cw issue 262

March 7 - 13, 2009 | ISSUE 262www.constructionweekonline.com

WEEKLY NEWS, FEATURES, TENDERS AND JOBS FOR THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY IN THE MIDDLE EAST

SAUDI ARABIAKing Abdulla Economic City signs six agreements in bid to finish on time

START LENDINGBanks have been called to relax their lending criteria to boost construction

FACE TO FACE 14 | PROJECT UPDATE 16 | BUSINESS LEADS 38 | CLASSIFIED 45 | ON-SITE TALK 48

We get on site at Abu Dhabi’s Yas Island F1 theme park that is scheduled to be completed

OBSTACLERACE

CONTENTS

www.constructionweekonline.com

2 COMMENT & LETTERS4 REGIONAL NEWS12 WHAT’S ONLINE16 PROJECT UPDATE

Features Editor Shikha Mishra visits Yas Island, dubbed as the ultimate tourist attraction in the UAE, to fi nd out what progress is being made.

26 PRODUCT REPORTAssistant Editor Fida Slayman reports on how construction companies can improve their health and safety initiatives and in turn decrease the number of accidents and fatalities on site.

38 BUSINESS LEADS43 PROJECT FOCUS64 ON-SITE TALK

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March 7 - 13, 2009 1

48

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ISSUE 262, March 7 - 13, 2009

EDITOR’S COMMENT

www.constructionweekonline.com2 March 7 - 13, 2009

It’s been pretty stormy in the region over the past few months. But the sand storms have been the least of my worries.

But, with every dusty day we come closer to the promise of a clear and sunny one. And judging by what transpired at last week’s Abu Dhabi Economic Forum, that day doesn’t seem too far off.

The undersecretary of the Abu Dhabi Department of Planning and Economy Mohammed Abdullah said that the local economy would see itself through the next year with the UAE Government spending on local infrastructure projects, along with its recent move to inject more funds into the emirates’ banks.

A display of such confi dence can only be shown if a larger safety net already spans the economy. In any case this brings relief to the region’s construction industry, which has seen many building projects put on hold or cancelled.

Sultan Al Mansouri, the UAE minister of economy, went a step further and was reported as saying that he didn’t think the UAE would fall into recession at all.

He predicted a stable economy for at least “nine months” from now, but did say that there would be a slowdown as the UAE was not immune to global forces.

Last month the Dubai Government pumped US $20 billion into the economy and the Real Estate

Regulatory Agency said developers in the emirate have access to up to $2.2 billion from escrow accounts to cover construction commitments.

In addition to this encouraging news, neighbouring Saudi Arabia should be happy with a report released last week from Bank of America Securities-Merrill Lynch claiming that the Kingdom’s economy will be “minimally” affected by the global turmoil this year and will be back on track in 2010.

The report went on to say that the kingdom’s GDP will shrink by 0.2% in 2009, but will be relatively unaffected due to its savings, lack of reliance on foreign trade and diversifi ed economy with construction leading the way. Saudi Arabia’s GDP is expected to bounce back by 2.8% in 2010.

The report said it has saved 76% of the oil revenues between 2002 and 2008, with its public debt falling from over 100% of GDP in the 1990s to a mere 13.5% in 2008.

Saudi Arabia is the largest construction market in the Gulf, with US $400 billion worth of projects planned or under way.

Summer could be here quicker than we think.

Conrad Egbert, editor E-mail: [email protected]

TALKBACK Send your comments to [email protected]

Construction Week: Worldwide Circulation Statement Average Qualified Circulation12,625 (Jan-June 2008)

RE: Cirrus throws a line at Aquarius Gate investorsWhat a load of rubbish! The only line Cirrus have thrown to investors is a 30 day notice for the 3rd payment of 10%, which takes investor payments up to 30%, or the investor will have there property taken back off them. Further, Cir-rus has not started any construction on the project.Nishchint

RE: Fast-TrackedI am sure Drake & Scull will successfully complete this project (Centro and Rotana Hotels, Yas Island) in time since they’ve got the experience, manpower and technology.Johncy

RE: Abu Dhabi public transport plan revealedThis small personal rapid transit system makes no sense!

You should offer electric scooters for public use instead. When you want to change the world, then you should in-stall a prt system that covers all public transport needs. But at the moment I don’t believe that there is any sys-tem that has solved all topics concerning safety and traf-fic organisation.Christian

RE: Steel SupplementI was delighted to see that the steel industry was covered last week in such detail. I work for the sector myself and feel that it does not get enough coverage especially when it is such an important part of the construction process.Erica Wallis

Letters may be edited for clarity or length

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REGIONAL NEWS


BY JAMIE STEWART

Dubai-based master develop-er Limitless will begin rolling out further construction con-tracts within its Downtown Jebel Ali (DJA) development from the fourth quarter of this year, project director Salah Ameen has said.

The firm will invite tenders in the third quarter of this year for construction of the first of four central plaza buildings within the mega-project.

A three-month period of review and negotiation will take place, with an award expected by the fourth quarter.

Contracts for the subsequent three central plaza buildings will be rolled out with approxi-mate two-year intervals between each.

