construction week

October 25 - 31, 2008 | ISSUE 243www.arabianbusiness.com/construction

FACE TO FACE 16 | PRODUCT REPORT 38 | BUSINESS LEADS 48 | CLASSIFIED 60 | ON-SITE TALK 64

An ITP Business PublicationWEEKLY NEWS, FEATURES, TENDERS AND JOBS FOR THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY IN THE MIDDLE EAST

HOW-TO: DETAILS ON THE WORKINGS OF TIMELINKS’ PYRAMID-CITY BUILDING

Gearing up for the industry’s biggest annual exhibition

BIG 5 FOCUS

MARINA SKYSCRAPER Oasis Beach Hotel set to be replaced by high-rise tower SAUDI SPENDING

US $31.9 million to be spent on infrastructure

BAHRAIN DEATHIndian worker killed by piling machine on site

RISING QATAR Bids in for Doha Expo Centre and Tower

ISSUE 243, October 25 - 31, 2008

CONTENTS

www.constructionweekonline.com

2 COMMENT & LETTERS

4 REGIONAL NEWS

12 HOWTOBahrain editor Benjamin Millington looks at how Timelinks’ new age pyramid-city of the future will change communities.

19 FACE TO FACEPrincipal architect for Burt Hill, Ivar Krasinski, discusses how fast-tracking works and what benefits it could bring to the region.

20 BIG 5 INTERVIEWSimon Mellor from dmg world media talks to features editor Shikha Mishra about plans for the Big 5 exhibition.

32 BIG 5 SPECIALFeatures editor Shikha Mishra takes a look at what the Big 5 has to off er this year.

48 BUSINESS LEADS

55 PROJECT FOCUS

60 CLASSIFIEDS

64 ONSITE TALK

3220

2 October 25 - 31, 2008

19

EDITOR’S COMMENT

www.constructionweekonline.com October 25 - 31, 2008 3

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One of the advant-ages of designers implementing their building projects in the Middle East is that they can come up with anything and investors, who demonstrate enough faith to hand over boatloads

of cash, can make their vision become a reality.It’s true that I have been critical of designers who

fl y into the UAE with some cockamamie project that wouldn’t get past the receptionist in any developer’s offi ce in other parts of the world. I still have my doubts about rotating towers, but that’s just my opinion and I’m sticking to it.

But every once in a while, something comes along that sparks the imagination. And you just know that someone with a vision and a spot of courage can really transform a community into something that is truly unique and sustainable.

Ben Millington, Construction Week’s Bahrain editor, reports on a project that will undoubtedly raise the bar in developing sustainable communities if successful. He writes of Timelinks’ designers, who have come up with the Ziggurats project, a “green” self-suffi cient mega-structure that can provide living and working space for up to one million people in a dozen separate buildings in the shape of a pyramid.

There’s a surreal, sci-fi feeling to the project that reminds me of sustainable pods one would see in a movie space lab. And while I am all for a warm and cosy home or villa with all the accompanying architectural fl ourishes one expects in a domicile, the folks at Timelinks have designed a community

that has its own character and fl ourishes.This so-called new age pyramid-city would consist

of apartments with individual gardens, schools, retail shops, medical centres and entertainment venues and a public transportation system.

The attraction, however, to those environmentally-minded is the fact that this city is designed to use the minimum amount of land and 50% less infrastructure. Electricity is generated through a water supply system and greenhouses are built into every building to produce the city’s own fruit and vegetables.

We’ve seen pie-in-the-sky projects before in this region, and perhaps this project could very well fi nd itself in the dust bin. But the key to success is using simple technology to create a community. And this is a project using existing technology of nothing more than concrete, steel and glass to make it real.

In the late 1960s, for those old enough to remember, we marvelled at the hand-held communication devices on the original “Star Trek” TV series or the video billboards in “Blade Runner” from the early 1980s. Now video billboards are standard features in any urban area and the hand-held communication device has become the mobile phone. The next step in our evolution of sustainable living is to consider that that community inside a movie space lab is about to become a reality.

Let’s wait and see what Timelinks can do. My guess is the right investor will help them create the next best thing to the mobile phone. They could very well revolutionise a new way of living, especially in harsh environments such as the Middle East.

Rob Wagner, editorE-mail: [email protected]

RE: Nakheel seeks sand be-yond Dubai’s waters(Issue 242)It is scary to think about the after-effects of all this sand excavation. What about ma-rine culture and so on? What are the other environ-

mental effects? Moreover, didn’t they assess whether or not they have enough sand before launch-ing a project? Or is environ-mental assessment only an afterthought?SR

RE: Looking East (Issue 242)With the present finacial cri-sis affecting Western capital markets, not only must we look East for the future, but the time is now ripe for the Middle Eastern countries to offer an Islamic model of de-

velopment to the world.I go as far as to say it’s our duty to the planet to save it from the mistakes of the present system.Abdul Karim

Letters may be edited for clarity

Another pie-in-the-sky, or is this our future?

TALKBACK Send your comments to [email protected]

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Construction Week: Worldwide Audited Average Qualifi ed Circulation11,037 (July-December 2007)

REGIONAL NEWS

www.constructionweekonline.com4 October 25 - 31, 2008

BY JAMIE STEWART

Dubai’s 10-storey Oasis Beach Hotel looks set to be replaced by a 106-storey super-tall tower, Con-struction Week has learnt.

The tower would set a prece-dent for building to such heights adjacent to the beach, and would block the sea view of hundreds of residents and tourists in the twin 51-storey Al Fattan Marine Tow-ers, currently the tallest buildings in Dubai Marina.

The Oasis Beach Hotel is owned by Dubai-based developer Al Fat-tan Properties, which also owns Al Fattan Marine Towers. Demolition of the hotel has begun.

The developer is keeping the project under wraps at present, but renderings of the proposed tower, which have been credit-ed to Dubai-based LWD Archi-tects, have been circulating since March.

An associate of the firm, who is familiar with the project, told CWthat he was “a bit reluctant to give out any information, as you can imagine.”

But he did confirm that LWD Architects was “doing some work for Al Fattan on other projects.”

The project manager of the new tower, Chris Smith of UK-based construction and consul-tancy firm Mace, said the project did not have final approval, but confirmed plans to build the tow-er. Mace is also overseeing the demolition work.

Renderings show a super-tall, slim, triangular structure stand-ing around twice the height of the Al Fattan Marine Towers.

The triangular shape faces out

Tower set to replace Oasis Beach HotelBY JAMIE STEWART

Structural design challeng-es associated with building the Nakheel Tower has been over-come, according to WSP Mid-dle East director of engineering Stephen Taylor.

Nakheel appointed WSP Group as structural engineer for its Nakheel Tower project earlier this month.

The tower, which will be more than 1km in height, will form the centrepiece of the US $38.12 billion (AED140 billion) Nakheel Harbour and Tower development.

“All I can say is that the tower is well into the design and most of the challenges have been solved,” Taylor told Construction Week.

He refused to comment as consultants working on the tow-er have had to sign confidential-ity agreements concerning the project details.

The Nakheel Tower is set to “race for the skies” with Sau-di Arabia-based Kingdom Hold-ing, which announced plans for a tower standing in excess of 1km immediately after the Nakheel Tower launch.

WSP has also played a pro-gramme management role sup-porting the development of the masterplan and infrastructure works in Meraas Development’s $95 billion Jumeirah Gardens project, the first master-planned urban regeneration development in Dubai.

The firm was one of many hired by Meraas for the project. “We’ve made sure that the master plan, with the 30 plus consultants that we have had working on it, is one that we are confident with,” Mer-aas CEO Sina Al Kazim said.

Nakheel tower overcomesdesign issues

ITP/Thanos Lazopoulos

to sea to maximise sea views.Al Fattan Properties construc-

tion manager Mahmood Samara was unavailable for comment.

Questions have been raised whether it is feasible to build to super-tall heights so close to shore, but Atkins design direc-tor Lee Morris, who designed the Trump International Hotel and Tower Dubai, said such a propos-al posed “no problem.”

“It’s all a question of how deep the piles need to be,” Morris said. “Then it’s the water proofing to

the external basement wall, but it’s certainly very doable.”

The Oasis Beach Hotel, on Dubai’s Jumeirah Beach, closed on August 29 after a decade in business.

Jebel Ali International Hotels, the company that managed the Oasis Beach Hotel, said in a statement: “Although (closure was) not a deci-sion made by Jebel Ali International Hotels it is all part of being in Dubai and seeing this extraordinary city constantly reinvent itself. An excit-ing new project is expected to be developed on the existing site.”

Demolition has begun on the Oasis Beach Hotel, which could be repalced by a 10-storey tower.

Jamie Stewart/ITP

REGIONAL NEWS

October 25 - 31, 2008 5www.constructionweekonline.com

BY BENJAMIN MILLINGTON

Witnesses to the death of a 31-year-old Indian construction worker in Bahrain have alleged he was killed by the operator of a piling machine.

Matthew Sebastian, who was employed by Al Haidariya Heavy Equipment Hiring, was work-ing on a site in Tubli, south of Manama, when a piling machine swung around and crushed him.

Witnesses say the piling machine operator, Mohammed Hafiz Abdul, who was employed by Keller piling contractors and is believed to be from Pakistan, had been arguing with Sebastian moments before the incident.

“He (Sebastian) was using a GCV to remove the sand that was being removed by the piling machine,” said an official spokes-person from Al Haidariya Heavy Equipment Hiring, who asked not to be identified. “While he was parked there, the piling machine hit our machine and cracked the brake light.

“Then an argument occurred and they started shouting and the Bahraini supervisors came in to solve the problem,” he added. “When the GCV machine opera-tor went to remove the machine, the piling machine operator sud-denly swung his machine around and crushed our employee. I think this was a crime, not an accident.”

Police arrested Abdul after the incident and now say the case has been forwarded to the public prosecutor. The public prosecutor’s office could not confirm that charges have been

Worker's death in Bahrain may be homicide incident

laid against Abdul.Sebastian’s body was repatri-

ated to his family in India earlier this week; he is survived by his wife of three months, Reena.

He had only been back in Bahrain for two months after a 45-day wedding trip to India, according to Sebastian’s roommate in Bahrain.

“Matthew was planning not to come back to Bahrain from his holiday,” said his roommate, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

“He had been here for three and a half years and now that he was newly married, he wanted to stay and work in India.

“Unfortunately, I think he came back for money issues.”

The company spokesman described the incident as a trag-edy and said insurance money would be sent to the family.

He also said the Nass Company, who was the main

contractor on the site, should bear some responsibility for breaching several health and safety regulations.

“The Nass Company was in the wrong because they allowed three machines to work together in one place. When the piling machine is working, no other machine should be near,” he said.

“Also, the area should have been separated by barriers but there weren’t any protective bar-riers in place.

“The third issue is that there was no safety officer in site to manage the movement of the machines.”

A spokesman from the Labour Market Regulatory Authority (LMRA) said they would investi-gate the issue.

The chairman of the Nass Group, Samir Nass, denied any health and safety breach and said the issue was between the sub-contractors involved.

