MEP February 2015

HVA

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UPDATE ON PAGE 42

MIDDLE EAST NEWS UPDATE | 04COMMENT | 14

BIG INTERVIEW | 16PROJECTS | 40

HVAC UPDATE | 42THE LAST WORD | 48

An ITP Business Publication | April 2011 Vol. 6 Issue 4Essential information for mechanical, electrical, plumbing and HVAC professionals An ITP Business Publication | February 2015 Vol. 10 Issue 02

COMMENT: BRINGING MORE WOMEN INTO THE WORKFORCE

DC Pro’s George Berbari wants to transform the Middle East’s approach to HVAC

CUSTOMER

DEVELOPERS STILL AREN’T THINKING ENOUGH ABOUT

MEP AT THE DESIGN STAGE

BETTER BY DESIGN

MEP CONTACTORS ARE RAPIDLY BUILDING UP

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www.constructionweekonline.com February 2015 | MEP Middle East 1

FEBRUARY 2015 VOLUME 10 ISSUE 2

CONTENTS04 �NEWS�

Cofely Besix FM wins data centre maintenance contract.

14 �COMMENT M. Vasanth Kumar calls for more women in the MEP workforce.

40� PROJECT�FOCUS A roundup of the latest projects from around the region.

42 HVAC�NEWS Empower. Tabreed, Armacell and DC Summit make the news.

44 PRODUCT�FOCUS�� Check out the latest MEP- related products in the market 48 THE�LAST�WORD China State Construction’s Yu Tao on current MEP projects.

HVAC�DESIGNMEP still isn’t given enough consider-ation at the building design stage.

ROOFTOP�SOLARA look at what needs to be done to get the most out of the technology.

26 28

BIG�INTERVIEWDC Pro Engineering founder and CEO George Berbari wants to help transform the Middle East’s entire approach to HVAC.

SKILLS�Increased opportunities within key labour supply markets along with visa restrictions mean the Gulf’s MEP sector is on the hunt for quality manpower.

36

20

1633

INTERSEC�REVIEWA look at the main developments at this year’s big event for the security industry.

EDITOR’S NOTE

Challenges for rooftop solarRooftop solar is a great idea in theory, especially here in

the hot climates of the Middle East. We have all this sun, so let’s tap into it as a source of energy.

One of the things that really appeals about solar is its potential to cover our peak demand needs. Peak demand is that part of the day when consumption suddenly jumps, say when the ACs go on, or everyone turns on their TV or other gadgets after they get home. Covering this sudden spike in energy is apparently very costly for our utilities and can strain the grid. With rooftop solar, power gets generated by the consumer, potentially taking some of the burden of peak demand generation off the utility.

Before we can reach this ideal state, however, questions need to be answered, such as what happens to the power generated on your roof, how much it will all cost and whether or not it is ultimately worthwhile for the owner of the rooftop.

In other parts of the world, notably Germany, homeowners who generate power through rooftop panels can sell their power to a utility company for a set price (something known as a ‘feed-in tariff’). In the past, this has allowed homeowners to work out whether or not installing panels is worth the money.

Right now, we don’t have any feed-in tariffs here in the Middle East. Neither do we have any authoritative data on how much it would cost to cover the average Middle Eastern roof in so-lar panels. All of which means consumers can’t really make in-formed decisions on whether or not to go solar.

An alternative to a feed-in tariff is for the consumer to use the power they generate directly, without it being fed back into the grid. It gets round the question of the feed-in tariff, but the drawback with this approach is that power isn’t always gener-ated when you need it, so energy storage (something like a gi-ant battery) is needed for this approach to work.

Energy storage is an emerging field and advances are un-doubtedly being made, but as with the feed-in tariff and cost of installation, consumers need data. How much would a battery cost, how much energy could it store and how long could it hold the energy for?

Then there is the question of performance data. Although so-lar panels are designed to soak up heat, we do know that they become less effective the hotter they get. Exactly how much, particularly in our summer temperatures here, who knows? The same thing could be asked of storage. Batteries don’t like heat, so would be able to store all that energy that our solar panels are creating for us?

I love the idea of rooftop solar and would love to see it take off in the Middle East. But before consumers take the plunge, the industry needs to come forward with some convincing data. We need to know what it would cost and whether or not it’s ulti-mately worth covering our roofs with solar panels.

David Ingham ([email protected])

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NEWS UPDATE

www.constructionweekonline.com4 MEP Middle East | February 2015

CONTRACT

Cofely Besix Facility Management (CBFM) has been awarded its first data centre main-tenance contract in the Middle East.

The one year contract sees CBFM provide a range of service to Gulf Data Hub (GDH), a data centre in Dubai’s Silicon Oasis that opened in Jan-uary 2014. The building consists of two floors that accommodate an initial 6000 square me-tres (m²) of data centre space, comprising up to 14,000 m² of built up area on a 65,000 m² plot.

Cofely Besix Facility Management will pro-vide integrated facility management services, including technical maintenance, as well as mechanical, electrical & plumbing (MEP), civil and soft services such as cleaning, pest control, and landscaping.

The contract is the first of its kind for CBFM in the Middle East, fol-lowing many similar projects in Europe. The Gulf Data Hub contract will be overseen by Christophe Van Hamme, facility manager, and

Bart Holsters, Dubai op-erations manager, who both have experience managing data centres for Cofely in Belgium.

“Cofely in Europe has a vast amount of expe-rience in the mainte-nance and operation of

data centres and we are bringing its know-how and experience attained in Europe to the Middle East, to apply best practices and lessons learned to the running of the GDH contract,” explained Van Hamme,

facility manager at The Gulf Data Hub.

“Our main focus is now set on the reliabil-ity and maintainability of the facility, and in the second stage of manage-ment, the sustainability will be looked at. This will involve implement-ing green initiatives along with the client such as optimising air distribution, managing harmonics, as well as optimising chilled wa-ter distribution and as-sociated temperatures,” added Van Hamme.

Globally, Cofely Ser-vices currently operates and maintains around 350,000m² of data cen-tre space.

Cofely Besix Facility Management LLC is a joint venture between Cofely Services and the BESIX Group, created to provide facilities man-agement services in the Middle East.

Cofely Besix FM wins data centre maintenance contract Contract with Gulf Data Hub first of its kind for company in region; includes MEP services

CBFM will manage Gulf Data Hub for an initial period of one year.

Empower, the UAE-based district cooling services provider, doubled its workforce to more than 600 employees in 2014. It has also achieved an Emir-atisation level of 10%. The significant growth in its work-force in 2014 follows the acquisi-tion of Palm Utilities, including its district cooling service entity Palm District Cooling (PDC). On its own,

the acquisition added around 240 employees to Empower’s team of 362 prior to the acquisition. “In addition to training and nurtur-ing our existing team of Emirati nationals to undertake a wide range of professional and technical roles across Empower, we are also focused on attracting new talents and building their competencies to evolve as future

business leaders,” said Ahmed Bin Shafar, CEO of Empower. “Empower’s mandate to provide advanced district cooling solutions meets the infrastruc-ture development plans of Dubai and the nation. Through our team of Emi-rati and international professionals, we are creating long-term value for our organisation and driving our expan-sion strategy,” added Bin Shafar.

EMPOWER CROSSES 10% EMIRATISATION IN ITS WORKFORCE

BUSINESS

AIRPORTS

DATA CENTERS

HOSPITALS

HIGH-RISE BUILDINGS

HOTELS

STADIUMS

OIL & GAS

TRAFFIC & INFRA

MARINE

NEWS UPDATE


PEOPLE

Saudisation compliance in the construction industry is on the rise, with a 34% jump in the number of nationals employed in the sector. In its ‘The Saudi Economy in 2015’ report, Riyadh-based Jadwa In-vestments stated that the Kingdom’s construction sector remained excep-tionally healthy with $1.2 trillion in projects cur-rently planned or under development.

Nitaqat, or Saudisation, was introduced in 2011 to help drive up the percent-age of Saudi nationals employed in the private sector, and Jadwa Invest-ments says the effects are being seen across the board.

The report states: “Ac-cording to data from the Ministry of Labour, the Saudisation rate in the private sector increased from 10.9% to 15.2% be-tween 2011 and 2013.”

Saudi growth in the private sector, the report

[US $887] in 2013, while non-Saudis earned only SAR1029 [US $274],” the report stated.

“Looking ahead, we see that while employ-ment growth of nationals in labour intensive sectors is expected to continue improving as companies in these sectors adjust to new norms, further rais-ing the Saudisation rate in high-skilled sectors – mainly manufacturing – remains a challenge.

“We believe that one of the main impediments to higher growth of Saudi employment in these sectors is the lack of skill-matching between educational achievements and these sector’s require-ments; a challenge that we believe is being matched through ongoing initia-tives that include signifi-cant investments in the ed-ucation sector particularly on vocational training as well as the ongoing King Abdullah foreign scholar-ship program.”

Saudisation increases 34% in KSA construction sector Saudi Arabian nationals now represent 10.3% of the construction workforce

The higher growth in Saudi employment in the construction sector is impressive given the particularly high wage differential from non-Saudis.“

Saudi Arabia’s construction sector is buoyant.

Johnson Controls has taken a 60% stake in Hitachi Appliances’ air condi-tioning business outside Japan. Pend-ing regulatory approvals, a new joint venture entity will be formed, which will bring to market Hitachi’s variable refrigerant flow (VRF) technology, inverter-based room air conditioners and absorption chillers.

The joint venture will have around 13,800 employees and 24 manufac-turing plants. It will be led by Franz Cerwink, who has been with Johnson Controls for almost 20 years, including four years in Japan as VP of finance for the Johnson automotive business. “For Johnson Controls, this partnership re-flects our strategic commitment to our

buildings business as a growth plat-form,” said Alex Molinaroli, chairman and CEO, Johnson Controls. “The joint venture will propel us forward with superior products, enabling Johnson Controls to deliver the most diverse technology portfolio in the industry to meet customer demands across the changing global marketplace.”

JOHNSON CONTROLS TAKES 60% STAKE IN HITACHI AIR CONDITIONING BUSINESS

BUSINESS

states, is around 26% – outstripping the growth of foreigners employed (9.4%) considerably.

But the construction industry – the most la-bour intensive part of the private sector – has seen even better results under the Nitaqat system, with a 34% jump in the number of Saudis employed.

Saudi Arabian workers now represent 10.3% of the construction work-force, which is still some way off the 12% the gov-ernment is targeting, and considerably short of the more ambitious targets set under phase three of the programme, due to be implemented in April 2015 (see analysis on page 12 this month).

“The higher growth in Saudi employment in the construction sector is impressive given the particularly high wage dif-ferential from non-Saudis. Saudis in the construction sector earned a monthly average of SAR3330

www.constructionweekonline.com

NEWS UPDATE

February 2015 | MEP Middle East 7

Last year’s MEP Conference saw lively debates and in-depth discussions.

LIGHTING

CONFERENCE

The region’s MEP contractors, consultants and suppliers will convene at the Grand Hyatt Qatar on 3rd June to discuss emerging market trends. An audience of 150 MEP experts are expected at the invitation-only MEP Middle East Conference.

The conference will consist of keynote addresses, discussions and networking opportunities.

An advisory panel consisting of Bill Jolly, director of MEP and sus-tainability at Ramboll, Matthew Kitson, regional director Hilson Moran, George Kenich, general manager of MEP Division at Al Futtaim Engi-neering, Ali Al Suwaidi, vice present IDAMA Facilities Management Group and Dr. Ahmed Alaa, regional vice chair of ASHRAE, has been brought together by event organiser, ITP Business, to work on the agenda for the one day conference.

Issues such as the shifting nature of MEP services – from procurement to installation and maintenance, to the shortage of necessary MEP skills in the region and the challenge of embracing sustainabe technologies in design and implementation are likely to dominate the agenda.

Abu Dhabi Police has introduced self-luminous panels at the building of the Directorate General of Central Operations, including the Operations Room. The panels store solar power and power generated by other light sources, and light up when it is dark to help people find their way towards exits and other directions.

Lt. Colonel Nasser Suleiman Al Maskari, Head of the Operations Department, explained that Abu Dhabi Police is the first government entity in the Middle East to use this new technology.

“The panels store solar power for use in the dark;

they glow in sensible areas that become obscured by rising smoke, for example during a fire,” said Lt. Colonel Al Maskari.

The panels have a lifespan of up to 20 years and do not need to be connected to an electrical source such as batteries.

Major Issa Abdullah Al Marzouqi, Strategic Planning Branch Manager at the Operations Department, said that the Directorate General of Central Operations started using the system after being convinced they are environmentally friendly and have a long lifespan.

BUSINESS

Arcapita has sold its 50% stake in Lusail Golf Development to Barwa Real Estate Company. Lusail Golf owns the development rights to a 3.66 million square metre plot of land north of Doha, Qatar.

The plot owned by Lusail Golf is located in Lusail City, a master-planned development covering an area of 21 square kilometres.