The value of the contracts is yet to be determined, due to the current unpredictability of the

Limitless to invite DJA tenders in Q3

Bids for construction of the first of the four central plaza buildings will be invited in the third quarter of this year.

market. “We had some estimated values,” Ameen said. “But the sit-uation means we have to do fur-ther reviews.”

Ameen also added that Lim-itless intends to aim for Silver Leed status across the master-development, meaning its sub-developers and contractors must be prepared to meet the same target.

It was also revealed that six international firms are in the run-ning for the design and build contract to provide the DJA “peo-ple mover.”

All bids and proposals are expected to come in by mid-March and undergo a similar two- to three-month review peri-od before an award is made in June.

“We have not yet selected the system, but within the scope, we have indicated that we need something that is environmental-ly friendly and restricts the noise

levels associated with transport,” Ameen said. “We want an elegant system of moving people around. This may mean small shuttles, it may mean small train cars, and it may even mean a system of driv-erless mini-buses.

“We are expecting the firms in the running to come back to us with ideas that may be new, or they may have been implement-ed somewhere else.”

Ameen did not disclose which firms are involved in the bidding. “They are international, and spe-cialists within this particular field,” he said.

DJA covers an 11km x 300m strip parallel to Sheikh Zayed Road, opposite the Jebel Ali Free Zone.

It will be split into four zones, each of which will be serviced by a Dubai Metro station. Limitless is constructing three of the four stations in conjunction with the RTA and its partners.

Worker impaled by reinforcement

BY BENJAMIN MILLINGTON

An Indian construction worker was killed in Bahrain last week after falling more than 12 floors and being impaled on steel reinforce-ment, according to the Labour Ministry.

The man was working as a sub-contractor for Al Hamad Con-struction on the US $600 million (BHD245 million) Villamar Tow-ers project, which is under con-struction at Bahrain’s Financial Harbour.

No other details about the man have been released.

The Labour Ministry told Con-struction Week the worker fell while trying to get down from scaf-folding at the top of the tower after pouring a concrete column.

The man was wearing a safety harness but it was not clipped onto the safety rail.

It’s believed he fell only 1.5m off the scaffolding but landed awk-wardly and toppled backwards off the tower’s highest concrete slab.

The Ministry is currently inves-tigating and questioning four wit-nesses to the accident.

Villamar Tower’s developer Gulf Holdings Company and Al Hamad Construction have also launched their own internal investigation.

To date no public statement has been issued.

In a separate incident, Construc-tion Week has also learned that a labourer committed suicide on Saturday at the Reef Island project located next to Bahrain Financial Harbour.

The Indian national was also working for Al Hamad Construc-tion and is said to have hung him-self on the 7th floor of the tower.

It’s believed the man was suffer-ing depression regarding personal issues in India.

REGIONAL NEWS

March 7 – 13, 2009 5www.constructionweekonline.com

BY JAMIE STEWART

Two top corporate social respon-sibility (CSR) experts have crit-icised the non-adherence to sustainable business practices on the part of many companies in the midst of the economic crisis.

The comments were made by Deloitte director of sustainabili-ty strategies Ralph Thurm and Sharjah Environment and Pro-tected Areas Authority director Abdulaziz Al Midfa, speaking at the Emirates Environmental Group (EEG) second communi-ty lecture for 2009 last week.

“The country suffered a great loss by letting go of many talent-ed individuals who contributed to the sustainability campaign in the corporate sector,” Al Mid-fa said.

“Many companies are miss-ing their priority and reverting to outdated management strate-gies which caused the climate of collapse in the financial system in the first place.”

CSR experts slam green dept cut backs

Sharjah Environment and Protected Areas Authority director Abdulaziz Al Midfa.

IN BRIEFGULF EXTRUSIONS WINS MANAGEMENT AWARDGulf Extrusions, a provider of aluminum products, has been awarded the ISO 9001:2000 certi-fication for Quality Management by Lloyds Register Quality Assur-ance, Dubai.The ISO certification was handed over after a series of assessments and inspections were carried out by Lloyds. “The ISO certification underscores our commitment to quality, product excellence and customer satisfaction,” said Mo-dar Al Mekdad, general manager of Gulf Extrusions. The company also plans to ex-pand its operations in the region and into emerging markets like India, North Africa and the UK. It aims to address the demand for aluminum extrusion in the Mid-dle East region which, according to recent studies, has reached an average of 450,000 tonnes per in 2008, with Saudi Arabia, Qatar, UAE and Kuwait accounting for most of the demand.

DP WORLD COMPLETE PROJECT WITH STUDENTSDubai Men’s College (DMC) stu-dents have handed over a scale model of a Tandem Lift Gantry Crane they built with DP World’s support. Majid Al Mannaei, Khalid Mo-hammed and Rashid Mahmood, higher diploma students in Me-chatronics at DMC, completed the project during their six-month work placement programme. “DP World launched training and internship programmes for stu-dents to help create a new gen-eration with a strong and clear vision for their careers,” said Mo-hammed Al Muallem, senior vice president and managing director of DP World’s UAE Region.

BY GREG WHITAKER

The Taiwanese machine tool market will focus on emerging markets, though the UAE and Saudi Arabia will only make up a modest part of this strategy, according to a panel of experts at an industry trade fair.

