Construction Business News, February 2017
Page 1
THE DEFINITIVE GUIDE TO THE REGION'S CONSTRUCTION PROFESSIONALS
JANUARY 2017
OCTOBER 2016
THE DEFINITIVE GUIDE TO THE REGION'S CONSTRUCTION PROFESSIONALS
How the UAE’s new Fire and
Life Safety Code will improve
safety in tall buildings
We design.. we construct.. we build..
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,
PO Box 65697 Riyadh 11566
Tel: +966 11 293 1193
Fax: +966 11 293 1170
www.albawani.net
Classified Class 1 ISO 9001
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construction business news me // February 2017 //
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Editor’s note
News
Appointments
Contracts
Comment
On Site
La Perle: The latest
addition to Dubai’s
entertainment scene
Interview
Niall Greene, managing
director, Middle East,
Linesight
10
12
20
22
24
26
30
// contents
February 2017 // Issue #24
Keep up to date with
all the latest news,
features and much
more on our website.
www.cbnme.com
On the web
Page 4
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GETTING CLOSER TO THE TOP...
Getting closer to the top of the tallest mountain in the UAE will soon be a lot easier, thanks to the fleet of
Volvo construction equipment used in the building of the road to the Jebel Jais mountain. When it’s finished,
the route will run from Ras Al-Khaimah right to the 1,910 metre summit. The road has already become a
popular destination for motoring enthusiasts, who like to show off what their machines can do. But when the
road runs out, that’s where the Volvo operators show off their machines. And it’s impressive to see what they
can do. If you want to get closer to the action, scan the code and watch the video.
Building Tomorrow.
VIDEO
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// construction business news me // February 2017
8
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Cover Story
The Burning Issue: Dubai’s new
Fire Safety Code
Event Review
Intersec 2017
Commercial Vehicles
Take 10
Cultural Buildings
Legal Insight
Supplier News
Save the Date
Editor’s Pick
34
38
42
44
50
54
60
62
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construction business news me // February 2017 //
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www.kbmep.com | E info@kbmep.com | T +971 6 574 3344
Klampfer-Brayan Electromechanical Contracting LLC (KBEC) was jointly founded by Klampfer Middle East and Brayan Group
Al Batha Tower, Floor 22, Office 2207, Al Buheirah Corniche Road, Al Majas 1 | Sharjah, UAE
Strength in unity
COMBINING 30 YEARS OF INTERNATIONAL ENGINEERING EXPERIENCE WITH MORE
THAN A DECADE OF LOCAL MEP PROFICIENCY
Page 10
// construction business news me // February 2017
10
// Editor's note
Worth the Wait
It’s taken longer than expected but finally
the new UAE Fire and Life Safety Code
has landed. At over 1,500 pages, the re-
vised document will be twice the size of
its previous incarnation, first published in
2011 and amended the following year to
make fire rated façade cladding mandatory
in tall buildings. A new chapter has been
added while all others have been subject
to some sort of revision and improvement.
Hundreds more illustrations and diagrams
will aid a clear understanding of the text
and hopefully eliminate any room for con-
fusion. The authorities have clearly taken
their time to get things right. This has
involved carrying out an extensive consul-
tation with a large number of experts in
the field of fire safety. We spoke to some
of them to get their thoughts on the new
code for our cover feature this month.
The big news is that owners and de-
velopers will not be compelled to retrofit
older buildings with fire-rated cladding,
as many had anticipated, leaving some 70
percent of Dubai’s buildings fitted with
cladding that experts say has contributed
to the rapid spread of fires. There are obvi-
ously some impediments to asking own-
ers to change all the cladding on a high
rise building. For one thing the cost of a
full refit could run into millions of dollars
while owners would also find themselves
out of pocket if they have to tell all ten-
ants to move out for several months dur-
ing the renovation.
But speaking to the experts it is clear
that there is much more to the new code
than just cladding. While it will take a
while to delve into the detail to assess
the implications for everyone affected by
the new code, I think we can call agree
that, when it comes to stricter safety
regulations, the ultimate winners will be
UAE residents.
editor’s note
Jason o'Connell
Editor
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construction business news me // February 2017 //
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dubai : united diesel - +971 501155347 +971 43402557
kuwait : al-zayani trading co. - +965 24741598
oman : al hasher & co. - +96894271618
qatar : al hamad automobiles - +974 44510606
saudi arabia : manahil international co ltd - +966 544483394
Page 12
// construction business news me // February 2017
12
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An update from around the region
Development
Update
//
Dubai kicked off 2017 with
the announcement of a new
waterfront mega develop-
ment that will feature a
cruise liner terminal as well
as the largest marina in the
MENA region.
Vice President and Prime
Minister of the UAE and
Ruler of Dubai His High-
ness Sheikh Mohammed bin
Rashid Al Maktoum unveiled
the plans for Dubai Harbour,
to be located between the
Palm Jumeirah and JBR.
Meraas Holding will master
the huge mixed-use devel-
opment which will spread
over 20 million sq ft and will
feature residential, retail and
hospitality projects as well as
an events arena and a marina
with space for 1,400 vessels,
increasing Dubai’s yacht ca-
pacity by 50 percent from the
current 3,000 berths.
A
135
metre
tower,
dubbed ‘Dubai Lighthouse’
will landmark one end of
the project which will take
four years to complete once
construction begins.
Another standout feature
of the project will be an in-
tegrated transport system in
the form of a monorail that
will link Bluewaters Island,
Palm Jumeirah and the main-
land.
The masterplan of the new
destination integrates Sky-
dive Dubai, Dubai Interna-
tional Marine Club (DIMC)
and Logo Island into a single
community.
HH
Sheikh
Mohammed
said: “We are happy that
this new project, which rep-
resents a unique and inno-
vative new addition to the
region’s tourism landscape,
opens up a range of new op-
portunities to investors.
“‘Dubai Harbour’ creates a
venue for new investments
that support our vision for
this important sector and
promises to further accelerate
the expansion of the tourism
industry in the UAE, which is
already growing rapidly.
“I am confident that the
project will have a highly
positive impact on our en-
tire region’s tourism sector.
We are keen to encourage
new projects and promote
investments that will contrib-
ute to bringing to the region
more tourists interested in
experiencing this part of the
world,” His Highness added.
Dubai unveils waterfront megaproject
Dubai Harbour
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construction business news me // February 2017 //
13
Energy
The UAE plans to invest AED
600bn (163bn) in energy proj-
ects by 2050 and will boost
the contribution of clean
energy to 50 percent of the
overall mix to enable savings
of AED 700bn.
Under the UAE Energy Plan
2050 launched last month by
Vice President and Prime
Minister of the UAE and
Ruler of Dubai His High-
ness Sheikh Mohammed bin
Rashid Al Maktoum, the gov-
ernment hopes to generate
44 percent of its energy from
clean sources, 38 percent
from gas, 12 percent from
clean coal and 6 percent
from nuclear. The plan also
calls for residential energy
consumption to be slashed
by 40 percent by 2050.
“Our new energy plan bal-
ances supply and demand,
and takes into consideration
our international commit-
ments in terms of the envi-
ronment. It also seeks to en-
sure a conducive economic
environment
for
growth
across sectors,” His Highness
UAE to invest $163bn in energy projects
Majid Al Futtaim plans
to build a new AED
300mn ($82mn) project
in the heart of Masdar
City in Abu Dhabi by the
end of 2018.
Qatari contractor Investment
Holding Group (IHG) plans
to raise around $135mn
from launch an initial public
offering (IPO) on the Qatari
Financial Market.
Gulf Contracting Company
(GCC) has marked
the start of structural
concrete works for the
first phase of the Al Majed
Tower in Lusail City, Qatar.
Italian architect One Works
has won the international
competition held by Qatar
Rail to design the new
Transport Education Centre
in Doha, Qatar.
// Bitesize news
said while launching the
UAE Energy Strategy 2050.
“The new strategy takes
into consideration an ex-
pected annual growth of
6%, and efforts to increase
the contribution of clean
energy in the energy mix
from 25% to 50% by 2050,
apart from the reduction of
the carbon footprint result-
ing from power generation
by 70% over the next three
decades,” His Highness said.
The plan is a joint effort of
all energy-related authori-
ties and executive councils
in the UAE, and was devel-
oped under the supervision
of the federal government
represented by the Ministry
of Energy, and the Ministry
of Cabinet Affairs and The
Future.
“Ensuring the sustainability
of energy resources guaran-
tees the sustainability of our
country’s growth. Drafting
the first unified energy strat-
egy in the country based on
supply and demand is a sig-
nificant achievement of the
government. He who does
not think of energy is not
thinking about the future,”
His Highness said.
“The Gulf countries are
similar in their economic
structure, and we hope that
we will one day have a uni-
fied GCC energy strategy
in order to ensure sustain-
able growth for our people
and global influence for our
economies,” he added.
The strategy will be imple-
mented in three phases: the
first aims to accelerate the
move to efficient energy
consumption, ensure stable
sources of energy and the
diversification
of
energy
sources, while the second
aims to find new energy-
efficient solutions for trans-
portation.
The third will focus on re-
search and development in
addition to enhancing in-
novation and creativity in
the supply of sustainable
energy.
Page 14
// NEWS
// construction business news me // February 2017
14
The findings
confirm that
the Dubai real
estate market
has reached a
new phase of
maturity”
Sultan Butti Bin
Mejren
Property
Dubai continued to attract a
wealth of investors in 2016
with the sum of real estate
investment transactions for
the year exceeded AED 91bn
($24.8bn).
As has been the case in
previous years, the leading
investors were GCC citi-
zens which contributed AED
35bn, according to a new re-
port by the Dubai Land De-
partment (DLD)
The emirate’s real estate sec-
tor recorded a total of AED
259bn ($70.5bn) worth of real
Dubai property sector
attracts $25bn in 2016
$136mn 550 $815mn
estate transactions in 2016.
DLD’s
report
identifies
Dubai’s top five sales areas
for 2016 in terms of volume
as Business Bay followed by
Dubai Marina, Jebel Ali 1,
Burj Khalifa and Warsan 1.
In terms of value, the Burj
Khalifa area came out on top,
having secured over AED
7bn across 2,097 transactions.
Following closely behind, the
Dubai Marina area recorded
2,937 transactions worth AED
6.3bn. Business Bay secured
third place, followed by Jebel
Ali 1 and Warsan 1.
Commenting on the report,
His Excellency Sultan Butti
Bin Mejren, Director Gener-
al of DLD, said the findings
confirm that the Dubai real
estate market has reached a
new phase of maturity and
stability, and that it is moving
towards sustainable growth.
Bin Mejren predicts that
the market will gain further
momentum in 2017, signal-
ing an upward trend for sus-
tained growth in the run-up
to Expo 2020.
// In numbers
Development cost of Nakheel’s
new resort on Deira Islands
rooms in the resort to be managed
by Centara of Thailand
already invested by Nakheel in
Deira Islands infrastructure
Page 15
construction business news me // February 2017 //
15
Construction tender
Corporate
Nakheel tenders
Deira Islands
Boulevard
Nakheel has invited construc-
tion proposals for the AED
5bn Deira Islands Boulevard
residential project that will
eventually be home to 10,000
people.
The master developer re-
leased a tender for the con-
struction of 2,924 apartments
and townhouses in 16 resi-
dential towers.
Due for delivery in 2020,
Deira Islands Boulevard lies at
the heart of Nakheel’s 15.3 sq
km Deira Islands coastal city,
a new hub for living, leisure
and hospitality and a key el-
ement of the Government of
Dubai’s tourism vision.
Reaching up to 21 floors,
the 16 towers will be built in
four clusters, each contain-
ing nearly 670 one, two and
three bedroom apartments, 65
townhouses and ground-level
retail and recreation facilities.
There will be 4,500 podium-
level car parking spaces at the
development, which will have
a total built up area of over
seven million sq ft.
Deira Islands Boulevard is
set on an area of land span-
ning more than nine million
Hill International is to be-
come a pure-play project
management firm after agree-
ing to sell its construction
claims group for $147mn in
cash to private equity group
Bridgepoint.
The claims division, with
approximately 960 profes-
sionals in 40 offices world-
wide,
booked
revenue
$163.1mn for the 12 months
ended September 30, (ac-
counting for 26.3% of Hill’s
revenue during that peri-
od) and operating profit of
$11.1mn.
Net proceeds from the
sale will be used primarily
to pay off Hill’s outstanding
senior debt, which currently
totals $145.8mn but which
is expected to be lower by
the time the deal closes in
around 60 days.
“Our Construction Claims
Group was the original busi-
ness that began Hill more
than four decades ago,” said
David L. Richter, Hill’s Chief
Executive Officer.
“We will miss our friends
and colleagues in that busi-
ness but we know that each
of us will be in a better posi-
tion to grow our two distinct
businesses as independent
and separate companies.
