construction week - issue 309

SAUDI ARABIA BAHRAIN UNITED ARAB EMIRATES QATAR OMAN KUWAIT

ConstructionWEEK NEWS, ANALYSIS, PROJECTS,

TENDERS, CLASSIFIEDS, ANDJOBS IN THE MIDDLE EAST

FEBRUARY 20–26, 2010 [309]An ITP Business Publication CONSTRUCTIONWEEKONLINE.COM

INSIDENEWSFoundation job on The World’s Germany island awarded PAGE 9

COMMENTFM expert Allan Millin calls to build for people not clientsPAGE 12

FORMWORKCW fi nds out how suppliers are adapting to new civil demandsPAGE 24

DIALOGUEWSP’s Tom Smith tells us what elements are key to turning greenPAGE 40

Licensed by Dubai Media City

DWukP

TWISTTOWERWITH A

CW VISITS INFINITY TOWER PART WAY THROUGH ITS 90° TURN TO THE TOP

RIYADHCITY FOCUS

page 38

NEWS ANALYSIS • IS RENEGOTIATING CONTRACTS A MOVE FORWARD?

CONTENTS

12 COMMENTFacilities management expert Alan Millin talks of the need to build for the user rather than the developer.

14 LEGALFattah Aderinto looks at fair and sensible ways to deal with preliminaries.

16 NEWS ANALYSISCW talks to some of the top experts in the construction industry to fi nd out what they think about the growing trend of renegotiating contracts.

REGULARS2 ONLINE4 MAIL

FRONT9 FCG WINS CONTRACT FOR THE WORLD’S GERMANY ISLANDKleindienst Group has appointed Foundation Construction Group to begin soil improvement work on The World.

10 LEAD CONSULTANT LEAVES CITY OF ARABIAP&T Architects, the lead consultant working on the US $3 billion City of Arabia is no longer employed on the project.

11 NEWS IN BRIEFHighlights of the week.

.FEATURES18 SITE VISITCW discovers the twists and turns property developer Cayan has faced during the making of Infi nity Tower.

24 SPECIAL REPORTWith infrastructure currently one of the largest sectors in the region, CW investigates how formwork fi rms are tackling the work available.

.DIRECTORY30 SHOWCASE32 TENDERS34 PROJECTS35 APPOINTMENTS36 SPECIALIST SERVICES

BACK38 CITY UPDATEThe latest news and projects from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

40 DIALOGUEWSP group global development director Tom Smith talks about the aspects of sustainable building, which should be prioritised.

FEBRUARY 20-26, 2010 | ISSUE 309

1FEBRUARY 20–26, 2010 CONSTRUCTION WEEK

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CONSTRUCTION WEEK FEBRUARY 20–26, 20102

FEATURES MEP

28 WAYS TO MAKE A LEED PLATINUM BUILDINGA look at ASHRAE’s new LEED HQ in Atlanta, Georgia.

FM

MONEY FOR NOTHINGAlan Millen urges FMs to raise the bar.

Tourism Development & Investment Company has completed fi rst phase renovation work on Al Bateen Wharf’s Fishermen’s Marina. The fi rst phase featured the completion of the marina’s mooring berths, which will accommodate 323 fi shing vessels, varying in length from 10-18m. Each berth is equipped with running water, electrical power, fi re fi ghting equipment and standard amenities. A 192-metre long underground culvert has been built to connect the water bodies of the east and west bays to improve the circulation and quality of water in the marina. A second phase of work is due for completion by the second quarter of 2012. To read more visit www.ConstructionWeekOnline.com

IN PICTURES: TDIC COMPLETES PHASE ONE OF FISHERMEN’S MARINA

ONLINEwww.ConstructionWEEKonline.com

MOST POPULAREXCLUSIVE: LEAD CONSULTANT LEAVES CITY OF ARABIAUAE ISSUES WORKER RIGHTS AND DUTIES BOOKSAUDI RAIL PROJECT ON TRACKCITY UPDATE: DOHAABU DHABI SEES MATERIAL PRICES PLUMMET

TO VOTE IN THIS WEEK’S SPOT POLL GO TOwww.ConstructionWEEKonline.com

HAVE YOUR SAYIS THE MARKET READY TO GENERATE LONG-TERM REWARDS?Will we see a transition towards long-term investments in the GCC?

JOBS OF THE WEEKMarketing Manager, Abu Dhabi, UAEHead of Facilities Management – Hospital, Dubai, UAEUrgent Requirement – Construction Manager Hos, Abu Dhabi, UAE

ONLINE POLLIS YOUR COMPANY HIRINGAT THE MOMENT?

41.2%No way.

32.4%Maybe, soon.

26.4%You bet.

PMV

PLANT MANAGEMENT SOFTWAREEven basic programs can make construction processes more effi cient.

PMV

THE FUTURE’S BRIGHTIf there was a ‘magic bullet’, would you use it?

CONSTRUCTION WEEK FEBRUARY 20–26, 20104PUBLISHED BY AND © 2010 ITP BUSINESS PUBLISHING, A DIVISION OF THE ITP PUBLISHING GROUP LTD,REGISTERED IN THE BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS COMPANY NUMBER 1402846

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NOTICE The publishers regret that they cannot accept liability for error or omissions contained in this publication, however caused. The opinions and views contained in this publication are not necessarily those of the publishers. Readers are advised to seek specialist advice before acting on information contained in this publication, which is provided for general use and may not be appropriate for the readers’ particular circumstances. The ownership of trademarks is acknowledged. No part of this publication or any part of the contents thereof may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form without the permission of the publishers in writing. An exemption is hereby granted for extracts used for the purpose of fair review.

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Worldwide Circulation StatementAverage Qualified Circulation11,435 (Jan-Jun 2009)

MAILRE: SIX OF THE BEST: PROJECTS TO KEEP AN EYE ONIndia has the second largest network of railways in the world. The British started it, but after independence a number of projects with more advanced technology have been undertaken. The engineers are well versed with the installation techniques suited to the particular region. Their expertise has been utilised for African states and I have full confi dence that the Indian rail engineers can be counted as some of the best in the world to execute jobs for diffi cult terrain. Saudi Arabia and the Middle East can take advantage of these people and with consortiums, their projects may also be competitive.NARAYAN KRISHNA

RE: NAKHEEL: SAV-ING AN UNDERWATER WORLD IN SECRETTo support [earlier] statements further, as at January 31, 2010, we have moved and transplanted 70300 corals.PETER WILSON-KELLY

RE: DIALOGUE: DAVID KOHLERGood to hear that Kohler is getting into the water conservation/preservation game. Among the products Kohler follows other companies [with] are waterless urinals, which have already been installed successfully in Dubai. Kohler can be a leader in using their vast resources.KLAUS REICHARDT

RE: INDIAN PROFES-SIONALS EARN BELOW ‘AVERAGE’ SALARIESGuys wake up! The bottom line is people from ‘developed’ countries are paid more than people from “developing” nations. As the Middle East is developing, [people] believe the “developed nation” professionals can develop them to the next level. If we need to be paid the same as “developed nation” professionals, we fi rst need to develop our nation and prove it to the world.LE

RE: ARABTEC WINS FIVE-STAR SYRIAN HOTEL DEALCongratulations to Arabtec, I hope it gets more projects in Syria.GHAITH

RE: EXCLUSIVE: LEAD CONSULTANT LEAVES CITY OF ARABIARenegotiation of existing contracts is inevitable in the existing climate. I think we can expect to hear of more such departures, as projects stumble on to the realisation that costs based on 2007 and 2008 fi gures are no longer reasonable. It will be a case of renegotiate or move on. Engaging with clients to talk money at an early stage will save everyone a lot of time and effort. It will also avoid public bust ups and stop stable projects, which may be progressing slowly, from being marked as fl akey dreams that are unlikely to ever be built.JAMES BLUNT

WRITE TO THE EDITOR Please address your letters to: Post, Construction Week, PO Box 500024, Dubai, UAE or email [email protected]. Please provide your full name and address, stating clearly if you do not wish us to print them. Alternatively log on to www.ConstructionWEEKonline.com and air your views on any one of a number of the latest Middle East business articles.

The opinions expressed in this section are of particular individuals and are in no way a refl ection of the publisher’s views.


FOREWORD

WRITE TO THE EDITOR Please address your letters to: Construction Week, PO Box 500024, Dubai, UAE or email [email protected]. Please provide your full name and address, stating clearly if you do not wish us to print them. Alternatively log on to www.ConstructionWEEKonline.com and air your views on any one of a number of the latest articles.

“CONTRACTORS ARE OWED MILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN UNPAID WAGES AND ARE EVEN STRUGGLING FOR WORK. IN SUCH A SITUATION RENEGOTIATIONS AREN’T AS FAIRLY BALANCED AS THEY MIGHT APPEAR TO BE”

CONRAD EGBERT [email protected]

Last week, following extensive chats with developers, contractors and suppliers, it was clear that most of the industry is renegotiating contracts to better suit the current market conditions.

Now, even though this may seem like the best option (and it probably is) to kick-start the construction industry, a couple of things that Besix’s Philippe Dessoy and Arabtec’s Tom Barry pointed out, painted a different picture.

When Dessoy fi rst called renegotiations “unfair,” I thought he may have been over-reacting a little, but as he explained how these so called ‘renegotiations’ were taking place, in a market where the bargaining power lay closer with the clients, the sensibility of the trend did in fact begin to look a little unfair. Contractors are owed millions of dollars in unpaid wages and are even struggling for work. In such a situation, renegotiations aren’t as fairly balanced as they might appear to be.

Barry on the other hand, used the past to make his point. During the boom time when material prices were ridiculously high, most clients didn’t think twice about dismissing calls for the inclusion of ‘escalation clauses’ in contracts. But now, when the markets have fallen and construction costs have dropped by almost 40%, some clients are expecting a ‘reasonable’ approach to the market. Let’s hope the favour is returned if and when the market picks up again.