Speaking about ways to survive the economic crisis at the Timtos tool show held in Taipei, Alan Lu, chairman of the Taiwanese Asso-ciation of Machinery Industry said that the GCC countries offered an opportunity, if only a modest one at present.

“There is a market in Dubai still – particularly to the oil and gas sector,” he said, adding that

there was also a strong opportuni-ty to sell to Iran, but current trade restrictions made this difficult.

However, he pointed out that other emerging markets offered more scope at the present time. According to Lu, these included Brazil, South Africa and various CIS states.

The show was opened on Mon-day morning by the president of Taiwan, Ma Ying-jeou, who not-ed that while the island was badly affected by the downturn, which he described as an ‘econom-ic tsunami’, it was better placed than other markets like Malaysia and South Korea, due in part to a recent devaluing of the New Tai-wanese dollar.

Machine tools include lathes, roll-formers and multi-axis ‘machining centres’.

In the regional construction market there are many firms able to produce bespoke components for heavy equipment using lathes and machining centres, while formwork and structural joists are produced using roll-formers.

Several Taiwanese companies making this equipment can be found in the GCC region, includ-ing Hartford, the island’s largest, who are represented at a Sharjah-based dealership.

General manager Steven Yeh said: “We look forward to much more business with the UAE and Saudi Arabia in the future.”

Machine tool makers focus on emerging markets

The EEG said in a statement following the event. “It is ironic that many companies decided to downsize if not totally axe their sustainability units – a move that echoes the level of understand-ing of many companies of corpo-rate social responsibility.”

A number of firms have been

forced to make harsh cutbacks as the shockwaves of the global recession have been felt across the region.

Some have opted for a short-term saving by making cuts from departments with a strong focus on sustainability, which tend to deliver more substantial returns but over a longer period of time.

Thurm spoke on the impor-tance of a company “under-standing the current business climate and defining a long term vision within its core business strategies.”

Al Midfa also added: “It is a big challenge for companies to emerge from the current crisis. It is an even bigger challenge to restore trust and confidence in the private sector in the light of the global economic crisis.”

The EEG, a voluntary NGO, works within the environmental protection field through means of education, action programmes and community involvement, and is a member of the United Nations Global Compact.

REGIONAL NEWS


BY JAMIE STEWART

The boss of a top UAE developer has made an impassioned call for banks to relax their lending crite-ria for prospective mid-range home owners to “get the economy mov-ing again.”

The comments were made by MAG Group Property Develop-ment CEO Mohammed Nimer, in reaction to a snap survey carried out on behalf of the firm.

Such a move would spell relief for sections of the construction industry, with many developers already being forced to relax terms of payment for existing clients unsettled by the lack of liquidity in the market.

“In most cases a minimum of 50% of the purchase price is required, which means a prospective buyer needs to find in excess of one mil-lion dirhams in cash as a deposit, which is virtually impossible for most,” Nimer said.

The construction industry

MAG Group CEO says banks must “get the economy moving again”

IN BRIEFDEPA AWARDED SECOND MOROCCAN CONTRACTDubai-based Depa has been award-ed a US $50million (AED183 million) fit-out contract through its Moroc-can subsidiary DepaMar. The order is for the fit out of the Mazagan Re-sort villas at the El Jadida develop-ment. The contract is the second win for DepaMar at Mazagan after it was awarded the fit-out works for the resort’s five-star hotel, golf club house, entertainment centre, health club and spa in July 2007. Located on the country’s Atlantic coast, the overall development cov-ers 3.2 million m2 and will also fea-ture a lagoon area and an 18-hole golf course. The client is a group of Dubai-based Istithmar, Bahamas-based Kerzner, the Moroccan gov-ernment and a number of local pri-vate investors.

AUSTRALIAN ARCHITECT ALLIANCE IN MIDDLE EASTAustralian company Thomson Ad-sett Architects is succeeding in forming new partnerships to seek opportunities in the Middle East construction industry. Total Alli-ance Health Partners International (Tahpi), a partnership which in-cludes Thomson Adsett Architects, has signed a memorandum of un-derstanding last week with the Australian arm of major interna-tional construction company, Laing O’Rourke, at a Middle East Export Network Forum organised by Trade Queensland. “Laing O’Rourke is one of the big-gest players in construction glo-bally and is currently undertaking a number of major projects in the Middle East,” said trade minister John Mickel. “Trade Queensland encourages the state’s exporting companies to investigate partner-ing opportunities in Middle East construction and infrastructure projects.”

ing credit to potential home-owners, revealing that in some cas-es it would be cheaper to buy than rent property.”

“These aspiring home owners constitute thousands of white col-lar workers in both public and pri-vate sectors,” Nimer said.

“If they feel that they don’t have a long-term future in the country, they may well not be around when the upturn arrives.”

Nimer added that the recent cor-rection in the real estate market should have spurred a relaxation of lending rules.

“The problem is that most of the main mortgage providers are demanding excessive deposits up front even though property pric-es have softened considerably already,” he said.

“My message to them is quite simple. You have sufficient cap-ital, so start lending to prospec-tive home owners and get the real estate market, not to mention the wider economy, moving again.”

