The Big Project

OCTOBER 2011PLUS

Al jABER pROjECT updATECiTysCApE ROundup

OnsiTE AT kizAd

interview with damacmd ziad eL chaar

ARCHITECTURE n ENGINEERING n CONSTRUCTION n PMV n POWER

After the gold rushin a special edition to mark the third anniversary of the global economic crash, The Big project reports on the legacy of boom and bust

www.unipods.ae | [email protected]

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www.unipods.ae | [email protected]

Traditional assembly and installation of bathrooms can be a complex and challenging experience with the requirement for coordination of a number of different suppliers and on site � tters. This reality coupled with a diverse workforce can have a devastating impact on quality, speed and cost of construction.

Construction Simplified





Save time






completion period


Head Of� ce - Ras Al Khaimah, UAE +971 7 2216 116 / 117 / 118 Branches in Jeddah, Riyadh & DammamMember of the Al Rajhi Holding





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Unipods_Ads_414x270 AW.indd 1 9/29/11 1:04 PM

www.thebigprojectme.com | 4

OCTOBER

Contents

48

26

65

18

REGULARS

Editor’s letter 5

News bulletin 9

News in focus 22The criteria for project partners in Abu

Dhabi’s Intelligent Traffic Systems

Talk 18DAMAC MD Ziad Al Chaar on how the

developer defied the downturn

Market explorer 33Making the most of opportunities in the

world’s second largest construction export

industry; Turkey

News analysis 48Ten years of CityScape

Trends 65Six architects debate if anyone is to blame

for the frantic pace of the boom years

Tenders 87

Diary 91

Your shout 92

FEATURES

26 OnsiteThe Big Project goes on a guided tour of

Kizad, Abu Dhabi, with its construction

manager and CEO

44 Project updateHow Al Jaber and Partners’ Qatar project

with Shell achieved 19 million hours with

zero LTI

52 Cover: After the gold rushThree years after the fall of Lehman

Brothers, analysists and experts reflect on

the future of the global economy

58 Case study: Auctions World Wide Auctions and Ritchie

Brothers give their tips for buying

equipment at auction

63 Comment: PMV procurementMike Vorster explains the economics of

PMV acquisition

83 Supplier hotseatUnipods: an innovative way to achieve

safe and speedy fitout

84 Career ladder Dulsco’s new MD Prakash Mahadalkar

| www.thebigprojectme.com6

EDITO

R’S COM

MEN

T

PublisherDominic De Sousa

Chief operations officerNadeem Hood

Associate publisherLiam [email protected]: +971 (0)4 440 9158

Director business developmentAlex [email protected]: +971 (0)4 440 9154GSM: +971 (0)50 458 9204

EditorMelanie [email protected]: +971 (0)4 440 9117 GSM: +971 (0)56 758 7834

Business development managerRhiannon [email protected]: +971 (0)4 440 9152 GSM: +971 (0)50 554 0116

Business development managerNayab [email protected]: +971 (0)4 440 9153 GSM: +971 (0)55 542 6032

Senior Sales ManagerTariq Ali [email protected]: +971 (0)4 440 9150 GSM: +971 (0)50 458 9044

Designer/PhotographerMarlou Delaben

PhotographerCris Mejorada

WebmastersTroy MaagmaJerus King BationErik Briones

Printed byPrintwell Printing Press LLC

Published by

Head OfficePO Box 13700Dubai, UAETel: +971 (0)4 440 9100Fax: +971 (0)4 447 2409Web: www.thebigprojectme.com

© Copyright 2011 CPI.All rights reserved.While the publishers have madeevery effort to ensure the accuracy of all information in this magazine,they will not be held responsiblefor any errors therein.

“Mixed feelings”

Melanie MingasEditor

T hree years since the fall of one of America’s largest investment banks the world economy is still in tur-

moil. Ongoing crises in the Eurozone and US still affect the region and, com-pounded with the recent political insta-bility, it has been a turbulent 12 months to say the least.

When HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum declared “Dubai is well” at the inauguration of the new metro line last month, The Big Project began to investigate. This issue we bring you a series of features on the legacy of boom and bust and what the next twelve months could possible hold for the con-struction industry.

The results of the MacDonald and Co salary survey, released last month, show salaries are stable; the average bonus increased by 4.4% and an additional 5% of respondents received an increase on their base salary over the last year.

Crucially, only 12% expect economic activity to decrease over the coming year, while 48% – up from 44% last year – expect it to remain unchanged.

In this issue, Ziad El Chaar, managing director at DAMAC – a developer that in the face of economic disaster still handed over more projects that its two closest competitors combined – reveals his secrets for success and talks about the next 50 developments in the pipeline and the launch of DAMAC Suites and Spa.

We also take a tour of Kizad, Abu Dhabi’s most important infrastructure project that will be seminal in the diversi-

fication the Emirate’s economy by 2030.But not all the news is good; last month

CitiGroup reported US $170bn in con-tract delays and cancellations regionally and according to experts there are still flaws in the efficiency of the industry that will require address if the sector is to recover over the coming year.

One interviewee said adoption of the design-build approach and integrated project delivery could improve efficiency by up to 30%.

In addition, CityScape, widely seen as an indicator of strength in the property industry, saw another quiet edition when it opened its doors last month in Dubai.

Exhibitors and visitors were optimistic, yet many reported project financing is still problematic. Marking the show’s tenth anniversary this year, director Rohan Marwaha spoke to The Big Project about both its and the industry’s evolution.

The same feelings were echoed when six prominent architects from the American Institute of Architecture, Broadway Malyan and Woods Bagot, gathered for our round table discussion to debate the design legacy of the last decade and ask if anybody can be blamed for the frantic pace of develop-ment that helped create a vortex of debt and unsustainable ambition.

If one thing has been clear, it is that regardless of what happens in the UAE, strong markets in Saudi Arabia and Qatar will buoy the industry for the next decade and provide plenty of opportunity for those who survived the downturn.


NEWS BULLETIN

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The Kuwaiti division of Drake and Scull PJSC (DSK) has been awarded a contract to coordi-nate and execute complete MEP works for an administrative block and mosque for a public sector client in Kuwait.

The AED 73 million project, to be completed in two years, is hoped to be the first in a string of new contracts for the company in Kuwait.

“As one of the GCC’s most dynamic con-struction markets, Kuwait is an excellent plat-form for expanding DSI’s business,” said CEO Khaldoun Tabari.

“The country is currently undertaking a US$ 104 billion, four-year economic stimulus plan which includes major infrastructure pro-jects worth over USD 20 billion in contract

DSK wins MEP mosque contractDrake and Scull branch latest to secure deal

Road projects total $142 billion in GulfUAE “leading the way”Huge opportunities to participate in the region’s road infrastructure projects will be announced across the Gulf, according to regional market analysts Ventures Middle East.

The UAE is “leading the way” in the US$142 billion projects currently underway in the region: with Abu Dhabi’s US$25 billion Surface Transport Master Plan (STMP), the UAE’s US$58 billion worth of road and bridge projects represents almost 40 % of the regional total.

The statement comes in spite of ongoing delays to the 3.1km Al Salam Street tunnel in Abu Dhabi.

Saudi Arabia contributes $48 billion dollars with its planned and current projects and Qatar has road projects valued at $17billion as part of its infrastructure plans ahead of the 2022 World Cup.

Despite lower investment, Kuwait is pre-dicted to be one of the most active markets over the coming years with $9.4 billion projects in the pipeline, including the Jaber Al Ahmed Al Sabah Causeway.

Oman’s projects total 5.5% of the regional value at $8 billion; a further $2 billion worth of schemes are at various stages in Bahrain.

Yet the UN has said the investments must also increase safety on the Gulf’s roads. The exhibition, to be held in December is also sup-ported by Dubai Police.

Turn to page 22 for an interview with Abu Dhabi Municipality ‘s Majed Abed Al Kathiri on implementing safety systems on new road developments.

Halcrow to be acquired by CH2M HILLCH2M HILL to buy 100% Halcrow capitalAn agreement has been signed by the board of Halcrow Group for 100% of Halcrow’s issued and yet to be issued capital to be bought by CH2M HILL.

In a statement issued last month it was said the deal is expected to close November 2011.

“The board’s decision to approach CH2M HILL to discuss the sale of Halcrow is the cul-mination of a business relationship going back many years,” Halcrow CE Peter Gammie.

“We have worked together on many occasions and have become very much aware of each oth-er’s strengths and working practices.

“The consolidation, which reflects an increas-ing trend in our industry, will create a very sig-nificant value proposition for clients. We are very complementary in terms of our skills and our markets, so where we share geographies we are reinforcing one another rather than dupli-cating,” Gammie continued.

Projects the two firms have worked on in the past include the Thames Tideway and recon-struction work on Iraq’s water infrastructure.

Mark Andrews DSI MD

regions through its MEP, civil and water and power divisions.

It was also announced last month that Drake And Scull Water and Power (DSWP) LLC has been awarded a contract worth AED 75 million for supply, erection, installation, testing and commissioning of the mechanical, electrical and instrumentation works for two treated sewerage effluent pumping stations, one bypass station and the associated infra-structure works in Al Ain, UAE.

Gulf Traffic

revenue. Kuwait will also launch various resi-dential and commercial developments to meet the needs of its rapidly growing popula-tion,” Tabari added.

Kuwait’s domestic construction sector is set to post growth of 2.4% this year, taking its value to US$ 2.4 billion.

DSI PJSC acquired a 75% stake in DSK in December 2009, as part of what MD Mark Andrews called an “aggressive expansion plan” executed across Kuwait, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.

“DSK was chosen for its excellent reputa-tion and its in-depth expertise of the local market” Andrews added.

Aside from Kuwait, DSI PJSC has secured several prime projects this year in Oman, Egypt, UAE, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and other key Asian and European markets collectively worth almost AED 3.6 billion as of September 2011.

The company expects to proceed in quarter four with an elevated momentum while bid-ding for projects in the MENA and Asian


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first five star hotelProject scheduled for handover Q3 2013

A cornerstone ceremony for a “flagship pro-ject” by Range Hospitality, has been held in Karbala, Iraq.

Range VC Mohammed Asaria and senior officials from the Iraqi government were joined by more than 100 people at the ceremony on September 7 at the Al Rawdatain Residences.

Hani Abood Al Yasari, Member of the Karbala Governor Council and Chief Liaison for Municipality of Karbala; Sheikh Ali Zuhair, senior member of the Karbala Governor Council; Ali Karim Al Jarrah, head of commu-nity relations for Imam Hussain Shrine and Ibrahim Al Daaysi, Range Hospitality board member, placed cornerstones of the first five star hotel and residences in the Holy City of Karbala.

Al Rawdatain Residences by Shaza is a 65,000 sqm (approx), G+12 hospitality development, located 1 kilometre from the Holy Shrines of Imam Hussain (A.S) and Hazrat Abbas (A.S).

“We are pleased to announce that with the continued support of our stakeholders,

construction continues to advance,” said CEO Munaf Ali at the ceremony.

“Initially, significant dewatering works were needed due to the water table being only 60cm below ground level. Only thereafter could site excavation work commence.

“Across the site, excavation is now complete. Over 6 metres in depth of earth has been exca-vated. The foundation works have started and the gravel bed is being laid,” he added.

Construction began in Q2 2011 and “steady progress” has been made since according to Range, who say handover is due Q3 2013.

Similar projects are also being launched by Range in Najaf and the company – which oper-ates in the UAE, UK, Kuwait, Pakistan Bahrain – pledged to continue donating 20% of annual profits to charity.

“Our project will add to the confidence level of other international firms to consider Iraq as one of the most lucrative markets in the region for investment purposes.

“The continued success of our project will definitely create a positive impact on the percep-tion of the business environment in Iraq,” Ali added.

“Take action now” was the message given by Singapore’s Building and Construction Authority at its annual International Green Building Conference, held last month.

Association CEO Dr John Keung told con-ference delegates at the event that the need to adopt greener building practices is both “crit-ical... and urgent”.

“For this very reason, the intention behind IGBC is to enable industry practitioners to take action, not just sometime in the future, but now,” Keung added.

Attended by Dr Arab Hoballah, chief of the sustainable consumption and production unit at the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP), Craig Allen from the International Trade Commission for the US Department of Commerce and academics from across Asia, the event welcomed 8000 experts, professionals and policy makers from

“Take action now”Singapore conference calls for immediate improvements in green standards

over 30 countries. Highlights included announcements of green incentives such as the pilot scheme to provide loans for building owners and energy services companies, to carry out energy retrofits, announced by Minister of State Tan Chuan-Jin.

Conference delegates also saw the launch of an extended green mark, which will see Singapore Building and Construction Authority (BCA) rate restaurants on utilities usage, IEQ and “sustainable” management. McDonald’s at Jurong Central Park, Singapore, was the first restaurant to be certi-fied in Asia, with Brewerkz American Diner receiving green mark certification.

The event also included the tropical archi-tecture design competition, judged by four architecture and sustainability specialists, including Tai Lee Siang, Singapore Green Building Council president.

Adrian Lo, 26, from the University of Hong Kong, won the competition for his design philosophy “Archiotope” - the idea of viewing architecture as an extension of its natural setting.

More than 100 people attended on September 7.

Dr John Keung.


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A new floating power barge is to be engineered in Bahrain to be used for a “broad range of power-generation requirements” including the provision of temporary power supplies on con-struction projects.

The innovation is the product of a joint ven-ture between the British Centrax Ltd and ship manufacturer ASRY.

The TPB125 Power Barge can be positioned

Floating power barge for BahrainJoint venture company formed to deliver project

high power density and small footprint, easy and rapid transportation and the ability to run at full power within 10 minutes of a cold start.

The TPB125 Power Barge at 82m in length, 28m in width and with a draft of just 4.5m, allows for easy positioning close to the shore line with minimal on-shore preparations

Power Barge 125 is designed with high cyclic life to meet daily peaking requirements. The vessel’s double-skin fuel and oil tanks, low emissions and low noise (80dBA at one metre) also ensure highest environmental standards.

“This system offers operators fast delivery of power where and when they need it, along with beneficial environmental performance. Delivering 125MW of power in simple cycle, the two Trent 60 packages on board set indus-try-leading standards for fuel economy and cost savings,” West added.

POWER BARGEin ports, on rivers or in sheltered coastal loca-tions. Running on two Centrax packaged Trent 60 generator sets, producing a total of 125MW, the solution can be used during the construction phase of land-based coastal power stations in addition to enabling plant operators to sell power well in advance of the new plant’s commissioning.

The barge also ensures continuity of power supplies during major outages at existing power plants near estuaries, rivers or coastal locations and can be used to provide power for emergency humanitarian needs.

“This unique project combines the well-proven capabilities of Centrax as a leading packager with the most advanced aero-deriva-tive gas turbine available today, providing a floating power station that can be positioned rapidly wherever it is needed at coastal or river locations around the world,” said Centrax director Guy West.

Advantages to using the generators include

$104bvALUE Of KUWAIT’S fOUR yEAR ECONOMIC STIMULUS PLAN


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Majid Al Futtaim Properties is celebrating the news that its AED 400 million Fujairah City Centre mall is “on target” for its 2012 opening, with handover for tenant fit out due two months ahead of schedule.

Developed in collaboration with the gov-ernment-owned Fujairah Investment Establishment, over one million man hours on site have been achieved without lost time to incidents or accidents across the 1100 strong workforce. In addition, the development is now aiming for LEED Gold certification, under the US Green Building Council’s sus-tainability rating scheme.

The development’s roof and steel structure

LEED Gold certification bid and over one million accident free hours on site recorded

are fully complete and more than 90% of shop leases have been signed. Khansaheb Civil Engineering is the named contractor.

“Fujairah City Centre will provide a boost to the underserviced retail landscape in Fujairah by providing a high quality and unique shopping and entertainment experi-ence for the growing community,” said asset director Yousif Al Ali.

“We are proud of the advancements to the mall’s leasing, construction and overall pro-gress to-date.

“It’s a positive reflection of Majid Al Futtaim Properties’ commitment to best prac-tices and the industry’s interest in Fujairah as

“Our project will add to the confidence level of other international firms to consider Iraq as one of the most lucrative markets in the region for investment purposes”

$142bTHE vALUE Of ROAD DEvELOPMENT AND CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS IN THE UAE

an emerging retail market. Looking forward to 2012, Fujairah City Centre will redefine the shopping and entertainment experience in the Emirate,” Ali continued.

The official ground breaking ceremony was held in April of this year by crown prince H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad Mohammed Al Sharqi.

According to Majid Al Futtaim, key mile-stones achieved include installation of under-ground drainage, progression of MEP works and completion of a dedicated electrical sub-station, on programme to enable the Federal Electricity and Water Association (FEWA) to supply power by December.

Fujairah mall on track


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HH Sheikh Mansour bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum visited CityScape on day three

‘Central Park’ unveiledDIfC development 75% completeThe centrepiece of a 195 square metre exhibitor pavilion, Deyaar Development’s joint venture project with Dubai Properties Group, Central Park, received a positive response at CityScape.

The development, which is 75% complete, comprises a 45-storey, 877,000 square feet com-mercial tower and a 47-storey, 558,000 square feet residential tower with 426 units, in addition to retail outlets.

“As Central Park nears completion, the development stands out among the many high-quality new projects in the DIFC district for successfully meeting the evolving needs of businesses and residents alike,” said Deyaar CEO Saeed Al Qatami.

“Combining premium commercial and exquisite residential spaces, Central Park is an outstanding high-value investment opportunity from two of the UAE’s most respected develop-ers,” Al Qatami added.

Nakheel unveils new projectDeveloper expects “very active” Q4Palm developer Nakheel unveiled a new 102 beachfront townhouse development on its Palm Jumeirah.

The first of a string of expected new projects over the “next few years”, chairman Ali Rashid

Lootah said the company expects a”very active last quarter” in 2011.

“We are focusing on delivering units and services to existing investors and residents,” Lootah said.

“Nakheel is focused on the delivery of a num-ber of projects that are nearing completion and the senior management team is actively engaged in ensuring timely delivery of these units to the satisfaction of stakeholders,” he continued.

Arab Spring’s positive effect on regionIndia and China to bring world economy out of recession.MacDonald and Company’s annual salary survey has revealed that 76% of professionals in the region’s property sector anticipate the Arab Spring will have a positive impact.

“The result is quite interesting, because the unrest has upset business, projects have stopped, it has caused redundancies, but looking towards the longer term, there is pos-itive sentiment” said director Ben Waddilove.

Adding that Libya in particular could begin rebuilding in the next 12 months, he said the major opportunities will lie in the construction of new a airport and hotels.

“I would say in reality things are going to stay fairly stable. If the oil price suddenly goes down we are in trouble, but I don’t think it’s likely. So long as China and India keep on consuming they are probably going to bring the world economy out of recession.

“We don’t know what will happen in the Eurozone; if some French banks go down, we’re not immune to the impact here and it could affect the oil price,” Waddilove added.

Now in its fifth year, the survey also found that only 12% of respondents expect eco-nomic activity in the region to decrease over the next year.

The average salary is 37,965 AED, down around 1%. Of 21% of respondents who were made redundant over the last year, 78% have already found a job; the same figures for 2010 stood at 24% and 69% respectively.

Visit www.thebigprojectme.com for the full 2011 survey results.

CitySCape awardS - the winnerSCOMMERCIAL/ MIxED uSE- BuILTCapital Gate by RMJMCOMMERCIAL/ MIxED uSE - FuTuREfusionopolis 4 by Andrew Bromberg COMMuNITy - BuILTRun Run Shaw Creative Media Centre by Leigh & Orange LimitedCOMMuNITy - FuTuREDiplomatic Quarter, Celebration Hall - KSA by Godwin Austen JohnsonLEISuRE - BuILT Raif Dinckok Cultural Center by EAA-Emre Arolat ArchitectsLEISuRE - FuTuREPazhou Exhibition Hotel by Andrew Bromberg - AEDAS Ltd.RESIDENTIAL - BuILT Secret House by Dr. Nasser Abulhasan - AGi architectsRESIDENTIAL - FuTuREMangrove Elite Residence by BEAD Architects & EngineersTOuRISM, TRAvEL AND TRANSPORT- BuILTTraditional Suq in Shindagha by Architectural Heritage Department - Dubai MunicipalityTOuRISM, TRAvEL AND TRANSPORT- FuTuRED HOTEL by Sanjay Puri of Sanjay Puri Architects Pvt. Ltd.yOuNG ARCHITECTNaji Muneer Mahmoud - Rejuvenation RefugeCuLTuRAL HERITAGE AWARDRestoration of Hatta Mosque by Architectural Heritage Department - Dubai MunicipalityISLAMIC ARCHITECTuRE AWARDEco Park Musolla, Setia Alam by ONG & ONG Pte. Ltd.MASTERPLANNING AWARD Baku White City by ADEC - Azerbaijan Development CompanyENvIRONMENTAL AWARDBayer Material Science Private Limited by Sankalpan Architects Pvt. Ltd.OvERALL PROjECT OF THE yEAR AWARDCapital Gate by RMJM- Robert Matthew, Johnson-Marshall & Partners


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Emirate Steel has announced the beginning of phase three of its expansion project, with an invitation to bid (ITB).

The producer, the largest of integrated steel in the UAE, will award the contracts by December 2011.

Having already completed the first two phases in the last five years, the third will comprise a steel melting plant and hot rolled coil (HRC) mill and ancillaries.

The HRC mill will primarily service GCC demand across a range of downstream seg-ments, including: pipe producers; cold rolling producers of galvanized coil and coated sheet-ing products; boiler, tank and pressure vessel producers; and structural steel fabricators.

No budget has been announced for the next phase, however the combined value of phases

The Private sector and citizen participation have been hailed as key factors in the innova-tion of green construction.

Contrary to the common belief that govern-ment incentives will lead the adoption of sus-tainable building practices, organisers behind the Saudi Green Building Forum said the chal-lenge of containing the rate of increase in Saudi Arabia’s electricity and water demands is huge, there are a range of tools that can be used to reverse the current trend.

