construction week - issue 306

SAUDI ARABIA BAHRAIN UNITED ARAB EMIRATES QATAR OMAN KUWAIT

ConstructionWEEK NEWS, ANALYSIS, PROJECTS,

TENDERS, CLASSIFIEDS, ANDJOBS IN THE MIDDLE EAST

JAN 30–FEB 5, 2010 [306]An ITP Business Publication CONSTRUCTIONWEEKONLINE.COM

INSIDENEWSProject management has role to play in conserving resourcesPAGE 09

FACE TO FACEExperts explain how solar solutions can ‘green’ a buildingPAGE 15

WALLSNew materials and techniques speed the building of walls PAGE 24

SHOWCASEProgress at Villamar Towers in Bahrain Financial HarbourPAGE 30

Licensed by Dubai Media City

SAFESITECW GETS FIRST-HAND EXPERIENCE OF THE HSE AT ABU DHABI’S CENTRAL MARKET

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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

CONTENTS

15 FACE TO FACECW asks how solar technology can boost a building’s sustainability.

16 LEGALLarry Lin takes a look at what the best options in alternative dispute resolutions and if mediation or adjudication is better, or in some cases both.

18 NEWS ANALYSISSmart grid technology has been heralded as the saviour of energy effi ciency.

REGULARS2 ONLINE4 MAIL

FRONT9 DON’T REPEAT THE SAME MISTAKES, PM EXPERTS WARNAs construction companies recover from the downturn, experts are urging fi rms to invest in project management.

10 RTA ALLOCATES US $2 BILLION FOR PROJECTSA budget of US $2.9 billion (AED10.74 billion) has been set for the RTA’s expenses in 2010, with $2 billion allocated for project development.

12 NEWS IN BRIEFHighlights of the week.

FEATURES20 SITE VISITRecently named Abu Dhabi’s safest construction site, just what are the HSE teams on Central Market doing to keep workers out of harm’s way?

24 SPECIAL REPORTCW talks to industry experts to discover the modern and sustainable ways of building walls.

.DIRECTORY30 SHOWCASE32 TENDERS35 PROJECTS 36 SPECIALIST SERVICES

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

40 DIALOGUE3M country business leader for safety, security and protection services Walid Feghali rates the quality of on site safety in the Middle East.

JANUARY 30-FEBRUARY 5, 2010 | ISSUE 306

1JANUARY 30–FEBRUARY 5, 2010 CONSTRUCTION WEEK

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CONSTRUCTION WEEK JANUARY 30–FEBRUARY 5, 20102

FEATURESInterview

EDDIE FOSTERScott Wilson’s regional head discusses KSA, payment and the economy.

PMV

HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSA Sennebogen manager shares his thoughts on the industry.

The district cooling industry ‘practically halted and came to a complete dead end’ in 2009, but ‘it should move back in 2010’. This is the view of father-and-son team Fahed and Aslan Al Barazi from Imec Electro Mechanical Engineering. “That being said, there are still some projects going on, and we are on top of that. You obviously need to be winning orders at the same time,” comments Aslan. “This is something that over the last ten years has turned the market upside down. For example, a fan used in a cooling tower costs US $1200 if imported from China. That same fan, made in Germany or the US, costs US $12000. This state of affairs has caused great turmoil in the market among suppliers and manufacturers,” says Fahed. Aslan says this is because of the size and scope of the district cooling industry in the UAE, which has transformed itself into the biggest in the world. “The tonnages here are unheard of elsewhere. In the US, a big plant is 25 000 TR, whereas here it is 100 000 TR.”To read the full interview visit www.ConstructionWeekOnline.com

DISTRICT COOLING TO BOUNCE BACK IN 2010

ONLINEwww.ConstructionWEEKonline.com

MOST POPULARABU DHABI TDIC PREPARES TO FLOAT TWO MORE TENDERSKUWAIT SET FOR POTENTIAL BUILDING BOOMRTA ALLOCATES US $2 BILLION FOR PROJECTSVISION WINS SAUDI ARABIAN MEP JOB

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 WEEKSenior Designer Hospitality, Dubai, United Arab EmiratesCAD Operator Interior Design, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

ONLINE POLLWHERE WILL YOU MAKE THE MOST MONEY THIS YEAR?

37.5%Abu Dhabi

25.0%Qatar

20.8%Saudi Arabia

16.7%Dubai

0%Kuwait

Design

DODGING IRRELEVANCEUp close and personal with Ross Lovegrove.

Projects

IN TOTAL CONTROLMachine automation is here.

CONSTRUCTION WEEK JANUARY 30–FEBRUARY 5, 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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MAILRE: MASDAR EYES MALAYSIA FOR CAR-BON NEUTRAL CITYOnly the Masdar Institute building, the Masdar/Irena HQ, plus a few small buildings will be built. This is less than 1/20th of what they promised. The PRT system will go, with only 10 vehicles as a Disney-style attraction. After fi ve years, there is nothing to show except one small school, one building, a “fund” that is losing money and a few investments in Europe. Nothing to share with the world, and no contracts for hungry companies. NAME WITHHELD

On a recent visit to the Masdar project, we were all surprised at the lack of interest the Masdar staff showed towards what could have been benefi cial to them. They said: “we have thought about that, but instead we will buy more carbon credits.” Take a look at their carpark – it’s full of 4x4s and not a low emission car in sight. Surely this must be taken into account in the calculations for their carbon footprint? Will they just buy more carbon credits for the big cars as well? At no stage are they trying to build the project in a carbon neutral way. I asked them how they are monitoring their subcontractors carbon emissions and they said: “that’s not our concern”.DEREK TROTTER

It will a good move if we can create a twin carbon neutral city with Malaysia. Malaysia, being one of the fi rst leading

South East Asian nations to push for sustainable practices, should be able to immensely contribute towards this goal. This could further spur the growth of carbon neutral cities in more countries and form exemplary standards for the rest to emulate. KESEVAN J

RE: GREEN BUILDING GURUSome parts of green building are more important than others. Here in the Middle East, it’s all about reducing energy for cooling, and water recycling. Most so-called sustainability experts that come from the West try to apply their own criteria to buildings here. Get it into your head, we don’t use heating, people. Cooling takes up 70% of the energy consumed in buildings. Take that down signifi cantly and you are on to a winner.SAHAR KHARRUFA

RE: ABU DHABI SET TO RELEASE MAJOR AIRPORT TENDERThis is going to be the fi rst major tender coming into UAE market post recession in 2010 and brings a great deal of hope for the contracting business in the region. Let’s hope 2010 will see more similar projects bringing buoyancy in the current ‘not so happening’ market.FRANCIS MOYALAN

It’s good to read that the UAE is slowly coming back to its style and scale of projects, post recession.ANGAD MAINI

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.

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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 WHO GET A SLICE OF THIS ACTION MAY BE ABLE TO KEEP THE WOLF FROM THE DOOR FOR A YEAR OR TWO MORE, ASSUMING THEY SUCCESSFULLY COLLECT PAYMENT”

INFRASTRUCTURE DOLLARS

STUART MATTHEWS SENIOR GROUP [email protected]

At the beginning of 2009 I wrote, more than once, about the value of being involved in infrastructure projects. Adherents to the Keynesian idea that you can buy your way out of a recession through government investment will know why.

It seems the same may be true of 2010, as announcements of infrastructure projects are once again being heralded. Just last week CW reported the Dubai’s 2010 budget will have an infrastructure focus. The estimated spend on the economic sector, infrastructure and transportation is US$4.75 billion. The estimated allocation of expenditure for the development of infrastructure project is US $2.91 billion.

Saudi too has announced a 16% increase in total project spending, laying out a plan to plough US $70 billion into construction projects during 2010, in an effort to attain a 4.5% economic growth rate within the year.

Contractors who get a slice of this action may be able to keep the wolf from the door for a year or two more, assuming they successfully collect payment.

While the numbers are hefty, it’s important the money goes to the right places if it is to support real and sustainable growth. Growing cities need roads, transport infrastructure and solid municipal services if citizens are going to be attracted and retained.

Emerging cities don’t need vanity projects, or fanciful images of ‘future plans’. Leaving those to the private sector will let market forces determine their viability. It will also leave real money for real work.

Clarifi cation: The image on pages 34 and 35 of issue 304 of Construction Week was not correctly attributed. The image is the property of Gerald Donovan. Construction Week apologises for the error.


Although the regional construction industry has no doubt felt the pinch of the global economic slowdown as much – or more – than most other sectors, some countries in the Middle East have continued to grow throughout the downturn.

Last month, the Saudi government, for example, announced a 16% increase in total project spending, laying out a plan to plough US $70 billion (SR262.5 billion) into construction projects during 2010 in an effort to attain a 4.5% economic growth rate within the year.