Saudi Arabian Real Estate Financ-ing Company (Refco) plans to start offering home loans next year to service the strong demand for home ownership in the King-dom.

The move could jump start development and construction in the Kingdom, which has suffered from the economic slowdown.

The firm said they are waiting for the government to pass a new mortgage law, which will make it easier for Saudis to buy property, reported Reuters.

The draft law has been on the agenda for more than a decade but last month Ibrahim al-Assaf, the

finance minister, said it will defi-nitely be passed this year.

Once the law is in place, the Saudi mortgage finance industry could generate a yearly turnover of between US $40 billion (SAR150 billion) to $48 billion, the Strategic Mortgage Finance Group said.

Saudi Arabia has a population of 25 million people but less than 30% currently own property – the low-est ownership levels amongst the Gulf states.

Refco has hired US consultan-cy Clayton Holdings to assess the size of the Saudi housing market and to create a business plan.

Clayton said it was working

More mortgages for Saudi Arabia

MAG Group Property Development CEO Mohammed Nimer.

on exit strategies for the loans, including how to repackage the assets in a way that complied with Islamic law.

“The Saudi market is funda-mentally underserved in terms of home financing,” Clayton’s presi-dent for consulting services Bruce Legan said.

He added that the world’s top oil exporter had a housing deficit of two million residential units, a figure which was rising by 200,000 a year.

“You have two thirds of the pop-ulation below the age of 30 with fewer Saudis wanting to live with their parents,” Legan said.

has stalled in many parts of the country, with an ever increasing number of projects being placed on-hold or cancelled due to the ina-bility of would-be buyers to qualify for mortgages.

The resumption of lending on the part of banks would bring to an end the arid liquidity situation, allowing many developers to push on with stalled projects.

MAG Group said that the sur-vey it commissioned, “underlined the problem caused by restrict-

REGIONAL NEWS

March 7 – 13, 2009 7www.constructionweekonline.com

BY ELSA BAXTER

Construction of the US $460 million (AED1.69 billion) Formula One theme park in Dubai’s MotorCity has been halted because liquidi-ty from banks has dried up in the wake of the current financial crisis.

Dubai-based Union Properties said it has suspended work on the F1-X theme park for one year, despite the project being more than half complete.

The theme park was due to open later this year.

“The suspension will delay the opening of the Formula One enter-tainment concept until 2010,” the company said in a statement about the project, released last week.

Dubai's F1-X theme park suspended for one year

“With construction more than 50% complete, the core of interna-tional expertise on the ground and operational plans virtually com-plete, it is hard to believe that a financial partner will not come forward in the coming days or weeks to capitalise on the opportunity,” Penny Fischer, mar-keting director for F1-X said in a statement.

She added: “The project is founded on a strong business mod-el that withstands recession whilst allowing for the future growth of Dubai.”

Union Properties made a fourth-quarter loss of $10.2 million due to lower land sales but expects 2009 to be a year of profit making.

BY SARAH BLACKMAN

The head of United Development Company (UDC) based in Qatar has said the company rests upon “resilient foundations” and will com-plete all of its projects on time.

Chairman Hussein Alfardan said the first phase of construc-tion at UDC’s US $13.7 billion (QR50 billion) flagship project – The Pearl-Qatar – has already been completed.

He also announced the launch of The Pearl for Management and Operations, a project development and asset management company providing infrastructure services at The Pearl-Qatar and other interna-tional urban development projects.“We are strong and moving ahead with our projects and marketing them,” Alfardan told Gulf Times

after the company’s annual meeting last week.

Qatar Cool, another UDC joint venture, has completed the first phase of the world’s largest district cooling plant at Pearl-Qatar.

Khalil Sholy, UDC’s managing director and president, said this success follows a year of “solid per-formance” in 2008 across the UDC portfolio of projects and operations.

“Revenues for 2008 have exceeded QR2.1 billion, an 18% year-on-year increase, and our net profit and earnings per share have similarly improved by 100%”The Pearl-Qatar has achieved inter-national recognition for excellence in design and construction and acquiring property there contin-ues to attract interest from buyers in some 52 countries, the compa-ny said.

UDC projects moving at fast pace

REGIONAL NEWS


BY SARAH BLACKMAN

Universal Studios Dubailand, a member of Tatweer Dubai, has signed an agreement with Sesa-me Workshop, to develop three Sesame Street-themed entertain-ment venues.

The US $2.2 billion (AED8 bil-lion) theme park, which is now under construction, is due to be completed in 2012 and is expect-ed to be more than 1.9 million m² in size.

Presented in a multi-sensory 400-seat theatre, Sesame Street 4-D Movie Magic will be based in the park’s Surf City and guests will be able hear, see, feel and smell the technology advanced movie.

“Our collaboration with Uni-versal Studios has allowed us to design and build a family desti-nation in the region,” said Khalid Al Malik, CEO of Tatweer Dubai. “Our new partnership with Sesa-me Workshop will enable us to deliver incomparable family enter-tainment featuring the legendary Sesame Street experience.”

In addition to the theatre, a Sesame Street themed carousel and live stage show will be built and Elmo’s Emporium will offer a selection of themed merchandise.

