Monthly Construction news, tenders, project focus, and forthcoming exhibitions in QatarIssue No.103 - February 2016

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InFocus InFocus RailSurvey

Sustainability part of new hotel grading and classification system

Hotel sector in Qatar is set for a major expansion

In Depth coverage: Alstom Transport committed to sustainable mobility

QGBC launches training survey

Qatar has seen the launch of literally tens of hotels in the 5-star, 4-star as well as 3-star category over the last five years. This has been due to extensive local investment form the government, private Qatari real estate groups as well as foreign hotel groups. It seems that the market has started to move away from the prestige of 5-star hotel ownership towards real market demands as evidenced by local investor sentiment. Construction Sites looks at how the Middle east has established itself as the next frontier in luxury travel for the affluent as well as the market growth in 3-4- and 5-star hotels. In 2015 alone there were 1800 hotels added to the already existing 18,000 keys in Qatar.

In Focus: Hospitality sector in Qatar

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Asteco adds new expertise to sales and marketing division Asteco Property Management has appointed Mario Volpi as head of project sales and Ruby Sawhney as marketing manager for its real estate sales, leasing and franchise divisions.Volpi, who brings more than 30 years’ sales experience to the table, is tasked with oversee-ing sales and leasing activities for the Dubai-headquartered firm’s sizeable portfolio of high profile projects, focusing on overall strategy, market pricing analysis, sales negotiation man-agement and team development.A veteran of the property market in both London and the Mena region, Volpi held several senior positions in the UK with renowned countrywide property specialists Jackson-Stops & Staff. Volpi is a well-recognised figure in Dubai real estate circles having held numerous manage-ment positions with eminent real estate companies where he was responsible for a number of projects across the UAE, according to a Asteco press release. “A combination of solid industry experience and an in-depth knowledge and understanding of the region made him an obvious choice to lead our projects team,” says Asteco Managing Director John Stevens.“Our sales and leasing portfolio is constantly expanding so Mario’s appointment will promote further growth and underscores Asteco’s prominent position as the region’s leading real es-tate consultancy and property management firm,” adds Stevens.Describing Asteco as “a force to be reckoned with in the local real estate market”,Volpi said he was looking forward to work closely with some of the sharpest minds in the industry, and to further developing our quality portfolio and sales strategy.Volpi’s knowledge of the industry has resulted in a number industry accolades, most recently the People’s Choice Real Estate Awards 2015 for sellers in the region. Volpi can also be found making various radio and TV appearances as well as writing his own weekly column answer-ing residents’ property issues.Joining the group as marketing manager is Ruby Sawhney, a sector specialist with more than 10 years’ hands-on marketing experience across the GCC. “Sawhney has in-depth knowl-edge of communication strategy development and implementation, project launches, prod-uct management, branding and advertising across the real estate, construction and retail spectrum,” says the Asteco release.“Sawhney was previously head of marketing & communications for the JAFZA-based Danube Group, where her global communications and marketing remit across all divisions included construction and building materials, retail and real estate portfolio activities,” adds the re-lease.Prior to that, she led the marketing team at the multimillion Global Omani Development & Investment Company (GLOREI), Oman’s largest real estate company, where, among other projects she was part of the team who launched one of the Sultanate’s most luxurious devel-opments, the Lamar Bausher mixed-use community.“Ruby brings fantastic all-round insight to the role, from cutting edge digital marketing ca-pabilities and consumer research expertise, to budget planning and CSR strategy develop-ment,” says Stevens.“As we move into the second half of the decade, it is more important than ever that we maintain our market-leading position and, we look forward to rolling out some exciting new initiatives in 2016,” adds Stevens.Sawhney says Asteco has built an enviable reputation in the last three decades. “I look forward to working with the rest of the team in further strengthening our position in the Middle East as one of the region’s leading real estate services firms,” says Sawhney.Asteco, one of the largest property services companies in the United Arab Emirates, was founded in Dubai in 1985. Asteco offers independent market analysis, design development consultancy and valuation services, sales and leasing services, as well as asset and property management services.

DC Pro Engineering bags fourth consecutive District Cooling Consultant of the Year awardDC Pro Engineering UAE, a leading global authority in district energy, has won its fourth consecutive District Cooling Consultant of the Year accolade at the fifth annual Climate Control Middle East Awards.Assessed on entries’ commitment to adopting and sustaining an inter-connected approach in projects, the District Cooling Consultant of the Year accolade was open to industry play-ers from across the heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration (HVACR) sector.DC Pro Engineering claimed top honor because of its “consistent commitment to green practices including energy efficiency, resource conservation, and reliability”.“This award demonstrates that DC Pro Engineering continues to raise the bar of excel-lence in the delivery and execution of sound District Cooling design consultancy services,” said Fouad Younan, Managing Director of DC Pro, when collecting the award. “DC Pro Engineering continues to work hand-in-hand with project proponents and con-tractors to provide creative solutions and innovative technologies that offer sustainable energy savings and ensure maximum efficiency in district cooling systems,” Younan said.“This prestigious recognition serves only to inspire us to continue innovating towards a sustainable future for all.” The Climate Control Awards 2015 comprised an unprecedented 37 categories, with all entries evaluated by a judging panel. A third-party auditing firm monitored the entire exercise to ensure propriety, fairness and credibility.With DC Pro Engineering developing alternative design solutions and optimization tech-niques that exceed project requirements and provide added-value to customers, the com-pany’s knowledge and innovation has facilitated several design trends across the Mena region. DC Pro Engineering’s key projects feature some of the largest in the Middle East includ-ing Jeddah’s Kingdom Tower, envisioned to be the world’s tallest building, and the new King Abdul-Aziz International Airport, as well as the award winning Riyadh’s Al Bustan II Development. The company is also involved in the Khalifa Stadium project in Qatar, the Mariyah Island and Saadiyat Island projects in Abu Dhabi, another award-winning Innovation Park in Mus-cat and many more. DC PRO Engineering is a recognized world leader in the fields of District Energy, Co-gener-ation and Tri-generation. The firm is also a renowned sustainability leader in Green Building MEP Designs. DC PRO’s services include engineering design, consulting, and project management in District Cool-ing, Combined Heat & Power (CHP) Co-generation and Tri-generation, Green Building MEP Design and Renewable Energy. Other services include engineering reviews, feasibility studies, efficiency monitoring and recommendations for energy performance improvement. In recognition of its innovative and superior quality designs, DC PRO was selected as Best District Cooling Consultancy Company for 2012, 2013 and 2014 by Climate Control Magazine/CPI Industry. The company has several international projects in its portfolio starting from Sydney Baran-garoo South, Singapore Marina Bay Sands and Several Hilton Hotels in Kampala, Chad, Abuja, Seychelles, Iraq, Lebanon and the GCC.

Qatar Environment and Energy Research Institute kicks off international conference ondesalination and environmentQatar Environment and Energy Research Institute (QEERI), in collaboration with Elsevier and ConocoPhillips Qatar, inaugurated the second International Conference on Desalina-tion and Environment (ICODE 2016) on 24 January 2016. ICODE, a prestigious interna-tional conference held every three years, is being hosted in Qatar for the first time.QEERI is a research and development entity under Hamad bin Khalifa University (HBKU), a member of Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development (QF). Aligned with the Qatar National Vision 2030 to develop a sustainable and diversi-fied knowledge-based economy, QEERI aims to increase research and development in the country, and address Qatar’s Grand Challenges.The three-day conference, taking place at the Sheraton Doha Resort & Convention Hotel, concludes on Tuesday. It aims to address cutting-edge research issues in water treatment and desalination sci-ence and techniques by internationally renowned experts in the field. The event began with a welcome speech from Dr Nidal Hilal, QEERI Deputy Director for Water Research, Editor-in-Chief of the international journal, ‘Desalination’, and Chairman of the Conference.“The State of Qatar heavily depends on desalinated seawater to satisfy 99 per cent of its municipal water demand. Therefore, developing technologies with increasing energy efficiency, reduced cost, mini-mum health risks, and environmental impact is a priority to the country and this confer-ence,” Dr Hilal explained. “Hosting such important international conferences in Qatar provide a venue for experts from around the world to exchange ideas and foster collaboration that can be beneficial to advancing the research agenda of both QEERI and Qatar. In addition, this will put Qa-tar on the international map as a hub for innovation and knowledge exchange,” Dr Hilal concluded.

Biodiesel from used cooking oilLootah Bio Fuel (LBF), a fully-owned subsidiary of the SS Lootah Group, is a leader in the waste-to-energy and alternative fuel industry in the UAE. LBF manufactures biodiesel of which the raw material or feedstock is used cooking oil (UCO). The resultant is the cheapest diesel in the UAE and reduces carbon emissions from vehicles.Dubai produces over thousands of tons of UCO monthly. For companies involved in the food and beverage sector, the disposal of UCO is a huge problem as food companies and restau-rants are prohibited from disposing it through the sewage system. The waste product is a gold mine for LBF which handles the collection of around 200,000 liters of UCO through an in-house department.“The utilization of UCO in the manufacture of biodiesel defines the very essence of sustain-ability,” comments LBF CEO Yousif Saeed Lootah. “Unlike in the manufacturing processes of biodiesel from plant sources such as corn, soy, and palm which require arable land for the cultivation of these crops, UCO is a readily avail-able feedstock that only needs collection,” Lootah points out. The decision to use UCO in the production of biodiesel for LBF has helped in raising the company’s green profile and can also help elevate the CSR profiles of companies that con-tract with LBF.However, the collection of UCO is a challenge as there are many unauthorized collectors who pay extra for UCO from various food and beverage outlets. Most of these unauthorized col-lectors then go on to export the UCO and in some countries it is resold as cooking oil which when consumed is a health risk. “We work closely with the Dubai Municipality and other government institutions on building a regulatory framework that prevents the unauthorized UCO collectors from operating and exporting the UCO,” explains Lootah, when asked about efforts to combat the challenges in collecting UCO.Environmental sustainability and green initiatives have got a boost in the UAE following gov-ernment plans and policies outlined in the national strategy reports such as Dubai Strategic Plan 2021, UAE National Agenda 2021 and Dubai Integrated Energy Strategy 2030. The reports outline plans centered on protecting the environment, managing consumption of natural resources and diversification of UAE’s energy mix.

Qatar

SITESC o n s t r u C t i o n 3Seminar

While urbanization sprawl continues in and around Doha, several

questions concerning the en-vironmental impact of these changes arise. What is the ef-fect of new projects and infra-structure upgrade on the soil, air quality and groundwater of these areas? How will they af-fect the lives of residents in the urban expansion areas?Environment impact assess-ment is crucial as Doha sees rapid development. Construction Sites talks to Engi-neer Amar Hamid El Awad, Gen-eral Manager of Green Energy and Environmental Services, on the importance of develop-ing necessary environmental management plans to ensure a balanced approach and com-pliance to sustainability stan-dards.Green Energy and Environmen-tal Services (GEESC) specializ-es in health, safety and environ-ment training and consultancy. It provides feasibility studies and pre-design, design and management of projects on all aspects of environmental, en-ergy and sustainability issues.What’s the importance of environment impact as-sessment for construction projects?Environment impact assess-ment (EIA) is not only for con-struction projects but for any kind of relatively big-scale de-velopment or industrial proj-ects. The project owner has to do an EIA to identify all the impacts resulting from the con-struction and the operation of this specific development so as to plan how to control these im-pacts during construction and operation and how to mitigate the adverse impacts. It also aims to understand what would be the involvement of the community, because any development project will have its impacts on the surrounding

community, whether on people working in the project or people living near by the project. All of these need to be investigated. You need to see the impact of the project on the soil, ground-water, air quality, as well as on workers involved and how they will be affected by the activities of the project. Do investigations differ ac-cording to the type of proj-ect or is there a specific set of tests and investiga-tion that you do for every project?The EIA is a big task and it in-volves many experts. First, there is a desktop study, where you have to read about the area, its geology, soil, ground-water and the like. Then you have to do field tests which include taking samples to es-tablish the base conditions. You need to see the status of the site before the start of any development. Many of these analyses need to be done through a laboratory where they are studied accord-ing to internationally-approved standards and systems. Ashghal has approved certain labs to conduct geotechnical-related test or water-related analysis. You also have to iden-tify the heritage and archeology of the area as well and there is a specific procedure for that you need to do with QMA. So it’s not only lab-based, it also involves expert investigation.The required tests and inves-tigation depend mainly on the scale of the project and how many sensitive receptors are near by the project. The more sensitive receptors you have, the more samples you need to take near their location to iden-tify the impact on these people from construction activities or operation activities. Is environment impact as-sessment mandatory by the Qatari law?Law number 30 of the year

2002 gives a very clear instruc-tion to private and government organizations to conduct EIA before the start of any project. Of course, here we are not talk-ing about a small two- or three-storey building. But relatively larger scale projects like stadi-ums, all infrastructure projects like roads, tunnels, and bridges and industrial buildings like factories, they all have to con-duct an EIA.The project owner or contractor can’t do the EIA by himself, but he has to assign an approved consultant to do it. It is then submitted to the Ministry of En-vironment which will then meet with the project owner and the consultant to discuss what is the scope of the study.Then if all aspects are ap-proved, only then you can start the study.After you complete the study, you do a draft EIA report to sub-mit to the Ministry of Environ-ment again. The ministry dis-cusses the report and it might add more tests or ask for more investigation, then it gives you the permit. Only then the project owner can go ahead to get other munici-pality approvals and required permits. If you don’t have the environmental permit, you will not go any further.Is it the sole responsibility of the owner to do the EIA? The EIA is the responsibility of the owner, but there is a Con-struction Environmental Man-agement Plan (CEMP) that is the responsibility of the con-tractor. This is also stated by the law and it should be ap-proved by the Ministry of Envi-ronment.The EIA will give the general guidance for the construction and operation and will look to alternatives to the project, if needed. For example, in terms of location, it will identify if it is necessary for the project to be in this location or can it be

done elsewhere to minimize impact? On the other hand, the contrac-tor is fully responsible to do the CEMP, which aims to mitigate environmental impact during construction practice. The con-tractor needs to do this through an environmental consultant and get the approval of Ministry of Environment for it.What does the CEMP in-clude?The EIA establishes base line conditions for the project. It gives info about the state of the site before any development. While the CEMP identifies the detailed control measures the contractor need to take. The contractor should take samples of agreed identified groundwa-ter, soil, air quality, etc to see the impact from operation, from the construction, as well as the impact on the workers. Both the developer and con-tractor are responsible and li-able by the regulations.During your work in Qatar, have you noted any recur-rent environmental impact on construction sites?The impact of every project will be different. The location of the project will define the kind of environmental impact. For example, in some areas the groundwater table is far below, so there is less chance for its contamination. In projects near the Corniche, the groundwater table is only 2.5m deep, so any contamination will definitely af-fect the water quality there. So it all depends on the location, type and scale of project. What has been the re-sponse of construction community in Qatar to these procedures so far?It’s a varied response. Many companies, especially in the large infrastructure projects, do include the EIA require-ment and CEMP because it is a regulatory requirement and because it is an international

practice now.What we realized in the last cou-ple of years is that the market in Qatar is catching up. Many of the companies started to real-ize that it is important and they need to include it in their offers for construction budgets. They might need to collect certain samples or buy specific equip-ment to measure air quality during the construction activity. These environment monitoring reports need to be submitted to the Ministry of Environment on quarterly basis. I don’t say that all the compa-nies realize the importance of EIA and understand it, but it has become more obvious, partially because it has strictly been applied in the last two years and partially because there are so many large-scale projects and developments go-ing on in Qatar.What’s the main concern of contractors who are re-luctant to include EIA and CEMP? Is it cost or per-ceived delays to construc-tion schedule?It’s both. Some contractors don’t include budgets on their tender for this. Time is also a concern for some contractors because you need to prepare the documents to submit to the ministry which needs to approve it. But if they were pre-pared for it at the early stages of the project, I think it will not take so much time. If you want to start it at the time you are mobilizing, then it will delay the construction process.There are projects that were suspended for some time be-cause they did not meet this requirement or did not get ap-proval of environment docu-mentation. So, I advise con-tractors to assign a department or a person to handle issues related to environment as they do with health and safety.Are you involved in imple-mentation of mitigation

measures for projects?Usually we will identify, either in the EIA or ECMP, certain control or mitigation measures.It will not provide a complete technical solution but it will identify ways to minimize your waste, reduce impact on soil, noise, vibration, dust suppres-sion, emissions from equip-ment, etc. We only provide recommenda-tions but we can participate in the supervision of the imple-mentation of mitigation proce-dures. Do you send samples to be tested in labs outside Qa-tar?Most of the tests can be done in Qatar. Sometimes, we have challenges with air quality equipment. But so far, we didn’t need to send samples outside. Any final thoughts?Qatar works quite hard to have the best conditions for the wel-fare of workers. It is very strict with environmental impact of projects and the ministry has several teams of inspectors to visit projects to evaluate and take samples to cross check. It is very important that contrac-tors are aware of the govern-ment’s requirements and to be well prepared.Some contractors expect the consultant to have all the infor-mation about anything related to their project. But in order for us to prepare comprehensive documents, we sometimes tell the contractor: we can’t start unless you provide us certain information. We cannot just develop for you an EIA just like that. We need to know everything about the proj-ect, like its planning, the man-power, the materials you will use, the chemicals, the equip-ment, a lot of details. You need to go through each and every detail to be able to decide what impact will result from this activity to be able to advise the contractor.