“This transaction transforms
Hill into a pure-play project
management firm with a sig-
nificantly stronger balance
sheet,” added Richter.
sq ft – equivalent to nearly 120
international-standard football
fields – with 20 percent of the
development dedicated to
communal outdoor space.
The project will be built
around Deira Mall, Nakheel’s
6.5 million sq ft shopping,
dining and leisure destination,
for which a construction ten-
der has already been released.
The Boulevard will also con-
tain six further buildings – two
hotels, two serviced apart-
ment complexes and two
residential – bringing the to-
tal number of towers to 22. A
construction tender for these
will be issued in due course.
The new homes at Deira
Islands Boulevard are key
to Nakheel’s residential leas-
ing strategy, under which the
company is doubling its exist-
ing number of units to nearly
36,000.
Nakheel is also building
homes to lease at Jebel Ali,
Nad Al Sheba, Palm Jumeirah
and Jumeirah Heights, add-
ing to its existing stock at The
Gardens, Discovery Gardens,
International City and Jebel
Ali Village.
Etihad ESCO retrofitted over 2,000
buildings in 2016 saving $9.3mn
and 54 GWh of energy from execut-
ing out major projects for govern-
ment organisations.
Dubai Electricity and Water Au-
thority (DEWA), Jebel Ali Free Zone
Authority (JAFZA), Dubai Interna-
tional Financial Centre (DIFC), and
Mohammed Bin Rashid Housing
Establishment (MRHE) all saved on
their energy thanks to Etihad ESCO.
The energy service provider is
undertaking a number of new proj-
ects in 2017 as it works towards
achieving the goals of demand side
management strategy (DSM Strat-
egy) and Dubai integrated energy
strategy (DIES), which aim to slash
energy consumption by 30 percent
by 2030.
Ali Al Jassim, CEO of Etihad ESCO,
said: “As of today, we are pleased to
announce that 2016 saw positive
growth for ESCOs in Dubai. Most
of our projects and programmes
enabled a considerable amount
of energy savings while advanc-
ing into more extensive phases of
implementation. We have success-
fully completed retrofitting of 2,178
buildings,” he added.
“In general, buildings comprise a
huge amount of the total consump-
tion in Dubai, and thus make an im-
portant component in the Dubai Inte-
grated Energy Strategy and Demand
Side Management Strategy 2030.”
Etihad ESCO’s retrofit programme
for 2017 includes a further 2,000
buildings and energy saving of 20
percent.
Etihad ESCO
saves $9.3mn
Hill sells
claims division
for $147mn
Page 16
// NEWS
// construction business news me // February 2017
16
Awards
DLD extends Real Estate
awards deadline
Top 5 Web Stories
Dubai Land Department (DLD) has ex-
tended the nomination deadline for The
Gulf Real Estate Awards until February
15 thanks to the high level of interest
from companies across the GCC.
The original deadline was January 19,
meaning prospective nominees have
almost an extra month to submit their
nominations. The winners will be an-
nounced at a ceremony on April 19.
Mahmoud El Burai, Executive Direc-
tor of Dubai Real Estate Institute (DREI),
said: “In light of the high level of ap-
plicant interest from a wide number of
companies in the GCC real estate sector,
we have decided to extend the applica-
tion deadline and provide an opportu-
nity for more companies to participate
in The Gulf Real Estate Awards.
“We are delighted with the response;
even in its inaugural year, we expect the
program to generate strong competition
across all of the award categories.”
El Burai added: “The awards are de-
signed to raise the bar for innovation in
Dubai unveils waterfront
megaproject
Jameel Al Ramahi, CEO of
Masdar delivers the keynote
speech to the World Future
Energy Summit 2017
UAE to plough $163bn into
energy projects
Aconex deployed for
Kuwait causeway
Nakheel confirms $136mn
Deira Islands Resort
UAE to release new fire
safety code
1
2
3
4
5
www.cbnme.com
the real estate sector, and provide a plat-
form for GCC companies to highlight
their innovative solutions to addressing
real estate matters. It promises to have a
real impact on the market by promoting
best practices.”
Dubai Real Estate Institute, the educa-
tional arm of Dubai Land Department,
signed an agreement with Awards Inter-
national at the recent Cityscape Global
2016 exhibition, which paved the way
for The Gulf Real Estate Awards.
// Snapshot
Page 17
construction business news me // February 2017 //
17
Infrastructure
Salini Impregilo has com-
pleted tunnel excavation on
the longest line of the mas-
sive Riyadh metro project.
Also known as the Or-
ange Line, Line 3 is more
than 40 km long, but only
about 11 km will be un-
derground, excavated by a
combination of tunnel bor-
ing machines and the “cut
and cover” method. The
completed metro line will
have 22 stations.
Completion of the work on
Line 3 was celebrated in the
presence of Riyadh Governor
HRH Prince Faisal bin Bandar
Al Saud in the Downtown
Station of the metro.
Riyadh Metro Line 3 tunneling complete
Located near the Riyadh
governor’s palace in the
heart of the city, the Down-
town Station will be one
of the iconic stations, with
two
underground
metro
lines passing through it.
Covering 20,000 square
metres, it was designed by
the Norwegian architectural
firm Snøhetta together with
One Works and Crew.
Its entrance will be cov-
ered by a massive invert-
ed cone made of stain-
less steel that will provide
shade for passengers and
channel sunlight into the
underground station.
Salini
Impregilo
leads
the ArRiyadh New Mobil-
ity (ANM) consortium, one
of three involved in the
$23bn, six-line Riyadh Met-
ro project that will cover
176 kilometres.
The metro system will re-
duce traffic congestion and
air pollution in a city whose
population is expected to
rise from 6.5 million today
to 8.3 million by 2030.
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Page 18
// NEWS
// construction business news me // February 2017
18
“The awards are designed
to raise the bar for
innovation in the real estate
sector”
Mahmoud El Burai,
Dubai Real Estate
Institute (DREI)
“As of today, we are pleased
to announce that 2016 saw
positive growth for ESCOs
in Dubai”
Ali Al Jassim,
Etihad ESCO
“Ensuring the
sustainability of energy
resources guarantees
the sustainability of our
country’s growth”
His Highness Sheikh
Mohammed Bin Rashid
Al Maktoum
// They said...
Infrastructure
Dubai Municipality has allo-
cated AED 7bn ($1.9bn) in
this year’s budget for execut-
ing water drainage and treat-
ment projects.
The lion’s share of the
budget will be spent on the
storm water tunnel proj-
ect for the Airport City and
Dubai plans $1.9bn sewerage
infrastructure spend
the Expo 2020 Venue areas,
which amount to AED 5bn.
The projects are 55 percent
complete and will be opera-
tional before the opening of
Expo 2020.
Areas covered by the project
include Deira, for which an
initial study has been done.
Currently, primary design is
being studied, which includes
the drilling of two tunnels and
the pipelines will be extend-
ing up to 13 kilometres.
The AED 1.4bn sewage
treatment plant in Jebel Ali
comes in second place in
terms of importance. The
plant will be expanded to
have a capacity of 675,000
cubic meters per day instead
of its current capacity of
300,000.
The expansion of the plant
has three basic objectives: to
absorb the excess flow from
the Expo areas and the diver-
sion of a portion of the load
of Warsan Station to Jebel
Ali, as it is operating above
design capacity by about 27
percent. It is due to be com-
pleted in 2018 and will serve
1.8 million people covering
an area of 25,000 hectares.
Treated water produced by
the plant is used for irrigation
purposes in public parks and
for city greening as well as in
district cooling plants.
KEF Infra, the infrastructure division of
UAE-based KEF Holdings, has launched
the world’s largest and fully integrated
offsite manufacturing park in Tamil
Nadu, India.
Valued at $100mn, KEF Infra One spans
one million square feet and features a di-
verse range of cutting-edge technology to
revolutionise manufacturing and delivery
processes in the construction industry.
With 10 manufacturing lines featuring
industry 4.0 technology, the facility prom-
ises significant cost and time savings in
building hospitals, homes, schools, hotels
and specialised infrastructure.
Automation and data exchange is
integrated with manufacturing tech-
nologies, where a network of smart
factories is driven by human endeavour
and Cyber- Physical Systems, to create
durable and sustainable products in
an environment that is differentiated
through performance speed, efficiency
and precision.
Faizal E Kottikollon, founder and chair-
man, KEF Holding said: “At KEF Infra, we
challenge conventional building methods
and move the industry towards an effi-
cient, and automated platform.
“The launch of KEF Infra One is an im-
portant step towards achieving our vision
of pushing forth the next phase of India’s
growth through world-class infrastructure.
We are proud to introduce this revolution-
ary concept to the world.”
With a strong pipeline of projects within
India through 2017, KEF Infra also aims to
export its global vision of innovation and
technology-led development to various
GCC markets, starting with the UAE, to
specifically address the sustainable infra-
structure demands in the region.
KEF Holdings unveils $100mn facility
Page 19
construction business news me // February 2017 //
19
Energy
Masdar and
Bee’ah to build
Wte plant
Masdar will develop a waste-
to-energy plant in Sharjah in
partnership with Bee’ah, it
was announced at Abu Dhabi
Sustainability Week 2017.
Diverting
as
much
as
300,000 tonnes of solid waste
from landfill each year, the
project will help Sharjah
reach its “zero waste-to-land-
fill” target by 2020 – and the
UAE deliver on its 2021 goal
of diverting 75 percent of sol-
id waste from landfills.
The facility will incinerate up
to 37.5 tonnes of solid waste
per hour to create 30 mega-
watts (MW) of energy. This
will add more power to what is
produced by Bee’ah’s auxiliary
waste-to-energy project, which
will eventually produce a total
of 90 MW and will be supplied
to the Sharjah electricity grid.
Khaled Al Huraimel, Group
CEO of Bee’ah, said: “Today
marks the first venture in the
realisation of the partnership
that we announced with Mas-
dar last year. The cutting-edge
Waste-to-Energy plant in Shar-
jah is a concrete example of
what this strategic partnership
will deliver to the UAE and the
communities that we serve.”
Bee’ah
collects
approxi-
mately 2.3 million tonnes of
waste from nearly one million
households in Sharjah each
year, diverting around 70 per-
cent of its collected waste to
its recycling waste manage-
ment facilities from landfill.
Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi,
Chief Executive Officer of Mas-
dar, said: “With GCC countries
having among the highest rates
of per-capita waste production
in the world, sustainable waste
management
solutions
are
both critically important and a
clear business opportunity.
“Masdar will combine its
proven expertise in renew-
able energy project develop-
ment over the last ten years
with Bee’ah’s track record in
environmentally responsible
waste management, to deliv-
er a project that will catalyze
further investment in waste-
to-energy infrastructure in the
UAE and beyond.”
Masdar is adopting waste
management best practices in
the development of Masdar
City in Abu Dhabi, where its
construction waste manage-
ment demonstration project
reuses and recycles waste
building materials from the
City’s construction sites.
www.kibarindustry.com
info@kibarindustry.com
Tel : +962-79-566 66 47
Fax: +962-79-593 37 18
Page 20
// construction business news me // February 2017
20
// Appointments
UAE facilities management
firm, Emrill has promoted
Alex Davies to the position
of Managing Director at its
Dubai head office. Previously
Operations Director, Davies
has a proven track record in
delivering all aspects of fa-
cilities management within
the UK and in the UAE. He
brings a wealth of interna-
tional experience acquired
over 13 years with Emrill’s
shareholding company, Caril-
lion. Prior to joining Emrill in
2014, Davies held a number
of Director positions at the
UK construction contractor.
Hanan Darwish has become the first
woman to be named Schneider Electric’s
Cluster President, Gulf and Pakistan. In
her new role, Darwish will oversee all
business operations within the region
for the specialist in energy management
and automation. She brings more than 17
years of experience in Schneider Electric
to the role. Prior to her latest appointment,
she was the Global Senior Vice President,
Corporate Strategy and Human Resourc-
es, Energy Business, covering a scope of
more than 29,000 employees worldwide.
Law firm Beale & Company has started
the New Year with a number of chang-
es to its construction team in Dubai
aimed at significantly strengthening
its capability in the Middle East. Claire
Miller has been promoted to Partner
while John Sheils has been appointed
as a consultant and Natalie Ledger has
transferred to Dubai from the London
office. Sheils and Ledger join Royston
Pendley - Managing Partner of the
Dubai office - Claire Miller and Linzi
Ashworth in Dubai.
GFH Real Estate has named Mohammed
Khalil Ahmed as its new Chief Commer-
cial Officer to maximize and diversify its
revenue. Prior to joining the Bahrain-
based developer, he held the same po-
sition at the Bahrain Airport Company,
where he was responsible for managing
all airport revenues streams. His previ-
ous experience includes eight years at
Al Khaleeji Development Company (Ta-
meer), where he was an Executive Di-
rector in the Property Development and
Services department.