Lusail City is expected to include residential and commercial devel-opments as well as districts focused on education, media, energy and entertainment.

“Arcapita has an established track record of master-planning and developing large-scale golf residential communities having made successful investments in leading projects in Dubai and Bahrain,” said Atif A. Abdulmalik, chief executive officer of Arcapita.

“Pursuing investment opportunities in real estate markets across the GCC region continues to be a key part of our global investment strategy.”

Hisham A. Al Raee, Arcapita’s chief operating officer, added: “The Ar-capita team developed the master plan and design concepts for one of the largest single plots in Lusail City. During the holding period, the team fo-cused on attracting development partners and optimising land utilisation. We are pleased that our investment in Qatar has resulted in a profitable outcome for our investors.”

Abu Dhabi Police installs self-luminous panels

Qatar to host 2015 MEP Middle East Conference

Arcapita sells its stake in Lusail Golf Development

Fifth edition of MEP Middle East Conference will take place in Qatar in early June and will focus on key market trends

50% stake in Qatar project bought by Barwa Real Estate

Abdulmalik: Arcapita has a strong track record in real estate investment.

NEWS UPDATE

8 MEP Middle East | February 2015 www.constructionweekonline.com

The UAE exported US $1.325 billion worth of copper cables last year, just US $5 million behind the US, accord-ing to a statement released by Wire and Cable Arabia 2015. This placed the UAE fifth worldwide in value of exports. Key industry players took

part in the four-day show at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibi-tion Centre in January. Satish Khanna, general manager, Al Fajer Informa-tion and Services, the organiser, said: “Copper accounts for nearly 65% of the production cost of a cable. According

to a Ministry of Economy report, the UAE ranks among the top five copper cable exporters after the USA (4th), Belgium, Germany and Russia.” The UAE produces energy, instrumenta-tion, power and control, industrial and communications cables.

CONTRACT

Rubber World Industries LLC (RWI) has won a contract to provide AED 2.4 million of materials, including Gulf-O-Flex insulation, to Diamond Developers’ ‘Sustainable City’ project. Located in Dubailand, the develop-ment includes 500 villas.

“The ‘Sustainable City’ project has posi-tioned itself as one of the country’s leading green development projects. Its completion is expected to inspire the development of similar environmentally friendly communi-ties in the UAE and the rest of the region,” said Rizwan Shaikhani, managing director, Rubber World Industries.

“Looking to play a major role in its completion, Rubber World Industries will be supplying the project with its diverse portfolio of high quality rubber insulation products, including its ‘Gulf-O-Flex’ line, premium-quality rubber insulation materi-als used for air-conditioning, refrigeration and heating made out of the best raw mate-rials from Europe and the US.”

RWI said in a statement it will also be sup-plying its products to oprojects in Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Iran. The company claims growth in 2014 was around three times higher than the year before. RWI has invested in new production lines, machin-ery and technology to increase its output of rubber construction materials.

Sustainable City will feature a 600,000 square foot solar park and a water manage-ment system designed to recycle 100% of waste water. The project’s consultant is Al Ajmi Engineering, contracting is handled by Jeet Contracting and MEP works by Sun Middle East Electro Mechanical Works.

RWI lands ‘Sustainable City’ contract

REC targets Middle East’s rooftop solar opportunityROOFTOP SOLAR

REC positioned its offerings as ideal for rooftop solar installa-tions at last month’s World Future Energy Summit (WFES) in Abu Dhabi. The company was par-ticularly keen to tout its new REC TwinPeak Series solar panels, on display for the first time ever in the Middle East.

According to the company, the panel uses a polysilicon platform and competes strongly with mono-crystalline solar panels on efficien-cy and performance. The panel is rated up to 275 watt peak (Wp), re-sulting in 17% panel efficiency, and features 120 half-cut multi-crystal-line cells, four bus bars, passivated emitter rear cell (PERC) technol-ogy and a split junction box.

REC claims that TwinPeak, like its other products, is 100% free from potential induced degrada-tion, avoiding power losses even in the harshest conditions and environments in terms of high temperatures, like in the Middle East region.

“We are highlighting the combination of strengths that make REC a sought-after partner in solar energy projects all over the world: high-performing, reliable solar panels, broad expertise in initiatives that move the industry forward, Eu-

Firm claims TwinPeak panels hit 17% efficiency in MEA climate

We are highlighting the combination of strengths that make REC a sought-after partner in solar energy projects.“

UAE SET TO OVERTAKE U.S. IN COPPER CABLE EXPORTS

MANUFACTURING

ropean heritage and our commitment to lasting part-nerships,” said Luc Graré, senior vice president, sales and marketing at REC.

The company has opened an office in Dubai and claims that its panels have excelled when tested in desert condi-tions. The company said it expects to announce a part-nership soon that will allow it to compete for solar business in the MEA region.

Graré: REC panels perform well in the desert.


NEWS UPDATE


The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) reports that 97 buildings of 200 metres or more in height were finished in 2014. The total of 97 buildings completed is a new annual high, exceeding the previous record high of 81 completions in 2011. Amongst the 97 completed buildings, 11 qualified as ‘supertalls’ (buildings of 300 metres or higher), the highest annual total on record. South America also welcomed its first supertall, the 300-metre Torre Costanera of Santiago, Chile (pictured).

BIGPICTURE

PROJECT: Kingdom TowerLOCATION: Jeddah, KSACONTRACTOR: Saudi Binladin CONSULTANT: Hyder Cons./Arup/Langan InternationalMEP CONTRACTOR: Arabian Bemco Contracting

NEWS UPDATE


ROOFTOP SOLAR

Incentives and funding mechanisms are key if rooftop solar is to take off in the GCC, accord-ing to Enviromena, a regional EPC contac-tor. The company has been involved in the Abu Dhabi rooftop pilot scheme, which involves around 2MW of capacity installed on roofs across 11 different sites around the city of Abu Dhabi.

“High consumers of energy have to be incen-tivised and willing to in-vest in solar and then the banking industry would have to get behind it,” said Eric Voldner, exec-utive director of opera-tions, Enviromena.

“Solar is all capital costs and very lit tle opex [operating expen-diture]. You’re paying for your energy for 20 years in the first year, so you need a proper financing mechanism in place to make it worth-while. After that, indus-try services – designers, installers, component makers, suppliers, e.t.c. – need to be in place.

Enviromena: Costs starting to add up for rooftop solar Incentives and funding needed for technology to take off, says EPC contractor

High consumers of energy have to be incentivised and willing to invest in solar and then the banking industry would have to get behind it.“

Voldner: You’re paying for your energy for 20 years in the first year.

“Regulation, f inanc-ing and services are the three things required for the industry to take off.”

The UAE has already made progress in the de-ployment of solar power at the utility level. Abu Dhabi has two working plants, Shams 1 and Masdar, and Dubai’s util-ity, DEWA, has recently awarded a contract to build a 200 MW plant.

With rooftop solar, companies and home-owners would be allowed to install panels on their buildings. The power generated would either be bought by the utility and fed back into the grid, or used directly by the building owner.

The question for build-ing owners is whether or not the utility will pay a price that makes it cost effective to install the panels. Since early last year, industry watchers have been expecting DEWA to issue guide-lines that regulate the industry and set the power purchase price, or what are known as ‘feed-in tariffs’. The utility is

also expected to release a list of approved panel installers.

With or without an official power purchase price, Sami Khoreibi, CEO of Enviromena, be-lieves that rooftop pan-

els can produce power at a cost that makes it worthwhile for building owners to install them.

“If you take a look at the way individuals and commercial entities are billed, you have slab tar-

iffs and the peak slab is quite expensive,” said Khoreibi. “We’re very confident that solar can produce energy at a lower cost than that top slot the retail customer is paying.”

NEWS UPDATE


PEOPLE

Senior Saudi business leaders have asked the country’s Labour Minis-try to delay the introduc-tion of the third phase of its national Saudisation programme.

Nitaqat, or Saudisation, was introduced in 2012 to help drive up the percent-age of Saudi nationals em-ployed in the private sec-tor. The third phase of the programme was due to be launched in April 2014 and would require compa-nies to employ a greater number of Saudis.

Percentages vary de-pending on the type of business and size of the company. Under the pro-gramme’s third phase, The Labour Ministry wants downstream indus-tries to raise the Saudiza-tion rate from 25 percent to 41 percent, big retail and wholesale firms from 29 percent to 44 percent and other big commer-cial establishments from 29 percent to 66 percent. It also wants SMEs to increase the number of Saudi workers gradually within a timeframe.

But the Council of Sau-di Chambers has asked the Labour Ministry to delay Phase 3 by at least three years.

In a letter to the Min-istry, the CSC said, “The raising of Saudisation percentage should be carried gradually within a timeframe of not less than two to three years.”

KSA business leaders call for Saudisation to be delayedAlready-delayed third phase would require big increase in workforce localisation

Since the introduction of the Ministry of Labour regulations, the Saudi construction industry in particular has struggled with the demand to employ nationals.“

Business leaders say it will be tough to ‘Saudise’ the construction sector.

The CSC said that despite a strong advertising cam-paign, only 1409 men and women attendedinter-views for 3000 positions during a recent job fair organised by the Riyadh Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

“Some of the jobs of-fered a monthly salary of SAR15,000 (US $4000) while many companies were giving two-day week-end,” it added.

The system has been hit with issues since its intro-duction, and in August last year it was reported that 200,000 firms in the King-dom had shut up shop.

While officials say many of those companies were illegal cover-up business-es, or companies flouting residency and labour laws, experts say that there is a reluctance by some Saudis to enter the private sector.

Last November Mua-mar Al-Atawi, the head of the contracting commit-tee at the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Indus-try (JCCI), said the indus-try has been “shocked” by the programme, which de-mands at least 12% Saudi-sation in the sector.

Since the introduction of the Ministry of Labour regulations, the Saudi

construction industry in particular has struggled with the demand to em-ploy nationals, with many business leaders con-cerned that the targets are not achievable within the timescale demanded.

“Saudis will not work in lower level jobs in this sector even if we double the salaries,” Al-Atawi told Saudi Gazette on the sidelines of the Human Resources Forum in Jed-dah on Sunday (16 No-vember). Only computer related jobs can be Sau-dised, he added.

“The ministry is trying to increase the cost of em-

ploying expatriates,” Al-Atawi continued. “They believe this will result in employing more Saudis. This cannot be applied to this sector, at least in the short run. This will only add more cost on contract-ing companies, which will lead to increased prices.”

According to officials attending the forum, the Kingdom has over 269,000 contracting companies, a majority of which have only nine or less Saudi employees.

Speaking at the first session of the forum, Ali Al-Othaim, the head of the National Committee for Young Businessmen, said the Kingdom is the fourth country in the world in terms of recruiting from outside its borders. Over 85% of workforce in the la-bour market is non-Saudi, he said.

The forum heard that, while unemployment among Saudis dropped from 12.1% in 2012 to 11.7% in 2013, the num-ber of private sector com-panies dropped from 1.98 million to 1.78 million in the same period.

Al-Othaim said the drop in the number of companies has sharply affected small businesses adding that over 190,000 small companies have left the market last year. Such companies had at least 10 employees, mandating them to hire at least one Saudi on a minimum sal-ary of SAR 3,000 ($800).

The lecturer Mr Victor W Goldschmidtis coming from

ASHRAE Headquarters USA.

Pleased to announce coming event of March 2015

Workshop/Seminar onLeadership Principles, Problem Solving (Principles & Practice)

Strategic Planning

Seminar/ Workshop Date : 2nd March 2015Location : To be advised shortly

Seats are limited

Contact : Mr Liju Thomas (0557080146)Web : www.ashraeuae.org

Timing : 6.30 ~ 9.00PMfollowed by Dinner

COMMENT


COMMENT

Bringing more women into the engineering services sector can address the talent shortage and add much-needed dynamics to project teams

I n the recent past, women in GCC engineering consultan-cies have made their presence felt by winning several pres-tigious industry recognitions and performance awards. This is refreshing indeed, but the hard reality is that none

from the contractor side have made it.Roosevelt once said “A women is like a tea bag. It’s only when

she is in hot water that you realise how strong she is.”Likewise, engineering and construction is one area that re-

quires people with strong attitude.It is perceived by many, however, as not ideally suited for wom-

en – a perception based on no proven track record or research.Women remain under-represented in engineering services

and the construction sector. Unless conscious efforts are taken to encourage women to

join the industry, the issue of gender inequality in the work place will prevail. This status quo has to be challenged by motivating and empowering educated and as-piring woman to join the industry in order to create a diverse and inclusive working environment, which is the key to a fair, sustain-able and prosperous society.

While some progress against gender inequality has been made during the past decade in con-sultancy companies, barriers to women in construction companies still remain.

Barriers include: unconscious statements referring to women as less confident, proactive and assertive and challenges aris-ing due to motherhood, along with work-life imbalances owing to other priorities such as raising families and taking care of elderly relatives.