“Innovative energy saving technologies in glass, lighting, thermal insulation, water reuse and building materials are in the market and currently being developed. Many of these inno-vations will be presented at the event from lead-ing private sector organizations including Schneider Electric, ABB, Somfy, Jotun Paints, Phillips and KIMMCO,” a statement from the forum organisers read.

Over 300 delegates are expected to attend the Saudi Green Building Forum , taking place at the Intercontinental Hotel, Riyadh from October 15 to 17.

A pre-conference master class will include special training workshops hosted by the US Green Building Council, designed to educate attendees on core concepts and strategies of the council’s green building rating system.

Completion of the workshop is a pre-cursor for those looking to sit the LEED Green Associate Exam.

“The private sector’s role in engaging Green Building innovations, the Saudi urban develop-ment boom in public and private sector; and the citizens’ active participation enriches the green buildings idea,” said His Royal Highness Prince Dr. Mansour Bin Miteb Bin Abdulaziz, minister of Municipalities and Rural Affairs.

Faisal Alfadl, secretary general of the forum, added: “What became apparent from the inau-gural event in 2010 was an issue that unites green building interests worldwide.

“That issue is how new technologies use renewable resources and materials that are sen-sitive to the environment and the affect this has on innovation in design, construction and operations,” Alfadl added.

Phase four of Doha’s mixed use downtown development project Msheireb, will be lead by Hellmuth, Obata + Kassabaum (HOK).

The global architecture, urban design and plan-ning firm has been appointed lead consultant on the next step of the US$5.5 billion project, for-merly known as Dohaland.

Phase 4 of Msheireb Downtown comprises 135,000 sqm of mixed-use development across 12 buildings that will include commercial, retail, healthcare, residential, a 4-star hotel, civic build-ings and public spaces.

The world’s first sustainable downtown

BEST OF ONLINE

EMIRATES STEEL RELEASE PHASE THREE ExPANSION ITB3 million MTPA to rise further

HOK APPOINTED TO MSHEIREB DOWNTOWN PHASE FOuR Lead consultant for $5.5b project

FuTuRE OF GREEN NOT IN PuBLIC SECTORSaudI Green Building Council urges private sector to innovate green construction

one and two is reported to have reached AED 9 billion. That program consisted of new rolling mills, steel manufacturing and direct reduction plants, together with a heavy and jumbo sec-tions mill, due to come on stream by the end of the year, supported by Emiratization.

“We succeeded in implementing the first two phases of the project relying on our national teams,” said chairman HE Engineer Suhail Mubarak Musallam Athaeeth Al Ameri.

“Their remarkable talents have contributed to the process of lifting our national industries to higher levels. As such, we have managed to enhance the capabilities of our UAE nationals in technical areas through the development of a number of training and vocational programs offered by highly-reputed international centres and by local educational institutions,” he con-tinued, adding Emiratization is one of the com-pany’s “highest priorities”.

The first phases increased rolling output capacity from 650,000 metric tons per annum (MTPA) to approximately 3 million at present.

Phase three is expected to be completed within 30 months from contract award, with commercial production of HRC anticipated in mid-2014, adding an additional production capacity of 1.6 million MTPA of product.

According to Bin Athaeeth, the project has attracted significant interest from various inter-nationally-renowned bidders.

Commenting on the expansion’s role in Abu Dhabi 2030, he added:“We are looking at real investment opportunities.”

Dohaland 2

ESI Panoramic

regeneration project, Msheireb Downtown will utilise “unique mixed-use project utilises age-old principles of design and urban planning to create a pedestrian neighbourhood, minimising conges-tion and encouraging a community feel distinct to Qatari contemporary culture,” according to a statement released by its master developer.

HOK has been appointed tfor its experience of sustainable urban development; the firm will be mandated to target LEED gold rating.

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200 PSI

LIFECOFire Alarm & Fire Figthing systems


TALK | Ziad El Chaar, daM

aC

Since the American subprime market threw the world into turmoil three years ago, DAMAC properties has completed 30 buildings; 21 of

which were delivered in 2011, totalling 4072 units. According to the developer it is more than its two big-gest rivals combined.

Defying the fate of its competitors, the secret of DAMAC’s success hasn’t been to adopt the usual sur-vival strategy of diversification, but to do more of what it does best; luxury. In fact as the world diversified, DAMAC did the opposite; not only developing its lux-ury credentials but building on them with the intro-duction of the new Suits and Spa hospitality brand.

“Since 2002 our specialty has always been luxury,” says managing director Ziad El Chaar.

“In 2002 we started with the slogan ‘luxury lifestyle providers’ then we evolved to ‘live the luxury’ and now we are going into hospitality with ‘luxury at your ser-vice’ and a very important element of luxury is the location,” he continues, adding that this incorporates key facilities and views and enhancing them with “unique, premium design” in everything from the residents’ lobby to entertainment areas.

“I don’t like to use the word crash, but since

November 2008 we have completed 30 buildings and those are in various master plans of Dubai from iconic projects in Dubai Marina to the buildings in DIFC, Jumeirah Lake Towers and Jumeirah Village South,” El Chaad explains.

The projects delivered over the last year (see box) buck the trend for thrift usually associated with peri-ods of low economic activity. The highlights of the handovers have included Ocean Heights in Dubai Marina and a triple tower development at IMPZ, Lago Vista, which has 1020 units. The statistics average out to the equivalent of constructing 15 units a week since the company was established less than a decade ago.

“When the market goes through some tough times and begins to correct again, as we have seen in Dubai, this is where you can clearly see the value of those markets because those projects are usually the first to start growing in terms of price and returns,” he continues.

It’s a line echoed throughout the company’s man-agement, applying the old adage of what hasn’t killed the market will make it stronger.

According to the latest FPI investor sentiment sur-vey, confidence in the market is at its highest level in

aBOVE: Ziad El Chaar

”In the global economy today having a secure

investment like this is tremendous”

in the face of global downturn daMaC properties handed over more buildings than any other developer in the UaE during 2011. Managing director Ziad El Chaar speaks about the success and daMaC’s next luxury venture

The secret to success

aBOVE: al Jawaharah Tower, Jeddah Corniche.


New

sTA

LK | Ziad El Chaar, daMaC

12 months and almost 60% of investors predict investment markets will improve as soon as the next six months.

“Definitely the economy is strengthening and the realistic market is coming back. In key locations quality buildings, and the percent-ages now are still shy but they are very impor-tant percentages, show we have moved from a downturn to stability and now growth has started,” El Chaar says.

Continuing the success seen to date, DAMAC’s plan for the coming twelve months is to seize on the positivity and continue the upward trend; the developer currently has 50 buildings at various stages of construction across the MENA region and the pace is unlikely to slow.

Asserting that the company is well capital-ised and financially stable, DAMAC is notably proud of its payment model, built on stage-payments from clients during the construction process, thus ensuring structured cash flow throughout the project. It’s a model DAMAC uses for its properties in the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Lebanon.

Live the luxury“Luxury is in the design, in the interiors, in the execution, and very importantly luxury is in facilities management. Imagine you are living in a luxurious building and the lifts keep breaking down, even though the building can be an expensive building and the elevator can be an expensive elevator, this is not luxury,” says El Chaar, adding that luxury and quality are mutually exclusive.

It is further to this ethic that DAMAC this year began collaborating with Versace on inte-rior fit outs for Al Jawaharah Tower, on the Jeddah Corniche – a major project for DAMAC in Saudi Arabia and therefore a key focus for 2012 – and DAMAC Tower, Beirut, on which the main contractor will be announced soon.

In both developments the interiors have been designed and supplied by Versace Home.

“We will always try to bring to the market what the market wants, it’s everything down to the size of the apartment, the layout of the apartment, the design of the kitchen in the apartment and the accessibility. So we always envisage the clients and we are always flexible to change whatever changes they need,” El Chaar explains.

Complementing the association, and further meeting market demand from clients, DAMAC last month announced the launch of DAMAC Suites and Spa.

Designed to complete the luxury experience for residents of the still under construction Burjside Boulevard, locted in Downtown Dubai, the brand is a bespoke hospitality management

DAMAC’S CoMpLeTeD projeCTSThe CreSCenT 3 buildings

eMIrATeS GArDenS 6 buildings

oCeAn heIGhTS 1 building

LAGo VISTA 3 buildings

BuSIneSS Tower 1 tower

XL Tower 1 building

SMArT heIGhTS 1 building

pArK TowerS 2 buildings

eMIrATeS GArDenS 2 6 buildings

TuSCAn reSIDenCe 6 buildings

projeCTS In The pIpeLIneAL jAwhArAh Tower level 3 in progress

pArK CenTrAL level 12 complete

The Corner level 11 complete

wATere’S eDGe level 4 slab in progress

BurjSIDe BouLeVArD level 33 in progress

Green pArK ground floor slab cast

MArInA BAy level 24 complete

oCeAnSCApe level 18 in progress

The heIGhTS, Jordan level 11 in progress

The CourTyArD, Jordan binding work completed

The LofTS, Jordan basement 2 slab completed

The pIAzzA, Qatar enabling works complete

eXeCuTIVe BAy level 15 in progress

SuBurBIA level 12 cast

30,018,635 ThE TOTal sQUarE fOOT arEa Of all daMaC’s COMplETEd and UndEr COnsTrUCTiOn prOJECTs

park Towers, dubai.

restaurants inside Burjside Boulevard.

BUildings aT VariOUs sTagEs Of COnsTrUCTiOn 50


company, established as an independently run subsidiary of DAMAC, that will provide a spec-trum of personalised services from housekeep-ing to personal chefs and private yacht charters.

“You could buy a pent house in one of our projects that will be used as a holiday home, so you may visit twice a year. You cannot come for a holiday for 15 days and be worried about who will clean your apartment, drive your car or where will you do laundry services. So by hiring

DAMAC suites and spa we can give you the whole package,” El Chaar details (see box).

Adding that in order to “live the luxury”, the choice of entrusting the task to a private subcontractor was declined in favour of per-sonally overseeing each individual element of luxury living.

“We prefer to create another company to ensure the levels are five star and plus because if you’re living the luxury, if you have a luxury project, you expect luxury services.

“We have hired experts from the field and we are ready to manage the client expectations at the same level that we sold the project to them.

“At the same time we are going to extend the services of this hospitality company to the peo-ple who are buying in all other projects,” he says and also adds the service will be fine tuned ahead of Burjside’s 2013 completion, in a num-ber of “select” projects.

The futureThe focus for 2012 will be to continue the con-struction and delivery of current projects, including Burjside Boulevard and others in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon and Qatar.

Completing 36 projects since the company was established in 2002 may be impressive, but the developer currently has another 50 under construction.

As DAMAC continues to defy global mar-kets while redefining luxury, El Chaar asserts: “We operate in strong markets.”

“Real estate now will be a long term invest-ment market. Even today as we move from the correction phase to stability, the returns in Dubai stand between five to six percent, to be conservative, and in the global economy today having a secure investment like this is tremen-dous,” El Chaar concludes.

TALK | Ziad El Chaar, daM

aC

DAMAC SuITeS AnD SpAperSonALISeD SerVICeS

housekeeping

room service

state of the art gym

Concierge

restaurants

perSonALISeD SerVICeS

private chef

personal shopping service

Baby sitting

Butler service

spas services within the apartment

oTher LuXury SerVICeS

private yacht charter

private jet charter

limousine and chauffer services

2002 ThE yEar daMaC was EsTaBlishEd

Elevators inside luxury services apartments Burjside Boulevard.

Burjside Boulevard, dubai

Ocean heights, dubai.

BUildings dEliVErEd By daMaC TO daTE36

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following news that current and future road projects in the Gulf are worth $142 billion, abu dhabi Municipality’s Majed Abed Al Kathiri explains how the emirate will select its key project partners to incorporate Intelligent traffic systems on its roads

“The road safety audit process is mandatory,

which is not only being followed by developers,

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T he UAE is reportedly leading the way in the Gulf, spending a 40% share of the region’s US $142 billion investment in

road infrastructure projects. But as major plans near completion in Abu Dhabi, the Emirate is implementing an “intelligent traffic system” (ITS) to cut the average fatality rate below its current average of 2.7 per day.

The municipality road safety unit and Department of Transport introduced road safety audits to be conducted on all road infra-structure projects – a step which according to head of the traffic services directorate is a key to addressing safety from the concept design phase, through construction and operation of all road transportation projects

“The road safety audit process is mandatory, which is not only being followed by developers, consultants and contractors but also being agreed among the different departments for

example traffic police, transport authorities and the Urban Planning Council,” Al Kathiri says.

ITS is defined by ITS-Europe (ERTICO) as the integration of information and communica-tions technology with transport infrastructure, vehicles and users.

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intelligent transportation systems, that meet prequalified criteria, to join the initiative, which will be further discussed at the ITS summit, hosted by abu Dhabi’s police and municipality and scheduled for November 21-24.

Such groups include the Intelligent Transportation Society of America (ITSA), Intelligent Transportation Systems Society (ITSS), Research and Innovation Technology Administration (RITA), Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), ERTICO and ITS Arab.

“We do not want to limit ourselves with a company but would like to develop business relationships with many who meet our stand-ard specifications, offer innovative and cost-effective solutions, and are committed to provide local support,” Al Kathiri continues, adding that during the prequalification and tendering processes, measures will be taken to ensure that qualifications set out in the tender documents are met (see box).

“It is also ensured that specifications are revised and updated regularly to keep up with technological advancement in the field of ITS. However, it is made certain that such advance-ments are proven technologies,” he says.

The department is actively seeking the knowl-edge of countries that have successfully achieved ITS standards, such as Singapore, Japan and Norway and the implementation of ITS in the region is based on specifications based on inter-national guidelines and best practices.

In addition, Abu Dhabi’s executive council has approved an Incident Management Committee between the traffic police and Saaed, Siemens, the Department of Transport, civil defense, and other government institu-tions, including the municipality.

Al Kathiri says the police presence in con-junction with the DoT and Saaed, with traffic operations staff in the traffic management cen-tre is another step taken to “enhance communi-cation between different departments”.

“This committee has a clear mandate to ensure clear lines of communication at indi-vidual levels, and enable fast and efficient response to any incident,” he explains, adding: “It has so far proven very effective in dealing with incidents in the City of Abu Dhabi.”

The key criTeria for abu Dhabi’s final TenDer parTnersProducts conformance to currently accepted technical standards

open system protocols and modular architecture for ease of implementation and scalability

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Warranty, service level agreements, and technical support

International and Uae/Gulf relevant project experience abu Dhabi’s roaD projecTsNew interchange at the Carrefour roundabout and at the Khalifa University

Widening of the current Mina link

temporary link to connect Hamdan street with Mina street

Upgrade of urban traffic control by introducing adaptive traffic control system.

additional traffic lanes where required at thirty signalised intersections

12 new signalized intersections


SITE VISIT | KIZAD

It’s a cornerstone of the Abu Dhabi economic vision yet few outside the industry have heard of the 417 square kilometre Khalifa Industrial Zone. A year after its launch, ADPC CEO Tony Douglas and area construction manager Brian Sadler take Melanie Mingas on a guided tour of the site

“This is about making sure you have a very strong and compelling proposition because the big test is to come ”

I’m sat in a car with ADPC’s Brian Sadler; we’ve been driving for over an hour on a whistle stop tour of the largest industrial

development zone known to man. It’s a trip ADPC officials make by helicopter

on a monthly basis to track the progress of the development. As we tour the site I think back to an interview with ADPC CEO Tony Douglas, who said: “The reality of it is there is almost no vocabulary that I posses, that allows me to express the scale of what we’re talking about.

“I’ll use whatever superlatives I can conjure up, imagery that we can give you, but honestly when you go there you’ll think ‘oh, this is what he was going on about’.”

Already aware that Kizad is four times the size of Abu Dhabi Island and that the landmass of Zone A equates to 340 football pitches – or two thirds the size of Singapore – I’m still left thinking ‘oh, this is what he was talking about’.

During the whistle stop tour we cover a vast area of the 51 square kilometre Zone A – the entire Kizad development will cover 417 square kilometres with Zone B, “the big part”, on the other side of the E11.

We drive to the outermost port from where the world’s longest conveyor belt, at 14 km, appears half the size, and the world’s largest aluminium smelter, operated by EMAL, and its neighbouring Taweel power plant are dwarfed on the horizon.

Zone A was officially launched a year ago next month. The first ships docked on August 25 with up to two ships per month docking at the port until completion in March 2012 and full operations are rolled out in Q4 that year, offering annual capacity of 2 million containers a year and 8 million tonnes of bulk and break

By this time Kizad will provide 150,000 jobs and have 100,000 residents.

It’s also casually dropped into conversation that there are there are currently 11,500 con-struction workers on site.

Planning tomorrow today A staggering US $7.2 billion has been invested in the development and to maintain the official ADPC line that planning has been “strategic” is an understatement.

While Douglas explains the key to a success-ful infrastructure project is to build it for the future, we pass culverts that are being built now to facilitate expansions over the next genera-tion; a 12 lane super highway will replace the road we are on today – part of a network that will intersect the development to provide effi-cient road links to the E11, with smaller roads constructed for use by fully automated vehicles transporting cargo from ships to shore. The first and third longest bridges in the UAE are already here and Etihad Rail’s national network will also serve the area.

Part of the land is reclaimed, for which the biggest dredging fleets in world at the moment have been put to work, even excavating enough land for the next phase of expansion.

Following the delivery of the ship to shore cranes in August, the container yard – the first automated container yard in the Middle East

The world’s best kept secret

bulk cargo. The first ever tugboats were wel-comed on September 15.

Construction will continue until 2030 by which time the entire development will be able to handle 15 million TEUs and 35 million tonnes of bulk cargo, with EMAL handling 4 million tonnes of cargo a year at its exclusive berth.

ABOVE: ADPC CEO Tony Douglas.


New

sSITE V

ISIT | KIZAD

“On a mega project like this, the greatest consideration is that you are building for generations to come”

The docks near compltetion by November 2009.The port in May 2009.

manager for the definitive mega project. His reaction? “Nobody outside the industry knows what I’m talking about. It’s like the world’s best kept secret, without actually being a secret.”

He’s right; despite the reaction, the team behind Kizad are far from secretive about its progress – or future.

Currently travelling the world to showcase Kizad to potential investors, the team has already visited India, China, South Korea and Germany, with the UK and US next on the hitlist.

It’s a strategy that got off to a flying – or driv-ing – start when the project was unveiled to the public on November 13 2010 at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

“We started with the local market and then identified five additional markets. We then went to the Hannover Messe in March where we had a very successful European launch,” says Douglas adding the international roll out has gone to plan.

A number of alliances have also been bro-kered with international banks to provide a specific position within various markets. Firstly HSBC to leverage markets in China and Hong Kong and most recently India’s Bank of Baroda and the Commercial Bank of China Ltd (ICBC).

“That has proven to be very successful as it gets you straight into a far more mature, tar-geted, strategic conversation very quickly. Trying to achieve that the other way would mean spending a lot of time trying to explain what Kizad is and finding the people you need to get to see,” Douglas explains, adding the strategy was a “smart move” to establish mature relationships quickly “on the top floor of all the big corporate buildings”.

Aerial view November 2008.

– is now ready to handle the ships of tomor-row, which Douglas says are “significantly big-ger” than the ones the old cranes were originally installed to handle.

“On a mega project like this, the greatest consideration is that you are building for gener-ations to come. You need to anticipate, to some degree, the future and the one relatively easy bet to make is that international shipping will get a lot bigger. So when you stack the cranes you have to do it where they are going to be taller,

because the ships will be higher and they will have to reach further,” he says.

Going on to describe how the 3.2km key wall is massive, he says that it has been designed so up to two more can be added as the develop-ment, and market, demand (see images).

Big BusinessMistakenly assuming that I can’t be shocked any more, I ask Sadler how people react when he tells them he is the area construction


That’s not to say the success to date is making ADPC complacent. While Douglas agrees the project has started well he goes no further than calling it a “realistic start”, upon which Abu Dhabi’s 2030 Vision can continue to be met.

Explaining there are “massive variables”, such modesty is not only realistic but refresh-ing; a global project must encompass global economics. Recalling the impact of a world-wide financial crisis on the initial roll out of the project, Douglas says that despite improve-ments in Kizad’s worldwide target markets “we certainly wouldn’t want to get to the point where we get ahead of ourselves.”

“This is about making sure you have a very strong and compelling proposition because the big test is to come – to convert the intention into reality – which is why the day job down on the site is no nonsense, big project, hard-nosed delivery, and failure is quite clearly not an option,” he asserts.

“You have to think about it in the currency of the next generation. Whilst we are very pleased with all of the early progress we have made we certainly wouldn’t get carried away.”

Talking tacticsKizad isn’t just a huge construction project, the business plan behind it underpins Abu Dhabi’s goal to increase GDP four fold, gener-ating $418 billion from non-oil and gas sec-tors. Kizad’s role in this target will see it responsible for 15% of this figure and the sec-tors that will generate these revenues have been very carefully selected.

Kizad is divided into clusters for eight key sectors with a ninth for mixed use and other industries (see box). Within each zone an entire production line will be facilitated. For example, EMAL’s aluminium production will be sup-ported by upstream, downstream and produc-tion operations, all situated in close proximity

ThE cluSTErS AlumInIum

STEEl

EngInEErEd mETAl PrOducTS

PETrOchEmIcAlS & chEmIcAlS

PhArmAcEuTIcAlS & hEAlThcArE EquIPmEnT

FOOd

PAPEr, PrInTIng & PAckAgIng

TrAdE & lOgISTIcS

mIxEd uSE & OThEr InduSTrIES

rEcOrdS ThE FIrST And ThIrd lOngEST brIdgES In ThE uAE

EmAl; wOrld’S lArgEST SmElTEr

lOngEST cOnVEyOr bElT; 14km lInkIng EmAl’S PlAnT TO ITS ExcluSIVE bErTh

to minimise and time and carbon impact of transportation.