Barry also chose to call it ‘repositioning’ rather than ‘renegotiating’ because clients, according to him, also often ask contractors to work towards lowering construction costs rather than signing a new contract. In this case there are no contractual changes, only lowered costs.

Repositioning or renegotiating – tomah-to tomay-to! It’s all the same. As long as the industry’s best interests are at heart and no one is getting bullied, successful renegotiations could actually be benefi cial to clients, contractors and suppliers, by reducing the possibility of disputes within the industry, or the need to go down the legal path.

NEGOTIATE, NOT BULLY

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Kleindienst Group, developer of The Heart of Europe on The World islands, has appointed Foundation Construction Group Limited (FCG) to begin soil improvement work on the project.

A specialist foundation engineering con-tractor, FCG will begin work on Germany Island, the fi rst of the six islands to be devel-oped in the project, which was announced in December 2009.

Construction will begin with soil testing followed by improvement of the in-situ sand of the island, an engineering proce-dure undertaken to prevent subsidence, increase the overall bearing capacity and

FRONT

FCG WINS CONTRACT FOR THE WORLD’S GERMANY ISLANDBy Conrad Egbert

ensure the future stability of the island. The soil improvement operation, called ‘vibro-compaction’, involves the use of electric depth vibrators that mechanically agitate and lock the sand particles together down to seabed level (a depth of 18m to 20m), to ensure that all construction on the island is stable and sound.

“Vibro-compaction will enable the islands to meet or exceed the demands of static effects (bearing capacity or settlement) and dynamic effects (liquefaction, in the unlikely case of an earthquake),” said Fran-cisco Baez, technical manager at FCG, in a statement.

“This intensive process, once completed, will result in the increased stability of The Heart of Europe islands and in superior condition to naturally formed islands.”

FCG aims to complete ground settlement works by May 2010, after which Kleindienst Group will commence building 20 private holiday villas. The villas are scheduled for completion in 2011.

The Heart of Europe is a six-island, 12-site luxury holiday development by the Klein-dienst Group on The World islands. It is situated on the islands of Germany, Austria, Switzerland, The Netherlands, St Peters-burg and Sweden.

KLEINDIENST GROUP HAS APPOINTED FOUNDATION CONSTRUCTION GROUP TO BEGIN CONSTRUCTION ON THE WORLD.

>News 10>Highlights 11>Comment 12>Legal 14>News analysis 16

FRONTDUBAI WORLD CREDITORS COULD GET 60% - REPORTBy Andy White

Dubai’s handling of the debt crisis at fl agship Dubai World will affect its ability to attract future investment, British Business Secretary Peter Mandelson said, amid a report the fi rm may offer creditors just 60 cents on the dollar. Mandelson said the UAE must reach a ‘demonstrably fair’ deal with creditors. Dubai denied a Dow Jones report that it is mulling a two-part deal, including one that may repay lenders 60% over seven years. Dubai World is in talks with banks on the debt delay -- about $22 billion linked to its main property units Nakheel and Limitless World -- but has yet to present a formal proposal.

P&T Architects, the lead consultant working on the US $3 billion City of Arabia is no longer employed on the project, Construction Week can confi rm.

Last week, a source work-ing on the project told CW that P&T Architects had “left” the project.

“They [P&T] submitted their termination letter to the City of Arabia manage-ment on February 1,” said the source.

When contacted by CW, P&T declined to comment.

But a spokesperson for Ilyas & Mustafa Galadari (IMG) Group, the developer behind the City of Arabia project confi rmed that P&T had been let go and that the consul-tancy contract is being renegotiated with two other consultancy fi rms.

“They are no longer working for us and we’re currently looking to award the con-

LEAD CONSULTANT LEAVES CITY OF ARABIABy Conrad Egbert

tract to someone else; work is still progressing though,” said Alex Vacha, director of projects, City of Arabia.

According to Vacha, P&T’s contract com-manded “about 2%” of the total construction costs two year ago. With the market having cor-rected since then and construction costs fall-ing by about 40%, the

contract had to be reassessed.“The market has fallen; contracts, whether

for construction or consultancy that were signed two years ago, do not make sense anymore. We also feel that it is better to look for a fresh set of people in these situa-tions, rather than renegotiate with the same people. We are currently in talks with two other consultancy fi rms,” he said.

Vacha also said that the developer had already paid P&T a total of about $35.4 million.

P&T ARCHITECT HAS LEFT THE CITY OF ARABIA PROJECT.


FRONT

Arabian Bemco has secured anSR2.14

billion(US $570

million) project

fi nance loan

Oman’s Galfar Engineering has reported a full-year profi t for

2009 ofUS $10.85

million,down from

US $59.99million in 2008

Rubber World Industries has won an

AED1 million ‘Gulf-O-fl ex’

rubber insulation contract for

Al Raha Beach in Abu Dhabi

HIGHLIGHTS

Project

AL WAHA HANDOVERDubai Properties Group (DPG) says it has begun the handover of units within Al Waha, a freehold community within Dubailand. The development includes 260 high-end villas with terracotta roofs and cobbled driveways surrounded by desert landscape. Group CEO of Dubai Properties Group Khalid Al Malik said: “Al Waha is an important addition to our residential portfolio as it demonstrates our commitment to delivering a diverse range of communities in Dubai.”

Project

DPG TO COMPLETE HEALTHCARE PROJECTDubai Properties Group says it has renewed an agreement with Al Basti and Muktha (ABM) to complete work on Al Khor Hotel and Residences in Dubai Healthcare City (DHCC). The development, located in DHCC Phase 1, has achieved 60% completion.The project will consist of two towers, a 34-fl oor hotel with 444 rooms and a 43-

fl oor apartment building with 405 serviced apartments. It will feature a podium with six restaurants, a spa, gym, swimming pools and other amenities.

PMV

PAVING MACHINE FOR TINY SPACESCat has come up with a solution to the problems faced by paving crews working in tiny spaces. The company has introduced the AP655D Track-type Paver with model AS4251C screed, a machine solution that handles the paving challenges of some of the most narrow job site situations. The 19,165kg AP655D (18-19 ton major class size for tracked pavers) is designed to excel in a wide range of applications, with the help of two track solutions: the Mobil-trac (MTS rubber track) and steel track undercarriages.

MEP

SMART TECH CAN SLASH UTILITY BILLSThe acceleration of ‘smart’ metering and grid technologies can help GCC

utilities and governments avoid potential investments of around US $5 billion to $10 billion into peak load capacities up until 2020, according to AT Kearney Middle East principal Christian von Tschirschky. In addition, the peak-load demand can be slashed by 10-20% through effective customer behaviour changes, along with smart metering implementation and remote control of air-con systems. “Smart meters are the technology of the future to measure real-time electricity,” said von Tschirschky.

Construction

‘TOP TEN FOR 2010’ CONSTRUCTION TRENDSA top ten projections for the trends expected to shape the UAE construction and real estate markets this year have been revealed today by Jones Lang La Salle. The report, compiled by the fi rm, showed that developers will focus on constructing residential areas locally rather than internationally and more affordable homes are expected to be built in

2010. But, developers must be more transparent in order to gain back the trust of their shareholders, according to Jones Lang La Salle head of research for MENA Craig Plumb.The report also projected that additional tenant and occupier demand will provide a ‘signifi cant boost’ to market performance, but the UAE market will see a general decline in performance during 2010.

Construction

FINISH TO PHASE ONE OF FISHERMEN’S MARINATourism Development & Investment Company has completed fi rst phase renovation work on Al Bateen Wharf’s Fishermen’s Marina. The fi rst phase featured the completion of the marina’s mooring berths, which will accommodate 323 fi shing vessels, varying in length from 10m to 18m. Each berth is equipped with running water, electrical power, fi re fi ghting equipment and standard amenities. A second phase of work is due for completion by the second quarter of 2012.

NEWS IN NUMBERS

DSI has reported an annualprofi t of

AED280million

for the starting 2009 calendar year, recording a year-on-year

profi t increase of 32%


> For the latest news and comments log on to www.ConstructionWEEKonline.com/comment

COMMENT

The opinions expressed in this column are of the author and not of the publisher.

It’s not so long ago that buyers clamoured for properties in certain locations. Rumours abound of heated exchanges in both Dubai and Abu Dhabi as buyers tried to book properties off-plan.

Times have changed though. Buyers are looking more at what they are going to get for their money, and rightly so.

They want more for their Dirham today. In the past, people have bought villas in prestigious locations around Dubai only to fi nd their dreams turn to nightmares. Imagine their disappointment when, after parting with a few million Dirhams and enjoying a year of sun, it rains in Dubai. They discover, for example, that conduits provide a direct path for rainwater to enter their luxury villas from the roof.

It doesn’t matter which contractor actually built the villa, it’s the main developer that takes the reputation hit. For the contrac-tor, maybe this would be his last contract with this developer.

On a project of one major Dubai devel-oper, apartments have been handed over with defects such as a large hole in the wall, hidden from view above the kitchen false ceiling for instance.

Fire system cables enter the same apart-ment above the main bathroom false ceiling from the common corridor. Perhaps these cables might have been better used if they were actually connected to anything. The access hole knocked through the wall is left just as it was the day the contractor created it.

Bathtubs with handles on each side of the bath present an appealing scene. But how would you, as a construction profes-sional, feel if this was your home and you found that those nice bathtub handles had not been fi xed correctly and water could run straight through the holes, creating the potential for future damage not just to your own apartment, but to those beneath you too?

And then there are the windows, so pleasant to look through on a sunny day. Small oper-able windows, large arch shaped door-type windows, vast areas of glass everywhere we look; such a difference from the windows that were being installed in the 1960s in the UK, for instance. Those windows were single-glazed, metal framed with no spe-cial aesthetic features. Yet they shut out all draughts. Horizontal blizzards were held back. Torrential downpours posed no threat; the windows held everything back and kept the occupants comfortable.