Recent research on the GCC construction industry has high-lighted an acute shortage of skills and talent shortages at all lev-els. Bringing more women into the industry could help provide assistance and relief over the short term and, in the medium to long term, be an effective permanent solution for the entire region as a whole.

In fact, women can bring much needed dynamics to a project

team in terms of culture and diversity, which in turn leads to creativity and innovation. They can help foster co-operation, team build-ing and better communication.

While significant numbers of women are already in the construction industry in various supporting functions like human resources, training, administration and ac-counts, the technical side of engineering and construction is the area that has very low female representation and an acute shortage of professionals.

There is a plethora of other functional ar-eas that are suitable for female engineers in construction companies, such as design, engineering, BIM, CAD, project planning,

scheduling, progress monitoring, co-or-dination, quality as-surance, document control, quantity sur-veying, contract man-agement, estimation, tendering, business development, pro-curement and logis-tics, to name a few.

To make it happen, contractors have to provide more opportuni-ties with equal pay, authorities have to is-sue the required work permits and women have to be persuaded to pursue the available opportunities. Ensuring women can realise their full potential and increasing their num-bers in the industry is not just a question of equality, but is also essential for a growing economy.

M. Vasanth Kumar is chief executive officer of Arabian MEP

Breaking Barriers

WOMEN REMAIN UNDER-REPRESENTED IN ENGINEERING SERVICES AND THE CONSTRUCTION SECTOR.“


THE BIG INTERVIEW

OPERATORDC Pro Engineering founder George Berbari tells Yamurai Zendera

about his desire to revolutionise the HVAC market in the GCC

February 2015 | MEP Middle East 17www.constructionweekonline.com

THE BIG INTERVIEW

With three decades of experience in the HVAC industry, 25 years of those spent in the GCC, George Berbari, CEO and founder of DC Pro Engineering, baulks at the notion of

slowing down. On the contrary, he’s raring to launch himself into his next challenge.

The Lebanese national, who was a founder member of district cooling company Tabreed, says he is on a mission to educate the market about technologies for energy-efficient ‘green’ buildings. For the past two years he has been championing tri-generation or combined heat, power and cooling (CHPC) – a process by which some of the heat produced by a cogeneration plant is used to generate chilled water for air conditioning or refrigeration.

Berbari is not all talk either. He does appear to practice what he preaches. DC Pro, for instance, was named District Cooling Consultant of the Year for the third year in a row at the last Climate Awards, mainly thanks to its work with Voltas on the Al Bustan Utility Complex in Al Busta, Riyadh. The project comprises a 17MW power tri-generation plant providing electric power to the residential complex. “We have to keep breaking the current status quo and comfort

We are showing architects by using 3D models that every square metre of glass transmits ten times more energy than insulated walls.“

Coolzone in designing buildings. LEED-certified or green building certified is insufficient in my opinion and we have to take it to a differ-ent level, and that’s why, for example, I have chaired more than 35 conferences around the world,” he says.

“If we were not in trouble from global warm-ing then maybe stagnation is good, but we are in trouble and the current measures are insufficient,” he adds.

Berbari says the challenge in 2015 for a smaller-sized player like DC Pro, which em-ploys 50 people, is to grow its MEP design division. He admits the firm has barely made a dent in this sector, in part due to the fact that it is commonplace for architecture practices

DC Pro developed the detailed design for the biggest district cooling scheme in the world with total cooling capacity of approximately 255,000 TR with phase 1 capacity of 155,000 TR. The project consists of four load centres supplying chilled water for the airport terminal and ancillary buildings.

Each load centre was designed with dual identical plant arrangement that operates simultaneously during normal operation and can operate independently in case of a major shutdown for redundancy purposes in such a critical project. A high end industrial grade control system was designed for the load centres to facilitate integration with the airport’s overall control and monitoring system in addition to providing proper interlinks to generator plants and network to co-ordinate operation in case of emergencies and power failures.

The appointed contractor SGB/ INMA commissioned DC Pro to develop the shop drawings for the project.

CASE STUDY: KING ABDUL AZIZ INTERNATIONAL

AIRPORT, JEDDAH

THE BIG INTERVIEW


70%Percentage of energy

consumption by the AC system at peak load

experience will prove invaluable. “We are showing architects by using 3D models that every square metre of glass transmits ten times more energy than insulated walls,” he says. “So when you talk about the envelope, it obviously optimises the size [and cost] of the AC system. The AC system in [a] building is normally responsible for 40% con-nected load and 70% peak load. Glass is nice, but you can still have the same building with less glass and not impair the aesthetic, vision or light,” he adds.

DC Pro is targeting “special” MEP projects, and Berbari points to its current involvement with Jed-

to have their own in-house MEP engineering teams. DC Pro’s district cooling division, on the other hand, he argues is well established with a healthy order book.

To gain more MEP work DC Pro has entered into a joint venture with Greek consultancy Ergon EMA, created in 2011 to provide interdis-ciplinary services to international clients. DC Pro has helped Ergon set up registration in both Abu Dhabi and Riyadh. “Ergon Middle East will be offering full engineering services including architectural and structural. In MEP the potential is there to grow much more so it will be a main business strategy for us,” says Berbari. “In MEP we will divide the labour and in architecture we will start by employing the Greek offices works so that we can build a local team.”

Berbari is trying to educate the MEP building sector on how to op-timise building envelope design to save on construction costs. He feels this is where Ergon’s architecture

Berbari: “We have to keep breaking the current status quo and comfort zone in designing buildings.”


THE BIG INTERVIEW

George Berbari holds a bachelor of mechanical engineering from American University of Beirut. He emigrated to the UAE from Lebanon in 1990. In 2006 he founded DC Pro Engineering, an electro mechanical consultancy firm specialising in district energy services and green buildings MEP design. Prior to this, his UAE career consisted of five years with UTS Carrier and then 10 years with Tabreed where he was a founding member.

ABOUT GEORGE BERBARI

The theme parks project is a large district cooling job that requires over 100,000 refrigeration tonnes.“dah’s under-construction Kingdom Tower– set to be the world’s tallest building – as a prime example. It’s scope includes the complete MEP design verification and validations and prepa-ration of shop drawings for the whole tower and podium areas for all services, including chilled water, HVAC, pressure breaking heat exchangers, drainage, LPG, diesel generators, fore protection, power, lighting and other me-chanical and electrical systems.

“We were hired by Saudi Binladin Group subsidiary, Inma, so we have 10 people in house and 50 people in outsourcing working on that project, says Berbari. “It’s a very tricky project. We are seeing the highest chilled water pressure that I have come across in my career and this poses serious engineering challenges where you need your chilled water pipes to be double as thick as normal pipes.”

DC Pro also simultaneously took on two projects that both had to be completed in three months. One was at Dubai’s Dragon Mart where it audited all existing electrical and HVAC sys-tems to resolve multiple issues.

The second was at Qatar’s Msheireb Down-town Doha development, performing detailed block load calculations for all the buildings in phases 1,2,3 & 4 to assess overall cooling load demand and to see whether the capacity of the district cooling plants under construction was adequate. “It was a very busy period for us given the short time frame but we managed to complete both projects,” says Berbari.

“We have experience of operation from Ta-breed, [so] we are in a privileged position as very few consultants went and operated anything – they designed and they moved out.”

On district cooling, Berbari is pushing for the industry to adopt tri-generation and integrate renewables rather than just use electricity alone.

“This will resolve three problems for the GCC market, which is generation capacity, efficiency and prime energy conservation. District cooling never attempted that.”

Signature projects include, 10 district cooling plants it is designing or supervising the construc-tion of for the UAE army, and the supervision of Dubai developer Meraas’ Jebel Ali theme parks project. “The theme parks project is a large district cooling job that requires over

100,000 refrigeration tonnes of cooling with phase one,” says Berbari.

DC Pro has also achieved record turnover in 2014 as the market rebounded from the 2008 financial crash and Berbari expects more of the same this year. However, the experiences of the downturn have made him more cautious about who he does business with.

“For the first time ever I’m turning down major projects because I tried the people who gave me [work] before and I lost money with them… I want to focus on special projects and focus on people that have a vision like us and want to do more for less,” says Berbari

.“I think I have earned that position to be able to select.”

2014 was a record revenue year for DC Pro. Berbari expects more of the same in 2015.

SKILLS


Increased opportunities within key labour supply markets along with visa restrictions mean the Gulf’s

MEP sector is on the hunt for quality manpower, says Zoe Rawlins

SKILLS


The Gulf’s construction sector is facing a bumpy ride as it grapples with a shortage of a quality MEP workforce. Partly attributable to the Gulf’s own rapid economic expansion in recent years, the market is struggling to fill an ever-widening gap for top-notch

staff. The result is MEP companies operating across all fields of services are finding harder to attract and retain employees at all levels.

Burak Kizilhan, deputy GM of Turkey-based AE Arma-Elektropanc (AE), says the firm is win-ning contracts that require enormous amounts of manpower to be delivered. “Hiring skilled labourers who fit the market standards is now very difficult,” he says.

“It used to be only the UAE and KSA that tried to attract the attention of labourers. However as the construction sector gears up in Qatar, Oman and Kuwait, labourers have a lot more choices.”

The issue is compounded by the construction industry ramping up in the key labour supply markets of India, Nepal, Pakistan and the Philip-pines, which means the Gulf’s traditional Asian expat workforce has increasingly better work opportunities closer to home.

Al-Futtaim Engineering’s MD, Murali S, cites immigration issues as another hurdle. “The

existing visa regulations in the GCC countries, do not currently facilitate the transfer of per-sonnel... this also poses a challenge,” he says.

Kizilhan adds some nationalities have been banned from getting a work permit specifically for the UAE and Kuwait for the last two to three years, which is exacerbating the labour shortage.

While the whole GCC is affected by the short-age of skilled manpower, in Murali’s opinion Qatar and KSA have been the hardest hit due to the increased construction activity combined with current visa rules.

One thing is certain, and that is that Qatar in particular is about to face an unprecedented challenge in delivering the MEP work required for its $36bn worth of planned rail work, says Ara-bian MEP Contracting’s CEO, Vasanth Kumar.

The demand for a skilled MEP workforce to deliver the nation’s mega projects, such as the Doha Metro, light rail systems as well as passenger and freight railway systems is likely to peak at around 30,000 staff between now and 2018.

Kumar suggests that authorities “should consider a temporary relaxation” of visa restric-tions in order to ensure that Qatar has enough skilled staff to complete the required MEP work, particularly as other cities in the GCC


ON STAFFA sector short


SKILLS

including Abu Dhabi, Riyadh and Jeddah start developing their own rail networks.

Tony Comerford, VP of human resources at Mercury MENA, says his firm is in the fortu-nate position of having several major projects at various stages of completion spread across the Gulf region. “The staggered project com-pletion and commencement dates facilitate the transfer of employees between sites,” he says.

Nevertheless, he agrees it is becoming “in-creasingly difficult to source qualified person-nel,” and cautions that the skill shortage is set to worsen in the coming years.

It also appears there are specific industry hotspots bearing the brunt of the current skills shortages. “There is a substantial shortage of workers who possess technical or vocational

sector, with hiring, retaining and training being the key challenges faced across the industry.

Party this is a result of a lack of educational institutions providing training in specific MEP skillsets, believes Murali. “The availability of unskilled/partially skilled workers rather than skilled workers for all disciplines has also contributed to this [staff] shortage,” he says.

The critical question being asked within the industry is what can be done to remedy the problem. “Companies need to start the recruit-ing process early and also need to invest in developing and retaining staff,” advises Murali.

“The industry can also come together to create a skill development institute for training semi-skilled staff. Another possible solution is to increase productivity by pre-fabricating and producing in a factory environment off-site,” he adds.

Over the long term, it could be that the an-swer lies in identifying emerging labour supply markets. Murali says Al-Futtaim Engineering is already eyeing up certain African nations. AE is also planning a trip to other Asian countries to investigate the potential of sourcing skilled labourers. “I believe there are still many na-

qualifications in the electrical, mechanical, pipe-fitting, duct work and plant construction fields,” reports Murali.

He adds there is also a dearth of skilled plumbing and drainage professionals with expertise in hotels and hospital projects, in addition to [extra low voltage] system techni-cians with experience in [building management systems] and security systems.

Kizilhan meanwhile reveals that AE has struggled to find any skilled plumbers for the last two years for its GCC projects; while Comerford says qualified electrical staff seem to be in particularly low supply.

And it’s not just a matter of a shortage of skilled labour; skill development is also be-coming a major concern for the region’s MEP

Burak Kizilhan, deputy general manager, AE Arma-Elektropac: A construction boom across the GCC and in core labour markets means labourers have more choices.

Companies need to start the recruitment process early and need to invest in developing staff“

10-15%Wage inflation due to shortage of skilled

and semi-skilled MEP labourers

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tionalities willing to work in the GCC, but they need to be discovered,” says Kizilhan.

In the meantime, employee engagement programmes designed to enable staff to develop professionally to their full potential – helped along, of course, by competitive salary and benefits packages – are being widely used as bait to retain experienced staff.