The diversity of the clusters and pledge to give investors the ultimate one stop shop, requires a level of tactical planning that is in itself as amaz-ing as the construction project.

“When we got into the tactical execution of it, knowing we have to have the ability to provide a one stop proposition when every customer has different requirements is about recognising that yes, you are a bespoke client and therefore we have configured ourselves to be able to offer a bespoke solution and the tactical execution of it. And I think that’s the key to it,” Douglas begins.

Douglas explains the business proposition Kizad promotes as a three dimensional matrix.

The first dimension is the businesses that are local to the UAE or regional; joint ventures of regional businesses with an international part-ner and following the government announce-ment of International Investment Zone Status last November, 100% foreign owned companies.

The next dimension is dealing with busi-nesses that have the capability to project manage the installation of all their own facilities. Of this

group Douglas says there are those who can but have never done within Abu Dhabi and there are those that have no capability and intention to shoulder that responsibility. Douglas explains the third dimension comes back to the relation-ship Kizad has with international banks.

“Unsurprisingly we find you have companies with the capacity to completely fund a venture themselves, companies who have got capacity to fund it themselves but are looking for a blend of local and self funded investment and then

Rit eat. Bus re iumquis tiist, ut voluptatur?

Rit eat. Bus re iumquis tiist, ut voluptatur?

SITE VISIT | KIZAD

December 2010.

Kizad, May 2009.

June 2010.

2030END Of CONSTRuCTION ANDDEADlINE fOR ABu DhABI ECONOMIC VISION

$7.2bTOTAl INVESTMENTS TO DATE


SITE VISIT | KIZAD

hAlF wAy rOund ThE wOrldThe site, half way between Dubai and Abu Dhabi in Taweelah, was chosen for no reason other than its location; it’s half way around the world.

Providing access to both the east and west as well as the Gulf, on land there are four major airports within close proximity; the first phase of the uAE’s well publicised rail network will cover Kizad then span the entire GCC and potentially link to Europe and the far east; as mentioned, Zone A’s major roads will link to the E11 and soon to be extended Emirates Road extension.

Not only do these elements aid the ships that dock here, they also make it an attractive stop off for cargo destined to travel worldwide.

Such factors have already proven to be winners with investors from Germany; a country that itself isn’t strategically located to easily reach the rest of the world and also has high energy costs.

companies who need financial assistance. Those three dimensions; be it the type of business from local to fully international, in terms of can they develop it here, from yes totally through to not a chance, to can they fund it with assistance, we’re finding we have every combination in that matrix,” Douglas continues.

“Let’s imagine you’re an international busi-

ness, you want wholly owned status, we can do that. Also with a land framework that gives you 100% foreign ownership status, we can give you free zone trading status.

“You may have the capability to set up your own massive processing plant but you’ve never done one here, in which case we will help you with that. And you might have the ability to fund a venture but in terms of tax efficient struc-turing you may want to have some of it blended with local investment,” he sums up.

“We’ve had fascinating responses.”

National treasureWhile industry may not have the cleanest image, ADPC has invested $240m to conserve the local environment, particularly the coral reef, leaving the site not only protected, but healthier than previously, a claim proven by the hundreds of species of marine life visible from the shore during our visit.

Referring to the Gulf’s only coral reef as “a national treasure”, Douglas has joined the marine scientists on their regular dives to mon-itor the reef as part of the conservation work, diving in an area closed off to the public.

To protect the 7km reef, a breakwater meas-uring 8km has been built and Sadler says the way the port is constructed will prevent, should

an accident occur, any chemicals or other prod-ucts from leaking out beyond the port.

The coral is satellite mapped and also moni-tored through reference points on the seabed, to enable immediate recognition of its devel-opment during camera drags.

“The reef is in fantastic condition and the good news is all of the engineering that went into the break water has been completely suc-cessful so this reef will remain a national treasure for the future,” Douglas says.

It’s part of ADPC’s environmental and social responsibility work which also includes a sustainability plan and waste management. The work hasn’t gone unnoticed; last year ADPC won the environmental protection award at Seatrade Middle East.

Back on dry land Douglas and his team are understandably proud of their achievements to date, with the work that is still to come merely the next step in the evolution of the port.

“I genuinely can’t think of any examples anywhere, which are as exciting as this in terms of sheer scale, technical and engineering endeavour, the way of trying to bring the resources of many big organisations together and align them with one simple, common objective, which is to deliver this on time and within budget safely,” he concludes.

August 2011.Aerial view towards the port.

8kmSIZE Of ThE BREAK wATER

100%fOREIGN OwNERShIP STATuS AllOwED

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Driven by the private sector, Turkey has one of the strongest construction and export industries in the region; those with a foot in the door give their tips on how to tap it

“FDI’s, Joint-Ventures and consortiums are what foreign players

should look for if they want to have a stake

in Turkey”

M ore famous for its EU ambitions, cof-fee and historical sites such as the first known human settlement in

Catalhoyuk, few are aware that Turkey is also home to the world’s second largest construction export industry.

According to UK Trade and Investment sta-tistics, in 2009 over 30 Turkish contractors made it into the Engineering News Record’s (ENR) Top 225 International contractors; sec-ond only to China.

The country is in the top 12 producers of building materials in the world, supplying both the international and domestic market; which in turn contributes 4% towards Turkey’s GDP, employing more than one million people.

Official literature from the body states that Turkish contractors have been active in 81 countries since the 1970s; diversifying into areas such as industrial buildings, oil refineries, road-tunnel-bridges, international airports and urban rail transport systems.

“The prime factor driving this growth is the increased contribution of the private sector,” says Yusuf Akcayoglu, Gulf regional director of Tepe Akfen (TAV) a local contractor with inter-national operations and particular experience in airport developments; having been awarded contracts by the Turkish government for pro-jects including Ankara Esenboga, Izmir Adnan Menderes and Alanya Gazipasa in Antalya, TAV’s 11th airport contract was announced last month for Medinah Airport, Saudi Arabia.

But while their current strategy is to expand into western and central African markets, including South Africa and India – while simul-taneously increasing presence in Russia, North Africa and Gulf – there are also significant opportunities within the country.

“Unlike the countries severely affected by the

financial crisis, Turkey’s banking has success-fully implemented the lessons learnt from 2001. With efficient and effective regulations in place, confidence in the economy remains sta-ble,” he adds, further saying that a significant proportion of activity in the domestic market comes from private real estate developments, public infrastructure projects and complex financial models such as PPP and Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT).

It is a sentiment echoed by general manager at YEM – The Building Information Centre, Baris Onay PhD

“Although housing projects attract more attention, a sense of economic stability – with the help of solid financial system that was restructured in 2000 – motivates both public and private sector investments in infrastruc-ture, transportation and energy.”

YEM is an information centre on construction materials and technology and also the umbrella organisation responsible for YAPI - TURKEYBUILD Exhibitions and business publi-cations. The company recently launched materials research portal, Material ConneXion Istanbul.

“The challenging part is that foreign players have started losing their presence in the mar-ket due to increased capabilities of local play-ers. FDI’s, joint ventures and consortiums are what foreign players should look for if they want to have a stake in Turkey,” Onay adds (see charts overleaf).

AttractionResilience to global economic – and political – conditions and the ambition of the private sector supported by a stable and equally ambi-tious government means many of the projects initiated in Turkey are done so under PPP finance models.

Tapping into Turkey

ABOVE: Yusuf Akcayoglu, TAV

LEFT: Ankara Esenboga International Airport, one of 11 TAV airport projects.

Ma

rkeT ex

plorer

| TURKEY


Turkey: The proJecTs • Zorlu Center

• Varyap Meridian

• Expo Centre / ORA Theme Park

• YHT – High-Speed Rail (Istanbul-Ankara)

• YHT – High Speed Rail (Konya)

• Marmaray - Rail Tube Tunnel (connects Asian and European sides of Istanbul, masss transit Project)

• Kanal Istanbul (aims to connect Black Sea and Marmara)

• 3rd Bridge in Istanbul (in addition to Bosphorus and Fatih Sultan Mehmet bridges)

• Nuclear Plant in Mersin

• 3rd airport in Istanbul - Silivri

TURKEYBUILD TAKES PLACE AT VARIOUS LOCATIONS THROUgHOUT THE YEAR. THE NExT ExHIBITIONS ARE SCHEDULED TO BE HELD: Izmir, October 13-16 2011

Istanbul May 2-6 2012

Onay details Turkey’s geographical position and combination of both eastern and western influenced culture as providing opportunity and flexibility in business relationships.

“This prompted expert foreign companies to enter into the market and establish long-lasting relationships by undertaking prestigious and profitable projects,” Akcayoglu explains.

“Moreover, Turkey has a young and very well educated population, which means that the foreign companies have a vast pool of resources available to utilise in their business operations. Last but not least, Turkey is a wonderful place to live and work. Bridging two continents, it has many historic, cultural and touristic attrac-tions,” he continues.

But the increased competition has not affected operations for aerial platforms and machinery suppliers Paksan.

“Nowadays in Turkey we can observe the phe-nomenon of high-speed urbanization,” export sales representative Olga Erdogan observes.

“Each year thousands of new houses, admin-istrative buildings and recreational centers are being built across the country. Electrification and maintenance of new built up districts cre-ates opportunities to produce more special equipment including fire fighting trucks and platforms,” she adds.

Adding that there is plenty of work for all, Erdogan also observes that buying materials and machinery from outside Turkey isn’t as attractive as it may seem.

“Our business is not influenced by the presence of foreign countries in Turkey,” Erdogan continues.

“On one hand, there are a number of European manufacturers producing quality products but their prices are too high in com-parison to the prices we offer to our clients. On the other hand, the quality of Chinese products is several indicators below,” she adds.

Breaking into turkeyCombining diverse cultural influences, eco-nomic stability and ambition, Turkey is reaching a pivotal point in its development.

“Before we go into detail about recent devel-opments, we need to understand the macro economic drivers that have created a higher multiplier effect in the past 10 years,” reports Onay, who continues to relay that strict corre-lation exists between Turkey’s GDP growth and that of its construction industry.

In 2010 the country experienced a 17.1% growth, when many countries – all perceived as wealthier – faced recession.

“Contracting Services have become a key export item, and the building materials industry as a whole has generated a trade surplus of approximately US $10 billion,” Onay continues.

“Not only have numbers been growing for the last 10 years but also the complexity of projects and contracts undertaken is nota-ble,” he says.

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| TURKEY

“I would highly recommend any company that is interested in Turkey to analyse the market in detail and to team up with a Turkish company”

“Turkey’s major strength is its more diversified economy, when compared with the Middle eastern countries”

ABOVE: Inside Ankara Esenboga International.

aD

aD


Where To begIn...?a proFIle For success FroM uk TraDe anD InVesTMenTs

WhaT Is The rIghT approach To Turkey?The FolloWIng poInTs IllusTraTe The Type oF approach ThaT coMpanIes DoIng busIness successFully In Turkey oFTen Take:

• Leave your preconceptions at home.

• It’s all too easy to be overawed by the challenges, but keep hold of your business sense as tightly as you would anywhere else.

• Do your homework on the market and on potential partners.

• Patience is a virtue. Some things may take longer to set up than you think (especially if they involve bureaucracy), so allow for this in your preparations.

• Take a long-term approach, but don’t stick rigidly to your plans. Things often change rapidly and unexpectedly in Turkey.

• Obtaining good quality independent legal and professional advice is essential.

• If your product is in danger of being copied or counterfeited, seek specialist legal advice on how best to protect your intellectual property rights (IPR).

• Don’t forget to carry out due diligence

• Take account of social and business customs in Turkey.

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| TURKEY

facing the challenge head one, he says: “The major concern of these countries is their econ-omy’s dependence on the oil and gas revenues.

“This eventually makes the economy vul-nerable against the price fluctuations in the market; resulting in collateral effects to the overall economy.

“At this point, Turkey’s major strength is its more diversified economy, when compared with the Middle Eastern countries.”

In conclusion, Onay comments that it is a combination of industrial capabilities and economic outlook that justify the existence of mega projects and large developments in Turkey and that it is the domestic contractors that are best positioned to take advantage of such opportunities.

While UKTI offers a range of advice for companies looking to break into the market (see column), Akcayoglu maintains that con-struction’s relevance to the national economy means that breaking into the industry is no easy feat.

“There are numerous successful Turkish construction companies having international experience,” he says.

“Therefore, especially now as the Turkish construction companies grow substantially, competition for the domestic projects is fierce and even these companies are teaming up between themselves to win contracts.

“However, as some projects require a high-level of engineering and expertise, Turkish companies are forming alliances with special-ised international companies, which are glob-ally renowned for their experience at those particular projects.

“Therefore, I would highly recommend any company that is interested in Turkey to ana-lyse the market in detail and to team up with a Turkish company,” Akcayoglu adds.

Beyond the bordersThe lucrative Turkish companies that leverage their domestic success, and manufacturing strengths, to successfully tap markets around the world generate 91% of their business from those markets, according to Onay.

Yet that doesn’t mean to say they have been immune to the impact of external forces.

Contracting services and the supply of building materials may give the country an upper hand in the Middle East, but several government-led campaigns to buoy the machinery industry with funding incentives, haven’t been as successful.

Additionally, Onay says the current situa-tion in North Africa and the threat of further political unrest means the Middle East is increasingly – and potentially even dispropor-tionately – significant for exporters.

“When you export more than you sell locally, losing your international markets is only bad news,” he says.

Akcayoglu maintains such a threat is not as strong as others faced in the Middle East, namely economic diversity.

“Most of the economies in the Middle East are driven by the hydro-carbon revenues. They are turning this income into massive infra-structure investments in order to build or re-shape their countries,” he says.

Continuing to observe that despite the situ-ation, regional governments are proactively

“competition for the domestic projects is fierce and even these companies are teaming up between

themselves to win contracts”

BuildSmart is NOT a rejigged commercial accounting package — its SOLE PURPOSE is construction enterprise accounting.

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immediately.• have FULL INTEGRATION of Costing, Procurement, Payroll, Project

Management, Project Accounting and Enterprise Accounting.

You’re smartYou’re in the highly competitive construction industry. You are ten-dering while still overseeing existing construction projects, not getting information from all your sites on time. Accounts are battling to give you up to date reports. It’s seat of the pants stuff, and all the time... you are signing cheques.

Candy Estimating and Project Control software is used by hundreds of satisfied contractors in over 50 countries around the world. We build our international strengths while we build YOUR strength. We listened to your requests, as industry requirements changed. We built new software modules as you built dams, roads, bridges and towers. As you formed public/private partnerships, we integrated software that opens communication and cooperation with your colleagues... allowing all divisions and departments of your company to work seamlessly towards the same goal... giving you real control over your costs, streamlining your processes, improving your efficiency, enhancing your productivity and filling your order-books.

ESTIMATING: Pricing libraries, Take-off, Indirect costs, Free-format worksheets. Sub-contractor enquiry, comparison and award, Alternative Tendering, Mark-up, Production, manhour and wastage allowances and analysis, Reporting, Integrate the Estimate with the Program, Immediate forecast cash flow, Tender Finalisation

VALUATIONS: Job Modelling, Sub-contract control and payment, Monthly valuations, Analytical variations pricing, Allowable vs Cost reconciliation, Engineering information, Cost to complete by cost rate resources and cost worksheets, External Cost import for cost vs allowable reconciliation and cost at completion

FORECASTING: Integrate the Bill of Quantities with the Program, Forecast the bill and resources, Summarise into Project Codes ( With, What & Where), Forecast summary cost codes ( When), Base forecast, Monthly allowable, Collect costs, Forecast allowable and costs

PLANNING: Critical path planning, Resourcing, Organising, Progress, Information schedules, Integrate schedule with the Estimate, Time/location

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All the tools you need...Estimating, Planning, ValuationsCash flow, Forecasting, Earned Value, Drawings, Materials

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COM

MEN

T | Barry Furlong, HarSCo

With over 30 years experience in the region, Harsco Director and uaE general manager Barry Furlong explains how business can learn from the company’s adoption of ‘working smart’

Working smart

company and better manage the performance of our key suppliers. For example we have reduced the complexity of our supply chain to speed the procurement process and have con-centrated some of our support services in global innovation parks. One other important activity has been to improve the consistency of our con-tract management procedures to further mini-mise risk. When projects such as these are undertaken, Harsco ensures they are properly resourced. Cross-divisional teams are estab-lished and the incumbent staff are in back-filled positions so everybody is thoroughly committed until completion of the project.

How adaptive are firms in the region to working differently? Harsco is a ‘matrix run’ organisation and has an adaptive business culture with engaged staff. This makes us more receptive to change and a lot of effort is given to communicating the cor-porate vision. There is an expectation that we will achieve the greatest integration possible between our business units. We regularly com-municate across time zones using tools like video conferencing and as such the ‘pace’ that our business is practiced at seems to be much faster than for other firms’ we encounter.

Many firms in the region seem to have more bureaucratic approaches and you can tell this from the way that they respond; they appear reactive and less ‘solution focused’ and they may be less willing to share information.

Historically they may not have been as adap-tive when business was booming. Less planning may have been undertaken and many firms just responded to demand but now these firms have to think more longterm to handle risk as

“Many firms in the region seem to have more bureaucratic approaches and you can tell this from the way that they respond. They appear reactive and less ‘solution focused’”

rIgHT: Ibn Batutta gate where Harsco engineering project for wide-span arabic arch bridge incorporating 4no. concrete

beams 5m deep and 0.8m wide.

What is ‘working smart’?To Harsco, working smart means value engi-neering right through from concept to design and delivery. Our value proposition is that we are able to bring our vast global experience and technical competence to every project under-taken and we refer to this as ‘Insight Onsite’ – our brand promise. The Middle East is a transient economy. Harsco retains staff a long time within the region giving us an unmatched depth of expertise in local operations. We share knowledge of 19,000 employees on a global basis through information portals.

In most cases we have encountered a prob-lem before and can immediately recommend a solution. Within our business we aim to work with the best clients. There is an internal awareness and determination to work with them to ensure that we give them the best solu-tions to their problems. Harsco endorses a value selling culture.

How do customers benefit as a result?Harsco staff are selected for their excellent capabilities, this ensures we build trust as a long term partner for the contractor. We pro-vide a cost-efficient solution; Harsco designs are accurate, clear and always drafted accord-ing to best practice.

Our centralised design office reduces over-heads and we pass-on this saving. We are always safety compliant and we confront problems and work with the contractor to solve them but most importantly we keep our promises.

How far into a firm’s operation should ‘working smart’ reach?At Harsco there are global initiatives underway to streamline information flows within the

economic conditions are squeezing margins. Some firms in this region have made radical capital expenditure cuts or redundancies and are now struggling to exceed customer expectations. Harsco intends to ‘thrive’ not merely ‘survive’ in these conditions and we feel such success is driven by strong leadership.

Travelling Formwork Culvert Engineered to Suit rapid Construction Sequence

AD

AD

E ven before it is due to become fully oper-ational in December this year, Al Jaber and Partner’s (AJP) Effluent Treatment

Plant (ETP), in Ras Laffan Industrial City, Qatar, is already setting world standards for both size and safety.

By the end of 2011, the plant will be the world’s largest such facility for the recovery, treatment and re-use of industrial process water and is already certified as being one of the safest sites in the region, following the achievement of 19 million hours with zero lost time incidents (LTI); the highest safety record to date for both AJP and project partner Shell.

At the peak of construction, the project involved more than 52,000 workers from over 50 nations. Today, AJP has 1500 men working on a project for one of the most hazardous sectors, with AJP business development man-ager Eng Ammar Ammar saying the achieve-ment is down to strong communication and clear cut standards.

“The oil and gas industry is ranked in the top three most hazardous work environments in the world and therefore health and safety standards must be adjusted to that fact.

“However AJP comes from a strong health and safety background and therefore we are used to work in such an environment,” Ammar elaborates to add that a “remarkable” number of training initiatives were in place to ensure con-tinuous awareness of the zero LTI goal.

These included a dedicated training coordi-nator, centralised training centre supported by satellite training sites.

“The impact of the initiative was measured by the total number of hours worked without any accidents, thus Al Jaber completed the construction of the world’s largest ETP with zero LTI in 20 million hours; this was done through meticulous planning and working to set safety standards through an Integrated Management System.

“This was established by cooperating with all

”The impact of the initiative was measured by the total number of hours worked without any accidents”

In August this year Shell commended Al Jaber and Partners for their 19 million hour record for zero lost time to accidents on site of the world’s largest GTL facility. Now three months from completion The Big Project finds out how it was achieved

Safe and sound


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ABOVE: The project achieved 20 million hours with zero LTI.

LEFT: The ETP site located in Qatar.


parties involved and aligning the safety perfor-mance expectations, setting out rules and estab-lishing standards,” Ammar adds.

In addition to the certification awarded by Shell, AJP also holds the ISO 9001, OHSAS 18001 and ISO 14001 certifications in recogni-tion of occupational health and safety standards in addition to environmental and high quality management systems.

Responsible for the full civil and structural work, mechanical steel tank and equipment and piping installation works, AJP’s share of the project is worth QR 735,000,000; it is one of the company’s most significant construc-tion projects to date.

Jointly owned by Qatar Petroleum and Shell, the ETP project is also currently the single larg-est investment by Shell with a value of between US $18 to $19 billion.

When completed, it should be the world’s largest integrated GTL complex, however such industrial activity requires copious amounts of water. The plant is designed to be fully self-suf-ficient in its use of water, with capacity to treat 280,000 barrels of water a day – all the water produced as a by-product of the GTL process – making it comparable to a plant for a town of 140,000 people.

After cleaning the industrial water by removing trace metals, hydrocarbons and any particles, most water is used for cooling by evaporation and for steam systems. Some of it will be used for planting bushes, shrubs or trees at the plant.