IN BRIEF

FOUR COMPANIES VIE FOR DREDGING CONTRACTOman’s Transport and Communi-cation Ministry announced that it has received bids from four firms to win a contract to dredge on the Muscat international airport expan-sion project.The low bidder is Royal Boskalis Westminster of the Netherlands with a price of US 46 million (RO17 million). Other bidders are Van Oord, also of the Netherlands, Belgium’s Jan de Nul, and Oman’s Desert Line Projects.The project will create new areas of land to accommodate the expand-ing airport. It’s anticipated that it will have a capacity for 12 million passengers a year. The airport, for-merly Seeb International Airport, currently handles about 4.5 mil-lion passengers annually. The new terminal building will have a floor area of about 290,000m2. Comple-tion is targeted for 2011.

TOWER PROJECT SHORTLIST RELEASEDFour contractors have been short-listed for the contract to build the 510m tall Qatar National Bank head-quarters in Doha. The tower is ex-pected to be one of the tallest build-ings in the world.The groups are a joint venture of Dubai-based Al Habtoor Engineer-ing Enterprises with Australia’s Gulf Leighton, Dubai-based Arabtec Construction, Lebanon’s Qatar Ara-bian Construction Company and Australia’s Multiplex.The four groups have been short-listed for the largest package on the project: the shell and core of the 61-floor building.The tower will have a total area of 235,000m2, with five basement lev-els, 88,000m2 of parking, 9000m2 for the entrance and banking halls, and 138,000m2 of office space.

Matthew Sebastian, who was killed in Bahrain, and his wife of three months, Reena.

REGIONAL NEWS


IN BRIEF

15 COMPANIES SEEK KUWAITI SCHOOL PROJECTFifteen companies have been pre-qualified by Kuwait’s Ministry of Public Works for the construction, completion and maintenance of a girls’ secondary school.The firms include Kuwait Industrial Centre Company, UAE-based Mid-dle East Construction Company, Al Jawad Trading and Contracting Company and Finesco International General Trading and Contracting Company.A pre-tender meeting was to be held this week before the sched-uled closing date of November 23.

BIDS RECEIVED FOR TERMINAL 3 PROJECTDP World has received bids for two construction packages for the Ter-minal 3 project at Jebel Ali Port.The first package is for the civil works and includes 2.2km of quay walls and the foundations for a bridge that will connect the new is-land to the existing port.The bidders are the local/Belgian Belhasa Six Construct, South Korea’s Hyundai Engineering and Construc-tion Company, and Brazil’s Ode-brecht.The other package is for dredging and involves the reclamation of an island that will be located close to the existing port and the dredging of a basin between the island and the shore.The bidders are two Belgian firms, Dredging International and Jan De Nul, and two Dutch firms, Royal Boskalis Westminster and Van Oord.

SAUDI ETISALAT PROJECT ATTRACTS EIGHT BIDSEight companies have submitted bids for the administrative head-quarters of the UAE-based telecom-munications company Etisalat in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

BY CW STAFF

Al Shafar General Contracting (ASGC) has won a US $300 mil-lion (AED1.1 billion) contract to construct a mixed-use residen-tial development in Jumeirah Heights.

Nakheel is the developer, while Arenco is the consultant on the project which is scheduled to be completed in August 2010.

Jumeirah Heights lies just off Sheikh Zayed Road next to the Jumeirah Islands community and will comprise mid to low-rise apartments and townhouses.

ASGC will be working on one of two identical clusters, Frond B, comprising two mid-rise apart-ment buildings, 17 townhouses, and three low-rise buildings that

ASGC wins US $300mn Jumeirah Heights contract

will house two- and three-bed-room loft apartments with private gardens.

Jumeirah Heights is divided into three distinct areas – The Vil-lage Centre, The Fronds and The Clusters.

The Village Centre contains two mid-rise buildings, consisting of 650 apartments and a variety of retail facilities including cafes, a supermarket, bank and pharmacy.

Both The Fronds and The Clusters will offer a variety of lei-sure facilities which will include a swimming pool, a gym and a chil-dren’s play area.

ASGC CEO Bishoy Azmy said: “Our continuous focus on reliabil-ity and integrity has played a vital role in making us a recognised contracting leader in this highly

competitive marketplace. By plac-ing great importance on the prin-ciples of safety, quality and people, we have been able to satisfy our clients’ needs on every project.”

Between 2005 and 2007, ASGC grew by 377% and its rapid growth was recognised when it was named Contractor of the Year at the Construction Week awards 2007.

Other projects that ASGC is involved with include phase III of Dubai Internet City, Emirates Air-lines staff accommodation, the new Dubai Police headquarters, phase II of The Greens, Lamcy Plaza, sector 6 of the Jumeirah Beach Residence, Golden Sands tower, Al Tayer tower, The Golden Mile, Windsor Manor, Vision Tower, The Villa, Dubai Stu-dio City and Bay Square.

Frond B in Jumeirah Heights will consist of apartments, townhouses, and two- and three-bedroom loft apartments.

REGIONAL NEWS


The countdown to the Construc-tion Week Awards has begun with all nominations currently being assessed by a panel of 15 judges. (See table below for complete list of judges.)

The awards will be held on Wednesday, November 5, at the Westin Dubai and will be followed by a gala dinner that will also be held at the Westin.

Details and enquires about the awards can be found on www.itp.

net/events/cwawards.The awards ceremony will be

preceded by the Construction Week Conference, which will be held on the same day at Mina Al Salam, Madinat Jumeirah, The Arabian Resort in Dubai.

With the current state of the global financial market, all eyes are on the region, taking note of the winning companies that man-age to weather these tumultuous times.

Dubai Mall to open this week

Dubai Mall will finally see the light of day this Thursday when it officially opens to the public. The opening of the mall had been pushed back two months due to delays in the construction of

infrastructure facilities such as parking.The mall was initially due to open on August 28.“By opening on October 30, we are not only offering customers the option of several added attractions but also better public amenities such as more parking for cars and smoother access,” Emaar chairman Mohamed Ali Alabbar said in August.When opened, Dubai Mall will be the world’s largest shopping and entertainment destination.

Countdown forCWAwards has begun

1. Alex Zalami, advisor, UAE Ministry of Labour2. Ali bin Towaih, chairman, Emirates Green Building Council3. Antony Wood, executive director, Council for Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat4. Bishoy Azmy, CEO, Al Shafar General Contracting Company5. David Gottfried, founder, World Green Building Council6. Emad Eldin Farouq, senior legal consultant, Dubai Land Department7. Falah Al Ahbabi, general manager, Abu Dhabi Urban Planning Council8. Frank Odzewalski, CEO, Hunnebeck Middle East9. Haytham Al Tajir, chairman, Al Tajir Real Estate10. Joe Tabet, associate director, Atkins11. Mohammed Dulaimi, director of project management, British University in Dubai12. Philippe Dessoy, general manager, Besix13. Rashid Galadari, chairman, GIO14. Richard Wagner, vice president, UAE Architectural Association15. Rod Stewart, regional managing director, Hyder Consulting Middle East

Panel of judges for the CW Awards

REGIONAL NEWS


BY REEMA MEMON

Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Trans-port has said that it will construct new roads in a bid to fix Jeddah’s increasing traffic congestion problem.

The project will cost US $31.9 million (SAR120 million) and will be carried out in collaboration between the Ministry of Trans-port and the Ministry of Munic-ipal and Rural Affairs. Further details of tenders and contracts have not been disclosed.

The roads to be constructed will include the Al Haramin road, King Abdul Aziz Airport road, Al Corniche, and the road link-ing Jeddah and Damascus. The Jeddah roads link several cities in the western region including

Saudi to spend US $31.9million on infrastructure

Makkah, Madinah and the King Abdullah Economic City.

The congestion problem main-ly occurs on the ring road linking Jeddah and Damascus during the summer months when there is an increase in traffic.

According to Mefreh Al Zahra-ni, general manager of traffic and transportation in the Ministry of Transport, the project will stretch 85km from Jeddah’s north Cor-niche to Thahban.

“We have finished designing the Jeddah ring road and we have plans to link it to the main roads of Jeddah in order to improve traf-fic inside the city,” Al Zahrani told Construction Week.

The Ministry of Transport is currently studying a larger plan for Saudi Arabia.

“The Ministry has also signed an agreement with the Jeddah Municipality to improve two crossings on the Jeddah Madi-nah highway located in north Jed-dah,” said Al Zahrani.

Sixty-eight locations in Jeddah are part of the project plan with the Jeddah Municipality looking to build bridges and tunnels to maintain a smooth flow of traffic.

The length of the road project from Jeddah's north Corniche to

Thahban, Saudi Arabia.

85KM

IN BRIEF

SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY EVENT SET FOR OCT. 30Dubai Knowledge Village, eTQM College and project management firm Sukad have partnered to or-ganise a social and professional re-sponsibility seminar on October 30 at Dubai Knowledge Village. The event will provide participants with an opportunity for networking in addition to knowledge sharing and learning about relevant top-ics to today’s challenging environ-ment. Senior professionals, manag-ers, senior managers, and executive from all industries and business sectors will participate in the event. Sukad CEO Mounir Ajam will dis-cuss professional development and the importance of a career path ap-proach to professional project man-agement.

CHURCH BUILDING UNDERWAY IN QATARThe Anglican Church in Qatar has begun construction on a new center that will provide a place for prayer and worship for many An-glican, Protestant and Evangelical congregations in Doha. The project is being undertaken in three stages and will be completed in 15 months. Qatar’s ruler and Emir, Sheikh Ha-mad bin Khalifa Al Thani, granted permission and donated land for Christians to build churches in the Arab emirate about five years ago. The Rt. Rev. Michael Lewis, Angli-can Bishop in Cyprus and the Gulf, visited the site last month to lead prayers for the successful comple-tion of the project, for the safety of the workers, and to offer “special thanksgiving to God for his mercy and compassion to all people living in Qatar,” according to a statement released by the Anglican Church in Qatar.

One of the Saudi projects aims to ease the traffic congestion problem on the ring road linking Jeddah and Damascus.

Behrouz Mehri/AFP/Getty Images

REGIONAL NEWS


BY BENJAMIN MILLINGTON

Qatari Diar Real Estate Invest-ment Company has invited a limited number of pre-quali-fied contractors to bid for the construction of a 112-storey tower in Doha, Qatar.

It is the third construc-tion package released for the Doha Exhibition Centre and Tower project which is valued at US $1.2 billion (QAR 4.4 bil-lion).

The first construction pack-age was for the piling works for the overall project. The second, released just a few months ago, involved con-struction of the exhibition centre, and is due to be award-ed by the end of the year.

The tower will be com-prised of a hotel with 300 guest rooms, 80 serviced apart-ments and 300 residential apartments. The exhibition centre will cover 100,000m2.

Barwa Realhas, of which Qatari Diar owns 45%, has been appointed the main developer of the project.

The tower was designed by architect Helmut Jahn, famous for the Deutsche Post building and the Sony Centre in Berlin.

Qatari Diar was established by the Qatar government in 2004 to support the coun-try’s real estate development priorities.

196 firms caught with illegal workersNearly 200 companies have been caught hiring illegal workers this year. The UAE Ministry of Labour’s acting director general Humaid bin Demas was reported saying that 196 firms had been referred to the public prosecution and that the crackdown would continue.