Meanwhile, Lebanon witnessed a 6% increase in construction permits – which now cover more than 11.42 million m2 of granted projects – while $1.8 billion of mega-projects were launched in the country dur-ing 2009 alone.

In light of these good news stories, project management experts have called on devel-opers and contractors in these countries not to repeat the mistakes made elsewhere in the past.

“Projects being planned throughout KSA in 2010 will require systematic management and a Saudi workforce capable of dealing with any possible operational problems,” said Bassam Samman, founder and CEO of

FRONT

DON’T REPEAT MISTAKES, WARN PROJECT MANAGEMENT EXPERTSBy Matt Warnock

CMCS, a regional project portfolio man-agement (PPM) provider.

“The challenge is to develop and build the know-how needed by the burgeoning local projects sector to fulfi ll its role in sustained economic recovery.”

ESI International regional manager Craig Jordan agreed, explaining: “At the heart of good project management are risk manage-ment and cost control; these factors have been major contributors to the fi nancial meltdown and mismanagement of many projects across globe.

“There are too many businesses that do not recognise project management as a core skill but in today’s world it is an absolutely fundamental competency for any middle manager to master and not just the domain of the project management department.

The KSA’s public expenditure could reach 35% of GDP in 2010, with King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud recently announcing a national budget that has increased 14% on 2009 – the largest in its history.

The government has allocated $70 bil-lion for new investment projects and $37 billion for education. The municipal sector has been granted $6 billion, the transport and telecommunications sector $6.5 billion,

and the water, industrial and agricultural sector $12 billion.

Great news for the country but only, argued Samman, if well managed and monitored.

“Project failure can have devastating effects not only on organisations but in host coun-tries as well. The good news is that these can be easily prevented by adopting sound PM practices; the bad news is that many project-driven businesses throughout the region still do not recognise the impor-tance of PM.”

CMCS aims to enhance the skills of Saudi Arabia Lebanon’s project-driven profession-als by training them on Project Management Institute compliant Project Portfolio Manage-ment methodologies using internationally-recognised tools, such as Oracle Primavera, Deltek Cobra, and Hard Dollar.

”We will empower project-driven organi-sations to create a PPM-supported environ-ment that promotes the selection of the right projects that best fi t their goals and effi cient execution,” continued Samman.

“Our seminars are opportunities for inter-ested parties to learn more about available PM tools and their effi cient use and conse-quently help in ensuring the productivity of Lebanon’s numerous projects.”

AS CONSTRUCTION COMPANIES RECOVER FROM THE DOWNTURN, EXPERTS ARE URGING FIRMS TO INVEST IN PROJECT MANAGEMENT.

>RTA allocates US $2 billion for projects 10>Highlights of the week 12>Face to face 15>Legal 16>News Analysis 18


FRONTPLANT THEFT RING BUSTED IN SHARJAHBy Greg Whitaker

A gang in Sharjah are being held on suspicion of stealing heavy machinery in order to sell it abroad.

The group allegedly stole the machinery from various businesses around the emirate, only to dismantle them so that they could be exported as ‘spare parts’. The machines could presumably be reassembled at destination ports.

Sharjah police formed a division of the Criminal Investigation Department to deal with the thefts, and as a result, apprehended the gang, which included 15 suspects described as being of ‘Arab and Asian origin’. Another man has been arrested on suspicion of helping the gang.

All apparently confessed, and have revealed the location of the stolen plant.

“Collaboration was made between Sharjah Police and other forces, in order to apprehend the suspects. It took several weeks of investigation, which eventually led to their arrest,” a police offi cial told a daily newspaper.

Habtoor chairman, Khalaf al-Habtoor, last week announced that the group – its JV with Australia’s Leighton is one of the Middle East’s biggest construction fi rms – could fl oat its engineering arm or even the whole group in the second half of 2010, with possible listings in Dubai and London.

He also said that the conglomerate had set its sights on winning up to US $8.2 billion worth of building con-tracts in 2010

“We are expecting this year that we have to grab a minimum of 25-30 billion dirhams in projects,” Habtoor said, explaining that Habtoor-Leighton is eyeing airport project contracts in

HABTOOR COULD LOOK TO IPOBy Matt Warnock

several countries, bidding for a $1.5 billion project in Turk-menistan and has signed a preliminary agreement to build the fi rst phase, in excess of $500 million, of a Kuwait airport.“We are bidding for the airport in Abu Dhabi which is in excess of $6.5 billion,” he added

The company also expects to boost its presence in Qatar as it looks to diversify revenues away from its home mar-ket. “Qatar is becoming to us the second for construction after the UAE,” he said.

Habtoor expects the group to achieve growth of 103% in net profi t. The company’s turnover in the fi rst half of 2009 exceeded $2.45 billion.

A budget of US $2.9 billion (AED10.74 billion) has been set for the Road Transport Authority’s expenses in 2010, with $2 billion allocated for project development.

The project budget will be set aside for undertaking around 129 developments, 13 of which are new projects relating to roads, marine transport, public transport and operational building projects.

“In 2010, RTA will complete the construc-tion of the undergoing projects and engage in a host of other fresh ones as well. Among the key projects underway is the completion of Dubai Metro Project, the fi rst stage of which was opened in September,” said RTA executive director Mattar Al Tayer.

RTA ALLOCATES US $2 BILLION FOR PROJECTS By Sarah Blackman

“Work is progressing on schedule in the construction of the Metro Green Line as well, and will continue in Al Safouh Tram project, which comprises two phases extend-ing 14km along Al Safouh Road.”

Al Tayer confi rmed that the Government of Dubai is proceeding with upgrades to infra-structure, including roads and transportation projects, in the belief that this will drive economic growth.

“Among the key road projects earmarked for construction this year is Sheikh Zayed Road’s Parallel Roads project, which will extend 108km starting from Sheikh Rashid Road in the North and stretching up to the outskirts of Abu Dhabi,” he added.

A BUDGET HAS BEEN SET FOR THE CONSTRUCTION AND COMPLETION OF ROADS AND PUBLIC TRANSPORT.

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FRONT

Tourism Development & Investment

Company has issued pre-qualifi cation invitations for 2 contracts in Abu

Dhabi. The larger of the two jobs covers

main contract works for Deyar Al Mafraq

Vision Electro Mechanical

Company has won an

US $ 349mn contract to carry

out MEP works at Princess Noura

Bint Abdurrahman Girls University

in Riyadh

Dubai Aluminium Company’s Jebel Ali primary aluminium complex produced 1 mn tonnes of cast

aluminium products in 2009, making it

the world’s largest modern smelter

HIGHLIGHTS

PMV

KRUSE GROUP CLEANS UP DIRTY TRUCKSThe fi rst plant in the Middle East for producing urea – a chemical used by many new trucks to reduce soot emissions – has been opened in the Al Qusais industrial area of Dubai. Urea, more commonly known by the trade name AdBlue, is used by most manufacturers of modern diesel trucks to prevent toxic nitrogen dioxide, as well as carcinogenic soot particles from being emitted by the vehicle’s exhaust. Toxins can be reduced by as much as 95% in some applications. “AdBlue is a clear, non-toxic solution of a chemical,” explained Mattias Kruse, CEO of Kruse Group, which manufactures the product under license.

MEP

TURN YOUR AIR-CON OFF, URGES MEP FIRMThe best way to reduce energy use is to “turn off the system completely,” Scott Wilson associate director: building services Cathy

Crocker argued. This can be problematic in terms of dust and noise, but these issues can be addressed successfully at the design stage. “For residential buildings or leisure facilities, it is very important for us to be able to design buildings so they can be ventilated naturally in winter, as that will save a huge amount of energy.” Cathy said that Scott Wilson’s favoured design approach, wherever possible, is deemed ‘mix match’. “In essence it just means turning off the air-con when you do not need it. You have to have a building that is designed correctly to enable natural ventilation.”

Manufacturing

STRIKING STEELWORKERS PLAN TO ESCALATE ACTIONProduction at Algeria’s largest steel coking plant – the ArcelorMittal El Hajar facility in Annaba – ground to a halt earlier this week after 7200 workers went on strike. According to an AFP correspondent on the ground in Algeria, the discontent workers are

planning to ‘escalate their action’ unless the Algerian government offers them a written commitment to re-open a coking facility closed last October. “We have decided to launch a general and indefi nite strike,” union leader Smain Kouadria told Reuters. “We will stop the strike only if the coking plant is renovated, but top management has informed us that [this] is not a priority. We must defend our jobs.”