Under Al-Futtaim Engineering’s skill devel-opment accreditation programme, employees are encouraged to take a skill development test every six months, whereby someone with a lower skill base can take the test for a higher skill base. If they successfully complete the test, they are automatically upgraded to the higher skill base and are incentivised accord-ingly. “This development programme has been one of the key drivers of our growth and a cornerstone of our employment engagement programme,” reports Murali. “We also provide a safe work environment and a sense of job security, and regularly undertake initiatives to check productivity and offer incentives on meeting productivity challenges,” he adds.

Comerford believes Mercury MENA’s repu-tation – hand-in-hand with its commitment to training and developing its employees – will help to ensure the company remains largely self-sufficient in terms of recruitment.

He adds that while some wage increases may be inevitable, working conditions and employee welfare will continue to form a key element of successful employee retention.

“Our reputation in the marketplace as an employer of choice and our many years of resourcing experience also help us to source quality candidates where other organisations may struggle,” he says. “Our employees at every level have always been able to grow within our organisation and as long as this is the case, the majority will choose to stay.

“We are also in the process of enhancing our attraction and retention methods with a view to tackling the skill shortage. We will be focusing heavily on innovative training and development programmes in an effort to remain a step ahead of our competitors,” adds Comerford.

For AE, having a smart human resources team is crucial. “Ever since we launched in the GCC, we have managed to keep most of

our proficient employees,” says Kizilhan. “We gained staff trust and loyalty by following a smart strategy of human resource development.

He explains that his company’s goal is to fulfil the vision of an employee-friendly company and comfortable workplace. “The HR department has made a positive working atmosphere, so each employee knows his rights and has vote in a discussion or daily job activity.”

“Moreover, AE has a yearly salary raise plan that includes all designation categories to motivate existing staff for improvement and continuity of service,” adds Kizilhan.

Furthermore, he believes it is vital for com-panies to ensure staff are provided with high quality facilities including food, accommoda-tion, transportation and health insurance, and to ensure UAE laws are strictly adhered to in terms of working hours, holidays and days off.

One of the prescient questions on people’s lips is how much of an impact the current manpower shortage will have on wages.

While the 2014 Construction Week Salary Survey reported salaries are showing minimal growth in the industry as a whole, it’s highly likely that a skills and workforce shortage will mean salary inflation. “The skills shortage has already influenced wage inflation in MEP; it’s a straightforward economic scenario where lack of supply over demand creates deficit. That deficit creates wage inflation,” says Kizilhan.

“If it becomes a race between the GCC countries, it will increase the cost of labour

dramatically,” he warns, and goes so far as to suggest that the six nations should agree upon the level of salaries for labourers.

And just how deep will companies need to dig in order to attract future staff? “We anticipate a 10-15% increase in wages as a result of skills shortages,” predicts Murali.

As economic expansion across the Gulf fuels demand for human resources, MEP contractors have a tricky job on their hands attracting and keeping hold of the cream of the crop. In the meantime, contractors and consultants will have to invest more to retrain valued staff. Only time will tell if their combined approaches prove to be successful.

SKILLS

Tony Comerford, VP, HR, Mercury MENA: Staggering projects allows for the transfer of staff between sites.

Murali S, managing director of Al-Futtaim Engineering: Strict visa regulations have made recruitment difficult.

As the construction sector gears up in Qatar, Oman and Kuwait, labourers have a lot more choices.“

The skills shortage has already influenced wage inflation...it's straightforward economic scenario where lack of supply over demand creates a deficit. That deficit creates wage inflation.“

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Official Aluminium Extruder

ShineMEP contractors are increasingly looking on the bright side of life by incorporating solar into their skillsets in a bid to meet regional demand

Basking in year-round sunshine with some of the highest solar irradiance levels on the planet, harnessing the power of the Middle Eastern sun is a no-brainer. Figures from GTM Research’s Middle East and North Africa Solar Market Outlook report 2013-2017 predict MENA’s annual solar market will hit nearly 3.5 GW by 2015; with an overall regional outlook reaching more than 10 GW by 2017.

SOLAR



SOLAR


SOLAR

SOLAR


To put this into context, solar demand is essentially set to triple as the region becomes one of the key markets in the world. The result is rise and shine for MEP contractors who are becoming ever more aware of the need to incorporate solar into their core activities.

“Unlike a few years before, many MEP contractors are now very much aware of solar and renewable energy products, with many MEP engineers LEED-accredited and from sustainability/renewable energy back-

Solar water heaters can take 80% less power from the grid than conventional water heating systems.

A lot of villa projects are going on where thermosiphon systems are used.“OMAR HIJAZ, MANAGING DIRECTOR,

ECOTHERM MIDDLE EAST

grounds,” says R. Praveen Kumar, sales direc-tor at Viessmann Middle East.

The firm is one of the largest outfits operat-ing on the international heating systems stage and is successfully tapping into the region’s lucrative solar thermal systems market.

Here in the UAE, Dubai’s winning bid to host Expo 2020 has proved to be the catalyst for a host of construction projects getting un-derway, which in turn is pushing up demand for solar, says Omar Hijaz, MD of Ecotherm Middle East.

“In addition, a lot of villa projects are going on where thermosiphon systems are used, and each villa has its own compact solar systems for hot water generation,” he adds.

Price-wise, solar thermal systems vary greatly from around AED 5,000 for a ther-mosiphon system for a villa (without installa-tion), to around AED 3 million for a turnkey solar hot water system for a large building.

Costs are generally lower the larger the solar system, as in the case of commercial

and industrial projects for example, where there is a continuous demand for hot water, explains Kumar, who cautions that the design of the solar thermal system should be based upon the base load of the project, as opposed to its peak load.

How much a building’s owner stands to save by implementing solar depends largely upon the technology used. With solar thermal systems, for example, efficient design based on the project’s requirements will of fer a decent amount of savings in terms of energy and CO2 emissions.

“For solar thermal it’s normal practice to save around of 75% to 80% of the heating needs

5,000Cost (in dirhams) of thermosiphon

system for a typical villa

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SOLAR


Bremstaller: Roofs of older buildings often don’t have room for solar panels.

One of Ecotherm’s recent solar thermal projects was the instal lation of a solar system for Abu Dhabi’s Al Mafraq Hospital, which was instal led on the bui lding’s five roves, explains Omar Hi jaz, MD of Ecotherm Middle East

“The total area of the solar panels is more than 1,000 m2. In total, eight stainless steel tanks are used as buffer tanks: six times 4,000 litres; and two times 5,000 litres.

“Each buffer tank has an electric heating flange with ceramic heating elements as backup with a capacity of 192kW per tank. “The advantage of ceramic heating elements is that they are mounted into stainless steel tubes and are therefore not in direct contact with the water. Thus if a heating element fails, it can easily be replaced without draining the tank and without stopping operation.

“A master control panel with touch screen controls the complete system. If any action has to be taken by the plant operator, an alert appears on the screen.

“Each buffer tank is equipped with Ecotherm’s fibre-fleece insulation with a polypropylene coating. This insulation solution has up to 30% less heat loss in standby mode compared to standard foam insulations, meaning this insulation solution saves primary energy and thus money."

of the building; it is possible to go higher, but economic value needs to be crosschecked,” says André Simão, operations manager at Alsa Solar Systems.

For solar photovoltaic (PV) systems, savings depend upon the amount of power installed and its generation.

“Solar PV uses a lot of space so it makes more sense for the domestic sector (as the load consumption is smaller versus the space available) compared to industrial/service buildings, where space becomes a problem

and building load profiles increase,” contin-ues Simão. The percentage of savings to be made with hot water generation depends upon the size of the solar field and the respective number of collectors.

In other words, the bigger the solar field, the higher the savings. But on the flip side, the bigger the solar field, the more has to be invested.

At Ecotherm’s solar system for the Shore-line Apartments on Dubai’s Palm Jumeirah, 80% of the energy needed for hot water gen-eration comes from the power of the sun.

“This is a lot,” says Hijaz. “Usually we de-sign systems reaching about 60% solar gain. Therefore, only 40% of the energy has to be supplied by a back-up for the solar system, like a small gas boiler or via electricity.”

Giving a precise ROI is tricky as it depends upon numerous factors, but Kumar from

One of the primary issues when installing solar in a new building compared to retrofitting is lack of space.“

CASE STUDY 1: ECOTHERM

Viessmann suggests ROI for solar thermal systems when compared to conventional elec-tric water heaters is in the range of three years. Alsa’s Simão meanwhile reckons on a rule of thumb as being five to seven years ROI for solar thermal, and six to seven for PV.

What does seem to be agreed upon is the

80%Less electricity taken from grid by

a solar water heater


SOLAR

R Praveen Kumar, sales director, Viessmann Middle East.

GET IT RIGHT FIRST TIME

Ecotherm’s founder and CEO, Herbert B. Bremstal ler gives his insights into how solar systems risk being let down by ineffic ient design, component manufacture and poor instal lation

“There are many companies offering solar systems, however a lot of them only source the components and maybe even outsource installation.

“We know a lot of installations – including in the UAE – where after some years the solar system no longer operates properly and the required energy amounts to 100% from the backup.

“The reasons for this are manifold: improper design, bad installation, solar system goes into steam etc. If a client wants a reliable system with stable and safe operation and a real solar gain, they need a company which has the know-how to design a system properly, can manufacture important components such as tanks and control panel etc., and cares about supervision and commissioning.

“But by saving as much as they can at the initial investment stage, clients very often end up with much higher operational costs. If you look at a hot water and/or solar system, it’s important to consider not only the initial costs, but also the operating costs.

“Very often the initial costs are only in the range of 10% over the lifetime of a system (maybe 20 years). Therefore it does not make sense to save a little money at the initial cost stage and risk a huge increase in the operational costs due to unreliable operation.”

A role model project is ADEC Future School program, which incorporates solar thermal and solar PV into the bui lding design stages, says André Simão, operations manager at Alsa.

“Usually solar thermal provides between 75-80% of the energy needs for domestic hot water (DHW) such as WCs, showers, kitchens and swimming pools.

“Systems are usually designed to provide solar energy power directly to consumption i.e. swimming pools supported by a heat pump/heater to compensate remaining energy needs - although it can work also with storage energy.

“For DHW needs, systems are usually designed in order to store thermal energy into calorifiers or buffer tanks to allow for consumption during different hours of the day. As solar is designed to meet minimum levels of energy, remaining energy needs are provided by using an electrical source supply.

“Depending on the school’s size, systems can go from (DHW + SP) 60 to 120 solar thermal collectors installed, having a storage from 4,000lt up to 6,000lt (without buffer tanks); and with buffer tanks a total energy storage of 15,000lt, normally at 60C.

“Solar PV is also in place. In this case, the design is intended to generate electrical power and deliver the same to a grid connection point (on-grid systems). Systems are optimised to meet architectural restraints and usage of available space. The capacity installed is on average between 40kW and 100kW.”

Many MEP contractors are now very much aware of solar and renewable energy products.“R PRAVEEN KUMAR, SALES DIRECTOR,

VIESSMANN, MIDDLE EAST

CASE STUDY 2: ALSA SOLAR SYSTEMS

difference between installing solar in a new building compared with retrofitting an older one. “As with any of the other services involved in a building’s MEP scope, it is always better to install solar in new buildings,” says Simão.

At this stage space can be specified based upon load purposes; likewise the location of materials and equipment can be specified to reduce losses. It also means reduced access costs for installation teams i.e. no clash with other services.

“With retrofitting, the installation team has to increase works on the engineering level and compromise the final technical solution with other services in the building, usually

reducing energy output,” explains Simão.“The same happens if any other solar instal-

lation needs retrofitting,” he adds. “In such cases our teams need to preform usually double the work by reinstalling the actual system or correcting the current installation.”

One of the primary issues when installing solar in a new building compared to retrofitting is lack of space, says Herbert B. Bremstaller, founder and CEO of Ecotherm, “Very often there is not enough room available on the roof because other systems - such as the AC – already use the space.”

When a new system is planned, proper space can be left free on the roof. Retrofitting meanwhile runs the risk of not being able to mount the optimal number of solar panels.

“Apart from that, different calorifiers have to be used for solar systems as well as bigger storage tanks. This means that at the refur-bishment stage, some equipment has to be changed as well,” adds Bremstaller.

As the world looks to alternative clean energy options, the oil-rich Middle East has come up trumps thanks to its other abundant natural resource, the sun.

Latest figures from the Middle East Solar Industry Association (MESIA) predict that $2.7bn worth of solar projects will be unveiled in MENA over the next 12 months alone.

This, combined with the recent announce-ment by DEWA, Dubai’s utilities provider, that it has doubled the size of its planned solar power plant making it MENA’s largest when it comes online in 2017, means it’s a case of sunny side-up for the region’s solar market and the MEP contractors who have the know-how to outshine the competition.