He also said that the majority had been found guilty and that fines

had reached tens of millions of dirhams. He added that tough measures will continue to be tak-en against violators to ensure a safe society and a stable labour market in which workers’ rights are protected.

Last week, a Dubai court jailed a manager and fined his company more than six million dirhams for

hiring 95 illegal workers.The companies caught so far

this year were employing 612 ille-gal people in total and those work-ers will be deported.

Firms who employ illegal workers face a fine of US $27,000 (AED100,000) per illegal person plus a minimum of two months in jail.

King Abdullah and Prince Alwaleed both attended the inauguration of the Kingdom Tower.

IN BRIEFYEMEN, TURKEY TO PARTNER ON PROJECTSYemeni Minister of Public Works and Roads Umar Al Kurshomi dis-cussed developing the public works and roads in a cooperative agree-ment with Turkish Deputy Premier Nazim Akren in Yemen last week. The talks focused on developing a partnership between the two countries, promoting investments in roads and housing projects, con-struction and benefiting from Turk-ish expertise in this area. Akren praised the historical rela-tionship between the two coun-tries, affirming his country’s keen-ness to develop this relationship in various fields. He pointed out to the importance of public works, road and housing projects in Yemen.

FILIPINOS BIGGEST COMPLAINERS IN QATARFilipino workers constitute the larg-est group of work-related com-plainers in Qatar, according to Qa-tar’s August Labour Department statistics.Indians and Nepalese are the sec-ond biggest complainant groups.Of the total complaints filed in Au-gust. Filipinos led at 32, while 14.1 were filed by Indians, the report said. Nepalese (14.1) and Sri Lankans (11.5) were the other major complainants.

APARTMENT COMPLEX TENDER OFFEREDThe Saudi Royal Commission for Ju-bail and Yanbu has issued a tender for the construction of apartment buildings at Jubail Industrial City.The contract covers the construction of six four-floor buildings.Each floor will have four apartments for families. The project is in the Jalmudah dis-trict of Jubail Industrial City.

BidsinvitedforQatartower

Life is a cycle. And design company Timelinks has gone back in time to create a new age pyramid-city that it claims will be a 3D city of the future. Future or fantasy, Benjamin Millingtontakes a look at how it is going to work.

Ever dreamt of a city without pollution, without ongoing construction, without traf-fic, in fact without any roads

at all? It sounds like the very opposite of Dubai, which makes it slightly an ironic place to launch such a concept.

But the designers of the Zig-gurats project are here chasing investment for a city they claim could take up a fraction of land space and generate 100% of its own electricity.

The idea is to have a “green” self-sufficient mega-structure

city of one million people living and working within it. This struc-ture would consist of 12 separate buildings forming a pyramid and supporting a 1.47km tall tower in the centre.

The tiered side of the pyramid structure will allow each residen-tial apartment to have its own gar-den, with other areas being set aside as public parks.

Residents will also have access to schools, hospitals, shopping, entertainment and everything else within a regular city.

The key to the success of this

concept is its public transport sys-tem which seems to be a cross between a lift, a monorail and a super computer.

“The transportation will consist of private cabins that can get you to any desired location within the city with the press of a button,” said Timelinks' founder Ridas Matonis.

“The cabins travel along a three-dimensional network all over the city, which is controlled by a centralised computer.

“The computer decides the quickest route, ensures there are

no traffic jams and any obstacles can be bypassed by redirecting cabins along alternative routes.”

But with a proposed one mil-lion people using this system wouldn’t congestion seem a prob-lem? Matonis insists it’s not.

“We are using very simple tech-nology that already exists and we’ve had many manufactures interested in helping to build the system,” he said.

“There will also be walkways and cycle tracks built on top of the transport system linking the structures.


HOW-TO

“With all of this, the average commuter will take only 15 min-utes to get to work.”

By eliminating cars and utilis-ing renewable energies, Matonis said they will have 90% less CO2

emissions compared to a regular city with a similar population.

He said the entire city will be powered by unique engineering solutions that are based internally in the building, using a mixture of solar, steam and wind.

The city’s electricity and cool-ing system utilises the stack effect – the movement of air in and out of a building driven by buoyancy that occurs due to a difference in indoor-to-outdoor air density resulting from temperature and moisture differences.

Cool air will be taken from a high altitude at the apex of the building, where on average it is

10 degrees cooler, and delivered throughout the building.

That significantly reduces cooling expenses, but also cre-ates rising hot air, which helps drive wind turbines in vertical tubes that extend the full height of the building.

The rising hot air and natural draught that builds up in these tubes creates an airflow that rotates the turbine and produces the bulk of the city’s electricity.

Matonis said additional elec-tricity will be generated through Ziggurat’s water supply system which utilises evaporation.

It will harness solar energy to evaporate water in reservoirs on lower floors. The steamy air will rise to the top of the building where it will condense back into water. The water will then flow down for distribution through-

out the city; excess water flow-ing down will drive an electrical generator.

In line with the green theme of the city, hydroponic greenhous-es will also be built inside every building for fruit and vegetable production.

As cities around the world con-tinue to sprawl further into agri-cultural land, the saving of land space is another selling point for the Ziggurat's project.

“Every city is expanding in 2D, but we have developed a city that expands in 3D – the lift system is our streets,” Matonis said.

“We require only 5km2 of land for this project and if you com-pare this to a regular city of one million people, the average would be 320km2 of land.

“The total build up area will be 4 million km2.”

Infrastructure costsThis not only saves land for agri-cultural production but also infra-structure costs for the city.

“This city will have 50% less infrastructure than a normal city because it is compact and in 3D,” Matonis said.

“This will mean a reduction in electricity and water costs because the cost of distributing utilities is minimal.

“Construction should also be cheaper than a normal tower and normal city because you have

no infrastructure or roads which account for 30% of a normal city – so that’s a big saving.”

Matonis said the construction methods used will be no different to those used for a normal build-ing.

“What we are using here is very simple technologies which exist now. The building is made of steel, glass, concrete – nothing special.”

Even if construction is cheap and simple, will developers be willing to take a punt on such a new concept? Matonis said he is confident.

“Since the launch people are very excited about it, we have had a lot of interest from developers, investment groups and govern-ments,” he said.

“In fact we have already had meetings with some government officials who are interested.

“Some people want to start straight away, but I still think it we take some time.”

Matonis said it is likely the first Ziggurats project could be on a smaller than the one million people model. He said they can design the same city to accommo-date as little as 15,000 people.

This would certainly be a good trial for city’s infrastruc-ture and transport system and also test whether enough people want to live and work in such an environment.


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FACE TO FACE


FACE TO FACE

“Everyone benefits from fast-tracking, but all parties need to coordinate

their schedules”

Contractors dodging the fast lane because of full work load

Can you define fast-tracking?There is a misconception about what fast-tracking is, some less sophisticated clients assume that fast-tracking means having a shorter schedule and that’s it. But actually fast-tracking requires a lot more coordination between the client, the consultant and the contractors from the very earliest stages of the project.

How should it work?In an ideal situation the client approves the concept after it has already been brought before a contractor and the contractor is familiar with the range of options. By the time the concept is fin-ished, the contractor will have come up with a price, will have had discussions with the design-er and client about potential val-ue steering options and will have input on certain decisions that were made in the concept.

After that, everyone moves together into a schematic design phase where the contractor becomes a partner in the design and can help the client and archi-tect make a project more efficient, quicker and cheaper to build.

At the end of the schemat-ic design phase there’s a second pricing set, the contractor sees how this affects the bills of quanti-ty and so on; sees how the staging of the structure will be affected by the current state of design. Then you move on to the other design phases and at every phase there is a price adjustment.

What this does for the client at the tender phase means you’re not going to have a long period of value engineering or arguing with the contractor about details and specifics because the contrac-tor was a partner in the design process.

Once the construction docu-ment set is out, the project is pret-ty much good to go and they can begin at that point. Everyone ben-efits from this, but all the three parties need to coordinate their schedules with a transparent flow of information between them.

What are the problems with fast- tracking in reality?The reality in the Gulf market is that most clients expect a fast track but the contractors have no incentive to do it because they’ve got so much work on.

In other markets in Europe and North America, where fast-track-ing really began, the idea made a lot of sense because contractors were relatively hungry and they were willing to take the risk to put in the time for a design that may or may not happen from the con-ceptual phase.

In Dubai the opposite is true, they are willing to wait it out, see if the project materialises and if they don’t get the contract, they don’t really mind. What tends to happen is that clients assume they will get a contractor on board at the end of concept but they don’t. Then the negotiations continue throughout the life of the project and the schedule doesn’t get long-er and the contractor doesn’t actu-ally come on until the very end.

This means all those benefits that were supposed to be there to make the schedule shorter didn’t actually materialise and the sched-ule ends up being longer than it was originally intended to be.

Is this a common problem?We don’t pull our hair out about it, but it’s something that we end up dealing with. It could definitely be prevented on certain projects and if some clients were a little bit more pro-active and really under-stood the value of working with a fast track and sticking to their end of the bargain and making sure all the contractor agreements are in place as early as possible, they could really benefit a lot.

Can clients use a facilitator or man-agement group to coordinate a fast track?Absolutely, there are some con-struction managers out there that have fast-tracking contracts with-in their scope of expertise and experience. The problem is that clients don’t always want to use them, they just go out and get anyone who calls themselves a project manager and those peo-ple are not necessarily familiar with a two-stage tender or fast- track process. This causes a lot of assumptions to be made that are not necessarily correct. By hav-ing a construction manager with fast-track experience the client can really gain a lot of time and avoid a lot of the pitfalls. Also, if you get a construction company that is reluctant to take the risk, there are ways to structure a con-tract so that the risk is shared between the contractor and the client. That way you give them more incentive to actually enter into a fast-track programme.

Principal architect for Burt Hill, Ivar Krasinski, discusses how fast-tracking construction contracts work and what it could mean for all parties involved on a project in the Gulf.

Ivar Krasinski, principal architect, Burt Hill.

BIG 5 HALL PLAN


Hall 1 – Air conditioning and refrigerationHalls 2 and 3 – Building and constructionHall 4 – Water technologyHalls 5 and 6 – Italian exhibitors and building and constructionHall 7 – Turkish exhibitorsHall 8 – Greek, Malaysian andAustralian exhibitorsThe Pavilion – Egyptian exhibitorsAl Multaqua – Chinese exhibitorsSheikh Maktoum Hall – Various national groups, including Romania, China, India, Slovenia, Turkey and Hong Kong.Zabeel Hall – German exhibitors and building and construction

The cleaning and maintenance and the glass and metal sectors will be spread across different halls

BIG 5 HALL PLAN


What can we expect from the Big 5 this year?To be held at the Dubai International Exhibition and Convention Centre, the Big 5 is larger than previous years with 38,000m2 of net space. We have managed to do that because we launched a new section on the show floor which we have described as the Zabeel Galleries. This area will run the three Zabeel halls at the convention centre. These are small exhibition stands designed to allow first-timers to participate in the show. This will be an introduction to the Big 5 for these companies. This space has been specifically reserved for UAE-based businesses, rather than being released internationally, and it will bring around 500m2 of additional space to the show and about 99 new companies.