How to reduce environmental impacts of development projectsQatar is very strict with environmental impact of development projects

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LegaL

titled under Clause 44, and(b) the amount of such costs, which shall be added to the Contract Price, and shall no-tify the Contractor accord-ingly, with a copy to the Em-ployer.”allows the Contractor to sus-pend or reduce the rate of work where the payment of a certified sum is 28 days late and 28 day’s notice has been given. The Contractor is obliged to resume work “as soon as is reasonably possi-ble” once payment is made. The Contractor is further en-titled to time and costs un-der Clause 44, for the delay/cost it suffers. Unsurprisingly, this clause in Qatar based contracts based on the FIDIC form, is either heavily amended or completely removed. In this regard, and where a contrac-tor suspends performance of its works with no contractual right to do so, the contractor will likely be responsible for delay to the works and thus, for liquidated damages for such delay. It further risks termination by the employer for failing to progress the works in accordance with the contract. Under Qatar law, there is no express right to suspend per-formance of the works in the above scenario. However, ref-erence is sometimes made to Article 191 of Law No 22 of 2004 of (the “Qatar Civil Code”), which is known collo-quially as the “corresponding obligations clause”, Article 191 states: “In contracts that are bilat-erally binding, if the recipro-cal obligations are exigible, either of the parties may refrain from fulfilling his ob-ligation, if the other party

does not fulfil his obligation, unless otherwise agreed or custom dictates to the con-trary”.This provides a possible ar-gument for suspension in the form of the principle of “ex-ception d’inexécution” which finds its origins in French law and, through Egyptian law, into the local law. In relation to Article 161 of the Egyptian Civil Code (which is very simi-lar to the Qatar provision) the scholar, Professor Shanab, comments “The contractor is entitled, according to the general rules, to refrain from performing his obligations as long as the employer refrains from paying the sums due”. This is however not an un-conditional right to withhold performance in the event of non-payment. Similarly, Whelan in the “Of-ficial Commentary to the UAE Civil Code” on Article 247 (which is also similar to Ar-ticle 191 of the Qatar Civil Code) says :“One of the principles on which the system of con-tracts binding on both par-ties is based is the connec-tion between the mutual obligations to be performed on the basis of mutual ex-change. If performance of these obligations is due, then one of the two con-tracting parties may not be compelled to do that which he is obliged to do before the other contracting party performs his corresponding obligation. On this basis, the corresponding obligations must be performed at the same time, and help may be derived from the procedures of actual tender in order to ascertain which of the two contracting parties is making

Suspension of performance for non-paymentfailure in performance. Thus, each of the two contracting parties has the right to with-hold performance of that which he is obliged to do un-til he is given that which he is entitled to, and by relying on that right or defence he is do-ing no more than to suspend the operation of the contract. The contract is not cancelled in such a case, nor are the obligations arising out of it terminated in any way. It is simply a question of the halt-ing of performance, and this is fundamentally different from cancellation, and the defence of non-performance of the contract.However that may be, it is not permitted to the contracting party to abuse this defence. It is not open to him to rely on it in order to withhold per-formance of his obligation, if the corresponding obliga-tion has been performed as to a large part thereof, and the part that remains unper-formed is minor to the extent that it does not justify taking such a step.It has been assumed in the foregoing cases that the time for performance has matured for both sets of correspond-ing obligations in the con-tract binding on both sides. If the contract obliges one of the two contracting parties to commence performance of his obligation before the

other contracting party, it is not open to him to take ad-vantage of that defence, as he must perform his obliga-tion without waiting for per-formance on the part of the other contracting party”.Thus, this principle permits one party not to perform his obligations if the other does not perform, provided that the obligations are interde-pendent, reciprocal and due for performance at the same time. The position under construc-tion contracts is however most often the case that work is carried out and then, after, the employer is obliged to pay for that work. These obligations are therefore not due for performance at the same time. It will likely be very difficult therefore to argue that non-payment in respect of work already per-formed provides grounds for a party not to carry out fur-ther contract work. Insofar as a party threatens not to pay for future contract work (i.e. not to perform its obligations), then it may be arguable that this is a breach of a reciprocal obliga-tion which justifies non-per-formance (i.e. suspension). Such a threat would have to be clear refusal to perform, and not simply a dispute as to entitlement.Please note also, all laws in

Qatar (save for those of Qa-tar Financial Centre) are pub-lished in the Arabic language only. Thus excerpts below are taken from unofficial English translations. Where there is a query in relation to the in-terpretation of a provision of local law, recourse should be had to the Arabic text. Should you have any ques-tions in connection with this article or the legal is-sues it covers, please con-tact Laura Warren, Partner of Clyde & Co LLP at laura.warren@clydeco.com

C ircumstances where we are often asked to advise, involve an employer or con-

tractor which has failed to pay a contractor/subcontrac-tor pursuant to the terms of the contract, and the ag-grieved party seeks advice on whether it may suspend performance of its works pending receipt of payment. The first port of call in this scenario will be to look at contractual rights. As an example, Clause 69.4 [Contractor’s Entitlement to Suspend Work] of FIDIC Conditions of Contract for Works of Civil Engineering Construction (Fourth Edition) 1987, which states:“Without prejudice to the Contractor’s entitlement to interest under Sub-Clause 60.10 and to terminate un-der Sub-Clause 69.1, the Contractor may, if the Em-ployer fails to pay the Con-tractor the amount due un-der any certificate of the Engineer within 28 days after the expiry of the time stated in Sub-Clause 60.10 within which payment is to be made, subject to any de-duction that. the Employer is entitled to make under the Contract, after giving 28 days’ prior notice to the Employer, with a copy to the Engineer, suspend work or reduce the rate of work.If the Contractor suspends work or reduces the rate of work in accordance with the provisions of this Sub-Clause and thereby suffers delay or incurs cost the Engineer shall, after due consultation with the Employer and the Contractor, determine:(a) any extension of time to which the Contractor is en-

Laura Warren is a partner of the International Law firm, Clyde & Co LLP, in Doha. Laura has a wide ranging contentious and non con-tentious construction practice in-volving projects in Qatar as well as in the UAE, Oman, Bahrain, Libya, Egypt and TunisiaLaura is Co-ordinator for the Soci-ety of Construction Law (Gulf) in Qatar.

Laura Warren

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interview

As part of its on-going campaign Qatar Green Building Council

is inviting its members and supporters to take part in a survey that will help them to develop a training agenda based on their needs.QGBC has been working with an ever broadening constituency to position the grassroots organiza-

tion as the “go-to” for certified sustainability training in Qatar. QGBC also encourages sus-tainability advocates to become more involved in their R&D initiatives through joining one of the many working groups like those focusing on, Green Building Infra-structure, Water, Solid Waste, Air Quality and also Hospitality amongst

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SITESC o n s t r u C t i o n8

DeSign

Can you see sound? Appar-ently not, but that’s exactly what Cundall had been trying to do. The international multi-disciplinary consultancy and world’s first consultancy to be formally endorsed as a One Planet Company by sustain-ability charity BioRegional has recently launched in Doha its new acoustic service that will transform the way we “see” acoustics, or so it says.Cundall says its technicians have found a way to allow cli-ents to experience a new way of understanding acoustics which enables valued decisions.The new virtual reality tool by Cundall is supposed to portray design intent in ways that cli-ents and designers can actually understand. The Oculus Rift virtual reality headset, gaming controller and high quality headphones, are used to enable people to enter into an immersive audio and vi-sual environment; the way the space sounds changes as you move through the building.By having a real sense of being in the space, clients will be in a better position to take valued decisions on internal finishes based on experiential factors rather than just numbers on a page. The system is portable and can be taken anywhere for additional convenience.Construction Sites talked with Andrew Parkin, acoustics part-

ner at Cundall, about the virtual reality tool experience and com-mon issues facing acousticians in Qatar, among other topics.Parkin is global head of acous-tics for Cundall, based in the UK. He is passionate about de-sign-led engineering, especially in helping clients and other stakeholders realize their aspi-rations through smart design.Is it a common practice in other countries you are working in to have acousti-cians involved in the design stage of projects?I think it’s becoming a more and more common practice to be involved since the very start. I think historically acousticians have always been brought in too late. The problem there is that to retrofit acoustic treat-ment costs a lot of money. So, I think people are begin-ning to see the value of getting acoustics involved at an early stage. In some countries it’s more advanced than others.How is the situation like in Qatar?Qatar is actually pretty much in-formed and we do get involved from early stages, which is good. A lot of the times clients are bind to contract require-ments or by regulations. So, if an international hotel comes to Qatar, for example, they will have their own acoustics crite-ria that you have to comply with and the only way you can com-

ply with these criteria is to do it from the start. So, it’s probably a mixture of an evolving construction indus-try getting better informed and also different working practices coming in to Qatar from differ-ent countries as well.How do the local regula-tions handle acoustics?Currently, I am not aware of any such regulations. I see that probably changing over time. Proper acoustic regulations will slowly work its way through, but it will take a while to do that.How much change can you do in acoustic design of a building after construc-tion?In theory, you can do anything. But it’s the amount of disrup-tion and the cost that would af-fect any change.If we have got a hall with no acoustic treatment at all, to put it right you have to introduce some more surface finishes. Since those finishes won’t have been taken into account in the original aesthetics; they will look out of place. Also, any new product will take a space, so the room would become smaller. You can normally tell when something is an afterthought or not because it doesn’t blend in and it’s not good. So, you can fix “bad” acoustic design, but it will just be disruptive.How would the experience of using your virtual reality

tool feel for the client?There are two things that you wear; one is the head set which takes a stereo image for site and that gives a very realistic 3D image of where you are, added to that there are head-phones and the model will show you how the sound changes as you walk through the space. Us-ing a game remote control you can virtually walk around the building and experience sound variations in different locations.What we tend to do up to this point is have an approxima-tion to what the sound would be like. So, there is one sound file that will represent a specific room, but in reality, depend-ing on where you stand in that room, the sound will change. So it enables you to have a more dynamic view of the space rath-er than the static one we have otherwise.How complex is the process of feeding data to the tool and how much time does it take?It depends on the size and com-plexity of the space. If the room is large or if you want to have three iterations of different materials, for example, it might take a week to get the model demonstrate it.If it’s a simple room, it might not take very long at all. How-ever, simple rooms won’t actu-ally see the benefits of this as much.

It’s large halls, shopping malls, open-plan office, etc that would see the benefit of that.Do you plan to introduce the virtual reality tool to clients in Qatar?We have already started to use it with clients here. There is an office fit-out project where we are currently using the tool in. It’s still at a very early stage, but it has functionality now where we can use it. But it comes with a cost, because it has taken a lot of time to develop. So, we need to find a point where we can commercially make it viable to projects of various scopes.What are the most common acoustic problems you see in Qatar?One of the big problems is that spaces tend to have lots of

hard finishes, especially public buildings. This is mainly done to maintain durability, because in public buildings you need something that would be easy to clean. If you had a lot of soft finishes they will get dirty very quickly. So a lot of spaces tend to be marble or stone and metal. These hard finishes mean that every bit of sound that hits them will bounce off again, nothing is being absorbed. You can try to introduce some interventions there that can make the space sound good so that it tends to get calm and manageable, while at the same time trying not to compromise the fact that it has to be kept clean and look smart and un-cluttered.

Transforming the way we ‘see’ acoustics“People are beginning to see the value of getting acoustics involved at an early stage”

A reduction in the energy de-mand of buildings can make a major contribution to achieving national and international car-bon reduction goals, in addition to addressing the interlinked issues of sustainable develop-ment, fuel poverty and fuel se-curity. This is the subject tackled by new book, Building Futures: Managing Energy in the Built Environment, written by Jane Powell, Jennifer Monahan and Chris Foulds and published by Routledge. The book adopts an interdis-ciplinary approach to explore questions like:*How do you practically go about reducing energy de-mands?*What are the main obstacles to or enablers of change?*How can we best monitor progress and performance?*What does this all mean for our future aspirations of con-structing lower-energy building stock?The twin roles of energy effi-ciency, which is predominantly concerned with technological solutions, and energy conserva-tion, which involves changing peoples’ behavior, are both ex-plored. The book includes a broad geographical range and scale of case studies from the UK,

Europe and further afield, in-cluding Passivhaus in Germany and the UK, Dongtan Eco City in China and retrofit houses in Denmark.It is a valuable resource for students and academics of environmental science and en-ergy-based subjects as well as construction and building man-agement professionals.“This book is essential reading for those interested in reducing emissions from buildings in a cost-effective and socially ac-ceptable manner,” says Prof Sir

Bob Watson, CMG FRS, Monash Sustainability Institute, Monash University & School of Environ-mental Sciences, University of East Anglia.About the authorsJane Powell is a senior lecturer in the School of Environmental Sciences at the University of East Anglia. She has research interests in the energy efficien-cy of buildings and low-carbon energy, in addition to environ-mental evaluation methodolo-gies such as lifecycle assess-ment.

Jennifer Monahan is an associ-ate tutor in the School of Envi-ronmental Sciences at the Uni-versity of East Anglia. She has research interests in energy efficiency of buildings and low-carbon construction.Chris Foulds is a senior re-search fellow in the consump-tion & change theme of Anglia Ruskin University’s Global Sus-tainability Institute. He is an environmental social scientist with a keen interest in the role of building occupants and pro-fessionals in the transition to a

low-carbon building stock.Reviews “This book is a must read for anyone planning a career in the built environment. It accurately captures the complexities of energy demand through focus-ing on interdisciplinarity and as-tutely assesses the opportuni-ties of smart energy in homes, retrofits and new builds. Impor-tantly, the book puts people right at the centre of its think-ing.” – Philip Sellwood, Chief Executive, Energy Saving

Trust“We are on the threshold of a ‘next generation’ of design thinking. This book explores some of the shortcomings in current approaches and pro-vides blueprints for designing genuinely better buildings in which we can successfully and comfortably survive in a warm-ing and resource challenged future.” – Sue Roaf, Professor of Architectural Engineering, Heriot-Watt University, Ed-inburgh

New book explores themes related to sustainable buildings

SITESC o n s t r u C t i o n10

Omeima Osman Ismaiel, an ar-chitect with more than 25 years of experience in Qatar construc-tion sector and an accredited member of the British Institute of Interior Design, has founded the Qatar Architects Hub, a net-working platform for the archi-tects in Qatar. Omeima understands the re-quirements of the local indus-try and the local need for “a stronger fabric of architects in Qatar”. Being an industry pro-fessional and experienced ar-chitect, Omeima has launched an initiative to shake a bit the ecosystem of architecture stu-dios in Qatar. Omeima talks about a range of issues in this interview with Construction Sites.Could you please tell about yourself, your background and from where the idea of creation a platform for ar-chitects came from?I am an architect and interior designer. I have a Master’s degree in architectural design management from the Instituto de Empresa in Spain and am an accredited member of the Brit-ish Institute of Interior Design, UK. Recently I joined the Future Inte-riors Conference as a member of the Advisory board. Having lived in Qatar for over 25 years, I worked as an architect in both the private sector as consul-tant and the public sector as client representative. My most recent position was as a senior researcher at Qatar Founda-

tion Faculty of Islamic Studies where I was fortunate to work with the world-renowned archi-tect Abdel-Wahed El-Wakeel. Before that I was architect and design project manager at the Qatar Olympic Committee and lead architect in Doha Asian Games Organizing Committee for the Airport and the Main Media Centre venues. What is the aim of the Qatar Architects Hub cre-ation?

The main aim is to bridge the gap in architecture in Qatar and to connect the local architects with their market and to raise the practice of architecture to international standards.The Architects Hub – Qatar in-tends to be the single leading architecture networking plat-form dedicated to empowering local architectural firms and professionals, fostering excel-lence in architectural practices and affecting a positive impact

on the urban landscape. The hub shall be a brick and mortar venue built on facilitat-ing face-to-face opportunities where architects can advertise their services, showcase their expertise and build valuable connections with peers, indus-try related professionals and potential clients. Supported by an online website, its visibil-ity will be further ensured on a 24/7 bases and members will be continually updated on the latest news, events and profes-sional development opportuni-ties via a regular newsletter. The Architects’ Hub is all about nurturing trust and creating value. We believe in the power of direct human interaction to bring out the best in people and build loyalty and success. We believe in fostering an open dialogue and harnessing diver-sity of thought, always challeng-ing the status quo, to push the boundaries of innovation.How does it work?It is more like an online visual directory that allows architec-ture firms to create their online galleries in order to grow their business. Potential clients can surf through the images in or-der to find the architect whose style and brand they like. It is thus trying to bridge the gap be-tween local architects and their market, making them easily and directly accessible.Who can register?A: We currently have two types of memberships; one for the lo-cal architecture firms registered in Qatar and the other for the global network. We also have a newsletter to which people can subscribe.The core members are the Lo-cal architecture firms. They get to create their personal ac-counts where they upload their company profile, contact details including map location and proj-ect images. Companies can ac-cess and update their accounts anytime. Only, locally-registered architecture firms get to create galleries of their projects. The global network includes all other professionals whose services are linked to architec-ture such as interior designers, project managers, engineers, artists, etc. These can be lo-cal as well as international. In-ternational architecture firms can also be part of the global network. The intention is to fa-cilitate team-building, collabo-

rations, partnerships and joint ventures. Network members only get to upload their logo and contact details with a link to their websites but no image gallery. The network is espe-cially relevant as Qatar heads towards the 2022 FIFA cup and the implementation of the QNV 2030 Vision, making it more feasible for local architects to participate in the new projects.Is the platform free of charge or paid?It is a paid service. However, as we are currently building our website memberships and validating the service; it is free at least up to June 2016 as a promotion.Do you organize network-ing activities for the con-struction industry?Yes. I do collaborate with the Qatar Society of Engineers in organizing some events. I con-tribute by introducing profes-sionals and companies to them for lectures, workshops and professional collaborations. What are the benefits of the Qatar Architects Hub for the construction profes-sionals?Construction professionals are diverse but all work together as members of teams to cre-ate our built environment and hence living experience. Archi-tects are integral in all aspects of the industry. Creating a net-working hub, I hope, will create better communication, closer cohesion and a continuous dialogue between profession-als thus creating opportunities for growth and better business. Of great value would be the ex-

change of knowledge and skills.What are the main challeng-es for the architects work-ing in Qatar’s market?I can only give my own views based on my experiences and observations. It is hard to gen-eralize because between the private sector and the public sector there is a difference es-pecially as there are four clas-sifications of architecture firms in Qatar, Grades A, B, C and international; each has its own limitations on the size of proj-ects and each caters for a type of client. But if I was to focus on the pri-vate sector, perhaps the big-gest challenge is Visibility and branding. I often ask colleagues and friends in Qatar “which ar-chitect would you hire to design your home” and I rarely ever get a name. People are more concerned with the contractor and the value of the architect is hardly appreciated – apart from being the means to the building permit. Generally I can summa-rize that the challenges are due to the following issues:Lack of International architec-tural practice standards: Many Local Architecture firms lack the skills needed to produce international standard architec-ture, making them uncompeti-tive in their own market. The Qatari urban landscape already boasts award winning projects and star-architect signature buildings. The standard is al-ready set.Lack of Visibility in their market: Local Architecture firms are not visible in their niche markets – perhaps lacking the business skill or unwilling to invest to actively market their services, showcase their potential and communicate with prospective clients. At the same time, local clients seeking architectural services have a hard time find-ing the right architect to work with and generally tend to find them in the following ways, which is often tedious and very time consuming:• Consult with family or

friends who have built be-fore.

• Drive around looking for a prototype to use then find-ing the architect.

• vVisiting several archi-tectural firms before decid-ing on one.