Emrill names
new MD
Schneider promotes Hanan Darwish
Beale & Co builds construction team
GFH Real Estate appoints new CCO
Movers and shakers in the industry
Appointments
Claire Miller
Page 21
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Page 22
// construction business news me // February 2017
22
// Contracts
Contracts
Al Futtaim Carillion (AFC) has won a contract to deliver the next phase of One Central in
Dubai, taking the total value of work awarded to the company on the Dubai World Trade
Centre project to AED 1.8bn ($490mn). Phase 1A6 of One Central, located between the cur-
rent Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre and Emirates Towers, comprises
two Grade A office buildings of 12 and 8 storeys. The contract, which is worth approximately
AED 725mn ($197mn), will begin in January 2017 and is scheduled for full completion at
the end of 2018.
Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has awarded phases 2 and 3 of the Dubai Tram
to SYSTRA in association with AECOM. The pair will take charge of transport planning, pre-
liminary design and invitations to tender for the second and third phases, a process which is
expected to last around 14 months. The company previously worked on the design for both
lines of the Dubai Metro and the first phase of the Dubai tram launched November 2014.
Kuwait’s Health Insurance Company (Daman) has signed a contract worth KWD 162mn
($530.85mn) with China Metallurgical Group Corporation (MCC) to build two hospitals in
Jahra and Ahmadi governorates with capacity of 600 beds each. The hospitals, which will serve
insurance-paying expatriates, are scheduled to be ready to operate by the end of 2019.
Zamil Steel Construction Company (ZSCC) has won a SAR 8.5mn ($2.66mn) turnkey contract
from sister company Zamil Alpla Plastics Middle East Company. The project encompasses
construction of an extension to an existing plant Dammam, Saudi Arabia. The contract in-
cludes structural, architectural, electrical and mechanical work on three primary buildings.
The steel building has been designed, fabricated, and will be delivered by Zamil Steel, the
subsidiary of Zamil Industrial engaged in pre-engineered steel design and fabrication.
SNC-Lavalin Fayez Engineering (SLFE) has won a five-year extension to its ex-
isting General Engineering Services Plus (GES+) contract with Saudi Aramco,
with three one-year options to extend. Under the deal, SNC-Lavalin will be
invited to bid on front-end engineering, detailed engineering and project man-
agement services on projects including onshore oil and gas production and
processing facilities, building and infrastructure projects, as well as refining
and petrochemical facilities.
Al Futtaim Carillion wins $200mn One Central deal
Aecom and SYSTRA signed for Dubai Tram extension
Chinese firms ink $530mn deal for Kuwait hospitals
Zamil Steel Construction Co wins
$2.26mn contract
SNC-Lavalin bags extension with Aramco
Page 23
construction business news me // February 2017 //
23
Bahrain’s Amlak has awarded a construction con-
tract for a residential tower to Yousif Al Zayani
Trading & Contracting Co. The Sixty Six is a six-
storey building with 66 fully-furnished apartments
and a luxury recreational floor with a swimming
pool, gymnasium and multipurpose room. The
project is scheduled to complete by mid-2018.
Atkins Power & Renewables has clinched the contract to provide tech-
nical advisory services for the development of the Oman’s Power 2021
Procurement Cycle to expand the current installed powergen capacity of
around 6,000 MW by 800 MW. Atkins will have an extensive scope of
work from drafting the project definition report and competition paper
right through to the award of the developer contract. The total duration
of the project is expected to be 18 months.
Consultant Dar Al Handasah recently awarded ACES Dubai with the geotechnical investigation
Package 6 for Al Maktoum International Airport. Field works started in December using more than
ten of ACES rotary drilling rigs and is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2017. Work
includes drilling of 600 boreholes to depths ranging from 15 to 50 meters, with a total linear meter
of more than 12,000. The next phase of the Al Maktoum Airport expansion comprises construction
of an additional terminal building, concourses and runways, and other ancillary structures.
Eagle Hills has awarded Batco Group with the contract for marine and grading works
on its project in Fujairah, UAE. Located south of Al Aqah beach, the mixed-use
development comprises The Address Fujairah Resort + Spa hotel, and The Address
Residences Fujairah Resort + Spa and is expected to be deliver in 2019. Awarding the
marine and grading contract marks the first step in realising the project which was
unveiled during Cityscape Abu Dhabi in April 2016.
Petrofac has signed a contract worth close to $600mn with Oman Oil
Facilities Development Company to undertake the engineering, pro-
curement and construction (EPC) of its Salalah LPG project in southern
Oman. Under the terms of the 36-month contract, Petrofac will build the
LPG unit and associated facilities, including tie-ins to existing pipeline
infrastructure, together with LPG storage and jetty facilities at the Port
of Salalah.
Amlak names Bahrain
tower contractor
Atkins wins major power consultancy
work in Oman
ACES wins work for Al Maktoum Airport
Batco wins contract for The Address Fujairah
Petrofac pens $600mn Oman LPG contract
Page 24
// construction business news me // February 2017
24
// Comment
As innovation and the requirements for different types of hospital has grown, so have the
demands made on master planning and design teams
By Barry Landrum, Associate Director in Design Management of SSH
A new generation
of health
H
ealthcare is changing
and evolving around the
world, and nowhere is
this more evident than
in the Middle East. With the rise of
digital healthcare and other expand-
ing and innovative approaches to
hospital and care centre designs, the
landscape has been evolving with a
clear focus on improving the patient
experience.
In the past functionality may have
been achieved at the expense of
comfort. Research evidences that high
quality patient care and recovery rates
can be improved through careful de-
sign for better patient outcomes. With
regional targets and standards being
firmly put in focus by governments
across the GCC, and specifically with-
in the UAE, in Dubai and Abu Dhabi,
the healthcare services in Middle East
are increasingly improving to deliver
to international standards.
The way that hospitals are designed
and built has changed considerably in
recent years, in a way that is positive
for the patient. While functionality
and cost will always be consider-
ations, other factors are increasingly
being introduced as desirable in any
design brief for a healthcare facility.
On one level, a hospital is about the
flow of goods, people and waste.
While it is essential to the successful
delivery of services in every hospital
that the flow of people, materials
and waste functions smoothly and
efficiently these elements shouldn’t
be considered in isolation as to do so
disregards the human element that
could ultimately make the difference
The way that
hospitals are
designed
and built
has changed
considerably in
recent years
to a patient and positively impact on
the healing process.
There have been many studies into
how design, light, providing scenic
views, displaying art and other non-
medical elements influence patient
wellbeing. Vibrant and welcoming
spaces can reduce stress, lower blood
pressure and be a positive distraction
for patients, visitors and staff enabling
the environment to facilitate healing.
These are vitally important ingredi-
ents to incorporate in the design of
the building and the build process
thereafter. An example of design for
healing can be seen at the Sheikha
Salwa Al-Sabah Centre for Stem Cell
and Umbilical Cord in Kuwait. Clean
lines with a focus on enabling natural
day light to enter internal spaces
provide patients with tranquility and
invite a sense of calm while undergo-
ing treatments.
The challenge of designing a medi-
cal facility can be considerable. The
creation of safe and secure, well
equipped, functional spaces that
work in relation to each other can
make the difference between life and
death. Efficient floor planning must
be aligned with the philosophy of the
organisation in respect of patient care
and engagement and be supported by
the necessary technology in order for
well-planned buildings to deliver the
best environments for patients, visi-
tors and medical staff.
Architecture and medicine are
team-based activities. Medical teams
bring clinicians and medical staff
members together to deliver holis-
tic patient care. The collaboration
between pharmacists, social workers,
lab technicians, nurse practitioners
and many more specialists drives the
need for a variety of treatment spaces.
It also requires a level of coherence
of staff spaces, requiring prescribed
adjacencies of workspaces to enable
them to function efficiently.
Page 25
construction business news me // February 2017 //
25
Recent developments in the Middle
East suggest that countries are en-
hancing their capacity, making the
GCC a hub for healthcare. Dubai and
Saudi Arabia are aggressively build-
ing an increasing number of hospitals,
of greater size, followed by Kuwait
and Qatar. In the UAE, Dubai has
launched the world’s first medical
tourism portal, where international
medical tourists can book procedures,
with discounted travel rates and visas.
The medical tourism initiative in the
UAE has set a target of receiving over
500,000 international medical tour-
ists by the year 2020, underlining the
determination for increased medical
capacities in the Emirate.
SSH holds a growing portfolio of
prestigious healthcare projects and is
currently working on the largest spe-
cialist pediatrics hospital of its kind
in the world. It will be a landmark
project for the Kuwaiti Ministry of
Public Works and Ministry of Health,
consisting of 792 beds with diagnos-
tic and treatment facilities capable
of treating patients from across the
Middle East. It will have the capacity
to cater for the healthcare needs of
4.5 million people.
Modern healthcare provision in the
Middle East is taking an evolutionary
turn, adding a dimension of luxury
that currently can only be found in
this part of the world. As innovation
and the requirements for different
types of hospital has grown, so have
the demands made on master plan-
ning and design teams. Architects
could now take inspiration from the
levels of comfort in hotels or the
communication connectivity in office
spaces for example and incorporate
them into healthcare design. When
doing so they will need to retain the
necessary hospital layout require-
ments, enabling the next generation
of healthcare services to be delivered
in comfortable healing environments,
providing privacy in addition to ef-
ficient operations and management.
It will not be long before there is a 5*
hotel in a hospital.
Additionally, a new field of study
that emphasises the significance of
credible evidence to influence health-
care design, known as, Evidence-
Based Design (EBD) is employed
by SSH. It provides a mechanism for
clients and designers to incorporate
empirical evidence to best design
healthcare environments. By intro-
ducing positive distractions (artwork,
entertainment and nature) designers
are able to improve patient healing,
reduce stress, increase safety and
reduce the need for infection control.
All result in fewer staff errors and
positively impact on patient out-
comes.
To support the delivery of accurate
information, SSH also applies BIM
software to produce coordinated sets
of complex data, while Codebook and
Activity Data Base (ADB) are used to
assist with the production of repeti-
tive information for example. Used
wisely these tools deliver direct cost
savings throughout the life of a proj-
ect enabling shorter delivery periods
and securing the standardisation of
information. In unison, as an ongoing
process they bring positive financial
benefits to any investment in health-
care facilities.
SSH has extensive experience in the
sector across the globe. Its rich talent
pool of shared professional expertise
and knowledge is invaluable in a
sector where design integrity mat-
ters, and facilitates collaboration with
clients to create buildings that assist
with the healing process. The ultimate
goal at SSH is to lead the design of
the expanding national healthcare
system in the UAE, continuing to
produce world-class architecture that
facilitates faster recovery, improving
the standard of care offered by the
hospital’s operators.
With the growth of the healthcare
sector in terms of hospitals and the
growing specialised healthcare work-
force, alongside the technological de-
velopments, SSH is well placed to lead
healthcare design into a new ‘gold
standard’ generation of healthcare.
Kuwait Children's Hospital
Page 26
// construction business news me // February 2017
26
// On Site
Page 27
construction business news me // February 2017 //
27
A new theatre in Al Habtoor City will be the
first of its kind in the region.
Pearl
of Dubai
T
he opening of Dubai Opera
in August marked a water-
shed for the cultural scene
in this City. The Atkins-
designed theatre has already proved a
huge hit with cosmopolitan audiences
previously deprived of a world class
entertainment venue.
A new 1,300 seat theatre is set to
take show business in Dubai to the
next level. La Perle in Al Habtoor City
will become home to the region’s first
permanent Cirque du Soleil-style show
when it opens its doors this summer.
Approaching the bridge over the
canal on Sheikh Zayed Road (SZR) you
can’t fail to notice the imposing hotel
and residential complex. What you
won’t see is the ongoing construction of
a new type of entertainment space nes-
tled between the St Regis, Westin and
W Hotels. With an entrance through the
W, La Perle has been designed to host a
show created by Italian-Belgian theatre
director Franco Dragone, who has
launched a number of similar shows
in major cities such a Macau, Paris, Las
Vegas and two in China.
Steven Dubuc, Construction Project
Manager with Dragone, recently gave
Construction Business News a tour of
the unusual venue as it entered the
final stages of construction. Dubuc
worked for Dragone on the two
projects in China and prior to that he
was with Cirque du Soleil for 15 years.
Vastly experienced, he estimates he
was involved in the construction of
around 70 percent of these types of
venues in Las Vegas.
The themes of the show will draw
heavily on Dubai’s history and culture.
Even the name La Perle, refers to the
city’s heritage as a centre for pearl
diving and trading. This has influenced
the design of the interior, a process
that began with well-known French set
designer Jean Rabasse.
“The way this works is a little bit
different from the design of a stan-
dard theatre like Dubai Opera where
you have an architect that designs the
building and then you put on differ-
ent shows,” he explains. “This theatre
is designed specifically for one type
of show.”
La Perle certainly features a number
of unusual design elements that you’d
be unlikely to find in a typical theatre.