What will be new for the PMV show?Also new for 2008 is the proximity

of PMV to the main event. Last year when PMV was launched, it was the biggest new show to be launched in the Middle East. This year we have moved PMV to the outdoor exhibition area adjacent to Novotel Hotel and it will be spread over 15,000m2.The PMV show was held last year at the Airport Expo and the transition of traffic between the two venues wasn’t ideal. This year it is a walk across the road, so we are expecting a significant amount of the Big 5 visitors to be attending the PMV show and vice versa. The combined space of the two shows unquestionably makes the Big 5 and PMV the largest trade show in the Middle East.

Will Big 5 have related conferences or other associated events?This year we are going to launch the technical conference which the Big 5 has not had previously. It’s a modest start for us – it will

BIG 5 INTERVIEW

www.arabianbusiness.com/construction

be a one-day event featuring 11 international and local speakers. The focus will be on the challenges of green building technology, so innovations in building materials which are typically relevant to the green building issue will be highlighted. It will be held at the Monarch Hotel adjacent to the trade centre on November 24. One of the most exciting announcements that we have to make is that during that programme, the keynote speaker will be the director-general of Dubai Municipality who will release and launch its green building regulations.

This year we have also

introduced the issue of safety and public health, particularly within the construction industry. We have set up a series of workshops with the British Safety Council (BSC), who are well-established in the Middle East and have a great international reputation as credible independent trainers. BSC will conduct a suite of workshops where visitors can gain valuable professional training and development on a range of topics related to safe business practice and management of health of workers within the construction industry. They will offer live

Simon Mellor, vice-president for the construction sector at dmg world media talks to Shikha Mishra about how the Big 5 exhibition will be bigger and better this year.

20 October 25 - 31, 2008

DM EXPECTED AT BIG 5

GREEN GUIDELINES

training on-site every day while the exhibition is runnin.

In addition, we are also launching the Gaia Awards in association with Construction Week. These awards have been designed to give visitors to the show an opportunity to see products that are related to green building challenges.

We have 27 short-listed finalists who will be awarded one of four green classification medals; green medal – finalists, commended products – bronze medal, highly commended – silver medal and most valued product – gold medal. We will formally release the top finalists on November 5

at the Construction Week Awards ceremony.

Visitors to the show will see the Gaia imagery. Each of the 27 companies will be given transparencies or floor tiles relevant to their brands and as people are walking around the show, they will be able to see the winners and find them.

It’s a showcasing exercise and the idea is to create a green trail of products on the show floor, rather than a conventional awards show where there is no physical connection with the product. With this exercise, people actually get to touch and experience the product, meet the people responsible for it, and they have five days to do it.

We will present certificates to the winners on November 22 at a ceremony during the show.

What about related traffic and park-ing problems at the event? Will the situation be better this year?We were in attendance at Cityscape 2008, and we have made our notes and observations. Dubai has gained its success and branding through its trade shows. What is hugely important for us as organisers is that visitors and exhibitors who come into Dubai for these shows have a positive experience, whether it is with the

hotels, airlines or the traffic. The engineering and public works sector in Dubai are consistently challenged, and as residents of Dubai, we understand that problem.

But visitors don’t understand the situation. So this year, we are working on a number of innovations to try and mitigate the impact construction work will have on the event.

As our show increases in size, and we bring a completely new show into the immediate proximity of on-going construction work, we are

working closely with the venue and the authorities to manage the process as best as we can.

What turn-out can we expect from this year’s show?The Big 5 has a reputation as a business show. What makes it truly unique, and one of its major success factors, is that people come to the show to spend money and buy products. Its success lies in its relationship within the GCC and the Mena region, and it is becoming more international. We have seen a growth in attendance over the last two to three years from countries such as Saudi Arabia, Iran and India, and they continue to be focus markets for us.

We are expecting more than 50,000 visitors, 3000 exhibiting companies and about 15,000 products at the show.

The needs of the industry are changing, and the focus is now on environmental best practices in terms of construction and refurbishment of buildings.

The decree from HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum to move towards green buildings is backed up with our activities with Dubai World Trade Centre, and we anticipate that we will go even greener, starting from this year.

BIG 5 INTERVIEW

www.arabianbusiness.com/construction October 25 - 31, 2008 21

CURRICULUM VITAE

“The focus will be on the challenges of green building

technology, so innovations in building

materials, which are typically

relevant to the green building

issue, will be highlighted”

Simon Mellor, vice-president of construction for dmg world media Dubai Ltd. His responsibilities include managing all current and construction-related conferences and exhibitions in the Middle East, as well as any existing and future development in the industry. Prior to relocating to the Middle East, he was based in Canada for three years working with dmg world media, co- managing the Canadian and North American oil and gas portfolio. This covered a broad range of national, North American and international oil and gas events, including on-shore, off-shore, specialised and non-special-ised energy related products. He has been a director of dmg world media in the UK in the five years prior to moving to Canada, during which he was responsible for various divisions of its business-to-business media portfolio. He has been involved in the media industry for 19 years.

BIG 5


The Dubai Municipality is poised to launch its new green building regulations at the Big Technical Conference at this year's Big 5 show.

Speaking to Construction Week, dmg world media vice president – construction sec-tor Simon Mellor said: “One of the most exciting announce-ments that we have to make is that during the conference, the keynote speaker will be the director-general of Dubai Municipality who will release and launch its green building regulations.”

Designed to raise aware-ness, establish and support an active industry forum for

Big 5 committed to green buildingdiscussion, technology and best practice adoption, the con-ference will unite internation-al experts to present practical project case studies, UAE green building compliance require-ments and rating schemes such as Leed.

From this year on, the Big 5 will focus on green building products and technologies and will commit to advancing high-performance, energy efficient green building solutions and environmentally friendly tech-nologies.

The Big 5 technical confer-ence will be held on November 24 at the Monarch hotel adjacent to the Trade Centre.

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BIG 5


The civil construction boom in the Gulf is expected to exceed US $330 billion (AED1.2 trillion) by the end of the year.

This is more than 10 times the annual investment currently being made in the region, accord-ing to new research.

“The hydrocarbon economies of the Gulf are now an interna-tional force with world-class com-panies creating windfall profits to help governments diversify away from oil,” said Bernard Walsh, managing director of dmg world media Dubai, organisers of the Big 5 show.

“There are huge profits in the oil and gas industry but in 30 years from now – perhaps less – it may be a very different story, so diver-sification now is key to sustaina-ble long-term growth,” he added. “Unlike the previous oil booms of the 1970s and 1980s, the region is investing heavily in infrastructure and its own future, which is clear-ly reflected in the current civil construction boom.”

The GCC countries are cur-rently at the centre of the world’s most concentrated construction boom – focused particularly on the UAE and Saudi Arabia.

The Big 5 research partner Proleads is currently monitoring more than 3800 active construc-tion projects across the region worth around $3.5 trillion in total. The civil projects involved include all commercial, education, health, residential, retail, hotel, leisure, entertainment, theatre, cine-ma and mixed-use buildings along with civil infrastructure

GGC civil construction to top US $330bn by end of year


such as canals, reclamation, air-ports, bridges, ports, roads and railways.

“The GCC countries recog-nise that they have been depend-ent completely on oil and gas and are trying to diversify their econo-mies,” said Walsh.

“Gulf countries have histori-

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cally underinvested in their own infrastructure but have clearly realised the requirement to do so now.

That paradigm shift is becom-ing hugely apparent in this latest research.

“We are seeing it not only in infrastructure such as roads, air-

ports, railways but also in utili-ties such as power generation and water which are also seeing mas-sive investments.

The value of GCC power gener-ation projects, for example, is pro-jected to peak by the end of 2009 at $27 billion with water projects contributing $15 billion.

The GCC is currently at the centre of the world’s most concentrated construction boom with more than 3800 active projects.

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BIG 5


New Zealand-based lighting firm Hunza Outdoor Lighting, which manufactures lighting products designed to enhance the outdoor environment at night, will be exhib-iting at this year’s Big 5 show.

The company said it offers a comprehensive range of out-door luminaries which combines extreme durability with a mod-ern attractive appearance and


eco-friendly lamp options. Hunza will launch the new

SafeTouch inground uplighters and Eco Series products featur-ing the latest MR16 metal halide lamps and high-output LEDs.

These products provide signif-icant energy savings, low main-tenance due to the long lamp life and also the most advanced cool touch lens systems available for

safety in public environments.Hunza recently hosted an

international meeting of master distributors at the Hyatt Regency Coolum Beach in Queensland, Australia.

The group of attendees includ-ed representatives from Hunza’s major markets throughout the world such as the Middle East (Dubai), North America, United

Kingdom, Europe, Australia and New Zealand.

“Hunza maintains a very close relationship with our key distrib-utors,” said Hunza founder and owner Andrew Cunningham. “And these conferences allow us to keep them updated with new technology and brand develop-ments as well as receive direct market feedback.”

Hunz

Scottish manufacturer of pre-fab-ricated bathroom pods RB Farqu-har is officially opening its doors in the UAE at the Big 5.

The company will also set up a manufacturing plant in Al Ain next year.

The company has more than 60 years experience in the man-ufacturing industry, while being responsible for some ground-breaking modular construction techniques.

Scottish bathroom firm makes its debutThe company offers a quali-

ty and cost-effective alternative for construction companies that would traditionally have had to build bathrooms on-site, having to employ many specialist workers to do the job.

A fully-finished bathroom pod leaves RB Farquhar’s assem-bly line every 15 minutes and is installed by the company on-site. The use of pre-fabricated bath-rooms allows the client to increase

the specifications of the design without necessarily increasing the cost as the company buys materi-als in bulk and off-site manufac-turing permits a faster and much higher quality finish.

The firm has been design-ing and building bathroom pods since 1990, providing for hotels, residential, student accommoda-tion and military markets.

It has experience in the fabrica-tion of both high-end luxury pods

as well as simple and effective designs to suit all clients.

Michael Shand, managing director of RB Farquhar, said, “By opening a custom-built manufac-turing plant in Al Ain we are able to fully facilitate the needs of cli-ents in a quick, efficient and cost-effective way.

“Myself and the team are very excited about the upcoming months and making a name for ourselves in the region.”

Hunza glows at Big 5

www.ezwaretechnologies.com

BIG 5


The Big 5 will see Spanish compa-nies actively exploring business opportunities in the UAE. They will be supported by the Span-ish Embassy’s commercial office, the Spanish Institute for Foreign Trade (ICEX) and a wide range of local chambers of commerce and trade associations.

Different commercial initia-tives will be in place, with direct trade missions accounting for the lion’s share of the total.

Spanish companies aim to make their mark with trade missions


These will be combined with reverse trade missions in which representatives from the UAE market will have the chance to get a first-hand glimpse into the Span-ish industry.

Taking part in the expanding UAE trade shows will continue to be one of the pillars of the Span-ish approach to the local market. Efforts will be made to enhance and enlarge the Spanish perform-ance in key trade shows by partic-

ipating in exhibitions like the Big 5 show.

Key industrial and commercial associations from Spain will lead and organise the Spanish delega-tions in the UAE trade fairs.