Difficulty finding team building for projects: finding partners to

collaborate on large projects or bid for public sector projects or go global is a costly and time consuming effort for local ar-chitects. With the fast pace of urban development, joint ven-tures are commonplace (mainly among Grade A firms) and give strength when companies col-laborate.New Graduates: The Qatar Uni-versity has been graduating ar-chitects for some years now. I hear that there is a challenge for them finding suitable training and jobs in the private sector or even starting their own design practices. All the graduates are ladies; this means more needs to be done to empower them to access the market.How do you see the Qatar Architects Hub in five to ten years?The Architects Hub by then should be an established net-working nucleus for architec-ture and a beacon of culture in the region as well as a business hub for architecture. We hope to create programs for profes-sional development and events to ensure continued progress as well as creating co-working hubs to empower graduates and start-ups. The hub shall include a physical venue espe-cially built and designed by lo-cal architects to reflect the local heritage. Have you any further plans that you want to share with the industry?I hope to create a joint col-laboration between the Qatar Society of Engineers (QSE) and the Architects Hub. I had ap-proached them recently and we are now studying means of collaboration. Working with an esteemed organization like the QSE and having its support would be a great achievement for the Architects Hub Qatar.

Move to bridge the gap betweenlocal architects and their market“The architects’ Hub is all about nurturing trust and creating value”

Local architecture firms are not visible in their niche mar-

kets – perhaps lack-ing the business

skill or unwilling to invest to actively market their ser-vices, showcase

their potential and communicate with

prospective clients.

The Architects’ Hub shall include a physical venue

especially built and designed by local

architects to reflect the local heritage.

interview

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The construction industry expe-rienced the strongest growth in Qatar in 2015, according to the recent “Top Industries in the Middle East and North Africa” survey, conducted by Bayt.com and YouGov, a pioneer in online market research.The survey found that 33% of Qatar respondents believed that the construction industry had experienced strong growth over the last year. Respondents in Qatar also recognized bank-ing/finance (27%) and airlines (25%) as industries with signifi-cant growth.According to the survey, health-care/medical services/phar-maceuticals and education/ac-ademia emerged as the sectors most attractive to women seek-ing a career in Qatar (36% for both), followed closely by hos-pitality/entertainment/ tourism (31%). Banking/finance (28%) and the airline industry (26%) were also popular choices among women.Most attractive industriesThe government/civil service/utilities sector emerged as the industry that attracts the high-est proportion of national tal-ent according to 41% of Qatar respondents. Other attractive industries for national talent include military/

defense/police/security ser-vices (23%), and banking and finance (21%). According to the poll, 62% of Qatar respondents view the government as a favorable employer of choice, with 43% perceiving the government as “extremely favorable” and only 6% viewing it as “extremely un-favorable”.Industry satisfactionAlmost two out of every five Qa-tar respondents are satisfied with their current/most recent salary packages (39%), inclu-sive of non-monetary benefits, 13% of which are “completely satisfied”. However, a little more than one in five (21%) of those surveyed are “completely dissatisfied” with their current/ most recent salary package.Overall, a high percentage of current employees or unem-ployed professionals looking for a job in Qatar are generally sat-isfied with what their industries offer/offered. Close to half of the respon-dents in Qatar are/were satis-fied with their career growth (48%), while 21% are/were “neither dissatisfied, nor satis-fied” and 12% are “completely dissatisfied”. In terms of maintaining a work-life balance, half of the re-

spondents in Qatar are/were satisfied (50%), with 19% be-ing “completely satisfied”. Just 15% of those surveyed are/were “completely dissatisfied”.A good 61% of respondents in Qatar are satisfied with their work culture, 59% with their working hours and 53% with their job security. In fact, 37% of respondents are/were “somewhat satisfied” with their work culture, while 24% are/were “completely satisfied”. Close to a third (31%) of re-spondents are/were “com-pletely satisfied” with their working hours, while 15% are/were “completely dissatisfied”. 8% claim to be “completely dis-satisfied” with the job security offered by their industry.In terms of training and devel-opment, 21% of Qatar respon-dents claim to be “completely satisfied” and 25% “somewhat satisfied” with the programs available to them. However, 35% of respective respondents are/were “somewhat or com-pletely dissatisfied” with the training and development pro-grams in their companies.Stressful IndustriesConstruction emerged as the most stressful industry for 47% of Qatar respondents. Oil, gas and petrochemicals/energy

and healthcare/medical ser-vices/pharmaceuticals were also perceived as stressful sec-tors by 26% and 18% of respon-dents respectively. On the other hand, charity/volunteer work and automotive were observed to be the most stressful industries by only 3% of respective respondents.Construction tops the list for the longest working hours for almost half of Qatar respon-dents (48%), followed by hos-pitality/entertainment/ tourism (23%).Seeking employmentThe most popular industry for respondents who are currently seeking employment, across the Middle East and North Af-rica (MENA), is IT/electronics/telecommunications (9%). Con-versely, the least popular indus-tries for job seekers are real es-tate, charity/volunteering work, management consulting and agriculture (all at 1%).The Qatar banking and finance sector hires the highest propor-tion of fresh graduates, accord-ing to 27% of the respondents. Other industries with a propen-sity for hiring fresh graduates include construction (20%), government/civil service/utili-ties (19%), and IT/electronics/telecommunications (18%).

Switching industriesAnother major finding of the survey is that only 27% of MENA respondents have changed their industry in the last two years. This was cer-tainly the case in Qatar, where 74% of respondents have not changed their industry in the last 24 months. For those who have changed in-dustry across the MENA region, better salaries (37%), better opportunities for career growth (32%) and lack of recognition (30%) are the top three rea-sons for their change.A total of 41% of those surveyed in Qatar are considering an in-dustry change in the next few months, while one third (33%) of the respondents “don’t know/can’t say”. For 61% of the MENA respondents who consider an industry change, a higher salary is the top reason, while 39% consider enhanced career growth opportunities as an important reason for chang-ing industries.Suhail Masri, VP of Employer Solutions at Bayt.com, said it was a very good sign that 61% of respondents in Qatar were satisfied with their work culture. “Over the years, more and more companies are becom-ing aware of the importance of

that, and branding their work culture in order to attract and retain amazing talent,” Masri said.“At Bayt.com, we have been helping the top employers brand their companies as top places to work for years now, and we encourage organiza-tions to have a professional online profile for their compa-nies. We are also well-versed in meeting the very specific human resource requirements across these industries. “Our annual Top Industries in the MENA report empowers us to understand the opinions of professionals in the Middle East and North Africa regarding their own industry and various other industry sectors in the region, delivering vital statistics that make a difference for em-ployers, employees and recruit-ers alike,” he said.“More and more people across the Middle East and North Afri-ca are looking at a variety of in-dustries as the top employment options,” said Elissavet Vraka, Research Manager, YouGov. “In Qatar, the most popular in-dustries in terms of perception are not the same as the most popular industries where re-spondents are keen to find em-ployment.”

Construction industry in Qatar boasts the strongest growthConstruction emerged as the most stressful industry for 47% of Qatar respondents

newS

SITESC o n s t r u C t i o n 13

Designed to redefine the bou-tique hotel experience, Al Shaqab Hotel promotes healthy, active lifestyles with a special focus on physical activities and a balanced diet. Ensconced in lush natural surroundings – in Al Shaqab’s sprawling and scenic equestrian complex in Education City – Al Shaqab Ho-tel, the first of its kind in Doha, provides guests with a tranquil ‘getaway’ from the fast-paced city life. The health-driven hotel fea-tures a total of 70 guest rooms and 24-hour in-room dining fa-cilities. Making the most of its sur-roundings, Al Shaqab Hotel of-fers equestrian riding packages and facility tours, in addition to a ‘Stay, Ride, Swim’ pack-age. This new offering enables guests to stay at the hotel, en-joy the exceptional equestrian facilities at Al Shaqab and cool

off in the sparkling pool at Mar-wan Club. Guests can also indulge their taste buds at Chef’s Garden, a unique Farm-to-Table restau-rant concept that focuses on healthy and delicious food, with locally sourced and organic pro-duce served when available. “Al Shaqab Hotel isn’t just a lodging facility – it is an un-precedented, ground-breaking hospitality concept designed to promote wellness, serve as a catalyst for an active lifestyle and entice guests to appreciate the benefits of healthy living,” said Karim Abdelhamid, Direc-tor of Operations – Hospitality at AMLAK. In an interview with Construc-tion Sites on the sidelines of the opening, Abdelhamid said the hotel was originally built for competitors at Al Shaqab arena as part of Al Shaqab facilities. Amlak did the interior design

touches to transform it to a year round hotel.“We converted it to accommo-date the needs of every day guests, like beds, and other room equipment to match the daily hotel needs,” he said.Abdelahamid explained that the hotel’s design concept is a “straight to the point” design for a business or sports hotel. “It’s meant not to have the luxury feel. It’s a budget type of hotel,” he added. The healthy attitude of the hotel was mainly achieved through addition of some soft touches like the ex-ercise kits in the room, the gym and pool and also through the focus on equestrian activities, making it an ideal place for peo-ple who enjoy horseback riding.

The location of the hotel en-courages walkability as the shaded corridors surrounding the hotel can take guests to the hotel club or to Al Shaqab facili-

ties itself to either watch or ride horses.“It’s not just a city hotel in one building where you move be-tween floors in elevators, rather there are nice outdoor corridors you can use to move between the hotel facilities,” he said. The hotel uses conventional cooling methods for its interior. However, it takes a few steps to minimize its environmental im-pact like using LED lights, ener-gy saving features and recycling its waste.Al Shaqab Hotel gives guests the choice of accommodation between two room types to suit all requirements. Guests can choose to stay in one of the Superior Double or Classic King rooms, during their stay at the hotel. Each room has an en-suite bathroom and 24 hour In-

Room Dining options. All rooms are equipped with gym gear such as yoga mats and small weights.There are a total of 30 Supe-rior Double rooms in the hotel. Each room is 26 - 29sq. me-ters in size and has two double beds. In addition to a total of 40 Classic King Rooms available to guests. Each room is 26 -29 sq. meters in size and has one king sized bed.The hotel also offers a mid-size function space to suit a vari-ety of meeting requirements. The 24sq. meter boardroom is suitable to host intimate meet-ings. It is equipped with a built in screen and projector, as well as a flat-screen television and white board. The boardroom comfortably seats twelve per-sons.

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SITESC o n s t r u C t i o n14

For the first time in Qatar, ho-tels will be evaluated based on their environmental sustain-ability management. The new hotel grading and classification system released this month by Qatar Tourism Authority aims to make hotel ratings more fair and transparent. It is being released after two months of testing and six of development in collaboration with the local industry, hoteliers and interna-tional experts. Hotels and hotel apartments will in future be graded togeth-er on the same ‘star-rating’ sys-

tem, based on sets of criteria that evaluate their public areas, guest rooms, guest bathrooms, quality of service, staff devel-opment, food & beverage and even room amenities. For the first time in Qatar, hotels will also be evaluated based on their environmental sustainabil-ity management. According to QTA, the Author-ity will guide hoteliers through the process of implementing required changes needed for their hotels to maintain their star ratings, “working collab-oratively with them to ensure

they make the improvements at a reasonable pace and with minimum disruption to their business.” “Uniquely, this new system holds developers, owners, man-agement and operators equally accountable for the property’s classification. Changes will take time, but gradually we are pav-ing the way for a more sustain-able, environmentally-friendly, and diverse hospitality sector,” officials commented. Hotels will be starting the as-sessment process through a digital ‘self-assessment’ mod-

ule online. Once this is com-pleted, a formal inspection is

arranged with QTA, which dis-patches members of its inspec-tion team to verify the results, and to ensure hotels have either made the changes re-quired of them, or have put into place an agreed schedule for the rectification of any deficits in facilities and services. . Ho-tels that do not make the need-ed improvements, or chose not to, will then be re-graded – this could involve them losing a star. Among the system’s unique fea-tures is a built-in ‘guest experi-ence index’ which analyses rat-ings and reviews on 130 hotel review websites including Tri-pAdvisor and Booking.com for incorporation into the hotel’s final grading report. The system allows hotel inspec-tors to record photographic evidence and monthly guest experience feedback, as well as

keeping track of all interactions between QTA and the hotels, such as commitments to cer-tain improvements, re-inspec-tion agreements and related deadlines. Hotels that need to make ex-tensive structural changes that involve work on more than 40% of their infrastructure will be given until 31 December 2020 to complete the changes before they are regraded. QTA has also reached out to developers of hotels that are in the pipeline for 2016 to ensure that stan-dards are in place before any new establishments open.QTA works with partners and stakeholders to ensure that tourism and hotel establish-ments operate at the highest standards while promoting and perpetuating Qatari culture and heritage.

Sustainability part of new hotel grading and classification system

Based on DTZ’s analysis, by December 2015 the supply of hotel accommodation in Qatar reached approximately 18,400 keys between guest rooms and hotel apartments. This reflects a 10% increase in supply over a 12 month period, following two years of little new supply. In total, 13 new hotels opened in 2015, adding approximate-ly 1,900 keys to the hospi-tality sector. Of the current supply, approximately 84% is categorized as either 4-Star or 5-Star. Based on the most recent fig-ures released by Qatar Tour-ism Authority in July 2015, the total tourist numbers over the

first half of the year reached 1.53 million. This reflected a 7% increase on the corre-sponding period in 2014. Growing tourist arrivals re-sulted in occupancy rates increasing by 2% between January and June compared to the corresponding period in 2014. In contrast, sta-tistics published by MDPS show that by Q4 monthly av-erage occupancy levels had fallen compared to the previ-ous year. The statistics were most noticeable in November 2015, which recorded aver-age occupancy levels at 70% compared to 83% the previ-ous November. A key factor behind this fall has been the

increase in supply as new ho-tel developments completed throughout the year. The Qatar Tourism Authority started monitoring the hotel apartment sector in 2015. Average occupancy levels reached 77% for the first six months of the year. DTZ re-search indicates that supply of hotel apartments is expect-ed to increase by more than 100% by the end of 2018. Average Daily Rates (ADR’s) have been reducing in recent years, a trend which contin-ued in recent months. Accord-ing to MDPS statistics, over-all daily rates reduced from QAR524 to QAR511 between October and November, which

represents a 12% decrease on the corresponding month in 2014. The Qatar National Tourism Sector Strategy Plan 2030 has set out a program to in-vest $45bn in tourism proj-ects over the next 15 years. The aim of the program is to attract a larger amount of tourist numbers from outside GCC, with an ambitious target to increase overall annual ar-rivals to 7 million by 2030. Occupancy levels and aver-age daily rates are likely to be tested in the medium term as the supply of hotel rooms continues to grow in order to meet Qatar’s FIFA 2022 ob-ligations. According to data

released by QTA earlier in the year, 80 hotels and apartment hotels were under construc-

tion, which will increase sup-ply by approximately 18,000 keys over the next three years.

Hospitality Market Overview

Qatar

SITESC o n s t r u C t i o n 15

Doha’s much anticipated new five-star hotel, City Centre Rota-na Doha, celebrated its official opening late January 2016. The launch was officiated by the se-nior management team from Rotana as well as Al Rayyan Tourism Investment Company (ARTIC) - the developers of City Centre Rotana.This newest addition to the Rotana portfolio, and the third hotel for the group in Qatar, City Centre Rotana is a tribute to Doha and its pulsating cos-mopolitan spirit. Strategically located in the West Bay area, City Centre Rotana is charac-terized by its connection to the City Center Doha shopping complex. The hotel is also only 30 minutes away from the air-port, 15 minutes away from the traditional Souq Waqif and the Museum of Islamic Art.Addressing the official opening of City Centre Rotana, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Faisal Al Thani, ARTIC’s Vice Chairman said: “The tourism sector in Qatar is witnessing a remarkable growth, and we are committed to playing a key role in sup-porting this growth. In line with this, the launch of City Centre Rotana is a unique addition to

Qatar’s hospitality market, and we are delighted to welcome our guests to the latest addi-tion of ARTIC’s high quality as-sets portfolio.”Rotana has been a long-stand-ing player in Qatar’s hospitality scenario and the launch of City Centre Rotana reaffirms this position. Speaking during the inaugural ceremony, Mr. Nasser Al Nowais, Chairman, Rotana, said: “City Centre Rotana is our third presence in the coun-try, thanks to the vision of AR-TIC’s Chairman, His Excellency Sheikh Faisal Bin Qassim, his faith and belief in supporting our brand. We look forward to strengthening this partnership and helping with the develop-ment of the tourism sector in the country.” “Going forward, we have an ex-tensive expansion plan in Africa and Europe, which is in line with our vision to reach 100 hotels by 2020,” Mr. Al Nowais added.Commenting on the launch, Mr. Omer Kaddouri, President and CEO of Rotana said: “The open-ing of City Centre Rotana is a major milestone for us and we are proud to be managing this new jewel in the heart of Doha. This 52-storey tower features

287 luxurious modern rooms and suites and 94 serviced apartments as well as state-of-the-art meetings and banquet-ing facilities, Bodylines Fitness & Wellness Club and an excit-ing collection of restaurants. With this new upscale hotel, we will offer the best amenities for business and leisure guests in the West Bay area.”

“With the opening of City Centre Rotana, our company’s inven-tory in Doha has increased to more than 1000 rooms. More-over, the second quarter of this year will witness the opening of Centro Capital Doha, our first hotel to be launched in the country under the lifestyle af-fordable brand Centro Hotels by Rotana, which will then add

another 229 rooms to our port-folio in Qatar,” he added.Mr. Joseph Coubat, General Manager of City Centre Rotana, explained: “This new experi-ence in the heart of Doha city will transform customer en-gagement. Today, Doha is con-sidered to be the most vibrant place in the region, due to its position on the global confer-

ences and exhibitions’ map. Moreover, the city has been at-tracting major sports leagues and tournaments, especially the 2022 World Cup – the most awaited event. So, our launch today enhances our brand’s ex-istence in this country and also supports the government’s ef-forts to boost the tourism sec-tor.”

Al Rayyan Tourism Investment Company (ARTIC) launches New City HotelQatar’s newest addition to the Rotana portfolio, and the third hotel for the group in Qatar, City Cen-tre Rotana is a tribute to Doha and its ‘pulsating cosmopolitan spirit’.