“When fully operational the amount that Pearl GTL will produce makes it possible to run the plant without drawing on Qatar’s

scarce natural fresh water resources or on sea-water,” says Rob Overtoom, technology man-ager on the Pearl GTL project.

Business boostThe project isn’t just significant for AJP, it is projected to increase Shell’s worldwide produc-tion capacity by 8%; a primary contributor to the company’s growth over 2012.

Using resources from the world’s largest sin-gle gas field – discovered by Shell in 1971 – the completed facility will process an estimated three billion barrels of oil over its lifetime.

The gas field, known as the North Field in the Arabian Gulf, contains more than 900 trillion cubic feet of gas, equivalent to 150 billion bar-rels of oil, or over 10% of worldwide gas resources, according to Shell. The plant will manufacture a number of products (see box).

The Effluent Treatment Plant (ETP) project is designed, constructed and commissioned to optimise the management of a water process-ing system aimed at achieving zero liquid dis-charge into the natural environment; a standard never before known on such a pro-ject. Thus, the plant is dedicated to the treat-ment and recycling of industrial effluents that would be produced from this massive indus-trial complex.

“The complex operational function of the plant required the design development of an integral mass balance, based on several con-straints provided in the project brief,” Ammar comments.

According to data, Pearl GTL opens a new global market for Qatari natural gas and allows Qatar to contribute constructively to improve

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”The oil and gas industry is ranked in the top three most hazardous work environments in the world ”

COnSTRUCTiOn Of ThE PlAnT COmPRiSED ThE fOllOwing:

• 128,000m³ of earth works

• 76, 000m³ of concrete

• 23 steel tanks erected ranging up to 28, 000m³

• 23 concrete tanks ranging up to 23,000m³

• 323,000 ID of piping

• 4,500 tons of structural steel

• 90 units of tanks & vessels installed up to 30m high

• 9,988 units of instruments

• 1,755,000m of electrical and instrumentation cables

• 65,000m² of mechanical piping painting

• 33,500m² of structure painting

• 16, 000m² insulation.

• Budget:Al Jaber & Partners’ share of the works valued at QR 735,000,000 for the full civil and structural work, mechanical steel tank and equipment and piping installation works

• Workersonsite: 1,500

ThE PEARl gTl COmPlEx COmPRiSES ThREE PROCESSES:

• a process dedicated to the upgrading of cooling water to process water;

• a process dealing treating suspended oil and wax containing GTL complex effluents

• a process combining and upgrading non oily and prior de-oiled effluents from the Pearl GTL into various qualities of re-usable process / irrigation water.

• In addition, the whole process is to be fully a ‘Zero Discharge Facility’ – something that has never been achieved for this type of process.


PROJECT U

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the local environment by supplying a cleaner alternative fuel for transport requirements.

The fuel produced has been tested by Shell in conjunction with Toyota, Volkswagen and DaimlerChrysler to prove it emits fewer emis-sions than standard diesel. With expertise in all aspects of GTL works, Shell’s middle distil-late synthesis (SMDS) technology has been supporting such developments as Malaysia’s Bintulu GTL plant, to increase production. It is the result of three decades of R&D.

Meeting demand When the project started in 2006 the world was at the height of a construction boom; contrary to some of the benefits that may bring, Ammar say the benefits were short lived with extra pres-sure on budgets created by the high demand for labour and materials.

“During the period of construction, resources were scarce and once found prices were extremely expensive; one good example would be the prices of steel and oil, which reached $147 per barrel.”

The implementation of procurement strate-gies such as long term agreements, also helped AJP to garner commitment from its suppliers and striking partnerships with recruiting agents and training schemes to hand pick workers with the necessary skills prior to mobilising in Qatar.

“The same was true for human resources, in such a highly technical project, a high turnover of human resources could lead to a serious delay in the works. We overcame these issues through meticulous planning and innovative procurement strategies,” Ammar explains, add-ing: “Every project provides different chal-lenges, however, AJP through its experience has ensured that all necessary procedures of deal-ing with unknowns are clearly established and provide a flexible approach so that they can be updated and amended to adapt to any occur-ring situations.”

Other initiatives included the Flawless Start-up initiative (FSI) driven by Shell, of which, Ammar comments: “Systematic approaches were formulated, which were imbedded into the work operations require-ments for the workforce and included the sup-pliers and subcontractors involved in this project.” He adds that it was an idea developed with the concept “build it right first time” employed from the start.

Established by its Abu Dhabi-based parent company Al Jaber Group, Al Jaber and Partners Qatar has also worked on New Doha International Airport (NDIA) and the commu-nity area and design and construction of North Site Utility Tunnels for Qatar Foundation, Education City. Now well established in the country, it has has four asphalt and nine

”we look at the bigger picture and we believe that a small incident on a site could cost all the cost cutting one might make”

PEARl gTl will PRODUCE • GTLbaseoil – for lubricating vehicle

engines, gearboxes and transmissions.

• GTLgasoil– blended with conventional diesel for cleaner burning and lower emissions.

• GTLkerosene – used for cooking, lighting and dry-cleaning. Its potential to be used as a jet fuel was proved by Airbus A380 flight from Filton in the UK to Toulouse in France. Its higher energy density and lower emissions means more savings per flight.

• GTLnormalparaffin – considered virtually identical to oil-derived paraffin. It offers cost and location advantages to detergent producing companies.

• GTLnaphtha – with higher paraffin content helps plastic manufacturers to produce more plastic.

screening and crushing plants in Qatar and has provided labour camp facilities in Ras Laffan, Al Khor Lusail and Messaied for 6,000 labourers in addition to its 1,400 sqm head office in Doha.

The Pearl GTL project is part of a joint ven-ture with OTV and French company Saipem.

Upon announcement of the 19 million hours with zero LTI, AJP business develop-ment manager Ammar, was quoted as saying: “Safety is part of how we do business. It pro-vides us with a permit to operate. In addi-tion, the project needed to run smoothly, be delivered on time, to budget and to the high-est quality standards.

“This is our company’s modus operandi, always aiming for the very best for our clients.”

Adding that AJP is committed to health and safety, Ammar says: “To us it is not about numbers but about surviving lives.

“We look at the bigger picture and we believe that a small incident on a site could cost all the cost cutting one might make by reducing health and safety measures. Therefore, to us the risk is simply not worth taking especially when we are talking about people lives,” he concludes.

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As banks around the world faced meltdown, markets in the UAE appeared to defy the downturn... then reality hit. Three years since CityScape visitors were offered cash for their place in the queue, and a decade since the show began, The Big Project asks Rohan Marwaha about CityScape’s past and the industry’s future

Getting real- CityScape 2011

W ithin days of CityScape 2008, when projects such as Burj Khalifa and the Palm develope-ments were showcased by master developers

Emaar and Nakheel, the house of cards that was Dubia’s real estate market came crashing down.

In the face of corruption rumours that reached as high as the government owned companies themselves and US $13.6bn “made available” by the UAE Central Bank to maintain liquidity through a local credit, squeeze throngs of investors still travelled to the exhi-bition believing that a slowdown was unlikely and a crash impossible.

Three years later and the Emirate’s credit risk has begun to decline; last month, ruler Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, inaugurated the second phase of the green line with the words: “Dubai is well”. Yet as the fall out haunts the city to this day, what that actually means is unclear.

With projects only half completed and a desolate real estate landscape that was once the focus of the whole world, Dubai shows limited signs of recovery.

As CityScape Global – the last dance before the party ended – celebrates its tenth year, how much has changed? And is there evidence of recovery in any form?

“That’s impossible for anybody to say, look at what’s happening in Europe right now and the US people are talking about double dips and all sorts, but I think what I can say, quite definitively is that there are

pockets of real estate, in Dubai certainly, and around the Middle East, which are doing very well and are increasing in value,” observes CityScape group direc-tor Rohan Marwaha.

“That’s something that we haven’t seen over the last two or three years, so it has come down to the real fundamentals; demand, supply, location. These are specific things for real estate that people have perhaps forgotten in times gone past. But now you look around and the old town is growing and Marina prices have really bottomed out and are just starting to pick up,” he continues, reiterating that they key is still location location location.

“That’s what it has always been about so as long as we are holding real estate in those places prices will

ABOVE: Rohan Marwaha.

“We don’t expect 70,000 people to walk

through the door like they did in 2008,

what we expect is very good number

of the industry to be here and to

have important conversations.”

LEFT: Visitors look at Falcon City of Wonders.

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continue to increase. Obviously there are some things to work out with other places,” he adds.

The show goes on In October 2008, as banks worldwide faced complete melt down, the Burj Khalifa project was well underway; albeit under its original Burj Dubai name.

After a bail out and extensive delays to its surrounding development, studios in the

world’s highest tower are today being leased for 100,000 AED per year.

One of the three Palm Island developments – government owned developer Nakheel’s solution to Dubai’s “beach shortage” quandary – opened soon after in November 2008. But the grand multimillion dollar firework dis-plays that celebrated Palm Jumeirah’s inaugu-ration were not repeated on the other Palms in Deira and Jebel Ali. And they are yet to take

place on Nakheel’s fourth reclaimed wonder; The World.

July issue of The Big Project listed some of the 300 developments officially ‘on hold’, according to the Emirate’s Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA).

They included Boris Becker Business Tower and Schumacher Business Avenue, both part of the Burj Khalifa development; The UAE’s sec-ond highest tower, Marina 101; and much of the


have yet to be built so that will happen first until they can start to jump into new projects,” Marwaha predicts.

The evolution of CityScapeSince 2009, an exhibition that has still managed global growth despite falling visitor and exhibitor numbers has moved from being the industry’s yard stick to punch bag.

Blamed for sustaining the speculator bubble and encouraging the reckless behaviour that con-tributed to the regional real estate crash, Marwaha explains CityScape’s first show, focused on archi-tecture, and recalls how the introduction of the freehold law in 2003 was seminal in its evolution.

“I think in those days it became different to what it once was, which was a business to business event. It turned into half the people there trying to buy and sell end units, which was never really what we were about. We were about the industry side; the consultants, the architects, the engineers, institutional investment that needed to come over to help Dubai and other places around emerging markets build,” he recalls.

Returning to its core objectives this year’s show saw partnerships with Dubai Municipality in the Future Cities conference, designed to create a platform upon which to debate the growth of sus-tainable cities, economically and environmentally.

Going on to explain the positivity witnessed in conferences, Marwaha reports that RERA has seen a “significant” increase in transactions, that it attributes to the newly introduced regu-lations and codes of governance.

While the CityScape portfolio expands glob-ally, adjusting to various local markets, Mawaha says the focus for next year’s Dubai show is not quantity but quality.

“The speculators have moved out. We don’t expect 70,000 people to walk through the door like they did in 2008. What we expect is very good number of the industry to be here and to have important conversations.

“Conversations about how they grow, how they look at new communities, the sustainable issues behind development, attracting investment and transparency – these are the real questions and challenges and that’s what CityScape is all about,” he concludes.

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three billion square feet Dubailand. The Burj al Arab made it to completion and

even JLT is close to concluding its ambitious brief. Still a glut of commercial, residential and even retail developments wait patiently for the funds required to complete them.

“If you were around in 2008, you saw the peak of the CityScape brand and event here. In 2002 we launched as a commercial architec-ture show and the show evolved because in 2003 the freehold law came in and we focussed more on property development and we really rode that entire wave, along with the rest of the industry,” says Marwaha, add-ing the purpose of the show then was to create a platform upon which members of various industry strands could meet.

Yet some of the properties showcased at this year’s exhibition are every part as out-landish as those featured in 2006, 2007 and 2008; mostly because they are the projects from 2006, 2007 and 2008 that were long ago, or still to be, completed. Over the tree day show only Nakheel announced new projects; a townhouse development on The Palm Jumeirah.

“I think new developments are a bit of a way off. Maybe the MENA region has a lot to fulfil on the existing developments that

“We were about the industry side; the consultants, the architects, the engineers, institutional investment that needed to come over to help Dubai and other places around emerging markets build”

“The speculators have moved out. We don’t expect

70,000 people to walk through the door

like they did in 2008. What we expect is very good number of the industry to be here and to have

important conversations”

AD

CanaSafe Middle East FZCEmail: [email protected]

www.jcbworkwear.com


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On September 15 2008 the world went into a very significant downward turn.

The fall of Lehman Brothers had an effect on every single individual in the world and I saw a shift in orders literally from that day. You could see it around the world.”

Paul Foster, head of property for built asset consultancy EC Harris, first arrived in Dubai in 2007. He recalls a “fantastic place” but recalls the same frantic pace and reckless project financing that so many others did too.

As the effect of the collapse of the fourth largest investment bank in America resonated throughout the world economy, orders dried up, projects faced uncertainty and as soon as New Year 2009 HSBC was reporting contract delays and cancellations in the UAE alone had reached $75 billion.

On September 14 this year, almost three years to the day, Citigroup updated that figure to $170bn and Citigroup’s construc-tion project tracker reports that the UAE, the region’s second larg-est market, accounts for 56% of the total project cancellations in the MENA region.

“The world economic down turn was deep and long and in some parts of the world there will be years to go. There may well be parts of Europe that never recover. Spain, Ireland and Greece are in serious trouble, as is the US,” Foster highlights.

“You can see some of the mis-takes that were made. With hind sight everyone could have avoided them,” he continues.

“It was like an accident and the accident comes as a series of differ-ent events that becomes a single

After After thethe goldgoldWhen Lehman Brothers declared bankruptcy on September 15 2008 the world was thrown into chaos; not only did the banks start falling but the buildings stopped rising. Three years on, The Big Project investigates if – and if so how – the industry is recovering and what the next three years could holdrush

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in 2012 than the United States. The GCC primed the pump with infrastructure spending and this will lead to more commercial type construction,” he predicts, explaining the aver-age industry contribution towards GDP ranges from 6% to 12% and that this can be one of the most reliable economic indicators of recovery.

“In essence, infrastructure spending is one of the best investments possible,” he continues.

Live and learnAs an authority on successful business models in the industry, Garrison’s Construciton 3.0 strategy has been adopted by businesses world-wide, not only in a bid to streamline efficiency, but to simply survive.

Yet he is the first to admit the strategy is not

catastrophe,” says Xavier Sedaghat, head of the strategy division at JAJ Consultants.

Sedaghat also recalls the immediacy of the fallout from America and even today he says the company still doesn’t talk to clients about equities – a once profitable and viable investment option.

“The first effects were immediate, without a question, and I think the collapse has sus-tained itself and gone deeper. I think there is a danger for everybody involved in the industry that it is still perceived to be a falling market,” says David Clifton, business development manager with Hill International.

“The problem you have economically with a falling market is that you commit yourself for one level, but who is going to catch the cold when it turns. That’s the steer for quite a lot of people with quite a lot of long term and large projects. There will be a level of uncertainty when pricing that risk. So the effects are still being felt. We can still feel the market going down,” he observes.

Last month, HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, ruler of Dubai and vice president and prime minister of the UAE, declared the Emirate’s financial woes were over.

Inaugurating the second line of the metro with the words “Dubai is well”, he added: "A thousand hard steps forward taken by the Emirates are better than a single step backward".

Sheikh Mohammed has publically empha-sised that no projects in the health, educa-tional or housing sectors would face delays as they “touch the life, stability and happiness of citizens”. In response to the Arab Spring simi-lar approaches have been taken in Qatar and Saudi Arabia. The industry knows it is these projects that will buoy the market.

“The broad brush view is there’s not a lot happening in the old markets, but there is great excitement for us looking at infrastructure and social housing,” says Clifton, naming Qatar, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Iraq as key locations for such projects.

“Anything that is high end in terms of resi-dential or commercial is slow, and I can’t see that moving particularly quickly, unless there is a surprise form somewhere,” he adds.

“The recovery around the world is mixed,” asserts Ted Garrison, author of Construction 3.0.

“However, there appears to a significant upturn in the Middle East and in part, this is due to the investment in infrastructure.

To illustrate the comparison the GCC is expected to have a larger construction market

"The reality is the construction industry has serious flaws in the way it conducts business"

"To not only survive the downturn, but to take advantage of the upturn, contractors should be improving their supply chain management"

ABOVE: Nicholas Maclean Managing Director, CB RE ME


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"A thousand hard steps forward taken by the Emirates are better than a single step backward"

revolutionary; it is based on principles (see box) first written in Sun Tzu’s book The Art of War, 2500 years ago. But they are principles that were abandoned during the gold rush.

“The reality is the construction industry has serious flaws in the way it conducts business. Reports done in the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Canada and Singapore all report that the current approach to construc-tion creates barriers to fixing the current prob-lems,” he begins, naming those barriers to be lack of leadership, adversarial relationships, parochialism, fragmentation of the industry, inadequate owner involvement, increasing scar-city of skilled labour and liability.

“What this has done is increase the cost of construction through inefficiency and waste. It

is estimated that the amount of waste in the construction industry is at least 30% and could be as high as 50%,” he continues.

Naming the design-bid-build approach as not only the most flawed but a barrier to even greater growth in the regional industry, he says this widely adopted method is inefficient and encourages both fragmentation and a lack of accountability.

Advising that the concept of design-build and integrated project delivery could improve the economics of projects by up to 30% he says the greatest challenges now are simply to cut costs and improve performance.

“Without overly simplifying things, these two issues act as a break on the industry. In essence, instead of trying to get the low bid price on every project, which is very inefficient, the industry would be better creating integrated teams of experts that could focus on eliminat-ing waste and inefficiencies.

“While this approach is counter-intuitive to many, it has been the formula for virtually every other industry’s improved productivity and cost reductions,” he continued.

Using Chrysler as an example, Garrison explains the company’s change in format unveiled that working with the best qualified vendors for each element of production, rather than seeking the lowest bid every year, increased the price of individual parts but brought down the overall cost of the car.

“It wasn’t the cost of the parts that was the problem, it was the cost of the interactions and problems due incompatible parts. This is exactly the same problem the construction industry is experiencing,” he summarises.

“The answer is greater collaboration. What other industries have done over the last 50 years to significantly improve their productivity is what’s often referred to as managing the down-side supply chain.

“This eliminates waste and inefficiency because the participants create collaborative teams to attack inefficiency and waste. This has been very effectively worked in the other indus-tries and the construction industry must adapt this approach. The savings would be signifi-cant,” he asserts.

The legacy of boom and bustWhile many are quick to criticise the behaviour that led to the current situation, the legacy of the boom period includes some of the most significant engineering and design feats in the modern world; Burj Khalifa, Burj Al Arab, Qatar’s Museum of Islamic Art and mega

BELOW: King Abdullah Financial District, one of a number of mega projects in Saudi Arabia.

On HOldHighlights from the RERA-issued list of more than 300 projects the body says are officially on hold in DubaiBORis BECkER BusinEss TOwERBURJ KHALIFAAlternative Capital Invest (Gmbh)Dubai Properties 29 BOulEVARdBURJ KHALIFAEmaar Properties PSJCCAmBRidgE BusinEss CEnTREMemon Developments (Fzc)Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority CElEsTiCASyndicate Developer LimitedNakheel ChAmpiOns TOwER 4Takmeel Investment LimitedDubai Sports City CORpORATE TOwERSheffield Real Estate LlcDMCC Business Park duBAi lifE sTylE CiTyDubai Life Style City L.L.CDubai LandiVORy TOwERSokook Investment GroupDubai Tech and MEF Authority mARinA 101Sheffield Real Estate LlcEmaarmETRO TOwERIlyas & Mustafa Galadari For Investment & Development Managment (L.L.C)Dubai Properties m sChumAChER BusinEss AVEnuEBurj Kahlifa Dubai Properties pAlm spRingPalm Jebal AliDamac Properties and Nakheel Co. pARk AVEnuEGulf Investments (Fzc)Dubai Land sORAyA TOwER1New World Investments LimitedNakheel


projects such as KAEC and Abu Dhabi’s various island projects, to name a few.

“This is a region that is very proud and they want to present what they can do in a very vis-ual way through buildings, and I think there are some of the most beautiful buildings in the world here. The legacy of what those boom years delivered was a lot of really good buildings,” says Foster, naming Abu Dhabi’s central market and Doha’s signature architecture among his personal favourites.

Elaborating that the abstract legacy is a mature market, Foster continues to observe a shift in focus that has seen greater emphasis placed on the management of the projects com-pleted during the boom.

As the investors and developers behind the projects face severe delays on ROI they are now looking how best to maximise profit over the whole project lifecycle, thus taking greater inter-est in how the asset is managed.

“There are distressed asset opportunities that weren’t there before where developers, lenders and investors are having to step in to develop out their investments with developers who per-haps haven’t been able to.

“There is a very particular set of skills to ena-ble that to move up in the right way, otherwise you don’t realise the value quickly,” he explains, adding that such a shift in attitude has also aided the green movement that is being driven by market demand for cost efficient assets that are not only easy on the environment but the health of occupiers also. His observations are echoed by Sedaghat

“New regulations are focussed on the man-agement of buildings and it is positive that this is now linked to the government. Dubai has moved from a state of building to a state of managing because now it’s built what do we do?

“The guy who put his money in this building has to keep it for as long as he can to get his money back. So this is where the market is going now, asset management and investor expectation management,” he says.

“Dubai will always be attractive; because of the tax cuts, because of the sun, because of the tourism because of the leaders.

“It’s pure ambition, it’s pure capitalism. The fundamentals are difficult to understand right now because the market has been growing so fast,” Sedaghat adds.

Foster also observes an increased focus on health and safety, praising the emerging consist-ency with standards is Japan, Hong Kong, Western Europe and North America.

"The first effects were immediate, without a question, and i think the collapse has sustained itself and gone deeper"

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Future focusThe only hesitation shown by the experts when asked about their predictions for the future, are how far ahead they can predict. While some refuse to look beyond six months, others are anticipating market behaviour as far as five and ten years down the line, when Qatar’s World Cup projects and many of Saudi Arabia’s mega projects are due for completion; including the world's next tallest building, Kingdom Tower.