Participation in exhibitions reflects the growing status of the Spanish civil work and engineer-ing sector in the UAE.

At the same time, provision of Spanish building machinery and materials has also contribut-

ed, achieving a performance in the first five months of this year, hitting US $85 million (AED420 million) and $50.5 million respec-tively.

Direct trade missions will be used by the Spanish commer-cial office throughout the fourth quarter of the year.

Totalling 10 delegations to the UAE, trade missions will cover a wide range of economic, commer-cial and industrial activities.

Ten trade missions, combined with reverse missions, will be sent by the Spanish commercial office to the UAE throughout the fourth quarter of the year.


When fires and resulting trag-edies occurred during the con-struction of the Fortune Tower in Jumeirah Lake Towers and the Khalid Al Attar Tower 2 on Sheikh Zayed Road, fire safety in the region took precedence.

At this year’s Big 5 show, Liq-uid Plastics, in conjunction with the UK Institute of Fire Safety Managers, will be hosting the ‘Don’t Get Your Fingers Burnt’ seminar for construction indus-try professionals to learn more about fire risks.

The event will demonstrate to architects, contractors, and spec-ifiers that there are alternative options to high-risk roof water-proofing methods such as hot

bitumen and torch-applied felts.All buildings in the UAE must

adhere to the Fire Protection Federal Law for 1991, with oth-er international standards – such as those from the National Fire Protection Association – also being recognised. In order to conform, fire safety and protec-tion measures should be looked at in the design stage, where it is the responsibility of architects and developers to consider what safety measures to put in place and which fire resistant building materials to use. In addition, it is important to give thought to the application methods of the cho-sen building materials, including the roof waterproofing systems.

The focus of the seminar is to highlight the importance of including fire safe processes at the very early stages of design, and ensuring that only certified products are used during the construction process.

John Williamson, chairman of the UK’s Institute of Fire Safe-ty Managers, will be a keynote speaker at the event.

“Many professionals who work at the specification stage are not fully aware that tradition-al methods of applying roofing systems often require tempera-tures in excess of 500°C to 800°C using gas torches, and hot air or hot gas guns,” said William-son. “These methods have been

used for many years, resulting in countless roof fires, and occa-sionally causing severe dam-age and even the loss of entire buildings.”

Liquid Plastics, manufacturer of seamless protection systems, introduced its answer to flame-free, heat-free roof waterproof-ing in the UK several decades ago. Since that time its product – Decothane – has evolved into a top of the range waterproof roof membrane seen today on buildings such as Sharjah Air-port, Ethiopia’s palace at Bahir Dar, and currently in use on the roof of one of the world’s largest prestigious car showrooms in Abu Dhabi.

Fire safety and protection measures should be looked at in the design stage, where it is the responsibility of architects and developers to consider what safety measures to put in place.

BIG 5

Don’t get your fingers burnt

BIG 5 SPECIAL


BIG 5 SPECIAL


The Big 5 and PMV exhibition is in the right position to tap into the US $2.8 trillion construction boom in the Middle East. Shikha Mishra discovers how the building and construction segment, apart from the PMV, will form a major part of the main show.

With increased floor space, an even larger number of exhibitors, associated con-ferences and events, the Big 5 (as its website loud-ly proclaims) “just got big-

ger” this year. The exhibition will be divided into seg-

ments such as building and construction; water technology and environment; air-con-ditioning and refrigeration; cleaning and maintenance; glass and metal; bathrooms and ceramics; marble and stone and PMV.

“Traditionally there is some amount of product division at the exhibition, especial-ly with the AC and stone and marble sec-tions. Currently there are no plans to change the way the show is laid out. There is a cer-tain amount of familiarity in the show and we want visitors to find stalls where they usual-ly are used to seeing them,” says Simon Mel-lor, vice-president of the construction sector, dmg world media, organisers of Big 5.

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BIG 5 SPECIAL


exhibition, the building and construction segment will be a strong one this year.

VSL, a major supplier of formwork ties will be located at the C21 booth in the Zabeel hall in the German pavilion.

“We will showcase different applications for bars. Our stand will have different diam-eters of bars, anchor piles and home ties. We will also showcase certain types of corrosion protection products. Also at the stand will be our German partner for the bar business, SAH. They are the reason we are in the Ger-man pavilion this year,” says Shemi PS, VSL’s sales manager, bar systems.

The VSL stand will be manned by engi-neers from the company who will answer questions about the company’s products and their applications. “A number of stands at the exhibition have too many cosmetic add-ons. We are participating in this exhibition pure-ly to answer serious queries,” says Alain Ros-setto, VSL’s general manager.

According to Rosetto, the company has been participating in the Big 5 for a number of years and it is a good place to network, as a large number of trade visitors come in from the surrounding Gulf region. “It is a premier event in terms of exhibitions related to our business, and it is one of the few exhibitions that can actually fill five halls,” he says.

“We receive a number of general contractors,

specialist sub-contractors, architects and developers from

Saudi Arabia, Iran, India and the UAE”

Laith Haboubi, Maipei’s business development manager

BIG 5 SPECIAL


Maipei deals in adhesives and sub-floor preparation for wooden and PVC flooring and the company is currently in the process of commissioning a factory in Dubai Invest-ment Park.

Their stand at the exhibition will be spread over 72m2. “We are showcasing around nine of our product lines, including a ceramic line, special adhesives and grout sealants for the stone and ceramic industry, apart from water-proofing products,” says Laith Haboubi, Mai-pei’s business development manager.

“So far some of the products or technolo-gies available to the construction industry in the UAE have been average and have con-formed to certain standards. In the future, these materials or technologies will not be able to keep up with the fast track pace of Dubai’s projects,” he says.

“The market is now demanding higher performing materials that comply with envi-ronmental requirements such as Leed, or products that set faster. For example, tiles were applied to concrete blocks earlier, but now gypsum boards or pre-cast is being used,” says Haboubi.

As a major regional exhibition, the Big 5 usually draws visitors from the Middle East.

“We receive a number of general contrac-tors, specialist sub-contractors, architects and developers from Saudi Arabia, Iran, India and the UAE,” says Haboubi.

As the PMV show has been moved to the outside area of the Dubai Trade and Convention Centre from its location at the

VSL (Bar Systems) Team from left: Shemi P.S (sales manager, Bar Systems), Stephen Burke (deputy general manager), Elizabeth Guerrero (marketing engineer), Alain Rossetto (general manager) at the thread bar cutting facility (imported band saw from Germany).

Display of thread bars for marine/sheet pile applications. top – double corrosion protected tie rod; middle – hot dip galvanised tie rod; bottom – tie rod with turnbuckle.

BIG 5 SPECIAL


Airport Expo, companies are expecting a higher attendance than last year due to the better venue placement, which will translate into more enquiries and interaction.

Al Laith Scaffolding will be at the B70 stand at PMV this year. Tim Richards, the company’s divisional manager, powered access, says that participating in the exhi-bition is more of a “showing our face” exer-cise for the company to make visitors aware of their diversity.

“Big 5 is not hugely valuable to us as a business-getter, as we have plenty of work right now. The exhibition is a good way to meet our business contacts and make them aware of what we do. Visitors to our stall will be able to view HEK mast climbers, HEK’s new lift, innovations in aluminium scaffolds, pipe welding and AWPs,” he says.

Terex Equipment Middle East will be at stand J 30, car park C at the PMV. The com-pany recently set up a new sales and market-ing office in Dubai due to the huge demand from the PMV sector in the Middle East. Terex offers a range of range of access, lift-ing and site lighting solutions suited to a wide variety of applications.

“Big 5 is not hugely valuable to us as a business-getter, as we have plenty of

work right now. The exhibition is a good

way to meet our business contacts and make them aware of

what we do” Brad Abrahams, Terex Middle East’s

divisional sales manager for the Middle East and southern Africa

“We will be exhibiting the Terex hydrau-lic power buggy and several self-propelled Genie lifting products including a GS-1932 electric scissor lift, a Z-45/25J DC articulat-ing boom, a GR-20 Runabout personnel lift and a GTH-4017 SX rough terrain telehan-dler,” says Brad Abrahams, Terex Middle East, divisional sales manager of the Middle East and southern Africa.

For Abdul Qader, chairman, Al Wasit Machinery, the PMV provides a good plat-form for his company as a construction equip-ment dealer as decision makers from the local and international construction industry are expected to visit the show. Al Wasit will be at stand OA50.

“Through the exhibition we spread aware-ness of the product range we offer and we generate potential sales leads,” says Qader. Display of various grade and sizes of thread bars.

Contact: [email protected]

tel: +971 (4) 885 6635 / +971 (0) 50 554 2945fax: +971 (4) 885 6639

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FORMWORK TIES

BIG 5 PMV


Germany-based Putzmeister (PM) will be showcasing a range of concrete pumps, placing booms and mobile telescopic conveyors at the Big 5 PMV show in Dubai next month.

As a good example of its range of large truck-mounted concrete pumps, PM will present the BSF 63-5.20 H.

With a vertical boom reach of around 63m, this 6-axle machine is one of the largest truck-mount-ed concrete pump in the Middle East. Despite its size, the BSF 63-5.20 H is characterised by a high degree of flexibility in sev-eral respects, for example the 5-arm concrete placing boom that not only has a high vertical reach, but also an impressive horizontal working range. The flexibility of the machine is further aided by the variable Ergonic Flexible Sup-port (EFS) system.

According to PM, until now truck-mounted concrete pumps could only be operated on the ful-ly supported side for reasons of stability.

The system also allows the placing boom to be moved into areas with limited space and the number of possible applications is considerably expanded, the net vertical reach is increased, the working capacity is greater and there is improved cost-effective-ness for truck-mounted concrete pumps.

Beside a flexible concrete plac-ing boom and the support sys-tem, the BSF 63-5.20 H also has a

Putzmeister pumps concrete to 63m

high-capacity pump unit that ena-bles outputs of up to 200m³/h – which it claims is a record amount for a truck-mounted concrete pump. Even if outputs of this vol-ume are seldom required, these power reserves allow particular-ly smooth and low-wear operation in the day-to-day running of the machine due to the low number of transfer tube switchovers per cubic metre of concrete.

The PM’s long-reach boom pump also has four steered and three driven axles allowing it to be mobile on surfaces other than paved roads.

Other machines that will be on show are the mobile high-pressure concrete pump MOLI 2110 HP (Mobile Line Pump). The pump unit is the same as the

stationary PM BSA 2110 HP D concrete pump. The world record delivery height of 606m was set by a modified machine from this range for the Burj Dubai in April 2008.

The MOLI 2110 HP is mounted on a 3-axle Mack truck and pow-ered by a powerful 318kw diesel engine.

For high-rise concreting, PM also has a range of stationary con-crete placing booms with reaches of 24m to 50m.

Putzmeister will also be exhib-iting the new RS850 tubular col-umn system, which carries the boom and can also climb floor by floor – according to the progress of the construction – supported by an automated climbing system.

During construction, not only

concrete is pumped and placed: sand, gravel, hardcore, lean-mix concrete, top soil, substrate for green roof coverings, etc. must also be transported and often across obstacles.