Why then, more than forty years later, do we fi nd brand new window units in the UAE that allow sand to blow into homes at the fi rst sign of a breeze. Why do occupants have to put towels at the base of the win-dows to soak up water that runs in when it rains? The double-glazed units are not properly sealed in the frames. The frames themselves are not sealed.

All this paints a dismal picture of construc-tion quality in the UAE. And yes, if you are in the construction industry it is your problem, not just someone else’s. If we want to attract buyers in the future we need to improve the quality of our products. That quality has to be designed in and built in, not just hoped for. There has to be a commitment to improve and create properties that refl ect well on everyone, from the smallest sub-contractor through to the master developer and ultimately on the region.

We have Buildsafe, we have Greenbuild and probably many other ‘build’ initiatives. Per-haps the time has come to launch a Build-It-Right-First-Time-Every-Time campaign.

The choice of whether to commit to higher quality is yours, but the real ques-tion is whether you want your business to thrive as the economic climate recovers, or whether you are going to try to continue as before, delivering low quality homes, alienating end-users and watching your business fail.

Build for the end user – not for the developerFACILITIES MANAGEMENT EXPERT ALAN MILLIN TALKS OF COMING OF AGE FOR POOR BUILD QUALITY AND THE NEED TO BUILD FOR THE USER RATHER THAN FOR THE DEVELOPER

Alan Millin is a chartered engineer and Leed accredited professional. He is an independent consultant, coach and trainer based in Dubai. He has led the consultancy mission of two major Dubai facilities management companies. He spends his spare time correcting defects in his Dubai home and can be contacted at: [email protected].

“WE HAVE BUILDSAFE, WE HAVE GREENBUILD AND PROBABLY MANY OTHER ‘BUILD’ INITIATIVES. PERHAPS THE TIME HAS COME TO LAUNCH A BUILD-IT-RIGHT-FIRST-TIME-EVERY-TIME CAMPAIGN”


LEGAL> For more legal advice log on to www.ConstructionWEEKonline.com/comment

The opinions expressed in this column are of the author and not of the publisher.

Fattah Aderinto is a contract administrator and chartered quantity surveyor. He obtained both his BSc quantity surveying and MSc construction management from Nigeria. He is a Certified Cost Engineer. He worked as a senior quantity surveyor with Consulting Engineering Group in Qatar and presently works as a cost manager on infrastructure projects of Bahrain Bay.

Administration of project preliminariesFATTAH ADERINTO LOOKS AT FAIR AND SENSIBLE WAYS TO DEAL WITH PRELIMINARIES

Estimators and project administrators often administer preliminaries as either function of project cost, project duration or adjudication parameters.

Also, most contracts in the Middle East often include an item under preambles, indicating a fi xed method of administering preliminaries. These approaches do not agree with the logic of preliminaries and in the long run, are to the disadvantage of both the client and the contractor.

Apart from this, administration of prelimi-naries has often been the cause of dispute between the consultant quantity surveyor and the contractors’ quantity surveyors.

The nature of preliminaries is such that it covers fi nancial matters, which relate to the contract as a whole, and not confi ned to any particular work section. The contractor is thus given an opportunity to put a price for all matters affecting costs that arise out of the condition of contract, any special requirements of the client on his profes-sional advice and for all temporary work necessary to carry out the contract.

As the construction work proceeds, the contractor is entitled to payment of the total value of work that is properly executed, less a specifi ed percentage for retention, as it will be unreasonable to expect con-tractors to fi nance construction opera-tions without assistance from employers. All the standard forms include provisions for periodic interim payments to be made for these reasons.

Two common methods of valuation of preliminaries that are often used by contract administrators are monthly proportions of total preliminaries and proportion of the contract value. In the fi rst method, the cost of preliminaries is apportion over the con-tract duration on a monthly basis, while in the second method, the preliminaries are paid to the contractor in proportion to the total value of the contract he has achieved at any time.

Under both of these methods, any PC sums included in the contract must be deducted prior to calculation. The argument in sup-port of these methods is that it saves time, but a number of disadvantages have been associated with their use.

The fi rst method often resulted in over-payment to the contractor because when proportioning preliminaries against con-tract period, it does not take into account that work may be behind schedule, to the extent that the complete preliminaries costs may be paid to the contractor before the work is completed.

Secondly, neither of them deals effectively with lump sums inserted in the preliminar-ies. Examples of such items are site fencing and temporary roads, which may have to be inadequately valued because they have to be completed early.

Therefore, each item of preliminaries should be assessed individually and this permits a much more realistic and accurate approach to be adopted to suit the circumstances.

Certain items may be required at the outset and can accordingly be valued in full, such as the provision of temporary site fencing, construction of temporary roads, and the erection of hoardings, storage compounds and site huts.

These constituent parts are viewing from various cost parameters such as time related/on-going periodic cost, work related cost, site overhead cost lumpsum, establishment cost (front end cost), terminal lumpsum (backend cost) and time and work related cost (combined).

This process of breakdown preliminar-ies will be made easier and the results will be more satisfactory if the co-operation of the contractor is obtained. Once an agree-ment is made between both parties, these amounts will then be available for valu-ation purposes and later, for the adjust-ment of preliminaries, if necessary, in the fi nal account.

“THE NATURE OF PRELIMINARIES IS SUCH THAT IT COVERS FINANCIAL MATTERS, WHICH RELATE TO THE CONTRACT AS A WHOLE, AND NOT CONFINED TO ANY PARTICULAR WORK SECTION”

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ANALYSIS

We do not negotiate! Or do we?

WITH THE MARKET HAVING FALLEN 40% UNTIL NOW, MANY CLIENTS, CONTRACTORS

AND SUPPLIERS ACROSS THE REGION HAVE BEGUN TO RENEGOTIATE CONTRACTS. CW

TALKS TO SOME OF THE TOP EXPERTS IN THE INDUSTRY TO FIND OUT WHAT THEY

THINK ABOUT THE TREND

By Conrad Egbert

Steel and concrete prices plunged last year due to the economic slowdown.

The price of steel plummeted almost 45% while concrete rates declined 15% according to a report issued last week by the Statistics Centre Abu Dhabi.

Steel products were the worst affected in the construction material sector falling from around $1100 per tonne in 2008 to about $550 per tonne in 2009.

Last week, CW discov-ered that City of Arabia – the Ilyas & Mustafa Galadari owned US $3 billion development – is currently renegotiating certain contracts.

According to the company, a shortlist of two consultancy fi rms have been drawn up, one of which will replace the original lead consultant P&T Architects. Along with this, the company is also renegotiating a few construction contracts.

After speaking to a few more people within the industry, it quickly became evident that this was just the tip of the iceberg and that renegotiations are the order of the day.

While some of the industry felt it was the best option in a diffi cult market, a part of it felt it was ‘unfair’ and it undervalued the legal strength of contracts in the region.

“It is the normal thing to do,” said City of Arabia project director Alex Vacha, when asked why he was renegotiating. “How can you expect us to keep on paying prices that don’t make sense in the current market? Everyone knows how over-infl ated the market was two years ago, so a correction had to come; raw material prices were out of control earlier and because that’s changed now, construction costs have cor-rected drastically.”

gotiations can help bring some sanity back into the market and save many companies from potentially going bankrupt, due to hav-ing previously signed ridiculous contracts under pressure.”

Moosa added that many of his suppliers offered to reduce their prices on their own, but he did come across a few who did not want to renegotiate.

MISH’AL MOOSA, MANAGING DIRECTOR FOR THE MUSCAT-BASED DAR AL ZAIN PROJECT.

“RENEGOTIATIONS CAN HELP BRING SOME SANITY BACK INTO THE MARKET AND SAVE COMPANIES FROM POTENTIALLY GOING BANKRUPT”

Region wide trendThe renegotiation fever isn’t restricted to the UAE alone, but has spread across the region including neighbouring Oman.

“Why would you keep paying old and over-infl ated rates in a new and corrected market?” asks Mish’al Moosa, managing director for the Muscat-based Dar Al Zain project, who has also recently completed successful renegotiations with sub contrac-tors and suppliers.

“Renegotiation is the way forward, if you ask me,” says Moosa. “It is an essential tool to kick-start the region’s economy. Rene-


Contractors speakEveryone is not as vehement as Moosa when it comes to renegotiations. Philippe Dessoy, general manager of Six Construct wasn’t all for it, but agreed that it did have more benefi ts than drawbacks in the current situation.

“The good side is that at least you can expect to start getting paid after renegotiating a contract. Certain clients, who have chosen not to renegotiate, haven’t paid us up till now and those that we have renegotiated with, have begun to fi lter in some money.

But despite some clear advantages, Des-soy also pointed out the dangers that could come with renegotiation.

“It’s not ideal and certainly not fair to renegotiate a contract because, in effect, you’re breaking it. And that beats the whole point of signing a contract – protecting your right to get paid on what was agreed is why contracts are signed in the fi rst place.”

Asking a rather interesting question, Arabtec CEO Thomas Barry says: “Would clients be happy to renegotiate if the market is fl ipped and prices sky rocket again? We’ve been through such a situation in the past and to be very honest, we had to deal with it on our own; we didn’t get the opportunity to renegotiate when we were facing tough times.”

But he also said that if the economy would benefi t from the process it would be a road worth exploring.

“Some people are greedy at the end of the day and to be honest, we don’t want to work with people like that. After the renegotiations, we gave back all the sav-ings made to our customers in the form of reduced prices, which eventually, is good for the market.”

What the law saysThe obvious question that comes to mind then is if one is within their rights to renegotiate a contract?

Moosa says he was. “It depends on the agreement. For us it was in our contract that we could renegotiate if there was a drastic change in construction costs.”

But Sachin Kerur, partner at law fi rm Pinsent Masons in Dubai says that such provisions in contracts are a rarity and the only way to be on the right side of the law in the absence of such a provision, is if both parties agree to a renegotiation.