INTERSEC REVIEW


TOP CABLE COMPANIES

Cyber security has been climbing up the news agenda internationally and locally for the last 18 months. When the uproar surrounding one digital security breach has died down, an-

other has replaced it. “Increased IT security threats and crimes in the Middle East has led to businesses and institutions investing heav-ily to ensure the security of sensitive data and IT infrastructure,” says Ahmed Pauwels, CEO of show organisers, Epco Messe Frankfurt.

However, changes in local health and safety codes, the pending implementation of green building regulations, growing acceptance of sustainability arguments, the commoditisa-tion of IP-based technologies and the volume of high-rise projects in the GCC, were all ar-guably having a larger impact on the region’s booming health, safety and security market.

Statistics from Frost & Sullivan, predict that the firefighting and safety market will grow at 14% per year and be worth US$2.4bn by 2018. The main reason behind the region’s accelerated spending on fire and safety equip-ment is healthy and safety regulations pushed

by civil defence departments. “The require-ment to comply with building and fire codes... will likely continue to be the key drivers fuel-ling growth in the market,” states the report.

The proliferation of high-rise projects in the GCC is increasing the monitoring’ activities of emergency services. “In view of the grow-ing incidents, the [civil defence] has made it mandatory to install fire alert systems in new buildings,” states the Frost & Sullivan report, published during the three day show.

Another factor driving investment, certain-ly in new buildings, is sustainability. With Abu Dhabi and Dubai both vigorously pushing green building agendas, owners and contrac-tors are now more receptive to conversations about higher capital investment for long term lower cost of ownership.

For instance, more clients are opting for LED lighting systems as they offer lower operating costs and maintenance charges. According to Hans van Bekkum, export sales & application manager, emergency lighting solutions, Eaton, contractors and owners are increasingly opting for LED emergency light-

ing systems. “There is still a slight difference in cost [with traditional lighting systems] but customers can now see the ROI in the first or second year.”

IP-networks has emerged as a way to meet some of the cost and management demands. CCTV systems, which previously had a sepa-rate network are now being grafted on to the IP-backbone. Maturing IP-CCTV systems have resulted in a big drop in the cost of in-stallation and ownership.

With both fire and security systems inte-grated into the IP-backbone there is even greater emphasis on the ELV work being con-ducted by MEP contractors. “The ELV [extra low voltage] requirements are changing and it is becoming more technically challenging,” says Pradeep Nair, regional sales director, South Middle East, Pelco by Schneider Elec-tric. “This is creating some real headaches.”

However, with much of the market focus-ing on new buildings there is still the ques-tion of retrofitting fire and safety systems in existing structures, which promises to be a huge opportunity in its own right.

All SAFE and SECUREIntersec 2015 brought the cream of the health, security and safety industry together in Dubai


INTERSEC REVIEW

NAFFCO has connected its fire pumps to the internet, enabling them to send a warning to the owner user in case of failure. When in-stalled the pumps can be configured to send a signal to the building owner, NAFFCO and even civil defence to alert them to the system failure.“The fire pump is at the heart of the system; you cannot lose the pump,” explains Engineer Khalid Al-Khatib, chief executive officer, NAFFCO. “We are connecting [our] fire pumps to the cloud. If there is a problem with pump it will send a signal to us, to civil de-fence, to the inspector, telling them that there is a problem,” he adds.

According to market analysts, Frost & Sullivan, the penetration of wireless and IP-technology in the firefighting field is limited. However, this is likely to change as internet-enabled systems become more established.

NAFFCO connects firefighting pumps to the internetFirefighting equipment giant creates internet-enabled pumps to send signal in case of failure

Eng Khalid Al-Khatib, chief executive officer, NAFFCO.

Eaton focuses on lower cost of ownership benefitsGrowth in high-rise buildings drives demand for central managed systems and reliability

The proliferation of high-rise build-ings across the Middle East is driving demand for sophisticated emergency lighting systems. According to a Frost & Sullivan white paper, there are likely to be 269 high-rise buildings completed in the GCC in 2015 alone. “There is an increase demand for sophisticated emer-gency lighting systems that is driven by the number of high-rise buildings in the region,” says Eaton’s MENA regional sales director, Qasem Noureddin.

High-rise contractors and owners are looking for systems where low cost of ownership, ease of installation and reli-ability are paramount. In an effort to address some of these needs, Eaton has designed its emergency lighting system with a centralised battery system, com-plete with a ten year lifespan.

“In the GCC, where [other] batteries only last two years, having a central bat-tery makes a lot more sense, especially when compared with self-contained unit,” explains Noureddin.

The shift to LED lighting and a grow-ing awareness of sustainability issues has also focused contractor and build-ing owners’ attention on long term cost of ownership issues. “LED lighting is

becoming more accepted and more people are talking about sustainability,” says Hans van Bekkum, export sales & application manager, emergency lighting solutions, Eaton. “There is still a slight difference in cost [with traditional light-

Strict product certification guidelines from civil defence and, to a lesser degree, the pro-liferation of high-rise building are driving the investment of increasingly sophisticated fire-fighting and safety equipment. “The market is evolving a lot… new legislation is demanding quality products. Any product has to be qual-ity to do its job,” says Al-Khatib. “In the UAE civil defence is very strict on health and safety. There are no grey areas,” he adds.

Although civil defence regulations are guaranteeing the quality of products coming into the market, there is still a large installed base of fire equipment that doesn’t meet the current standards. “Upgrading older build-ings is a big task. There are products that have been installed that I doubt meet today’s quality [standards]… We need the government sector to review this,” he added.

Qasem Noureddin, MENA, regional sales director, (left) and Hans van Bekkum, export sales & application manager, emergency lighting solutions, for Eaton. There is an increasing demand for sophisticated emergency lighting solutions, says, Noureddin.

ing systems] but customers can now see the ROI in the first or second year,” he adds. Eaton also offers a Retrofit Kit to enable building owners to cost effectively upgrade their existing emergency light-ing systems.

INTERSEC REVIEW


Infinova is leveraging its integration capabilities to stay ahead of its rivals in the fiercely competitive CCTV market. The US-vendor prom-ises to integrate its kit with customers’ existing security and building management systems at no extra cost.

“This gives us a flexible and cost effective approach to the market,” comments Gigu Varghese, regional sales man-

ager, Middle East & Africa, Infinova.

“We’re staying focused on our core products, which [are the] cameras… we’re playing to our strengths. We offer cus-tomers an open platform, with no limitation on the technol-ogy or systems [that we can integrate with],” he adds.

Infinova’a integration story extends to its installed base of analogue CCTV systems

around the region. The vendor recently completed a project where it integrated Kuwait Finance House’s existing ana-logue DVR solutions, with an IP-CCTV solution. “The new IP cameras talk with the old systems,” says Varghese.

The firm’s video manage-ment system (VMS) is the management layer connecting analogue and IP networks together. Infinova also offers a

video content analysis (VCA) module that plugs into the video management platform.

Gigu Varghese, says integration is key.

Samsung Techwin appeared with local partner BASS (Business Automation & Security Systems) at this year’s Intersec show.

Steve Gibb, group public relations manager, Balmoral Group.

Balmoral Group is predicting a surge in sales for its range of firefighting water tanks in 2015, as a number of large projects start to move forward. Alongside its firefighting wa-ter tanks, the company also offers tanks for the desalination, district cooling, grey water and waste water systems.

“There is real potential in the market here. We have been involved in discussing a lot of projects and some of these are starting to move forward… we’re seeing the orders come in,” comments Steve Gibb, group pub-lic relations manager, Balmoral Group.

Balmoral Group, which recently partici-pated at Intersec, offers a range of modular tank designs, which are shipped in from the UK and then assembled in the Middle East. The group’s tanks all conform with Euro-pean and Middle East certification. “There are cheaper products with conflicting stan-dards,” says Gibb. “We tend to be specified in the high end projects,” he adds.

Balmoral shows firefighting tanks

Samsung Techwin partners with BASS at Intersec 2015

Infinova relies on integration capabilities

Samsung Techwin, appearing with its lo-cal partner BASS (Business Automation & Security Systems), has been touting the flexibility of its CCTV solutions at Intersec. The Korean vendor’s technology platform offers contractors and clients the ability to either take an end to end integrated prod-uct, or else plug third party systems into its CCTV platform. “We allow both options; customers can take our fully integrated of-fering, or they can plug other components into our platform. That is a key selling point for us,” explains Fakhri Limdiwala, busi-ness development manager, security solu-tion division, Samsung Techwin.

The duel effect of a migration towards IP-based networks and the commoditisation of camera technology has created a very ag-gressive price-competitive market, with high end vendors increasingly emphasising systems integration and specialist camera and management functionality in an effort to differentiate themselves from cheaper vendors in the marketplace.

“We offer superior low light performance and [wide dynamic range] on our cameras… we offer a lot of free resources with our cam-eras,” says Limdiwala.

“We offer all this and at a very competitive price,” he adds.

Korean giant offers customers flexible CCTV IP platform

US-vendor pushes integration message to stand out from the crowd

Firm predicts growth in 2015


INTERSEC REVIEW

Greater focus on green building regulations and civil defence certification is accelerating adoption of Novec 1230—3M’s advanced fire suppression agent. The chemical agent offers several key benefits over widely used HFC chemical variations, such as a greater margin of human safety, lower ozone and global warming poten-tial and a vastly reduced atmospheric lifetime.

“3M walked away from developing HFC [agents],” says Khaled Saad, ac-count development man-ager, electronics materials

market division, Novec 1230 – sustainable fire technology, 3M.

“Novec 1230 offers a much safer product, and a much better, sustainable profile. [For example,] Novec 1230 atmospheric lifetime is just five days…

with HFC 227a it is 34 years!”

Changes to health and safety laws and soon to be implemented green building regulations are driving adoption of Novec 1230. According to Saad, last year saw Novec 1230 installations in health-care, education, marine and oil and gas sectors in Abu Dhabi, in part due to the improving regulatory atmosphere. “Consultants will help drive [Novec 1230] forward. They are the ones that have to de-liver the more sustainable buildings,” he adds. Mahmood Saleh Awad, MD, Bristol Fire Engineering.

Pradeep Nair, regional sales director, South ME, Pelco.

Bristol Fire Engineering is poised to expand its reach export business in 2015. The UAE-based manufacturer and supplier of firefight-ing and safety equipment already exports 40,000 fire extinguishers per month, to over 70 countries around East Europe, Asia and Africa. “We’re about to start exporting to Ban-gladesh and we’re looking to export to more countries,” says Mahmood Saleh Awad, man-aging director, Bristol Fire Engineering.

To support its expansion plans and improve its customer service, Bristol is on the verge of going live with its in-house developed, enter-prise resource planning (ERP) software. The bespoke software has been in development for two years and is due to be switched on at the end of Q1. “The software should go live in two months,” predicts Awad. “It help us with accounts and improve our customer service… [For instance], it will keep track of batch num-bers, and send us a notification when [prod-ucts] need checking,” he adds.

Alongside its extinguisher business, Bristol also produces a number of fire pumps, doors, cabinets and emergency response vehicles. “We’re suppliers to government and civil de-fence. The government is pushing for very high standards,” explains Awad.

“You have to have quality when it comes to firefighting equipment. It is not something that you buy, then take home and use. It is only used when needed. And then it must work! Civil defence are insisting on high standards to make sure everything works,” he adds.

Bristol expands export business

Pelco’s Video Expert makes regional debut at Intersec

Novec 1230 gains market traction

Pelco by Schneider Electric has unified its Endura and Digital Sentry CCTV security systems under Video Expert, its recently re-leased video management platform. Video Ex-pert, which made its regional debut at Intersec in mid-January, integrates management func-tions of both platforms offering a common look and feel. “Video Expert provides a uni-fied architecture for Endura and Digital Sen-try,” says Pelco’s regional sales director, South Middle East, Pradeep Nair. “Video Expert of-fers users many unique features. We can offer the end to end solution, or [users] can inte-grate with third parties,” he added.

According to Nair, Pelco’s end to end plat-form offers users the best value and support. “If customers take Pelco’s full solution, then there is no licensing fee for Video Expert. [Customers] just buy once and then are guar-anteed performance. We take full responsibil-ity for the system; we take ownership.”

Pelco’s support capability is a vital differ-entiator in the cutthroat CCTV market. With IP-enabled security systems becoming the norm, and camera technology becoming com-moditised, support services is “the only way to differentiate,” comments Nair.

Pelco relies on full support story to distinguish it from rivals

Green building laws accelerates adoption of suppression agent

Fire engineering firm installs ERP to improve customer service

Pelco offers support on everything from po-tential systems design, technical consultants and onsite support. The company has also in-vested in a Middle East training centre for its systems integrators.

Khaled Saad, 3M

FOR LIFEA design

In a region driven more by aesthetics than function, MEP is all too often relegated to the back seat – however, a change could be

in the air, says Zoe Rawlins


HVAC DESIGN


HVAC DESIGN

With its broad spectrum of building types and standards, construction in the Middle East is a diverse and fast-paced industry. Nonetheless, the region’s overall

market is still maturing – and maturing at different rates – which mean developers, owners, occupiers, consultants and contractors often having different ideas, approaches and priorities to building requirements.