The company will also show-case a range of Telebelt mobile telescopic conveyors meant to transport dry bulk materials that cannot be pumped. These will include the TB 130. The machine has a hydraulically driven, piv-oting and almost 12m long feed conveyor that receives the mate-rials – supplied by a wheel loader for example.

PM products can be viewed at the company stands - OC10 and OD15 in the Big 5 PMV section.

The Putzmeister truck-mounted concrete pump has a 63m vertical reach and flexible 5-arm placing boom technology.

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Visit us in DubaiBIG 5 Show 2008Hall 3 Booth 3B 111

BIG 5 PMV


Safety will be a key feature at Big 5 show

Firms specialising in crane safety technology will be on show at the Big 5.

tion safety and the latest prod-ucts available, and we are proud to support Build Safe Dubai.”

This year’s Big 5 PMV features a purpose built indoor pavilion and a large outdoor arena and for five days will provide a meeting place for the regional and inter-national construction machinery industry.

“We are very pleased to see a big event like the Big 5 PMV take safety seriously. We hope to encourage those attending and participating in the event to make safety their first priority,” said Eli-as McGrath, group administrator of Build Safe Dubai.

Safety is the key at this year’s Big 5 PMV show, with a record number of suppliers of harness-es, edge protection and protec-tive work wear.

Companies such as Zeman, Sperian and Safety Lifting will all be at the show. Also present will be firms specialising in crane safety technology, such as SMIE and SK Group.

Streamline Marketing Group director Nick Webb and organ-iser of the Big 5 PMV said, “It is reassuring to see the safe-ty industry growing here in the Middle East, in correlation with the construction boom. The Big 5 PMV provides an ideal forum to raise awareness of construc-

BIG 5 PMV


Knauf to showcaseat expo

Solar energy provider, Scheuten Solar is looking to generate some serious leads from project devel-opers who express the need for adopting BIPV in new buildings at this year’s Big 5 show, accord-ing to the firm.

The company has a solar cell manufacturing unit and an ultra-modern factory for the manu-facture of Multisol modules and Optisol special modules.

Scheuten to shed some solar power NovemberIn 2006 Scheuten decided,

together with a German solar product manufacturer, to build its own silicon factory.

Scheuten aims to operate across the whole quality spec-trum, from the silicon to the energetics stage.

The company is investing heavily in the future. Many mil-lions are being invested in the solar cell business on the basis

of revolutionary new thin film technology.

Manufacture of this thin film system is due to commence at a new factory later this year.

In initial stage Scheuten will focus on the Building Integrat-ed PV [BIPV] activity, especially for larger-scale iconic buildings in prestigious projects. In the second stage they will develop the market for PV Modules for a

wide range of applications vary-ing from small-scale off-grid solu-tions to multi-MW solar farms.

According to the compa-ny, there has been an explosive growth of solar use in the glo-bal market with the Middle East market to follow shortly.

Poor awareness and accept-ance of use of BIPV is restricting demand for the product at the moment.

Germany-based dry walling firm, Knauf will introduce its Cleaneo Acoustic boards at the Big 5 exhi-bition.

They are perforated gypsum boards, which actually reduce indoor air pollution. This proven air-cleaning effect is now possible with the addition of Zeolite to the core of the boards. Zeolite is a nat-ural water-containing rock of vol-canic origin.

The company will also be intro-ducing Aquapanel Cement Board Systems. Developed by Knauf USG systems, Aquapanel is the “next generation” cement board of choice for construction profes-sionals in Europe. Knauf is now introducing it to the GCC market.

According to the company, there are two types of Aquapanel boards which are available, depending on the application type.

Knauf has been exhibiting at the Big 5 for the past five years.

Established in 1932, with its headquarters located in Iphofen, Germany, Knauf is a manufac-turer of drywall building mate-rials such as gypsum boards, metal profiles, joint compounds and insulation materials. With a workforce of 22,000, Knauf man-ufactures its products in 50 coun-tries from 150 plants, in Europe, the Middle East, Asia, the US and Latin America.

Recently, Knauf established the ground for the new gypsum board

plant, in Ras Al Khaimah, and the production plant is expected to be completed late nex year and have a production capacity of 40 million m² of gypsum boards per year.

The factory will also produce plas-ters and additional components of the drywall systems such as metal studs, channels, joint compounds and drywall accessories.

With a workforce of 22,000, Knauf manufactures in 50 countries from 150 plants.

Putzmeister will present the M 70-5, the largest truck-mounted con-crete pump boom in the world, at the Big 5 PMV next month.

With a vertical reach of around 70m and the largest working radi-us to date, the machine has raised the bar definitively in the con-crete construction sector. The machine is fitted with large-capac-ity two-cylinder piston pumps that can attain a maximum output of 200m³/h.

To reduce the load moment of the huge placing boom the com-pany uses special high-strength materials both in the steel frame of the M 70 and for the hydrau-lic cylinders to achieve weight-optimised construction.

Thanks to the One Side Sup-port (OSS) system, the pump can be installed and operated safely

World record M70-5 pump on show

on construction sites where space is restricted.

During OSS operation, the width of the front and rear sup-port is reduced to only 9.2m.

Concrete is pumped through low-wearing, twin-wall delivery pipes (ProLine 67 HRC, DN 117) with a life span of up to 10 times longer than standard pipes (ST 52).

The M 70-5 is also fitted with an Ergonic Boom Control (EBC) which allows the operator to con-trol the boom more easily by using a joystick to reduce vibra-tions at the vertical end hose and to limit the working area.

The machine is also fitted with an Ergonic Output Control (EOC) as standard. The EOC module

helps the concrete pump save fuel during operation by automatically adjusting the engine to the max-imum speed needed. If required, this speed can be increased or decreased at any time via the radio remote control, resulting in lower fuel consumption, less wear and reduced noise levels during pump operation.

BIG 5 PMV


Technical boom data M 70-5Vertical reach: 69.3mHorizontal reach: 65.1mDepth of reach: 51.4mNumber of boom arms: 5Slewing circle: 365°Folding type: Roll Z (RZ)Delivery line: ND 117 (2-ply, ProLine 67 HRC)Support width: 13.4m (front); 13.8m (rear)OSS support:9.2m (front); 9.2m (rear)Overall length: Approx. 21.4m

Three axles of the semi-trailer and two axles of the M 70-5 tractor unit are steered.

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Our structural engineering group pride themselves on being an enthusiastic, dynamic team. We have extensive experience working on a wide range of materials on projects throughout Europe, North Africa and the Middle East.

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BUSINESS LEADS Contracts and tenders are published free of charge.All information should be sent to: [email protected]


BAHRAIN

Issuer: Ministry of WorksTender No: 18SPDh/087/08Description: Construction works – Constitution Court annex buildingCloses: 29 OctoberFees: BHD50 Bond: BHD4000Contact: Tender Board’s Office at Al Moayyed Tower, Seef Area, 7th floor, Kingdom of Bahrain

Issuer: Ministry of Educa-tionTender No: 14M/82/2008Description: Site survey schedule for three schools for the Vocational Educa-tion Project.Closes: 29 OctoberFees: BHD15 Bond: BHD500Contact: Tender Board’s Office at Al Moayyed Tower, Seef Area, 7th floor, Kingdom of Bahrain

Issuer: Civil Aviation AffairsTender No: EMD/9/P/309BDescription: Proposed FIC expansion (Porta cabins) at Bahrain International Airport.Closes: 12 NovemberFees: BHD15 Bond: BHD500Contact: Tender Board’s Office at Al Moayyed Tower, Seef Area, 7th floor, Kingdom of Bahrain

Issuer: Civil Aviation AffairsTender No: 2/EMD/9P309BDescription: Proposed FIC expansion at Bahrain Inter-national Airport.Closes: 12 NovemberFees: BHD15 Bond: BHD500Contact: Tender Board’s Office at Al Moayyed Tower, Seef Area, 7th floor, Kingdom of Bahrain

EGYPT

Issuer: Sixth October City ClubDescription: Request of offers from specialised contractors for integrated and electromechanical works for implement-ing the club new social zone on 16 feddans area (67,200 m2) including the new social building, swimming pools, related infrastructure and site coordination works. For more details visit web site www.6octoberclub.org. The club occupies 270 feddans land (about 1,134,000 m2) and serves 23,000 families (about 100,000 persons). Closes: 1 January Fees: EGP5500 Bond: EGP1,000,000 Contact: [email protected].

Issuer: West Delta Electric-ity Production CompanyDescription: Request of international offers from international specialised and eligible bidders for the electric transform-ers package pertaining to Abu Qir 2 x 650 MW steam fired power station project financed by a loan from the Kuwaiti Fund for Economic and Social Development. That includes the design, fabrication, furnishing, delivery, transport to the site, training and technical assistance during installa-tion and commissioning. Closes: 13 NovemberFees: EGP1000Bond: EGP650,000 Contact: West Delta Elec-tricity Production Compa-ny, 7 Riad Street, Glim, Alexandria, Egypt,

Issuer: West Delta Electric-ity Production Company

2008

EVENT: Construction Week Conference 2008SECTOR: Panel discussions and presentations in two simultaneous streams, catering to the many niches in the industry. DATE: 5 NovemberVENUE: Mina A’Salam DubaiPHONE: +971 44356125WEBSITE: www.itp.net/events/cwconference

EVENT: Construction Week Awards 2008SECTOR: Celebrating innovation and excellence in what is the most dynamic construction industry in the world. DATE: 5 NovemberVENUE: The Westin Dubai, UAE PHONE: +971 44356371WEBSITE: www.itp.net/events/cwawards

EVENT: Saudi BuildSECTOR: Saudi Arabia’s 20th annual construction industry and materials exhibition.DATE: 26 - 29 OctoberVENUE: Riyadh Exhibition CentrePHONE: +9661-4541448WEBSITE: www.recexpo.comEMAIL: [email protected]

EVENT: Project Iraq 2008SECTOR: One of the largest trade events for construction industry stakeholders in Iraq.