“There is a strong lender and investor market here, so while we have seen a lot of the European banks significantly reduce their operations you can see the regional lenders and investors are strong on the whole,” Foster reports.

“You can see they are looking at external investment, taking advantage of markets such as London and New York. You can see them going into these markets where there is property at discounted values,” he adds.

Closer to home the countdown to stability appears to have begun.

THe new markeTsdAVid VAn gRAAn, ViCE pREsidEnT

Of sAlEs fOR mAn TRuCks

“Saudi Arabia is the solid hub for

performance for us at the moment,

but we have all had to become

more prudent in our approach to the

market. When economies are tough

you still have to develop.

“While we eye other areas and

sectors our customers have become

really prudent and that knocks back.

“We have to look where we are at

now in the context of 2008. There

are natural business cycles but the

trend was abnormal in 2007 and

2008. We have had to take stock

again and analyse where the most

realistic market and requirements

were at that time.”

dAVid sEmplE, ViCE pREsidEnT Of

sAlEs fOR mAniTOwOC CRAnEs

“Saudi Arabia is certainly the biggest

construction site in the world, and it

may not have the world cup but it has

25 million people.

“The demand they create will

always outstrip Qatar.”

ARif kAlAm, ViCE pREsidEnT Of

sAlEs And mARkETing, lAfARgE

“Iraq is an interesting market.

Business wise, it has given us fourfold

this year what it has given us in

previous years. We see many of

the long term government projects

coming to fruition and those

companies that stood the test of

time will be there in the boom

period that’s coming.”

ABOVE: Abu Dhabi has also grown.


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In fact as Dubai pays off its maturing $4bn debt facility, other Emirates embark on mega-projects and neighbouring GCC countries announce staggering fiscal budgets, ambitious plans to build the world’s next tallest tower and a string of new stadia for a World Cup tourna-ment, is it logical to think the worst is over?

“The government has a track record of spending on things, developing the roads, the airports the airlines. Here, buildings work properly but the key questions we are hearing from our corporate clients is where to recruit in the Middle East, and the only answer to that is still Dubai,” says Nicholas Maclean, managing director of CB Richard Ellis Middle East.

“You can look around the market place and find the skill sets you need, and that’s very dif-ferent to the situation in many of the other mar-ket places,” he continues.

Having recently been awarded the contract for the global marketing of Dubai World Centre – a development intended to “cement the UAE’s position as the logistics hub of the region” – the firm will be speaking to potential investors in the UK, US, Europe and Far East to attract investment in DWC’s surrounding developments.

“This is a long term project so the first thing we have to do is introduce the project to people in the aviation or manufacturing industry.

“There was a flurry of activity when it was under construction then things went quiet. Now we have to re-energise the enthusiasm for that airport and if we can do that I think it’ll sell itself because the concept is strong and the information the government is pro-viding in terms of growth and logistics here speaks for itself.

“We just need to get the message across,” he continues.

Commenting on the future, Maclean ulti-mately concludes recovery still lies in the hands of international markets.

“We can do certain things to kick start the developers and investors but ultimately we are dependent on what happens in the outside world and until that clarity is here I don’t see a magnificent step forward.”

Clifton adds: “In certain areas I think it’s still going down. The UAE is still sliding in terms of projects, in terms of high priced projects, in terms of the sales market.

“I don’t think that will change for a while and I think Dubai is pretty flat. Oman probably has some growth but it’s nothing explosive. Obviously we see a pipeline in Qatar and a pipeline in Saudi,” he says.

Survival of the fittest“To not only survive the downturn, but to take advantage of the upturn, contractors should be improving their supply chain management," says Garrison.

“Even if they are forced to compete on design-bid-build projects they can still improve the supply chain management,” he adds, reporting the key area for improvement is the inclusion of trade specialists at the design phase of projects to ensure maximum constructability and efficiency.

“This is potentially the largest benefit, but it does require participation by the owner,” he advises.

Despite seeing evidence of investment in the region, Maclean’s outlook is conservative.

Saying that investment is evident in the region, Maclean’s outlook is measured; he sees benefits in Dubai’s infrastructure logistics and he predicts growing demand once political situ-ations have calmed. There are also benefits for companies looking to position themselves for the emerging opportunities in Iraq.

“It has been a tough two years but especially in Dubai we are beginning to see some light at the end of the tunnel. It is remarkable that since

the end of the summer this year people have come back from holiday wanting to do busi-ness,” he says.

“The region is a cluster of different hotspots, it isn’t a whole entity,” says Sedaghat.

“All the hotspots have niche opportunities and if you are present in a market you are able to access and take advantage of it. In terms of investment I see Qatar as the leaders in the region,” he adds.

Foster, who since his last visit in 2010 has witnessed notable progress in projects that were then stalled, maintains there is evidence the market is “on the turn”.

“We at EC Harris are growing in strength ourselves so that has to be an indication of where the market is.

“I expect to see a much greater emphasis on public private partnerships, as opposed to PFI. If you look at the health care work in Kuwait, the Hajj terminal in Mecca they are fantastic examples of PPP and demonstrate that this region is able to do some things that are really grown up.

“We are seeing a definite shift to compli-cated finance structures with complicated employer requirements and performance payment mechanisms, which is not just about how to build buildings quickly, but how that asset will be handled over a 50 or 60 year life,” he concludes.

"we are seeing a definite shift to complicated finance structures with complicated employer requirements and performance payment mechanisms"

ThE kEy pRinCiplEs TO AddREssing ThE ChAllEngEs fACing ThE COnsTRuCTiOn indusTRy, By TEd gARRisOn1) Effective Leadership

2) Strategic Thinking

3) Value-driven Operations

4) Increased Innovation

5) Increased Collaboration

6) Effective Risk Management

7) Effective Operations (Lean)

8) Effective Use of Technology

9) Measurement

BELOW: Economic prosperity brought the region developments such as the first seven star hotel, Dubai's Burj Al Arab.


A s recovery in the region begins to gain pace and projects in hot spots such as Saudi and Qatar are tendered, more companies are look-

ing to replace their old equipment or re-stock their collection.

“Our auction is far more popular now than it has ever been,” says Ritchie Bros general manager, Steve Barritt, who continues: “Again there are upwards and downwards trends in our business and they go through different price ranges but today is our highest point ever with the biggest crowds.”

Similar trends are observed by World Wide Auctions (WWA), who last month sold US $18.3m of cars, trucks and bulldozers in three days at an auction in Jebel Ali.

“People buy at auction because of the universal need of all shoppers, buyers and investors to search for a bargain,” comments WWA regional VP of sales Keith Lupton.

“Dealers the world over use auctions to replenish stock, or to encash old or slow moving inventory to turn over their finances. Many buyers prefer to buy at auction as they can see their fellow men, often com-mercial competitors, bidding to a certain value and hence rest assured that that is a true and sensible value and the machine is indeed worth buying or investing in,” Lupton adds.

The rise in popularity of modern day auctions is not just down to the likes of EBay and similar online por-tals; maintenance costs drive demand for reliable equip-ment and the industry defies recession as the equilibrium between buying and selling fluctuates.

Cashing in on the opportunity of worldwide trade, many equipment auctioneers now offer online bidding so companies worldwide can source the correct machine. It’s a tactic Barritt attributes to the supply demand gap currently present in the sector.

“Different people come for different reasons and the auction

gets into their blood- they get auction frenzy

and they will go mad”

An Auctioneers’ guide to auctions

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Going, going, gone

Machines on sale at the Ritchie Brothers

aauctionn last month.

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bidding on everything. When we see it we think ‘oh here we go’ and we ask them if they are sure they know what they’re doing. Sometimes they are and other times they’re not,” he adds.

It’s something witnessed at auc-tions worldwide.

“Many enjoy the ‘networking’ of a live auction, the human intermin-gling, meeting people of fellow interests and the excitement to see real-time big-ticket spending – the excitement never wanes. Pay your money and instantly take the item away,” Lupton says.

WWA auctions also offer their ABSOLUTE AUCTION, in Lupton’s own words a “superior, quick, low overhead method of disposing of ones equipment in an atmosphere of anonymity and privacy” – advan-tages that draw bidders from around the world.

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“Rather like sitting at the gambling tables of Monaco or Vegas, bidders have to know when to walk away”

“The supply of equipment around the world is very poor. Manufacturers are not building, they’re building to order rather than what they used to build, so people have to come to us for equipment to source the machinery they need,” he explains, adding that such activity is the largest indicator of economic stability in the industry.

“People say there is nothing happening but the world is busy,” he adds saying properly function-ing equipment is key to meeting this pace.

Bargain hunterAside from the price advantages of buying at auction both Barritt and Lupton say speed is a key element to the attraction of trading through auctions.

“You can come on Tuesday, buy a machine, take it, pay for it on Wednesday and have it that day and start work,” says Barritt adding that everybody comes to auction for a particu-lar reason.

“You’ve got people coming to fill their supply, you’ve got people coming for specialist items then you have people who come to get it cheap. Different people come for different reasons and the auction gets into their blood- they get auc-tion frenzy and they will go mad. They start

Competitors can see how much their rivals are paying for equipment, says Keith Lupton.

sljflkdsfjdsklfjds.

14,000 AveRAge PROdUCTIve CAPACITy Of MAChINeRy

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SoldFor those looking to auction over the coming months Barritt and Lupton’s tips include every-thing from proper planning and observation to budget setting (see box).

“The only issue is everything is sold as is where is. As soon as the hammer goes down you own it and it’s not going to change. Every auction we get somebody saying they bought the wrong machine, but we film and tape everything,” says Barritt, adding: “The auction business has a stigma but we live on our reputation and we try and do everything we possibly can to make sure everything is correct.”

“I suggest marking in their book a ‘boundary’ or a maximum bid so as not to be led into paying more. Rather like sitting at the gambling tables of Monaco or Vegas, bidders have to know when to walk away,” Lupton advises. “Just keep one’s wits about you, network, relax, enjoy the excit-ing process and feel the buzz,” he concludes.

TipS fRoM ThE AUCTionEERS KEiTh LUpTon, WoRLDWiDE AUCTionEERS LTD: “The golden rule is to expect, examine analyse and check, pay attention to the bid board, keep your wits about you and remember all bids are finite. “Pay attention to the bid board, which clearly illustrates last and highest so far bid given. The bid catcher ring men will not allow you to bid against yourself but advise the bidders of a higher bid received and unless potential bidder increases his bid he is out of the running for that particular lot . “Understand the often used term ‘choice’ the highest bidder wins the right to choose a lot or lots from a group – usually similar items by type and age and how equipped – but remember each item is individually priced. “finally, read and understand the printed rules of the auction given in the registration form and the Bid Book, that are read and distributed prior to the auction.”

STEVE BARRiT, RiTChiE AUCTionS: “The first thing we advise them on at a Ritchie Brothers Auction is come early, sit down and watch what happens. Our auctions run very fast. We sell a machine every 30 seconds and we have a number of people there on sell day that wear orange shirts and we are there to help. Tell us your numbers, what you want to pay and we will help you, but be careful and check what you are buying before you bid. “We don’t sell any machine unless it has the correct documents; any problems with machines we have people there to help. for example if there’s a paperwork problem because on some machines over the years the serial numbers change, so we make sure that is correct.”

WhAT ThE fLEET MAnAGERS SAY:

pASChAL QUinn, pLAnT MAnAGER AT fAS TRAininG CEnTRE, iRELAnD

My advice to those buying equipment at auction would be to do it, but be careful that you check the paperwork first; CO certificates, maintenance history and so on.

Machines on sale at Ritchie Brothers.

48 months If 24 TRUCKS eACh LAST fOR 48 MONThS A NeW TRUCK MUST Be PURChASed eveRy SeCONd MONTh

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the return they were getting on their fleet investments. The course does indeed bring these three groups of specialists closer together and has improved understanding.

I was inspired to create the course by a firm belief that we can and must improve our abil-ity to manage the financial, operational and mechanical aspects of the way in which we manage a very large capital investment.

What are the most common mistakes made in fleet management? Have these changed at all over the course of the economic crisis? The most common mistakes come from losing sight of or over emphasising one of the three basic aspects (financial, operational and mechanical) and loosing balance in your fleet decisions. A good example of this brought about by the economic crisis is when firms delay replacement in an attempt to conserve capital. They focus on the financial aspects, delay investment in new equipment, cause the fleet average age to go beyond a reasonable limit and thereby make it all but impossible to achieve good levels of reliability and availabil-ity. This makes it impossible to complete con-tracts on time and on budget and so they must conserve more and more capital. This means they have to delay replacement some more and – you get it – they go round and round and down and down the circle of doom.

How does/has fleet and equipment management changed since 2008? We really have become much better at the financial aspects and have learned a lot about how to look after an aging fleet. We have become much better at the practice of

“if you use up and do not replace the tools you use to

do your work you will go out of business”

Mike Vorster, author of the Construction equipment economics programme and US-based professor and engineer, explains the economics behind PMv procurement

ValueManagement

EffECTiVE fLEET MAnAGEMEnT

Be very good at preventing machines from breaking. That means you must have the right machine for the job, work it and operate it within its capabilities and have a very, very good preventive maintenance programme.

Know your costs – you must keep good cost and production records to help in the tendering process and to help you through very difficult fleet repair, rebuild and replace decisions.

Conserve the capital you have invested in the fleet. It is advisable to make good financial investments, keep the fleet working hard and extend equipment life to the maximum possible economic extent.

What are the main elements of your construction equipment management programme and what inspired you to create it? Three groups are involved with construction equipment. The operations specialists who are concerned about production and how much work a machine can do; the equipment special-ists themselves who are concerned about the maintenance, repair, reliability and availability of the machine and the financial specialists who see the machine as a financial investment that must produce a financial return.

The course was set up 15 or so years ago at the request of an industry group who wanted to bring these groups closer together and improve understanding between them.

In brief, they wanted field engineers, mechanics and accountants to talk to each other, understand each other’s point of view and work together to lower costs and improve

‘geriatric medicine’ and have learned the importance of condition assessment and pre-ventive maintenance.

What is the first point of advice you would give to a business that: 1) is struggling to manage its fleet

Stick to the basics. Do everything you can to prevent machines from breaking – everything flows from there.

2) is refusing to or unable to purchase more?

Get very good at geriatric medicine. Understand that delaying replacement does not deny the need for replacement. Know that if you use up and do not replace the tools you use to do your work you will go out of business.

Mike vorster.

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IKe vORSTeR

2000hOURS PeR yeAR USAge ON 8 gRAdeRS ReqUIReS ONe NeW gRAdeR TO Be BOUghT eveRy yeAR

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What is your favourite building or project complete or under construction in the region?Steve Miller: I really like SOM’s Rolex Tower. It’s everything the owner Seddiqi & Sons did in Capricorn Tower, which I still think is the best older building in the city and it’s what architec-ture is all about. Unlike the fanciful, ridiculous stuff, when you see these tall buildings that are being put together right now on Sheikh Zayed Road, you realise how ridiculous they are in comparison to a real architectural statement.

Giuseppe Colosimo: There are several build-ings and probably for me it has to be a tie between Infinity Tower, which is under con-struction by SOM at Dubai Marina, and the 0-14 Tower at Business Bay Reiser + Umemoto and both for different reasons. But I think the construction methods used on 0-14 Tower by DCC Contracting Company, especially for this region where you have an exoskeleton that acts both as a structure and as the secondary scheme, it’s probably the only example in the region and the innovation in terms of the simple shape and repetition of simple elements such as

Placing the blameSix prominent architects debate who is to blame for the economic crisis and discuss how it will affect the future of design in Dubai

“As an industry I think we

actually allowed Dubai and the Middle East to

become a bit of a sham of what

it is”

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TREND

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“The answer was ‘we just gotta keep building’“

the facade creates such a beautiful tower. Of course also the Infinity Tower in terms of its elegance, even though it’s still under construc-tion. What I like about it is the most minimal use of, what is typically overused in all tall tow-ers particularly in Dubai, glass.

Thierry Paret: It’s an easy one but it’s the Burj Khalifa – as a skyscraper it’s quite elegantly done and also the quality of the building com-pared to other buildings. The finish and detail-ing is of quite a high standard. Another SOM tower, Infinity also reaffirms SOM’s talent.

Tim Brouw: My favourite since I came to Dubai is Capricorn Tower. For me it’s a building that is timeless. Many of Dubai’s buildings have dated in the last three to five years and I think this one has stood its test of time in a short time and it’s a classical building, it’s modern, serves its pur-pose and fits the street well.

“We found ourselves in this land of opportunity for architecture and forgot a little what we really do, which is place-making for people”

Karim Benkirane: The only one nobody else has spoken about is the Emirates Towers. Two buildings actually, but an incredible identity on the Dubai skyline. They’re elegant, classical and we had the benefit of having some involvement in the construction so it gives a personal touch to that as well. Again the Burj Khalifa is a fan-tastic example of an elegant tall building or a mega structure. What’s lacking in a lot of the tall buildings in Dubai is an element of sustain-ability and quality in that regard.

What are the main trends influencing architecture at the moment?SM: I think a sensibility is starting to come into the market place. Whereas before it was just a frantic place to create a city, now there is a sen-sibility to everything. There’s a little more time-liness to everything, the developers understand projects have to make sense financially, which

RIGHT: Thierry Paret.

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They said this is what we want, this is the pro-gramme. I have never before seen the delivera-bles and nonsense that comes in the tenders in this part of the world.

GC: But at the same time it is our fault. It’s a thin line between stay in business and give in to your agents. I arrived in 2007 and even at that time there were so many towers being built that anybody could get work, but there was a differ-ence here – extra superlatives on everything. Because as soon as you did something that had a little theory behind it, you would get more commissions. I think it’s kind of both ways, we found ourselves in this land of opportunity for architecture and forgot a little what we really do, which is place-making for people.

TB: It was an architectural playground, let’s be honest. There were certain firms globally that actually refused to come here; everyone was invited and certain architects had a little more integrity and moral consciousness about the built environment because they didn’t like the playground that was occurring.

probably makes the scale of everything smaller but that’s good because some of it was just ridiculous.

TB: Don’t you think that’s partly our fault as a design industry? Because to be honest most of the developers didn’t know what they wanted here and they went out to the design industry and said give us something ‘iconic’. The word iconic was used to its infinitum and I very rarely personally use it now because I feel it has been overused. There are certainly other objec-tives to identify that but as an industry I think we actually allowed Dubai and the Middle East to become a bit of a sham of what it is.

We talk about buildings being sustainable or not being sustainable, whose responsibility is

that? It’s ours as designers and I think we have let the industry down, as well as many of our clients. We’re the educated ones in terms of what we do and our clients, although they want iconic, they could have still been sustainable buildings. Most of us mentioned buildings that are probably the least iconic as our favourites and yet they are the buildings we like the most. Everybody was trying to do the fanciest but probably the least sustainable, so I think we’re responsible as an industry for the criticism we have laid upon many of Dubai’s buildings.

GC: Even back in 2005 and 2007 there was the sweep of architects that were still building with responsibility; look at the Burj Khalifa and its

LEFT: Steve Miller.

“It was an architectural playground, let’s be honest. There were certain firms globally that actually refused to come here”

“For better or for worse it’s created an identity, the extravagance has created a brand”

technology. Whether it’s the diversion of the wind or the collection of condensation for reuse in irri-gation – these are the firms that still get work in the region, even with all the economic turmoil.

Was the Middle East a playground for new ideas?SM: The leaders here historically have not easily allowed people do things. I was very much a part of all the planning in Dubai and I con-stantly challenged the client on the reasons for developing a city that they wanted to be done in five years but won’t even need in the region for 15 to 30 years and they don’t have the infra-structure to support. The answer was ‘we just gotta keep building’.

Ok, you don’t see that philosophy much in Dubai anymore and it’s finally limiting itself in Abu Dhabi, but go to Doha and in their minds it is still there, especially with the government related agencies. Luckily Saudi seems to be a little more educated these days and anyway the requirements are totally different to the rest of the region. So no, I don’t think it was the lead-ers who created or requested us to do this job. Ph

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“They knew they had five years; if it wasn’t going to be a global crisis it was going to be a Middle East or Dubai crisis”

there is a scarcity, and hospitals. What Abu Dhabi is trying to do with the cultural centre, because that is the core, binds a city together – keeping the people happy and healthy so almost abandoning that old motto of ‘we build they come’.

What has been learnt?PS: There should be part of a course at univer-sity that’s almost the lessons learnt from the economic rush-hour expansion. Otherwise you do feel it was a fantastic moment in time to be involved in a place that was expanding at such as rate and had such a bright outlook on the future, but there is a lot of architectural ego and as an industry we need to take notice of that.

TB: Architectural review used to have a page of shame and I’m quite disappointed that no mag-azine has done it yet. You could have done a whole magazine on Dubai and it would have

The architecture is ‘arabeclectic’ it was cob-bled together. The nature of a high building doesn’t relate to that. Grab the traditional Arabic architecture and stretch it out to 30 or 40 storeys and it just doesn’t work and as designers I think that’s a shame because it hasn’t actually created an identity. It’s actually become a bit more of a criticism of the built environment –

PS: I think there is going to be a time period associated with buildings that exist at the moment, especially in regions where there are certain iconic pieces. The brief was we just want; we want it all we want more and we want it here. We don’t want you to question the brief, which from a designer’s perspective the first thing you do is look at the integrity of the brief and then try and solve it in the best possible way. But unfortunately in doing that you might come up with the answer that we don’t think that’s a good idea.

TB: But also as professionals we should be guiding our clients who don’t have an idea. We have all worked here long enough to know that once we do that clients won’t ignore it and go for the iconic or inefficient.

PS: There is the cycle of doing big jobs and get-ting commissions off that but there was a time in 2007 and 2008 where that wasn’t necessarily the case. There was just a conveyor belt of pieces that you almost couldn’t keep up with, whereas now the economic situation has caused the right types of commissions going forward.