“We are thrilled to partner with

Universal Studios Dubailand to create a new home for Big Bird and all his friends,” said Gary Knell, president and CEO of Ses-ame Workshop. “The park offers

Universal Studios Dubailand agreement to develop Sesame Street attractions

IN BRIEFNEW CONSTRUCTION PRODUCTS RELEASED Universal Construction Machin-ery and Equipments, India has launched 10 new products, which it will export to regions such as the Middle East and Africa. The prod-ucts, which have lower cost of operation and reduced weight, will help the business overcome the sluggish demand during a slowdown period, the company said. The equipment in-cludes a 10/7 concrete mixer with hopper, RM 300, PAN Mixer tractor, a multipurpose lift, and a chimney lift for 300m in height. “The con-struction industry is facing the re-cession blues so the products have come at the right time for us,” Uni-versal Construction Machinery and Equipment managing director Ran-jeet Moray said. The company will be appointing 100 dealers by the end of March.

KUWAIT TO RE-TENDER POWER PLANTKuwait’s Electricity and Water Min-istry is expected to re-tender the Subiya power plant project, accord-ing to a source close to the scheme. The tender has been cancelled and will be reissued in March but the ministry has not made an official announcement. The ministry was in negotiations with two bidders, Germany’s Siemens and Spain’s Iberdrola, and had been expected to award the engineering, procure-ment and construction contract in February. According to media re-ports the ministry has scrapped the tender to protect itself against cur-rency fluctuations. Siemens, which had a low offer of US $2.8 billion (KD761 million), submitted its price in euros based on a fixed exchange rate. The effect of any exchange rate fluctuation would have been shouldered by the ministry.

a remarkable opportunity to share all the laughter and learning of Sesame Street with the people of the UAE and visiting guests from around the world.”

Six agreements for the develop-ment of the King Abdullah Eco-nomic City were signed last week pushing the multi-million dollar investment closer towards its 2025 completion date.

Contracts for a dry port and pas-senger and cargo terminals, resi-dential and commercial towers, a major hotel as well as an agree-

ment for the development of food and agricultural industries and staff training, were signed at a cer-emony at the site in the northern province of Hail.

“This is an exciting time for the region. The new economic city in Hail will bring a new impetus to the economy of the area and cre-ate thousands of jobs both during

Contracts signed for KSA’s Economic Cityconstruction and in the long term as it becomes a logistical hub for many different industries,” said Prince Saud bin Abdul Mohsen, who attended the ceremony.

But according to some mediareports several companies involved in the project have said work has slowed down, casting fresh doubts over its progress.

Big Bird and friends are heading to Dubailand as part of a joint venture.

Matthew Peyton/Getty Images

REGIONAL NEWS


BY JAMIE STEWART

Substantial growth within the Abu Dhabi office rental market in 2008 helped propel the rate of growth in the Middle East to a 9% average, according to a new report.

But though such figures would usually spur construction activity, the wider economic environment may offset such a spike, the firm behind the report told Construc-tion Week.

“Abu Dhabi currently has a severe shortage of Grade A space,” the Office Space Across the World 2009 report, by real estate firm Cushman and Wakefield, stated.

“As demand from both interna-tional and domestic occupiers held firm, rental levels have risen by a third over the year,” it said.

“Nevertheless, demand has started to focus on smaller floor-plates as occupiers look to scale down their operations.”

Cushman and Wakefield research chief David Hutchings warned that despite the growth rate, economic conditions may continue to hamper construction.

“If you take a market which has seen phenomenal growth and the economic conditions remain the same then you will typically find a significant increase in developer

Growth in Abu Dhabi office rental market spurs regionIN BRIEFDEWA AND METITO SIGN US $10.4mn DEALDubai Electricity and Water Au-thority (Dewa) has signed a US $10.4 million (AED38 million) deal with Metito, a global sup-plier and designer of water and wastewater treatment, to develop a new project in the Jebel Ali Power Complex. The operation will include the sup-ply and installation of high purity water treatment plants, tanks and electrical works. ”The growth of Dubai is rooted in water,” said Mahmoud Kabeel, plant sales manager in Dubai, Northern Emirates and Oman. “With this augmentation and construction, Dewa and Metito are facilitating the use of power needed for added growth in the Jebel Ali area. Metito is honoured to be awarded the con-tract from Dewa.”

ABU DHABI AWARDS AIRPORT TENDERThe local National Specialist Contractors Council (NSCC) has been awarded the foundations package for the US $6.8 billion midfield terminal project at Abu International Airport. The con-struction involves piling and excavation work for a third pas-senger terminal at the airport. The client, Abu Dhabi Airports Company (Adac), expects to award the main construction contract during the second financial quarter of the year. Three companies have been short-listed for the contract including France’s Aeroports de Paris (ADP), Germany’s Hochtief and Turkey’s TAV. The new termi-nal is designed to increase annual passenger-handling capacity at the airport from 20 million to 32 million.

and investor interest,” he said.“But clearly in an environment

where the current and prospective economic environment is weaker then people will not automatically react to the past growth.”