While this relative inexperience can allow for greater creativity compared to the more established markets, it does leave a segment of the market focusing more on the visual, superficial aspects at the expense of integrat-ing MEP design.

“Just like a building needs its structure to stand up, a building needs its MEP for it to function as a space for people to occupy,” says Cara Tissandier, associate at Hoare Lea.

From the perspective of MEP engineers and consultancies, the thought process behind a project’s servicing requirements can never be started too early; indeed many amongst them would argue that MEP engineers should be sat at the table along with the architects and client during the pre-concept stage.

“Consideration of the plant and distribution strategy at the outset of a project will result in a building that meets the client’s operational and architectural aspirations, but is functional and efficient,” explains Nic Byczynski, associ-

ate technical director (mechanical), Hyder Consulting Middle East.

By treating a building as fully integrated design encompassing the inputs of all consult-ants on an equal footing, the project team can focus on and achieve the clients’ key drivers, whether they are cost-driven, sustainability-related or simply to produce an iconic piece of architecture.

“It allows systems to be developed which are accessible and maintainable through the life of the project. This will be beneficial both on site and during the life of the building - which will ultimately be to the client’s benefit as energy usage will be reduced by having a well- maintained system,” adds Byczynski.

Rregulations introduced in recent years across the region (such as Estidama in Abu Dhabi, Dubai Municipality’s green regulations and Qatar’s QCS) in conjunction with LEED rating systems, are helping to educate the market – and in some instances force designers to consider integrating design inputs including MEP at the early stages of building design.

As these new regulations take hold, en-gineering input will inevitably be paid more attention at the outset of the design process.

However, as Iain MacDougall, technical director at Black & White Engineering points out, “the current integration of MEP into the process could be improved upon.”

The Gulf’s soaring summer temperatures mean the HVAC industry plays a crucial role in the construction sector; proper integration

HVAC DESIGN


of HVAC systems in turn have a huge impact on the system’s design, capacity and performance. By taking an integrated design approach, HVAC control can be linked to elements of the building’s function. This could be complex, for example an active façade; or simple, like set back temperature and lighting in unoccupied areas.

This approach ensures that it is designed to operate in an efficient way whilst ensuring the comfort of the building’s users. “Engagement of the engineer early in the process is key,” maintains Byczynski. “As we move through the design process it becomes harder and harder to make substantive energy savings.”

Failure to fully integrate HVAC with architecture and structure is likely to mean missed opportunities to influence how the overall building performs and operates. Consideration given to integrated HVAC design solutions at early concept stages will ultimately lead to cost savings on the project as a whole. “Something as simple as considering the sun path at a site and therefore the optimum orientation of a project at the earli-est stages can have a large impact on the required capacity and running costs of the cooling systems - but often these decisions are made before the engineer is invited to have his input,” adds Byczynski.

Hoare Lea’s Abu Dhabi director, Ian Gow, believes one reason for this is because the construction industry as a whole – not necessarily Gulf-specific - has been slow off the mark compared to other industries when it comes to an integrated design approach.

“An appropriate design programme is one of the key considerations. There are many cases in this region where there has not been sufficient time within the design period to allow for a fully integrated design ap-proach,” he says.

One example of a regionally-specific issue is the cost of utilities, ac-cording to Gow: “While utilities are subsidised there is little driver to operate buildings efficiently to reduce energy and water consumption.”

Moreover, Byczynski from Hyder suggests the adoption of new technol-ogy in the region has not been as rapid as elsewhere, with some nervous-ness towards the use of new approaches and ideas which, although well proven in the industry, have a limited track record locally.

“This applies as much to design approaches as to equipment selec-tion,” he notes. “For example, building physics i.e. the use of 3D thermal modelling software such as IES or TAS, or CFD [computational fluid dynamics] tools such as Fluent, is not used enough on regional projects.

“Its use would allow for the optimisation of the MEP design and help to reduce over-sizing, which is common in Middle East cooling designs.”

He believes these powerful tools should, as a matter of course, allow engineers to focus in on particularly complex elements of projects.

“They would enable careful consideration of cooling loads, system selection and air distribution as a better understanding of the basic sci-ence behind the loads in buildings, and would also help engineers make better decisions and hopefully get away from making selections on a w/m2 basis,” adds Byczynski.

The software would also allow for rapid assessments of engineering options with outputs in a clear graphical format to be fed back to the de-sign team, such as the ability to analyse the impact of shading elements on the cooling loads, whilst also seeing how it impacts on the level of natural daylight in a given space.

According to Byczynski, Dubai local authorities, along with many district cooling providers, specify that calculations sent to them are based on a particular piece of software, which can mean that work often has to be repeated if calculations are produced in an alternative package.

“Often, for the sake of speed, this software is the engineers’ first and only port of call for calculations, despite its limitations when compared to some of the other packages available. It would be great to see more flexibility being given to the designer to use whatever tools are necessary to ensure that the design submitted is as good as it can be,” he says.

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HVAC DESIGN

Byczynski: MEP engineers need to be involved from the beginning of the design process.

Gow: Low utility charges are one reason building design is neglected in the region.

When integrating HVAC at the outset to maximise energy efficiency, MacDougall from Black & White lists space and volume, along with ac-curate thermal modelling, as two of the main considerations.

“The correct provision of space and volume allows the physical integra-tion of services; the more efficient the building is in terms of space and volume, the better potential it has for being efficient in terms of energy. The accurate modelling of the thermal performance of that building al-lows the services to be sized correctly in the first place.”

In his opinion, oversizing HVAC is a common mistake which is cost-ing developers in the region a lot of money, which otherwise could be channelled into providing higher quality and more efficient HVAC plant.

When a developer employs competent consultants, each discipline - including MEP - defines the importance of their specific service, and in this way each member of the design team understands the relative importance of HVAC as described by the MEP consultant.

This multi-channel conversation between professionals who mutually respect one other’s judgement is of paramount importance when integrat-ing HVAC to achieve optimum sustainability.

“It requires collaboration with all the design team including key stakeholders i.e. client, facilities management and future occupiers, from concept to completion,” says Gow.

He adds it is also important that appropriate decision-making protocols are established and there is appropriate time allowed within the programme for a series of design workshops to develop and test various solutions.

“The procurement route is also a consideration. It is not always the case, but lead consultant appointments may lead to less equality within the team. In other regions, it is more common to have all lead consultants (architects, MEP, structure, cost etc.) to be direct appointments to the client or through a project manager,” he explains.

“This strategy lends itself to a better synergy within the design team increasing creative thinking, which leads to better and more integrated design solutions,” adds Gow.

At Black & White Engineering, MacDougall says it is common prac-tice to deal with design teams spread across the globe; for at least four projects, design team conference calls take in three continents at the same time spanning the Far East to North America.

“Our local expertise alone would not allow us to deliver successful projects in the Middle East. Instead, we disseminate this knowledge with offices in the Far East and Europe in order to provide the highest quality results,” he adds.

The extensive use of glass within the Gulf’s modern commercial buildings certainly leads to some iconic designs, yet it demands some advanced solutions to reduce energy requirement levels inside. Huge glass atriums, for example, are very expensive to cool thanks to solar radiation.

“It is true that there remains a tendency for ‘glass box’ designs which is perhaps not the most appropriate solution in the region, but ultimately we must service our clients,” maintains Byczynski.

And if indeed there is a demand for this kind of design, Byczynski says it is up to the engineer to design the most efficient ‘glass box’ possible: “We must look to use all of our tools to limit the loads and costs while maximising occupant comfort. This brings us back to the use of thermal modelling software, application of the correct systems and technology, and, finally, ensuring the system is commissioned and the controls are set up and implemented to make sure that the design intent is realised,” he says.

With clever MEP design and a holistic approach to the building’s energy use, there is no need to put an end to the glass atriums; they just need to be considered in conjunction with the rest of the building and the environment. Gow highlights the example of an atrium that is designed so it can drift to a higher temperature in peak times: “An atrium that has a 22 degree set point is not so easy to achieve with the new energy codes – it’s all about working together as a design team and with the client to arrive at the best design solution.”

The readiness of the market to aspire to a higher standard of design is encouraging, however it looks as though the top tier of MEP engineers and consultancies still believe they have more to offer than is commonly utilised at present within the region, especially as far as HVAC is concerned.

“To ensure that clients and architects are able to develop the design they had originally envisaged it is vital that HVAC design is continually pushed up the agenda and considered as part of the vision,” says Tissandier.

“If buildings were designed by MEP engineers they would probably be very ugly and boring, but at least they would be comfortable and energy efficient,” she adds.

Tissandier: A building needs MEP in order to function as a space for people to live in.

PROJECT FOCUS


WANT TO UPDATE YOUR PROJECT’S PROGRESS OR HAVE IT INCLUDED HERE? Email: [email protected]

ON THE JOBMEP Middle East, in association with Ventures Middle East, provides market intelligence on some of the ongoing projects around the region

AL AREEN TOWER COPLEX Location: KuwaitClient: Kuwait Finance House/Kuwait Al-Aeen Real EstateConsultant: Dar Al Awadhi Eng’g. ConsultantsMain Contractor: Mohamed Ali

Habib Gen. Trading and Cont.MEP Contractor: Kuwait Al-Aeen Real Estate Co.Value: $251m - $500mProject status: Project under constructionProject Type: Commercial Buildings

Location: Mucat, OmanClient: Ministry of Tourism/Omran OfficeConsultant: RMJM/WATGMain Contractor: Carillion Alawi

MEP Contractor: Bahwan Engineering Company (BEC)Value: $201mProject status: Project under construction designProject Type: Mixed-use

OMRAN CONVENTION & EXHIBITION CENTRE - PHASE 1 PAC AGE 2

Location: Sabah Al Salem University Campus, KuwaitClient: Kuwait UniversityConsultant: Gulf Consult/Cambridge 7 Associates Main Contractor: China Metallurgical/Khalid Ali Al Kharafi

& Bros MEP Contractor: Bader Al Mulla & Brothers CompanyValue: $490mProject status: Project under constructionProject Type: Educational Facilities

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING & PETROLEUM

SUPREME COURT

Location: Ghubrah, OmanClient: Ministry of Justice Consultant: Consulting Engineering ServicesMain Contractor: W.J. Towell ConstructionMEP Contractor: Al Ansari Trading Enterprises Value: $31m - $100mProject status: Project under constructionProject Type: Commercial buildings

QIB 4 STAR HOTELLocation: QatarClient: Qatar Islamic BankConsultant: M. Z. & Partners Main Contractor: Shannon EngineeringMEP Contractor: Shannon EngineeringValue: $31m - $100mProject status: Project under constructionProject Type: Hotel

AL MARINA TWIN TOWERS

Location: QatarClient: Sheikh Mansour Bin Jabr Jassim Al ThaniConsultant: Esquare Architects & DesignersMain Contractor: Red Line ContractingMEP Contractor: Al Safa ProjectsValue: $101m - $250mProject status: Project under construction Project Type: Commercial Buildings

500,000 HOUSING UNITSPHASE 1 - TAYMAA

Location: Across Saudi ArabiaClient: Ministry of Housing Consultant: Dar Al Riyadh Engg./Parsons Int’lMain Contractor: Saudi Arabian Trading & Construction Co.MEP Contractor: Saudi Arabian Trading & Construction Co. Ltd.