“Only if both parties agree to renegotiate and draw up with a new contract, will it be within the law. If either of the parties does not agree, it could turn into a dispute.”

> For the latest analysis log on to www.ConstructionWEEKonline.com

“At the end of the day, we have to see the bottom line. Profi t isn’t a bad word and if everyone is still making their margins, then its better to actively reposition contracts, rather than just sit and wait for something or nothing to happen.”

And like Barry says, if the end result is movement in the market, maybe renego-tiations could prove to be the best option to aid an ailing construction sector. Money could begin exchanging hands again and companies would begin receiving payments that are due. �

THOMAS BARRY, CEO, ARABTEC. SACHIN KERUR, PARTNER, PINSENT MASONS LAW FIRM, DUBAI.

PHILIPPE DESSOY, GENERAL MANAGER OF SIX CONSTRUCT.

“WOULD CLIENTS BE HAPPY TO RENEGOTIATE IF THE MARKET IS FLIPPED AND PRICES SKY ROCKET AGAIN?”

RENEGOTIATION – PROS & CONSPros

Creates overall better value

Kick starts business

Brings down infl ation

Increases payments

Cons

Upsets budgets

Reduces confi dence in the market

Reduces trust between clients and

suppliers

Undervalues the legal strength of

contracts in the region


In 1173, the Leaning Tower of Pisa was built with the inten-tion of standing vertically, but its current state is what drives tourists into the Italian district of Tuscany. London’s 30 St Mary Axe, nicknamed ‘The

Gherkin’ for its unusual shape, also attracts the crowds, just like the Kuwait Towers do, with their unique glass spheres.

World famous buildings are often iden-tifi ed by their distinctive silhouettes, and now, Dubai is hoping to create a new icon, with a twist.

Infi nity Tower, located in the Dubai Mari-na, is set apart from its neighbours by its rotating structure and is spiraling into the sky at a fast pace, with one fl oor being cast every fi ve days. And, when Construction Week went to press, the building reached the 46th fl oor.

“We are actually ahead of schedule. We allocated seven days to fi nish a fl oor but we are doing it in fi ve days,” says Ahmad Kasem chief development offi cer for Cayan, the project client.

“We will complete the structural work by mid June at the latest.”

TO INFIN

INFINITY TOWER HAS N0W REACHED THE 46TH FLOOR AND IS RAPIDLY PROGRESSING.


CW DISCOVERS THE TWISTS AND TURNS PROPERTY DEVELOPER CAYAN HAS FACED DURING THE MAKING OF INFINITY TOWERBy Sarah Blackman; Photos by Efraim Evidor

complete, a wall that held back the Dubai Marina was breached. The site was ultimately fl ooded, leaving only the arm of a crane peaking above the surface of the water.

“The diaphragm wall failed and the whole thing fi lled to the same level as the marina,” Kasem adds.

The residential building offers studios, one, two three and four bedroom apart-ments, as well as duplexes and penthouses. It also has six podium parking levels and amenities such as a swimming pool and retail outlets.

It is set to be topped off at 73 storeys and 305m in height, with the entire develop-ment scheduled to be delivered in April next year.

News about a completed ‘icon’ will be welcomed during this climate, after the economic crisis caused delays to projects across the GCC. But, for the Infi nity Tower, the crisis is a gentle breeze, compared to the severe blow that knocked its construc-tion plans two years ago.

On February 7, 2007, after enabling works had commenced and excavation works were

INFINITY TOWER CONSTRUCTION SAFETY RECORD

TOTAL MAN-HOURS COMPLETED TILL DATE 3,707,632

NO OF LOST TIME INJURIES (LTI) 7

TOTAL MAN-HOURS COMPLETED AFTER LTI 1,113,926

NO OF DAYS AFTER LAST LTI 120

“THE PLATE IS HEAVILY REINFORCED TO TAKE CARE

OF THE ECCENTRICITY OF EACH COLUMN”

works after the incident occurred. This was added to the total construction costs, which now equates to AED1 billion.”

As a result, the project was delayed for over a year before construction started up again on June 15, 2008.

Prior to construction commencement and the fl ooding incident, main contracts and subcontracts were awarded.

In 2005, Skidmore, Owings and Merrill (SOM) won the contract to design the struc-ture, due to its ability to create an unmatched product, according to the client.

“At Cayan, we always want to be differ-ent,” says Kasem.

“We ran a design competition that includ-ed four or fi ve consultants and eventually

ITY AND BEYOND

AHMAD KASEM, CHIEF DEVELOPMENT OFFICER FOR CAYAN’S INFINITY TOWER.

KASEM POINTS OUT HOW THE ROTATION OF THE INFINITY TOWER IS ACHIEVED.

Apart from physical damages, the fl ood also scarred the projects fi nances accord-ing to Kasem: “We spent close to AED100 million on dewatering and retrofi cation


awarded the contract to SOM. The project is unique and distinguished.”

Arabtec won the main construction con-tract in December 2006, but price escala-tions later occurred.

“Between 2007 and 2008 material prices went up, which is when we signed the sub-contracts. Still to this day, we have very high Tower and Cayan is now confi dent that

the project will be a success. So, how exactly are the twists and turns

in the building’s structure created?In short, each fl oor, or slab plate, rotates

1.08 degrees around a fi xed cylinder core. Once the tower is complete, the 73 fl oors will add up to a cumulative 90 degree angle.

“The thickness of the core wall is 1m and it tapers down as you get higher. Right now I think it’s at around 90cm and it’s a fi xed structure,” says Kasem.

There are no pillars in the building; instead it is supported via a complex concrete col-umn structure that works with the core to hold the building up.

“The plate is heavily reinforced to take care of the eccentricity of each column as you go up a level,” he adds.

THE SPIRALLING INFINITY TOWER REACHED 16 FLOORS IN JUNE LAST YEAR AND NOW, ONE FLOOR IS BEING CONSTRUCTED EVERY FIVE DAYS.

FAST FACTS

CLIENT Cayan

CONSULTANT Khatib and Alami (local)Skidmore Owings and Merril

MEP Drake and Scull International

CURTAIN WALL J & H Emirates

ELEVATORS AND VERTICAL TRANSPORTATION Kone

TENDER DATE April 2008

CONSTRUCTION START DATE June 15, 2008

CONTRACT PERIOD 34 months

COMPLETION DATE April 2011

CONSTRUCTION COST US $209.6 million

PROJECT COST (WITH REMEDIAL WORKS AND LAND COST) US $272.2 million

“AT INFINITY, WE HAVE HUNDREDS OF POINTS THAT HAVE TO BE CHECKED EVERY

SINGLE TIME WE FORM”

priced supplies on site,” explains Kasem. “We did a lot of negotiation with our sub-

contractors and main contractors to reduce costs and we have succeeded in doing so.”

The main construction contract is now valued at $209.6 million.

Over a year on, and rapid progress is fi nally being made on the eye-catching Infi nity


Camber formwork was also supplied to the project to counteract the effect of defl ection caused by heavy reinforcement and concrete.

“We built the core so it was slightly tilted, so when the slabs were put in place, it was pulled back into a straight line. When you rotate, everything is pulled towards the core,” explains Kasem.

The rotation of the slabs and columns are so complex that they need to be checked much more regularly than they would in a traditional building.

“In a normal building, the four corners are monitored every fi ve fl oors or so. At Infi n-ity, we have hundreds of points that have to be checked every single time we form

and are monitored again after the form is taken away. We have to make sure that the columns have been constructed in accor-dance with the original design.”

Cladding work commenced in Q1 2009. In such a complex structure, it should be a diffi cult process, but Kasem has a trick up his sleeve.

“The cladding is prefabricated in the fac-tory and you just bring it in, slap it on and your done,” he says.

“When you have a stick system, you have worry about constructability and workman-ship. Two labourers can do something dif-ferent to the two workers on the other side and there might be problems with sealants and the installation process. With a unitised

system, like ours, things are a lot simpler.”Before Infi nity’s curtain wall could be

implemented, however, it had to go through some rather vigorous tests.

“The trouble with a spiral building, is that nobody knows how it will behave, because a building like this hasn’t been constructed before. There were a lot of concerns and we want to make sure that the building was over designed, if you will,” states Kasem.

A curtain wall prototype was exposed to a typhoon situation, where jets of water were sprayed at it and strong winds were blown on to it using a propelled engine.

“It was proven to be 100% water-tight,” says Kasem. “The cladding also underwent pressure, suction and destruction tests.

EACH SLAB PLATE/FLOOR OF THE BUILDING IS ROTATED 1.08 DEGREES AND ONCE COMPLETE, THE 73 FLOORS WILL ADD UP TO A CUMULATIVE 90 DEGREE TURN.


Further, the building has been designed in accordance with the seismic require-ments for Dubai.”

The shape of the structure has also cre-ated challenges for Cayan when it comes to cleaning the tower.

“This was our biggest challenge of all,” insists Kasem. “We brought in three top

suppliers of the building maintenance unit (BMU) in the world and it took six months to get right.”

Unlike on a vertical building, where a cleaner would go straight up and down, he or she has to attach his or herself to each fl oor and follow the spiral line, according to Kasem.

“You can’t just come down the building in a matter of minutes and going back up is a real hassle.”

The building takes months to clean and has to be cleaned four times a year. So, in effect, it will be cleaned all year, every year.

Elevators, on the other hand, are not affected by the spiral shape and move up and down at 7m per second inside the core of the tower.

Another obvious concern for Cayan is on site safety and security, and the company is keen to reiterate the importance of such issues to its workers.

“We will not allow anybody to smoke on site and anybody that goes onto our site, no matter who it is, will not be allowed to enter without hard hats and safety shoes etc.”

Cayan and Arabtec carry out weekly safety reports and take note of any incident that occurs before fi nding out why it happened and how to prevent it from happening again. Further, safety meetings with workers are carried out regularly.

So far, there have been seven lost time injuries during the 3.7 million man hours worked on site.