To start with there is a ‘wet stage’, a
steel structure built over a water basin
that is five metres deep in the cen-
tre and two metres deep around the
perimetre. The perforated stage floor
allows the water level to be raised
within 60 seconds by releasing water
from a tank located high up in the
venue. From a special apparatus fixed
25 metres up in the eaves of the build-
ing, performers will then dive into the
pool below.
Another stand out feature of the
ultra-high-tech space is the enormous
automated proscenium doors that
stretch almost the full length of the 33
metre high building. Despite the lofty
ceiling, overall the space manages to
remain relatively intimate, with the au-
dience almost encircling the stage.
Al Habtoor Group hired specialist
Page 28
// construction business news me // February 2017
28
// On Site
theatre consultants Auerbach Pollock
Friedlander (APF) to work with Khatib
and Alami (K&A), the engineers and
architects of record for the entire Al
Habtoor City project. Dubuc and APF
have collaborated on a number of simi-
lar projects over the years.
“They are the ones that sit with the
architects and explain things such as
the need for extra capacity in the roof
because we have to hang things from
the ceiling. All that engineering is being
done by K&A with input from APF and
Dragone,” he says.
“Every space has its own difficul-
ties,” he adds. “Here one of them was
that K&A and (construction contractor)
HLG had never built a theatre before.
When you’re building a hotel it’s ‘cut
and paste’. But no two square metres
of this building are the same so it’s very
difficult to get a rhythm going with the
labour force. You have to watch them
all the time because it’s a more com-
plex building.”
Access to the building posed another
challenge for contractors. The theatre is
locked between hotels on three sides so
the only point of access was from the
side of the building facing the residential
towers. Incredibly, that access has now
been sealed off and the space is enclosed
bar a few entry points that are too small
to get large equipment through.
“We have kept a hole in the wall
that’s covered by a finished hotel and
when we need to bring our scenic
pieces in they will have to unbolt a
finished wall to let us bring them inside
the building before closing it back up
again,” Dubuc says.
Access issues have posed an addi-
tional logistical headache. For example,
the proscenium doors had to be assem-
bled inside the building before being
lifted into place. A special drawbridge
that gives performers access to the
stage had to be assembled on scaffold-
ing because the floor was not built yet.
Though the site is busy 24/7, the
bulk of construction happens during
the day with clean up and dismantling
taking place at night. When Construc-
tion Business News visited HLG had
around 250 workers on site while steel
and structural contractor Cleveland
Bridge had around 40-50 workers,
down from a peak of 350. Though the
show does not open until mid-2017,
the theatre will need to be finished well
in advance to allow for rehearsals and
testing of all the specialist equipment.
Dubuc arrived onsite in May but his
involvement on La Perle goes back
much further than that.
“I worked on the project when it
was in the concept phase,” he explains.
“Then I left Dragone for a year and
when it was time to oversee the final
8-10 months they asked if I was avail-
able to come back, so I did.”
The project might be drawing to a
close, but Dubuc won’t necessarily be
leaving town when it’s done.
“I have another offer here in Dubai
so we’ll see,” he says.
One thing looks certain though; this
won’t be the last venue of its kind to be
built in Dubai.
This theatre
is designed
specifically
for one type of
show”
Steven Dubuc, Project Manager
Page 29
Porto Arabia Towers
Doha, Qatar
©2014 Hill International, Inc.
Hill International
The Global Leader in Managing Construction Risk
www.hillintl.com
For nearly four decades, owners and developers in the Middle East have
turned to Hill International to manage their construction projects and
programs throughout the region. Hill is proud to have helped our clients
turn their most challenging visions into realities. We have participated
in over 10,000 projects with a total construction value in excess of $500
billion, managing all phases of the construction process from concept
through completion.
Hill is also the leading construction claims firm in the world, having helped
resolve problems on some of the most complex projects throughout the
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Viva Bahriya Towers
Doha, Qatar
Page 30
// construction business news me // February 2017
30
// Interview
Linesight started life as Bruce Shaw in Ireland 40 years ago as a small cost and project
management company - predominantly quantity surveying. Times were tough in 1980s
Ireland but the government introduced tax incentives that eventually attracted large US
corporations. Working with these multinationals was the start of a journey that would take
Linesight beyond Irish shores. Over the past 12 years the company has expanded
internationally and now has 17 offices around the world.
Niall Greene, Managing Director Middle East, spoke to Jason O’Connell about the
company’s journey and where it goes from here.
A Clear Vision
What does Linesight
offer its clients?
Our primary service offering is
cost consultancy and project
management. Having been
in relationships with some of
the large multinationals, we
had to expand our offering
because they were looking
for us to do more. So we had
two choices. We could either
curtail our service or expand
it to compliment them and
at the end of the day it’s all
about meeting the client’s
requirements. So we ex-
panded our scope of services
to programme management,
development management,
project controls and then the
cost consultancy – all of those
complimentary to each other.
In the last couple of years
we’ve found there’s a demand
for services here that we were
offering back in Europe when
we were dealing with dis-
tressed projects. Banks have
released significant funding
to the market and they don’t
know when they’re going
to get their money back or
whether it has gone to the
project they’ve funded. Has it
funded other projects that the
contractor or indeed the de-
veloper has started? So one of
our growth areas in the last 18
months has been in that area
of due diligence of projects.
When did you come to
the Middle East?
I came out here at the back end
of 2008. At that stage we were
predominantly an Irish business
and it’s only in the last few
years we started to expand into
the International market.
Unfortunately 2008 was
when everything fell off a
cliff. We had two options:
to go home or to stay. So
we moved our focus to Abu
Dhabi but that never really
took off. We were faced with
a number of tough choices.
Whether to develop locally
within the UAE or branch out.
We decided to look at Bahrain
which was going well at the
time but at the end of 2009
that went through a difficult
period as well.
Saudi Arabia was still going
strong so we got involved
there on a large KAUST
university project support-
ing them on the cost and the
close out of some of the major
contracts with Saudi Oger and
Saudi Binladin. That gave us
Page 31
construction business news me // February 2017 //
31
a foothold there and over
the last eight years KSA has
been the strongest market in
the region for us.
Dubai came back strong
in 2011 and we got engaged
on a couple of large projects
such as the W Hotel on the
Palm Jumeirah which gave
us a good foothold in the
hospitality sector here. We
now have a number of large
scale hospitality projects in
the region such as the Four
Seasons in Bahrain and the
Katara 800-bed hotel in Qa-
tar and we’re doing a variety
of hotel projects in Mecca.
Which sectors do you
focus on?
Some of our competitors
cover several sectors where-
as we are very focused
on sectors that we know
we’re good at and know
we can add value. Those
would include the tier one
sectors such as hospitality,
healthcare and technology/
life science. We’ve done
a lot of data centres here,
for example. We’ve done a
lot of hotels and right now
we’re doing the two largest
healthcare projects in the
region – one in KSA and
one in the UAE.
Around 75 percent of our
turnover in recent years has
been on the basis of repeat
business with clients. We
have clients that started out
with us back in Ireland 30
years ago such as Microsoft
and Hewlett Packard and
we’re still working with
them globally. We’re in
the business of identifying
key clients and developers
where we know they have
a good history of paying
consultants and we have a
history of delivering good
key projects.
How many people
work at the
company?
We looked at this and whether
to grow organically or through
acquisition. The model we
chose was to employ very se-
nior guys. At the moment we
have about 500 senior execs
within the organisation. We’re
not in the business of hiring
lots of lower cost people. Yes
it impacts on fees but we’re
going after a different market
as a business.
What was the
thinking behind the
name change to
Linesight last year?
Bruce Shaw was a very
strong brand but we needed
a new brand to bring us
on the next part of our
journey of expansion. In
order to continue to grow
we needed a brand that we
completely owned globally.
There was a small practice
owned by a guy whose
name happened to be Bruce
Shaw – doing the same
business. If you work with
large multinationals and
they do a search on you
and they find a few Bruce
Bruce Shaw was
a very strong brand but
we needed a new brand
to bring us on the next
part of our journey”
€60m
Linesight's
annual
turnover
Bahrain Marina
Page 32
// construction business news me // February 2017
32
Shaws that doesn’t help so
we needed another name.
The Linesight name is now
legalised in 40 countries.
We surveyed our clients and
got feedback saying that we’re
a very safe pair of hands and
the right guys to go to at the
start of a project. So we came
up with the idea of Linesight,
from the concept of look-
ing through a telescope and
having a clear and consistent
vision to bring you on that
journey. We provide a client
with a select number of ser-
vices or an all-encompassing
service. We try and work to a
flexible model to clients.
What’s your outlook
for the year ahead?
There’s no question 2016 has
been a difficult year across
all markets, especially in
Saudi Arabia and even Dubai
has been a flat market but
I do think we should see
around Q3/Q4 this year that
the market will recover very
strongly and certainly here
in Dubai with 2020 coming
we should see enhanced
construction activity. There
are already signs of that
with a significant number of
government announcements
in the past six months.
We hope to grow by
another 20 percent this year
with major growth in the
US and Asia. We expect
to grow by around 4 to 5
percent here. We see strong
growth from 2018 onwards
so on average over the next
five years we should see 12-
15 percent growth.
The people that will give
you a good indication of
where the market is going
are the funders who we are
supporting with their due
diligence. They are putting
more and more influence
on projects to make sure the
feasibility stacks up, the pro-
curement strategy is workable,
the availability of contractors
is there, etc. They are asking
far more questions now about
how a project will be built
and how the income stream is
coming into projects. They are
building more confidence into
the project financing. Lenders
have been badly burnt in the
past so now they’re being far
more rigorous.
Will that continue
even when the good
times return?
I think so, yes. Developers
also increasingly need our
services because they are
under pressure from funders.
The clients used to be able to
go in with a two page report
but now they have to go in
with a properly detailed and
thought out plan. That can
cause delays in projects but
we’re delighted with that in
some ways because all of
the hard decisions are being
made at the beginning and
they are creating a proper
strategy. So that’s one thing
that gives us some level of
comfort that the UAE market
will rebound in the second
half of the year. Overall the
outlook for the region is not
overwhelmingly positive but
it’s not negative either. We’re
here for the long haul. We
came here at a difficult time
so the experience we gained
then is helping us now.
What’s the biggest
challenge for the
industry in 2017?
Everyone needs to be selec-
tive about who they work
with. For example, some
contractors are underpricing
projects and buying turnover.
The client might see that
as being very attractive but
he’s only buying a bag of
stress in our opinion. Some
Featured Project
Linesight provided cost management services for construction
of the $2bn Alef Residences and five star W Hotel on Palm
Jumeirah, Dubai. The ultra-high end project is spread across
three buildings, covers 200,000 sq m, and is scheduled for
completion by the middle of this year. A joint venture between
Qatar’s Al Mana Global and Saudi Arabia’s Al Sharq Investment
Group, the Alef Residences development consists of 104 homes
priced from $3.5mn to $14mn.
// Interview
Page 33
construction business news me // February 2017 //
33
of our own competitors are
even buying turnover. The
feedback from that is that
some clients are getting bad
service. We would rather not
do a job than do a bad job
and get a bad name.
What are the key
trends to look out
for this year?
Project financing will be key,
particularly in markets like
Saudi. We are talking with
the government about ways
of generating project delivery
and the obvious one there
is project finance and using
a PPP or PFI type of model
which has been successful in
Europe and has been used
for a number of projects
here in the GCC region. For
example, Medina Airport
was developed into a PPP
model and they’re looking
at widening that now to
education and healthcare
projects in Saudi. It could be
a success but the challenge
around that is the risk. The
guys putting up the finance
need to make sure that the
risk is shared evenly.
Where are the big
opportunities for you?
The oil crisis won’t be there
forever and in Dubai there’s
a lot of major projects in
the pipeline with 2020 com-
ing and in Qatar with 2022.
We’re advising in KSA on
the 2020 vision and there is
a lot of real thought being
put into initiatives to stir a
recovery in the absence of
oil as funding. It won’t hap-
pen overnight but over the
next 18 - 24 months there
will be some real oppor-
tunities emerging in Saudi.
It’s an enormous economy
with a young population
that’s growing and they
need major infrastructure
just to sustain the organic
growth of the economy.
Hospitality will be a
growth sector here in the
region and particularly in
the UAE. We are work-
ing on a number of large
scale projects to the tune of
6,000 to 7,000 hotel rooms
at the moment at early
stages of pre-concept. These
are mainly 4 and five star
hotels. We have one very
exciting project in Mecca
with 106 hotels that’s part of
a new district for pilgrims.
You’d never see anything
like it anywhere else in the
world. It’s going to be a 10-
year development plan sup-
ported by the government
because of course this type
of tourism is an alternative
source of income.
Is Qatar on your
radar?