Architecture

FAÇADE DESIGN CREATES NEW LANDMARKA new landmark building has been handed over in Dubai’s business bay. The O-14 tower has divided architectural opinion in the city, with its unusual exterior treatment. Designed by Reisur and Umemoto Architecture in New York, the tower fl ips structure and skin, and makes strong use of a perforated concrete façade. The façade perforations serve as a solar screen, letting light and views through to the interior occupants. A one-metre

space between the façade and the building’s glass surface also develops a chimney effect, causing hot air to rise, creating an effi cient passive cooling system, which aims to reduce energy consumption by at least 30%. Construction

25 BUILDINGS TOPPED OUT AT REMRAAMDubai properties Group has topped out on its 25th building at the 2.2 million m2 Remraam development of fi ve-, six- and seven-fl oor residences. The Dubai World developer says that more than 85% of excavation and 50% of foundation works have also been completed by the 3000 construction workers and 50 cranes that are on site each day. “The new construction milestones met by the Remraam development refl ect our commitment to delivery schedules. We have mobilised our contractors and labour force to achieve rapid progress and offer a pioneering new project to clients and customers,” commented Group CEO Khalid Al Malik.

NEWS IN NUMBERS

Masdar will consider the

development of a carbon-neutral city in Malaysia

and explore clean technology

projects worth US $100 mn

in total


FACE-TO-FACE

KHURRAM NAWABMulk Holdings, managing director

JIT CHAKRAVARTYEurostar Solar Energy, divisional manager - solar technical

and business development

We offer a product called Suntrof. This harnesses solar energy and

converts it into thermal energy to generate electricity. The whole

structure is recyclable. In 2008 we built the prototype in the US

and last year we built the commercial-sized trough in Sharjah and

began to construct our solar demo plant. We will unveil it in March.

HOW DOES YOUR COMPANY CONTRIBUTE TO BUILDING SUSTAINABILITY?

HOW DO YOU PLAN TO IMPROVE ENERGY EFFICIENCY THIS YEAR?

WHAT ARE THE CURRENT GREEN BUILDING TRENDS?

WILL THE MIDDLE EAST FOLLOW COPENHAGEN’S PLANS TO BECOME CARBON NEUTRAL?

HOW CAN PEOPLE BE ENCOURAGED TO INVEST IN GREEN SOLUTIONS?

HOW CAN THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY MAKE EXISTING BUILDINGS MORE SUSTAINABLE?

We provide turbo systems, which heat water using less energy.

We also provide photovoltaic (PV) technology, which generate

electricity. The electricity is stored and recycled. Our solar thermal

systems also reduce commercial and household carbon emissions.

We have close to around 600MW of power project contracts,

which have been signed in the US, Morocco, Qatar and India. These

projects are at design stage and will be implemented in 2011.

We are hoping the Abu Dhabi government will provide grid

connectivity so we can connect PV panels to the grid. The grid

connected systems can offset your total power consumption. It is

possible to half your energy bill by generating your own solar power.

People are focusing on solar trough technology right now. They

are investing heavily in this. But, whatever green technologies are

used, they will help reduce carbon emissions and contribute

to sustainability.

Building integrated photovoltaic technology is very popular and

if the plans for grid connected solar PV come through, then your

entire building can generate power. Another trend is passive solar

architecture, where a building is designed to use less energy.

Possibly. If technology advancements using renewable energy

become viable, then almost 30% to 40% of power, which is

generated by burning oil, will be knocked out. This is will lead to

reduced carbon emissions.

Yes. Masdar City is obviously planning to become carbon neutral

and a lot of awareness is being raised about green building in

the GCC. The next best thing to sustain the economy will be

renewable energy.

Mulk Holdings is into the façade business and we offer energy

saving systems. We also provide PV panels, which can provide

some power to a building. We have a design where you can retro-fi t

the system into existing buildings.

People all over the world are talking about the environment. There

a lot of projects where developers have said they wants to put 30%

of their investment into green building, but banks are not ready to

provide the funding.

You can incorporate double glazing windows and insulation, which

help keep a building cool by preventing outside hot air from getting

in. You can also implement energy effi cient lighting and motion

sensors, which control when lights are switched on and off.

Compulsory regulations have to come from government, because

some companies aren’t investing in sustainable building due to high

short-term costs. People also need incentives in to be persuaded to

invest in green building; they need to see the fi nancial benefi ts.

SOLAR DISCUSSION

CW ASKS HOW SOLAR TECHNOLOGY CAN BOOST A BUILDING’S SUSTAINABILITY


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.

Larry Lin is a Fellow of the Royal Institution of the Chartered Surveyors with 24 years of experience mainly in civil engineering. He has practiced Quantity Surveying in the Far East and for the last 4 years, in the Middle East and is currently a consultant QS in Jeddah. He also holds a LLM in Construction Law & Arbitration and LLB from UK and Australia. He has completed the academic stage of the Graduate Diploma of Legal Practice with the College of Law, Sydney that will eventually lead to be admitted as a legal practitioner in NSW, Australia.

Mediate, adjudicate or both?LARRY LIN TAKES A LOOK AT WHAT THE BEST OPTIONS IN ALTERNATIVE DISPUTE RESOLUTIONS AND IF MEDIATION OR ADJUDICATION IS BETTER, OR IN SOME CASES BOTH

Increasingly, when a dispute arises between two contracting parties, they are strongly encouraged to settle the dispute in question through various types of resolution methods available. Such methods are collectively called alternative dispute resolution (ADR), and include negotiation, mediation or adjudication and should be used before the dispute is escalated into arbitration or litigation.

But at any time, if a party has embarked on one resolution in relation to a specifi c dispute, can it not also at the same time or later embark on another type of reso-lution. In other words, can both media-tion as well as adjudication be instituted concurrently?

This was what Justice Akenhead was asked, among other issues, to decide upon in a recent case.

The Claimant, Ericsson, was employed as a sub-contractor by the Defendant, Eads, in June 2007. Eads had entered a contract with the Government for the provision of an emergency communications system to the Fire and Rescue Service in England. The whole system was scheduled to be com-pleted well before the London Olympic Games 2012 in order that the system can be tested well in advance as to provide a vote of confi dence.

Ericsson was responsible for developing and supplying software and this software was based on a software system owned by Ericsson. This system, to coordinate and manage the response of the emergency services, was defi ned as a key element in the overall systems.

The initial date for the supply of the software was January 2009 and was subsequently being amended due to delay. There had been several revisions to the date of completion and this was one issue that the court had been asked to decide on. Since the whole system was to be in full operation prior to the Olympic Games, Eads was concerned about the slippage caused by Ericsson and had written to Ericsson expressing the con-

cern. Letters were exchanged between the parties and each alleging the other to be responsible of causing delays.

Then on September 29, 2009, Ericsson advised Eads of referring the dispute to mediation pursuant to Clause 31.3 of the agreement. The issue was whether or not Ericsson was contractually obliged to deliver the software by September 30, 2009. Clause 31.3 states:

“If Ericsson and Eads fail to resolve the dispute through such consultation within …10 business days, either party may give notice of its intention to proceed to mediation in accordance with the…CEDR Model Media-tion Procedure for long-term contracts, or to refer the matter to adjudication.”

Two days later, on October 1, 2009, Eric-sson wrote to CEDR and requested the appointment of a mediator. On the same day, Eads sent a letter to Ericsson notify-ing a Material Default had been commit-ted by Ericsson. Simultaneously, Ericsson served a notice of adjudication to Eads on 1 October 2009 too.

Thus the same dispute of delivery date on September 30, 2009 was now being referred to a mediation, as well as adjudi-cation concurrently.

Eads agreed to refer the dispute to media-tion but objected to adjudication because it contended that Clause 31.3 provided a choice of either mediation or adjudication and it was not open to Ericsson to pur-sue adjudication in relation to those two disputes.

Justice Akenhead held that the dispute resolution provisions do not by implication or otherwise suspend a party’s rights under the contract to take whatever steps which it is entitled to take. His Honour’s view was that “it is open to either party on a given dispute either to mediate or to adjudicate or to do both ... The wording of Clause 31.3 does not prevent or limit a party from going down either route” Ericsson was therefore entitled to pursue remedies in adjudication as well as in mediation.

“EADS AGREED TO REFER THE DISPUTE TO MEDIATION BUT OBJECTED TO ADJUDICATION BECAUSE IT CONTENDED THAT CLAUSE 31.3 PROVIDED A CHOICE OF EITHER MEDIATION OR ADJUDICATION”

Alumil Gulf fzcsubsidiary of ALUMIL in the Middle East

Technology Park, RAK FTZ, RAKtel +971 7 2444106, fax +971 7 2444107email [email protected]


ANALYSIS

Smart solutionsSMART GRID TECHNOLOGY HAS BEEN HERALDED AS THE SAVIOUR OF ENERGY EFFICIENCY

By Peter Ward

in terms of the communications infrastruc-ture. We see more awareness in what is going on in the distribution grid and doing more automation around the distribution substation, so I think it is beginning,” says Robert Gilligan, vice president of transmis-sion and distribution at GE Energy.