Office space in Abu Dhabi aver-aged at US $973 per m², up 33% on the previous year. Globally, only Kuala Lumpur and an area of Istan-bul saw stronger annual growth.

The report also showed that Dubai climbed up the rankings from 8th to 5th place, the biggest jump of any of the city in the top ten. Office space in Dubai aver-aged $1179 per m² in 2008, up 7% on the previous year.

The Abu Dhabi office rental market in 2008 helped propel the rate of growth across the Middle East to an average of 9%.

The owner of Ireland on Dubai’s The World project has taken his own life amid rumours of financial worries as a result of the global economic crisis, according to Irish daily, The Irish Independent.

John O’Dolan, was one of four business partners who bought the island development in March 2007 for US $38.6 million (AED142 million).

O’Dolan, owner of O’Dolan International, was found dead at his home in Rusheen Bay in Gal-way last week, leaving behind a wife and three children.

There is speculation that his death was linked to the reces-sion with commentators say-ing O’Dolan was depressed and despondent over his faltering finances.

The World’s Ireland island owner takes own lifeOn buying the island of Ireland

O’Dolan said: “We look forward to developing Ireland, which will pro-vide the Irish homeowner with their very own place they can call home in the sun.”

Other members of the Irish con-sortium are Noel Connellan, Ray Norton and Andrew Brett, who bought the island to coincide with St Patrick’s Day.

Karim Sahibafp/Getty Im

ages

ConstructionWeekonline com


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IN PICTURES: Yas Island

Take a tour around the construction site of the much anticipated UAE tourist attraction, Yas Island at www.constructionweekonline.com

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Cirrus throws a line to Aquarius Gate investors“As an investor with Cirrus, nobody met with me one-on-one to discuss my needs as stated by the COO of Cirrus. The payment plan issued also does not tie the payment plan with construction after 20%, it ties it after 30%. Further, the payment plan itself is linked to construction but the milestones are ridiculous.” Sajjad Ahmed

“The only line Cirrus have thrown to investors is a 30 day notice for 3rd payment of 10% taking investor payments up to 30% or the investor will have their property taken back off them.” Jhon

No, there's no evidence to support this theory

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FACE TO FACE


A home for everyoneWill portable shelter systems become important in the UAE?The use of collapsible porta-ble shelter system units will rise since the Dubai Municipal-ity (DM) has clamped down on substandard facilities. A DM report mentions that up to 40% of the 1033 permanent and tem-porary labour camps in Dubai alone could be forced to close as they do not meet the mini-mum level of health and safety standards.

Construction companies are finding that by using portable shelter systems they are able to have their workers on site and do away with the transportation costs of ferrying staff to and from the work site. Accommodation units are frequently many miles away from the place of construc-tion and this will also save hours of commuting time and transpor-tation costs.

What is unique about your portable products?The Alihut product, through its features, both aesthetic and in terms of overall versatility, is the next step for the portable hous-ing industry and could be the solution that labour camp own-ers are looking for. Alihut is a logical solution to the crisis of la-bour camps, but there is also a humanitarian need to offer a bet-ter standard of accommodation to the construction workers here in the UAE.

What makes Alihut stand apart from other products in the market?Logistically, current industry products only allow for the move-

ment of one portable housing structure at a time. Alihut on the other hand can be moved as six units at a time. Where other prod-ucts remain erect at all times, Ali-hut folds down to 550mm in size allowing, with the specifical-ly designed racking system, for six units to be moved in place of the usual one. This instantly reduces transport costs to one sixth of the ordinary costs to move six demountable housing units.

Deployment of Alihut reduces labour and costs in erecting this type of housing unit. In the past, to erect and have a portable hous-ing unit functioning would be very labour intensive. The Alihut as a collapsible shelter, however, can be erected within 20 minutes using the inbuilt motor or within an hour using the manual wind-up system. From the 550mm flat pack the Alihut erects to become a standard 6m-long demountable housing unit with a 2.4m ceiling

clearance and 2.4m width. Not only is the set up time far less than other industry products, but after the unit is erected all amenities are simply connected via an exterior connection, thus removing the need for trades and interior work to be complet-ed only when the unit is set up. Once erect its insulation is cer-tified for -50 to +50 degrees and is fully cyclone rated with a com-plete range of layout options and accessories to fit out as desired.

Can these units be customised?The standard 6m by 2.4m config-uration can be custom built up to 12m, including the ability to attach units together in order to fulfill floor space requirements. In addition there are also added customisations to include interi-or configurations such as med-ical facilities, storage facilities or as emergency shelters. Cus-tomisations can go further to include a variety of colours, both

internal and external, compa-ny logos, window and door con-figurations, floors specifications, power sources, internet options, furnishings and kitchenette appliances.

The prospects of a highly sim-plistic transport and deployment system for portable housing units are limitless in areas of dis-aster relief, military operations, humanitarian aid and the mining industry.

What new projects are you working on?We had envisioned that the main areas of enquiries would be from the governmental department for labour camps, humanitarian rescue situations and emergen-cy housing. But, we have had interest in providing temporary office and housing solution from the International Spill Control Organisation (Isco), who deal with chemical and oil spill emer-gency situations worldwide.

Marketing director Carol Prince.