We’ve done some work in
Qatar but our strategy was
to hold back because of is-
sues with payment. We have
one major project there and
we are suffering a little bit
on that. There is good op-
portunity on infrastructure
but that isn’t a sector that
we’re pushing here in the
region. There are project de-
lays and if you’ve got peo-
ple on the ground there and
you’re paying out salaries
and there’s no money com-
ing in from the client then
that’s a problem. It was on
the agenda about five years
ago to open an office in Qa-
tar but when we looked into
it a bit more we decided to
focus on the markets where
we have a strong presence
which is Saudi, Bahrain and
Dubai. We are doing work
in Kuwait and we are look-
ing at Oman but right now
we are focusing on those
three markets which have
been good to us.
Lenders have been
badly burnt in the past
so now they’re being far
more rigorous”
Page 34
// construction business news me // February 2017
34
How the UAE’s new Fire and Life Safety Code
will improve safety in tall buildings.
Jason O'Connell reports
B
uilding fire safety in the
UAE has become a hot topic
in recent years following a
number of high profile fires
in tall buildings. A carelessly discard-
ed cigarette sparked a blaze at the
34-storey Tamweel Tower in Jumei-
rah Lakes Towers (JLT) in November
2012. In February 2015 a fire started
in an apartment on the 50th floor of
the 79-storey residential Marina Torch
Tower and quickly spread upwards,
destroying around 100 apartments
and scorching large sections of the
building’s cladding. And in July 2016
a fire broke out at Sulafa Tower, also
in Dubai Marina, only yards away
from the Torch Tower.
While each of these cases made
headlines around the world, without
doubt the most striking incident of
all was the blaze that hit The Address
Hotel Downtown Dubai on New Year’s
Eve 2015, just metres from where a
spectacular fire work display was set
to take place at the Burj Khalifa at
midnight. Live images of the incident
were beamed around the world.
Unsurprisingly the incident sharp-
ened the focus of the authorities on
producing an updated version of the
UAE Fire and Life Safety Code. Though
the new document was initially slated
// Cover Story
Page 35
construction business news me // February 2017 //
35
to be launched in April 2016, it was
not until last month’s Intersec 2017 - a
leading trade show for the security,
safety, and fire protection sector - that
the revised code was finally unveiled.
UAE Fire and Life Safety Code
– An Evolution
The UAE issued the first edition of its
Fire and Life Safety Code in 2011 and
followed up with some amendments
in 2012 that made it mandatory to use
fire-rated facade cladding in buildings
taller than 15 metres.
Prior to this it was common for de-
velopers to use non-fire rated Alumin-
ium Composite Panels (ACP) which
consist of a plastic filler sandwiched
between two sheets of aluminium.
Experts have consistently pointed the
finger at the flammability of the plastic
component as the reason why in some
cases fires have spread quickly across
the outside of high rise buildings. It is
estimated that as much as 70 percent
of Dubai buildings constructed prior to
2013 may be fitted with non-fire rated
ACPs and thus present a greater fire
hazard than those built since.
The new code is the result of an ex-
tensive consultation by the authorities
with a large number of key stakehold-
ers within the construction sector over
the past couple of years. In fact the
process of revising the code began
well before The Address fire sparked
the attention of the world’s media.
However that incident, which thank-
fully resulted in no fatalities, increased
the urgency to not only issue a revised
code but to produce a thoroughly
researched document that could be
clearly interpreted by the construction
and real estate sectors.
The result of this lengthy consulta-
tion is a UAE Fire and Life Safety Code
with 20 chapters, just one more than
the previous edition though at 1,564
pages it will be more than twice the
size of the older code which contained
707 pages. The main reason for this
is that the number of illustrations and
diagrams within the new code has
risen to 784 from 296 previously.
And yet, at the time of going to
press there was still a limited amount
of information available about the
new code as an English language
version had not been made available.
A spokesperson at the Dubai Civil
Defence (DCD) booth at Intersec told
Construction Business News it would
take a further 10 days to two weeks
before a copy would be available to
download. In the meantime it’s been
possible to glean a certain amount
of detail from interviews and press
events given by DCD officials as well
as from industry experts.
At a press conference to mark the
launch of Intersec 2017, Lt. Col. Ali Al
Mutawa, Assistant General Manager for
Smart Services at DCD confirmed that
a new code was imminent.
“Due to increased construction and
infrastructure activity in the UAE, we
want to keep up to international safety
standards, and we constantly strive to
evolve and be better than yesterday,”
said Al Mutawa. “Chapters that have
been updated include those relating to
fire doors; cladding in buildings; ac-
cess for Civil Defence trucks to reduce
incident response times; and educating
consultants, contractors and end-users
on the latest modifications.”
New regulations governing alarm
systems in houses and tourist facili-
ties in Dubai Marina are included and
there are also specific requirements
regarding the storage of flammable
liquids and renewable energy.
But possibly the most significant de-
velopment is that the new code does
not oblige building owners to retrofit
older buildings with newer, fire-rated
facade cladding panels, despite
persistent rumours to the contrary in
the months leading up to the release
of the new code. Instead, Lt. Col. Al
Mutawa said the revised code would
focus on the installation of cladding
rather than the type of cladding itself.
“Most people think that these big fires
are a result of the cladding used. But
the cladding doesn’t cause the fire. We
discovered that the main reason for the
quick spread of the fire is the way the
contractor has installed the cladding on
the building. That’s why we and Dubai
Municipality are introducing stricter rules
on installation of cladding.”
What we know
Alexander Castellanos is Associate
Director – Fire & Life Safety, Middle
Due to increased
construction and
infrastructure
activity in the UAE,
we want to keep
up to international
safety standards,
and we constantly
strive to evolve
and be better than
yesterday”
Lt. Col. Ali Al Mutawa,
Dubai Civil Defence
Page 36
// construction business news me // February 2017
36
// Cover Story
East at WSP | Parsons Brinckerhoff,
which advised the Civil Defence on
multiple chapters of the 2017 code.
He says the main focus of the new
document is on clarifying a number
of points and to make it easier for
the industry to understand.
“There have been enhancements
or clarifications for every chapter,” he
says. “The big focus is on making it
more straightforward to interpret the
written text with supplemental figures.
This was the original intent of the
code but there were discrepancies be-
tween the figures and the text so what
they’ve done is to make the images
more representative of what the text
states. That’s why there are so many
more pages.”
So despite being far bigger in terms
of pagination, the new code is not
meant to be more complex, says
Castellanos. In fact quite the opposite.
It’s designed to be more prescriptive
and easier to understand.
In addition there have been major
updates to the smoke control chapter.
“The requirements for smoke control
are actually very different for certain
occupancies but it’s a clarification of
what the intent was originally and it’s
part of the lessons learned from recent
fires,” says Castellanos.
The new code will also have a ma-
jor focus on material certification to
make sure that any building materials
with a fire performance are made to
the same specifications and meet the
same safety standards, whether they
are produced in Europe, the Middle
East or China.
“Materials need to be certified in
Timeline of high
profile building
fires in the UAE
November 2012 - Tamweel
Tower, JLT (above)
February 2015 - Torch
Tower, Dubai Marina
(above)
December 2015 - Address
Hotel, Downtown Dubai
(pictured, right)
July 2016 - Sulafa Tower,
Dubai Marina
December 2016 - Oceana
Residence, Palm Jumeirah
Page 37
construction business news me // February 2017 //
37
accordance with an international
standard and in addition they need to
be certified locally,” says Castellanos.
“And that’s what’s previously been
ignored so there’s more focus on that
now and hopefully it will have more
enforcement as we go forward.”
Andy Dean, Head of Facades,
Middle East at WSP | Parsons Brinck-
erhoff, is not surprised that the new
code does not require retrofitting of
older buildings.
“Renovating an existing building to
the extent that you replace the clad-
ding is a huge undertaking,” he says.
“It means having everybody move
out of the building, stripping it down
and then getting people to move
back in again. If you take the clad-
ding off you open the building up to
the environment. That’s a complete
building change.”
However, while owners of older
buildings will not automatically be
required to upgrade these buildings
to comply with the new regulations, if
and when they do decide to renovate
they will then need to be compliant
with the new code. This has led to
a situation where owners could be
discouraged from making building im-
provements due to the cost of having
to carry out an extensive renovation.
“I would say that it’s incredibly
important that people do look at
their existing buildings and review
the risks that they have,” Dean says.
“Let’s say you have a 15-year-old
building and you decide that you
want to make it safer. Not necessarily
right up to code but to make it safer.
Isn’t that a good thing?
“Everyone would agree that it is.
But there are sticking points to mak-
ing that happen. For example, if you
start changing a building here you are
affectively making a modification and
you need authority approval to do
that. If you’re going to start working
on a building it needs to be fully code
compliant so it’s potentially putting a
barrier in front of developers to im-
prove their buildings.”
Dean says the authorities now need
to consider putting a mechanism in
place that would allow for the existing
building stock to be upgraded without
requiring that owners go to the huge
expense of a full refit.
“At the moment there isn’t that
ability to go half way,” he says. “And
I think we need to find a way, with
the help of the authorities, to improve
existing buildings without having to
completely change them to meet new
code compliance. That’s something
that has to happen as a next step.”
It will take a little time for the
industry to digest the new fire and life
safety code and to assess the implica-
tions as a whole for various stake-
holders. What is clear is that the au-
thorities have taken the time needed
to carry out a wide ranging review
that has resulted in a document that
takes full account of the views of
the industry while improving safety
for residents. And though cladding
panels have been the subject of much
media scrutiny, the new code goes far
beyond this one issue to address all
relevant areas of safety.
“The code has been enhanced
based on lessons learned, not neces-
sarily to make it more complex but
to clarify ambiguities in the previ-
ous code and to really address the
growth of especially high rise build-
ings,” says Castellanos.
“And part of addressing that is that
materials specification and certifica-
tion is fundamental. Every material
that has fire performance whether
internal, external, structural, interior
finish, everything. It’s a comprehensive
solution, not just one thing you need
to deal with.”
The morning after the night before -
The Address Downtown Dubai
Page 38
// construction business news me // February 2017
38
// Event review
Thousands flock to Intersec 2017 security, safety, and fire protection trade show in Dubai
Safety
In Numbers
P
roduct launches, live dem-
onstrations, deals and the
launch of an updated UAE
Fire and Life Safety Code
were among the highlight of this year’s
Intersec in Dubai.
The 2017 edition of the world’s
leading trade show for security, safety,
and fire protection concluded January
24 with a new record in exhibitor and
visitor participation during the three-
day event.
Organiser Messe Frankfurt Middle
East, said Intersec 2017 attracted
33,501 visitors from 127 countries, as
they sourced solutions and networked
with 1,304 exhibitors.
More than 150 exhibitors launched
products across the seven show sec-
tions of Commercial Security, Fire &
Rescue, Safety & Health, Homeland Se-
curity & Policing, Information Security,
Smart Home & Building Automation,
and Physical & Perimeter Security.
Ahmed Pauwels, CEO of Messe
Frankfurt Middle East, said: “In an in-
dustry that is constantly evolving, and
where more and more projects are be-
ing released into the market, the need
of the hour is to be present at the right
time with the right solution.”
Dubai Civil Defence had a strong
presence at this year’s exhibition,
where it announced the latest up-
dates in the UAE Fire Protection and
Life Safety Codes, along with some
key initiatives.
The most eye-catching of these was
undoubtedly the Dolphin, a firefight-
ing system incorporating a jetski and
a jetpack that will allow the Civil De-
fence to tackle blazes from the water.
Dubai Civil Defence also unveiled
the use of smart services to col-
lect data from across Dubai to help
authorities and agencies deal with fire
and safety issues.
Other key features at Intersec 2017
included an Outdoor Demo Area &
Drone Zone, a Jobs & Careers Pavilion,
the Techtextil Pavilion, a Safety Design
in Buildings Pavilion, and a Smart Home
and Building Automation Pavilion.
A three-day conference programme
meanwhile was spearheaded by the Fire
Safety Conference on January 22, and
the Security Industry Regulatory Agency
(SIRA) Forum on January 24, where
details of Dubai’s new Regulation of
Security Industry Law were outlined.
Page 39
construction business news me // February 2017 //
39
Intersec news Roundup
K5 Middle East, a firefighting
products, solutions and tech-
nologies company, revealed
at Intersec that it is invest-
ing $100mn to build its first
manufacturing facility in the
Middle East.
The factory in Ajman will
address the demand for
fire safety solutions in the
Middle East which analysts
say is growing at an average
of 15 percent and will hit
$3.15bn by 2020.
The UAE accounts for 34
percent or $476mn of the
GCC’s $1.4bn fire safety mar-
ket, driven mainly by the lo-
cal construction boom.
UAE-based cable manufac-
turer Ducab unveiled a state-
of-the-art laboratory for test-
ing Ducab FlamBICC range
of Fire Performance cables.
The new facility is offers
various fire and smoke tests
in accordance with BS8519
Code of Practice.
IEEE 1202 is specifically
used for testing Ducab Nu-
BICC range of nuclear grade
cables making it the only fa-
cility to conduct this test in
the region.