Smart grid systems have been implemented in the US and in Europe to a certain extent already, and now Dubai seems to be tak-ing a major step towards implementing one itself. The Middle East has a unique opportunity to advance this technology, as Gilligan points out.

At the recent World Future Energy Sum-mit, held in Abu Dhabi, there was much discussion of grand and green ideas, but substan-

tive measures remain elusive.One widespread and signifi cant change

that is steadily becoming a reality, through pilot programmes and large scale trials, is the development of a smart grid. It seems likely that as the concept develops and becomes established, contractors will have to famil-iarise themselves with the inclusion and installation of smart grid components on a large scale. Retro fi tting of such equipment will also have a part to play.

Smart grids can be hard to defi ne. Rather than being one single product, system or design, it is more a bringing together of several concepts and one overriding aim: energy effi ciency.

The main feature of a successful smart grid is two way communication between a consumer’s household and the energy provider.

“Technology has reached a stage where the devices have become intelligent and can start communicating with each other. There was a big revolution in the telecommunica-tion market, if Alexander Graham bell was alive, he would not recognise the phones we use today. But if Thomas Eddison was, he would still recognise the bulb and the grid because it hasn’t changed in all these years,” explains Syed Hasan, director at Al Mostajed Technologies.

The concept of a smart grid in the Middle East is one that is becoming more appeal-ing here. “There is strong interest. We see some of the utilities beginning to pilot smart meters and thinking about what they need

“I think that the Middle East, there is an opportunity to leapfrog because as you are putting all this new infrastructure in you can enable it from the time you put it in with sensors and communication etc to enable a smarter grid so you can actually move faster.”

The key element of smart grids is the smart meter, which is vastly different from the old meters which are currently used in the majority of households. “You will be able to know in real time, online, where the energy is being consumed. So you can utilise your assets more economically and effi ciently. Then you can generate more effi ciently. And you can warn consumers about excess energy use by giving them information, which can encourage them to consume less energy,” states Hasan.

The benefi ts of this system are multiple. Khaled Awad, director of property develop-ment at Masdar, lists some of them. “Most important is the integration of supply and demand. That is a focus of our energy team. The communication of data from end to end, this smart grid can provide a dynamic fl exible platform so it can adapt to varying levels of demand and supply,” states Awad.

The introduction of smart grids into the Middle East is not without its challenges, however. “The smarter grid systems are facing several top level challenges includ-ing raising the networks complexity, the

SYED HASAN, DIRECTOR AT AL MOSTAJED TECHNOLOGIES.

KHALED AWAD, DIRECTOR OF PROPERTY DEVELOPMENT AT MASDAR.

“TECHNOLOGY HAS REACHED A STAGE WHERE THE DEVICES HAVE BECOME INTELLIGENT AND CAN START COMMUNICATING WITH EACH OTHER”

“MOST IMPORTANT IS THE INTEGRATION OF SUPPLY AND DEMAND”

TEST PILOTAlMostajed is implementing an IMS

project with a major utility and is engaged

with several private bulk consumers of

electricity and water, who are seriously

evaluating the IMS, as part of the energy

effi ciency and green initiative. AlMostajed

realises the importance of local availability

of resources when utilising modern state-

of-the-art technologies.

Policies and regulations of individual coun-tries can play a big part in how smart grids can be used. Changing tariffs are one of the major policy changes which can be part of the grid’s benefi ts. “From the data you can apply tariff changes in a country. These are the tools that we are providing which

increased demand for energy and electric-ity, moving towards an environmentally-friendlier energy mix, volatile energy prices and critical energy losses and large emerg-ing Gulf transmission networks,” Walter Dussaucy, communications director at Areva explains.

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

will then be used by the people making the policies,” stresses Hasan.

Gilligan also believes that policies will have a huge part to play in the future of smart grids. “There is not a big technology challenge, I think we have technology that can address the needs of a smarter grid. The challenge is going to the policy and the regulatory frameworks, getting the right incentives around effi ciency, ensuring that it pays to reduce losses.”

The challenges are set and the ben-efi ts are clear, now it is important that policy makers don’t lose sight on how important the implication of smart grid technology is.

“This is clearly the challenge of the future; the power generation and the power trans-mission sector is a key factor of the world’s development. We are now thinking all the time of how to deliver solutions in a way which satisfi es us by taking into account a greener and reliable environment. We are the architects of a smarter world,” concludes Dussaucy. �

WALTER DUSSAUCY, COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR AT AREVA.

ROBERT GILLIGAN, VICE PRESIDENT OF TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION AT GE ENERGY.

Pre-Qualification Invitation - Project in Al Ain, Abu DhabiPrimary Bulk Earthworks and Enabling Works (including retaining wall structures)

Tourism Development & Investment Company (TDIC) hereby invites suitable contractors with commensurate experience to undertake the

Primary Bulk Earthworks and Enabling Works (including retaining wall structures) for a new development in Al Ain. Initial Primary Bulk

Earthworks will include cut, fill, compaction and leveling for an area of approximately 400,000m² (40 hectares) with the construction of

related retaining walls.

Contractors who meet the criteria can register their interest and request a Pre-Qualification Questionnaire (PQQ), at

[email protected], before 3rd February 2010, and arrange for the collection of the PQQ by 10th February 2010 from:

Tourism Development & Investment Company, Behind Khalifa Park, Eastern Ring Road (Salam Street), Abu Dhabi.Conditions and Rules:Interested companies must demonstrate successful delivery of relevant construction projects that meet the following requirements:1. Recent experience on projects similar in size, character and complexity.2. Be a major registered construction company with representation in the UAE.3. Have had a minimum annual company turnover for construction activities of AED 400 million in each of the last 3 years. 4. Successfully completed 5 projects each in excess of AED 200 million in the last 3 years.5. Be prepared to be one of a number of short-listed companies willing to submit a construction works tender under a single stage competitive tender process.

A non-returnable payment (in the form of a manager’s cheque made payable to the Tourism Development & Investment Company) of AED 10,000 will be

required at the time of collection of the PQQ. Responses to the PQQ must be submitted in a sealed envelope no later than 12pm on 18th February 2010 to:

Pre-qualification for Al Ain Project (P081), Tourism Development & Investment Company, Behind Khalifa Park, Eastern Ring Road (Salam Street), Abu Dhabi.

Abu Dhabi develops with TDIC

www.tdic.ae

TDIC Construction Opportunities


RECENTLY NAMED ABU DHABI’S SAFEST CONSTRUCTION SITE, JUST WHAT ARE THE HSE

TEAMS ON CENTRAL MARKET DOING TO KEEP WORKERS OUT OF HARM’S WAY

GRACEUNDER FIRE

By Matt Warnock

“The absolute minimum PPE you can wear on site is a hard hat, a safety vest and safety boots,” explains Atkins health and safety manager Shaun Dent.

As he warns me to beware of uneven surfaces in order to avoid slips, trips and falls, I pull on my PPE while continuing to pay full attention.

“Stay vigilant. Keep looking around you at all times – don’t forget to look above, too.”

Over the past few months, the region’s construction industry has taken several knocks in the form of mid-construction building collapses and on-site fi res blazing into the night. Just last week, experts told Construction Week that the region was at particular risk from fi re injuries and casualties, due to the extra diffi culties presented by building the ubiquitous high-rises.

We wanted to see just what could be done to prevent the risk of fi res and accidents when working hundreds of metres up in the air, so where better to head to than the project recently named Abu Dhabi’s safest construction site at a prestigious industry awards night?

“This site has the highest possible safety reputation and we’re working hard to maintain that throughout,” continues Dent, speak-ing with pride about Aldar’s Foster + Partners-designed Central Market project – a 5.2 million m2 development of three supertall towers and an Arabian souk. Dent inducts every single worker that enters the site.

“You would usually face three different inductions but as you’re going to be with highly-trained HSE experts throughout, you’ll just have the one. We run through the protocol in the event of a fi re – exactly where I have to go, how I get there and what I have to do – and then it’s time to meet the other HSE specialists on site.”

With over 6,000 men on site at any one time, Dent stresses the importance of remaining safe and vigilant at all times, as well as leading by example.

“That’s so important,” chimes in Geoff Bottomley, the health, safety and environment manager for Arabian Construction


Company (ACC). “We obviously get a big infl ux of Asian workers. Yesterday, they were farmers, traders or fi shermen and today they’re working 80 fl oors up on a construction site.”