50 VILLAS IN AL JURF

Location: Al Jurf, UAEClient: Department of Private PropertyConsultant: Continental Engineering Consultants Main Contractor: Prestige ConstructionsMEP Contractor: Pepco Engineering CompanyValue: $14mProject status: Project under construction Project Type: Residential Development

BRIGHT START HOTEL

Location: Business Bay, DubaiClient: Bright Start HoldingsConsultant: Erga GroupMain Contractor: Dubai Contracting Company (DCC)MEP Contractor: Al Bonian InternationalValue: $31m - $100mProject status: Project under construction


PROJECT FOCUS


(SATCO) Value: $107mProject status: Project under construction Project Type: Residential Development JABAL OMAR DEVELOPMENT- PHASE 3

Location: Makkah, Saudi Arabia Client: Jabal Omar Development Company/Hilton Hotels Corp.Consultant: Abnia Design/Khatib & AlamiMain Contractor: Arabian Construction Co./Drake & Scull Int’lMEP Contractor: Drake & Scull InternationalValue: $501m – 750m

Project status: Project under constructionProject Type: Hotel

FARSI SEVEN TOWERSLocation: Jeddah, Saudi ArabiaClient: Zaki Farsi GroupConsultant: Godwin Austen JohnsonMain Contractor: Specialised Contracting CompanyMEP Contractor: Specialised Contracting CompanyValue: $134mProject status: Project under constructionProject Type: Mixed Use

TA’ AZEEZ TOWERLocation: Saudi ArabiaClient: Hassan Misfer Al Zahrani/

Location: Doha, QatarClient: Msheireb Properties Consultant: Gensler Main Contractor: Arabtec ConstructionMEP Contractor: Trans Gulf

Int’l Electro MechanicalValue: $630mProject status: Project under constructionProject Type:Mixed Use

MSHEIREB DOWN TOWN DOHA - PHASE 2

Location: Jeddah, Saudi ArabiaClient: Kingdom Holding CompanyConsultant: Hyder Cons./Arup/Langan InternationalMain Contractor: Saudi Binladin Group

MEP Contractor: Arabian Bemco ContractingValue: $1500mProject status: Project under constructionProject Type: Mixed use

KINGDOM TOWER

Location: Doha, QatarClient: Qatar Museum Authority/QPConsultant: Jean NouvelMain Contractor: Hyundai Engineering & Construction

MEP Contractor: BK GulfValue: $434mProject status: Project under constructionProject Type: Recreational Facilities

NEW QATAR NATIONAL MUSEUM

Location: Abu Dhabi, UAEClient: National Investment Corporation (NIC) Consultant: AtkinsMain Contractor: NurolMEP Contractor: AE Arma

Elektropanc Value: $400mProject status: Project under construction Project Type: Residential Development

MARINA SUNSET BAY

Ta’ Azeez Real Estate Dev’tConsultant: Samir Khairallah & Partners (SKP)Main Contractor: Project Build Co. LTD (PBC)MEP Contractor: Project Build Co. LTD (PBC)Value: $101m - $250mProject status: Project under constructionProject Type: Commercial Buildings

MIXED USE BUILDINGLocation: Al Barsha, DubaiClient: Matar Saif Lahej Al HajiriConsultant: Al Majal Engineering ConsultantMain Contractor: Arkan Building Contracting

MEP Contractor: Al Ittihad ElectromechanicalValue: $16m - $30mProject status: Project under construction Project Type: Mixed Use

LE PRESIDIUMLocation: Dubai Silicon Oasis, UAEClient: Credo Investments / Emerex CorporationConsultant: National Engineering Bureau (NEB)Main Contractor: Sun Engineering & ContractingMEP Contractor: TechnowattValue: $16m - $30mProject status: Project under construction Project Type: Residential Buildings

HVAC NEWS


DISTRICT COOLING

Empower will install around 30,000 refrig-eration tonnes (RTs) of district cooling capacity at various Jumeirah Group prop-erties. The project will include retrofits for several properties, including Jumeirah Emirates Towers, Burj Al Arab Jumeirah, Jumeirah Beach Hotel, Emirates Academy of Hospitality Management and Madinat Jumeirah, which includes three hotels, conference facilities, Souk Madinat and a 340-room extension under construction.

“Empower currently serves district cooling to 70 hotels in Dubai and we are delighted to be extending this service to a number of Jumeirah Group’s properties in the city,” said Ahmad Bin Shafar, chief executive officer, Empower. “We hope that our experience and expertise will help Jumeirah Group to improve its already world-class hospitality services to its customers.”

First load delivery is expected in Janu-ary 2015 to Jumeirah Emirates Towers, with subsequent developments expected to come on-stream within the next two years. Retrofitting plans will replace the less efficient chillers currently in place.

Empower’s scope of services includes constructing, supplying, installing, operating, servicing and maintaining the cooling plant constructed at the location.

Empower to convert some Jumeirah properties to DCAround 30,000 refrigeration tonnes will be installed at various hospitality properties around the UAE

Potential for 40% of building cooling capacity to be provided by district cooling by 2030

EVENT

The District Cooling Stakeholders Sum-mit returns to Dubai’s Dusit Thani for its third edition on March 17 and 18.

This year’s summit is set to welcome Dr. Rashed Alshaali, Director of Energy Conservation and Efficiency, Ministry of Energy, UAE; and H.E. Dr. Abdul-lah Al-Shehri, Governor, Electricity & Co-Generation Regulatory Author-ity (ECRA), Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). They will be joined by George

DC Summit set to return to Dubai in March

“By switching over to district cooling technologies, which use significantly less energy compared to conventional cooling systems, we are expecting a considerable saving in the electricity now consumed by our properties,” said Gerald Lawless, Ju-meirah Group President and Group CEO. “Our partnership with Empower reflects an association of two Dubai-based entities that have a track record for world-class services, growth and professionalism.”

“This project is a significant demonstra-tion that district cooling providing energy-saving solutions for all kinds of real estate developments,” continued Bin Shafar. “Empower has the expertise and techno-logical know-how to retrofit a diverse set of buildings in a way that makes sense for the owners. We hope that this project further inspires other real estate develop-ments to switch over to this technology.”

Emirates Central Cooling Systems Corporation (Empower) is a joint venture between Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) and Dubai Technology and Media Free Zone (TECOM) Invest-ments.

production head, utilities at Flem-ing Gulf, the event organiser. “Flem-ing Gulf’s DC events in the GCC have become the quintessential go-to sum-mits for those involved in propagating efficient use of district cooling systems and technologies.”

Dubai’s Demand Side Management Strategy sees district cooling provid-ing 40% of building cooling capacity by 2030, up from 16% in 2011.

Berbari, CEO, DC Pro Engineering; Dr. Ghazi El Sherif, Environmental Expert Quality Safety & Environment Dept, Public Works Authority (Ashghal); and Sultan Al Khuraissi, Director Of Build-ings Department, Royal Commission Of Jubail, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

“A holistic program agenda has been created this year that supports the gov-ernmental strategies being implemented in the region,” said Jason Mendonca,

By switching over to district cooling, we are expecting a considerable saving in the electricity consumed by our properties.“Bin Shafar: Empower already serves 70 hotels in Dubai.


HVAC NEWS


DISTRICT COOLING

National Central Cooling Company (Ta-breed), the Abu Dhabi-based district cooling company, has renewed its district cooling agreement with Aldar Properties. The renewed agreement has a duration of 30 years, and sets the framework for additional connections to future projects.

Tabreed currently has six plants that deliver cooling to some of Aldar’s landmark projects, including Yas Island and the World Trade Centre in Abu Dhabi.

“Over the years, Tabreed’s strategy has focused on partnering with the region’s lead-ing developers and organisations to enable the delivery of reliable cooling services to projects that support the region’s socio-economic development,” said Jasim Husain Thabet, Tabreed’s chief executive officer.

“The strengthening of our partnership with one of the region’s most prominent real estate developers is an endorsement of our commitment to providing a utility service that is environmentally-friendly and helps enable a reduction in energy consumption, thereby contributing to a decrease in our nation’s carbon footprint. We are excited by the future possibilities and collaboration

Tabreed’s strategy has focused on partnering with leading developers and organisations.“

INSULATION

Armacell, a provider of insulation foams for the equipment insulation market, plans to build a manufacturing facility in Bahrain. The new plant, located at the Bahrain International Investment Park (BIIP), will produce elastomeric rubber insulation for the HVAC market in the GCC countries.

The announcement was made during an official German business delegation visit to Bahrain, led by Herbert Jakoby, deputy vice-minister of economic affairs, Ministry of Economics and Trade, North-Rhine, Westphalia, and which included Karl Paetz Lauter, managing director of Armacell International Holding.

Kamal bin Ahmed, minister of transportation and telecommunications and acting CEO of the Bahrain Eco-nomic Development Board (EDB), said: “Armacell joins a number of promi-nent German and other international businesses that are using Bahrain as a manufacturing hub to access the GCC region, one of the world’s great growth centres currently worth $1.6 trillion and expected to reach $2 trillion by 2020. In Bahrain, German businesses will find a sophisticated regulatory environ-ment, excellent transport connections, low costs and competitive taxes, and a highly educated workforce.”

Armacell to make foams in Bahrain

Tabreed extends AUH district cooling contractThirty year contract signed with developer, Aldar Properties

Thabet: Excited by future possibilities.

opportunities this renewed district cooling agreement will present.”

Tabreed has been providing its district cooling services to landmark projects de-veloped by Aldar since 2005. The company also delivers its services to many critical de-velopments across the UAE and GCC, such as the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, Dubai Metro, Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, the Pearl – Qatar and the Jabal Omar Development Project in Mecca. The company recently restructured around AED 2.6 billion of debt facilities. The debts were split into three parts, with maturities in 2018 and 2021.

PRODUCTS


WANT TO FEATURE YOUR PRODUCT HERE? Email: [email protected]

BUYER’S GUIDE

New products come on to the market at a great rate. While many shout about their innovation or competitive pricing, it can be difficult to spot the true merit of a product without the right information. MEP offers a few top tips that are always worth keeping in mind when purchase orders are on the way.

TOP TIPS

1. FOCUSKnow what you are looking for and exactly what you

need it to do

2. RESEARCH Get suppliers to provide

detailed product information based on your

specific requirements

3. PRICE VERSUS...Is price the most important

factor?

4. ...QUALITYOr will quality matter more

in the long run?

5. IS IT NEEDED?Is the product something the project really needs?

Could it be done without or bought at a later stage?

6. SUSTAINABILITYDoes this product need to

be ‘green’?

7. STANDARDSDoes the product need to conform to any specific

standards?

8. SHIPPING Will the product make it to site on time, or is there an

order backlog?

9. LIABILITYHow long will your

company be liable for the product’s performance?

10. SORTEDWill this purchasing

decision sort the job or will it come back to haunt you?

Product focusMEP Middle East reviews the latest gadgets, essential kit and serious product innovations making an impact in the GCC construction market. Let us know if there is something you would like to see on these pages.

GREENHECK MODEL MSEMGreenheck’s programmable energy management motor starter, Model MSEM, can be adapted to the user’s needs. Available for single-phase (up to15 HP) or three-phase (up to 300 HP) commercial or industrial applications, Model MSEM features a Hand/Off/Auto keypad with LCD display to easily adjust settings. Model MSEM offers five different control inputs including two separate auto run inputs, permissive input, Emergency Shutdown and Fireman’s Override; two status outputs; under/over voltage and under/over power protection; and electronic overload for real-time current monitoring for motor protection. For damper control, Model MSEM can be specified for 24VAC or 120VAC damper power to open the damper when the fan is commanded to start. Model MSEM also has a limit switch input to ensure that the fan does not start until the damper is fully opened. Options include ground fault protection and time delays, plus one of four optional boards.

ABLUTION CLEANSING SYSTEMBY BRADLEY CORPORATIONBradley Corporation’s Ablution Cleansing System is designed to dispense a water-conserving and soothing flow of water that is ideal for the hand and foot washing process. Engineered to be extremely efficient, durable and customizable, the system utilises a softer and gentler 1.9 litres per minute water flow, which aims to ensure the precise amount of water is dispensed, while conserving water and energy. Designed specifically for hand and foot cleansing in public facilities, the system attempts to eliminate the splashing of residual water, helping to keep the user’s garments from getting wet. Custom-built to room dimensions, Bradley’s Ablution Cleansing System is available with two activation types, including

a standard compression valve that allows the user to manually turn the system on and off, or a push-button valve that automatically deactivates the flow of water after 45 seconds. Automatic flow cycle is adjustable from 5 to 40 seconds, and light pressure of 4 lb. (1/8 kg) activates water flow.

VITOSOL 200-T, SP2A FROM VIESSMANNThe Vitosol 200-T, SP2A is billed as a highly efficient heat pipe vacuum tube collector at a mid-level price.The SP2A includes a double-pass manifold for maximum heat transfer and is available in 12 or 24 tube models.Viessmann says its quick connection system makes installation easy and profitable, and with multiple mounting options,including laid flat and wall mount, it is a key component in a high quality Viessmann solar water heating package.


PRODUCTS


E-VISIO FROM VIESSMANNViessmann introduces a new multideck innovation for the sale of chilled food – e-Visio. When high display volume is needed in a small floor footprint, e-Visio offers a solution. The product combines two remote multidecks into one compact cabinet. The two-sided structure optimises the usage of the store floor space. Compared to a traditional set-up with two multidecks installed back to back, e-Visio saves 30% of the floor space needed. The optimised floor space enables wider aisles. On the other hand, e-Visio makes wider assortments and bigger volume possible in the same floor space. e-Visio claims to offer its users optimised usage of the floor space; maximum product visibility; more options for store layout planning; and 50 % faster installation.

NORA DIAMOND II 90+ LED RETROFIT LIGHTS Designed for both commercial and residential installations, Nora’s high-CRI, high-lumen fixtures (NLEDC and NLEDR Series) have medium-base sockets that are as easy to install as screwing in a lamp – no tools are required. By installing fixtures with higher lumens, fewer units need to be installed to achieve desired foot-candle levels, which can be an advantage in high ceilings. The higher 90+ CRI (color rendition index) also allows the LED fixtures to more realistically reveal colours similar to a natural light source. Diamond II 90+ downlights can be used in all retrofits and renovations, as well as new construction. Units are cULus listed for damp or wet locations and UL classified for use in IC or non-IC housings by Nora and others.