The BS EN 50399 test is a
new requirement to meet
CPR (Construction Product
Regulation) for assessment
of the ‘reaction to fire’ per-
K5 building $100mn fire safety factory in Ajman
Ducab unveils new fire cable testing lab
Alex Perfiliev, CEO, K5
Distribution,
said:
“We
foresee a high demand for
innovative fire safety solu-
tions in the UAE as Dubai
formance of cable which will
be mandatory across Europe
by 1st July 2017.
Mohammed A. Al Mutawa,
Ducab’s Chief Commercial
Civil Defence’s Strategic
Plan 2017-2021 to reduce
fire incidents by 10 per-
cent and the ratio of death
caused by fire per 10,000
Officer, said: “Ducab com-
mits to meet and adhere to all
new certification standards as
laid down by the UAE and
international authorities, and
people by 15 percent.
“While the UAE remains
our key market, we will ex-
plore other potential market
in the region, including the
KSA, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait
and Oman to bring our an-
nual sales from this region to
$100mn per annum.”
Evgeny Gabov, Director,
K5 Middle East, said the
state-of-the-art
manufac-
turing facility will produce
paints,
foams,
coatings
and construction materials
equipped with fire exten-
sion
capacity,
alongside
K5 SAFETY PATCH and K5
PATCHPAINT.
we are confident of meet-
ing the new standards in the
UAE as well.”
Ducab’s FlamBICC range
can be used across vari-
ous applications such as in
schools,
shopping
malls,
mass transit systems, special
equipment in hospitals, and
in essential safety circuits
such as fire detection, fire
alarms, and voice alarms.
The cables are installed for
power supply to equipment
used in fire-fighting, eleva-
tors, sprinkler pumps and
in large complex buildings,
where fire strategy involves
evacuation of occupants in a
phased manner.
Page 40
// construction business news me // February 2017
40
BRISTOL
Vehicles
Manu-
facturing Division (VMD),
the Abu Dhabi-based fire-
fighting, rescue and safety
vehicles manufacturer, an-
nounced a service and af-
ter sales partnership with
Bronto Skylift, a specialist
in truck-mounted hydraulic
platforms.
The company will run the
Middle East’s largest autho-
rised service centre for Bron-
to’s range of aerial work
platforms, which are typi-
cally used to fight fires in in-
dustrial and high rise areas.
Concorde
–
Corodex
Group, the parent company
of BRISTOL VMD, will act
as the official sales agent of
Bronto in the UAE.
Dedicated areas of BRIS-
TOL’s 30,000 square metre
facility in Abu Dhabi and
20,000 square metre facility
Centurion, a specialist in pro-
tective head gear, unveiled a
major global rebrand and re-
vealed plans to focus on the
Middle East market.
The move follows the
company’s decision to open
a production site for the
region in Saudi Arabia, the
first head protection com-
pany to do so.
Centurion’s commitment to
the Middle East was further
underlined with the appoint-
ment of a dedicated Sales
Manager for the Middle East
and Africa.
This was the first time the
company had exhibited at
Intersec, which doubled as
BRISTOL VMD partners with Bronto Skylift
Centurion launches global rebrand and ME focus
the backdrop to unveil its
new vision to key customers
and industry insiders.
Jeff Ward, CEO at Centu-
rion, said: “With a constant
flow of major infrastructure
projects planned throughout
the region, there has never
been a greater need for
continuing advancement in
the region’s ability to control
potentially destructive fires.”
The partnership was signed
during a ceremony on the
opening day of Intersec in
the presence of His Highness
Sheikh Mansoor Bin Moham-
med Bin Rashid Al Maktoum.
head protection systems to
ensure workers can deliver
their best.
“This year, we look forward
to driving innovation in the
protective headwear market,
and ensuring that above-the-
neck protection continues to
remain of paramount impor-
tance in the industry.”
Ahmed Kamel, Sales Man-
ager for MEA at Centurion,
said: “We’re hearing from
customers that this is the
right time to really cement
our focus in the region,
and
our
manufacturing
presence in the Kingdom
of Saudi Arabia is a testa-
ment to this.”
in Dubai will provide 24/7
service support to Bron-
to’s extensive client base
throughout the GCC and
Middle East.
Mahmoud Awad, Managing
Director of Concorde - Coro-
dex Group, said: “Now, for
the first time, Middle East
clients will have access to a
locally-based authorised ser-
vice center providing around
the clock after sales and ser-
vice support. This makes a
tremendous difference in the
ongoing effort to improve
// Event review
Page 41
Complete Fire Detection Systems
Wide Product Range
Easy to Install
EN,UL & FM Approvals
Specialist Applications
World Class Leaders in Fire Detection Since 1918
Page 42
// construction business news me // February 2017
42
// Vehicles
MAN Truck & Bus Middle East tells buyers they are risking their businesses if they buy fake parts.
By Matthew Treanor
Nothing like
the real thing
B
uying cheaper priced spare
parts may seem tempt-
ing, particularly when the
business environment gets
tougher, but you could be putting
drivers and other road-users in harm’s
way. Non-OEM parts are not subject
to the same rigorous testing or supply
chain management procedures of their
pricier authentic counterparts, leaving
your company prone to increased inci-
dences of faults at best or, in the worst
case scenarios, at risk of causing costly
and potentially dangerous accidents.
Unfortunately, the Middle East
market is vulnerable to the importa-
tion of fake or counterfeit automotive
parts. Recent research by global black
market analyst Havocscope estimates
the value of fake or counterfeit parts
in the Middle East to be worth $1 bil-
lion. Other estimates suggest the figure
could be as high as $2 billion.
The region is also open to exploi-
tation by traders operating in the
so-called grey market. As the name
suggests, this is a murkier aspect of the
global trade of auto-parts where seem-
ingly authentic parts are distributed via
non-authorised dealers. The grey mar-
ket promises considerable discounts
on parts that can enter into the region
unsuitable for the harsh climate and
are often poor imitations of the real
thing. Use of untraceable grey market
parts can also affect the future resale
value of a vehicle – a critical consider-
ation for all fleet owners.
MAN Truck & Bus Middle East
always recommends that its custom-
ers opt for its own range of MAN
genuine parts.
“Whoever decides on a truck or bus/
coach from the MAN brand associ-
ates maximum expectations of quality,
performance, safety and longevity
with the decision. Justifiably, as MAN
repeatedly occupies the top spots in
national reports (for example, the TÜV
report for Germany) in the category
of ‘lowest percentage of faults’,” says
Franz von Redwitz, managing director,
MAN Truck & Bus Middle East.
“The aim of MAN is to provide the
absolute best in quality when it comes
to genuine parts, as in all other areas
of its business, so that customers'
vehicles are not only safe and efficient
to drive, but will retain their value.
Always offer our customers MAN
genuine parts to ensure we fulfil our
promise of quality and to maximize
the service life of customer vehicles,”
comments Franz von Redwitz.
MAN Truck & Bus Middle East ac-
knowledges that there is no doubt that
non-OEM parts will cost less compared
to original parts. However, these lower
prices can usually only be achieved by
cutting corners in terms of quality and
safety standards: “This is because grey
market manufacturers tend to get MAN
genuine parts duplicated by unnamed
producers in low-wage countries.”
Franz von Redwitz continues: “In
most cases, these producers will not
have an in-depth understanding of
the specifications and requirements
in relation to the genuine parts. It is
therefore highly unlikely that parts will
have been subjected to quality and
endurance tests, constituting a safety
risk for the vehicle and driver. All
these mentioned checks and approvals
Genuine parts are
designed specifically
and manufactured
precisely for
specified vehicles,
this ensures that the
installation of these
parts is simplified
and provides
confidence of a long
service life.”
Franz von Redwitz,
managing director, MAN
Truck & Bus Middle East
Page 43
construction business news me // February 2017 //
43
are not done by aftermarket compa-
nies which try via reverse-engineering
and use of lower-quality materials to
approach customers.”
As a globally operating OEM vehicle
producer, MAN Truck & Bus works
exclusively with recognized suppli-
ers worldwide who manufacture their
parts subject to its own demanding
specifications. Spare parts only get
a MAN item number once they have
undergone and successfully completed
MAN endurance and laboratory tests.
As such, only a MAN genuine part can
guarantee the perfect fit, the best qual-
ity as well as maximum efficiency and
service life. For this reason MAN ser-
vice and parts-outlets work exclusively
with MAN genuine parts.
“With genuine parts it is not trial
and error, OEMs know every part that
every vehicle was constructed with.
MAN provides the correct part first
time with a quality customers can
doubtless trust. All MAN genuine parts
are backed with an international spare
parts warranty, due to the rigorous
quality controls MAN genuine parts
are monitored under,” says Franz von
Redwitz. “Genuine parts are designed
specifically and manufactured precisely
for specified vehicles, this ensures that
the installation of these parts is simpli-
fied and provides confidence of a long
service life.”
Customers’ total cost of ownership
can be controlled easier by utilizing its
extensive range of genuine parts. They
know they are receiving: exceptional
state-of-the-art quality; certified safety;
security of investment in vehicle; driv-
ing safety and purchasing confidence
(with manufacturer's warranty); high
reliability and accuracy of fit.
“Indeed, each MAN vehicle is an
intelligent investment which always
benefits customers in the long term.
However, it is still possible to increase
the value retention and efficiency of
this investment once again. Thanks
to the comprehensive MAN genuine
parts and service, downtime can be
significantly reduced and uptime will
be increased.”
MAN Genuine Parts - Filter
MAN Genuine Parts - Engine Kit
MAN Trucks
Page 44
// construction business news me // February 2017
44
// Take 10
Take 10:
Cultural Projects
Louvre Abu Dhabi
The finishing touches have been put to the stunning, space ship like roof structure of the Jean Nouvel-designed
Louvre Abu Dhabi while the sea now laps at the side of the building itself. Set to open this year after four years of
construction, the $500mn project will be the jewel in the crown of the new cultural quarter on Saadiyat Island.
Gulf states are planning and building a number of impressive cultural
destinations designed by top international architects.
1
Page 45
construction business news me // February 2017 //
45
Dubai Opera
Dubai Opera has been a big hit with audiences since opening its doors at the end of August last year. The 2,000
seat venue in Downtown Dubai has a diverse cultural programme that includes opera, theatre and concerts. De-
signed by Atkins in the shape of a Dhow, the project involved over 100 architects from the company’s different
offices around the world.
2
Sheikh Jaber
Al Ahmad
Cultural
Centre,
Kuwait
Kuwait inaugurated the $775mn Sheikh
Jaber Al Ahmad Cultural Centre in De-
cember. Designed and project managed
by SSH, the building is the stunning
centrepiece of a new cultural district
in central Kuwait City close to historic
Flag Square. It took just 22 months to
complete the design and construction of
the project.
3
Page 46
// construction business news me // February 2017
46
// Take 10
Etihad Museum, Dubai
HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum inaugurated Dubai’s new Etihad Museum in December and doors
opened to the general public in January. Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) commissioned Al Shafar Gen-
eral Contracting (ASGC) to construct the memorial project which consists of a large museum complex incorporating
eight distinct sections each corresponding to a specific historical period or theme.
5
Museum of
Islamic Art,
Doha
Standing in Doha bay on its own custom-
made island, the Museum of Islamic Art
houses the largest collection of Islamic
art in the world. It was designed by
architect I.M. Pei who was famously
responsible for the renovation of the
Louvre museum in Paris with its iconic
glass pyramid. Construction of the build-
ing by Baytur Construction Co. (Turkey)
was completed in 2006 but the museum
was not officially opened to the public
until December 2008.
4
Page 47
construction business news me // February 2017 //
47
Oman Cultural
Complex, Muscat
Comprising 15 independent buildings, the Oman Cultural Complex in Muscat will house a variety of cultural institu-
tions including the National Documents and Archives Authority, the National Theatre, the National Library, the Chil-
dren's Library, the Literary Forum, and the Youth Art Club. French firm AS. Architecture-Studio is the designer while
UK-based consultancy firm Mace was appointed as the project and cost manager in July 2014. However a construc-
tion contract has yet to be awarded.
6
Guggenheim,
Abu Dhabi
More than 10 years after it was first an-
nounced, there is still no sign of substan-
tial construction starting on the Frank
Gehry-designed Guggenheim Abu Dhabi
located in the Saadiyat Cultural District.
The structure’s distinctive cones recall the
region's ancient wind-towers, which both
ventilate and shade the exterior court-
yards in a fitting blend of Arabian tradi-
tion and modern design. The museum
will house a permanent collection that
will celebrate the very finest examples
of global art dating from the 1960s to the
present day.
7
Page 48
// construction business news me // February 2017
48
// Take 10
Sheikh Mohammed
Bin Rashid Library
Museum of the
Future, Dubai
Zayed National
Museum, Abu Dhabi
Dubai announced last year that the emirate is building what
will be the largest ever cultural project in the Arab World.