How then do the HSE specialists bridge this safety and knowledge gap?

“It’s all about training and tool boxes. We tool box and tool box and tool box them,” continues Bottomley. “Every Saturday morn-ing at eight o’clock, the foremen deliver talks on a topic of their choice. There are 16 members of the safety team working here on Central Market, all of them speak both English and Asian languages.”

All of the HSE guys accompanying me today – Aldar’s head of HSE Andrew Brod-erick, Aldar HSE executive Reju Jose Man-jooran and ACC project manager Pierce O’Donnell are also lending their expertise to the site visit – have horror stories to tell about the state of sites and workers when they fi rst arrived in the Middle East. The battle, they claim, has been to completely change the safety culture. It’s a fi ght they seem to have won; when the Ministry of Labour visited the Central Market site last month, they didn’t fi nd a single worker lacking the suitable PPE.

As we make our way to the workers’ carriage elevator, Aldar’s top health and safety man, Broderick, points out the unit where chemicals and fl ammables are stored

securely and, most importantly, away from the towers.

Flammable materials being kept on-site, along with sparks produced by hot works, are the major causes of fi res on construc-tion sites, explains O’Donnell.

“The containers are well-protected and workers take up fl ammables on a daily basis,” he explains. “One of the challenges in promoting HSE on-site here is obviously communication, due to unskilled workers coming from so many places, but, compared to my experience doing this in the UK, in some ways it’s easier. Workers here have yet to acquire any bad habits. You tell them once and they listen.”

We all step into the lift and are quickly rewarded with a stunning view over Abu Dhabi as we climb to the 67th fl oor.

“You’ll notice we keep slabs extremely clean,” says ACC’s Bottomley. “It’s a simple thing but effective at reducing risk quickly.”

Stepping out onto the slab, he points out the safety features present on every fl oor throughout the entire construction process. Each level has a fi re hose with a length suf-fi cient for reaching all areas of the fl oor; there’s a fi re alarm button too, while all cradles also have a button so that opera-

tors can sound the alarm if they observe a fi re.

In each stairwell there are site plans, show-ing workers exactly where they need to go in the event of an incident, as well as all relevant contact numbers. Fire action and

fi rst aid notices appear on the walls in English, Hindi, Urdu, Arabic and Bengali. Staircases between fl oors also all feature emergency lighting throughout the con-struction process.

“From Aldar’s point of view, there are three drivers of health and safety,” explains Broderick. “Moral, legal and fi nancial.

“We take our moral responsibility extremely seriously. We want people to feel safe and secure when working on one of our sites. Our HSE policy is contractual – it’s in every document and all contractors get a copy, which is updated each year. Contractors such as Atkins and ACC also have site-specifi c contracts that will be completely individual to the project. No two projects will be alike.”

“And, fi nally, there’s the fi nancial driver. Aldar, of course, has very good insurance for a project like this. Things like fi re hoses on every level up to two below the top current working level is stipulated by insurance, which is very expensive. It pays for us to go that step further.”

CENTRAL MARKET, UNDER CONSTRUCTION IN ABU DHABI, HAS WON AN AWARD FOR SITE SAFETY, AN ACCOLADE PARTLY PUT DOWN TO INCESSANT TRAINING AND TOOL BOX TALKS.

“IT’S ALL ABOUT TRAINING AND TOOL BOXES. WE TOOL BOX AND TOOL BOX AND

TOOL BOX THEM”


“OUR PRIORITIES ARE TO PREVENT FIRES IN THE

FIRST PLACE”

As far as regulations are concerned, Brod-erick highlights the fact that local authori-ties are fast catching up to those of western countries, with six sets of international codes set to be introduced later this year.

“Aldar has already been contacted about using our projects for case studies,” he beams. “In many ways, until now, we’ve had to be self-governing, as we’ve a huge reputa-tion. Very few developers have HSE teams, relying on the project manager instead. We want to pave the way – safety is about lives. Sometimes, being a developer is not about fi nancial decisions; it’s about doing the right thing.”

And working with the right partners, it seems.

“We’re really happy with ACC – they take it all very seriously. They’re experts in high-rises, but also experts in fi re safety,” says Broderick, pointing out the net protection and triple barriers around the edges of the slab – regulations only require doubles.

So, I ask, hoping that I’m not tempting fate with my theoretical question, what exactly would happen if there was a fi re on-site right now?

Bottomley fi elds this one. “Once the alarm has been raised, everyone would head to their designated assembly point where fi re wardens – trained by third party asses-sors – control the area. Foremen count the men and wardens count the foremen, while guards control the street.”

There are regular drills on-site and the last one took 18 minutes in total, although this fi gure will obviously increase slightly as the building height increases.

A signifi cant part of the process follows each drill when the HSE team discusses any problems that arose and how to put them right.

“Our priorities are to prevent fi res in the fi rst place, then to identify them quickly and fi nally for trained workers to deal with them,” adds Dent.

“We take pictures, we run Powerpoint presentations and we also have a completely blame free culture here, which is as impera-tive as the communication.”

At the heart of all that Aldar, ACC, Atkins and EC Harris are doing at Central Market lies the principles behind BuildSafe, for which Broderick is the Abu Dhabi spokes-person. Aldar will only work with contrac-tors that are signed up with BuildSafe, he says, and the BuildSafe notices and instruc-tional diagrams decorating the site back up this claim.

“If there are any incidents, BuildSafe inves-tigates them and encourages the sharing of knowledge rather than covering up mistakes. That’s how the industry improves.”

It can be easy to see a construction site – especially one for a project as large as Cen-tral Market – as a hundred mini-projects, a thousand small jobs, a million separate tasks…and, in many ways, that’s true. Work-ers arrive, head to their fl oor, their section, their duty for the day and rarely interact.

However, having spent an hour or so on-site here it demonstrates just how uniting HSE can be.

“No matter what problems exist between the client, the contractor and sub-contractors – and, of course, issues do occur – everyone wants the same thing when it comes to health and safety. We’re all pulling in the same direction,” explains Broderick.

It must be good to know, when you’re 67 fl oors up, carrying out hot works, that should anything happen, 6,000 men and a whole lot of safety procedures have got your back. �

New ¼ horizontal ad size: 195x60mm


For centuries, heavy stone, rocks and clay have been used to build walls around the world. Had-rian’s Wall in Scotland, the Great Wall of China and defensive walls of

the ancient world were all constructed in the traditional block-like fashion.

But, times have changed and bricks and mortar are no longer the building materials of choice. Energy-saving precast, and drywalls are now the order of the day, particularly in developing regions like the Middle East.

OFF THE WALLCW TALKS TO INDUSTRY EXPERTS TO DISCOVER THE MODERN AND

SUSTAINABLE WAYS OF BUILDING WALLS

By Sarah Blackman

Clearly, walls have two main purposes - to support roofs and ceilings and to separate rooms. Sound’s simple, but without the right materials and proper installation, building a wall can be a heavy load to bear.

SAVING TIMEKnauf, an international supplier of building materials believes there is a way of making light work out of constructing a partition, by using drywall instead of bricks and plaster.

“There is really no contest. Drywall is an easier, faster and more cost-effective solu-tion, applicable in the same places where

traditionally plaster would be used. It is lighter than brick and plaster,” says Knauf marketing manager Kerim Caglar. “One m2 of drywall weighs around one tenth of 1 m2 of plaster.”

To assemble drywall, boards are fi rst cut to size and secured into metal frames before their edges are straightened using corner beads.

The joints are then taped over using paper or fi breglass mesh tape. This is later covered with three layers of joint compound (a type of sealant). When the compound is dry the wall can be sanded and painted.


Drywall can also be shaped around their frames to create curves. And, according to Caglar, it requires less manpower to assemble, as it is lighter and each partition has a much greater surface area than a brick.

“An interesting way to look at it is that 15 truckloads of bricks can be used to cover the same areas as one truckload of dry-wall partitions. So even before you start constructing, you save delivery time and money,” he says.

KNAUF MARKETING MANAGER KERIM CAGLAR. GULF WALL PANELS ARE PREFABRICATED BEFORE THEY ARE PLACED INTO POSITION ON SITE.

“Also, you can apply paint directly over it as soon as you have installed it, which means no waiting and no wasting time.”

It seems that saving time is a must when it comes to constructing in the Middle East, as a number of new projects continue to roll out, even in the tough economic climate.

Another manufacture which claims to meet this need is Gulf Wall, a supplier of light-weight partitions.

The company’s walls are prefabricated before they are transported to a site, placed into position and fi lled with concrete.

