for LEED v4 5. How to trade in the UAE 6. Can sustainable and affordable housing become a reality in the Middle East?

7. A cost-benefit analysis of energyefficient technologies 8. Improving supply chain competitiveness 9. Fire safety in facades 10. Managing a culturally diverse team to optimise organisational performance 11. Construction contract management and ethical issues 12. Navigating the complexities of designing healthcare facilities 13. Life cycle cost assessment (LCA) of green buildings 14. Life cycle costing: Theory vs practice in the GCC region 15. Introduction to the UN Global Compact Principles: Sustainability and ethicality in real estate and construction.

For the full agenda and complete information about the free workshops and industry speakers taking part at The Big 5, please visit our website: www.thebig5.ae/freeeducation/certified-workshops/agenda.

show preview the big 5

educaTional agenda

Some of the free-to-attend technical seminars taking place at The Big 5 this year

11:30 Technical SeMinar:

construction projects 18:00 end of day 1

permeation properties, durability and service life of concrete structures, dr

for steel rebar

building system

PrograMMe

18:00 Technical SeMinar: pc strand manufacturing

TueSday 24 noveMber 2015 11:30 Technical SeMinar:

abu saleh mohammod,

concretely light slabs

gm, pudlo middle east

12:00 Technical SeMinar:

12:30 Technical SeMinar:

with epoxy powder coating

time with a panelised

educaTional

instarmac 12:00 Technical SeMinar:

reducing construction

updates on the use

for precast and post tension market

ThurSday 26 noveMber 2015 12:00 ProjecT caSe STudy: al hail greens housing

WedneSday 25 noveMber 2015 11:30 Technical SeMinar: The

development oman phase i 12:30 Technical SeMinar: greening of concrete: Trends and priorities

disputes and claims in

and development

latest innovations in fully

epc and design and

of glass-reinforced

Bonded waterproofing

you need to know about

build contracts

(grc) concrete

systems

guarantee and warranty

13:00 Technical SeMinar:

12:30 Technical SeMinar:

12:00 Technical SeMinar:

innovative Techniques

reinforced lightweight block

improvements in hot

and Technologies in core

rather than polystyrene

weather concreting

wall setting out for

forms in icf (insulation

high rise Towers

concrete forms)

13:30 Panel SeSSion: Top tips

13:00 Technical SeMinar:

12:30 Technical SeMinar:

13:00 Technical SeMinar: what

mechanisms for material and equipment 13:30 Panel SeSSion: construction sector future

exploring the effect of soil

outlook: new developments

structure interaction (ssi) on

and opportunities in the

the response of structures

region’s construction and

and best practice in project

Quality control of concrete

management for construction

ingredients and ready-

projects in the gcc

mix plant inspections in

assessing the benefits of

emirate of fujairah

thermal-insulating concrete

introduction to efficient

in building design

material reconciliation

14:30 Technical SeMinar: exploring the benefits of

13:30 Panel SeSSion: emerging

continuously galvanised

trends and innovations

rebar (cgr)

in concrete

15:00 ProjecT caSe STudieS:

14:30 Technical SeMinar:

13:00 Technical SeMinar:

13:30 Panel SeSSion: new trends in decorative concrete 14:30 Technical SeMinar:

infrastructure sectors 14:30 Technical SeMinar:

moawia abdulrahman sayed, project engineer, al ain distribution company

optimising building

determination of the thermal

competitive advantage

envelopes integrity with

history on concrete structures

and sustainable supply

to dubai’s accident

concrete wall systems:

by thermogravimetric

chain strategy

investigation policies

louvre abu dhabi and

analysis and infrared

15:00 ProjecT caSe STudy:

‘green Building of the

spectroscopy

year 2014’

overcoming challenges in

15:00 Panel SeSSion: introduction

and procedures 16:00 Technical SeMinar:

ground engineering

emergency procedures when

post-tensioned concrete

paul groves, head of

using mobile elevating work

implementation of multi-

slab of a high-rise building

Tunneling and ground

geodetic and geotechnical

in saudi arabia

engineering, middle east

16:00 Technical SeMinar:

sensors in structural

15:00 ProjecT caSe STudy:

16:00 Technical SeMinar:

and india, atkins

health monitoring for

exploring applications

megastructures

and methods of

recycling for reuse:

waterproofing, coating

options for construction

16:30 Panel SeSSion: assessing new models of

and concrete admixtures

construction procurement

and overcoming

and risk allocation and mitigation strategies 17:30 Technical SeMinar: critical success factors influencing performance of

16:30 panel SeSSion: updates and advancements in concrete repair technologies and applications 17:30 Technical SeMinar:

16:00 Technical SeMinar:

and demolition waste 16:30 Panel SeSSion: assessing the latest advancements in deep foundation design and construction 17:30 Technical SeMinar: improving structure durability

platforms at height 16:30 Panel SeSSion: new trends and developments in improving plant and asset performance 17:30 Technical SeMinar: safe use of mobile scaffold Towers: standards versus non-standards 18:00 cloSe of Middle eaST concreTe and PMv live educaTional PrograMMe