Spain’s Meliá Hotels Interna-tional plans to open a new hotel in Qatar. It will be operated un-der the Innside by Meliá brand. The Innside Doha will become the third hotel for the company in Qatar, together with the Meliá Doha and the future ME Doha.The Innside Doha, scheduled to open next year, will be located in a prime area close to the Qa-tar National Museum, the new Doha Metro station, govern-ment and commercial offices, with views of the West Bay sky-line and easy access to Hamad International Airport.It will have 192 rooms, a signa-ture restaurant, a lobby lounge, a business center, a fitness center with spa, a rooftop ter-race with a pool deck area and a club F&B concept on the 13th floor.“The elegant and functional

Innside by Meliá hotels are perfectly adapted to the needs of modern city visitors, offer-ing a combination of business lifestyle, cutting-edge design, smart technology and person-alized, simple and efficient ser-vice,” according to a company release.“The Meliá brand is also attract-ing the interest of investors and hotel owners worldwide, thanks to the value the hotels provide to guests and their profitability, and this new hotel in Doha is another milestone for its growth and development,” says the release.It currently operates 16 hotels and has 21 more in the pipe-line, in the UK, the USA, Germa-ny, Chile, Venezuela, the UAE, China, Indonesia, Malasia, Italy, Colombia and Brazil.The second Meliá hotel in Qatar,

ME Doha, will also be opened in 2017. It will have 235 rooms, business and convention fa-cilities and an executive area, in addition to a fitness center and a spa with an infinity pool overlooking the Doha skyline. There will be three restaurants, a nightclub, an open-air cinema and three bars housed within the property. ME Doha will be part of a cut-ting-edge complex, “Dohalive”, that will combine the hotel with a shopping destination, a cin-ema complex and open-air lei-sure facilities.Al-Baker group, a corporate gi-ant with a presence across the entire Gulf region, has master-minded the “Dohalive” project. The design has been carried out by Al-Baker Architects and blends the hotel and shopping areas while also enhancing

public areas such as the roof-top terrace and the gardens to live up to the name of the proj-ect “Dohalive”. As stated by Al Baker Invest-ments Chairman Ahmed Al Baker, “this development will set a new standard for lifestyle destinations in Doha. We in-tend on creating a hotel that will produce unique and extraordi-nary experiences, which is why Al-Baker Investments is proud and confident about the future success of ME Doha.” Qatar is the country with the highest income per capita, globally and Doha has become a focal point in the Middle East, landing the winning bid for the 2022 World Cup. The city, which is a predomi-nantly corporate destination (65%), is undergoing a trans-formation in the hospitality sec-

tor with new hotels opening on a monthly basis (the current pipeline expects to increase the hotel supply by 77%, dominated by luxury upper upscale and up-scale properties). Significant infrastructural and real estate projects in Qatar will be completed during the com-ing decade, driving the growth of demand for transient accom-modation in Doha.Founded in 1956 in Palma de Mallorca in Spain, Meliá Hotels International is one of the larg-est hotel companies worldwide as well as the leader within the Spanish market, with more than 370 hotels (current portfolio and pipeline) throughout more than 40 countries and four continents under the follow-ing brands: Gran Meliá, Meliá Hotels & Resorts, Paradisus Resorts, ME by Meliá, INNSIDE

by Meliá, Tryp by Wyndham and Sol Hoteles. The strategic focus on interna-tional growth has allowed Meliá Hotels International to be the first Spanish hotel company with presence in key markets such as China, the Arabian Gulf and the US, as well as maintain-ing its leadership in traditional markets such as Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean. Its high degree of globaliza-tion, a diversified business model, the consistent growth plan supported by strategic alli-ances with major investors and its commitment to responsible tourism are the major strengths of Meliá Hotels International, being the Spanish hotel leader in corporate reputation (Merco Ranking) and one of the most attractive to work worldwide.

Meliá Hotels strengthening its presence in Doha

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By Mark Puljizevic Al Mana groupWorking as a building acoustics consultant in Qatar, I often find myself playing a role in raising awareness of good acoustic de-sign and its benefits in health-care facilities, schools, stadi-ums, offices and residential buildings. The most challenging part of it is providing tangible evidence of those benefits to clients whose conversation frequently turns to income and profit. One sector where relations be-tween good acoustic design and profit are quite straightfor-ward is in the hotel industry. Major hotel groups are quite aware how poor acoustic de-sign of a single room can turn your profits upside down. Although acoustics is recog-nized as important and usually tackled throughout the design stage, it doesn’t mean most ho-tels are immune to the “empty room syndrome”. Browsing through guests’ feedbacks, complaints related to noise and poor privacy levels within guest-rooms usually top the charts. Work on a number of hotels being built to boost Qatar’s tourism sector and satisfy ca-pacities required for the 2022 World Cup is going on at pace. Hotels in Doha are rather spe-

cial compared to other parts of the world as they virtually rep-resent focal points of Qatar’s social life, for both locals and expats.Either looking for a quite place to take a morning coffee and read newspaper, dine with the family, have a business meet-ing, organize a wedding event, relax in the spa, take a hair-dresser appointment or just have fun with friends, hotels are the place to be. Lured by luxurious lobbies, mag-nificent restaurants, grand ball rooms, seaside shisha-bars, sports facilities, beaches and some of the best night clubs in the Middle East, hotels in Qatar are regularly jam-packed and paying a visit to enjoy their facil-ities without a reservation can often turn disappointing. Despite numerous amenities, at the heart of every hotel are its guestrooms and suites where high levels of privacy and peaceful environment are of the utmost importance. Reconciling all the hotel’s con-tents and integrating various noisy and quiet areas under one roof proves very challeng-ing even for the most experi-enced developers. It is indeed very rare to find a hotel without at least few rooms being exposed to high noise lev-

els and unaffected by guests’ complaints. Key topics when discussing ho-tel acoustic design are:• High sound insulation• Low noise levelsHigh sound insulation between guestrooms and especially be-tween quiet and noisy areas such as ball rooms or night clubs should be the starting point of every hotel’s design. Being able to understand con-versation in the neighboring guestrooms or being annoyed by a loud music throughout the night can turn anyone’s hotel stay into a nightmare. Partitions and building con-structions of high sound insu-lation rate, such as solid con-crete walls and double dry-wall partitions, should be favored; paying attention to constructive details such as interface with the facade or penetrations due to various building services (air-conditioning, ventilation, fire fighting, etc.). Noise levels originating either from air-conditioning systems or nearby traffic have to be kept low, in order to allow a good night’s rest. All our senses calm down during nights and we be-come very susceptible to noise. Even the slightest increase in noise levels can prove extreme-ly disturbing and cause serious

sleep deprivation. Noise is usu-ally one of the most frequent source of complains among guests. Installation of quiet air-condi-tioning units and selection of double glazed facade systems stand almost as a standard these days. Providing a good acoustic envi-ronment within a hotel doesn’t stop at the design or construc-tion stage and it’s not some-thing that can’t be improved over time. Identifying strengths and weaknesses of existing acoustic environment is para-mount for any building, espe-cially for a hotel where it makes all the difference between an empty and an occupied room,

leading to guests’ satisfaction. That’s why I always encour-age hotel operators to conduct acoustic surveys in order to identify potential weaknesses and rectify them in the most feasible manner. One of Qatar’s most beauti-ful examples when it comes to acoustics is the Mövenpick Tow-er & Suites in West Bay, which is a pioneer of acoustic sur-veys and interior environment quality assessment in general. The hotel’s management, al-ways striving to raise the level of their service, recognizes the importance of hotel’s acoustic environment and has warmly welcomed the first acoustic sur-vey undertaken in Qatar.

The hotel’s guestrooms, spa, lobby, restaurants and other areas have been thoroughly examined in terms of sound insulation and noise levels. The hotel has been rated very high in its acoustic environment quality. Although sound insulation be-tween rooms has proved to be very high and noise levels rath-er low, certain valuable recom-mendations to facility manag-ers have been given, enabling further improvement of hotel’s acoustic environment. I would strongly encourage all others to follow these footsteps and consider acoustics as im-portant as energy consump-tion, air quality and hygiene.

Getting hotel acoustics rightProviding a good acoustic environment within a hotel doesn’t stop at the design or construction stage and it’s not something that can’t be improved over time

Qatar is witnessing significant growth in all sectors, especially in the hotel industry. The annual inbound visitor ar-rival is increasing steadily, es-pecially due to Doha gaining prominence as a prime destina-tion on the global tourism map, according to Nasser Al Nowais, Chairman of the Rotana Hotel Management Corporation (Ro-tana), at the launch of the new Rotana Hotel in Doha late last month.Qatar has seen the launch of literally tens of hotels in the 5-star, 4-star as well as 3-star category over the last five years. This has been due to extensive local investment form the gov-ernment, private Qatari real estate groups as well as foreign hotel groups. It seems that the market has started to move away from the prestige of 5-star hotel ownership towards real market demands as evidenced by local investor sentiment. Ac-cording to Ed Brookes, General manager DTZ Qatar: “Before we would only see five star hotels, now actually more recently we have seen a number of three and four star hotels coming into the market. So, I think develop-ers are coming a lot more savvy to the different opportunities of

the market that we are facing”. Too many rooms?A PriceWaterHouse Coopers report on the hospitality sector issued in 2015 indicated that it might not be in Qatar’s best interest to continue investing in the hospitality sector but local business scion, Omar Alfardan, dismissed it as overly pessi-mistic. In his analysis on the real estate sector, Ed Brookes, General manager DTZ Qatar commented: “What we can say to date is that actually during 2012 to 2014 there was not a huge amount of hotel inventory added to the existing stock. So, actually, during 2012 to 2014, we saw average daily rates in-crease and we saw occupancy rising from late 60s to 72%. Certainly in 2015 I think we had another 1800 hotel rooms added to the inventory. I think the stock is currently around 18,000 hotel rooms in three, four and five star hotels. That is still very manageable. I think there is(sic) a lot of solutions to providing the types of accom-modation which Qatar has to do under 2022 mandate and whether or not there will be actually 60,000 permanent ho-tel rooms, I don’t know. I think there are a lot of options and

I think all those involved in the delivery committee and looking beyond that, will be very much aware of that”.In October of last year, the Oberoi Group announced that it will manage two new projects in Doha. The New Delhi-based group, which was founded in 1934, operates luxury hotels in several countries. The group opened a luxury ho-tel in Dubai in 2013 and will manage a beach resort in Aj-man which will be inaugurated in the second quarter of 2016. In Qatar, the Oberoi group plans to operate a 250-room luxury hotel in Dafna/West Bay and a tower with 148 serviced apartments in the under-con-struction Lusail, to the north of Doha, possibly in the next three years. Planning of both the projects is well under way and construc-tion will commence early next year with their completion ex-pected in mid-2018. According to the group, the ho-tel in Doha will reflect the same standards of luxury that Oberoi Hotels & Resorts are known for and the Lusail serviced apart-ments will bring Oberoi’s ex-acting standards to a serviced apartment residential complex.

Both the projects are being sponsored by Qatar General In-surance and Reinsurance Com-pany (QGIRC). Oberoi Group Executive Chair-man PRS Oberoi said: “We are extremely pleased to have been selected by the Qatar General Insurance and Rein-surance Company (QGIRC) to assist them in the design and management of these two proj-ects and we look forward to bringing the Oberoi hospitality to the Qatar market”.These two projects will be the Oberoi Group’s first ventures in Qatar. It had previously tried to broker deals with both Ezdan Holdings as well as Al Waab City. The MOU signed in late 2009 with Sheikha Hanadi Al Thani of Al Waab City has not yet materialized and the part-nership with the Ezdan Group for a quattro of 55-storey build-ings named Asia Towers fell through in November last year. This project has since been taken over by the General Real Estate Company (GREC), which is owned by QGIRC.Oberoi Hotels & Resorts has been voted the “World’s Best Hotel Brand” by Travel + Lei-sure, USA.Last year, after the close of

CityScape Qatar 2015, Nasser Mohammed Al Abdulla, Deputy CEO of Ezdan Holding Group, confirmed that the group is working along with the Curve Hotel West Bay on the opening of Ezdan Palace Hotel, which is located in the heart of Doha and will constitute a qualitative leap in the surrounding area. This is in addition to its sub-stantial investments in both the retail and affordable urban housing sector.Another group with consider-able interest n the Gulf hospi-tality sector is the Meliá Hotels International. The second hotel for Meliá Hotels International in the Qatari capital is in the “DohaLive” area, which will be opened in 2017. The new five-star hotel will be one of the focus priorities in the company’s ambitious in-ternational expansion plan. ME Doha will be part of a spec-tacular, cutting-edge complex, “Dohalive”, that will combine the hotel with a shopping des-tination, cinema complex and open-air leisure facilities.Al-Baker group, a corporate gi-ant with a presence across the entire Gulf region, has master-minded the “Dohalive” project. The design has been carried

out by Al-Baker Architects and exquisitely blends the hotel and shopping areas whilst also en-hancing public areas such as the rooftop terrace and the gar-dens to live up to the name of the project “Dohalive”. As stated by Al Baker Invest-ments chairman Ahmed Al Baker, “this development will set a new standard for lifestyle destinations in Doha”.He said: “We intend on creating a hotel that will produce unique and extraordinary experiences, which is why Al-Baker Invest-ments is proud and confident about the future success of ME Doha.” “The State of Qatar is witness-ing a rapid growth in the hos-pitality sector and we, as one of the specialized Qatari com-panies in this sector, are com-mitted to playing a key role in supporting this growth,” said Sheikh Mohamed Bin Faisal Al Thani, Vice Chairman of Al Rayyan Tourism Investment Company (ARTIC) as he wel-comed the press to the launch of the City Centre Rotana Doha.“Our expansion plans encom-pass the opening of a range of hotels with known brand names in the world of hospital-ity,” added Sheikh Mohamed.

Hotel sector in Qatar is set for a major expansion “The State of Qatar is witnessing a rapid growth in the hospitality sector”

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Laurent A. Voivenel, CEO of HMH- Hospitality Management Holdings addressed the Global Hospitality Summit in Dubai with a special presentation on ‘Reshaping Luxury Hospitality to Welcome & Win Over New Generation of Guests’ . Organ-ised by Marcus Evans from 18-19 January, the two-day pre-mium forum was attended by leading hotel experts and devel-opers who exchanged key busi-ness insights from the industry.In his presentation, stressing on ‘new luxury being all about simplicity’ Laurent said, “New generation of luxury travellers simply desire an elevated ex-perience and one that makes them feel good. They seek a hotel that is steeped in simplic-ity, refinement, sophistication, good taste and restraint, but is at the same time, just as strik-ing and glamorous. The next generation of wealthy travelers want a room experience closer to home. Therefore, hotels

would have to rethink luxury. Moving away from glitz, luxury hotels would need to focus on creating casual, individual atmospheres that are far re-moved from the standard hotel ambiance”. Commenting on the luxury hotel sector in the Middle East Laurent stated, “Over the past decade, the Middle East has established itself as the next frontier in luxury travel for the affluent. Marrying in-novation with tradition, the region continues to grow as a top luxury destination with 44% of its existing inventory of hotels in luxury and upper up-scale category. There are 694 hotels with 188,817 rooms in the Middle East and Africa de-velopment pipeline - majority of which will open before 2020. Therefore, when it comes to lux-ury everyone knows the stakes are huge. Like all hoteliers, we at HMH have been pondering over ‘What will it take to lure new generation of luxury travel-

ers?’ given 40% of our existing inventory of hotels is in luxury segment.” Laurent believes ‘bling’ will not be enough to please new generation of luxury travellers. He stressed, “People are moving away from the bling factor. A pillow menu, gold-plated bathroom fixtures and plush rooms will not be able to woo the next generation of the world’s wealthiest clientele. Their expectations are differ-ent and much harder to please. The new generation has grown up in the age of technology, so-cial media, instant access, the proliferation of global consum-er brands, affluence and con-spicuous consumption - hence they crave an alternative to traditional luxury hotels. There-fore, it is time for our industry to evolve and adapt”. According to Laurent intuitive technology de-signed to anticipate the needs and desires of guests will play a key role in delivering new lev-els of service. Technology is a

huge priority for next genera-tion travelers as it continues to change the rules of our indus-try like never before. Hotels will also have to know more about

their customers. And concierge services will have to advance to new levels, delivering on the demands of guests long before they arrive. Most importantly

people will continue to be the asset of luxury and therefore service and staff training will be more than ever critical for our industry”.

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Number of HNWIs to grow by more than halfThe global luxury hospitality sector is valued at an estimated $164.4 billion and is expected to increase to $195.27 billion by 2021.Luxury travelers are growing at an unprecedented rate. By 2022, there will be 4,076 billionaires in the world. The num-ber of super rich people – valued at more than $30m – in the Middle East will soar to more than 7,300, including 203 billionaires, by 2022.The number of HNWIs in the Middle East will grow by 58 percent between 2012 and 2022, faster than the global average of 50% but well behind the emerging economic regions of Asia (88%), Latin America (88%) and Africa (69%).

World’s top hotel for 2016: Hotel Umaid Bhawan Palace - Cundall India The website’s annual Travellers’ Choice awards are judged on the basis of the qual-ity and quantity of traveller reviews and opinions. Now in its 14th year, the awards have recognised more than 7,000 properties around the world, with lists covering 97 countries and eight regions. The winners include a wide range of hotels across the world, from opulent hotels to budget-friendly B&Bs. The average nightly rate for the 25 top hotels on TripAdvisor is $325, for luxury properties is $452, for service is $300, for B&Bs and inns is $126, small hotels is $300 and for bargain hotels is $73. Only one hotel from Dubai features in the top 25 hotels list. Al Maha Desert Resort & Spa – which was ranked eight on the 2015 top hotels list – has dropped to the 24th spot in the 2016 ranking. Dubai’s Al Maha Resort ranks among the top 25 on the website’s annual Travellers’ Choice awards list. Indian luxury hotel Umaid Bhawan Palace in Jodhpur has been named as the best hotel in the world accord-ing to travel website TripAdvisor’s annual ranking for 2016. Last year, Dubai-based Dar Al Masyaf at Madinat Jumeirah also ranked 13 among the top 25 hotels in the world.

Oryx Rotana, the five star luxury business hotel in Doha, has received the Booking.com™ Guest Review Award with an average of 8.4 rating. This award is based on a poll of 652 visitors who have stayed at Oryx Rotana and experienced various restaurants and services, besides excellent facilities at this hotel.