MONOLYTH BY ENTIAMonolyth is billed as a device that makes your window and wall air conditioning units smart. The product is controlled via WiFi on iOS and Android applications, allowing adjustment or control of air conditioning through an internet connection, phone or tablet. Monolyth controls air conditioning units by using IR emitters. The mobile app offers complete control over air conditioning irrespective of location, enabling change of settings, set up of schedules, and configuration of push notifications. The app also considers current weather conditions and multiple Monolyth devices can be managed in multiple locations. Historical tracking of indoor temperature, humidity levels, air pressure, noise and air quality/VOC (volatile organic compounds) levels is also possible.

BIM DemystifiedBy Steve Race

BIM Demystified is a short, practical introduction to

Building Information Modelling (BIM). Addressing BIM from the point of

view of mainstream practice as opposed

to a cutting-edge technological

perspective, it offers an easy-going yet

thorough explanation of the subject.

TAKE A LOOK

BIM in Small-Scale Sustainable

DesignBy Francois Levy

This work is the leading guide

to architectural design within a

building information modelling (BIM)

workflow, giving the practitioner a clear procedure when

designing climate-load dominated

buildings. The book incorporates new

information related to BIM, integrated

practice, and sustainable design, as well information on how designers

can incorporate the latest technological

tools available.

WATTS ONE FLOW: THE INTELLIGENT SCALE SOLUTION

OneFlow offers building owners, property managers and facility engineers now have a better, environmentally friendly and virtually maintenance free solution to fight scale. OneFlow prevents scale by transforming dissolved hardness minerals into harmless, inactive microscopic crystal particles. These particles make their way through plumbing systems without latching on to pipes, fixtures, valves or heating elements. Scientifically tested and certified for performance, OneFlow provides scale control results backed by years of successful field applications.

PRODUCTS


MOBILE TECH

Mobile devices are becoming a ubiquitous tool in many industries.

MEP takes a look at some of the latest

mobile applications that may help to make an

engineer’s working life a little bit easier

7 TOP APPS

1. ENGINEERING CALC

This Agilent Technologies app is pitched at engineers and students who need a

reference tool for electrical and RF engineering.

2. CIVIL ENGINEERING FORMULATOR

Multieducator’s engineering app collects together 100 important formulas for engineers.

3. UNIT CONVERTER PRO

Concrete Software’s massive conversion tool

helps sort all those mixed measures.

4. AIR PRESSURE Gas Liquids Engineering

has created an app to calculate height above sea level based on air pressure

measures.

5. POWERONE SCIENTIFIC

CALCULATORPowerOne combines an algebraic and RPN

calculator with spreadsheet templates.

6. OHM’S LAW A quick and simple Ohm’s

Law calculator from Christopher Pflepsen.

7. MECHANICAL ENGINEER

Another app from Multieducator that collects together more than 300 important mechanical engineering formulas.

DRI FD40 DEHUMIDIFIERAndrew Sykes Climate Rental has introduced the Fast Dri FD40 Dehumidifier to the Middle East market. The company says that the dehumidifier is a versatile dryer that will reduce humidity in any environment, even at low temperatures. The GRP cover has been chosen to keep the equipment stylish to fit any environment, yet very strong and durable for industrial and commercial usage. The light weight and the two-wheeled trolley enable it to move easily from place to place and also allows easy loading for transportation. It is capable of drying an area of 940m³, and its dual voltage operation allows it to be used with 240 volt domestic power supply or with 110 volt industrial and construction power supply.

ABB SACE EMAX 2 CIRCUIT BREAKERABB’s SACE Emax 2 is a new series of low voltage air circuit-breakers up to 6300 amps. The manufacturer says it has the ability to efficiently and simply control electrical installations – from the traditional to the more complex – with minimum impact, representing the evolution of a circuit-breaker into a power manager. Emax 2 not only provides a complete new generation of trip units but also the most compact footprint ever seen in the LV distribution world. Inside this optimised envelope, ABB SACE creates new solutions for its panel builder customers. ABB says it can also simplify every part of a project and provide a compact, flexible and safe product for any need. Emax 2 provides a set of functions so complete and advanced that it rivals those of medium voltage relays; the difference being that all wirings and software are embedded inside the breaker.

VICTAULIC VICFLEX FOR COLD STORAGE APPLICATIONSThe Victaulic VicFlex Style AB6 Bracket for cold storage applications claims to reduce hands-on installation time by as much as 75%. Part of the VicFlex range of flexible drops and patented fitting brackets, it is designed to install more easily than traditional rigid piping systems while delivering more durable performance. VicFlex offers a convenient and safe solution, fewer man-hours for installation, cost-effective maintenance and retrofit applications, and lower shipping costs with a more compact form. In addition, the bracket aims to eliminate condensation, making it a safer option for cold storage applications.

It is also designed to combat differential movement between ceilings which, in the event of any settling of a building or seismic activity, allows the external structure and the freezer box inside the structure to move in different directions. With hard pipe, the seal and positioning of the sprinkler can be compromised during these times. However, when using flexible systems like VicFlex, the sprinkler should move with the activity and adjust accordingly.

GEBERIT WALL DRAINDesigned for solid or drywall constructions of up to 8cm, Geberit wall-drains for showers can be easily integrated into a sanitary wall and connected to the existing discharge pipes. The installation elements come ready to install, offering a reduction in the amount of installation work required and a guarantee of a tight, long-lasting connection. Available in two versions for build-up heights of 65mm and above or 90mm and above, the wall drain features an integrated hair trap which can be removed and washed out in no time at all. The removable front cover is available in stainless steel brushed, tiled, bright

chrome-plated or white alpine versions. Installing an additional collector profile directly in front of the wall drain allows dirt and deposits to collect somewhere that is easy to access, so they can be simply wiped away.


PRODUCTS


SUPERSTEEL KITCHEN FAUCETS BY GROHESuperSteel is designed not only to excel in terms of its appearance, its surface hardness is three times higher than that of chrome and the coating is even ten times more scratch-resistant. SuperSteel also aims to be very forgiving as far as unsightly fingerprints and water splashes are concerned. To achieve this Grohe employs PVD (physical vapour deposition) surface technology. The faucets first receive a matt chrome finish before they are brushed and

given their SuperSteel finish using a high-tech PVD process. As a result, these faucets are much more resistant than conventional chrome surfaces, impervious to corrosion and easy to clean. Grohe offers SuperSteel kitchen faucets across all price segments and in a variety of styles including the Grohe Blue water system, the classic Minta faucet, the sensor-operated Minta Touch hybrid faucet or the K7 for private kitchens. Modern faucet lines such as Essence, Concetto and the medium-height Eurosmart Cosmo are also available in SuperSteel, as are matching accessories such as soap and dishwashing liquid dispensers from Grohe.

TECTO COLDROOMS BY VIESSMANNWith the Viessmann refrigeration technology product range, almost any application or industrial sector has technically advanced and high-quality solutions at its disposal. From food production, the catering industry, the hotel industry the shipping industry, and through to the medical and pharmaceutical industry, Viessmann has adapted its technology to suit. This includes coldrooms and deep-freezing rooms in TECTO Standard, TECTO Special or in individual custom-built design. For its wide product range with all the corresponding system components, Viessmann says it uses exclusively

high-quality materials and works with advanced processing systems, such as the unique, antimicrobial SilverProtec powder coating, which the company says redefines the standard of hygiene in the refrigeration technology sector.

7 QUESTIONS TO ASK

1. If my order quantities increase, will I receive a better

price?

2. When will the order be delivered

to site?

3. Has the product been used or tested

in the GCC?

4. What guarantees are in place for the

product?

5. What after-sales support is available?

6. Will we recieve any installation

advice or assistance?

7. Can the product be customised to suit our specific requirements?

TAKE A LOOK

Bim a Lean Tool?: Use of Lean and Building Information Modeling

(BIM) in the Construction Process; Does BIM make

it Leaner?By Geetanjali NingappaA relatively new tool that is

increasingly getting popular is BIM, which has been playing

a major role in reducing construction waste. More and more companies are adopting BIM as an acceptable waste reduction tool. The question is “is BIM a tool for leaner

construction?”

VALSIR SILERE AND TRIPLUS PIPESAND FITTINGSWhen a waste system is in use, noises are generated by the fall of the liquid being discharged inside the pipelines. Most of the noise generated spreads inside the pipe and is known as airborne noise, but the vibrations that are generated are transmitted from the walls of the pipe to the surrounding area and to the building structure – known as structure borne noise. To minimise noise

levels in waste and drainage systems, not only should the system be properly designed and the waste circuit be mounted correctly, but it is also important to choose a system with an elevated soundproofing performance. Valsir’s Silere and Triplus pipes and fittings meet each of these demands and are designed to offer excellent soundproofing performance, speed and extreme ease of installation, as well as high impact resistance for long durations in critical conditions.

PEXAL BY VALSIRPexal is composed of multilayer pipes and different types of fittings that are chosen according to the installation technique. There are various applications: from the distribution of hot and cold water to centralised water supply systems; from radiator and fan-heating systems to radiant floor, wall and ceiling heating and cooling systems; from compressed-air systems to industrial plants. The

Pexal multilayer system adds the qualities of cross-linked polyethylene PE-Xb to those of aluminum: cross-linked polyethylene guarantees excellent mechanical, chemical and physical properties, while the aluminum pipe improves mechanical resistance, introducing flexibility and pliancy. These characteristics are fundamental to simple and fast installation operations. The Pexal system is manufactured in compliance with European Standard EN ISO 21003 and its characteristics of reliability and quality are guaranteed by the most severe certification bodies. The wide range of pipes and fittings aim to provide a solution to any necessity the designer may have. The fittings are available both in metal and in technopolymer to cover different system applications. The Pexal pipe is available in 14 to 90 mm diameters.

THE LAST WORD


THE LAST WORD

I think this is the first time we have had a client who has taken the contractor’s input so seriously and who has valued our commitment and hard work. So there has been some slippage but we have commit-ted ourselves and we have made sure that we caught up.

It ’s progressing very quickly now, we’re again ahead of schedule and this is what we are striving to achieve. There is now more focus on the MEP.

It’s easy to achieve a good pro-gramme in structural work but in many projects, the difficulties begin with the CID (commercial interior design) and MEP packag-es. That is where issues can arise between the shop drawings and the approvals.

I think we should be able to catch up [with the MEP programme]. It’s been 1-2 months behind, but now is the best season for contractors

working on site. We very confident. So far, so good. The subcontrac-tors have been very co-operative.

MEP: Who are the subcontrac-tors on the project?The MEP works are done by China State, the interior design consul-tancy work has been carried out by AIG and the aluminium facades by Al Areen.

MEP: It must help that you’re an investor in this project as well (CSCEC has bought a significant minority stake in Palm Viceroy, as well as invest-ing in a subsequent project in Jumeirah Village Circle known as Suites in the Skai)?It does, because it means we are all agreed on our targets. We all want to finish the project to a high stan-dard and within the timeframe. It is the only goal we all have.

MEP Middle East speaks to Yu Tao, Middle East chief executive of China State Construction Engineering Co.

MEP: One of your most high-profile current projects is the $1bn Palm Viceroy Hotel for Skai Holdings. Can you tell us how it’s going?The project started one and-a-half years ago.

We’ll finish the structure by the end of January 2015.

We’re more than six months ahead of schedule. I don’t think that is something that I ever achieved as a project manager.

I really have to give credit to the project manager and to Nabil Akiki (CEO of Skai Holdings’ real estate division).

This is what you find when you have a capable client with such good construction knowledge and an understanding of the process. So we’re completing the structure now, and then we’re going to con-centrate on the MEP.

Kabir (Mulchandani, Skai Hold-

ings’ group CEO) is keen to keep pushing the project forwards and he and his team are regularly on site to check that work is being delivered to the quality standards they expect and to the development programme.

MEP: Has it stayed on track all of the way through?Last summer during Ramadan was a very difficult period. The temperatures were very high and we had a lot of Muslim workers on site who were fasting. So their work hours had to be restricted, which for the overall programme was not so good.

But the key thing is the team-work. We appreciate the commit-ment from Kabir, Nabil and the Skai team. They can make fast decisions and look to simplify complicated measures. They’ve helped a lot.

Tao: Skai project structure set for completion by end

of January.

We’re completing the structure now, and then we’re going to concentrate on the MEP.“

THE LIMITSkai’s

In many projects, the difficulties begin with the CID (commercial interior design) and MEP packages.“

PROJECT UPDATES, CONTRACT AND TENDER INFORMATION, NETWORKING

MONDAY 25TH MAY 2015GRAND HYATT DOHA, QATAR

Dr. Ahmed AlaaRegional Vice Chair,

ASHRAE

Matthew KitsonRegional Director,

Hilson Moran

Bill JollyDirector of MEP and

Sustainability, Ramboll

George KenichGeneral Manager MEP, Al Futtaim Engineering

Ali Al SuwaidiVice President,

Idama

FOR SPONSORSHIP ENQUIRIES: FOR OTHER ENQUIRIES:

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