Carol Prince, marketing director at RWN Trading, says that portable shelter systems might be the answer to issues surrounding labour camps in the Middle East.

“Construction companies are finding that by using portable shelter

systems they are able to have their workers on site and do away with the transportation costs of ferrying staff

to and from the work site”

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PROJECT UPDATE


THE

A Ferrari theme park, an F1 circuit, marinas and plush hotels – the Yas Island development is set to become the ultimate tourist destination in the UAE. Features Editor, Shikha Mishra goes on site to see how this US $40 million development is progressing. Photos: Jovana Obradovic.

EXPERIENCEYAS ISLAND

PROJECT UPDATE

www.constructionweekonline.com March 7 - 13, 2009 17

PROJECT UPDATE


Flying into Abu Dhabi? Look out of the window and you will spot the 10,000m² bright red roof of the Ferrari theme park, which is under construction on Yas Island.

Yas Island stretches across 6.5km in length and breadth and

is located just opposite Abu Dhabi Interna-tional airport.

There is still a lot of work to be done – the 10,000m² of roof which is complete is just a part of the 205,000m² of total roof area.

But Felix Warny, project director of Ferrari Experience, Yas Island, Six Construct, is con-fident that the project will meet its completion deadline.

“The building will be closed by November 1, 2009. The roof and the façade will be fin-ished by that time. But inside the building in terms of finishes, work will still be going on,” says Warny.

The Ferrari theme park will be the first of its kind and will feature the fastest roller-coaster in the world. Apart from other rides,

xxx needs caption xxx.

Yas Island is being dubbed the complete tourist attraction.

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The Yas Island stretches across 6.5km. The roof and façade is expected to be completed by November.

PROJECT UPDATE


“We have about 30 bridges to construct for this [Yas Island] project”

Bernard Patze, project manager, Shahama-Saadiyat Freeway, Six Construct

attractions and shops, there will also be three hotels in the surrounding area.

Even though the main building will be closed by November this year, it will take time to open to the public.

“It is a milestone here to create something of this size. It is bigger than the Pentagon. There are three extensions of the main build-ing. The Formula One race track is going to be outside the building,” says Warny.

Nine-thousand tonnes of steel have gone into constructing the roof alone, with 28 cranes, 30 mobile cranes and 22 cherry pick-ers working around the clock on site.

The space frame of the theme park has been assembled piece by piece – it is made up of 42,000 nodes and 180,000 elements.

“One hundred and ninety towers are cur-rently holding up the structure and after it is complete the towers will be removed and the structure will be held up by the central cylin-drical column and the space frame,” says Warny.

About 600 containers of insulation are com-ing from Germany for the roof.

“The total value of the civil works are about US $176.9 million (AED650 million), the steel structure is valued at $115.9 million and erec-tion of the steel structure, the façade and the roof comes up to $193.3 million,” says Warny.

TThe Yas Island sthe Yas Island stretches across 6.5kmretches across 6.5km.. The roof andThe roof and fafaççadeade is expected to be completed by November is expected to be completed by November..

PROJECT UPDATE


The enormity of the structure can be judged by the theme park alone, which will require 2.8 million litres of air conditioning.

Apart from the main theme park, Six Con-struct is also building the two marinas close to the theme park and part of the infrastruc-ture projects in and around the island.

Bernard Patze, project manager of Sha-hama-Saadiyat Freeway, Six Construct, is in charge of the freeway projects that will inter-connect the island.

“We have about 30 bridges to construct on this project. It is a group of six contracts we have signed with Aldar, one of them is the Shahama-Saadiyat freeway, which includes the freeway itself and all the bridges on the freeway,” says Patze.

The second contract is for the bridges which will inter-connect the island. The Sha-hama-Saadiyat freeway is the first project to be completed, and the first opening is sched-uled for February.

The Shahama-Saadiyat freeway spans 50m and work on it started in March 2007.

“One of the challenges of the project was not to disrupt traffic on the main Abu Dhabi-Dubai highway in any way. Also the time frame was relatively short – we have complet-ed the freeway in 21 months,” says Patze.

One of the bridges is built over water, which is being supported by a steel structure

resting on the bottom of the channel.“Usually bridges are built on the ground

and supported by scaffolding. But because of the water, we have put in the steel structure to support the scaffolding. It will be removed after the construction,” adds Patze.

Final touches to the roads going to and from the bridges are currently going on, with the concrete being poured as the last layer.

“Traffic direction is passing through one span and during the time we have construct-ed the second span. Because of the bridges, a large quantity of excavation and backfilling work is going on as well,” says Patze.

Though the project is nearing completion, it depends on Aldar on the date they want the first lanes to be opened to traffic.

See more pictures of the Yas Island site at www.constructionweekonline.com.

YAS ISLAND

Architects of the theme park Benoy Limited

Designers and fabricators of roof Meru from Germany

Main contractor for bridges and concrete work Six Construct

Road works Al Jaber (filling work)

Sub-contractor for road works Al Jaber

Post-tensioning for bridges VSL

YAS ISLAND

Known as the complete tourist destination, Yas Island will feature attractions such as a water park, a retail development of 300,000m2, links and parkland golf courses, a lagoon, hotels, marinas, polo clubs, apartments, villas and numerous food and beverage outlets.