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Expotrade Middle East, orga-nizer of the successful Arab Future Cities Summit Qatar is delighted to announce five new sponsors for the fifth edi-tion of the summit that will be held on 11-12 April 2016 at The Ritz-Carlton, Doha. Join-ing the robust lineup of com-panies that have been part of this prestigious summit are Hikvision, Esri, Wipro, NuLu-menTek Mena and Ikusi. In its 5th year, the summit offers invaluable networking oppor-tunities, interactive sessions and panel discussions from world-class speakers that will lead to a shared understanding and demonstration on how to harness opportunities. This year’s summit will focus on making smart cities a reality with topics such as Smart Connectivity, Smart Mobility and Transportation, Internet of Everything (IoE), Economical and Sustain-able Smart Vehicles, Building Automation, Lusail City’s Innovations, Cyber Security to name a few. Hikvision, the world’s leading supplier of video surveillance products and solutions that serves a diverse set of vertical markets that include retail, banking and finance, trans-portation, education, commercial, government, and residential applications and Esri, an in-ternational supplier of Geographic Information System software, web GIS and geodatabase management applications have joined the summit as Gold Sponsors. Announcing the part-nership, Mr. Brad Hariharan, Regional Director, Expotrade Middle East, said, “We are thrilled to have new and repeat sponsors join us for the 5th Annual Arab Future Cities Summit Qatar 2016. As our summit aligns with the vision and business strategies of these companies to encourage and promote smart city development in the State of Qatar, I am confident that participating in our summit will be of immense value to them.” Wipro, a leading Informa-tion Technology, Consulting and Business Process Services company that delivers solutions to enable its clients do business better joins the 5th Annual Future Cities Summit Qatar as a Silver sponsor. Moreover, the summit has the support of two new exhibitors - NuLu-menTek Mena and Ikusi. NuLumenTek Mena provides energy efficient solutions to support new and retrofit building projects combined with intelligent control and energy monitoring to effectively manage energy requirements & consumption. Ikusi is a multi-local company that conducts its activity along three broad thrusts: systems and services integration, commu-nication networks integration and the design and manufacture of electronic components. This edition of the summit will bring together technologists, developers, urban planners and researchers, investors, engineers, policy professionals and the local government to share valuable ideas through informative and interactive discussions. More information on the Arab Future Cities Summit Qatar is available now at http://www.arabfuturecities.com/. Fol-low the Summit on social media with the hashtag #AFCS2016.

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Quote 25678.002_QCS when registering

3-Day Conference: 28-30 March 2016 InterContinental Hotel, Doha, Qatar

Conference boost for small enterprisesThe Qatar Development Bank (QDB) is gearing to host the first Government Procurement and Contracting Conference and Exhibition (Moushtarayat), between March 8 and March 10. Moushtarayat aims to open new opportunities for interaction between local small- and medium-size enterprises (SMEs)¬ and the most important stakeholders, in addition to strengthening co-operation between the private and public sector companies in Qatar.“One of the most important initiatives we commit ourselves to at Qatar Development is sup-porting and helping SMEs,” said its CEO Abdulaziz Bin Nasser Al Khalifa. “As we open local and global markets to SMEs through ‘Tasdeer’, and with the help of the Ministry of Finance, we provide greater accessibility to government procurement by linking local SMEs to procurement of major buyers, through match-making activities & B2B meet-ings and exploring key efforts to minimize barriers to success, along with having a friendly business environment that leads to the positive growth of local SMEs,” he said.“The Qatar Development Bank will launch a workshop for buyers to support local SMEs access to government, semi-government, and large privates procurement businesses,” he added.The exhibition is expected to bring significant achievements for all parties, where SMEs will be able to identify existing opportunities and open new markets through their presence. Local buyers will benefit from gaining more knowledge and establishing better dialogue with prominent buyers and suppliers. QDB’s efforts will help enhance SMEs’ market positions, both technically and financially, by assisting to localize supply chains.Abdulaziz Zeid Rashid Al Taleb, the Director of Government Procurement Regulation at the Ministry of Finance, said that Qatar aimed to support entities and national institutions, es-pecially SMEs, through successive legislationHe cited the 2015 Law No (24) regarding “Organizing Tenders and Auctions” as good ex-ample of this“The law stresses the ambitious economic development plan and how Qatar has developed several roles to increase the job opportunities SMEs create in the local market,” Al Taleb noted.“There are a number of new policies to positively impact SMEs, including exemption, in whole or in part, to providing temporary and final insurance and guarantee payments in co-ordination with the Qatar Development Bank,” he said.“Also, bidders can apply tenders online to help with applications with technical specifica-tions. Supporting the freedom of competition principle, the law also allows registered com-panies to partner on government tenders. “And last but not least, the enforcement foreign companies implementing national projects are to use local market resource to the value of 30% of the contract,” added Al Taleb.Through the exhibition and conference, QDB is trying to develop new supporting methods to apply sustainable government procurement. It also aims at helping SMEs commit to their goals and requirements in order to support and strengthen their role, in line with the Qatar National Vision 2030.

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“The cost of a smart home var-ies, but it is not uncommon for some householders to spend over AED 500,000 to get their homes kitted-out with the lat-est automated technology. With that sort of investment, these more discerning con-sumers will want a mainte-nance service to match their smart homes,” said, Markus Oberlin, CEO, Farnek.“With the popularity of smart-phones and tablets which can be configured to control a whole host of devices, offering 360 degree solutions for those home owners who like to be in control of their properties at all times - especially remotely, we believe that this is an emerging home maintenance trend that is here to stay.” Progressive UAE-based home maintenance company, Hitch-es & Glitches, part of the Farnek Group, has today an-nounced an exclusive ‘smart home’ partnership with Gadgi-tech M.E., the distributor of the latest branded gadgets and accessories for smartphones, tablets and laptops across the MENA region. Through the partnership agree-ment, Hitches & Glitches will gain a better understanding of the latest smart home tech-nology and ongoing training of new gadgets and devices, to broaden their home main-

Honeywell has com-pleted its acquisition of the Elster Division of Melrose Indus-

tries. Elster is a leading pro-vider of thermal gas solutions for commercial, industrial, and residential heating systems and gas, water, and electric-ity meters, including smart meters and software and data analytics solutions. The acquisition closed earlier than anticipated following ap-proval by Melrose sharehold-ers and required regulatory approvals, including those in

tenance offering. Meanwhile, Gadgitech will be able to ex-pand its sales and distribution capabilities by offering com-prehensive installation and after sales service support and other smart home packages. Through the partnership, Hitch-es & Glitches staff will also be trained by Gadgitech’s profes-sional technicians, how to in-stall and service these smart devices and show them how to explain the features and ben-efits of living in a smart home. Gadgitech distributes hun-dreds of different devices and gadgets throughout the UAE and the wider region, through top retailers such as Ace, Car-refour, Jumbo, Sharaf DG and Plug Ins. Initially the partner-ship will focus on two solutions where Hitches & Glitches will be the preferred installation and service partner. The first is

the US, European Union and China. “The acquisition of Elster adds outstanding technologies, strong well-recognized brands, energy efficiency know-how and a global presence to the Honeywell portfolio,” said Honeywell Chairman and CEO Dave Cote. “We see Elster as a great op-portunity to deploy HOS Gold to drive new growth and great-er profitability in each of El-ster’s businesses. This acqui-sition is expected to generate strong future returns for our

the ‘Withings Home’ monitor-ing system, which allows users to connect in HD to your home anywhere, day and night, in just 30 seconds. “The ‘Withings Home’ also monitors indoor air pollution, with real time reports on the state of indoor air quality in your home, which can be ten times more polluted than out-doors,” commented Mohamed Issa, Managing Partner, Gadgi-tech.The other solution, the ‘Elgato Avea Lamp’ transforms homes with beautiful dynamic light moods, and can be controlled by your smart device. There-after other ingenious smart home products to come on-line include the ‘Netatmo Wel-come’ facial recognition home security camera, which will identify a person walking past and update your smart device.

shareowners, consistent with what you have come to expect from Honeywell,” added CoteElster’s gas heating and gas, water, and electricity metering businesses will be integrated with Honeywell’s Environmen-tal & Energy Solutions busi-ness (E&ES), part of Honey-well Automation and Control Solutions. Elster’s upstream and midstream gas applica-tions businesses will be inte-grated with Honeywell Process Solutions, within Honeywell Performance Materials and Technologies.

Home maintenance companies enter the ‘smart home’sector

Honeywell completes Elster acquisition

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Sustainable Construction Sites – An Ecological ApproachWhat are the key ecological considerations that should inform the practice of design and construc-tion professionals? What are the main investigations involved in ecological surveys and ecological impact assess-ments? Which practices and policies of the construction process are most critical to long-term site sustainability? What types of monitoring and assessment are needed during construction and operational phas-es? Which assessment systems are most useful in relation to both the design and construction phases of a project? These are some of the questions that were addressed at a recent workshop held by the Qatar Green Building Council (QGBC). Objectives of the workshop1. Develop an understanding of the main ecological considerations that should inform the prac-

tice of design and construction professional2. Develop knowledge of investigations involved in ecological surveys and ecological impact as-

sessments3. Understand practices and policies of the construction process are most critical to long-term

site sustainability4. Understand the types of monitoring and assessment needed during construction and opera-

tional phases of construction5. Develop knowledge of assessment systems that are most relevant to both the design and

construction phases of a projectThe technical workshop was designed for architecture, engineering, construction, and ecology pro-fessionals who are concerned with sustainable approaches to construction site development and management. It brought together a number of key experts and professionals who have extensive experience in Qatar and the GCC region to discuss the key issues and technical investigations re-quired in developing sustainable construction sites. The four stages of the construction process that were addressed: Site investigation, the design process, the construction process and lastly operations. The session was moderated by the well know sustainability advocate and one of the QGBC found-ers, Dr. Alex Amato. He lay the ground for the days’ proceedings with his presentation on Site Sustainability – Site Pro-curement and Design and this was followed by a joint presentation by Dr. Amato and his colleague Dr. Cynthia Skelhorn on the Role of GIS in the Planning and Site Selection Process Site Selection Services. Mr. Andy Ford of Gulf Contracting shared his extensive experience on how to manage the chal-lenges faced with regards to dust, air pollution and water conservation in the Construction industry. Still staying with construction site management was Eng. Maro Puljizevic Managing Director of Al Mana and Asoociates, who looked at the different ways those contractors can develop a plan for noise abatement during construction. Still on construction site management was Dr. Haithan Askar, with a look at the tools Calibre, Yellow Jacket and Smart Waste. The session closed with a discussion on Post-Construction Monitoring and assessment by Drs. Richer, Chatziefthymiou and Sara Abdul Majid.

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By Cecile Texier, Director for Sustainability and CSR, Alstom GroupAlstom will be supplying a turn-key tramway system for a 4-line tram network in Qatar. A fully integrated tramway system covers a distance of 33 km of sustainable transport solution in Qatar. Cecile Texier, Director for Sustainability and CSR, Al-stom Group explains why train is the most sustainable trans-portation solution and how the company is working towards achieving a clean and energy efficient transportation solu-tion, which according to Vincent Prou, GCC Managing Director, Alstom Group is a perfect solu-tion for Qatar’s environmental challenges.Worldwide demand for mo-bility is increasing.Demographic projections show that the global population is ex-pected to reach 9 billion people before 2050, with 70% living in urban areas. Public authorities are concerned about the envi-ronmental impact of transpor-tation – especially considering that around 23% (and rising) of all energy-related CO2 emis-sions already come from it. A move towards electric trans-port and away from motorised transport is vital for the optimi-sation of the transport sector’s contribution to environmental sustainability. For the +2°C target for climate change to be reached it will be imperative to move towards the modes with the lowest carbon footprints. Rail: the cleanest powered-transportation modeMore energy efficiency and less CO2Rail is already one of the most energy efficient transport mode. Globally, in 2011, the transport sector represented 27.6% of all energy used and was responsi-ble for 22.7% of the total global energy-related CO2 emissions. Worldwide transport sector CO2 emissions increased by 53% between 1990 and 2011. In this context, rail consumes only 2.2% of transport final en-ergy and is responsible of 3.3% of CO2 emissions in transport (including indirect energy-relat-ed emissions) whilst carrying 9% of global passengers and freight . This good performance reflects the intrinsic efficiency of rail transport and the ben-efits of efficient electric trac-tion allowing braking energy recovery. Further development of clean and renewable energy sources will bring further envi-ronmental efficiency to the rail sector.Air qualityParticles from diesel exhaust, as well as other air emissions from road transport, contribute significantly to poor air qual-

ity in large cities worldwide. In 2014, the World Health Organi-zation (WHO) indicated that in most cities monitoring outdoor air quality, air pollution failed to meet WHO guidelines for safe levels. A prioritisation of rail transpor-tation would serve to reduce significantly the contribution made by the transport sector to air pollution in cities.Reduced environmental footprint Rail is the most efficient trans-port mode in terms of space use. Worldwide, road infra-structure uses 37 times more land than rail infrastructure while only carrying 3.5 times more transport units than rail. For example, on average, on a track smaller than a bus lane, a tram provides about up to two or three times higher transport capacity than a bus. SafetyWhile more than three million people are killed in road traf-fic accidents every year, train incidents in the world are rare. Railway systems are designed to meet the highest safety stan-dards. Alstom, at the forefront of clean transportationAlstom is convinced that trans-port systems should be fluid, eco-friendly, safe, connected and accessible. The company is constantly working on en-hancing rail’s reputation as the greenest public transport mode, striving to reduce the high cost of energy and commit-ted to reducing transport’s car-bon footprint. In recent years, Alstom’s technical innovations have allowed energy consump-tion reductions of up to 20%, depending on the train type. Innovation as a driving forceAmong the main innovations of the past few years, permanent magnet motors (PMM) have had a huge impact on the en-ergy efficiency. Alstom decided to switch from asynchronous motors to PMMs because of their high power to weight ra-tio, which led to a 3% increase in output and a corresponding increase in energy efficiency. High-temperature IGBT technol-ogy allowed a move from water cooling of the traction system

to air cooling, or from forced to natural ventilation. We can also cite electric braking down to 0 km/h, which allows the recuperation of more energy, combined with Hesop, a power-supply substation designed for optimal energy efficiency and reduced infrastructure costs for urban and suburban rail trans-port networks. Hesop is the only all-in-one solution offering both traction and recuperation capabilities in the same piece of equipment.Alstom also started to intro-duce ecodesign in engineering processes more than 10 years ago with the aim of reducing en-vironmental footprint of its solu-tions. The results are environ-mental dashboards with targets on “hot spot” at the beginning of the development phase, a quantified environmental foot-print (life-cycle assessments), and greener solutions. Today, over 100 experts (eco-design-ers, acoustics and material ex-perts, energy engineers, etc.) are dedicated to guaranteeing the environmental performance of every solution.Reducing the environmen-tal footprint of trains, com-ponents and systemsBefore tackling entire trans-port systems, Alstom reduced the environmental impact of its trains. Firstly, weight has been significantly reduced thanks to redesign of parts and the use of new materials such as com-posites. Alstom also develops components that have a longer lifespan; in the Citadis X05 for example, on new bogies, the wheel lifetime has been extend-ed by up to 30% before requir-ing replacement. Secondly, efforts have been made to improve recyclability at end-of-life. Progress made in this area has enabled Alstom to design trains that are up to 95% recyclable (c.f. 87% ten years ago) and 97% recover-able (c.f. 93% ten years ago). Alstom is constantly looking to upgrade its components based upon the latest available tech-nologies. Examples of this are the HVAC systems that now detect the presence of passen-gers in the train and adapt air flows to the occupancy , and the lighting systems, which now use almost exclusively high-efficien-cy LEDs. Alstom has also developed sig-nalling solutions which maxi-mize energy efficiency. The Ur-balis Fluence for metros, which provides automatic control of train movement, delivers up to 20% energy savings thanks

to reduced intervals between trains and a reduction in main-tenance with a 20% cut in equipment. Automatic train operation (ATO) optimizes train movement and allows the selection of an ener-gy efficient mode of operation. Furthermore, the fleet manage-ment system facilitates the op-timisation of traffic to avoid the energy peaks.In order to support its cus-tomers to improve energy ef-ficiency of existing fleets, Al-stom can also modernise any train, whether manufactured by Alstom or not, to upgrade traction chains or high energy-consuming equipment such as ventilation systems. For exam-ple, in 2014 the company was awarded a contract to upgrade the traction of 85 metro cars in Mexico. A previous metro mod-ernisation contract in Mexico (MP82) demonstrated a 35% reduction in energy consump-tion. Alstom has been designing sys-tems, complete rail solutions supplied on a turnkey basis, for decades and in recent years has made efforts to optimise them by offering solutions that include all the latest environ-mental innovations. Axonis is an elevated metro sys-tem able to carry from 10,000 to 45,000 passengers per hour per direction, which runs mainly on viaducts, but can also run at ground level and underground. It is a non-proprietary system, allowing cities to increase their fleets and develop line exten-sions through a competitive bid-ding process. The system can be up and running in three to four years from contract signa-ture. Once the viaduct is elevat-ed, railway tracks are installed using Alstom’s Appitrack, which reduces the impact of infra-structure construction works, limiting noise, dust and waste. Energy consumption is limited as it is equipped with steel wheels, 100% motorised bogies and Hesop. The combination of these three elements reduces the traction energy required by up to 40% compared with metro trains running on rubber tyres.