“They are essentially ‘fl at-packed,’ with every panel numbered and identifi ed on the project drawings,” says Gulf Wall general manager Toby Cooke.

> For more special reports visit www.ConstructionWEEKonline.com

“The system is fast and simple, yet deliv-ers a robust and smooth-fi nished product, with no need for plaster.”

Jehan Green Walls, which opened its offi ces in Sharjah less than a year ago, manufacture and supply 3D panels. These can be cast in situ (on site) or precast (cast off site) using gypsum or concrete, both of which have fi re resistant properties.

The panels are made out of expanded polystyrene (EPS) board with a galvanized (coated with zinc to prevent corrosion) steel mesh on either side. MEP works can then be applied before concrete or gypsum is spayed onto the panels to form a ‘skin’.

“Our walls are much lighter [than traditional partitions]; hence they reduce the weight

TYPES OF WALL

CURTAIN WALLThe curtain wall is the non-structural outer

layer of a building. It is a façade that does

not carry any dead load weight from the

building and is designed to resist air and

water infi ltration and sway induced by wind

and seismic forces.

DRY-STONE WALLA dry-stone wall is constructed from stones

without any mortar to bind them together.

As with other dry stone structures, the wall

is held up by the interlocking of the stones.

Such walls are used in building construction,

as fi eld boundaries, and on steep slopes as

retaining walls for terracing.

LOAD-BEARING WALLA load-bearing wall bears the weight and

force resting upon it, conducting the

vertical load from the upper structure to

the foundation. The materials most often

used to construct load-bearing walls in large

buildings are concrete, block, or brick.

DRYWALLDrywall is the term used for a common

method of constructing interior walls and

ceilings using panels made of gypsum

pressed between two thick sheets of paper.

Drywall became prevalent as a speedier

alternative to traditional plaster interior

fi nish techniques.

“DRYWALL IS AN EASIER, FASTER AND MORE COST-EFFECTIVE SOLUTION THAN BRICK AND PLASTER”


of the building and require lighter founda-tions to support them,” states Jehan Green Walls general manager Cedric Pinto.

“Installation time is cut by 50% when using our walls.”

SAVING ENERGYSo preassembled or readymade panels have proven to save time, but enough about the practicalities, what about energy? Just how sustainable are these partitions in comparison to brick and stone walls that have stood the test of time?

“Drywall is sustainable,” insists Caglar. “Our boards contain a certain mixture of recycled gypsum, which is easily available to us. Additionally, the paper used for the boards comes from managed tree farms that are exclusively at Knauf’s disposal.”

Gulf Wall’s partitions are also made out of gypsum: “The embodied energy to produce the product is very low in comparison with traditional materials, and the nature of this product makes it easy to recycle at the end of its life cycle,” adds Cooke.

Further, Gulf Wall panels do no not require cementitious plaster, meaning the problem of cracking and/or fl aking is eliminated.

So what makes Jehan Green Walls green? When comparing to traditional construc-tions, the company claims that carbon foot-print emissions are reduced by 20% when its partitions are used.

“The steel used in our walls is 80% recycled and the polystyrene is recyclable, thus mak-ing the 3D panels sustainable elements,” says Pinto.

The core of Jehan’s walls also provides thermal insulation, which reduces the power required to cool or heat a building. The U-value of the company’s partitions can be adjusted to suit the requirement of the client by varying the thickness of EPS.

U-values gauge how well a material allows heat to pass through. The lower the U-value, the greater a product’s resistance to heat fl ow and the better its insulating value.

“A 200mm thick wall gives a U-value of 0.451W/m2 °K and a 250mm thick wall gives a U-value of 0.314W/m² °K,” explains Pinto.

The cavity of Knauf’s wall linings are fi lled with thermal insulation materials such as rockwool, glasswool, EPS or extruded poly-styrene foam at required thicknesses.

“The wall lining system improves not only the thermal insulation of the exterior wall but also its sound insulation, thus provid-ing a more comfortable environment for occupants,” says Caglar.

“You get exactly the same insulation value as brick at just a quarter of the thickness.”

Gulf Wall also works closely with several insulation providers to optimise the per-formance of its products and meet certain criteria, including thermal and sound insu-lation, fi re resistance and strength.

“When designed for the project in con-junction with one of the specialist thermal assemblies available, any U-value can be achieved,” states Cooke.

FUTURE OUTLOOKIt is obvious what the benefi ts are of using recyclable materials to construct walls, but is there a demand for such products? The answer, it seems, is a resounding yes.

“Our products are even more attractive when the market is heavily cost conscious, so overall the new, more rigorous climate is an advantage for us,” says Cooke, who hopes to see a greater focus, by the regu-latory authorities, on effi cient sustainable design in 2010.

The fi rm is currently working on a resi-dential project in Ajman, a student accom-modation block in Dubai and four labour camps in Abu Dhabi.

Despite its short time in the industry, Jehan Green Walls has also witnessed an encouraging response from the market.

“Keeping in mind that our system and products are new, the construction industry still believes in quality products and has an affi nity towards green solutions.”

JEHAN GREEN WALLS HEAD OF MARKETING AND SALES CEDRIC PINTO.

JEHAN WALLS’ 3D PANELS ARE DESIGNED REDUCE THE WEIGHT OF A BUILDING.

“THE STEEL USED IN OUR WALLS IS 80% RECYCLED AND THE POLYSTYRENE IS ALSO RECYCLABLE”

5 KEY TRENDS• Precast walls – assembled off site and

implemented on site

• Flat-pack building – ready-made panels

and placed into the required position

• Gypsum – a popular recyclable material

used to make partitions

• Low U-values – increasing a product’s

resistance to heat fl ow using insulation

• No more plaster – problems of cracking

and fl acking can be eliminated

The company hopes to continue to raise awareness about the benefi ts of green build-ing through campaigns this year and carry on with the projects it is currently supply-ing products to.

growth to previous years,” says Caglar. “As a result, we are convinced that there is a high demand for our products in this cli-mate. We will soon be introducing a series of advanced products to meet the market requirements.”

Knauf hopes to expand its produc-tion further this year. Its Ras Al Khami-ah plant is operational but there is still another phase of the plant, which is yet to start functioning.

The company is currently working on a number of commercial and residential projects in Qatar, Bahrain and Oman, where progress is steady.

“I must say, we have come through this downturn very well. Our achievements dur-ing this phase include hiring more employ-ees, starting off our operations in Qatar, investing in our production plant in Ras Al Khaimah and kicking-off production of metal profi les at the plant,” he adds.

“My hopes for 2010 are to show fur-ther growth by becoming a bigger and better team.” �

Such developments include labour accom-modation in Ajman and Dubai and a villa compound in Fujairah.

Knauf also has a positive outlook to the future: “We are able to show defi nite

PRECASTING HAS BECOME A POPULAR METHOD FOR CONSTRUCTING WALLS ACROSS THE GLOBE.

For further information please contact:Exova Limited (Abu Dhabi) Plot 25, Umm Al Naar (Sas Al Nakhl) P.O. Box 9191, Abu DhabiUnited Arab Emirates.T: +971 (0) 2 558 2345F: +971 (0) 2 558 4515M: +971 (0) 50 6171168E: [email protected]: www.exova.com

Exova Façade Tes�ng Services in Abu DhabiFrom January 2010 Exova, one of the world’s leading testing houses opens a new façade testing facility in Abu Dhabi.The operation, which re�ects the company’s vision and values, has been prompted by the policy to enhance its services in Abu Dhabi. One of Exova’s key strengths is the large, integrated network of local, regional and international laboratories, including two facade testing facilities in the UAE, which ensures that clients can bene�t from thecompany’s specialist expertise. “We are looking forward to supporting you, our customers, and adding value to your business by delivering on our promise for exceptional service and where possible exceeding your expectations.” said Chris Davey, General Manager, Abu Dhabi.The new facility, situated on Reem Island, is capable of testing complex facadesamples with respect to air leakage, static water penetration, dynamic water penetration, wind resistance, seismic, building movement, thermal cycling and impact resistance tests. The tests can be performed to relevant ASTM, BS/EN and CWCT standards.

www.ConstructionWEEKonline.com/directory

DIRECTORY

JANUARY 30–FEBRUARY 5, 2010 CONSTRUCTION WEEK 29

SHOWCASE30 Villamar Towers, Bahrain

32 TENDERS35 PROJECTS

SPECIALIST SERVICES36 Design software37 Construction manufacturers/steel

CITY UPDATE38 Jubail, Saudi Arabia

SHOWCASE | TENDERS | PROJECTS | SUPPLIERS | CITY UPDATE

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TOP: A view of Bahrain Financial Harbour at sunset.