DATE: 4 - 7 NovemberVENUE: Erbil International Fair Ground, Kurdistan, IraqPHONE: +964 662567634WEBSITE: www.ifpiraq.comEMAIL: [email protected]

EVENT: GCC Power 2008SECTOR: GCC Cigre’s largest electric power conference in the Gulf region.DATE: 10 - 12 November VENUE: Qatar International Exhibition CenterPHONE:+974 432 9900WEBSITE: www.ifpqatar.com

EVENT: Middle East Parking SymposiumSECTOR: The Middle East’s first dedicated forum for the parking industry.DATE: 10 - 12 NovemberVENUE: The Beach Rotana Hotel, Abu DhabiPHONE: +971 4 280 0768WEBSITE: www.parking-me.comEMAIL: [email protected]

EVENT: Leaders in Dubai Business ForumSECTOR: A trade only conference for business leaders with guest speakers.DATE: 16 - 17 November VENUE: Dubai International Conference and Exhibition CentrePHONE: +971 4 3365161WEBSITE: http://www.leadersindubai.com

CALENDAR OF EXHIBITIONS & EVENTS

BUSINESS LEADS

October 25 - 31 2008 47www.constructionweekonline.com 51

Description: Request of offers from international specialised companies regarding the cooling water intake and outlet package regarding Abu Qir 2 x 650 MW power station project under funding from the African Develop-ment Bank. Job involves related design, manufac-turing, supply, warehous-ing, erection and testing works. technical services, furnish all plant, construc-tion equipment, on-site assistance, fabrication, etc., for El Atf power station. Closes: 14 DecemberFees: EGP3000Bond: EGP1,000,000 Contact: West Delta Elec-tricity Production Compa-ny, 7 Riad Street, Glim,Alexandria, EgyptTel: +20 3 5761375Fax: +20 3 5761376

Issuer: Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation, the Mechanical and Electri-cal Dept., The Stores Dept.Description: Construc-tion, supply and erection of a main irrigation pump-ing station at Qastal and Adendan Zone for a project involving the recla-mation and development of 5,000 feddans land in Qastal Zone at Abu Simbil tourist city executed by the High Dam Lake Develop-ment Authority in cooperation with GARPAD. Closes: 22 DecemberFees: EGP1500 Bond: EGP900,000Contact: Tafteesh El Ray St, Shoubra El Mezallat, Cairo Tel: 02 22069294/5/6Fax: 02 22069270

OMAN

Issuer: Oman Electricity Transmission CompanyTender No: 221/2008Description: Construc-tion of 132/33KV Wadi SA’A grid station and associated transmission system Bureimi governorate)Closes: 27 OctoberFees: RO1500Bond: N/A Contact: www.tenderboard.gov.om

Issuer: Ministry of Trans-port and Communication Tender No: 222/2008Description: Consultancy services for the design and supervision of the construction of Batinah Expressway (international). Closes: 3 NovemberFees: RO1000Bond: N/A Contact: www.tenderboard.gov.om

Issuer: Ministry of Regional Municipalities and Water ResourcesTender No: 229/2008Description: Construc-tion of sewerage network, upgrading of existing treat-ment plant for Barka south, Al Batinah.Closes: 10 NovemberFees: RO1500Bond: N/A Contact: www.tenderboard.gov.om

Issuer: Ministry of HousingTender No: 231/2008Description: Construction of 12 housing units, majlis and mosque at Al Dhahir in Wilayat Bahila, Al Dakhiliya region.Closes: 17 NovemberFees: RO248

Bond: N/A Contact: www.tenderboard.gov.om

Issuer: Majan Electricity Company (SAOC)Tender No: 232/2008Description: Construction, of 33kv overhead lines and underground cables from proposed 132/33kv Saham grid substation to connect with existing 33kv lines in Saham area - North Batinah region.Closes: 17 NovemberFees: RO1000Bond: N/A Contact: www.tenderboard.gov.om

Issuer: Ministry of Transport and

CURRENT STEEL PRICE INDICATIONSData provided by www.mesteel.com: linking steel buyers and sellers in the Middle East

Indicative Steel Prices For

Prices In US /t CFR Dubai Country of Origin

Billets - Blooms 550–600 CIS

Reinforcing Bars 680– 720 Turkey, CIS

Angles 800 –840 China

Beams - channels (EN+UB/UC)

1200 – 1250 Far East, India, S. Africa

Wire Rods 700 –750 China, Turkey

Hot Rolled Plates 1050 – 1150 China, CIS

Hot Rolled Coils 730 – 770 China,CIS, India, Iran

Cold Rolled Coils 800 – 850 China, CIS

Hot Dip Galv. coils, HR base 275g/m2

1050 – 1100 Far East, India

Hot Dip Galv. coils, CR base, 1mm, 275g/m2

1050 – 1100 Far East, India,

Prepainted Galv. coils, 0.35 1400 – 1450 Far East, India

Tinplate 0.32mm 1350 – 1430 Far East, W. Europe

SS HR Coils 304 Base 3300 – 3400 Far East, W. Europe, Brazil, S. Africa

SS HR Coils 316L Base 5800 – 5900 Far East, W. Europe, Brazil, S. Africa

CommunicationTender No: 235/2008Description: Consultancy services for design and supervision for asphalt road from Wilayat Al Amrt to Wilayat Dima Wa at Taiyyin.Closes: 24 NovemberFees: RO300Bond: N/A Contact: www.tenderboard.gov.om

QATAR

Issuer: Qatar Petroleum Tender No: GT08112500 Description: To main-tain uninterrupted flow of sweet lean gas to consum-ers in Dukahn, Ummab. Closes: 2 November Fees: QAR500

United Building Solutions, LLC. P.O. Box 43425 Abu Dhabi UAE www.buildingproducts.ae

Come visit us at the BIG 5 SHOW NOVEMBER 23-27

DUBAI INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION AND EXHIBITION CENTRE

We will be located in the Zabeel Gallery, Stand ZG 15

UBS serves the global building, construction and related markets with industry-leading products, as well as complete systems.

Bond: QAR5,000,000 Contact: Central Tenders Committee, PO Box 3213, Doha, QatarTel: (+974) 4402000Fax: (+971) 4831125

Issuer: Qatar PetroleumTender No: GT08111700Description: This project scope of work is the EPIC of electrical and telecom system facilities for West End Extension, Ras Laffan to achieve the follow-ing. Power transmis-sion network consists of 132kv and 33kv System with 132/33kv and 33/11kv substations, 132kv and 33 kv cable feeders and PMS network for the West End Area of Raslaffan. Closes: 2 NovemberFees: QAR500Bond: QAR9,000,000 Contact: Contracts Dept. - Engineering Division, Qatar Petroleum, PO Box 3212, Doha

Issuer: Qatar PetroleumTender No: LT08109000Description: This is a one time construction contract for miscellaneous paving works at various QP Gas Distribution System loca-tions.Closes: 3 November Fees: QAR200 Bond: QAR30,000 Contact: Contracts Dept. - Operations Division, Qatar Petroleum, PO Box 3212, Royal Plaza, G Wing, 4th Floor Room G13, Doha

Issuer: Ministry of Munici-pal Affairs and AgricultureTender No: 132/2008-2009Description: Consultancy works and quantity survey

for Alwakrah public park.Closes: 6 NovemberFees: N/ABond: QAR13500 Contact: Central Tenders Committee, PO Box 3213, Doha, Qatar Tel: (+974) 4402000Fax: (+971) 4831125

Issuer: Ministry of Munici-pal Affairs and AgricultureTender No: 130/2008-2009Description: Supply of water for Aljamiliah Park at Rayyan Municipality for three years. Closes: 6 NovemberFees: N/ABond: QAR22500 Contact: Central Tenders Committee, PO Box 3213, Doha, Qatar Tel: (+974) 4402000Fax: (+971) 4831125

Issuer: Qatar PetroleumTender No: GTC081112700Description: EPIC for foot-ball and cricket stadiums upgrade at Dukhan. Closes: 9 NovemberFees: QAR500Bond: QAR500,000 Contact: Contracts Dept. - Operations Division, Qatar Petroleum, PO Box 3212, Royal Plaza, G Wing, 4th Floor Room G13, Doha

Issuer: Ministry of Munici-pal Affairs and AgricultureTender No: 135/2008-2009Description: Beautification work for ALghafara Club roundabouts. Closes: 6 NovemberFees: N/ABond: QAR27000 Contact: Central Tenders Committee, PO Box 3213, Doha, Qatar Tel: (+974) 4402000

Fax: (+971) 4831125

Issuer: Ministry of Munici-pal Affairs and AgricultureTender No: 135/2008-2009Description: Beautifica-tion work for Alghafara Club roundabouts. Closes: 6 NovemberFees: N/ABond: QAR27000 Contact: Central Tenders Committee, PO Box 3213, Doha, Qatar Tel: (+974) 4402000Fax: (+971) 4831125

Issuer: Ministry of Munici-pal Affairs and AgricultureTender No: 134/2008-2009Description: Beautification work for Khalifa and Alena-bi roundabouts. Closes: 6 NovemberFees: N/ABond: QAR22500 Contact: Central Tenders Committee, PO Box 3213, Doha, Qatar Tel: (+974) 4402000

Issuer: Ministry of Munici-pal Affairs and AgricultureTender No: 137/2008-2009Description: Consultancy services for rehabiliation of Allaqta Park. Closes: 13 NovemberFees: N/ABond: QAR14000 Contact: Central Tenders Committee, PO Box 3213, Doha, Qatar Tel: (+974) 4402000Fax: (+971) 4831125

UAE

Issuer: Dubai Electricity and Water AuthorityTender No: CE/0593/2008Description: Construction of combined stores

for H2 and H3 Stations at ‘H’ station premises - Aweerg.Closes: 27 OctoberFees: AED 3000Bond: N/A Contact: Dubai Electricity And Water Authority, PO Box 564, Dubai, UAE

Issuer: Dubai Electricity and Water AuthorityTender No: CE/589/2008Description: Construc-tion of G + 2 steel structure building for distribu-tion control centre at Al Ghusais.Closes: 27 OctoberFees: AED1000Bond: N/A Contact: Dubai Electricity And Water Authority, PO Box 564, Dubai, UAE

Issuer: Dubai Electricity and Water AuthorityTender No: CE/394/2008Description: Replacement of 132kv oil filled cables by 132kv XLPE cables and associated works.Closes: 28 OctoberFees: AED5000Bond: N/A Contact: Dubai Electricity And Water Authority, PO Box 564, Dubai, UAE

Issuer: Dubai Electricity and Water AuthorityTender No: CNE/606/2008Description: Hassyan Power and Desalination Station ‘P II’ (Station ‘P’ - Phase II) - (R) and associ-ated works.Closes: 30 DecemberFees: AED5000Bond: N/A Contact: Dubai Electricity And Water Authority, PO Box 564, Dubai, UAE

BUSINESS LEADS


PROJECT FOCUS


QATAR PROJECTS DATABASE - BUILDING PROJECTS FOCUSPROJECT TITLE CLIENT CONSULTANT MAIN CONTRACTOR VALUE / VALUE

RANGE (US $ MN) TYPE OF PROJECT

Al Rayyan Residential Tower Sheikh Mishaal Bin Hamad Al Thani/Maryam

GHD Global Al Darwish Engineering Residential Buildings

Al Sadd Office Tower Sheikha. Nela Sadd M. Al Misned

Cansult Maunsell HBK Contracting Commercial Buildings

A’Ayan Residential Tower A’Ayan Real Estate Qatar Design Consortium HBK Contracting Residential Buildings

Al Wakra Hospital Public Works Authority GHD Global Joannou & Paraskevaides Overseas

Hospital

Al Rafaa Residential Tower Sheikh Mishaal Bin Hamad Al Thani

GHD Global Al Darwish Engineering - Residential Buildings

Al Baker Tower in Dafna Yousef Ahmed Khalil Al Baker James Cubitt & Partners PCSI Global Residential Buildings

Golden Bay Tower Sheikh Khalifa Bin Jassim Al Thani

MZ & Partners SEG Qatar Commercial Buildings

Al Majid Residential Tower Ahmad Mahdi Ali Al Majid Arab Engineering Bureau Al Seal Contracting Residential Buildings

Sidra Medical & Research Centre Qatar Foundation (QFESCD) Cesar Pelli & Associates/Ellerbe Becket

OHL/Contrack International , Hospital

English Modern School at Al Messila Abdul Rahman Al Mufta South West Architecture Al Mufta Contracting . - Educational Facilities

Villas at Al Thumama Aqar Real Estate Development Company

United Consultant Al Seal Contracting Residential Development

Al Asiri Tower HE Mubarak Khalifa Al Asiri Arab Engineering Bureau HBK Contracting Commercial Buildings

Palm Towers Dar Investment & Development Co.