Attractis, Alstom’s integrated tramway system, brings to-gether all of Alstom’s expertise, enabling cities to develop, at a more affordable cost, a tram-way system that is environmen-tally-friendly, interoperable, simpler to operate and offering large transport capacity ranging from 4,000 to 14,000 PPHPD . Alstom is currently undertaking

a carbon footprint analysis of its Attractis system.Examples of reduction of the environmental footprint of our solutions

Alstom committed to sustainable mobility

Cecile Texier, Director for Sustainability and CSR, Alstom group

Cecile Texier

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Alstom’s new ambition for energy efficiency Alstom has set its targets for the energy efficiency of its so-lutions and its operations. The company will commit to an en-ergy consumption reduction of its transport solutions of 20% by 2020 (compared to 2014 levels) . Moreover, Alstom is committed to reducing the en-ergy intensity of its operations by 10% by 2020.-20% of energy consump-tion for Alstom’s solutions Tracking energy perfor-mance of solutionsAlstom is the first manufacturer to have set a key performance indicator and a target on the energy performance of its solu-tions. This will allow the evolu-tion of the energy performance to be tracked. The company is currently defining standard en-ergy measurement methodolo-gies to ensure consistency in data collection and deploying energy simulation for existing and future solutions. Innovating for higher ener-gy efficiency on all phases

of the life-cycleAlstom is currently develop-ing entirely new types of trains equipped with a fuel cell drive, a device that converts the en-ergy from a fuel into electricity through a chemical reaction. This technology has already been used in the automotive industry. The train will be com-pletely emission-free and its noise level will be drastically reduced. Furthermore, through the use of energy storage, as well as intelligent energy man-agement systems and a cost competitive fuel, the new train will be significantly more effi-cient to run than a conventional diesel multiple unit. Alstom is also developing a new generation of high-speed trains, which will be able to carry up to 750 people and will consume 35% less energy than the previ-ous generation.The -20% target is expected to be achieved through innova-tions on the trains themselves but also on the infrastructure and the services offered. Al-stom will for instance further

reduce the weight of the trains and the resistance to motion. Optimized HVAC systems will be implemented for the different market segments through the use of CO2 sensors or similar and heat pumps will be pro-posed. The company has been working on the integration of Capillary pump loops (CPL) - extremely high-performance calories evacuation systems - within their traction systems. CPLs can be installed on every type of train in order to replace clas-sic cooling systems such as ventilators, pumps and radia-tors. This technology offers cli-ents a solution that operates silently, does not consume energy, and requires very little maintenance.Alstom has also developed a new auxiliary convertor that enables entirely natural cool-ing and leverages the technical performance of silicon carbide semi-conductors. This enables a reduction in conduction and switching losses. Natural cool-ing removes the need for bulky and less reliable cooling sys-tems (pumps, ventilators) and reduces maintenance costs and energy consumption, while simultaneously increasing pas-senger comfort thanks to its silent operation. The company will further devel-op and deploy Ecomode - ener-gy storage systems that will be used for future tramways wire-less technologies, Ecoregula-tion - which is a smart software for on-time performance and energy saving and Ecodriving - which deploys advisory systems and training capacities for the drivers. Lately, Alstom added SRS – an innovative ground-based static charging system – to its cate-nary-free range. SRS charges the tram in less than 20 sec-onds when it stops at stations. Equipped with super-capacita-tors, the tram is recharged via a ground-based conductive rail and through collector shoes mounted under the body allow-ing highly energy-efficient cate-nary-less operations.Collaborating with custom-ers and suppliers Alstom has established collab-orative programmes with its customers in many countries (France, Brazil, Ireland, Spain…) in order to improve energy effi-ciency of trains and railway sys-

tems and build the sustainable transport modes of tomorrow.Alstom is also committed to the sustainable sourcing of its products. In March, the com-pany joined Railsponsible, to-gether with five other compa-nies from the railway industry. Railsponsible is a collaborative procurement initiative focused on improving sustainabil-ity throughout the entire supply chain, by sharing best practices and processes, driving com-mon understanding across the industry, and using common tools.-10% of energy intensity for Alstom’s factories and sitesAlstom has defined its priorities for environmental management which includes water, waste and energy management. En-ergy intensity of operations

(per hour worked) is tracked. Alstom has already succeeded in reducing the energy intensity of its operations by 18% since 2008. In Germany, Alstom’s Salzgitter plant has deployed an exten-sive energy management plan involving overall computer-based energy management system, heat recovery from compressors, variable speed compressors, LED lighting. In Italy, Alstom has established an energy steering committee to track the energy consumption of its sites and deploy improve-ment programme. In France, a new series of in-depth energy surveys is being deployed to identify further ar-eas for improvement. Alstom’s sites in the UK and Belgium are being supplied with green electricity guaranteed for zero-

carbon emissions and sites in France are using certified elec-tricity to ensure at least a mini-mum level of renewable con-tent in the energy they use. This will be extended to other units in the future.In the Netherlands, Alstom suc-ceeded in getting certification level 5 (highest level) on the CO2 performance ladder initi-ated by ProRail. This demon-strates the leading CO2 perfor-mance of Alstom’s operations in the country. It reflects the commitment of Alstom teams and its suppliers to reduce global CO2 emissions, through a large number of initiatives and programmes such, one ex-ample of which is a renovation programme to reach the high-est energy efficiency standard for the headquarters building in Rijswijk.

“Rail is the perfect solution for Qatar’s environmental challenges”By Vincent ProuGCC Managing Director, Alstom Group

Rail is the cleanest powered-transportation mode, highly energy-efficient, with low CO2 emissionsGlobally, in 2011, the transport sector represented 27.6% of all energy used and was responsible for 22.7% of the total global energy-related CO2 emissions. Worldwide transport sector CO2 emis-sions increased by 53% between 1990 and 2011. In this context, rail consumes only 2.2% of transport final energy and is responsible of 3.3% of CO2 emissions in transport (including indirect energy-related emissions) whilst carrying 9% of global passengers and freight.Alstom is convinced that transport systems should be fluid, eco-friendly, safe, connected and ac-cessible. The company is constantly working on enhancing rail’s reputation as the greenest public transport mode, striving to reduce the high cost of energy and committed to reducing transport’s carbon footprint. In recent years, Alstom’s technical innovations have allowed energy consumption reductions of up to 20%, depending on the train type.Rail is the most efficient transport mode in terms of space use. Worldwide, road infrastructure uses 37 times more land than rail infrastructure while only carrying 3.5 times more transport units than rail. For example, on average, on a track smaller than a bus lane, a tram provides about up to two or three times higher transport capacity than a bus. Alstom is convinced that the best transport solu-tion for Qatar’s environment challenges is the railway system.

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PROJECTS AND COUNTRIES COVERED AT THE SHOW

INVESTMENT:

$12.9bnPROJECTS:Tram, long-distance freight and passenger

BahrainSaudi Arabia

INVESTMENT:

$118.9bnPROJECTS:Metro, tram, long-distance freight and passenger, high speed rail

INVESTMENT:

$46.7bnPROJECTS:Metro, tram, long-distance freight and passenger

Qatar

INVESTMENT:

$16bnPROJECTS:Tram, long-distance freight and passenger

Oman

INVESTMENT:

$27bnPROJECTS:Metro, tram, long-distance freight and passenger

UAE

INVESTMENT:

$4bn (shared with Ethiopia)PROJECTS:Long-distance freight

Djibouti

INVESTMENT:

$75bnPROJECTS:Metro, Long-distance freight and passenger, high speed rail

Nigeria

INVESTMENT:

$10bnPROJECTS:Tram, long-distance freight and passenger, high speed rail

Morocco

INVESTMENT:

$140bnPROJECTS:Metro, tram, monorail, long-distance freight and passenger, high speed rail

India

INVESTMENT:

$17bnPROJECTS:Metro, long-distance freight and passenger

Kuwait

INVESTMENT:

$34.4bnPROJECTS:Metro, tram, long-distance freight and passenger

Algeria

INVESTMENT:

$14bnPROJECTS:Metro, high speed rail

Iraq

INVESTMENT:

$546mnPROJECTS:Metro, long-distance freight and passenger

Tunisia

INVESTMENT:

$3.8bnPROJECTS:Metro, tram, long-distance freight and passenger

Jordan

INVESTMENT:

$500mnPROJECTS:Tram

Lebanon

INVESTMENT:

$30.9bnPROJECTS:Metro, monorail, long-distance freight and passenger, high speed rail

Egypt

INVESTMENT:

$24.6bnPROJECTS:Metro, long-distance freight and passenger

Iran

US$352 billion railway projects underway in the Middle East

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Waseela, an information and communication technology (ICT) company in the Middle East that delivers integrated system and service solutions, has been awarded $10 million worth of construction pack-ages, requiring integrated ICT/ELV/BMS systems in the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar. According to MEED Projects, the total net value of planned and ongoing construction proj-ects in the GCC amounts to $2.7 trillion. Of this, in 2015 alone, MEED Projects expected the value of awarded constructions projects to reach $172 billion, the high-est on record for any year.In the GCC, a major trend in the construction sector is the adoption of green, and smart building initiatives. The trends expand the role of technology in the construction of modern mega buildings which rely on integrated ICT/Extra Low Volt-age (ELV)/Building Manage-ment Systems (BMS) systems for its efficient functioning. Typi-cally, converged ICT/ELV/BMS solutions are expected to be a requirement at newly construct-ed malls, hotels, hospitals, air-ports, schools, and stadiums.Smart Buildings are commonly equipped with ELV systems for

physical security, communica-tion, lighting, audiovisual, sur-veillance cameras, parking, and access control.While Green Buildings which are advanced versions of smart buildings require BMSs to con-trol and regulate air condition-ing, elevators, lighting and heating, and other electro-me-chanical systems to make the buildings more economical and reduce harmful environmental contaminants.“State-of-the-art BMS solutions now operate over IP networks.Similarly, this is the case with surveillance and access con-trol solutions. In the coming years and as the trends of smart buildings intensify, more converged and integrated ICT/ ELV/BMS solutions will emerge requiring more complex and sophisticated engineering and integration capabilities,” com-mented Dr Samer Taha, CEO, Waseela, who also said that Waseela has observed a sig-nificant increase in demand for converged ICT/ELV/BMS pack-ages amongst mega buildings under construction in the GCC.Since 2007, Waseela has been active in building telecom so-lutions and has strong experi-ence in advanced IP networking that include nationwide rollout

of advanced wireless networks, to the rollout of advanced in-door telecom systems inside airports, hotels, malls, universi-ties and towers across the GCC.Capitalizing on these character-istics and responding to market trends, Waseela has been able to expand its engineering com-petency to form a specialized

team for the design and deliv-ery of converged ICT/ELV/BMS solutions to mega buildings.“Since 2013, Waseela began a process of consolidating its diverse engineering capabili-ties into a new converged ICT/ELV/BMS department special-ized to work on smart buildings requirements,” emphasized Dr

Taha.Waseela’s experience com-bined with the adoption of state-of-the-art IP-based BMS and ELV solutions has put the company at the forefront of turnkey system integrators.Waseela’s success so far gives the company the confidence to take the lead in delivering com-

plex and converged ICT/ELV/BMS solutions for mega smart buildings. As such, Waseela is currently participating and bidding for long-term projects with con-verged ICT/ELV/ BMS pack-ages, expected to materialize during 2016-2017 at an ap-proximate value of $50 million.

The trend towards smart buildings rapidly intensifying in the Gulf regionThe total net value of construction projects amounts to $2.7 trillion

region

Dr Samer Taha Waseela CEO

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Qatar can partner with Mexico in sharing construction experienceQatar has been invited to partner with Mexico in sharing experience on infrastructure develop-ments. Both countries can explore opportunities for partnering in infrastructure, tourism and other sectors, according to Mexican businessman.The two countries can share their expertise to grow together, said Juan Gallardo, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the holding company, Organizacion Cultiba SAB de CV and member of industry associations in Mexico, during the recently-held Qatar-Mexican Business Forum. “We both are committed to very large infrastructure programs. The experience in construction, experience in developing, financing, constructing, developing these kind of large projects is extremely valuable and we can exchange lot of views on how to better do it and not just bidding for projects,” he said.Mexico is planning to open public bidding for hydrocarbons exploration and production. Other proj-ects include the $30 billion expansion plan for Mexico’s natural gas requirements, expansion of the transmission network with the installation of an additional 60 gigawatts for power generation and the $116 billion modernization of its national electricity system.

Qatar tops Arab investors in TunisiaQatari-Tunisian relations have witnessed a remarkable development at all levels following the Tu-nisian revolution five years ago. Tunisian leaders have noted that Qatar has stood by their country and helped it politically and economically during the transition phase after the revolution.A recent statement by the Arab Investment and Export Credit Guarantee Corporation (Dhaman) pointed out that the Arab country that had invested the most in Tunisia during the first 10 months of 2015 was Qatar.The statement showed that Qatar ranked second on the list of foreign countries and the first in the Arab world, with investments of roughly $45.5 million and accounted for 13% of the overall foreign direct investment (FDI).Qatari investments in Tunisia are in sectors as diverse as tourism, real estate and telecommunica-tions, as well as a diagonal integration tourism project in the city of Tozeur in Tunisia, in addition to Qatar’s contribution in the construction of 30,000 housing units.Qatar accounted for inter-Arab investment inflows worth $23 billion between 2003 and April 2015 and was ranked fifth on the list of best performers in the region.In its latest report on “Investment climate in Arab countries”, Dhaman said the inter-Arab invest-ment projects totaled more than $370 billion between 2003 and April 2015.According to the Kuwait-based Dhaman, which is a pan-Arab organization owned by the govern-ments of Arab states and four Arab financial institutions, Qatar accounted for 6.2% of the total inter-Arab investment inflows between 2003 and April 2015.

Qatar concludes first stage of housing project in GazaA total of 1,060 houses have been handed over to Palestinian families by Qatari Committee for Reconstruction of Gaza Strip at the Sheikh Hamad Residential City Qatar had pledged $1 billion for building projects in Gaza, of which $50 million was paid to owners of destroyed houses, destroyed in the 2014 Israeli war, to fund their rebuilding. More than 1,000 new homes have been completed since.“Qatar exerts every effort to help the people of Gaza in the fields of electricity, agriculture, infra-structure and housing, including the rebuilding of completely destroyed houses,” said Mohammed Al Amadi, head of the Qatari Committee to Rebuild Gaza.The 1060 housing units are the first batch of a 3,000-apartment complex that was announced in 2012. The construction of the residential city is the largest housing project. Qatar allocated $145 million for Sheikh Hamad Residential City project. Gaza economist Maher Al-Tabbaa said reconstruction efforts were being hampered by difficulties in bringing raw materials to Gaza. Israel bars the import of products it suspects Hamas might use to rearm or build fortifications, although it began easing restrictions in October under a mechanism overseen by the United Nations.“Only 400,000 tonnes of cement have entered Gaza since October 2014, or the equivalent of Gaza’s need of cement in two months only,” said Tabbaa, who is in charge of public relations at Gaza’s Chamber of Commerce.Officials said that Qatari funding had provided another 1,060 new homes in the Gaza town of Khan Younis for low-income families.

Qatar, Turkey to expandbusiness co-operationWays to enhance co-operation were discussed during a joint meeting of the Qatari Businessmen Association (QBA) and the Turkish Qatari Business Council recently. The Turkish delegation was headed by Council Chairman Ethem Sancak, Seyda Saglamlar and Ercan Ata, both vice chairmen, in the presence of Ahmet Demirok, Turkish ambassador to Doha.The Qatari Businessmen Association (QBA) delegation attending the meeting was headed by its Chairman, Sheikh Faisal Bin Qassim Al Thani. The meeting was also attended by QBA members Nasser Rashid Al Kaaby, Nabil Abu Issa, Maqbool Khalfan and Sarah Abdullah, QBA Deputy General Manager.During the meeting, the participants discussed the possibility of establishing partnerships and alliances for the benefit of the two economies and ways to enhance trade exchange. Investment opportunities available in both Qatar and Turkey were also reviewed.The private sector in Qatar has witnessed a remarkable development in recent years, allowing local businessmen to take off globally through investments in viable projects in various countries of the world, said Sheikh Faisal bin Qassim. Turkey is now considered an ideal destination for Qatari businessmen because of the close re-lationship between the two countries and the geographical proximity as well as the similarity of customs and traditions. Sheikh Faisal bin Qassim said that many Qatari businessmen were interested in investing in Turkey “which has an attractive investment climate and many viable investment opportunities”.He stressed the readiness of the Qatari Businessmen Association to deepen co-operation between the two sides, highlighting the need to focus on young businessmen in their joint initiatives. He suggested that regular joint meetings should be organized between the young businessmen from both Qatar and Turkey to discuss co-operation and the possibility of joint investment not only in Qatar and Turkey but also around the world .

newS

Al Maysan Heavy Equipment holdsSany customer appreciation event

Al Maysan Heavy Equipment held a customer event on January 13 at the Regency Halls in Doha. The event showcased Sany mobile and rough terrain cranes models to contractors, logistics and rental companies. At the event, Al Maysan Heavy Equipment hon-ored their clients and presented appreciation awards to long-standing customers. The event was attended by Mohamed Jaidah, Group Executive Director of Jaidah Group; Ayman Ahmed, Managing Director of Jaidah Equipment; Wang Fengkai, General Manager of Sany Middle East; Hazem Kenawy, Service Manager of Al Maysan Heavy Equipment; and David Xu, Chief Representative of Sany Group in Qatar. Mohamed Jaidah, Group Executive Director of Jaidah Group, said: “Jaidah Group has a his-tory of long-standing relationship with major international manufacturers, making us per-fectly suited for satisfying the high demand of equipment related to Qatar’s construction boom driven by Qatar National Vision 2030. “We are confident that Sany’s quality and our after sales services will ensure that we con-

tinue to increase our market share in Qatar”. Ayman Ahmed, Managing Director of Jaidah Equipment, said: “We would like to stress on the important role of the after-sales service, and want to assure our Sany customers that various new initiatives have been taken to enhance after sales support to benefit our valuable customers and aid future business relations.” Wang Fengkai, General Manager of Sany Middle East, said: “Sany is the sixth-largest heavy equipment manufacturer in the world, with a dozen industrial parks in China, plus manufacturing facilities in Brazil, Germany, India, Indonesia, and in the United States.” The company has around 90,000 employees worldwide. After presenting the mobile and rough ter-rain cranes on display, David Xu highlighted the durability of Sany cranes and the role of their after-sales service. “Although we offer a wide range of Sany cranes models, they all have two things in common; versatility and practicality.” He said.

SITESC o n s t r u C t i o n26 newS

By Robert J. Thomas, Hailong Ye, Aleksandra Radlinska, and Sulapha Peetham-paranConcrete International – January 2016

Alkali-activated slag cement concrete (AASCC) is a promising sustainable alterna-tive to portland cement concrete (PCC). AASCC relies on strong alkaline solutions for activation of ground-granulated blast-furnace slag (slag cement), which is a calcium aluminosilicate by-product of iron ore smelting (production of pig iron). Although AASCC has been the subject of much research in recent decades, it rep-resents a century-old technology. In 1908, Kühl first demonstrated the stabiliza-tion of powdered blast-furnace slag with caustic soda. In 1940, Purdon published much more extensive research on alkali-activated “clinkerless” cements. In the following two decades, Glukhovsky studied the alkali activation of various organ-ic and inorganic aluminosilicates. Glukhovsky’s “alkaline cements” were used throughout the former USSR, where the high strength and durability of alkali ac-tivated binders were summarily proven. By the end of the 1980s, Davidovits and Sawyer had made extensive progress in describing the nature of alkali-activated slag and geopolymer binders. Such binders were marketed in the United States under the trade name Pyrament. While the good durability and high early strength of this product made it an excellent repair medium, Pyrament production ceased in the mid-1990s—apparently for reasons unrelated to the product itself. Much of the current research on AASCC focuses on describing the reaction pro-cesses, microstructure development, and the effect of slag and activator compo-sitions. From a more practical standpoint, an understanding of how these factors affect the mechanical properties and durability of AASCC is important. Current research is focused on providing practitioners with the knowledge necessary for design and implementation of AASCC. At production scale, the costs of AASCC are reported to be 85 to 140% that of comparable PCC. The main benefits of AASCC therefore relate to sustainability: the embodied energy and emissions associated with the product are low because slag is an industrial by-product requiring little processing. However, the potential sustainability of AASCC may be limited by the activators, as the industrial produc-tion of the alkalis necessary for the activation process is not always efficient. Nevertheless, recent studies suggest that typical AASCC formulations provide 25 to 50% reductions in CO2 emissions and more than 40% reductions in embodied energy relative to PCC.