GC: There were some developments, good and bad that, that with the crisis didn’t go forward. But good or bad the crisis shifted the focus from the utopian way of building a city to a more realistic way of building a city, which is concentrating on the people and concentrating on efficiency.

You see what’s going on now; most projects getting built are not office towers or super extravagant buildings but housing, for which

“The brief was just ‘we want’. We want it all, we want more and we want it here”

been a weekly issue even without the 80% of the buildings that were proposed never built.

SM: One of the positive things that came out of this is that Saudi Arabia started much later and yet they really had much more requirement and in a lot of cases they learnt certain kinds of les-sons that have gone into the planning that is going on now.

For example King Abdullah Financial District, it’s going to change the whole centre of the city but achieves what they realise they need to do, which is to urbanise an environment, but make it so people can walk from building to building and segregate traffic from walking. There was a wonderful site plan developed by Henry Larsen that at least had sensitivity to customs and sensitivity to the region.

Even Saudi engineers and architects claimed to have learned from other cities that were ahead of them, that instead of creating a Los Angeles, which is what Dubai is, a linear city with traffic, they said get people living together.

TB: What does that tell you? Yes there is a lot of negativity about what happened but I don’t

LEFT: Giuseppe Colosimo.

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think it’s all bad. Nobody wants to live any-where else but here

SM: If you ask expats around the world they will tell you Dubai has taken over from Hong Kong and Singapore as the place where every-body wants to live. It’s the easiest place for pro-fessionals to relocate to. And where else do you design and build a metro in four years?

“We need to do an open intervention, an urban acupuncture to identify the sick part of the city and how to make it healthy”

KB: The social factor, as consumers you can find whatever you wish and that’s probably part of it, which is why western expats prefer this location. Architecturally speaking, for better or for worse it has created an identity, the extrava-gance has created a brand.

The built environment is a product of creat-ing a place where people want to come to do business.

PS: Another big issue is that it’s almost self fulfilling and I would love to know the statis-tics and ratios, but the construction personnel who are obviously contributing to the popula-tion here; it isn’t self sustaining in that way. Fundamentally it’s flawed. There are a lot of buildings that are vacant and buildings that will never be completed.

KB: A lot of it was fuelled by ego on our part and maybe even the clients’; it was very ambitious.

TB: Dubai is basically a product of greed. That’s clear, and we have all been involved with developers who didn’t care about design just get it up as quickly as possible, get people in, get a return on our investment and multi-ply that by a factor of ten.

You would go in, buy GFA off no plan and by the time you left the building it had increased by 20%. The whole thing was based on a frenzy created by the clients. They knew they had five years; if it wasn’t going to be a global crisis it was going to be a Middle East or Dubai crisis or slowdown of the market because markets are not constant. They wanted to do as much as possible and that’s why we have the situation we have got.

We need to go back and look at it like a sus-tainable city to fill in the gaps.

Is that possible?All: absolutely

TB: But the leaders need to know how to go back and do that.

PS: A strategic plan is needed. Abu Dhabi wanted a plan and took time on regulations. They do seem to have learnt a little bit. There was no macro-level policing in Dubai.

TP: There are pockets of good examples of stra-tegic planning but even in the best weather you wouldn’t want to walk on the sidewalks because it just isn’t that kind of a city. Somebody needs to look at that.

TB: Sheikh Zayed didn’t want Abu Dhabi to develop like Dubai, but since he passed there have been thoughts of do we follow Dubai or do we stay conservative?

How would you advise that decision?TB: Abu Dhabi is the capital and it almost needs to be the Washington DC so it needs and tends to be conservative by nature. Both Dubai and Abu Dhabi can be what they need to be for the country.

PS: Abu Dhabi as a place tries to maintain

RIGHT: Karim Benkirane.

The panel STEvEN MIllER, REgIoNAl MANAgER,

PERkINS EASTMAN

PhIlIP SToNE, DIREcToR oF

ARchITEcTuRE, BRoADWAy MAlyAN

ThIERRy PARET, PRESIDENT, AIA ME

TIM BRouW SPoRTS FAcIlITy ARchITEcT

gIuSEPPE coloSIMo, DESIgN DIREcToR

hkR ARchITEcTS

kARIM BENkIRANE, MANAgINg

PRINcIPlE, WooDS BAgoT DuBAI

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cultural linkage, how it develops, the spaces, it isn’t just ‘ok we need 50 hotels there’, it’s far more strategic and policy-led

GC: There is a fundamental difference between the UAE and other gulf countries and between Dubai and Abu Dhabi. When the boom started Dubai built for the expats but Abu Dhabi wasn’t too keen on attracting the same lifestyle. They built all the attractions of Italy, the UK, America, and Australia to attract different types of people without really over thinking how to retain the people afterwards.

There is just something missing, the connec-tion that helps people link and connect and here we need to do an open intervention, an urban acupuncture to identify the sick part of the city and how to make it healthy

How can associations like AIA help solve these issues?TP: There needs to be more engagement between professional bodies and the govern-ment. AIA has only been officially active here for 12 months but we plan to establish those connections and use our experience and knowl-edge to assist local governments.

SM: I have been on the committee for the International Advisory Board for the AIA glob-ally for two years. In America we have the abil-ity to call a congressman, government people, anybody, and a lot of the time especially at state-level they call the AIA to create a panel and tell us what to do.

In this part of the world they don’t under-stand the importance of dialogue between pro-fessionals and people who are willing to and love to do this sort of stuff. Whether it’s AIA, RIBA, the Australian or Canadian group or all of us, it would be a fantastic way to solve the problems. There is just nobody in the leader-ship in these countries who knows how to com-municate with organisations.

Remember there is no such thing as .org in these countries. They don’t understand what a non-profit organisation is. For the AIA we had to form a company in this country because there is no such thing as a .org.

KB: You can create those organisations and a body not necessarily affiliated with other groups, like British organisations that pull experts from different parts of the industry to

advise on the proper development of the urban environment. TB: another way is education, the universities have some really talented graduates now and they are working overseas and they are going back into the industry and in some cases have the direct ear of the authorities. Remember this is a young city, it’s going to take time.

SM: AIA offer to have student memberships to all these universities. One thing working well for us is that the only university outside of the united states that actually gives a licence to structure and when they graduate go back to the states and after working for two years they can take the exams is the American university of Sharjah. But again what happens is they hire the young people when they graduate but they want to go into the local companies because they pay them so much more.

PS: One thing I have seen in a contract recently where specifically in the contract was the fact that they were looking for an international con-sultancy so the agencies could get people sec-onded into some of these international practices for up to three weeks to make sure the agencies were as educated as the people who are going to be submitting the information, which is the first time I have ever seen anything like that.

Where will design go next?PS: Consolidation is the name of the game. The way in which we responded three years ago to an opportunity was to dive in feet first not ask-ing any questions – it was about speed and ego. These days both the design industry and and our clients have become more risk averse, because they know at any moments the cards could be thrown in the air. It’s actually about demanding a sophisticated solution that is eco-nomically viable.

GC: A lot of the work will be retrofitting, inte-rior design and infrastructure, talk about more metro lines and social and Emirati housing.

“It’s very easy to be critical of something that has been and gone. It’s now about how we learn those lessons and take it forward”

LEFT: Tim Brouw.

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PS: There are a lot of ‘unglamorous’ things needed to glue everything else together.

GC: Without those pieces you don’t attract the people to stay. The other thing that is probably going to start I think in the next few years will be more philanthropy because people are becoming more educated and they want to give back to their community. There are two ways to do that you can build a monument for yourself or give it to the people.

PS: There has been a change certainly in the mindset. In the last year or two there has been a trend for the Middle East to invest in the Far East and Europe.

There are other markets in the world that can produce much better ROI than this market.

TB: For me the interest is Dubai, Abu Dhabi and what Qatar is going to do; they’ve got 10 years to put it all together.

Even though they keep talking about 2030, they’re actually not developing a city it’s a coun-try, they are developing a nation.

Are they going to get carried away and follow Dubai and plan everything out so quickly because they know they have a short window and the world will be watching in 2022? While they can build a lot can they sustain a lot? I think we need to be professionally responsible and say to clients don’t go for 70 storeys, go for 40 because that’s sustainable.

As a profession we should know the lessons that have to be learned and we should have a book of the top ten and a top 500 lessons. We are the professionals in terms of master plans and the city and environment.

KB: Instead of going in there and saying no, I wonder if maybe we need to get more active influencing legislation. One of the big problems particularly affecting Dubai is the multiple stratas in buildings. The more of us who get together and try to influence those inter-national type standards the more intelli-

gent products we will see.

TB: I think green has got the better of us too; I see very few professionals getting in front of clients and saying no. As professionals we are negligent in terms of the problems that exist.

TP: The future is proper city planning and eco-nomics. At this point no client is willing to just burn money to make a statement.

New York has very few iconic buildings, everything pretty much falls into the back-ground, but it’s the ensemble that makes it a great city. By and large it has created an urban fabric that is good – you have iconic buildings here and there that create special places but overall it’s really about connecting a point and it does that quite well.

Here it’s about spending money more wisely, professionals leading the approach and I think along those lines hopefully what occurred in the past will not again.

PS: I have been involved in one project for over three years and the revisions it has gone through over that time, the moment of ego to

now which is literally trying to learn lessons to take a contemporary perspective on how to connect individual plots, shade everybody, try to deal with all of these issues has been a fasci-nating journey. Realising those moments where you see things don’t work.

SM: We’re not all bad guys. A lot of people really have tried. The part that really happens is that it’s the client, especially in this part of the world where they are not taking the advice of their own consultants and even when they have secondary consultants they hire half of Australia to be their project managers and they don’t listen to them.

PS: A question we are asked quite a lot is in five years time when those blocks have been built out but the economy has changed and now everyone would like office blocks or it’s all hotels; does the actual urban design work?

We don’t want to have to keep master plan-ning and master planning and master plan-ning, we want to make sure the infrastructure works but can be future proof for the different economic situations that might occur. That was never a question that would be asked five years ago.

The discussion was held at Talk restaurant at Movenpick, JBR. For information on Movepick’s special business packages call +971 4 449 8888

LEFT: Philip Stone.

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Murat Tabanlioglu and Melkan Gursel Tabanlioglu from turkish firm tabanlıoğlu architects share their predictions for a recovering global economy

Survival of the fittest to be a part of it and contribute to world archi-tecture while feeling a part of the regional development.

Being architects from Istanbul, Turkey, we feel a strong historical and cultural rapport with the Middle East. We share a very similar culture, Islam is another motive that makes us understand Middle Eastern tradition and requirements better. Due to our geographical, historical and cultural bondage and position, inevitably, we are in direct contact with East and West at the same time.

The global financial crisis started to show its real effects in the middle of 2007 and into 2008. Dubai as a pioneer in the rise

of contemporary constructions during the pre-vious decade, in the Gulf, as a city was the first to signal the influence of the stagnation (or decline) that hit the world. It is not only Dubai that is tormented with delayed and slowed down building sites. Even dynamic Doha had its share of commercial projects with cranes left swinging in the air.

Projects are being cancelled, slowed down and consolidated across the region. Private developers have pulled back as to new business is concerned. Even the governments preferred to be overcautious in making major new pro-ject commitments in this insecure global eco-nomic environment.

Yet, firms continue to look for new business and of course construction opportunities in the Middle East, Africa, basically in the GCC. It is true that some governments are still investing and very recently the private inves-tors started to jazz up.

According to the Institute of International Finance, between 2004 and 2006 the member states of the GCC recorded a combined current account surplus of €369bn. The IMF estimates that only a quarter of recent oil revenues have been converted into official reserves.

For investment Europe is still an important destination, for more conservative money the investment destination is US treasuries. The focus may be expected to remain on the UK and the US.

Yet, local investments also seem feasible besides being mandatory; in the Middle East, starting with the withdrawal of American mili-tary forces from Iraq, the need for the recon-struction of many Arab countries changing governments and even the regimes, following the civil commotions, will also encourage the re-building of nations through public works and iconic buildings. This includes investments in infrastructure, transport systems (for exam-ple, USD 38bn of road projects underway in the GCC), affordable housing (to support the local young population is an important trend for construction companies in the region since the global economic downturn), urban regenera-tion (in focusing on the development of green-field projects and the redevelopment of existing

business and residential areas), hospitals, schools, universities etc...

Construction sector highly depends on poli-tics and economics in every case, during such times, many buildings will have greater signif-icance then their functional use; they some-how will become the symbols and prestige for the nations or cities they belong to, then the architects’ contribution becomes a part of the vision of the governance.

GCC cities already assert great demand for the urban development besides iconic struc-tures. This creates a valuable medium for architecture and urban design. We are willing

aboVE: loft gardens.

“The reconstruction of many Arab countries, changing governments and even the regimes, following the civil commotions, will also encourage the re-building of nations through public works and iconic buildings”

tabanlıoğlu architects was established by Murat tabanlıoğlu in collaboration with Dr. Hayati tabanlıoğlu in 1990; architect Melkan gürsel tabanlıoğlu joined the group in 1995 and today it employs more than 80 architects and 20 administrative staff members.

between 1956 and 1990, Dr. Hayati tabanlıoğlu accomplished major state buildings in turkey such as Erzurum atatürk university (1958-1970), atatürk Cultural Center istanbul (1956-1977), istanbul atatürk airport (1969-1984), and several pioneering works like the first shopping mall in the country: galleria Shopping Center (1986).

Since 1990 the company’s scope and portfolio has enhanced, providing services worldwide; in architecture, consulting, master planning, interior design and coordination of related services such as engineering and restoration.

today the award winning firm is celebrating the completion of its Sapphire tower, in istanbul; the tallest high-rise building of istanbul and 15th highest building in the world.


to indoor air quality have become increasingly stringent across the developed and developing world, with sufferers of occupational asthma having greater access to legal redress and finan-cial compensation from their employers.

For today’s employers, it’s about recognizing and dealing with the problem as many jurisdic-tions now make it unlawful in codes of employ-ment to discriminate against asthmatics.

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or air q

ualityT he World Health Organisation (WHO) officially recognised sick building syn-drome (SBS) as a health issue over

twenty years ago.It’s a complex problem responsible for a vari-

ety of conditions from respiratory infection to fatigue, causing illness, absenteeism, staff turn-over and low morale. It’s a hidden epidemic caught from the fabric of the buildings within which we live or work.

So significant is the problem of SBS that it’s estimated that, in some countries, up to 30% of all offices, hotels, institutions and industrial premises suffer from it – particularly those buildings that date back thirty years or more.

There are of course many causes for SBS, from inadequate lighting to poor air condition-ing. However, one of the main causes of SBS is the quality of indoor air, and one manifestation of that is occupational asthma, which makes up around 15% of all adult-onset asthma cases in the developed and developing world.

Putting that in context, occupational asthma is the most common work-related lung disease in developed countries and is caused by occupational exposure to airborne sub-stances known as asthmagens. Over 200 res-piratory sensitisers have already been classified and others are being identified all the time.

According to studies, the prevalence rate of asthma in the UAE is around 13.5%, up to 20% in Saudi Arabia, 18% in Kuwait, and 10-11% in Bahrain.

The World Allergy Organization Journal reported earlier this year that “chronic respira-tory diseases (CRD), essentially chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, respiratory allergies, and occupa-tional lung diseases represent a major public health problem in developing countries including the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) countries.”

Across the world, the incidence of asthma is on the increase as more people adopt western lifestyles and become exposed to greater num-bers of asthmagens. Internationally, there are an estimated 300 million asthma sufferers and, according to the World Health Organisation, some 250,000 people died from asthma worldwide in 2005 alone. It’s the rea-son why health and safety regulations relating

Occupational asthma in the Middle East

aboVE: andrew Sibley.

regional sales and marketing director for carpet manufacturer Desso, Andrew Sibley, looks at occupational asthma in the Middle East and the role of carpeting in improving indoor air quality.

Early detection is important in occupational asthma, because people spend so much time at work – one estimate suggests that a person in a full-time office job will spend up to 1,800 hours a year in their office – that they will have had extensive exposure to their environmental trig-ger by the time their symptoms become appar-ent and a diagnosis of asthma is made.

That environment starts from the floor because, among others, the German asthma foundation (DAAB) has for some time advised that the harmful effects of particulate matter can be greatly reduced if carpeting is chosen over hard flooring options.

At Desso, we’ve gone a step further by intro-ducing a carpet type that is eight times more effective in capturing and retaining fine dust than hard flooring – and four times more effective than standard carpeting*.

It works by reducing the incidence of poten-tially harmful allergy-producing particles by safely trapping and immobilising them, guar-antees a significant improvement in indoor air quality, and therefore reduces the risk of health-related problems.

AirMaster® was developed to improve indoor air quality in busy interior environments such as schools, hospitals and offices – anywhere where there is a lot of feet treading in dust or other particulate matter and then, when inside, stirring it up into the breathing zone.

It might seem an unusual weapon in the battle for better air quality, but it’s been extremely well received internationally by health and safety and personnel professionals who not only recognise the regulatory responsi-bilities on maintaining good indoor air quality, but the potential legal and other penalties if they don’t.

What’s on the floor might not be a complete solution to occupational asthma, but it can help considerably.

Independent tests were carried out by GUI, the German test institute, and based on AirMaster® performance against standard PVC hard floor-ing and standard structured loop pile carpet. GUI specialises in assessing air quality, damp-ness and dust particle count.

“Putting that in context, occupational asthma is the most common work-related lung disease in developed countries and is caused by occupational exposure to airborne substances”


SUPPLIER CO

MM

ENT | GYPROC

In the last article to look at acoustics ‘Sound-off with Gyproc – Part 1’, Gyproc’s Technical Development Manager, Jason Hird talked about ‘noise’ and some of the science behind it, for example the difference between sound insulation and sound absorption and what is airborne and impact sound. This time we shall look at why lightweight partitions work so well and how to maintain that performance when built on site.

Sound-off with Gyproc

acoustic insulation of a partition, lining or ceil-ing system are referred to as DnTw or FSTC (Field Sound Transmission Class). These take into account background noise levels and rever-beration times in the receiver room and are affected by not only the performance of the separating element itself (partition, ceiling etc), but the performance of the surrounding struc-ture, any penetrations and junction details. When planning for sound insulation, Gyproc therefore recommends a margin of safety of 7dB over the laboratory test results - Rw or STC in order to compensate for flanking transmis-sion on site.

“Deflection heads in partitions are also a common source of flanking sound transmission, typically accounting for a loss of around 4-5dB”

Sound insulation performance of lightweight partitionsThe mass law tells us that sound insulation per-formance is governed by mass – This is cer-tainly true of solid masonry partitions, where a doubling of the mass (or thickness) will increase performance by around 5dB.

However, using lightweight systems, it is possible to consistently exceed the performance predicted by the mass law. A simple Gyproc metal stud partition, for instance, can provide an Rw rating around 6dB better than predicted by the mass law.

Different configurations of stud can result in even better levels of insulation, and adding an additional layer of Gyproc plasterboard to one or both sides of the partition will increase sound insulation performance by around 6dB or 10dB respectively. Further improvements can be obtained if the plasterboard lining to one side is partially decoupled from the lining.

The best results, however, can be obtained using two completely independent metal stud frames separated by an air space such as GypWall audio. Using the so called ‘mass - spring - mass’ principle, the air space between the two frames acts as a damper to reduce sound passing between the two independent linings, minimising sound transmission.

The principle demonstrates a much more effective and efficient way of achieving sound insulation in comparison to traditional solu-tions. Lightweight gypsum partitions designed and built correctly consistently outperform equivalent masonry construction. Typically you can achieve the same acoustic performance as a blockwork wall in only half the thickness with a Gyproc partition.

Performance on siteThe sound performance values of systems quoted in literature are measured in the labora-tory under ideal conditions and are unlikely to be achieved on site due to flanking transmis-sion – sound leakage through indirect paths such as, windows, doors, external walls, corri-dors penetrations and services etc.

The measurements used to determine the

Flanking transmissionFlanking transmission is defined as any sound from the source room that is not transmitted directly via the separating element. It is trans-mitted indirectly via doors or other breaks in the dividing element, as well as via small open-ings, such as gaps, cracks and holes in the adjoining structure. Deflection heads in parti-tions are also a common source of flanking sound transmission, typically accounting for a loss of around 4-5dB due to air leakage, in addi-tion to any flanking loss, if not adequately detailed and sealed.

Designing for effective insulationOnce a building has been completed it can be expensive and inconvenient to address sound problems; it is therefore prudent to ensure appropriate sound insulation measures and detailing are incorporated at the design stage. Both internal and external sound transmission should be considered and the requirements for each individual space taken into account when planning the building design.

Sensible measures, such as separating quiet and noisy activities and the careful specification of doors, windows and ductwork systems, will help to reduce the demands on insulation, whilst continuing partitions to the underside of the structural soffit and the use of Gyproc plas-terboard suspended ceilings to both sides of the partition reduce flanking transmission.

For separating wall and floor constructions, special care must be taken to ensure correct detailing at all junctions between the separating element and adjoining elements, such as exter-nal walls, other separating elements and pene-trations or door openings etc.

As any acoustic system is only as effective as its weakest component, failure to include effec-tive detailing will seriously limit overall acous-tic performance.

Air tightness is essential and whilst most junctions will be sealed using standard jointing techniques any gaps or other small airpaths should be sealed using a proprietary sealant.

ABOVE: Jason Hird


Suppliers in the spotlight

Duravit AGOfficially certified ‘eco-friendly enterprise’

Duravit AG has been certified as an eco-friendly enterprise in accordance with ISO 14001. The standard has been awarded in rec-ognition of Duravit’s low water consumption fittings, toilets and urinals – which use any-where up to half the water of competitor prod-ucts – and urinals such as the McDry, which uses no water at all.