So what’s next on the agenda for the Infi n-ity Tower?

The coming months will see the completion of structural and cladding work at infi nity tower, and interior fi t outs will follow.

“Just imagine putting the Grosvenor House on top of infi nity as it stands now and that is how much more work we have left to complete,” says Kasem.

With the trials and tribulations the tower has been through so far, however, constructing a few extra fl oors shouldn’t be too strenu-ous for the Infi nity team. �

Ross Wimer, of architecture fi rm Skidmore,

Owings & Merrill, is the design partner for

Infi nity Tower. CW chatted with him about

the distinctive design.

What inspired you to create the rotating

structure?

The shape of the Infi nity Tower is twisted to

maximize the views out of the building. At the

lower fl oors there are more units oriented

toward the Dubai Marina, near the top of the

tower they face the Arabian Gulf.

What seismic provisions have been

implemented? If this is a unique structure,

how do you know that it will resist ground

movement and strong winds?

Our design for the tower structure is based

on over 75 years of engineering experience.

As with all of our high rise designs, it was

tested both in computer models and in a

wind tunnel. One thing we discovered in the

testing is that the twisted shape performs

How would you compare the Infi nity

Tower to your Burj Khalifa project?

The Burj is a achievement by virtue of

its remarkable height. The Infi nity tower

represents a new trend in tall building design

where sculptural shapes are now possible.

better in the wind than a rectangular extrusion

of the same proportions.

What challenges did you face when

designing this building?

One of the challenges was to keep the

geometry of the condominiums as regular

as possible, in spite of the tower’s external

shape, and to be sure that the tower could

be built quickly and effi ciently. We achieved

this by stepping the structure of the tower

and designing the framing, so that the same

formwork can be used for all of the fl oors

in the building. The formwork is simply

rotated about one degree at each successive

fl oor level.

Have alterations been made to the design

over the last couple of years?

The tower design has remained unchanged,

relative to our original plans. The podium

building has been adjusted slightly to allow for

additional parking spaces.

“YOU CAN’T JUST COME DOWN THE BUILDING IN A MATTER OF MINUTES AND GOING BACK UP IS

A REAL HASSLE”

NO ONE IS ALLOWED ON SITE WITHOUT A HARD HAT.

Focus on ExcellenceOne system with extensive applications. Megashor is an ultra high-duty modular propping system designed for axial loads of up to 1000kN. But its real strength lies in its versatility. From heavy lifting towers to travellers for tunnel formwork, bracing for excavations, shoring and trusses, Megashor can be confi gured for a huge variety of applications.

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Take a journey through most of the Middle East’s major cities today and the vast scale of the infrastructure work underway quickly

becomes clear. Numerous roads, bridges, railways and tunnels are under construc-tion and even more projects are planned, as the region’s governments seek to create infrastructure systems that will meet the intense growth rates in their countries.

This is creating opportunities for all fi rms involved in civil works, with formwork at the heart of the initial project build phases and one of the most visible aspects of many of the projects to date.

“The proportion of civil engineering in the construction business is set to increase over the coming years,” predicts Doka Gulf technical manager Bernhard Lindner. In addition to the need for infrastructure to meet the future growth within the region, the sector’s dominance is expected to rise, as the economic downturn continues to impact on other building projects.

Its importance to the formwork indus-try is already being noted: “Certainly in Dubai at present the civil infrastructure

sector is attracting the interest of Aluma and other formwork suppliers due to the current downturn in the commercial sec-tor,” confi rms Daniel Taylor, area manager (Abu Dhabi), Aluma Systems Middle East. “As often happens during times of economic downturn, the Government stimulus pack-ages pump investment into civil projects, meaning that the ratio of civil:commercial projects is increased,” notes Taylor.

ISSUES TO CONSIDERWith infrastructure projects generally of a much larger scale and vastly differing proportions to most building projects, any formwork used should be carefully selected and designed to meet the required demands. There are several issues that should be accounted for with such projects.

“From a design perspective, one of the main challenges is to create a true model of the bridge geometry and ensure that the design solution selected works for all cases,” stresses RMD Kwikform regional chief engi-neer Moira Cameron. One way to reduce this problem is to use specially developed software programmes to ensure accurate designs. “Traditionally this would have been done by cutting numerous sections through the bridge,” explains Cameron, “RMD Kwik-

form has developed a programme in-house that enables us to accurately model both the ground and bridge geometry in 3D and to place the falsework legs automatically in 3D, which cuts the drawing time.”

The sheer quantities of formwork required and their potential strength are other major considerations on infrastructure projects. “The amount of material will be high, so there has to be enough stock,” says Peri product manager Shalin Adiparambil.

“The biggest issue is the large scale of the scope of work,” agrees Taylor. “Generally the bridge/intersection works ongoing in the UAE at present require very large volumes of shoring to be supplied on a rental basis; the infrastructure market is also extremely competitive, meaning that the formwork supplier not only has to have the suffi cient rental availability, but also has to provide the equipment at a very competitive rate,” adds Taylor.

One benefi t of this to formwork suppliers is that the long-term nature of infrastruc-ture projects means if a fi rm secures a large contract it is guaranteed the long-term use of a large percentage of its rental fl eet.

Although ensuring safety on projects in general is a high priority, on infrastructure jobs it becomes particularly important and

FORMING CIVILSTRUCTURESWITH INFRASTRUCTURE CURRENTLY ONE OF THE LARGEST SECTORS IN THE REGION, CONSTRUCTION WEEK INVESTIGATES HOW FORMWORK FIRMS ARE TACKLING THE WORK AVAILABLE AND ADAPTING THEIR PRODUCTS TO SUIT CONTRACTOR NEEDS

By Alison Luke

DOKA FRAMAX XLIFE - TUNNEL UNDERPASS

PROJECT IN ABU DHABI.


> For more special reports visit www.ConstructionWEEKonline.com

there can be additional requirements from the authorities. “Some companies have to prove to the RTA, in tests, that the formwork that they are going to use can carry the load that it says it can,” reports Adiparambil. “For example, a load test for the RTA was done in August 2008 with [Peri’s] PD8-System for the interchange near the airport tunnel in Dubai, which was contracted by Yuksel,” reports Adiparambil. Without passing such tests, the formwork would not be permit-ted for use on the projects.

“In infrastructure projects where high concrete pressures are involved, one cannot risk the safety issues, the time needed for reconstructing a damaged part and the addi-tional cost, by using a cheap quality project instead of a reliable product,” stresses VSL sales manager (Bar Systems) Shemi PS.

A further safety issue on infrastructure projects is their location: these are gener-

ally close to, immediately over, or alongside live traffi c routes. Ensuring the safety of the public and construction staff, plus uninter-rupted traffi c fl ow on the existing routes, are essential components of the projects. “In case of interchanges or road bridges/tunnels, the traffi c has to be adjusted, which in some areas is quite diffi cult,” stresses Adiparambil.

“Building new bridges or fl yovers accounts for similar problems, as when you are building a skyscraper, inside a congested city; the main problem is how to conduct the job, without interrupting daily life,” adds Lindner.

All of the major formwork suppliers offer products that can adapt to such situations. Doka’s Ready-to-Use Services for bridge formwork can provide a suitable solution: pre-assembled formwork panels are deliv-ered to site to suit the project design, thus reducing the onsite assembly work. “On bridge projects the requirement is always

FORMWORK ACCESSORIES (VSL)

Selecting the correct ties and accessories

for a formwork system is essential to

ensure its optimal functioning. VSL is active

as a supplier of form ties and accessories

within the Middle East, locally stocking

the products and materials in Dubai and

shipping them to neighbouring countries to

meet demand.

The fi rm offers a wide range of large

diameter tie rods and accessories from its

local stock, such as 20 and 26.5mm sizes

that are specifi cally aimed at use in heavy

construction and infrastructure projects.

In addition, VSL deals in tie rods of various

grades up to 75mm diameter. Products

VSL is planning to introduce taper ties

that enable the use of plastics sleeves to be

avoided. Used in the USA, the use of taper

ties remove the risk of the plastic sleeve

breaking during concrete pours, which can

make it very diffi cult to remove the tie rod.

In addition, taper ties make the installation

and removal of form ties simpler and faster.

The fi rm plans to stock products in

other Gulf countries such as Qatar and

the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in future as

demanded by the market conditions.

For further details see www.vsl.com and

www.vslbar.com

are offered in a range of steel grades to

meet client requirements, and as hot-rolled,

weldable and non-weldable types.

Tie-rod accessories offered by VSL include:

• Wing nuts;

• Waterstops;

• Washer plates;

• Loop anchors for single-sided formwork;

• Combiplate: wing nut and plate combined;

• Hexagonal nuts;

• Couplers;

• Cone;

• Plate anchors for climb form in core wall

construction.

to make a large volume of material avail-able in a very short time,” stresses Lind-ner, “therefore the clients have to rely on formwork suppliers with a perfect logistic department and commercial abilities.”

“To cope with the need for traffi c openings RMD offers its Megashor system to support simply supported steel beams over the live traffi c lanes,” reports Cameron. “The product is modular and can be assembled to suit any propping height required,” she explains.

FORMWORK FEATURESSo with larger structures to consider, how does formwork for civil infrastructure works differ from that used in smaller scale projects such as buildings?

“As far as formwork material is concerned, there is not a big difference between building and infrastructure projects; sure the scale becomes bigger, but the idea of a formwork system incorporates the method of reusing standard items in as many different projects as possible,” stresses Lindner.

By maintaining the use of standard prod-ucts, installers do not require additional training in the use of the formwork and those who have worked on buildings can easily be transferred to infrastructure proj-ects. This can provide contractors potential savings on time and money for training and during onsite installation periods.