Alkali Activation Process Slag cement is similar in composition to portland cement. Both are composed mainly of calcium oxide (CaO), silica (SiO2), alumina (Al2O3), and magnesia (MgO). However, slag cement has less calcium oxide and more silica, alumina, and magnesia than portland cement (Table 1). While portland cement is predominately crystalline, slag cement is amorphous. Portland cement is hydraulic—setting by hydration with water. Slag cement is only latently so, as advanced hydration is limited by the early and rapid formation of an impermeable shell on the surface of hydrating grains. When slag cement is used as a partial replacement for portland cement, this barrier is broken down by the characteristically high alkalinity of the pore solution, which in turn promotes the secondary hydration of slag. In the absence of portland cement, the required alkalinity is provided by the activator. Common activators include sodium and potassium alkalis, alkali silicates, and alkali carbonates. By far the most com-mon are sodium hydroxide (of up to 15M concentration) and sodium silicate (with sodium oxide concentration of up to 7% by mass of slag and silica-sodium ratio of up to 3.5).

info@greymatters.ws www.greymatters.ws

KnowCrete byAlkali-Activated Slag Cement ConcreteA closer look at a sustainable alternative to portland cement

QPMC secures supply of high-quality aggregates for the next three yearsQatar Primary Materials Company (QPMC) has signed four new agreements for the supply of 19,980,000 tons of high-quality aggregates (gabbro and limestone) over the next three years from various sources. The company ensures the continuous growth of the Qatar’s construction sector by securing the required materials, facilitating the stability of prices and ensuring the availability of aggregates; an ultimate objective which comes as part of QPMC’s vi-sion which is strategically aligned with Qatar’s sustainable development.The four agreements were signed with the following companies: the Gate Primary Materials, Continental Trading Company, Qatar Engineering Alliance Company and Al Baida Technical Services. The agreements come in line with QPMC’s vision of diversifying supply sources to secure the needed primary materials, for public and private sectors in Qatar.The actual implementation of the agreements started early 2016, contributing to the revitalization of the role of the most important economic sectors in Qatar and the achievement of sustainable development, in line with QPMC’s vision. They also ensure the delivery of all the required quantities in addition to the stabil-ity of prices of primary materials in the local market and pushing forward further economic development while speeding up the completion of major construction and infrastructure projects.QPMC supplies the needed primary materials to meet the local market demand of primary materials of limestone and gabbro, to suit all construction requirements.The procured materials will be stored in QPMC-owned facilities in Lusail, Mesaieed and RasLaffan which will ensure accessibility of materials in the north, south and the capital city of Doha and timely delivery to all construction sites around the coun-try as well as customer satisfaction.QPMC CEO Eisa Al-Hammadi said the amount which would be supplied by the com-panies would be imported from Sultanate of Oman and the United Arab Emirates via private Qatari companies with quarries abroad.The agreements were signed by each of Dr Mohammed Al Kubaisi, Chairman of Qatar Engineering Alliance Company, Sheikh Fahad Bin Jassin Al Thani, Chairman of Continental Trading Company, Ali Al Mesned, Chairman of Al Baida, and Abdullah Al Hail, Chairman of The Gate (Al Bawaba) Primary Materials.Continental Trading Company, Qatar Engineering Alliance Company and Al Baida Technical Services will supply the required amount of primary materials from Sul-tanate of Oman whereas Al Bawaba, The Gate Primary Materials will provide the contracted quantity from the UAE.For his part, Sheikh Fahad Bin Jassin Al Thani, Chairman of Continental Trading Company, said: “We are very pleased with our partnership with QPMC, to meet the needs of the existing projects in our beloved country.”Ali Al-Mesned, Chairman of Al Baida Group, commented: “From our side, we value QPMC’s vision and mission. We are delighted to support the government’s arm in the supply of aggregates, which sees itself supporting the economic co-operation between Qatar and the Gulf countries ….” Eisa Al-Hammadi said: “QPMC operates in line with Qatar national vision to activate the interaction between public and private sectors and the diversification of the lo-cal stockpile, to push forward the development of local infrastructure projects.”Al Hammadi said that the materials would enter Qatar through the sea. He assured that all imported items would match the Qatar Construction Specifica-tions (QCS). “Specifications will also meet the local market needs and align with the Ministry of Environment requirements.”QPMC’s Gabbro Berth Terminals operate 24 hours to guarantee the high quality of the material supplied to the local market. The additional agreements form part of QPMC’s efforts to stabilize the domestic prices of primary materials and keep up with Qatar’s fast-growing construction industry.

SITESC o n s t r u C t i o n 27aShghaL upDateS

There aren’t usually many opportunities to say and do the right thing at the right time

to influence immense change. Hosting the World Green Building Week (WGBW) in Doha in 2015 is exactly that, an opportunity to make a big difference for decades to come. Such events are able to engi-neer best practices by sharing experiences and knowledge we have gained in a fast-de-veloping country where stan-dards and regulations are being outpaced by corporate and professional standards. Cundall, an international multi-disciplinary engineer-ing consultancy, challenged many sustainability myths when hosting its World Green Building Week seminar on December 9, presented by Richard Stratton, Managing Director for MENA, and Hala Yousef, Senior Sustainability Engineer.The interactive workshop, based on the 10 one planet living principles by WWF, guid-ed people through the steps of how to significantly reduce their environmental impact,

both personally and in terms of building design. Thought-provoking questions were answered such as when is a cow like a car? Should we stop showering? Is there a future for cars in cities? Is building design currently obesogenic? Should we eat cheese?“People may think this a strange thing for Cundall, who are consulting engineers to talk about,” says Alan Fogarty of Cundall. “However, at Cundall, we are passionate about every as-pect of sustainability, includ-ing helping our staff and cli-ents live a more sustainable life.”Cundall had further sustain-able success recently, having won the Emirates Green Build-ing Council (EGBC) Award for Green Building of the Year 2015 for the American Univer-sity of Sharjah. Cundall was employed in the capacity of lead consultant where it provided the full de-sign, project management, cost consultancy and site supervision services for the campus service center, youth center and new service block

projects. There were no sustainability regulations in force in Shar-jah at the time of the design of this project but the univer-sity wanted to achieve the sustainability rating of LEED Silver Certification.The Campus Service Cen-ter was designed and con-structed to LEED Silver/Gold standard, and was used as the catalyst for implementing sustainable initiatives within the other elements of the de-velopment, and indeed sub-sequent projects on the site.Donald Slade, Managing Di-rector for Qatar, comments: “It has been a fantastic year for promoting our sustainable ethos in the Middle East. We kicked off by celebrating the EGBC win for the excellent American University of Shar-jah project. “Our World Green Building Week event in both Dubai and Doha raised some thought-provoking and interesting points. Assessing how many planets we require as indi-viduals highlighted why we should be serious about the way we design buildings and how we live our lives.”

Climate change and sus-tainability myths busted*Skeptics of manmade climate change offer various natural causes to explain why the Earth has warmed 1.4 deg C since 1880. Can these account for the planet’s rising temperature? Let’s try to find out. Is it the Earth’s orbit?The Earth wobbles on its axis, and its tilt orbit change over many thousands of years, pushing the climate into and out of ice ages. Influence of orbital changes has been negligibleIs it the sun?The sun’s temperature varies over decades and centuries. The sun’s change has had negligible effect.Is it volcanoes?Human industry emits about 100 times more CO2 than vol-canic activity, and eruptions release sulfate chemicals that can actually cool the at-mosphere for a year or two.Is it all three of these things combined?Adding the natural factors to-gether doesn’t add up.So if it’s not nature, is it deforestation?

Humans have cut, plowed, and paved more than half the Earth’s land surface. Dark forests are yielding to lighter patches, which reflect more sunlight - and have a slight cooling effect.Or ozone pollution?Natural ozone blocks harm-ful sunlight and cools slightly. Closer to Earth, pollution-related ozone makes the cli-mate a little hotter – but not much.Or aerosol pollution?Some pollutants cool the at-mosphere, like sulfate aero-sols from coal-burning. Offsets some of the warming – but causes acid rainNo, it really is greenhouse gases.Atmospheric CO2 levels are 40% higher than they were in 1750.Together human factors match the observed temper-ature change - particularly since 1950.Combining natural and hu-man causes of climate change demonstrates the dominance of greenhouse gases. What are we going to do about it? Cundall offered some sug-

gestions. But we want to hear from YOU. Why don’t you email* us your ideas about what we can do to mitigate the risks of cli-mate change and you will see it published in our upcoming issue?And remember, change could just be around the corner. Ac-cording to Qatar’s Ministry of Environment, the state is ex-tremely vulnerable to sea lev-el rise as it’s liable to inland flooding of 18.2% of its land area, at less than 5m rise in sea level, along with associ-ated adverse impacts on the population as 96% are living on the coastal areas. Furthermore, climate change would cause the extinction of species such as whales, dol-phins and turtles in addition to causing coral bleaching and other impacts on the mi-gration of some marine spe-cies and sea birds.

*Adapted from the “Cli-mate Change and Sustain-ability Myths” presenta-tion by Cundall.

*Email suggestions to: ekamel@qc-sites.com

Cundall promotes sustainable ethos in the Middle East“at Cundall, we are passionate about every aspect of sustainability”

Through the Safety and Health Section of the Quality and Safety De-partment, the Public

Works Authority organises con-tinuous training courses on safety and health in order to spread the safety culture and increase knowledge and ap-plication of the requirements and standards of the Occupa-tional Health and Safety Plan, which is approved by the up-graded version of the Qatar Construction Specifications

(QCS 2014).The training workshops are held once a week in the at-tendance of project manag-ers and engineers from the Public Works Authority. The attendants are nominated by various departments, sec-tions, and projects to attend the lectures in collaboration with the Training and Develop-ment Section of the Human Resources Department in Ash-ghal.The first lecture of the train-

ing course includes a general explanation and definition of the Qatar Construction Speci-fications 2014. It is followed by another lecture on how to evaluate the occupational health and safety plan in proj-ects, and how safety manag-ers and supervisors can as-sess contractors. The lecture is concluded by testing the participants of the course.The first lecture is presented by Eng. Ehab Saleh, First Safe-ty Engineer, while the second

lecture is presented by Mr. Yasser Berzan, Safety Special-ist.It is worth mentioning that the Public Works Authority is keen to give these training courses to specialists in the field of health and safety of projects in order to inform them of the amendments made in the up-graded version of the Qatar Construction Specifications with regards to requirements, standards, and management systems of safety and acci-

dents prevention. The training courses also aim to guarantee the application of these speci-fications in the best way possi-ble and in all of the work sites of the authority’s projects.The importance of the Occupa-tional Health and Safety Plan lies in being one of the key ele-ments for the prevention and minimisation of accidents in the workplace. Therefore, the evaluation and approval of this plan must be done on a scien-tific and objectives basis in or-der to serve its purpose.It should be noted that the Public Works Authority begun the workshops in 2010. Dur-ing the past months, the au-thority implemented a training plan consisting of 8 sessions distributed on several months, about the Qatar Construction

Specifications 2010 which is the previous version. Ashghal did so in order to inform the authority’s project managers and engineers of all the re-quirements and standards ap-proved by these specifications. The training courses held were not limited to lectures; success and failure tests were also conducted for the participants of these courses. Certificates were given to participants who passed the tests, and the last set of certificates was distrib-uted in November. The cer-tificates were distributed to 77 participants for the training courses held during May and June 2015. In the coming pe-riod, certificates will be distrib-uted to 68 participants in the training courses held during October and November 2015.

Ashghal organizes training on Occupational Health and Safety

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tenDerS

ASHGHAL TENDERS AND AWARDED TENDERS

No Type Subject Envelopes System Value of the documents Interim Bond Closing Date

TC-B-129-2015 TenderTender on project for studying the geological maps of the State of Qatar, phase (1): Data gathering and

analysis.1 Envelopes 300 245 07-02-2016

TC-B-6-2016 TenderTender: Pre-contract Consulting Services & Quantity

Survey works for the design of Al-Rayyan Parks (Group 8).

2 Envelopes 150 150 31-01-2016

TC-B-5-2016 Tender Tender: Supply of Imported Fodder for Use of Zoo for 3 years 2 Envelopes 150 220 31-01-2016

TC-B-3-2016 TenderTender: Maintenance Works for the Plants & Ir-

rigation System of the following Parks: (Izghawa, Abu-Hamour, Al-Gharrafa Plaza)

2 Envelopes 150 100 31-01-2016

TC-B-2-2016 Tender

Tender: Maintenance & Servicing the Plants and Irrigation Systems located at Al-Furusiya Street,

Al-Furusiaya roundabout, Muaither roundabout and the Area Between Al-Furusiya Roundabout and the

Industrial area intersection.

2 Envelopes 300 300 31-01-2016

TC-B-1-2016 Tender Manufacture & supply of brake systems for the government basis 2 Envelopes 150 30000 24-01-2016

TC-B-146-2015 Tender Medical insurance for a number of employees of private contracts in the MMUP 2 Envelopes 150 142000 17-01-2016

Tender & Auctions Committee http://www.baladiya.gov.qa General Conditions of Tenders1. Tender documents may be collected

and bids must be submitted to the premises of the “Tenders & Auctions Committee” of the Ministry of Munici-pality & Urban Planning, located at “Al Muntazah” area, administrative at-tache, 6th Floor,Bldg 2, St Saad Bin Malek 941,Zone24, Rawdat Alkhail Tender documents may be collected against the non-refundable amount stipulated in the Table above

2. Required Documents: Authorization letter signed by the company’s autho-rized person, in Arabic, and endorsed by an authorized person “Company™s Identification Card - Valid Commercial License - Commercial Registration Certificate

3. In Tender : Tenders shall be accom-panied with a provisional Bank Guar-antee, or certified cheque, issued by a bank operating in Qatar, in the amount stipulated In the relevant table for each tender. Such cheques must be valid for one hundred & twenty days (120 days) following the date of opening the envelopes of all Bidders ,though ,The successful bidder shall provide final insurance equivalent to a minimum of ten percent (10% )of the contract value, and must not be Subject to any restriction or condition, must be valid for the entire performance period of the contract and remain valid for seven days (7 days) following the Completion of the contract

4 . In Auction : shall be accompanied with a provisional Bank Guarantee, or certified cheque, issued by a bank operating in Qatar, in the amount stipulated in the Relevant table for each tender. Such cheques must be valid for one hundred & twenty days (120 days) following the date of opening the envelopes of all Bidders ,though ,to be in a separate envelope ,and in both of tender and auction : tender bond shall be addressed to the Chairman of the “Tenders & Auctions Committee” of the Ministry of Municipality and Urban Planning

5. The bid will remain valid for ninety days (90 Days) from the date of opening the envelopes, and shall remain irrevocable during this period 6. The deadline for accepting bids is twelve o’clock (12:00 noon) as per the date stipulated in the above Table 7. In Tender : the Government on the approval of the Tenders and Auctions Committee has the right, during the Contract period, to increase or decrease the Works quantities or services, in compliance with the

Conditions of Contract, by not more than 20% of the Contract price 8. All Forms and Documents attached with the tender documents, including the tender Form, interim and final Bond form, must be filled and endorsed as Required, AND returned with the rest of the tender

documents 9. Bids must be deposited in those boxes specified by the “Tenders & Auctions Committee” of the Ministry of Municipality and Urban Planning. Bids shall be Submitted inside envelopes( one or two ) sealed with

red wax and addressed to the Chairman of the “Tenders & Auctions Committee” of the Ministry of Municipality and Urban Planning, Envelopes shall be marked with the number & subject of the tender 10. In Auction : The successful bidder shall collect and transport all relevant auction bid materials at his own cost within fifteen (15) days from the date following The Payment of the value of the auction bid.

However, in case of delay without an acceptable reason, the successful bidder must pay demurrage fees Equivalent to (1%) of the value of non-received materials per each day of delay 11. Technical & Commercial Proposal ( 1 Original + 1 Copies ) Must Be Submitted In Two Separate Envelopes Each Marked With Relevant Title & Tender Number, though, original Of Tender Bond Shall Be

Attached In Technical Envelope & Copy Of Tender Bond Shall Be Attached In Financial Envelope 12. Any bidder will be excluded if doesn’t submit the samples, and put copy of receipt from the concerned department ( if the conditions stipulated )

Committee’s Chairman at PWA.- The successful Tenderer shall provide a Performance Bond in amount of ten (10%) percent of the Contract Price endorsed by an approved local bank in Qatar.- For further queries about any of the tenders, please communicate in writing to the Contracts Department by Fax.: (+974) 44950777

TENDERS Please note that any information mentioned on this table are as per the listed companies’ tender advertisements, without any responsibility of the magazine.

Tender Number Type Subject Entity Close Date Value Envelopes System

Tender Fees (QRs)

500 /2016-2017 Central Tenders Provide escort and security services of the Commission for three years General Administration of Customs 1/2/16 380000 Q.R TWO ENVELOPES 300

2 /2016-2017 Local Tenders Maintenance work for several mosques air conditioning and cooling The first in the region in Doha

Ministry of Endowment & Islamic Affairs 7/2/16 20000 Q.R TWO ENVELOPES 150

3 /2016-2017 Local Tenders The work of air conditioning and refrigeration maintenance for sever lKhalifa area mosques

Ministry of Endowment & Islamic Affairs 7/2/16 15000 Q.R TWO ENVELOPES 150

1 /2016-2017 Local Tenders Furnishing the administrative building of the Assembly of Qatar Scouts and Guid

The Ministry of Culture, Arts and Heritage 14/02/2016 85000 Q.R TWO ENVELOPES 150

502 /2016-2017 Central Tenders Hospitality Services Provisioin of SCJ Buildings for Three Years Supreme Council for Judiciary 15/02/2016 300000 Q.R TWO ENVELOPES 300 Tenders Conditions: - You can get a copy of the docu-

ments of this tender / tenders of the Central Tenders Committee during official hours, against payment of the tender documents witch you can retrieve it.