Designed in the shape of a Rehl, the traditional lectern that
holds books in general and the Koran in particular, the AED
1bn ($272mn) Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Library is
set to launch in 2017 and will house more than 4.5 million
books. Completion is expected sometime in 2018.
The motto of the $136mn Museum of the Future is ‘See the future, create the future’. True to its word the project
will, at least partly, be built using the latest 3D printing technology. Plans for this project, earmarked for a site next to
Emirates Towers, were announced in March 2015 and the project is scheduled to be complete in December 2018.
The Foster+Partners-designed Zayed National Museum is the third
of the trio of museums planned for the Saadiyat Cultural District
along with the Louvre Abu Dhabi and Guggenheim Abu Dhabi.
The halls of the falcon inspired design will document the story of
the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the founding father of
the UAE, as well as the story of the unification of the Emirates.
10
8
9
Page 49
FIRE RESISTANT FACADES
Countless
Possibilities
GLASS & METAL CLADDINGS
GRC, GRG & GRP
MARESTONE
ALUBOND SOLID SURFACE
www.globeclad.com
sales@globeclad.com
Sharjah
Mulk Holdings F.Z.C
Phase 1, Hamriyah Freezone,
Sharjah, U.A.E
Tel : +971 6 526 2202
Fax : +971 6 526 2203
Dubai
GLOBECLAD
Office 706, Palace Towers
Dubai Silicon Oasis, Dubai, UAE
Tel: +971 4 379 3444
Fax: +971 4 379 3434
Page 50
// construction business news me // February 2017
50
// Legal Viewpoint
EPC Contracts:
Key-Points to
Consider
Careful consideration of provisions is necessary to achieve a dispute-free
project, says legal expert Heba Osman
E
ngineering, Procurement and
Construction (EPC) Contracts
(also referred to as “design
and build” or “turnkey”
contracts) are no longer a novelty and
are used extensively in connection
with infrastructure projects whether
in the MENA region or further afield.
Owners have many good reasons to
choose this method of procurement,
as opposed to the traditional design-
bid-build, as it helps them to control
the costs of the project through estab-
lishing a fixed lump sum price, fast
track their project through combining
the design and construction phases,
shift risks that are typically associated
with design in traditional construc-
tion to the Contractor and reduce the
owner’s burden in respect of coordi-
nating the project works.
In choosing this method of pro-
curement, owners and contractors
alike must have a clear understand-
ing of their respective responsibili-
ties and be vigilant in respect of the
terms they agree to or include in
their Contract. This article sets out
some of the key issues that must be
carefully considered at the time of
drafting and negotiating EPC Con-
tracts; which in turn will reduce
the possibility of future claims or
disputes between the parties:
The most
important
element when
preparing an
EPC Contract is
to clearly define
the scope”
1
Scope of EPC Works: The
most important element when
preparing an EPC Contract is
to clearly define the scope.
There are many standard EPC
forms of contract available that can
be used; but none of these standard
contracts will be of any value if
the scope of works is not precisely
defined. EPC Contracts are typi-
cally used with revenue-generating
infrastructure projects, and thus it
is important not to only define the
scope of works, but to set as clearly
as possible the outputs required
from the Project at completion. The
contractor’s responsibility under EPC
contracts is not limited to complet-
ing the project on time and within
the agreed lump sum; but extends
to delivering a project with specific
outputs and quality. Consequently,
defining the exact testing and com-
missioning that the project needs to
go through on completion is also
very important to ensure that the
project is completed in the manner
required. The definition of the scope
of works is also highly relevant to
fit for purpose provisions typically
found in EPC contracts and without
a clear scope of works this provision
may be watered-down and of little
value to owners.
Page 51
construction business news me // February 2017 //
51
2
The Role of Owner’s
Team: it is true that one of
the great features of EPC
Contracts is that it frees the
owner from the responsibil-
ity of coordinating or supervising the
contractor’s works, however, some of
the standard EPC/Turnkey Contracts
still appear to call for the appoint-
ment of an engineer or an owner’s
representative. The owner must make
a conscious decision in this respect.
An engineer’s role under an EPC Con-
tract should be, as much as possible,
limited to the tender phase (prepar-
ing studies, contract documents and
the owner’s requirements). After the
award of the contract, the contrac-
tor assumes most liability under the
contract and should be given the
opportunity to carry out the works in
the manner it deems feasible in ac-
cordance with the contract. The role
of contract administration should be
taken on by the owner’s representa-
tive and an appointment of a standing
DAB (Dispute Adjudication Board) to
resolve any disputes that may arise
during the course of the Works.
3
Extensions of Time for
Completion: EPC Contracts
sometimes contain a con-
tractual provisions guaran-
tee that the works would
be completed by the contractor at a
specific date. However, as construc-
tion takes place over an extended
period of time, events that can cause
delay to the completion date must
be taken into consideration and
dealt with in the contract. Removing
extension of time provisions totally
is not advisable as there will be
events that are out of the contractor’s
control that would warrant the award
of an extension of time. Examples
of such events can be force majeure,
exceptionally adverse physical condi-
tions that were not foreseeable by
an experienced contractor, delays or
actions caused by the owner or the
owner’s other contractors.
4
Increase to Fixed Lump
Sum: typically a fixed-
lump sum price should
not be increased except in
specific circumstances. In
an EPC Contract, the risk of incor-
rectly assessing the fixed-lump sum
price falls on the contractor. How-
ever, this does not mean that it is not
permissible under an EPC Contract
for the lump sum price to be in-
creased. By way of example, if there
is no provision in the contract allow-
ing for price increase on account of
force majeure this could open up the
contract for review by the relevant
courts. As such, it is advisable to
list the situations in which this fixed
lump sum price can be increased or
adjusted in a fair manner.
5
Owner’s Risk: As Sir Michael
Latham states “No construc-
tion project is risk free. Risk
can be managed, minimised,
shared, transferred or ac-
cepted. It cannot be ignored”. Under
EPC Contracts, the contractor assumes
the bulk of the risk; however, this
does not mean that the Owner is risk
free. Typically the owner risk includes
events that can be considered as a
force majeure such as wars, revolu-
tions, natural disasters … etc. Many
contract drafters appear to think that
that force majeure has the same defini-
tion everywhere. This is not true. For
example, a revolution can be expected
in certain parts of the world due to
the instability of that jurisdiction. So
a revolution would not automatically
Page 52
// construction business news me // February 2017
52
// Legal Viewpoint
qualify as a force majeure. It is, there-
fore, essential to define the exact risks
that the owner would carry.
6
Responsibility for Owner’s
Designs: whilst EPC Con-
tracts tend to hand the
entire responsibility of the
design to the contractor,
some contracts allow for the owner
to use some of its designs. In such
an instance, the contractor’s liability
is diminished and the risk associated
with the owner’s design stays with
the owner. If this is not the intention
of the parties, then it is important to
include the owner’s designs as part of
the owner’s requirements and require
that the contractor review such de-
signs and decide on its feasibility and
whether such designs can be incorpo-
rated within the contractor’s works.
7
Completion of Works: as
mentioned earlier EPC
Contracts should specify
the project outputs and
what testing and commis-
sioning should be passed to be able
to consider that the project is com-
pleted. Therefore, a clear definition of
the state of the works at completion
should be added.
8
Defects Liability: typically con-
struction contracts contain a
defects liability clause requir-
ing the contractor to remedy
any defects (attributable to
the contractor’s fault) that may arise in
the works for a certain a period after
completion. If the contractor fails to
remedy the defects, this would entitle
the owner to hire another contractor, at
the contractor’s expense, to remedy the
defects. EPC Contracts are no differ-
ent and typically require the contractor
to remedy any defects that appeared
during the defects notification period.
However, as EPC Contracts usually
contain new technology it would not
always be easy to source another
contractor to remedy the defects and
it is therefore important for owners to
consider how such a situation would be
dealt with, should it arise.
9
O&M responsibilities: fol-
lowing completion of the
EPC works, the contractor
tends to have responsibili-
ties in respect of operating
and maintaining the project. This is a
departure from the typical construc-
tion contract. Training owner’s staff
to use the facility or new technology
of the project is essential to ensure
the continuation of the project and
its feasibility,
10
IP Rights: as EPC
Contracts tend to
bring new tech-
nology which the
contractor holds
its IP rights, it is important to ensure
that the owner is given access and/or
given suitable rights to the IP rights
related to this works to be able to
continue to operate and maintain
it. An owner does not want to be
surprised at the end of the project
that it has no rights in respect of the
technology provided and may be
required to pay royalties or fees to
utilise this Project.
In conclusion, a good standard
form of contract is an excellent start-
ing point; however, careful consider-
ation of the provisions contained is
necessary to achieve a dispute-free
successful project.
An owner does
not want to be
surprised at the
end of the project
that it has no
rights in respect
of the technology
provided ”
Page 53
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// construction business news me // February 2017
54
// Supplier News
Facades
Events
U
AE-based conglom-
erate Mulk Hold-
ings
is
investing
over $20mn to expand and
upgrade its existing pro-
duction line of aluminium
composite panels (ACP) in
Serbia.
The move will provide the
Alubond U.S.A. brand with
increased revenue of $70mn
from the sale of the fire rat-
ed facade panels and help
to maintain the company’s
double digit growth.
Mulk
Holdings
recently
hosted a high level delega-
tion led by Serbian premier
H.E. Tomislav Nikolić at its
G
erman manufacturer Fischer
has organised its first media
meet & calendar launch at its
headquarters in Jebel Ali, Dubai.
The event started with the Fischer
2017 calendar launch which was
based on ‘The Back to School Cam-
paign’ – A CSR initiative to provide
children with a platform to express
themselves through art. Children from
regular and special needs schools
combined to produce the 2017 calen-
dar.
The event was hosted Alexander
Mulk boosts output of fire rated panels
Fischer hosts calendar launch and media meet
office and factory at the Ham-
riyah Freezone in Sharjah.
The company plans to set
up a state of art ACP pro-
duction line with A2 fire rat-
ing at the factory in Serbia
along with a coil coating
line with a production ca-
pacity of 12,000 tons.
In addition to the Serbia
facility,
new
production
bases planned in Sri Lanka
and Saudi Arabia will in-
crease the supplier’s global
installed capacity of the
panels to over 25 million
square metres and coil coat-
ing capacity to over 20,000
tonnes per annum.
Bässler – Fischer’s Regional Direc-
tor for Asia and the Middle East, Jay-
anta Mukherjee – Managing Director
for the Middle East operations and
Kusum Rawat – Regional Marketing
Manager – Fischer Middle East.
After the calendar launch the kids
were rewarded for being shortlisted
as the top 13 winners out of 400+
entries for the “Back to School – Ju-
nior Engineering Contest”. The event
was followed by a media briefing on
Fischer and an office tour of the com-
pany’s set up in Jebel Ali.
Hyundai Elevator Co. has clocked up a $30mn
order from the Saudi Arabian government to in-
stall elevators and escalators in Security Forces
Medical City, a large-scale medical complex cur-
rently under development in capital city Riyadh.
The Korean company will supply its products
in stages from the third quarter of this year
through the end of 2018.
An official from Hyundai Elevator said:
“Saudi Arabia is a main market of our global-
ization strategy. So, it is meaningful in that
we bagged the deal at the moment when the
economy of Middle East is contracted due to
lower oil prices.”
The official added that the contract win put
Hyundai Elevator in pole position to secure
another Saudi government deal for a similar
complex to be built near Jeddah.
Hyundai Elevator bags $30mn
KSA deal
Page 55
construction business news me // February 2017 //
55
Software
Lifts and Escalators
A
conex software solutions is
being used in the construction
management of the $2.6bn
Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah
Causeway.
One of the largest transportation
infrastructure projects in the Gulf,
the causeway will connect Kuwait
City with an area across Kuwait Bay
known as the Subiyah New Town or
the City of Silk.
Project owner Kuwait Ministry of
Public Works approved the selection
of Aconex by contractors Hyundai
Engineering & Construction Co. of
South Korea and Combined Group
Contracting Co. (CGC) of Kuwait.
Other members of the consortium
include Systra, based in France; AE-
COM in Hong Kong; Dar Al-Handasah
(Shair and Partners), headquartered
in Beirut, Lebanon; TYLN Internation-
al; and SSH International. Work began
in November 2013.
Eng. Mai Al Messad, the project en-
gineer, said team settled on Aconex
because the collaboration platform is
project-wide, neutral and easy to use.
KONE Corporation has won an order
to supply the new passenger terminal
building at Bahrain International Air-
port (BIA).
The Finnish firm will provide 85 el-
evators, 40 escalators, and 20 autowalks
equipped with KONE E-Link monitoring.
The order is part of an extensive
renovation project aimed at turning
Aconex
software
used for
Kuwait
causeway
KONE wins order for Bahrain
airport expansion
Schneider Electric has been named a leader in the Navi-
gant Research Leaderboard Report on Building Energy
Management Systems (BEMS).