Firms such as Peri offer product ranges that can be used across infrastructure and building projects. “The product range [needed

ALUMA FRAME COMMERCIAL USE MARINA HOTELS YAS ISLAND AL FUTTAIM CARILLION.


for infrastructure projects] is different in some cases, in others it’s not,” states Adi-parambil. “For example, Peri’s PD8, ACS, SKS and GT24 girders are universal products that can be used in both project types, but Vario kit, GKB platforms etc are specialised products for infrastructure projects only,” explains Adiparambil.

The differences in product are generally down to size and potential capacity. “We generally use our heavy-duty system scaffold, 80kN Rapidshor, instead of our medium-duty, 55kN capacity Kwikstage system,” explains Cameron. “In heavy construction and civil infrastructure projects, the need for large diameters such as 20 and 26.5mm arise compared to the building projects where 16mm tie rods are the commonly used ones,” adds Shemi.

AVAILABLE PRODUCTSWith the focus on the infrastructure sector increasing, the formwork manufacturers are continuing to develop their products to meet the market demands.

Aluma’s primary product for infrastructure applications is the Aluma Frame Shoring System. “This fully aluminium, versatile shoring tower makes up the bulk of the Aluma Systems rental fl eet in the UAE,” reports Taylor. “It is lightweight; fast and easy to install; versatile to any shoring appli-cation – commercial and civil; conforms to the highest safety standards; and has a very high load capacity (100Kn per leg) at optimal extension,” stresses Taylor.

All of the systems used by RMD Kwikform for infrastructure projects are included in the fi rm’s standard equipment ranges. For infrastructure falsework, the fi rm gener-ally uses its 80kN Rapidshor System. “This system gives 80kN capacity with th-e led-gers spaced at 1.5m, which can dramatically reduce the amount of ledgers and bracing required for more traditional systems,” explains Cameron. “In addition, where heavy-duty propping systems are required, RMD offers our 1000kN capacity Megashor System,” adds Cameron.

Doka offers a wide range of components and products to suit projects that involve bridges of almost any design. Again, stan-dard products can be utilised. “The spe-cialist formwork engineers use standard components, as extensively as possible, in

RMD KWIKFORM’S WORK ON THE MAFRAQ INTERCHANGE, ABU DHABI.

hydraulic climbers. For large loads, high fl oor-slabs, tunnels or bridges, the Doka load-bearing systems combine safety with fl exibility. “Doka’s Staxo 100 load-bearing system is extremely effi cient and provides optimum adaptability to different layouts, fl oor shapes and large shoring heights,” says Lindner.

In addition, Doka offers formwork solu-tions for bridge superstructures and has developed its own fully rentable cantilever

forming traveller that comes complete with the integrated formwork for free cantile-ver bridging projects. The modular system is designed to meet the specifi c needs of bridge-building, including aspects such as optimum formwork interfacing, rentability, ergonomics and safety. The fi rm can also provide products for tunnelling infrastructure projects, planning and providing modular and rentable solutions for cut-and-cover, excavation by mining, sheet-pile cut-and-

order to ensure that even complex builds are completed cost-effec-tively,” stresses Lindner. “The proportion of rentable system components can be as high as 90%, slashing investment costs for the construction companies and making formwork solutions eco-nomical even when use cycles are short,” Lindner adds.

Doka’s Framax Xlife framed formwork or Top 50 beam form-work meets the needs of foundations and abutments. “If crane availability is a problem, the Frami Xlife framed formwork can be used because it is easily moved by hand,” explains Lindner.

For bridge piers, pier heads and pylons Doka offers a wide range of climbing formwork systems including the SKE 50 and SKE 100


cover tunnelling and galleries.Peri has different product ranges for sub-

structures and superstructures, plus spe-cial construction procedures such as the launching method. Several of the fi rm’s standard products can be used for infrastruc-ture projects, including PD8, multiprops, stacking towers, ACS, SKS, HD200 props, Variokit, tunnel forms, GT 24 girders and SB brace frames.

Peri’s Variokit incorporates three stan-dard components that can be applied to a wide range of applications: a steel wal-er universal SRU, climbing rail RCS and heavy-duty spindle SLS. Benefi ts of the systems include the need for few anchors in wall areas; optional hydraulic support for shuttering, striking, lifting and lower-ing; self-propelling or mobile solutions for moving complete units; and the ability to create different cross-sections by making simple modifi cations. All components can be optimally adapted: the HD 200 heavy-duty prop allows continuous height adjustment and grid-free longitudinal arrangement;

the RCS slab beam can be fl exibly adapted; the Variokit diagonal strut is continuously usable from 4-9m.

In 2010 Peri is planning to release enhanced versions of several products. The Peri VT 20K is a 20cm-high solid web girder with improved protection at the girder ends. Robust steel caps have been added to the ends of the girder and concave web ends to prevent damage in demanding and tough conditions on the construction site, consider-ably increasing the service life of the girder. Here, the natural elasticity of the wood is also used to absorb the impact energy. In addition, the highly compressed solid web has a high proportion of synthetic resin that ensures high dimensional stability.

PROJECT DETAILSThere have been several high profi le infra-

structure projects undertaken in the region over the past few years, with many more underway or still to commence.

The Jumeirah Palm Island Tunnel project involved the construction of a 1.4km tun-

nel to join the main island with the outer crescent. This included 600m of underwa-ter tunnel at depths of up to 25m. Form-ing, reinforcement work and concreting were carried out using the separate casting method. In 25 m long concreting steps and four cycle sequences, the tunnel bottom plate, two wall sections respectively and then the slab could be concreted consecu-tively. Peri system components from the Vario girder wall formwork system pro-vided the solution throughout. The load-bearing GT 24 formwork girders and SRZ steel walers were also used very fl exibly as slab formwork. The concrete loads during construction of the tunnel slab were safely transferred into the bottom plate via PD 8 shoring towers.

Most recently, in early February Aluma won the contract for the Al Hodariyat Bridge Project in Abu Dhabi. The fi rm’s Aluma Frame, Aluma Table and Aluma Wall-Form system will all be used on the VSL/AST joint venture project, with work on site due to begin in the immediate future. �

25JANUARY 9–15, 2010 CONSTRUCTION WEEK

Doka offers rentable all-in solutions for cantilevering works, composite bridges and tunnel-building, all backed by comprehensive services. This makes Doka a capable and effi cient partner in all areas of infrastructure construction, throughout the world.

Strong in Civil EngineeringBuild on formwork expertise

02/2

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Cost-effective forming of bridges and tunnels with Doka

Doka cantilever forming traveller Mining construction method Cut & Cover construction method

Load-bearingtower Staxo

Jeddah Tel. +966 (0)2 669 10 08Riyadh Tel. +966 (0)1 479 10 03Dammam Tel. +966 (0)3 832 06 06Dubai Tel. +971 (0)4 881 80 96Abu Dhabi Tel. +971 (0)2 622 16 77Sharjah Tel. +971 (0)6 556 28 01Umm Al Quwain Tel. +971 (0)6 766 78 14Bahrain Tel. +973 (0)17 402 810Qatar Tel. +974 (0)450 06 28Kuwait Tel. +965 (0)2 482 24 62Lebanon Tel. +961 (0)1 612 569Jordan Tel. +962 (0)6 554 55 86

Oman Tel. +968 244 844 45

www.ConstructionWEEKonline.com/directory

DIRECTORY

FEBRUARY 20–26, 2010 CONSTRUCTION WEEK 29

SHOWCASE | TENDERS | PROJECTS | APPOINTMENTS | SUPPLIERS | CITY UPDATE

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SHOWCASE30 Dubai Pearl

32 TENDERS34 PROJECTS

35 APPOINTMENTS

SPECIALIST SERVICES36 Design software37 Construction manufacturers/steel

CITY UPDATE38 Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

RIGHT: The pouring of 23

columns for Tower 1 has been

completed on the B1 level and

shuttering work is in progress.

Rebar cleaning works for

columns in also underway

along with water proofi ng work

on top of raft sides. The Jump

form outer shutter opening and

cleaning work is also currently

underway.

BELOW: Piling works on all four

towers have been completed

along with their rafts. Tower 1 raft

pour was completed in August

last year, followed by Tower 3 in

September, Tower 2 in October

and Tower 4 in November.

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�SHOWCASEITP IMAGESTO BUY IMAGES WITHIN THESE PAGES PLEASE EMAIL [email protected] OR VISIT WWW.ITPIMAGES.COM

DUBAI PEARL – CONSTRUCTION UPDATEThe US $2.4 billion (AED8.8 billion) Dubai Pearl project in Dubai is steadily progressing, according to the

company. It has also achieved pre-certifi cation from the US Green Building Council (USGBC) at the Gold

level for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (Leed). Al Habtoor Leighton is the main contractor

on the project. The deal was the largest single contract of its kind in the Gulf Arab region. The Pearl Dubai

development will cover more than 1.39 million m2, including four 73-storey towers and a hotel.

RIGHT: On Tower 3 of the project,

rebar work for the columns is also

currently being worked on along

with backfi lling around the raft.

Pouring of six columns on the B1

level has been completed along

with the Jump form system.

Rebar and shuttering work in also

in progress.

BELOW: Chipping of the core

wall area on Tower 4 is currently

underway along with the Jump

form shutter assembling. Water

proofi ng work on top of the raft

sides and backfi lling around the

raft is also in progress.