- Must be accompanied with the tender a letter of guarantee bank / certified check from a bank operating in the State of Qatar, as indicated above for a period of temporary deposit on 120.- The offer must be valid for a period of ninety days from the date of the opening of envelopes.- Will be the last date for submission of tenders is twelve o’clock on the morning of the closure, and will not pay attention to any tender received after the deadline. - Tenders deposited in the box of the Central Tenders Committee, located in Muntazah - Rawabi Street, to be inside the stamped and sealed envelopes and addressed to the Chairman of the Ten-

ders Committee competent (central / local) showing the number, type of the tender and the subject.- The Central Tenders Committee invites bidders or their representatives to attend the opening of the envelopes and read the price on the day following the date of the closure during the office

hours. - To obtain tender / tenders documents highlight above must be to mentioned authorization letter from the company / institution.- For inquiries, please contact Tel: 44378192 /225 /143 /149. - For more information about the Central Tenders Committee ,tenders and auctions are being posed by the Committee You can visit the site on the Internet www.ctc.gov.qa

Tender No. Type Tender Title Participants Issuing Date Closing Date Category

PWA/GTC/139/14-15 GTC Supply of Services Framework (AA-DOM/14-

15/M/1610-2.05/G )Consultancy and Specialized

Services 4-Nov-15 1-Mar-16 Drainage

Companies Eligible to Tender: (1) Qatari Companies Only (2) Joint Venture (JV) Compa-nies, which includes a Qatari Company having a minimum of 51%, share holding of the JV (3) Non-Qatari Companies (4) Not Applicable * All financial values are in QAR

General Conditions of Tenders- Full Documents for the Tender can be obtained from Contracts Department (CD) against a Non–refundable fee paid to PWA Account No. (0013-001813-052), Qatar

National Bank together with a copy of the Company Registration and a Company Authorization letter. - Project document may be examined at Al-Faisal Tower(1), Ground Floor, Al Corniche before purchasing from PWA.- Each Tender must be accompanied by a Tender Bond, either in the form of a “Certified Check” or a “Tender Bond’’ issued by a Bank acceptable to the PWA” in the

amount mentioned above valid for (120 days). Any Tender received without the proper guarantee will not be considered.- The Tender shall be submitted in two separate sealed envelopes (technical and financial offer) and both envelopes must be enclosed in a third sealed envelope

which shall bear the tender number, subject and closing date.- All Tenders shall be submitted in original and one copy or they will not be acceptance.Tenders shall be delivered at or sent to arrive not later than 1.00pm local Doha time on the closing date and deposited in the relevant Tender Box of concerned

Tenders Committee’s Chairman at PWA.- The successful Tenderer shall provide a Performance Bond in amount of ten (10%) percent of the Contract Price endorsed by an approved local bank in Qatar.- For further queries about any of the tenders, please communicate in writing to the Contracts Department by Fax.: (+974) 44950777

SITESC o n s t r u C t i o n 29

CALENDAREXHIBITIONS & EVENTSOF

eventS

2016 Gulf Industry FairOrganizer: Hilal Conferences and Exhibitions Event Date (s): 9 – 11 Feb Venue: Bahrain International Exhibition and Convention CentreLocation: Manama, BahrainEmail: info@hilalce.comWebsite: www.gulfindustryfair.com

8th Annual Façade Design & Engineering Middle East SummitOrganizer: IQPC Middle EastEvent Date (s): 21 – 23 Feb Venue: Intercontinental DohaLocation: Doha, QatarTel: +971 4364 2975Email: enquiry@iqpc.aeWebsite: http://bit.ly/1RyFPSG

2nd Health Facilities Design & Develop-mentOrganizer: IQPC Middle EastEvent Date (s): 28 - 30 MarchVenue: Intercontinental DohaLocation: Doha, QatarTel: +971 4364 2975Email: enquiry@iqpc.aeWebsite: http://www.healthfacilitiesqatar.com/

3rd Annual Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems Middle East Conference Organizer: IQPC Middle EastEvent Date (s): 28 - 29 MarchVenue: InterContinental Doha - The City HotelLocation: Doha, QatarTel: +971 4364 2975Email: enquiry@iqpc.aeWebsite: http://www.drainageandsewerageme.com/

5th Annual Arab Future Cities Summit

Organizer: Expotrade Middle East FZ-LLCEvent date (s): 11 – 12 April Venue: The Ritz CarltonLocation: Doha, Qatar Tel: +971 4 4542135Fax: +971 4 4542136Email: info@expotrade-me.comWebsite: www.arabfuturecities.com

Smart Parking QatarOrganizer: Advanced Conferences & Meetings (ACM) Event date (s): 18 – 19 April Venue: TBCLocation: Doha, Qatar Tel: +971 4 361 4001Fax: +971 4 361 4554Email: opportunities@acm-events.comWebsite: www.smartparkingqatar.com

Gulf BID 2015Organizer: Hilal Conferences and Exhibitions Event Date (s): 26 – 28 April Venue: Bahrain International Exhibition and Convention CentreLocation: Manama, BahrainEmail: info@hilalce.comWebsite: www.gulfbidexpo.com

Gulf Interiors ExhibitionsOrganizer: Hilal Conferences and ExhibitionsEvent Date (s): 26 – 28 April Venue: Bahrain International Exhibition and Convention CentreLocation: Manama, BahrainEmail: info@hilalce.comWebsite: www.gulfinteriorsexhibition.com

Gulf Property ShowOrganizer: Hilal Conferences and Exhibitions Event Date (s): 26 – 28 April

Venue: Bahrain International Exhibition and Convention CentreLocation: Manama, BahrainEmail: info@hilalce.comWebsite: http://gulfpropertyshow.net/index.php/en/

3rd Annual Lighting QatarOrganizer: Advanced Conferences & Meetings (ACM) Event date (s): 9 – 10 May Venue: Intercontinental Hotel The CityLocation: Doha, Qatar Tel: +971 4 361 4001Fax: +971 4 361 4554Email: opportunities@acm-events.comWebsite: www.lightingtechqatar.com

Project Qatar 2016Organizer: IFP Qatar LLCEvent date (s): 9 – 12 May Venue: Doha Exhibition & Convention Centre (DECC)Location: Doha, Qatar Tel: +974 44329900Fax: +974 44432891Email: info@ifpqatar.comWebsite: http://www.projectqatar.com/

Heavy Max 2016Organizer: IFP Qatar LLCEvent date (s): 9 – 12 May Venue: Doha Exhibition & Convention Centre (DECC)Location: Doha, Qatar Tel: +974 44329900Fax: +974 44432891Email: info@ifpqatar.comWebsite: http://www.heavymaxqatar.com/

Qatar StoneTech 2016

Organizer: IFP Qatar LLCEvent date (s): 9 – 12 May Venue: Doha Exhibition & Convention Centre (DECC)Location: Doha, Qatar Tel: +974 44329900Fax: +974 44432891Email: info@ifpqatar.comWebsite: http://www.qatarstone-tech.com/

2nd Annual Future BIM Implementation QatarOrganizer: Advanced Conferences & Meetings (ACM) Event date (s): 11 – 12 May Venue: Intercontinental Hotel The CityLocation: Doha, Qatar Tel: +971 4 361 4001Fax: +971 4 361 4554Email: opportunities@acm-events.comWebsite: www.futurebimqatar.com

World Stadium CongressOrganizer: IQPC Middle EastEvent Date (s): 16 – 19 MayVenue: Lusail ArenaLocation: Lusail, QatarTel: +971 4364 2975Email: enquiry@iqpc.aeWebsite: http://www.worldstadiumcongress.com/

6th Annual Underground Infrastructure and Deep Foundations QatarOrganizer: IQPC Middle EastEvent Date (s): 22 – 25 MayVenue: TBALocation: Doha, QatarTel: +971 4364 2975Email: enquiry@iqpc.aeWebsite: http://www.undergroundfoundations.com/

Qatar Oxygen Company W.L.L 41st Street, New Industrial Area P.O. Box 22386, Doha, Qatar Tel: +974 4114603 / 4 / 5, Fax: +974 4114350 Mob: +974 5509 6106 Email: info@qocdoha.com

cwdsales@qocdoha.com

Website: www.airtecgulf.com

Gas Supply & ManagementIndustrial ServicesOil & Gas Services

Making our planet more productive Creating technology, products and services that help us sustain and protect our planet.

SITESC o n s t r u C t i o n30 project focuS

Project Title Client Main Contractor Value Range (QR) Million Project Status Type of Project

Twin Towers M/s. Commercial Development M/s. Arabtec 500-750 Piling & Shoring Hotel and Office Buildings

Audit Bureau Towers M/s. Al Attiya Group Trading Co. Not Appointed 400-600 Tender Stage Offices / Residential Towers

Al Waab Mall M/s. Qatar Industrial Services Man Enterprize, Qatar 300-400 Under Construction Mall

CBQ Boulevard CBQ HBK N/A Under Construction Commercial, Bank, Office Plaza

Five Residential Towers at Viva Bahriya at the Pear (project management) Qatar Islamic Bank AFQCO & REDCO - Al Mana 1.2-1.4 bn Under Construction Residential Towers

Doha Festival City (Package 3250,3100 and 7500 Basrec GCC/ALEC JV N/A Under Construction Retail Mall

Commercial Tower on Plot Com/49 Al Sedian Company Yousuf Al Mahmoud Al Balagh Trading & Contracting Co. W.L.L. N/A Under Construction Office Building - Tower

Office Tower (3B+G+22 Floors) Plot Com-50 at Lusail Marina Qatar Trading Agency Redco - Al Mana N/A Under Construction Office Building

Marsa Malaz Hotel at the Pear Qatar (Main Works) Alfardan Properties Co. CDC N/A Under Construction Hotel

Qatar Sidra Village Project Mazaya Qatar Real Estate Development QSC Sinohydro Group Limited N/A Under Construction Residential

CBQ Towers at VB20 & VB21 CBQ Power Line Engineering - Qatar W.L.L. N/A Under Construction Residential Towers

Al Rabban Suites Hotel Apartments (3B+G+M+50Floors) Al Sarh Real Estate WLL CRC N/A Under Construction Residential

Office Buildings (3B+G+22) at Lusail Marina District Sh. Hamad Bin Faisal Al Thani REDCO – Al Mana N/A Under Construction Office Building

Holiday Inn at Business Park He Sheikh Mohammed Bin Hamad Al-Thani Man Enterprises Qatar, WLL N/A Under Construction Hotel

Al Baker Executive Towers Ahmed Abed El Aziz Al Baker Construction and Reconstruc-tion Co. 675 Under Construction Office Building

Al Nour Tower Private Investor Orientals Enterprises N/A Under Construction Residential

Al Nasr Showroom Shiekh Abdullah Bin Naser Al Thani Construction and Reconstruc-tion Co. 85 Under Construction Commercial

Police Training Institute MOI Hassanesco Co. N/A Under Construction Mixed Use

Panasonic Showroom & Residential Shk/Abdullah Bin Nasser Al Thani Construction and Reconstruc-tion Co. 205 Under Construction Commercial / Residential

Al Sadd Hotel Tricon International Atlantic Contracting Co. 150 Under Construction Hotels

Blusail Furnished Apartment at Lusail (3B+G+10) H.E SH Abdulla Bin Mohamed Al Thani Not appointed N/A Tendering Stage Residential Building

E's Hail Communication Network Building at Duhailiyat Camp Qatar Armed Forces Not appointed N/A Tendering Stage Office Building

Development of Ooredoo TEC Complex at Industrial Area Ooredoo Not appointed N/A Design Stage Commercial Complex

Private Villa at Pearl Qatar Private Client Not appointed N/A Design Stage Villa

Doha Education Centre Doha Education Centre Not appointed 30-50 Million Design stage Education

Step 1 International Academy Step 1 International Academy Not appointed 20-40 Million Design stage School

Mix 11 Hotel Tower at Lusail City Real Estate Services Group N/A 600 Million Design Stage Hotel

Al Jassasiyah White Beach Palace UrbaCon Trading & Contracting (UCC) N/A 400 Million Design Stage Mixed-Use

Marina Com 05 Tower at Lusail City Private Engineering Office / Mashour Real Estate Group N/A 315 Million Construction Stage Office / Commercial

Qatar Chamber of Commerce and Industry Building Qatar Chamber of Commerce and Industry N/A 270 Million Design Stage Office

Com 02 - Barwa Bank Headquarters at Lusail City Barwa / Hilson Moran N/A 250 Million Design Stage Office

National Cyber Security Center Ministry of Interior / Al Ali International N/A 180 Million Design Stage Office

Police College Academy MOI N/A N/A Tender Stage Educational Complex

Health Care Centers (Pacakge 4 & 5) PWA ITC/UCE 600 Under Construction Medical Centers

Construction of Head Quarters Bldg. for Ministry of Interior MOI WCT N/A Under Construction Administrative and Office Building

Multi-level Cars Park at Hamad International Airport Qatar Airways N/A 600 Design Stage Cars Park

Logistic City Qatar Navigation Ramco 450M Under Construction Warehouses

Headquarter of General Directorate of Borders, Passports & Travel Document Department Ministry of Interior Not Appointed N/A Tender Stage Administrative and Office Bldg.

Construction of 56 Nos. New Schools (Stage 9B) PWA Al Huda/Al Sraiya/JTC 500 Under Construction Educational Building

Al Emadi Twin Towers IBA GROUP Not Appointed 400 Design Stage Commercial / Offices Towers

City Tower Mr. Saeed Ben Zayed El-Khayareen Al-Huda 200-250 Under Construction Office Building

Fahd Suite - Apartment Hotel FBA GROUP Not Appointed 200 Detail Stage Shopping Mall & Office Tower

IBA Hotel IBA GROUP Not Appointed 200 Under Construction Hotel

Construction of American Hospital in Lusail Alwataniya Holding Not Appointed Confidential Tender Stage Hospital

5 Star Hotel Mr.Ali Abdulla Q A Al Emadi Not Appointed 108 Million DC-2 Stage Hotel

Qatar National Bank Branches QNB Not Appointed 20 Million under construction Bank

Qatar Driving School Almal Holding Not Appointed 120 Million Permit Stage Driving Academy

Gulf Pearl Office Building Gulf Pearls Company Gulf Pearl 40 Million Design Stage Residential Building

Office Building in Energy City Mr. Abdulla Abdul Rehman Abdulla Haidar Not Appointed 38 Million DC-1 Stage Corporate Offices

A Jazeera Finance Headquarter-Fut out Al Jazeera Finance Living Interior 9 Million Under Construction fit out

Consultancy Services for Additional Floors Fit-out at Al Bida Tower Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy Not Appointed Not Applicable Tender Stage fit out

ACES(Arab Center for Engineering Studies) ACES RAMCO Engineering 22 Million Tender Stage Industrial Building

C6 - LUSAIL REGENCY REAL ESTATE NA 165,540,000.00 DESIGN STAGE MIXED USE BUILDING

MIXED USE DEVELOPMENT INDS. AREA MR. IBRAHIM AL ASMAKH NA 135,000,000.00 ON - GOING COMMERCIAL

C5 - LUSAIL RABBAN GROUP NA 126,319,000.00 DESIGN STAGE MIXED USE BUILDING

MIXED USE BUILDING (2B+G+8F)-C5 MR. IBRAHIM AL ASMAKH NA 114,080,000.00 ON - GOING COMMERCIAL

C4 - LUSAIL REGENCY REAL ESTATE NA 108,070,000.00 DESIGN STAGE HOTEL APARTMENTS

FV7 - MULTI PURPOSE HALL/ART CENTRE REGENCY REAL ESTATE NA 67,500,000.00 DESIGN STAGE COMMERCIAL

AL AHLI CLUB SH. AHMAD BIN HAMAD AL THANI NA 54,000,000.00 SERVICE DESIGN COMMERCIAL

FV9 AL ASMAKH HEAD OFFICE IN SUSAIL REGENCY REAL ESTATE NA 38,000,000.00 DESIGN STAGE OFFICE BUILDING

FOXHILLS - A30 FURSAN REAL STATE NA 32,627,000.00 DESIGN STAGE RESIDENTIAL BUILDING

FOXHILLS - D49 REGENCY REAL ESTATE NA 29,299,000.00 DESIGN STAGE RESIDENTIAL BUILDING

FOXHILLS - D21 REGENCY REAL ESTATE NA 27,472,000.00 DESIGN STAGE RESIDENTIAL BUILDING

FOXHILLS - D04 REGENCY REAL ESTATE NA 25,273,000.00 DESIGN STAGE RESIDENTIAL BUILDING

FOXHILLS - A13 REGENCY REAL ESTATE NA 24,918,000.00 DESIGN STAGE RESIDENTIAL BUILDING

FOXHILLS - D14 REGENCY REAL ESTATE NA 23,150,000.00 DESIGN STAGE RESIDENTIAL BUILDING

NOTE: Whilst we take pride in keeping our Consultants Database with the most up-to-date information, please note that the above information is provided by the Consultants mentioned in the list; therefore QCS in not responsible for any incorrect data.

Consultant

SITESC o n s t r u C t i o n 31SITESC o n s t r u C t i o n 31

ENGINEERING

Established in 1974, TRAGS Engineering is recognized as the leading Grade-1 MEP Services, District Cooling and Facility Management Contractor in the State of Qatar. The scope of activities covers all aspects of building services including design, procurement, installation, testing and commissioning of multi-service installa-tions. In addition, the company offers 24/7 Facility Management Services to government buildings, corporations, educational, healthcare, industrial, commer-cial and residential sectors.

TRAGS Electrical Engineering & Air Conditioning Co. W.L.LJaidah Tower Ist Floor, Abdul Aziz Bin Ahmed Street P.O. Box 470, Doha – QatarTel +974 44 41 42 11, Fax + 974 44 41 33 06 tragseng@tragsengineering.com

HVAC - Plumbing & Drainage - Fire Fighting - Electrical & ELV - Energy Centers - Street Lighting - Maintenance - Facility Management

www.tragsengineering.com

UMM SLAL MOHAMEDP.O Box : 15104 Mob : 55 99 06 24 Telefax : 44 34 25 18 Email: info@metalplus.com.qa - hinzawi@metalplus.com.qa

METALPLUSMETALPLUS Prefabricated Air DuctManufacturing and Trading Co.W.L.L.

ww

w.m

etal

plus

.com

.qa

ESAB AUTHORIZED DISTRIBUTORS WELDING MACHINES, CUTTING SYSTEMS, CONSUMABLES & PPE

POBox.491, Gate No.45, Street No.29, Industrial Area, Doha-­‐Qatar Email: info@fabricastqatar.com , www.fabricastqatar.com Tel : +974-­‐44783012 / 44127502, Fax : +974-­‐44781646 Mob : +974-­‐30911922, 30262009

CRANE AND LIFTING EQUIPMENT ENGINEERSGENERAL MECHANICAL WORKS

4458 5480;; 4469 4569;; 5581 5641;; 7748 7432Email: operations@dutestqatar.com, sales@dutestqatar.com

Dutest Qatar W.L.L.

OUR SCOPE AND SERVICES

INCLUDE:

WIRE ROPES, SLINGS, HEIGHT SAFETY, FABRICATION,INSPECTION AND TESTING, RENTALS, CRANE HIRE

Rania Queen St. Amman- JordanTel: +9626 5356616 - Fax: +9626 535 6606 - P.O.Box: 622 - Aljbeha: 11941

watan_newspaper@yahoo.com

Monthly construction news, tenders, project focus, and forthcoming exhibitions in QatarTel.: +974 4469 3280 - Fax: +974 4451 0428

Issue No. (103) February 2016, Doha - Qatar

C o n s t r u C t i o n

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