Tested in a dedicated room referred to as the “flushing station”, Duravit says it tests above the international requirements set out in the E997 – which stipulate tests are conducted on prod-ucts twice every six months.

Instead products across its ranges, including wash basins, bidets, urinals and both freestand-ing and wall mounted toilets, are all subject to tests throughout the year. The frequency of such tests is decided according to each prod-uct’s respective percentage shares in Duravit’s annual production output.

At the main plant in Hornberg alone, an average of five to six tests are carried out every day on various models, each test taking around 2.5 hours to complete.

A release form the company stated: “These controls are essential in order to ensure that effective flushing and correct functioning actually enable the efficient use of water in practice – be it in the home or at public and semi-public facilities.”

Headquartered in Hornberg, Germany, Duravit AG’s product catalogue features designs by Sieger Design, Philippe Starck, Lord Norman Foster and Phoenix Design, among others.

Fox and Graph Anti slip solutions debut in Riyadh and Dubai

A polyester felt used to secure wall-to-wall roll and tile carpeting has been introduced to the Middle East market at the Saudi Build trade show, held as part of Dubai’s Domotex.

The product, developed by Fox and Graph international is marketed under its brand name FOXIFIX and FOXI SUPER Plus.

According to the manufacturers FOXIFIX has a 2mm thick “differentiated coating tech-nique”, with an adhesive layer on the floor side and a clinging layer for the covering side.

Said to be easy to lay and remove it is mar-keted as suitable for residential properties, offices, hotels, exhibition booths and aisles due to its finish and sound proofing qualities.

The polyester felt is used to secure wall-to-wall carpeting (both in tiles and rolls) and soft flooring. It is based on a brand new differenti-ated coating technique comprising an adhesive layer on the floor side and a clinging layer for the covering side.

FOXI SUPER Plus is manufactured with fibre compounds sourced largely from recycla-ble materials. The anti-slip carpet foam pad-ding also prevents rippling, therefore extending the lifetime of the flooring products it is applied to. The product is washable and available in pre-cut and bespoke formats; as well as in a range of widths.

FOXIFIX® fully complies with OEKO-TEX standards. It is compatible with the Bfl-s1 fire classification certificate beneath polyamide tiles. Additionally, its use means floor cover-ings can be recycled and none of the products emit VOCs.

Qatar CoolIDEA award presented to district cooling firm

District cooling provider Qatar Cool, has won an award for increasing its coverage to cool 42 new buildings over 6,489,357 sq. ft. in 2010.

The achievement makes the company one of the leading providers, supplying the highest number of buildings outside of North America in the same year.

The award was presented to CEO Fayad Al Khatib and business development manager Mohannad Khader at the 102nd IDEA Annual Conference, Toronto, Canada.

“This award reflects Qatar Cool’s commit-ment to excellence and reinforces our position as an industry leader.

“Earning recognition sends out the positive message of our continuous drive for meeting and exceeding our customer’s and stakeholder’s expectations,” said Khatib.

Khatib also highlighted the importance of public-private partnerships and the strong need for planning and engaging with all stakeholders early on in such large scale projects.

Since its creation six years ago, Qatar Cool has won a number of contracts, including that to supply Doha’s West Bay area through two district cooling plants. The plants produce a total of 67,000 refrigerating tons of cooling and the company also owns and operates the world’s largest integrated district cooling plant, located on the Pearl-Qatar Island.

Khatib also told the conference that while Qatar had one of the largest carbon footprints per head of population in the world, district cooling schemes will contribute to “significant reductions of that footprint”.

A round-up of the latest news and announcements from industry suppliers in the Middle East


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Schoeck ME FZEComBAR provided for Jubail projects

Schoeck ME FZE has announced it will supply its ComBAR fibreglass-reinforcement bars to the Ras Az Zawr aluminium smelter project in Jubail, in the Eastern province of Saudi Arabia.

The contract will see a selection of rebars supplied during the project, including straight and bent rebars and spacers. They will replace the use of conventional or stainless steel bar.

The bars were specified for their non-con-ductivity, non-magnetic and corrosion resist-ance, making them ideal for the regional climate and plant.

During tests conducted earlier this years, a barrier wall reinforced with ComBAR sus-tained the impact of a 36 tonne tractor trailer hitting it at 80 km/h. Schoeck say the wall sustained “no significant damage”

“Schoeck’s rebar was specified to be installed in the slabs and foundations for the rectifiers as ComBAR components are fully non-magnetic and electrically non-conductive and therefore do not disturb the function of the rectifiers, nor does it pose any potential dangerous effects in the future,” said Christoph Spitz, managing director of Schoeck ME FZE in Dubai.

ComBAR has already been used in other aluminium factories in the Middle-East such as QATALUM in Qatar and DUBAL in the UAE.The first production from the US$ 4 bil-lion aluminium smelter and rolling mill in Jubail is expected in 2013.

Schoeck ME FZE is a 100 percent subsidiary of the Schöck AG in Germany; specialising in glass fibre reinforcement bars.

DornbrachtProducts added to Performing Shower programme

Products tipped as ‘the next generation of rain showers’ have been launched by Dornbracht, as part of the family-run manufacturer’s Performing Shower programme.

Main innovations in the range include the removal of pressure to mimic the natural fall of rain in the JustRain, WaterPoints and WaterFall models; the introduction of a 300 mm x 240 mm rectangular shower head; and an increase in the diameter of circular shower heads, from 200mm to between 220 mm and 300mm.

All rain shower models are based on Dornbracht’s anti-lime technology and can be mounted on the wall or overhead, or combined with a free-standing shower system.

The new rain shower and the hand shower are available in customary Dornbracht finishes, including: champagne, chrome, gold, platinum, platinum matte, black matte and white matte.

It’s the first time Dornbracht has introduced such products to the Middle East; all products in the range are designed by Sieger Design.

“With the Performing Shower programme, the emphasis is on different water forms to con-vey an individual new shower experience,” said managing director, Andreas Dornbracht.

“We are once again affirming our company mission, the Spirit of Water through water in the form of rain, water as a clear powerful surge, water as an expansive or strongly pulsat-ing or soft and aerated spray – the different ways we encounter water could hardly be more myriad,” Dornbracht continued.

The company has said it paid particular attention to the efficiency of each device.

Gulf ExtrusionsCertified to European standards

One of the largest aluminum extrusion plants in the Gulf region, has received the “CE” Certificate for Factory Production Control, in line with European standard EN 15088:2006.

The certificate marks the achievement of minimum values for tensile strength, yield strength, elongation, fatigue Strength and bendability; also confirming the firm complies with requirements minimise hazardous emis-sions. Gulf Extrusion’s compliance with the standard was confirmed by a German inspec-tion team from TUV Rheinland LGA Bautechnik GmbH, who visited the Jebel Ali factory last month.

“The Certificate reaffirms our commitment to adhere to the most stringent quality stand-ards in the production of world-class, high-quality aluminium-based products,” said general manager Modar Al Mekdad, who fur-ther commented that the achievement was a “very important milestone” in the company’s expansion into worldwide markets.

The inspection covered various operations of Gulf Extrusions, including continuous casting, extrusion and heat treatment of aluminium extrusion profiles. The certification also vali-dated Gulf Extrusions’ Quality Management System, which complies with EN ISO 9001:2008 and is certified by Lloyd’s Register.

“Quality and excellence have always been the major selling points of Gulf Extrusions and we will continue focus on these key attributes to consolidate our reputation as one of the world’s most trusted and respected brands in the alu-minium industry,” Al Mekdad added.

36 tonneTHE wEIgHT Of A TRACTOR THAT HIT A wAll REInfORCED wITH SHOECk’S COMBAR, AT 80kM/H

“The Certificate reaffirms our commitment to adhere to the most stringent quality standards in the production of world-class, high-quality aluminium-based products”

21 – 24 November 2011 Dubai International Exhibition & Convention Centre

www.thebig5.ae/bpro4

Introduced 7 product focused sectors that will allow you more time to view the products you want to see

Organised over 80 free-to-attend seminars on the floor focusing on product innovation, new technology, case studies and applications

Commissioned the most comprehensive product-focused report of its kind in the Middle East with a research value of $20,000 – available to pre-registered visitors who attend

Launched 4 new events running alongside The Big 5 - Middle East Concrete, PMV Live, FM Expo and the Green Build Congress

At this year’s Big 5 you’ll notice some big changesTo ensure you spend more of your valuable time meeting suppliers relevant to you, we have:

Register free of charge at w: www.thebig5.ae/bpro4or for more information e: [email protected]

2,500+EXHIBITORS

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Scan the QR code with your smart phone & register

4599-Big5-The Big Project-v1.indd 1 9/7/11 4:18 PM


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Unipods president Philippe Akl reveals the secret to safe and speedy fit outs

Room in a boxbrassware and delivered to site ready for sim-ple installation.

The third product, the UniKitchen, is manu-factured in collaboration with British-based Grange Interiors at a 55,000-square foot facility, also based in Ras Al Khaimah.

Akl says the concept further promoted the company’s ethic to improve the efficiency, qual-ity and profitability of construction, “by imple-menting off-site construction technology in key areas of the homes and buildings”.

As part of holding group, the Al Rajhi Investment Group, Unipods is one of a number of companies contributing towards the groups aim to be among the top five business develop-ment groups in the GCC in five years, across five segments. The company works out of offices in Jeddah, Riyadh and Ras Al Khaimah.

“Certainly Saudi Arabia is the strongest mar-ket right now and there are two dimensions to this; speed is one dimension but the other is the nature of projects. With so much focus on sup-plying affordable housing within tight dead-lines Unipods are perfectly designed to meet all these needs,” Akl says.

Unipods will exhibit at The Big 5, held at Dubai World Trade Centre next month.

You’re on site working on a new contract that demands numerous high quality bathrooms to be fitted at speed. The

record-breaking time will knock up to three months off the fit out period of the project, but how can it be achieved?

Unipods president Philippe Akl has the answer; like hotel rooms, coffee and even peas before them, the latest item to be delivered via pod is the bathroom.

The off-site construction technology special-ist supplies high quality prefabricated bath-rooms, kitchens and commercial washroom solutions, that have been designed in collabo-ration with the customer to produce the per-fect pod for the project.

The company works to an eight-step pro-cess, which goes from design concept to instal-lation and the product catalogue features bathroom pods, Uniboards and Unikitchens.

“Pod construction runs in parallel with onsite construction and ensures that delivery is both quick and timely. This results in signif-icant time savings and can shorten on site construction time by as much as two to three months, giving a quicker ROI for the investors and end users,” Akl explains, adding the method is also cost effective as it reduces insurance premium due to enhanced health and safety on site.

Additionally there is only one point of con-tact as pods are designed and built prior to onsite installation.

Pods are lifted into place with cranes, the util-ities are connected and they are ready for use.

“Our experienced installation team can install many pods per day. JIT deliveries opti-mise crane use and onsite installation time. Night installations can also free up day time crane time for other tasks. One point of con-tact from design through to installation saves time,” he continues.

Working with the customer to produce the perfect pod for the project, the company works to an eight-step process, which goes from design concept to installation; the product cata-logue features bathroom pods, Uniboards and Unikitchens.

BespokeInitially liaising with the project parties to spec-ify the sanitary ware and finalise layout, each pod is designed “according to the architect’s

drawings”, and approved by the client via proto-type before large scale production begins in the Ras Al Khaimah factory.

“All tools, anchors and adhesives are sourced from top quality suppliers and applied under the right conditions to optimise perfor-mance,” Akl adds.

Further steps take in quality checks and delivery of the fully fitted pods, upon which each can be installed vertically or horizontally, depending on the structure of the building. While it is the responsibility of the M&E con-tractor to connect the pod to utilities pipes, Unipods staff can assist.

“Unipods are the perfect solution for hotels, residential, commercial buildings, schools, hos-pitals, stadiums and villa developments. They improve quality while increasing the efficiency and profitability of construction projects.

“A full turnkey bathroom solution – man-ufactured off-site and tailor made to the cli-ent’s specifications – the pod is a pre-engineered, pre-fitted, ready-plumbed bathroom,” Akl continues.

Complementing the bathroom designs, Unipods has also developed the Uniboard, indi-vidual modular wall panels, rather than entire rooms, with sanitary ware, flushing systems, and taps and fittings pre-installed. The product is based on the pre-plumbed modular system (PPMs) currently used in Europe, PPMs are preassembled in the factory, fitted with access panels, sanitary ware, flushing systems and

ABOVE: Monique Campbell.

“Unipods improve quality while increasing the efficiency and profitability of construction projects”

TImELInE2-4 wEEkS Prepare Customer drawings based on architect’s drawings

1-2 wEEk Approval and sign off of Customer drawings (by Client)

Full Design freeze (design and specification not to change)

Purchase start up on long lead-time, project specific items

2-3 wEEkS Prepare production drawings

Order short lead-time project specific items

3-4 wEEkS Production of reference pods

8 wEEkS Production of bathroom pods

10-12 wEEkS Total time from Design freeze to 1st delivery depending on number of pods and variants

14 wEEkS Total time from agreed specification to 1st delivery

ABOVE: President Philippe Akl.


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”My involvement with the finance department of Dulsco has helped me to weigh each project carefully and prioritise the most suitable strategic imperatives for the company’s long-term growth”

after his “instrumental” role in some of dulsco’s largest developments, newly appointed Md Prakash Mahadalkar talks about the move from finance director to head of the company

Prakash Mahadalkar has over 37 years of experience in leading global shipping and logistics businesses, holding positions in

companies such as Rallis India (Mumbai), Sea Land Service Inc. (India and the Middle East), Maersk Line and Mitsui Shipping (India).

In 2003 he joined Dulsco as director of finance and has since been credited with grow-ing the company’s footprint across the region, overseeing operations in Qatar and the UAE.

Having led the finance department under the overall leadership of his predecessor John Neale for more than eight years, Mahadalkar recalls witnessing “tremendous growth” across all sec-tors Dulsco has chosen to pursue.

“The finance department is one of the pillars of Dulsco and helps the company to remain cost-efficient and trim down unnecessary expendi-ture,” Mahadalkar says, explaining it is the reason the company sustained and remained profitable during the downturn.

“My involvement with the finance department of Dulsco has helped me to weigh each project carefully and prioritise the most suitable strate-gic imperatives for the company’s long-term growth,” he adds.

The strongest example of such evaluation came when Dulsco changed its legal status from partnership to limited liability company; with Mahadalkar “instrumental” to the suc-cessful execution.

Other growth involved establishing opera-tions in Abu Dhabi and the construction of Dulsco Village as well as the setting up of of Dulsco Qatar joint venture.

Employing 5000 people, today the company spans operations in HR, waste management, general trading, marine and tank

services, medical provisions, IT , engineering and property services and automotives. Dulsco also holds management system certifications ISO 9001:2008 for Quality, ISO 14001:2004 for Environment and OHSAS 18001:2007 for Health and Safety.

But far from taking the corporate approach associated with such diversified and extensive business models, Mahadalkar maintains Dulsco’s USP is its approach to community.

“While we are acknowledged as a key player in the region’s economic development, we continue to encourage community development and are actively involved with the local communities we operate in,” he asserts, recalling the free health checks for lifestyle diseases, health and

environmental awareness campaigns the com-pany has run in the past.

For Dulsco, and Mahadalkar, the future is about innovation; not only in the HR and waste management sectors already established, but in the active pursuit of recycling and waste-to-energy related projects in the UAE.

“I am very enthusiastic about taking up my new role at Dulsco, a company that has recorded excellent performance over the past 76 years and I hope to boost its profile even further.

“Dulsco has an excellent service portfolio with core competencies in HR Solutions and Waste Management Services. It is a privilege to be lead-ing the company and accelerate its growth even further,” Mahadalkar said.

Service provider

karim Benkirane

Prakash Mahadalkar , dulsco Md

karim Benkirane

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TENDERS The latest tenders and project updates for developments in MENA region

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ESTIMATING AND PROJECT CONTROL

Construction has been appointed as the main contractor. The project is expected to be completed in summerMain consultant: Architectural & Engineering Consultants - ARTEC (Dubai)Project manager: Projacs International (Qatar)Main contractor: Arabtec Construction W.L.L (Qatar)Tender categories: Prestige buildings

� Project name: SubStationS conStruction Project Project - Qatar Power tranSmiSSion SyStem exPanSion - PhaSe 10 (Stage 2)Project number: ZPR406-QTerritory: QatarClient: Qatar General Electricity & Water Corporation (Kahramaa)Address: Corniche Street, Dafna AreaCity: DohaPostal/ ZIP: 41 Phone: (+974) 4484 5484/ 4484 5555Fax: (+974) 4484 5496Email: [email protected]: http://www.kahramaa.com.qaDescription: Engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract to build 220/132/66kV gas-insulated switchgear (GIS) substations, as part of the Qatar Power Transmission System expansion - Phase 10 - Stage 2.Period: 2014Status: New Tender Remarks: This project is in Qatar. The purpose is to enhance the electricity transmission network in the country. Scope of work involves construction of:- 220/132/66kV GIS substations- Power transformers- Protection and substation automation system, including DC system and auxiliaries.Evaluation of bids is currently underway for the technical consultancy and EPC contract. Awards are expected in the fourth quarter of 2011. Tender categories: Power generation & distribution

� Project name: barwa al Khor city ProjectProject number: OPR471-QTerritory: Qatar Client: Barwa Al Khor Company (Qatar)Postal/ ZIP code: 27777City: DohaPhone: (+974) 4499 8888Fax: (+974) 4499 8801Description: Development of Barwa Al Khor city comprising villas and

townhouses, terraces, flats and mixed-use areas, 2 sprawling hotels - one being a five-star and the other four star, a superior shopping mall, 4 top schools, 250,000 square metres of office space, a mosque and an international golf course, including amenities such as a clinic, library, information centre, public and private beaches.

budget: 8000000000

Period: 2015 Status: New tenderRemarks: This project is in Qatar and will cover an approximate area of 5,459,168 square metres. The scheme anticipates offering 24,114 units as homes to the elite with 5-star quality services to surround them. The development will showcase fine architecture that merges unobtrusively with the beautiful environment. The developing homes are set to accommodate a massive population of 60,000 people. The location of the site will offer a panoramic view of the city of Al Khor. A marina has been exclusively built in to the project in order to celebrate the natural harbour that Al Khor possesses. In order to uphold the client's commitment to offer 360 degree solutions to those who occupy living spaces designed and built by them, they have also provided a range of sporting facilities in the scheme. UAE-based Rubber World Industries (RWI) has been awarded an estimated $11,000 contract to supply rubber insulation and adhesive products for this development. RWI will provide rubber insulation tubes and tapes that are environmentally friendly, cost effective and ready to use with minimal wastage. Local Urban Planning & Design Authority (UPDA) has been appointed as the mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP) consultant. MEP consultant: Urban Planning & Design Authority - UPDA (Qatar)Rubber supplier: Rubber World Industries L.L.C (Ajman)Tender categories: Hotels, housing projects, leisure

� Project name: Doha FeStival city DeveloPment ProjectProject number: MPP2455-QTerritory: Qatar Client: Al-Futtaim Group Real Estate (Dubai)Address: Dubai Festival City, Al Rashidiya Area

Qatar

� Project name: al Khor mall ProjectProject number: OPR470-QTerritory: Qatar Client: EMKE Group (Abu Dhabi)City: Abu DhabiPostal/ ZIP: 4048Phone: (+971-2) 642 1800Fax: (+971-2) 642 1716Email: [email protected] Web: http://www.emkegroup.comDescription: Construction of Al Khor Mall covering a total built-up area of 72,000 square metres from a 55,000 square metre area, consisting of a ground floor, first floor and a parking area for over 1,100 vehicles.

budget: 55000000

Period: Status: New tenderRemarks: This project will be located in the densely populated residential area at Al Khor in Qatar. UAE-based Rubber World Industries (RWI) has been awarded an estimated $11,000 contract to supply rubber insulation and adhesive products for this development. RWI will provide rubber insulation tubes and tapes that are environmentally friendly, cost effective and ready to use with minimal wastage. Local Arab Engineering Bureau has been appointed as the mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP) consultant.MEP consultant: Arab Engineering Bureau (Qatar)Rubber supplier: Rubber World Industries L.L.C (Ajman)Tender categories: Housing projects, leisure

� Project name: mPP2379-QProject number: Qatar Foundation Headquarters Building Project - Qatar Education CityTerritory: QatarClient: Qatar Petroleum Address: City: DohaPostal/ ZIP: 3212Phone: (+974) 4440 2000Fax: (+974) 4483 1125/ 4449 1400/ 4483 1995Email: [email protected] Web: http://www.qp.com.qaDescription: Construction of a 57-metre-tall, cube-shaped building with 14 levels

above ground, including a three-four-storey strategic studies centre, as part of the headquarters development for Qatar Foundation.

budget: 220000000

Period: 2013Status: Current projectRemarks: This project will be located at Education City on the outskirts of Doha. The scheme is being managed by Qatar Petroleum on behalf of the Qatar Foundation for Education Science & Community Development. The overall site will have 500 parking spots. Local Midmac Contracting Company has been awarded the main construction contract on this project. The contract is for a period of two years. The contractor will also carry out landscaping, earthworks, substructure and utility works, including installation of water services, drainage, air-conditioning and security systems.Main Architect: Office for Metropolitan Architecture - OMA (Netherlands)Main consultant: Arup (Qatar)Project manager: Astad Project Management (Qatar)Main contractor: Midmac Contracting Company (Qatar)Tender categories: Prestige buildings

� Project name: worlD traDe centre tower ProjectProject number: MPP1845-QTerritory: Doha Client: Qatar General Insurance & Reinsurance Company S.A.QCity: DohaPhone: (+974) 4428 2222 / 4441 7800Fax: (+974) 4443 7302Email: [email protected] Web: http://www.qgirco.comDescription: Design and construction of a 50-storey office tower, including a six-storey building shaped in a sphere, to house an auditorium and business centre and a low-rise building for a convention centre.