To b

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in th

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images@

itp.com

or visit itp

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�TENDERSFREE TENDERS AND SERVICES IN THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRYTO INCLUDE YOUR TENDERS IN THIS SECTION EMAIL TENDER DETAILS TO [email protected]

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BAHRAIN

Issuer: Electricity and Water AuthorityTender No: 379/2009/6000Description: New administrative building at Juffair – phase 2 (interior works and furnishing).Closes: March 10Fees: BD50Bond: BD5000Contact: www.tenderboard.gov.bh

EGYPT

Issuer: Egyptian Endowment AuthorityDescription: Two tenders for the construction of 90 residential buildings comprising 2160 housing units in Asswan City.Closes: March 3 and March 7Fees: EP17,000 and EP16,000Bond: EP1.24 million and EP1.2 millionContact: Egyptian Endowment Authority, 109 Tahrir Street, Dokki, Giza

KUWAIT

Issuer: Central Tenders CommitteeTender No: BA/S/250Description: Construction of a police station in Mubark Al Kabeer Zone, Kuwait City.Closes: February 21Fees: KD2500Contact: Central Tenders Committee, Ministry of Public Works

Issuer: Central Tenders CommitteeTender No: MEW/39/2008/2009Description: Design and construction of Al Zour desalination plant, phase 2.Closes: March 9Fees: KD3000Contact: Central Tenders Committee, Ministry of Public Works

Issuer: Central Tenders CommitteeTender No: MEW/39/2008/2009Description: Design and construction of Al Zour desalination plant, phase 2.Closes: March 9Fees: KD3000Contact: Central Tenders Committee, Ministry of Electricity and Water

Issuer: Central Tenders CommitteeTender No: RA\\140Description: Construction of Jaber Ahmed Al Jaber Al Sabah Bridge in Kuwait.Closes: June 8Fees: KD5000Contact: Central Tenders Committee – Ministry of Public Works

Issuer: Central Tenders CommitteeTender No: MEW/54/2009/2010Description: Construction of a water plant in East Amgarh.Closes: March 9Fees: KD500Contact: Central Tenders Committee – Ministry of Water and Electricity

OMAN

Issuer: Ministry of Foreign AffairsTender No: 4/2010Description: Construction of an offi ce building for the Gulf Consulting Commission.Closes: March 1Fees: OR1100Contact: www.tenderboard.gov.om

Issuer: Ministry of HealthTender No: 16/2010Description: Supplying and installation of 11 air-cooled chillers at the Royal Hospital.Closes: March 1Fees: OR450Contact: www.tenderboard.gov.om

Issuer: Supreme Committee for Town PlanningTender No: 10/2009Description: Consultancy services for the preparation of the master-plan of Duqm Town.Closes: March 8Fees: OR300Contact: www.tenderboard.gov.om

QATAR

Issuer: Public Works AuthorityTender No: PWA/GTC/068/09-10Description: Construction of seven new schools in Doha.

Closes: March 2Fees: QR1000Contact: Contract department, Public Works Authority

SAUDI ARABIA

Issuer: Royal Commission for Jubail and YanbuTender No: 627-C17Description: Procurement and construction of an elementary school for girls, three kindergartens and expansion of an elementary school for boys in Jubail Industrial City.Closes: February 24Fees: SR9000Contact: Directorate General of the Royal Commission in Jubail

Issuer: Royal Commission for Jubail and YanbuTender No: PIC A-1003BDescription: Procurement and construction of waterfront infrastructure including roads, parking, walkways, pedestrian bridges, a storm water drainage system and an irrigation system.Closes: February 28Contact: Director, Purchasing and Warehousing Department, PO Box 30031, Yanbu Industrial City

UAE

Issuer: Dubai Electricity and Water AuthorityTender No: CNE/0488/2009Description: Construction of four accommodation buildings at Jebel Ali Power Station.Closes: February 24Fees: AED2000Contact: The Chairman, Board of Directors, Dubai Electricity and Water Authority

The Supervision Committee for the Expansion of the Abu Dhabi International Airport (SCADIA) is engaged in a major development programme to expand the capacity of Abu Dhabi International Airport. Now, the focus is on the construction of the Midfi eld Terminal Building, which will house operations of Etihad Airways and will be built to handle 20 million passengers annually. SCADIA has invited contractors to express their interest in the project and successful bidders will have completed fi ve similar projects in the last ten years. They must also be familiar with international green building codes and be able to comply with the forthcoming Estidama guidelines. �

Tender focus

SCADIA

ABU DHABI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT IS GOING THROUGH A DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME TO EXPAND ITS CAPACITY.

> For more tenders check online at www.ConstructionWEEKonline.com/tenders

ONE TO WATCHIssuer:Issuer: SCADIASCADIADescription:Description: Construction of Abu Dhabi’s Construction of Abu Dhabi’s International Airport’s midfi eld terminal building.International Airport’s midfi eld terminal building.Closes:Closes: UnknownUnknownContact:Contact: www.scadia.comwww.scadia.com

�PROJECTSA KUWAIT DATABASE - BUILDING PROJECTS FOCUSTO LIST YOUR PROJECTS IN THIS COLUMN EMAIL DETAILS TO [email protected]

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> For the latest projects information visit www.ConstructionWEEKonline.com/projects

The US $950 million (KD273.8 million) Al Hamra Tower is a mixed-use development, which includes a shopping centre and an offi ce tower. Located in the heart of Kuwait City, the project covers 10,978 m2 of land, in addition to 7000m2, which will be used for a multi-storey car park. Ajal Real Estate Entertainment

Company awarded Al Ahmadiah Contracting and Trading the main contract in 2005 and construction work commenced soon after. The entire development is expected to be completed by the last quarter of this year. Skidmore, Owings and Merrill designed the project. �

HAMRA TOWER.

PROJECT TITLE CLIENT CONSULTANT MAINCONTRACTOR

VALUE(US$MN)

STATUS

KUWAITCENTER FOR RESEARCH & STUDIES AT SHARQ Ministry of Public Works Gulf Consult Al Jaraih Contracting 12 project under construction

17 STOREY OFFICE BUILDING IN HAWALLY Almad Real Estate Option One Not Appointed 2.5 - 15 project under design

SHOWROOM IN SHUWAIKH Mr. Zayed Al Khalid Al Mousawi Engineering Consultant

Not Appointed 2.5 - 15 project under design

FURNITURE SHOWROOM IN SHUWAIKH Mr. Zayed Al Khalid Al Mousawi Engineering Consultant

Not Appointed 2.5 - 15 project under design

ACCOMMODATION FOR JUMEIRAH DEVELOPMENT IN AHMADI

Jumeirah Development Al Aliyan Consulting Not Appointed 16 - 30 project under design

MEDICAL CLINICS PROJECT A'Ayan Real Estate Company Soor Engineering Bureau Not Appointed 16 - 30 project under design

KUWAIT CONTROL & METEOROLOGICAL CENTER Directorate General of Civil Aviation

The Associated Engineering Partnership

Sayed Hamid Behbehani & Sons 38 project under construction

POLICE HEADQUARTERS AT MUBARAK AL-KABEER Ministry of Public Works SSH Not Appointed 30 bidding underway for the main contract

IDEAL HIGH SCHOOL AT AQAILA Ministry of Public Works/Ministry of Education

Al Zamami Consultant Bader Al Mulla & Brothers Company

17 project under construction

PETROLEUM RESEARCH LABORATORY IN AHMADI - PHASE 2

Kuwait Institute for Scientifi c Research

Al Zamami Consultants Bader Al Mulla & Bros Co. 2.5 - 15 project under construction

AL HAMRA TOWER Ajial Real Estate Company Al Jazeera Consultants Ahmadiah Trading & Contracting 241 project under construction

COMMERCIAL BUILDING IN SHUWAIKH Mr. Zayed Al Khalid Al Mousawi Engineering Consultant

Not Appointed 2.5 - 15 bidding underway for the main contract

19-STOREY RESIDENTIAL BUILDING IN JABRIYA Wafra Real Estate Company Option One Not Appointed 16 - 30 project under design

KUWAIT NATIONAL MUSEUM RENOVATION - PACK 2 Nat'l Council for Culture Arts & Letters/MPW

Pan Arab Consulting Engineers Kuwait Dynamics 8 project under construction

KUWAIT INSTITUTE OF JUSTICE Ministry of Public Works/Ministry of Justice

Al Zamami Consultant Not Appointed 31 - 100 award awaited for the main contract

KUWAIT BUSINESS TOWN AT AL MIRQAB AREA - ZONE 1

Kuwait Business Town Holding Company

Projacs/KEO Int'l/Gensler Associates

First United General Trading & Contracting

108 project under construction

BIBI TOWER Al-Recardo General Trading Company

Option One Not Appointed 16 - 30 award awaited for the main contract

Project focus

AL HAMRA TOWER


�APPOINTMENTSCONSTRUCTION PRODUCTS AND SERVICES MADE EASY IN CONSTRUCTION WEEK’S DIRECTORYTO ADVERTISE PLEASE CALL +971 4 435 6344, OR EMAIL [email protected]

COWI-Larsen Joint Venture (C-L JV), are the Engineering and Architectural Design Consultants for the Development of Muscat and Salalah International Airport Projects in the Sultanate of Oman and will be performing as the ‘Engineer’s Representative’ during the post contract stage. We are looking for highly experienced and competent people to add value to the team. If you are willing & able to rise to the challenges of building a national landmark to the Sultanate of Oman. Apply here:www.cowi.com/jobs --> Point & Click on Gulf Jobs

All staff must have 100% respect for Health Safety and Environment.Expatriate Package as per norm.

COWI-LarsonCOWI-Larson Joint VentureJoint Venture

We are seeking one Senior Contracts Administrator to join the Salalah Airport project:- Extensive experience managing a team of QS & Contract

Administrators is essential (10+yrs min)- Extensive experience administering the entire suite of airport packages

is essential (7+yrs min)- Extensive experience administrating FIDIC contract on airport

infrastructure projects essential. Working knowledge of the ‘Yellow Book’ is essential.

- Possess an excellent knowledge of contract administration, project management and procurement through a Design & Build Procurement Strategy

- Must hold attested university degree /diploma in QS/Civil Eng. from a reputable institution.

- Extremely competent communicator on contractual correspondence is essential

- Extensive experience holding & chairing stakeholder meetings.- MRICS desirable- Valid driving license & quali� ed education degree are essential.

We are seeking one Resident Engineer to lead the site supervision team for the upcoming Salalah project and one Resident Engineer for Mucat.