OCTOBER 2015

MIDDLE EAST

Monday 23 noveMber 2015

65

TENDERS

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address BtMC Bhaban Building, 7th Floor, Kawran Bazar Street PhoNe (+20-6) 2339 7777 descrIPtIoN engineering, Procurement and Construction (ePC) contract to build a petrochemicals complex PerIod 2020 status Current Project

Project musanDam airPort ExPansion Budget $100,000,000 Project Number SPR2511-O reGIoN Muscat. Oman clIeNt Ministry of transport &

Budget $2,100,000,000

Project ExEcutivE tErminal ProjEct – Dubai WorlD cEntral aviation District

Project Number MPP2779-SA reGIoN Riyadh, Saudi Arabia clIeNt Arriyadh development Authority (Saudi

Budget $120,000,000

Arabia)

Project Number WPR637-u reGIoN dubai, united Arab emirates clIeNt dubai World Central (dWC) Postal/ZIP code 282228 PhoNe (+971-4) 321 4040 WebsIte www.dwc.ae descrIPtIoN Construction of a new terminal comprising dedicated facilities for customs, immigration and police, separate drop-off and executive lounge areas to ensure full privacy, as well as walkable, direct access to the apron status Current Project

Postal/ZIP code 94501 PhoNe (+966-11) 488 3331 emaIl adainfo@arriyadh.com WebsIte www.arriyadh.com descrIPtIoN Operation and maintenance of a new 83km-long bus rapid transit system in Riyadh status Current Project

Project tahrir PEtrochEmicals comPlEx ProjEct – ain sokhna Budget $7,000,000,000

Project riyaDh raPiD bus transit systEm ProjEct

Project Number WPR074-e reGIoN giza, egypt clIeNt Carbon Holdings (egypt)

Communications (Oman) Postal/ZIP code 684 PhoNe (+968) 2468 5000 WebsIte www.motc.gov.om descrIPtIoN design, construction and upgrading of Musandam Airport PerIod 2016 status New tender

Project Qatar acaDEmy DEvEloPmEnt Budget $160,000,000 Project Number WPR754-Q reGIoN doha, Qatar clIeNt Qatar Foundation address Qatar Foundation Building, Al Wajba Area Postal/ZIP code 5825 PhoNe (+974) 4454 0000 emaIl info@qf.org.qa WebsIte www.qf.edu.qa descrIPtIoN development of a prestigious and comprehensive educational facility of international stature comprising a number of two-storey buildings (g+1) PerIod 2016 status Current Project

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uae oNe jumeIrah beach resIdeNce toWer Project

budGet $200,000,000 Project Number WPR768-u reGIoN dubai, uAe clIeNt dubai Properties address Building No. 15, dubai Internet City Postal/ZIP code 500424 PhoNe (+971-4) 391 1114 WebsIte www.dubai-properties.ae descrIPtIoN Construction of a 45-storey luxury residential tower comprising 1-4-bedroom apartments, including high-end amenities like pool, gymnasium, spa and dining areas in addition to a beach club with its own facilities for visitors PerIod 2019 status New tender teNder cateGorIes Prestige Buildings teNder Products High-rise towers, Residential Buildings

West Yas VIlla comPlex Project â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Yas IslaNd ZoNe K

budGet $300,000,000 Project Number WPR758-u reGIoN Abu dhabi, uAe

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clIeNt ALdAR Properties PJSC (Abu dhabi) address 13th Floor, Abu dhabi Chamber of Commerce tower Postal/ZIP code 51133 PhoNe (+971-2) 810 5555 WebsIte www.aldar.com descrIPtIoN development of 1,017 four- and five-bedroom villas, each comprising a ground floor and an additional floor, including all community facilities PerIod 2017 status New tender teNder cateGorIes education & training, Leisure & entertainment, Construction & Contracting teNder Products educational developments, Retail developments, Villas Construction

NeIGhbourhood retaIl ceNtre Project

budGet $30,000,000 Project Number WPR727-B reGIoN Manama, Bahrain

48,500 square feet of lease area, in addition to the supermarket and three anchor restaurants PerIod 2016 status Current Project teNder cateGorIes Construction & Contracting, Leisure & entertainment teNder Products Retail developments

ras al barr resort deVeloPmeNt Project

Project Number WPR572-B reGIoN Manama, Bahrain clIeNt Kuwait Finance House – KFH (Bahrain) Postal/ZIP code 2066 PhoNe (+973) 1722 1666 WebsIte www.kfh.com descrIPtIoN development of a resort, which will be spread over several islands housing theme hotels, resorts and souqs, residential

units, schools, parklands, public waterfront and sports facilities status New tender teNder cateGorIes Construction & Contracting, education & training, Hotels, Leisure & entertainment, Marine engg.