ABOVE AND RIGHT: Work in and around the developing harbour has

made steady progress over the last 12 months.

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

VILLAMAR TOWERS, MANAMA, BAHRAINPhotos by George Dipin

The US $650 million (BHD245 million) Villamar Towers is the fi rst development by Kuwait’s Gulf Holding Company

(GHC) and is destined to become one of the most iconic structures and enviable addresses in Bahrain.The development

will essentially be on its own island located within Bahrain’s ongoing Financial Harbour. Villamar’s three towers rise out

of a terraced podium. The towers each will vary in height, the tallest being 54 storeys and around 220m high, but all

three will have the trademark “gentle twist” to set them apart from the tall tower competition.

LEFT: New property developments have still

left room for some harbour access too.

BELOW: The harbour district covers an

380,000 m2 of prime Bahrain waterfront

property, featuring high specifi cation offi ce

space, residential accommodation, leisure

and retail.

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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: 378/2009/3200Description: Construction of a customer service centre at Country Mall.Closes: February 10Fees: BD50Contact: Purchasing and Supply Directorate, Central Stores, Ground Floor, Electricity and Water Authority, PO Box 5325

Issuer: Electricity and Water AuthorityTender No: 263/2009/4130Description: Procurement work for Alstom gas turbines.Closes: February 10Fees: BD15Contact: Purchasing and Supply Directorate, Central Stores, Ground Floor, Electricity and Water Authority, PO Box 5325

Issuer: Electricity and Water AuthorityTender No: 001/2010/5310Description: Purchasing single core copper cable and PVC insulated copper wire.Closes: February 10Fees: BD15Contact: Purchasing and Supply Directorate, Central Stores, Ground Floor, Electricity and Water Authority, PO Box 5325

Issuer: Ministry of HealthTender No: MOH/101/2010Description: Expansion of pharmacy section and construction of guard room at Hamad Kanoo Health Centre.Closes: February 17Fees: BD15Contact: Tendering submission offi ce, tender board’s offi ce at Al Moayeed Tower, Seef Area

EGYPT

Issuer: Egyptian endowment authorityDescription: Construction of fi ve residential buildings comprising 484 housing units in Menia.Closes: February 16Fees: EP19,000Bond: EP1.5 millionContact: Egyptian Endowment Authority, 109 Tahrir St., Dokki, Giza

KUWAIT

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

OMAN

Issuer: Ministry of Transport and CommunicationTender No: 418/2009Description: Construction of Wadi Al Ain link roads.Closes: February 8Fees: OR600Contact: www.tenderboard.gov.om

Issuer: Ministry of HealthTender No: 416/2009Description: Construction, completion and maintenance of a proposed medical store at Rustaq Hospital.Closes: February 8Fees: OR250Contact: 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: Ministry of Municipality of Urban Planning

Tender No: 145/2009-2010Description: Construction of plaza and play yard in Umm Salal – Phase 2.Closes: February 1Fees: QR300Contact: www.ctc.gov.qa

Issuer: Public Works AuthorityTender No: PWA/GTC/063/09-10Description: Construction of two health centres.Closes: February 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

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

In July last year, a federal law decree was approved to set up the AED1 billion Etihad Railway Company, which is set to launch the UAE rail network. The company has been given the mandate to engage in a number of activities including the owning, leasing, renting, purchasing and selling of trains and investing in the transport of passengers and goods. In September, the members of the board were revealed.

The tender for engineering and design of the $8 billion UAE rail network is expected to be released by Etihad Railways Company early this year. The network will run 1100km from the Saudi Arabia border to Oman. Construction is set to begin in the last quarter and completed in 2015. �

Tender focus

ETIHAD RAILWAY COMPANY

THE RAIL NETWORK IS SET TO BE COMPLETED IN 2015.

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

ONE TO WATCHIssuer:Issuer: Etihad Railway CompanyEtihad Railway CompanyDescription:Description: Engineering and design contracts for the Engineering and design contracts for the UAE rail network.UAE rail network.Open date:Open date: Q1 2010Q1 2010Fees:Fees: UnknownUnknownContact:Contact: [email protected]@EtihadRailways.comm

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

The mixed-use US $200 million (AED734.5 million) Onyx Towers development is being built across 22,000m2 of land and will con-sist of three buildings including a 16-storey and 25-storey tower with offi ce and retail space and a four star 14-storey business hotel, with 10 suites and 200 rooms. The buildings will be linked via an interconnected podium

area. In August 2009 Ishraqah for Development awarded Arabtec Construction the main construc-tion contract. The project, which is located on Dubai’s Sheikh Zayed road, next to Emaar Business Park, is expected to be completed in the third quarter of 2012. �

THE ONYX TOWERS ARE BEING BUILT BY ARABTEC.

PROJECT TITLE CLIENT CONSULTANT MAINCONTRACTOR

VALUE(US$MN)

STATUS

UAECITY OF LIGHTS - C10, C10A AND C11 Tamouh Investments Palm & Turner Architects China State Construction & Engi-

neering Corporation (CSCEC)101 - 250 project under construction

ROYAL CITY SEASONS HOTEL IN ABU DHABI City Seasons Group James Cubitt & Partners Tae Young Contracting 101 - 250 project under construction

RITAJ MIXED-USE COMPLEX IN DIP Dubai Investments Real Estate Co. Al Jabal Consultants Robust Contracting 155 project under construction

LAYIA HOSPITALITY IN DUBAI Gulf General Investment Co. National Engineering Bureau Not Appointed 31 - 100 bidding underway for the main contract

AL FALAH DEVELOPMENT IN ABU DHABI - 2000 VILLAS

ALDAR Properties Al Torath Engineering Consultants

El Seif Engineering & Contract-ing Co.

251 - 500 project under construction

FISHERMAN'S QUAY IN RAS AL KHAIMAH RAK Properties EDAW Not Appointed 101 - 250 project under design

UNION CO-OPERATIVE HYPERMARKET IN AL BARSHA Union Co-operative Archdome Consulting Engineers Bu Haleeba Contracting 33 project under construction

EXTENSION TO THE RULER'S COURT IN SOUK AL KABIR

Dubai Municipality Arif & Bintoak Consulting Not Appointed 22 project under design

ARJAAN HOTEL APARTMENTS IN ADNEC Bin Hamoodah Properties GA Architects & Engineers Not Appointed 31 - 100 award awaited for the construction contract

BAFCO HEADQUARTES IN DIC Bafco Trading, Dubai Model Engineering Consultants Evan Lim Penta Construction 2.5 - 15 project under construction

FRANKFURT SPORTS TOWER 1 IN DSC Memon Investments Al Hatmy Design & Engg. Cons. OST Constructional Projects 92 project under construction

THE VILLA IN DUBAILAND - PHASE 3 Dubai Properties Shadeed Engineering Al Shafar General Contracting 91 project under construction

LILIES TOWER IN EMIRATES CITY R Holdings Adnan Saffarini Abou Seif Building Contracting Co

87 project under construction

CHAMPIONS TOWER II IN DUBAI SPORTS CITY Memon Investments Adnan Saffarini Al Sarh Contracting 30 project under construction

CHAMPIONS TOWER III IN DUBAI SPORTS CITY Memon Investments Adnan Saffarini Al Sarh Contracting 40 project under construction

REFURBISHMENT OF OASIS HOSPITAL IN AL AIN Oasis Hospital Peddle Thorp Architects Not Appointed 31 - 100 bidding underway for the main contract

WATANI RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT - 600 VILLAS AND 48 BUILDINGS

Sorouh Real Estate Ewan Arch. Engg./WSP Group Not Appointed 251 - 500 project under design

SANDOVAL TOWNHOUSES & RESIDENCES IN JUMEIRAH VILLAGE

Bavaria Gulf Diar Consult Al Sayegh Contracting 31 - 100 project under construction

AL GURM COMPLEX IN WEST ABU DHABI - BANYAN TREE HOTEL

ALDAR Properties Dar Al Handasah Not Appointed 101 - 250 award awaited for the construction contract

CITY CENTER IN MASDAR CITY Masdar Laboratory for Visionary Arch. Not Appointed 101 - 250 project under design

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

Project focus

ONYX TOWERS


�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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Causeway Technologies, established in 1999, is a global organisation providing a range of software solutions for the entire construction process, from feasibility to fi nal accounts.

Its award winning suites include: estimating – a pricing tool to produce quick, accurate bids; cost management – a suite for all stages of cost advice and management, from feasibility estimates through to life cycle costing; project accounting – which enables reliable cost, value and performance management to be deployed on either a specifi c project or across the enterprise; and electronic trading – enabling partners to send and receive trading documents between their back offi ce systems.