- 10+ years experience working on airport infrastructure - 5 years Middle East experience is essential- Leadership of a team of professional engineers & inspectors.- Guardian of safe working practices and welfare standards.- Managing the � ow of information in accordance with the Contract

(FIDIC Yellow Book)- Representing the Engineer and maintaining the highest level

of professionalism.- Facilitate the Contractor’s role in completing the project to the

standards de� ned on the speci� cation and in a manner that delights the Employer.

- Represent the SRE at meetings and through correspondence.- Analysis of submissions using experience of safety, constructability

and technical matters.- Ensure due diligence is employed during the reviews of

Contractor’s submittals.- Record all issues, communications and occurrences such that at later

date, sequences of events can be reconstructed. - Report in an accurate, concise and timely manner.- Must be degree quali� ed & chartered desirable.

� A

PPOIN

TMEN

TS To ad

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375

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ail shish

ir.desai@

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�SPECIALIST SERVICESCONSTRUCTION PRODUCTS AND SERVICES MADE EASY IN CONSTRUCTION WEEK’S DIRECTORYTO ADVERTISE PLEASE CALL +971 4 435 6344, OR EMAIL [email protected]

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SP

ECIA

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ES �

Exova provides testing and advisory services to construction, aerospace, energy, oil and gas, civil engineering, transportation, pharmaceutical, and consumer products industries and has over 130 facilities in 25 countries. Formally Bodycote Testing Group, the rebranded company Exova tests everything from concrete constituents through to furnishings and fi ttings, structural investigations and monitoring, fi re product assessments, testing and fi re safety engineering consulting.

In addition, the company carries out vital tests on cur-tain wall systems for a variety of services including air permeability, water penetration, wind resistance, acoustic performance and thermal insulation. The Dubai-based Cladding Technology Centre is the only cladding test-ing facility in the region to be internationally accredited by the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) against the ISO 17025 standard.

The company’s fi re safety consultancy divisions also advise engineers and architects worldwide to ensure the buildings they design meet stringent safety standards and can provide innovative solutions to ensure that both safety standards and the design aspirations of the architects are

met. Exova Warringtonfi re ME is now partnering Dubai Civil Defence to deliver a fi re-testing facility in the UAE providing fi re testing and product certifi cation services. This division provides guidance to clients on strategic design, code compliance, fi re safety management plan-ning, in addition to the provision of computer modelling simulation studies. �

Supplier focus

EXOVASUPPLIER OF TESTING AND ADVISORY SERVICES

EXOVA MANAGING DIRECTOR ROB JACKSON.


� SPECIA

LIST SERV

ICES To

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BUILDING MATERIALS HARD LANDSCAPING SUPPLIER

> For directory information visit www.ConstructionWEEKonline.com/directory

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STEELSTEEL


CITY UPDATERIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA

ruthlessly pushing on. The latest fi gures from global real estate services company Jones Lang La Salle show that there were around 904,000 residential units in Riyadh in the second quarter of 2009.

However, several of new projects have since been announced, which could add As the population of

Riyadh continues to grow, due to fam-ily growth, inward migration and immi-gration of expatriate workers, so too does

the demand for houses and commercial units. But, is this demand being met?

Fortunately, the Saudi Arabian capital was relatively unscathed by the downturn and construction projects across the city are

A race against timeWITH A LOW SUPPLY OF HOMES AND OFFICES RIYADH IS WORKING TO MEET HIGH DEMANDS, CW DISCOVERS

By Sarah Blackman

NEWLY ANNOUNCED PROJECTS COULD ADD THOUSANDS MORE HOMES TO THE CITY.

“THE TWO OFFICE BLOCKS WILL CONSIST OF 34 AND 26

FLOORS AND WILL COVER AN AREA OF 27,000 M2”

thousands more homes to the city. One such project is the US $1.6 billion (SR6 billion) Nasamat Al Riyadh development, which will consist of 4200 housing units once complete. The homes will be split into buildings ranging in height from three to nine fl oors.

Fayez Zuhair Architectural and Engineering was awarded the supervision consultancy contract in November last year, while Hill International was awarded the project man-agement consultancy contract. The main contractor is due to be revealed within the next few months and the entire project is scheduled for a 2015 delivery.

Meanwhile, phase one of the huge mixed use Al Wasl development, which will cover 14 million m2 once completed, is currently


AL OLIA TOWER.

NASMAT RIYADH.

JONES LANG LA SALLE EXPECTS THAT 1.1 MILLION M2 OF OFFICE SPACE WILL BE DELIVERED BY 2014.

bia capable of producing 30 parcels in 38 months,” Rayadah’s KAFD project manager Waleed Alesia told Construction Week.

“We didn’t want to hire more than one contractor for the job because we wanted to reduce the complexity of the logistics and basically Binladin is the most qualifi ed.”

The contract includes the construction of the two tallest towers in KAFD – the 303m World Trade Centre and the 240m GCC Bank Tower. Overall it’s expected that by mid-2012 around 70% of KAFD will be built out, with the remaining land developed over time according to demand.

A separate commercial development – Olaya Towers is also under construction and is expected to be completed by Q1 of 2012. The two offi ce blocks will consist of 34 and 26 fl oors and will cover an area of 27,000 m2. In May last year, Nesma Construction Com-pany was awarded the main contract and construction began soon after.

As the population of Riyadh soars to new heights, infrastructure is another vital ele-ment that needs to be updated. ith this in mind, work on the Riyadh Metro began in November 2009.

Phase one of the project will see the con-struction of a 25km route from the northern side of the ring road to the southern side, while the 14km phase 2 will stretch from east to west.

Thirty districts are expected to be covered by the project.

Work has begun on both routes, accord-ing to an offi cial at the Arriyadh Develop-ment Authority.

The rail system is expected to serve 1500 passengers per hour per track initially and then up to 8,000 passengers per hour. Riyadh’s population has grown to over 6.5 million.

New ring roads, utility supplies, schools and hospitals are also being added to the city. �

under construction. The urban community is being developed by Limitless and will provide 60,000 homes, eight shopping complexes and several fi ve star hotels. The project is expected to be completed by 2016.

In terms of business units, Jones Lang La Salle expects that 1.1 million m2 of offi ce space will be delivered during the years to 2014. “Most of this space will, however, not be delivered until the completion of the major King Abdullah Financial District (KAFD) in 2012 and beyond,” the fi rm’s Riyadh City Profi le said. In October 2009, the Saudi BinLaden Group was awarded the 3.73 billion contract to design and build 30 parcels within KAFD, 27 of which must be delivered by March 2012, according to the client, Rayadah Investment Company.

“It’s an enormous challenge and Binladin might be the only contractor in Saudi Ara-

“THE HOMES WILL BE SPLIT INTO BUILDINGS RANGING IN HEIGHT FROM THREE TO NINE FLOORS”


DIALOGUETOM SMITH

In which sector of the construction industry are you gaining the most business? We are increasingly active in the infrastructure and community development markets. The investment focus for many governments is dealing with changing demographics and the need for housing and jobs and infrastructure, both hard and soft: hard relates to transport infrastructure and soft relates to hospitals and schools.

Which projects are you currently working on?We have a mixture of building and infrastructure projects – in Abu Dhabi we are working on Masdar and the Mina Tunnel projects – across the region, we are working for MAF on a number of retail and mixed development projects in Egypt, Syria, Dubai and Fujairah.

Which developments are you involved in at Masdar? We are currently working on a mix of residential and commercial buildings. A lot of attention has been given to all aspects of the design and construction of the buildings to make them as sustainable as possible. The building design has focused a lot on reducing energy demand. They will consume approximately 75% to 80% less energy than is currently consumed by typical buildings in Abu Dhabi. The buildings will also be net energy producers by including a signifi cant amount of photovoltaic panels of the roofs and some facades, as well as using solar thermal technology to generate hot water.

What are the most important trends in green building at the moment?A very interesting trend in green buildings in the Middle East is the development of regulations and locally developed green building assessment and rating schemes. Abu Dhabi is well advanced with the development of its Estidama Pearl rating scheme and has

Top of the green listReduction of energy use, water conservation and solar technology are all aspects of sustainable building, but which issue should be considered first? WSP group global development director Tom Smith gives his opinion on the matter and discusses how his company is going green

By Sarah Blackman

started to introduce some elements of the Estidama thinking and approach into the planning approval managed by the Urban Planning Council. In addition, the Department of Municipal Affairs in Abu Dhabi is introducing the Abu Dhabi Energy Effi ciency Code setting mandatory standards for all buildings as part of the introduction of a comprehensive and integrated suite of building codes based on internationally recognised codes of practice. Other examples across the region include the consideration of green building regulations in Dubai and the development of the Qatar Sustainability Assessment Scheme by Barwa Real Estate Company and Qatari Diar Real Estate Investment Company.

Which aspects of sustainable building should be prioritised? I believe the top two priorities are water and energy conservation, because demand across the region is projected to continue to increase signifi cantly, existing supply capacity is increasingly constrained and new capacity is expensive to develop (in both economic and environmental terms). For energy, the clear priority should be on designing to minimise demand before considering the installation of photovoltaic panels. Paying attention to issues such as building insulation, U-values, glazing, shading and infi ltration will generally be much more cost effective than installing solar panels. There is huge potential for solar energy in this region but the subsidised cost of electricity and lack of signifi cant policy or fi nancial

support from government for renewables means that uptake is likely to remain fairly limited. There are also signifi cant savings that can be made in buildings through relatively straightforward measures such as specifying water effi cient fi xtures and fi ttings. One of the other challenging areas is the use of water for landscaping and balancing the need to make the most effi cient use of water, with the desire for pleasant and comfortable open and public spaces.

Smith holds responsibility for the

development of major projects with WSP’s

global clients. In 2009 the Global Business

Growth Team (GBGT) was established

and he became head of the department.

The aim of the team is to identify, bid for,

win and deliver the projects that will make

a impact on WSP group in respect of their

sector, size and profi le.

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construction week - issue 309

Documents

phase of work

phase renovation work

news analysiscw

work available

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soil improvement work

construction industry

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