MZ & Partners Al Seal Contracting Mixed Use

Villas in Al Rayyan Sheikh Naser Faleh Al Thani South West Architecture Imperial Trading & Contracting Company

Residential Development

Al Ain Gardens Sheikh Hamed Bin Hamad Al Thani

Arab Engineering Bureau HBK Contracting Residential Development

Residential Tower in Porto Arabia – Parcel A Al Fardan Real Estate/UDC Callison Arch./KEO Int’l Construction Development Company

- Residential Buildings

NDIA – ATC Building NDIA Steering Committee Bechtel/Khatib & Alami Consolidated Contractors Int’l Company

Airport

Doha High Rise Office Building Sheikh Saoud Bin Mohd Bin Ali Al Thani

Consulting Engineering Group China State Construction Engineering Co

Commercial Buildings

Residential Tower in the Porto Arabia - Plot No. B

The Land/UDC Callison Arch./KEO Int’l Al Arrab Contracting - Residential Buildings

Centralised office Building for QP Qatar Petroleum Skidmore Owings & Merril Not Appointed Commercial Buildings

Mesaieed Elementary School Qatar Real Estate Investment Company

Cansult Maunsell Al Jaber Trading & Contracting Educational Facilities

Residential Towers in Pearl Qatar The Land/UDC Callison Arch./KEO Int’l Al Arrab Contracting - Residential Buildings

Office Building at Old Salata area Abdul Rahman Al Mufta South West Architecture Al Mufta Contracting Commercial Buildings

Twin Residential Buildings at Fareej Abdul Aziz Street

Ali Ahmed Thani Al Thani Diwan Architects Shanoon Trading and Contracting

Residential Buildings

Residential Tower in Porto Arabia - Parcel Construction Development Company/UDC

Callison Arch./KEO Int’l Construction Development Company

- Residential Buildings

Mesaieed Senior School Qatar Real Estate Investment Company

Cansult Maunsell Al Jaber Trading & Contracting Educational Facilities

Al Dareen Tower in West Bay Al Faisal Holding Company Diwan Architects Al Habtoor Engineering - Residential Buildings

PROJECT FOCUS


Note : The above information is the sole property of Ventures Middle East LLC and cannot be published without the expressed permission of Ventures Middle East LLC, Abu Dhabi, UAE

PROJECT TITLE CLIENT CONSULTANT MAIN CONTRACTOR VALUE / VALUE RANGE (US $ MN) TYPE OF PROJECT

Residential Tower in Porto Arabia – Parcel A Al Darwish United Company/UDC

Callison Arch./KEO International

Gulf Housing & Construction Company


The Lavander Village Sheikh Fahad Bin Abdulla Al Thani

South West Architecture Athar Building & Development


Grand Regency Hotel Extension (Metropolitan Hotel)

Ibrahim H Al Asmakh Dara Engineering Consultants Ramco Trading & Contracting Hotel

Al Hitmi Development – Pack Ali Bin Khalifa Al Hitmi Company

Diwan Architects/Norr Group Higgs & Hill Residential Buildings

Villas in West Bay Sheikh Naser Faleh Al Thani South West Architecture Imperial Trading & Contracting Company


Bentley Showroom on C-Ring Road Sheikh Mohamed Ahmed Bin Al Thani

Arab Engineering Bureau Al Khayarin Group Commercial Buildings

Nour Tower in Dafna Sheikh Khalid Bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani

James Cubitt & Partners PCSI Global Residential Buildings

Lagoon Plaza Dar Investment & Development Company

MZ & Partners Al Seal Contracting Mixed Use

Doha Bank in West Bay Doha Bank Adil Jaidah & Associates SEG Qatar Commercial Buildings

Al Saliya Sports Club QOC Dara Engineering Consultants Lotus Trading & Contracting Company

Sports Facilities

Barjeel Tower in West Bay Al Fardan Real Estate Arab Engineering Bureau Construction Development Company


Wakrah Office Building E’EMAR Development & Real Estate Investments

Dara Engineering Consultants Redco Construction Commercial Buildings

Business Park & Hotel Facilities in Najma Sheikh Mohammad Bin Hamad Al Thani

Arab Engineering Bureau Not Appointed Mixed Use

Office Towers in Marina District of Lusail Salam International/QDREIC MZ s& Partners Not Appointed Commercial Buildings

Sahara Tower in Dafna Shk. Mohammed Abdul Rahman Al Thani

James Cubitt & Partners PCSI Global Residential Buildings

Al Noor Tower in Dafna Al Madar Real Estate GHD Global Al Madar Contracting Commercial Buildings

Public Services Buildings Complex at Al Dhaayn

Public Works Authority Arab Engineering Bureau Al Balagh Contracting Mixed Use

Entertainment District – Precinct A & B ADIH/Majid Al Futtaim/QDREIC

RTKL/Forrec Not Appointed , Mixed Use

Residential Tower in Porto Arabia – Plot No. B

The Land/UDC Callison Arch./KEO Int’l Al Arrab Contracting - Residential Buildings

New Training Centre at Dukhan Qatar Petroleum Qatar Design Consortium Al Mana Engineering Educational Facilities

NDIA–Passenger Terminal Complex NDIA Steering Committee Bechtel/HOK Sky Oryx JV/Taisei Corporation and TAV

Airport


APPOINTMENTS

October 25-31, 2008 59

37,526

Raz IslamTel.: +971 04 435 6371 Email: [email protected]

To advertise in this section please contact: Raz Islam Tel.: +971 (0)4 435 6371 Email: [email protected]


SPECIALIST SERVICES

60 October 25-31, 2008


Construction and Building Materials

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SPECIALIST SERVICES

October 25-31, 2008 61

Construction/Building Materials

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Tel No. : +971 (4) 3401795 Fax No.: +971 (4) 3401796P.O.Box 119505, Dubai-U.A.E.

Formwork and Scaffolding Systems


SPECIALIST SERVICES

62 October 25-31, 2008

Wood and Timber Construction

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manufacturer of: HT20Plus timber beam Austrian white woodglue laminated timberstimber construction

Pfeifer Formwork Beams

Attention next year we will have also a stock in Qatar and a stock in Ryadh. Please visit us also at the BIG V Show in Dubai from 23.11.2008 to 27.11.2008 - Hall 5 stand

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SPECIALIST SERVICES

October 25-31, 2008 63

Structural steelProject Construction Management


Trading and Rental of Construction Equipments

ON-SITE TALK


If you would like to write for Construction Week in this column, please email [email protected]

Former Liverpool Football Club manager Bill Shankly once famously said, “foot-ball is not a matter of life

and death. It’s more important than that.” His comments were taken in jest at the time, but were to go down in history.

Which fits in nicely with the subject of health and safety. Because health and safety, par-ticularly on the building site, can be a matter of life and death, and it’s certainly more important than football. Surely even the late Bill Shankly would have agreed.

The fact that the Department of Municipal Affairs (DMA) in Abu Dhabi has this past week signed a Memorandum of Under-standing (MoU) with the Interna-tional Code Council (ICC) is an important positive step forward for the emirate.

The ICC is an internationally respected membership associa-tion dedicated to building safety and fire prevention that develops the codes used to construct all types of commercial and residen-tial buildings, including schools and public facilities.

The council was established in 1994 as a non-profit organisation dedicated to developing a single set of comprehensive and coor-dinated national model construc-tion codes. The founders of the ICC are Building Officials and Code Administrators Internation-al Inc, International Conference of Building Officials, and South-ern Building Code Congress International Inc.

Since the early part of the last century, these non-profit organi-sations developed the three sep-arate sets of model codes used

Drew Azzara, vice-president for international services at the International Code Council, explains why one small health and safety memorandum of understanding is one giant leap for Abu Dhabi.

throughout the US. Although regional code development has been effective and responsive, the time came for a single set of codes. The three model code groups responded by creating the International Code Council and by developing codes without regional limitations.

The international family of codes developed by the ICC is currently implemented in all 50 states of the US. The vision of the ICC is to promote public safety in the built environment while its mission is to provide the highest quality codes, standards, products and services for all concerned.

The warmth with which the MoU was embraced by the DMA was an encouraging sign. In fact, DMA chairman HE Dr Ju’an Salem Al Dhaheri called the occasion “an important step to enhance construction standards in Abu Dhabi and safeguard the long-term security of the emir-ate’s population.”

In Abu Dhabi, as in many parts of the world, there has for a while now been an great need

to provide clear and effective reg-ulatory codes and guidelines that address the specific requirements of all sectors within the con-struction industry. This partner-ship between the DMA and ICC allows work to progress towards this goal.

To give an idea of the scope of the MoU between the ICC and the DMA, and the positive effect it will come to have on the construc-tion industry in Abu Dhabi, the MoU outlines the following objec-tives and cooperative efforts:

1. Adoption of the family of ICC International Codes.

2. Development of appropri-ate guidelines to meet local and regional requirements.

3. Study of the current build-ing regulatory system to make recommendations on changes, improvements, or modifications that may prove useful for stream-lining the building regulatory system.

4. Establishment of training programmes in various related fields for municipality employ-ees and the construction industry within the Abu Dhabi emirate.

5. Establishment of profession-al certification programmes in various construction related fields within the Abu Dhabi emirate.

6. The DMA and the ICC will jointly organise and establish a regional conference.

7. Joint DMA and ICC promo-tion of technologies, researches, publications and services.

8. Collaboration with local voca-tional and educational institutions in Abu Dhabi emirate to develop educational programmes.

By adopting the international codes, the emirate of Abu Dhabi

immediately raises its construc-tion standards, because it benefits from the effort that went into dec-ades of code development work by world-class experts.

Ultimately, through working alongside ICC, the DMA aims to establish the Abu Dhabi Interna-tional Building Codes, custom-created guidelines that will serve the specific requirements, which would be achieved through the collaborative efforts of local experts from government depart-ments, developers, internation-al engineering and architectural firms, contractors, universities and the industry sector.

The role of the DMA is regu-latory, as opposed to executive. In this respect, service delivery and operations are carried out at the municipality level. Signing an MoU with the ICC is a very positive step for the regulato-ry framework in Abu Dhabi, one that outlines the seriousness of the issue, and the commitment of the municipality to oversee health and safety at the regulatory level.

By the time the DMA has suc-cessfully established the Abu Dhabi International Building Codes, there will no doubt be a substantial improvement in the health and safety record of the emirate.

That’s good for the Gulf, good for the UAE, good for Abu Dhabi, but most importantly – its good for everybody concerned. No-one can deny that the signing is a hugely positive act. I’d wager even Bill Shankly would have agreed.

A sign of H&S progress in Abu Dhabi

Drew Azzara, vice-president of the ICC.

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