Works & Seaports teNder Products educational developments, Hotel Construction, Marina development

omaN muscat hIlls Golf & couNtrY club Project – Phase 2b

Project Number WPR684-O reGIoN Muscat, Oman clIeNt Muscat Hills golf & Country Club (Oman) address Seeb, PC 111 Postal/ZIP code 3358 PhoNe (+968) 2451 4080

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clIeNt First Bahrain Real estate development Company (Bahrain) address Suite 2207 & Suite 2231, Almoayyed tower, Al Seef PhoNe (+973) 1756 7900 emaIl bahrain@firstbahrain.net descrIPtIoN Construction of a neighbourhood retail centre comprising 23 units offering

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WebsIte www.muscathillsgolf.com descrIPtIoN Construction of a golf and Country Club status New tender teNder cateGorIes Construction & Contracting, Hotels, Leisure & entertainment teNder Products Hotel Construction, Playgrounds & Associated equipment, Public Buildings

Khasab aIrPort exPaNsIoN Project

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descrIPtIoN Carrying out expansion of an existing airport with the addition of a new terminal building comprising a ground floor and an additional floor, including the construction of a new runway and taxiway PerIod 2016 status Current Project teNder cateGorIes Airport, Roads, Bridges & Infrastructure teNder Products Airports development & Management, Infrastructure

Qatar budGet $50,000,000 Project Number WPR668-O reGIoN Muscat, Oman clIeNt Ministry of transport & Communications (Oman) Postal/ZIP code 684 PhoNe (+968) 2468 5000 WebsIte www.motc.gov.om

marINa mIx 11 mIxeduse toWer Project – lusaIl dIstrIct

budGet $300,000,000 Project Number WPR080-Q reGIoN doha, Qatar

clIeNt Real estate Services group (Qatar) PhoNe (+974) 4458 3388 emaIl info@rsgqatar.com WebsIte www.rsgqatar.com descrIPtIoN Construction of Marina Mix 11, a 5-star hotel and residential building comprising 2 basement levels, a ground floor, 2 podium levels, 36 additional

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saudI arabIa four seasoNs hotel Project – jeddah

budGet $480,000,000 Project Number WPR762-SA reGIoN Jeddah, Saudi Arabia clIeNt Midad Real estate Investment & development Company Ltd (Saudi Arabia) PhoNe (+966-12) 652 4580 descrIPtIoN Construction of a 34-storey hotel comprising 275 rooms, 25 serviced and 50 branded apartments, including an 8-storey retail podium and basement for parking and services status New tender teNder cateGorIes Hotels, Prestige Buildings teNder Products High-rise towers, Hotel Construction

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Jerusha sequeira

Crude awakening Jerusha Sequeira says that the uAe real estate market may just be starting to feel the knock-on effects of the oil price slowdown

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MIDDLE EAST

Plunging oil Prices have been a matter of concern for a while now, particularly in a region like the gcc, which is heavily dependent on its abundant hydrocarbon reserves. As crude prices continue to hover at about $50 a barrel, it’s worth examining the knockon effect this will have on other industries, such as construction and real estate. interviews with construction executives in the initial months of the plunge last year didn’t indicate particular concern in the region, especially as government spending in the gcc showed no signs of slowing and large infrastructure projects continued to be announced.

But with oil prices still relatively low, governments in the region are slowly but surely starting to feel the pinch. The uAe, for one, is forecast to see a budget deficit of 2.3% this year, according to the iMF. in such a scenario, the oil and gas sector certainly faces slower growth, putting pressure on job creation. According to a report by real estate consultancy cluttons, this is already starting to take its toll on the uAe’s real estate market, particularly in oil-rich Abu Dhabi.

october 2015

Abu Dhabi’s office market is already feeling the effects of a slowdown in public spending, which has dampened demand for new office space, cluttons found. The emirate’s dependence on hydrocarbon revenues means office space take-up has traditionally been dominated by oil and gas firms, and demand therefore is now cooling significantly. Prime office rents are expected to feel headwinds early next year, the consultancy says.

Meanwhile, in sharjah, office rents held steady in the second quarter, with the flat performance indicating a scaling back of overall requirements and take-up levels, as dominant oil and gas occupiers assess their expansion plans.

As the rate of office space take-up and subsequent job creation is impacted, there is expected to be a knock-on effect on demand for residential space. As in other global markets, companies in the uAe’s oil and gas industry are being squeezed financially, and headcount reductions and office space consolidation are now being observed, an interview with cluttons on the sidelines of last month’s cityscape revealed. it’s fairly clear that economic diversification

is the only way forward for the country. Abu Dhabi appears to have realised this and is taking steps to boost its non-oil gDP, as outlined in its 2030 vision to diversify the economy.

At the federal level, lower oil revenues are starting to have an impact on policy. on August 1, the uAe become the first gcc state to deregulate fuel prices, removing subsidies that have been in place since the country’s formation. While petrol prices were hiked in the first month, diesel prices were reduced.

This is expected to contribute to the growth of many industries, including construction, which could surely see benefits from lower fuel costs for trucks and equipment.

Further economic reforms are expected, with the government now considering tackling the sensitive issue of value added tax (VAT). in the short run, this does not sound like good news and might further push up the cost of living.

However, as the country follows in the footsteps of more mature economies around the world, the government will need to look at more sustainable sources of revenue beyond oil, and in the long run, this would be a step in the right direction. n Jerusha Sequeira is the deputy editor of Truck & Fleet Middle East and a regular contributor to Big Project Middle East. She can be reached at: jerusha.sequeira@cpimediagroup.com

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