budget: 275000000

Period: 15/06/2012 Status: Current projectRemarks: This tower will be located close to the Doha Convention Centre & Tower (DCCT) project on Doha Corniche in Qatar and cover a total built-up area of 140,000 square metres. UAE's Arabtec


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City: DubaiPostal/ ZIP: 159Phone: (+971-4) 213 6213Fax: (+971-4) 232 5550Email: [email protected]: http://www.afrealestate.comDescription: Development of Doha Festival City comprising a retail centre, an entertainment park, two hotels and an auto park made up of car showrooms.

budget: 1600000000

Period: 2014 Status: New tenderRemarks: This project is in Qatar. The multi-use scheme will be built on the northern highway, which will link Doha International Airport with the proposed Bahrain Causeway. The complex will cover a total area of 433,000 square metres, while construction will be divided into three phases. Brands set to open stores in this development include IKEA, Marks & Spencer, Toys R Us, Ace Hardware, Intersport and other major regional retailers. Client has invited contractors to pre-qualify for construction work on this scheme. Client along with local Qatar Islamic Bank are due to complete the financing in October 2011. The sponsors are currently raising in excess of $825 million from a group of Qatari banks to fund the development of this project. The financing will be structured as a Sharia-compliant deal. QInvest, a local investment bank, is leading the fund-raising for the project along with the client's investment and development arm, Al-Futtaim Capital. The scheme will be developed in three phases, with the IKEA store developed first, followed by the main shopping mall complex, then some hotels. Most of the project is due to be completed by 2014. The funding being raised now will be used to cover all three phases of the development's construction. A contractor for the main construction package is due to be appointed later this month. Main Architect: Arab Engineering Bureau (Qatar)Design consultant: DP Architects Pte. Ltd. (Singapore)Project manager: Mace Limited (UK)Financial consultant: Qatar Islamic Bank - QIB (Qatar)Project manager: EC Harris (UK)Main architect 1: Brewer Smith Brewer Gulf (Dubai)Research and marketing consultant: Portland Design Associates (UK)Engineering consultant: WSP (UK)Research and marketing consultant: Coverpoint Catering Consultancy (UK)Tender categories: Housing projects, hotels, leisure


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� Project name: Fujairah city centre ProjectProject number: ZPR183-UTerritory: Northern EmiratesClient: Majid Al-Futtaim Group (Dubai)Address: Majid Al Futtaim Tower, Deira City CenterCity: DubaiPostal/ ZIP: 60811Phone: +971-4 294 9999 / 294 2444Fax: +971-4 209 3499Email: [email protected]: http://www.majidalfuttaim.comDescription: Construction of Fujairah City Centre comprising a new shopping mall, including a 22-storey hotel, an ice rink, 6 cinemas and more than 100 outlets.

budget: 116000000

Period: 2012Status: Current projectRemarks: This project will be strategically located at the intersection of the new Fujairah - Dubai highway and the existing Masafi highway at the entrance of Fujairah City. The centre will add a new touristic attraction to Fujairah's map bringing a wide group of leading international brands such as Carrefour and Centrepoint. Local Commodore Contracting Company has been appointed as the main contractor. Work has commenced on this development, with the foundation stone being laid. The project is set for completion in second quarter of 2012. Local Khansaheb Civil Engineering has been awarded a $68 million contract to build the shopping mall in this development. Scope of work involves construction of a single-level mall, with a total built-up area of approximately 50,000 square metres. The mall will include about 100 shops, food courts and restaurants. It will also include car parking for about 1,000 vehicles. Fujairah City Centre is a LEED registered project, currently targeting a Gold LEED rating under the USGBC Green Building guidelines. Upon completion, it is expected to be the first retail development to attain this rating in the Emirate of Fujairah. Main Architect: Architectural Consulting Group - ACG (Abu Dhabi)Main contractor: Commodore Contracting Company L.L.C (Abu Dhabi)Main contractor 1: Khansaheb Civil Engineering (Dubai)Tender categories: Housing projects, leisure, hotels

� Project name: aDnoc heaDQuarterS comPlex ProjectProject number: MPP1176-UTerritory: Abu Dhabi Client: Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC)Address: Next to Hilton Hotel, End of Corniche RoadCity: Abu DhabiPostal/ ZIP: 898Phone: (+971-2) 602 0000/ 602 3266Fax: (+971-2) 602 3389Email: [email protected] Web: http://www.adnoc.aeDescription: Design and construction of a new headquarters complex for ADNOC comprising a 342-metre-high, 65-storey office tower, podium, basement and underground parking areas, as well as a tunnel connecting the office tower with the underground parking

budget: 490000000

Period: 15/05/2013 Status: Current projectRemarks: This complex will be located at the intersection of Corniche road and Bainunah street in Abu Dhabi. It will cover a total built-up area of approximately 190,000 square metres and designed by world-class architects and design consultants. Local/Belgian Six Construct Abu Dhabi has been appointed as main contractor to build the headquarters complex. Local Arabtec Construction has been awarded an estimated $60 million contract to build the underground car park, as part of this project. The car park will contain three levels underground over a space of 22,741 square metres, a built-up area of 65,340 square metres and around 1,575 parking spaces. The project is situated underneath the public park near ADNOC headquarters and will take two years to complete. Main Architect: HOK International (Dubai)Main consultant: Halcrow International Partnership (Abu Dhabi)Project manager: Hill International Ltd. (Dubai)Main contractor: Six Construct Ltd. (Abu Dhabi)Main contractor 1: Arabtec Construction L.L.C (Abu Dhabi)Foundations, enabling and piling contractor: Arabian Foundations Engineering L.L.C (Dubai)Tender categories: Prestige buildings

� Project name: haSSyan 1 inDePenDent Power ProjectProject number: OPP342-UTerritory: Dubai

Client: Dubai Electricity & Water Authority (DEWA)Address: Head Office, Near Wafi Shopping Mall, Zabeel EastCity: DubaiPostal/ ZIP: 564Phone: (+971-4) 324 4444Fax: (+971-4) 324 8111Email: [email protected]: http://www.dewa.gov.aeDescription: Design, development, financing, construction and operation of a green-field, gas-fired Hassyan 1 Independent Power Project (IPP) with capacity of 1,500 megawatts (MW) together with associated infrastructure.Closing date: December 12 2012Period: 2014Status: New tender Remarks: This project will be located on the Arabian Gulf Coast at a fully prepared site in Hassyan, approximately 50 kilometres from the city of Dubai, adjacent to the border with the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. It is understood that the client has pre-qualified (18) developers to bid for a contract to build and operate this IPP. The pre-qualifiers include Saudi Arabia's ACWA Power; Korea Electric Power Company (Kepco), Samsung Engineering; US' GE International; Malaysia's Malakoff International; Japan's Marubeni Corporation, Mitsui, Sumitomo Corporation, Sojitz Corporation; Qatar's Qatar Electric Power Company; Singapore's Sembcorp Utilities; Belgium's Suez Tractebel; UAE's Abu Dhabi National Energy Company (Taqa), Oasis International Power; Kuwait's Kharafi National; India's Lanco Infratech, Tata Power Company; and UK's United Infrastructure Developers Company. Several companies have pre-qualified on the condition that they partner with another company to bid for the project. Client has extended the deadline to submit bids for the main contract from the previous deadline of October 18, 2011 at the request of prospective developers and after having made sure that there won't be any adverse effect on the project. Client is talking with several export credit agencies about financing this scheme. The advisers on the project have already met with Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) and the Export-Import Bank of Korea (Kexim). It is understood that as long as the project structure is bankable and feasible, with substantial involvement from Japanese companies, JBIC will consider providing them with financial support for the project. Kexim is also understood to be considering helping South Korean companies bidding on this scheme. Client is aiming to sign a power purchase agreement (PPA) with a preferred bidder in January 2012 and reach financial close in the first half of 2012.



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amphitheatrePeriod: 2014 Status: New tenderRemarks: This hotel will be located about 25 kilometres southeast of Muscat International Airport and 3 kilometres from Al-Khuwair in Oman over an area of 12 hectares. To be managed by Ritz Carlton, the five-star hotel will expand the range of tourist offerings available away from the beach resorts currently available in the Sultanate. The design will be inspired on Oman's heritage and culture, and based on the forts in Oman. It will provide high-quality facilities not only for tourists but for locals as well. It is understood that 22 companies have so far registered interest in the earthworks package on this development. Companies that have evinced interest include Carillion Alawi, Sarooj Construction, Galfar, Taylor Woodrow Towell and Tarmac Zawawi. The project is expected to be completed by end of 2014. Project manager: Beca International Consultants (New Zealand)Quantity surveyor: Baker Barton & Lawson (Oman)Tender categories: Hotels, housing projects, leisure

iraq

� Project name: weSt ramaDi PhoSPhate chemical comPlex rehabilitation Project - PhaSe 1Project number: ZPR396-IQTerritory: IraqClient: State Company for PhosphateAddress: Sadoon Street, East GateCity: BaghdadPostal/ ZIP: 5954Phone: (+964-1) 887 3027 / 888 9708 / 888 9709Web: http://www.scpiraq.comDescription: Carrying out rehabilitation of the phosphate chemical complex, west of Ramadi, with capacity of 480,000 tonnes a year (t/y) of fertilizer and 240,000 t/y of phosphate.

budget: 320000000

Period: 2015Status: New tender Remarks: This project is in Iraq and will be developed in two phases. The plant will cover an area of 220,000 square kilometres. It is understood that the scheme is still under planning. A decision to launch the project is expected to be taken in second quarter of 2012 by the Iraqi Ministry of Industry & Minerals. Tender categories: Industrial & special projects

Financial consultant: HSBC Bank Middle East Limited (Dubai)Legal consultant: Clifford Chance Legal Consultants (Dubai)Technical consultant: Mott MacDonald Ltd. (Dubai)Tender categories: Power generation & distribution

Saudi arabia

� Project name: King abDullah SPortS city ProjectProject number: MPP2367-SATerritory: Saudi Arabia Client: General Presidency of Youth Welfare (Saudi Arabia)City: JeddahPostal/ ZIP: 15667Phone: (+966-2) 667 2145Fax: (+966-2) 669 5492Email: Construction of King Abdullah Sports City covering an area of 9 square kilometres featuring a main stadium with capacity of 60,000, together with at least five other smaller sporting arenas, including a specialist hospital for sporting injuries, a number of indoor arenas and accommodation facilities.

budget: 4000000000

Period: 2013Status: Current projectRemarks: This project will be located around 60 kilometres north of Jeddah alongside the Mecca-Medina highway in Saudi Arabia. Belgium's Besix Group, with its joint venture partner Al Muhaidib Contracting Company, has been awarded a $520 million contract to build the stadium in this development. Arup Gulf (Dubai)Main contractor: Besix Group SA (Belgium)Main contractor 1: Al Muhaidib Contracting Company (Saudi Arabia)Tender categories: Medical, bridges, public works, roads & earthworks, housing projects, leisure

� Project name: burj raFal mixeD-uSe ProjectProject number: MPP2361-SATerritory: Saudi Arabia Client: Rafal Real Estate Development Company Ltd. (Saudi Arabia)Address: 9th Floor, Tatweer Tower, King Fahd Highway (Southbound), Almohammadeyyah DistrictCity: Riyadh 11547Postal/ ZIP: 69290Phone: (+966-1) 200 8333Fax: (+966-1) 200 9393 Email: [email protected]

Web: http://www.rafal.com.saDescription: Development of Burj Rafal mixed-use scheme comprising a 62-storey tower consisting of 260 luxury apartments on 23 floors; a 2,000-person-capacity ballroom and 24 meeting rooms on one floors; a 297-room Kempinski Hotel and 54 serviced apartments over 17 floors; office space, which will occupy 13 floors; two wellness spas on one floor; and 6,000 square metres of retail space on the building's podium.

budget: 800000000

Period: 2013Status: Current projectRemarks: This project will be developed on a site of 22,000 square metres in the northern Assahafa district of Riyadh. UAE-based Dubai Contracting Company (DCC) has been appointed as the main contractor on this scheme. Construction work is ongoing. The project is expected to be completed in second quarter of 2013. Main consultant: Rider Levett Bucknall Consultants (Saudi Arabia)Project manager: Palmer & Turner Architects & Engineers Limited (Dubai)Project manager: International Projects Management (Dubai)Wind surveyor: Windtech (Dubai)Main contractor: Dubai Contracting Company L.L.C. (Dubai)Tender categories: Hotels, leisure, prestige buildings

� Project name: buSineSS hotel Project-1Project number: OPP360-SATerritory: Saudi Arabia Client: Shuaa Capital (Saudi Arabia)Address: Dareen Center, 2nd Floor, Al Ahsa Street, MalazCity: Riyadh 11482Email: [email protected]: http://www.shuaacapital.comDescriptions: Construction of a 254 room budget business hotel

budget: 43000000

Status: New Tender This project is in Jeddah and will cover a built-up area of approximately 12,000 square metres. Client has recently completed the acquisition of a prime plot of land through its hospitality fund for the development of this hotel, which will be managed by Rotana Hotel Management CorporationTender categories: Hotels, housing projects

� Project name: riyaDh PP10 Power Plant converSion ProjectProject number: MPP2469-SATerritory: Saudi Arabia Client: Saudi Electricity Company - Central Region (Saudi Arabia)Address: Burj Al Faisaliyah Bldg., Floor 22, King Fahad RoadCity: Riyadh 11416Postal/ ZIP: 22955Phone: (+966-1) 461 9030 / 461 9009Fax: (+966-1) 403 2222Email: [email protected]: http://www.se.com.saDescription: Build, own and operate (BOO) contract for the conversion of 3,400MW PP10 simple-cycle power plant to a combined-cycle facility by adding 1,300MW of capacity.

budget: 1000000000

Period: 2014Status: New tenderRemarks: This project is located at a site 80 kilometres west of Riyadh in Saudi Arabia. It involves converting five blocks (A1, A2, B1 & B2 and C1) from simple-cycle to combined-cycle. The expansion will comprise (10 Nos.) steam turbine generators, (40 Nos.) heat-recovery steam generators and (10 Nos.) air-cooled condensers. Six companies have submitted commercial bids for the EPC contract. They include: Local Arabian Bemco - $1.434 billion - Spain's Tecnicas Reunidas - $1.484 billion- South Korea's Hyundai Heavy Industries - $1.485 billion - Japan's Marubeni and South Korea's Hyundai Engineering & Construction - $1.648 billion - US' Black & Veatch and Saudi Arabia's National Contracting Company - $1.998 billion - South Korea's Doosan Heavy Industries - $2.592 billion. Tender categories: Power generation & distribution

oman

� Project name: Fort hotel ProjectProject number: OPR496-OTerritory: Oman Client: Oman Tourism Development Company S.A.O.C (Omran)Address: Muttrah PC 114Postal/ZIP Code: 479Phone: (+968) 2477 3700Fax: (+968) 2479 3929Email: [email protected]: http://www.omran.omDescription: Development of five-star Fort Hotel comprising (120) suites as well as six spa suites and eight luxury villas, including a host of high-end restaurants, spa and leisure facilities and a 100-seat

The region’s largest heavy equipment exhibition

The Construction Machinery Show will be the largest heavy construction machinery event in the region. There will be a wide variety of products on show ranging from heavy equipment to machinery and generators including service providers. There are plans of a live auction and demonstration area for visitors to get a real idea of the capabilities of

the equipment. This event is dedicated to the construction machinery sector and will provide an invaluable platform for customers in the Arab world bringing manufacturers,

distributors and buyers together.

In 2012 the Construction Machinery Show will be co-located with the Saudi Building & Interiors Exhibition. SBIE is an ideal business platform to find out about the latest building and interiors industry developments, assess the competition and network with specialist

contractors, equipment and material suppliers, as well as solution providers.

We will be in Jeddah next April. Will you?

22-25 APRIL 2012Jeddah Centre for Forums & Events

Co-located with

Saudi Building & Interiors Exhibition

Find out more. Visit www.constructionmachineryshow.com

The Construction Machinery Show and Construction Machinery Middle East and their entities are registered trademarks. The Construction Machinery Show is held alongside the Saudi Building and Interiors Exhibition under the patronage of the Saudi Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs. © 2011 Corporate Publishing International. All rights reserved.

ORGANISED BY

With over 20,000 sqm of space showcasing:Crawler Cranes, Mobile Cranes, Tower Cranes, Graders, Loaders, Compressors, Crushers, Fork Lifts, Skid Steers, Piling Rigs, Excavators, Access Platforms, Bull Dozers, Concrete Pumps, Cement Mixers, Grabs, Trucks, Material Handling Equipment, Front Shovels, Cherry Pickers, Rollers, Communication & Navigation Systems, and more...

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Inter Build Jordan FairAmman, Jordan: October 3-6

The only event in Jordan for construction, building materials, interior design and

decorations industry, and an engineering and trading event covering all engineering

sectors: Construction, Consultancy, Architecture, Electrical, Mechanical and

Chemical Divisions.

The Forum & Exhibition LibyaTripoli, Libya: October 10-12

Dedicated to construction, equipment and decoration items and organised by Waha

Expo. Products will include exterior decorative materials, flooring, roofing, doors and

opening parts, rire prevention and more.

The Tourism Investment & Real Estate Development

AleppoAleppo, Halab, Syria: October 14- 18

Highlighting the efforts presented by the Syrian government and other Institutions

specialised in tourism investment and real estate to activate the sector. More than

58 companies will take part in the event, organised by Al Haitham Exhibitions and

Conferences.

Qatar International Environment Protection

ExhibitionDoha, Qatar: October 16-18

ecoQ is a multi-sector environment trade fair addressing advancements in environment

protection technologies, sustainable energy and green business practices applied towards

a more sustainable future. An excellent opportunity and a unique

Saudi BuildRiyadh, Saudi Arabia: October 16-19

Saudi Build is one of the leading trade shows that provides unique and comprehensive

business solutions to real estate contractors and agents, developers, as well as those who

own housing properties.

Greenbuild International Coference & ExpoToronto, Canada: October 4-7 An opportunity to expand your business presence in the rapidly growing green building industry. The industry’s premier event, Greenbuild brings together professionals from across the industry and around the world.

SAIE-International Building Trade FairBologna, Italy: October 5-8 One of a number of related shows in Italy this month, SAIE-International building exhibition is one of the best forums that enable comprehensive discussions on building solutions, projects and technologies for building architecture.

Real Estate World CongressMumbai, Maharashtra, India: October 7-8 Thought leadership conference with visionary keynotes and panel discussions; an exhibition with top companies displaying the solutions that will define the real estate future and an awards ceremony highlighting the India’s most innovative projects and initiatives.

Turkeybuild IzmirIzmir, Turkey: October 13-16 Turkeybuild benefits from the economic growth and the inflow of foreign capital and is regarded as a very promising market. It is growing rapidly, and numerous projects in the field of road construction, house building and the construction of office premises are planned.

INTERBUILDBirmingham UK: October 17-19 A place to share best practice, inform on new product development and review technological advancements.

Yapex BuildAntalya, Turkey: October 27-30 The primary fair for building materials and construction technologies. Over 30,000 worldwide visitors are expected with more than 400 exhibitors.

GLoBAL STATS

$312 bn Value of investments planned by Opec countries by 2015

$142 bn Value of road and bridge projects in the GCC

1100 Projects initiated for regeneration of Kuwait

3.5m Shortage in units of affordable housing in MENA region

DIA

RY | IN

DUSTRY EVENTSDIARY

OCTOBER

MENA INTERNATIONAL


Bahman Sotoudeh marketing and SaleS gloBal king technologieS“We knew from the beginning that this would not be the place to just come to and sell. What we have to do is make an awareness in the mar-ket that ‘Discovery’ is ready for handover and also build the brand.

“The property market is totally different from the trading market; It is all cycles and dynamics, so now the market is down but it is the right time for the real developers to come to the market.”

trevor collin ProPerty Broker, elySian “There are a lot of sellers here. We have a project in Abu Dhabi that we are selling and we have got some really good leads from the exhibition. We have 35 units to sell in one tower and ideally we want to sell them all, but if we sell a third we’ll be really happy.

“I think the market will increase slightly, rentals are going well and there is a huge demand coming from the UK and Europe, so prices are going up about 5% at the moment.”

mark young young deSign“We’re aiming to meet up with our old contacts and remind people we are still here. A lot of people who came here a few years ago have

your Shout

Get involved: visit: www.thebigprojectme.com Follow us on twitter: MetheBigProjectBecome a group member on linkedin or become a fan on Facebook: thebigproject

The Big Project asked exhibitors at CityScape for their observations on the market and their aims for this year’s event

YoU

R SHo

Ut | CITYSCAPE 2011

found it hard since and have left the UAE. We are still here and have been working for 20 years in Dubai and the surrounding area.

“We are seeing cautious optimism in the market; last year there was cautious optimism and we got potential leads but no contracts, so this year we are hoping there may be a lot more reaction from people. It is hopeful so far because contacts from previous years remember us but are still dependent on finance for their projects to take off.”

tahir kameli executive director chicagoland“This exhibition is much smaller than previous years and that reflects the world economy, but at the same time it shows that not many people are looking at real estate as a good investment any-more. We have learned over the last two years that real estate prices can come down and not many people expected that, but this is a good event and we are looking to attract foreign investment to the United States.”

Engineer of your creative visionArmstrong’s Atelier team of multi-talented, versatile experts experienced in pioneering ceiling and wall solutions is committed to providing intelligent, effi cient, cost-effective tailored solutions to meet revolutionary, state-of-the art interior project designs.

Discover the newly-launched Armstrong Atelier team, as well as a dynamic new Atelier website.

www.armstrong-atelier.eu

To decode this fl ashcode,you need to downloadMOBILETAG applicationon your smartphone app store.

Dubai Airport, UAE Founders Federal Credit Union, US

AP_AS_213x276_UK_PP.indd 1 17/08/11 15:52

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