Causeway has recently opened an offi ce in Dubai to ser-vice local clients and expand the business throughout the Middle East. Customers within the region include Laing O’Rourke, Aldar, Arabtec, Davis Langdon, EC Harris, Cerbarco and the Ministry of Interior of Bahrain.

Behind the scenes, Causeway software is currently being used on projects such as Al Raha Beach, Yas Island, Dubailand, Sports City and The Tiger Woods Golf Club. At a time when cost considerations are more important than ever, Causeway’s software solutions play a role in the effi cient management of these billion dollar, high profi le projects. �

Supplier focus

CAUSEWAY MIDDLE EASTSPECIALIST SOFTWARE FOR THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY

CAUSEWAY SOFTWARE IS BEING USED FOR THE YAS ISLAND PROJECT.


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BUILDING MATERIALS HARD LANDSCAPING SUPPLIER

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

CONSTRUCTION/MANUFACTURERS

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RECRUITMENT STEEL

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CITY UPDATEJUBAIL, SAUDI ARABIA

contracts worth a total of US $257.5 mil-lion (SR64.3 million). The largest contract, worth $93.5 million, was awarded to Azmeel Contracting and Construction Corporation in association with Saudi Tumpane Com-So far, Jubail Industrial

City, commonly known as the biggest construction project ever attempted, has been progressing at a fast pace. Even at the peak of the economic

downturn, the development was moving onwards and upwards with contracts being awarded left, right and centre.

July 2009, for example, saw the Royal Commission of Jubail and Yanbu award fi ve

The next agendaJUBAIL IS SET FOR ANOTHER YEAR OF SPEEDY PROGRESSION, CW DISCOVERS

By Sarah Blackman

JUBAIL IWPP WILL PRODUCE 2745MW OF POWER AND 800,000M3 OF DESALINATED WATER PER DAY ONCE COMPLETE.

“EVERYBODY WAS GAMBLING ABOUT JUBAIL’S FAILURE AND NOW EVERYBODY IS TALKING ABOUT ITS SUCCESS”

pany for phase one of Jubail’s Community site development.

“Jubail and Yanbu are success stories. When they were started in the 1980s, everybody was saying ‘these people are crazy, don’t bother doing it’ – everybody was gambling about its failure and now everybody is talk-ing about its success,” says Saudi Arabia’s deputy minister for Town Planning Abdul-rahman Al Shaikh.

Up to now, the main focus on the devel-opment has been on the supporting infra-structure, which is being completed in four phases, with each stage roughly covering 20km². Stage one began in 2004 and fi n-ished in 2009, while stage two is sched-uled to fi nish in December this year, stage


SAUDI ARABIA’S DEPUTY MINISTER FOR TOWN PLANNING ABDULRAHMAN AL SHAIKH.

LIKE RIYADH, RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS ARE PLANNED FOR JUBAIL.

“WE’RE NOW PROCEEDING WITH THE ENGINEERING DESIGN OF THE JUBAIL RAIL NETWORK”

day of desalinated water to Jubail Indus-trial City and the Eastern province of Saudi Arabia. Construction began in 2007 and is set to be completed early this year.

Recently, however, the attention has turned to real estate. In November, the Royal Commission signed a contract with Al Kifah Contracting Company for exe-cuting a group of housing units in Jubail Industrial City.

The contract was signed by the commis-sion’s president Prince Saud Ben Abdul-lah Ben Thenayan in Riyadh. The project, which is expected to be completed in 36 months, consists of nine, four-storey apart-ment buildings spread over 33,000m².

Al Kifah is responsible for the construc-tion of the apartment blocks, as well as roads and parking.

Jubail Industrial City currently has a per-manent night time population of around 100,000 but this is expected to grow to around 300,000 with the development of the new residential districts.

Each of the areas is around 10km² and, when built up, will have 8500 dwelling units housing around 45,000 people. The entire residential area isn’t expected to be complete until around 2023.

JUBAIL TENDERS

Issuer: Royal Commission of Jubail and YanbuTender No: 575-C27RDescription: Reinforcement of community irrigation system, phase 1.Closes: February 8Fees: SR1000

Issuer: Royal Commission of Jubail and YanbuTender No: 090-C23Description: Rehabilitation of Jubail Industrial City Aiport, including runway and taxiways.Closes: February 9Fees: SR1000

Issuer: Royal Commission of Jubail and YanbuTender No: 627-C17Description: Procurement and construction of one 7025m2 elementary school for girls and three kindergartens.Closes: February 24Fees: SR9000

Next inline for the city is the Jubail Rail Network, a 195km heavy rail line across Jubail One and Two.

“We have already completed a concept study and we’re now proceeding with the engineering design,” says Bechtel programme manager George Dinic.

Meanwhile, the Royal Commission of Jubail and Yanbu is inviting contractors to bid for the reinforcement of a commu-nity irrigation system, the rehabilitation of Jubail’s Airport runway and taxiways and the construction of schools and kin-dergartens in the city. Bidding deadlines are February 8, February 9 and February 24, 2010 respectively. �

FAST FACTS• Jubail Two covers 84km2 and its

infrastructure is set for completion

by 2015

• 40km2 of new residential zones are

expected to be fully built out by 2023

• Bechtel has started front-end design on

a 195km rail network across Jubail One

and Two

• The Royal Commission has at least 50

active contracts at any time

• Jubail’s night time population of 100,000

is expected to grow to 300,000

• Site preparation is underway for Jubail

University College which will

cover 1.85km2

• Site preparation is underway for Jubail

University College which will

cover 1.85km2

• The Royal Commission’s 2009 budget of

$880 million was a 35-40% increase on

the previous year

three in December 2012 and stage four in December 2015.

Currently, Suez Energy International and Acwa Power Projects are constructing a $3.4 billion independent water and power plant for the Power and Water Utility Company for Jubail and Yanbu.

The power plant will comprise of four blocks and will be based on combined cycle generation turbines. Jubail IWPP will pro-duce 2745MW of power and 800,000m³ per


DIALOGUEWALID FEGHALI

How successful was the recent Intersec security and safety trade fair?The event was quite busy and we didn’t expect it to be. We have exhibited at Intersec almost every year and, compared to last year, it was very successful. Intersec is a very important trade fair, which gives us the opportunity to display the range of products that we offer.

How does your company ensure the safety of construction workers?Workers are exposed to dust, chemicals and to hazards and, for each type application, we have the right product for protection. Workers need helmets, but these helmets can deteriorate if they are exposed to UV-rays. We have a special technology, which lets the worker know when the helmet needs replacing. We also have a huge range of hearing protection products, including ear plugs and ear muffs and we also offer eye protection products.

Will you be introducing any new products this year?At the moment, we are promoting our communication range – our ear muffs have microphones attached to them so workers can speak to each other from different ends of a construction site. A supervisor located at ground level could speak to a crane operator, for example. We want to present the communication range in an efficient way.

How would you rate the standards of on site safety in the Middle East, on a scale of one to ten?I would rate it as a four out of ten at this point in time. We have to keep hammering the importance of safety by holding seminars and presenting demonstrations to improve this figure. We are actively working with

Safety first3M country business leader for safety, security and protection services Walid Feghali rates the quality of on-site safety in the Middle East

By Sarah Blackman

the Dubai Municipality to elevate awareness and safety standards. Damage to the eyes, ears and lungs is irreversible so it is important that safety knowledge is past on to contractors, supervisors and workers so that the right tools are provided.

How do you encourage companies to invest in your solutions during the current economic climate?When clients get to know the advantages and benefits of the products they will invest and make sure their workers are protected from harm. I don’t like the negative outlook people have towards the economy. The downturn is behind us now and we need to be optimistic. We have a large sales team and we go to the end users we explain what we offer in detail and demonstrate how they are used. Once the products have been sold, we then train the workers on how to use them. We also conduct a lot of safety seminars, which don’t just cover what 3M does, but attempt to increase safety awareness.

Have you witnessed an improvement of on site safety over the last year?I would say that we have seen a lot of improvement in on site safety and the level of awareness is getting better. We have a dream that one day every single individual will know

which products to use so that workers can be safe and productive on site.

What are your hopes for 2010?We have a new construction safety product coming online very soon. It will be a key product for us but I don’t want to discuss the details at this moment. In terms of projects, our approach will remain the same – to promote our products and raise awareness about construction safety.

In the 15 years spent at 3M, Feghali

has progressed up the company ladder.

He started as a business development

manager for the Middle East, Egypt and

Pakistan and, in 2003, he became the

country general manager for Kuwait

and Iraq before being appointed as the

country business leader for the Middle

East in 2005.

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System Approach

construction week - issue 306

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