For the second year in a row, the company received the
highest overall score for strategy and execution among 15
companies that have demonstrated a strong track record
in the BEMS market.
Schneider Electric’s SmartStruxure solution, powered
by the company’s StruxureWare Building Operation
software, was recognised for its advanced capabilities
in analytics that promote the development of intelligent
buildings and optimise energy management.
Laurent Bataille, Executive Vice President, EcoBuild-
ing Division, Schneider Electric, said: “As the intelligent
building market continues to grow, solutions like Smart-
Struxure will serve as the digital backbone of building en-
vironments and drive new levels of energy and operational
efficiencies.”
GCC governments, which are heavily investing in in-
frastructure, are committed to leveraging technology and
smart solutions, given the increased emphasis on sustain-
able and green building, Schneider said.
Schneider tops Navigant Research report
the development into one of the most
modern and futuristic airport buildings
in the world. Following the expansion
BIA will have the capacity to handle 14
million passengers annually up from
the current nine million.
The BIA modernisation program is
expected to be complete by the second
quarter of 2020.
Page 56
// construction business news me // February 2017
56
// Supplier News
Events
R
aimondi
Cranes
is
looking to boost its
profile in North Amer-
ica by exhibiting for the first
time at the upcoming CON-
EXPO-CON/AGG tradeshow
in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The Italian crane com-
pany’s
entire
executive
team, along with technical
specialists and export and
aftersales care experts, will
descend on the event which
Raimondi Cranes eyes North America
Domenico Ciano,
Technical Director,
Raimondi
runs from March 7 – 11.
“This is the first time in the
history of Raimondi Cranes
that we’ve taken steps to
increase our visibility in
North America,” said Eng.
Domenico Ciano, Technical
Director, Raimondi Cranes.
“By confirming our partici-
pation in the 2017 edition of
CONEXPO-CON/AGG, we
are signaling to the markets
of Canada and the United
Altaaqa Global Caterpillar Rental Power has
become the first power rental company in
the world to achieve ISO 50001:2011 cer-
tification from TÜV NORD, the ISO-accredited
certification body headquartered in Germany.
The certification specifies steps companies
must take to improve their energy manage-
ment within operations and projects.
Peter den Boogert, CEO of Altaaqa Global,
called upon the rental power industry to take
up the cause of energy responsibility.
“Being in the business of providing
electricity, the onus is upon us, temporary
power providers, to conscientiously mitigate
the environmental effects of our operations.
We are proud to have blazed a trail in en-
ergy performance and fuel efficiency in the
IPP industry.”
Altaaqa Global recognised for
energy performance
States that we are looking
to cultivate strong, new re-
lationships, while simulta-
neously developing upon
cooperative efforts with our
existing client base.”
Raimondi will be situated on-
site at Silver 1-2, booth S5035
for the duration of the event.
“As an Italian heritage brand
that has now transitioned into
a more advanced technical
space by implementing re-
search-based design into our
latest product launches, the
luffing LR213 and the MRT159,
we believe it’s now time to
increase our North American
activities,” added Ciano.
“The
2017
CONEXPO-
CON/AGG, co-located with
the 2017 IFPE exposition,
is a terrific opportunity for
Raimondi to further its re-
entry in the respective North
American markets.”
Page 57
construction business news me // February 2017 //
57
Events
Vehicles
W
ith 40 machines
on
display
in
two different ex-
hibit areas totaling 60,000
square feet, Caterpillar’s
presence will be among the
largest at CONEXPO-CON/
AGG 2017 in March.
Cat® Connect Technolo-
gies for machine control
and monitoring will share
the spotlight with the ma-
chines it enhances—rang-
ing from a skid steer loader
to a 96-ton excavator.
Eight Cat machines will
make their debut at CON-
EXPO and a half dozen
more machines introduced
recently will be on dis-
play for the first time at an
equipment show.
The newest Cat machines
S
audi
Arabia’s
old-
est truck reseller has
signed an agreement
with Al Habtoor Motors to
sell new FUSO trucks.
Atheryon International Cor-
poration has built its reputa-
tion by selling used trucks
and machinery, with special
auctions 3 days a week, for
buyers to purchase trucks at
bargain prices. Now it is ex-
panding its service by offer-
ing brand new FUSO trucks
from light duty to heavy duty.
The company has also
agreed to build a new FUSO
operation in Qassim city to
sell trucks and maintain them
with service facilities and
Genuine Parts sales.
Al Habtoor has trained the
sales team at Atheryon to
Caterpillar
rolls out new
lines at CONEXPO-
CON/AGG 2017
KSA’s Atheryon
partners with Al
Habtoor Motors
to be displayed include ex-
cavators, wheel loaders, a
dozer, an articulated truck,
a telehandler and cold
planers.
Caterpillar
will
also introduce new remote
control technologies and
connectivity
technologies
at the show.
In the large North Hall
exhibit, booth 10924, the
display will focus on ex-
cavating, grading, paving
and aggregates mining and
handling. The Gold Lot ex-
hibit, booth 4490, will fea-
ture small machines used
in building construction. A
handful of large machines
displayed in the Gold Lot
will represent general con-
struction and aggregates
product lines.
have sound understanding
of FUSO products and to be
able to provide the best solu-
tions for customer needs.
Simon Monahan, Al Hab-
toor Motors Saudi Arabia
Country Head, said: “Al
Habtoor Motors has received
a warm welcome from truck
resellers in Saudi Arabia. We
are delighted to have Ath-
eryon International as our
official reseller.
“This partnership helps us
serve truck operators better
by making sure that service
facilities are close-by, to re-
duce fleet costs, so we are
excited to welcome Athery-
on as our partner in Riyadh
and Qassim to deliver the
best possible FUSO cus-
tomer care.”
Page 58
// construction business news me // February 2017
58
// Supplier interview
Alberto Torner, Regional Manager – Middle East and Africa, Ariston
Hot Property
Tell us about your product
offering
Ariston is a privately owned company
based in Italy, close to Rome with a
turnover of $1.4bn. We’ve been oper-
ating here in the Middle East for the
past 40 years.
We specialise in water heaters –
that means electro water heaters, solar
panels, heat pumps and gas boilers.
Our bread and butter is the electro
water heater and now we are intro-
ducing bigger capacity heaters with
two heating elements, 9kW in total.
We are also one of the few players
to introduce gas condensing boilers be-
cause we find that some projects in this
region, especially hotels, are pushing
for gas because of the electrical load.
What is your client base?
Our products can be used in either
domestic or commercial projects,
depending on the capacity of the
product. From single villas to labour
accommodation and big hotels, they
want the best quality at the lowest
price. This is a problem because
contractors are bringing the value of
our industry to the minimum level.
This is not good. They are not creat-
ing value for our products.
We are one of the biggest manu-
facturers of electro water heaters
and we are investing in technology
to supply greener products and of
course you have to invest a huge
amount in R&D in order to supply
the market with smarter products.
But over here there is the ten-
dency to be very focused on price.
And this is a pity because in the end
you have to provide good quality
products.
Are you seeing much
competition in the market?
We find a bigger number of unstruc-
tured, unorganised companies in the
market. But we are aiming for qual-
ity. We have 22 production sites and
every site provides the same quality.
can serve all needs. We sell the
products retail and of course we
do direct business with the project
sector – construction companies,
consultants, etc.
How is the market right now?
Last year was a good year for us.
The performance was better than
2015 and better than we forecasted.
I would say the project side of the
business was stable. It’s the other part
of the business that grew. Now solar
is mandatory for each villa in Dubai
so we are growing a lot on the re-
newable products side, not only solar
but also heat pumps.
There is also a growing necessity
to reduce the electrical load which
means that developers and contrac-
tors are looking for higher efficiency
products.
What challenges are you
currently facing?
The challenge here is that customers
The challenge
here is that
customers want
the best quality
at the lowest
price
Page 59
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Page 60
// construction business news me // February 2017
60
// Save the date
Mark your calendar
Save the date
Kuwait Build 2016
Kuwait International Fair,
Kuwait City
Kuwait Build Exhibition & Conference
will feature over 200 local and interna-
tional companies in the building and
construction sector showcasing the lat-
est products and services in residential
and commercial property infrastructure
in a business platform of over 4,500
sqm of exhibition space.
Middle East Road and
Bridge Forum
Dubai, UAE
Middle East Road and Bridge Forum
will gather heads of design, construc-
tion, projects, maintenance, asset man-
agement and safety from the transport
infrastructure sector to address their
challenges in achieving an increas-
ingly cost-efficient, durable and safe
transport network.
CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2017
Las Vegas, Nevada
Where every major construction in-
dustry is represented amongst 2,500+
exhibitors over 2,500,000 square feet
and more than 140 education ses-
sions including asphalt, aggregates,
concrete, earthmoving, lifting, mining,
utilities and more.
Project Qatar 2017
Doha Exhibition and
Convention Centre
Project Qatar is Qatar's leading construction fair.
In 2016 over 1,050 companies and brands from
38 countries exhibited at the show and even
more participating companies are expected in
2017. The event provides a unique platform to
network and generate new business opportuni-
ties in the Qatar construction sector.
Middle East Rail 2017
Dubai International
Convention & Exhibition
Center
Middle East Rail is the region's larg-
est rail exhibition and conference.
Run in partnership with the National
Transport Authority and Ministry of
Public Works UAE, the event will bring
together GCC government authorities,
rail operators and contractors who are
driving regional rail projects forward.
Cityscape Abu Dhabi 2017
Abu Dhabi National
Exhibition Center
The UAE capital’s largest and most
influential property exhibition is back.
With hundreds of developments from
Abu Dhabi and overseas being show-
cased, Cityscape Abu Dhabi 2017 is
the home of real estate investment for
the residential, retail, hospitality and
commercial sectors.
March
April
March
May
March
April
6-8
3-4
7-11
8-11
7-8
18-20
Page 61
Page 62
// construction business news me // February 2017
62
// Editor's pick
China leaves the Middle East trailing when it comes to building skyscrapers.
Tower Power
For the first year since 2006 the Middle
East did not see the completion of
a single supertall (300-plus-metres)
building in 2016. However “optimistic
projections” by The Council on Tall
Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH)
show as many as nine supertall build-
ings completing in this region in 2017.
The Middle East contributed nine
of the record breaking 128 buildings
of 200m height or greater that were
completed around the world in 2016,
matching its tally in 2015, The Coun-
cil said in a report. This continues a
steady trend of completions in the
region but pales in comparison to the
Middle East’s all-time high of 23 in
2013.
Unusually, the United Arab Emir-
ates (UAE) did not have the greatest
number of 200m-plus completions in
the region for the year. That accolade
went to Qatar, with four towers com-
pleted in 2016 followed by the UAE
with just two completions, and Saudi
Arabia, Kuwait, and Bahrain tied with
one each.
However, the UAE did complete the
tallest building in the Middle East last
year in the form of the 255m Regent
Emirates Pearl in Abu Dhabi. The
building includes a hotel with 377
rooms and suites and 60 furnished
apartments. Emirates Pearl for Devel-
opment and Investment, a joint ven-
ture between TDIC and Atlas Telecom,
delivered the project which was built
by Arabian Construction Company
(ACC).
Worldwide, only 10 of the 18 to 27
supertall buildings projected to finish
construction complete in 2016 actu-
ally did complete, partly as a result of
construction delays typical of buildings
in this height range. Nonetheless, 2016
still saw the third largest number of
supertall completions of any year and
the Council anticipates between 12
and 20 supertall buildings to complete
in 2017, primarily in Asia and the
Middle East.
The 128 buildings bigger than
200m that were completed in 2016
beat the previous record high of 114
completions in 2015, said The Council,
bringing the total number of 200m-
plus buildings in the world to 1,168
compared to just 265 in 2,000.
Ten buildings entered the list of the
top 100 tallest building in the world
in 2016, all of them above the 300m
threshold, increasing the average
height of the 100 tallest buildings from
357m in 2015 to 362m in 2016.
For the ninth year in a row, China
had the most 200m-plus completions
with a record 84. Lagging way behind
in second place was the United States
with just seven, followed by Korea
with six completions, Indonesia with
five, and both the Philippines and
Qatar completing four.
Shenzhen had the highest number
of 200m-plus completions of any
city in 2016 with 11 while China’s
Chongqing and Guangzhou, and
Goyang, South Korea tied for second
place with six each.
buildings taller than 200 metres completed in
the Middle East in 2016
2016 World
Ranking
Tower
Location
Height
27
Regent Emirates Pearl
Abu Dhabi
255m
41
Central Bank of Kuwait
Kuwait City
240m
46
Hilton Double Tree Sinyar Tower
Doha
230m
63
Qatar Petroleum District Tower 7
Doha
223m
89
The 118 tower
Dubai
212m
118
Gateway Towers AQ-1
Doha
201m
118
Gateway Towers AQ-2
Doha
201m
120
United Tower
Manama
200m
120
Burj Damac
Riyadh
200m
Page 63
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