“It is a milestone here to create something of

this size”Felix Warny, project director, Ferrari Experience, Yas Island, Six Construct

Nine thousand tonnes of steel have gone into constructing thNine thousand tonnes of steel have gone into constructing thee roof of the theme park aloneroof of the theme park alone..

Nine thousand tonnes of steel have gone into constructing the roof of the theme park alone.

LEGAL OPINION


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

T he Kingdom of Saudi Ara-bia (KSA) has not been left behind in the construction boom, which has swept the

Middle East in the past decade. Strong growth supported by

high oil prices has meant KSA has had increased demand for petro chemical projects, IWPP’s, pow-er, infrastructure and new housing and retail developments.

But as the world moves into glo-bal recession and major projects reach completion, construction disputes will inevitably arise.

So what are the dispute resolu-tion options for local and interna-tional developers, contractors and lenders to construction projects?

This article considers:1. dispute resolution options in

KSA2. enforcement of foreign arbitral

awards in KSA3. choice of contract law and lan-

guage

Dispute Resolution OptionsWithin KSA there are a number of choices for dispute resolution processes. The two most common are arbitration and litigation before the Board of Grievances (BoG).

Arbitration is popular with non-KSA parties and ensures confi-dentiality is maintained. There are various venues available for arbitration in Riyadh, such as the Riyadh Chamber of Com-merce, which also provides a sec-retariat service.

Generally, international law firms who have Saudi qualified law-yers on their teams, are entitled to represent clients in arbitrations in the KSA. Where the firm has no KSA counsel, local co-counsel are often appointed to act in conjunc-tion with the international firm.

Arbitrators may be selected by the parties but must be KSA nationals or Muslim males. Arbi-tration clauses are prohibited in government contracts without the consent of the Saudi Council of Ministers.

Like many Gulf states, KSA does not have specific laws relat-ing to without prejudice privilege. It is therefore vital that legal advice be sought prior to entering into any form of negotiation related to claims where there is a possibili-ty that the dispute will proceed to arbitration or litigation.

Board of GrievancesWhile the predictability of judg-ments by the BoG has improved recently, international companies often still seek to include an arbi-tration procedure in their con-tracts where possible.

The BoG has exclusive juris-diction over disputes concern-ing KSA government contracts and may also decide commercial disputes. Only KSA counsel may appear before the BoG and all submissions and documents must be in Arabic.

For large, highly complex con-struction disputes this can be dis-advantageous as both KSA counsel and the tribunal may have limited

experience, owing to the lack of specialist judicial construction tri-bunal or bar in the KSA (as there is in some other jurisdictions).

Enforcement of foreign arbitral awards in KSAKSA is a party to the New York Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Arbi-tral Awards of 1958.

However, in practice the BoG will only enforce foreign judge-ments and arbitral awards to the extent they are compliant with Shariah and KSA public policy principles and where the state of origin affords reciprocal recogni-tion to awards of the KSA courts.

In addition, KSA is a signato-ry to the rules and procedures of, and recognises awards of, the Gulf Cooperation Council Commercial Arbitration Centre, which has a seat in Bahrain.

The overriding application of Shariah principles means interest may not be enforceable and uncer-tain contract terms, including liq-uidated and ascertained damages, may be declared void for uncer-tainty.

Such considerations ought to be taken into account when struc-turing any contractual relationship with a KSA entity.

Therefore a party seeking recog-nition of a foreign arbitral award in the KSA may, as part of its recogni-tion application, expressly disclaim any right to recover any uncertain component of the award.

Choice of LawOften contracting parties in KSA have little option regarding the law governing their relationship. In particular, KSA government enti-ties may not consent to the laws of another jurisdiction.

Where this is not the case, (for example with Saudi Aramco, which has government dispen-sation to contract using foreign laws), the election of a more devel-oped system, such as English law, may provide more certainty in complex commercial contracts.

However, the overriding princi-ples of Shariah law are likely to be taken into account in a KSA court’s judgment, regardless of the gov-erning law.

King & Spalding has significant experience dealing with construc-tion disputes governed by KSA law and parties using firms with-out this resource are best advised to seek Saudi co-counsel to supple-ment specialist disputes advice.

LanguageWhen contracting with a KSA government entity it is generally compulsory for Arabic to be the governing language for contracts. But, in our experience it is com-mon to negotiate the contract in English and have an Arabic trans-lation prepared for execution.

Project partner, Michael Dunphy.

Construction disputes: The Saudi experienceLaw firm King & Spalding’s projects partner in Riyadh, Michael Dunphy, and JamesBremen, a construction partner with the London office, discuss demand versus recession.

Construction partner, James Bremen.

CONSTRUCTION SIGHTS


Labourers install a giant advertising board at a construction site of a high-rise commercial project in central Kuala Lumpur last week. Malaysia’s deputy prime minister Najib Razzak stressed that the second stimulus package put into the country due to the economic crisis will be worth more and be more comprehensive. The first stimulus package unveiled last November was worth US $1.9 billion (RM7 billion), the figures on the second stimulus are yet to be announced.

Ali Yussef/Getty Images

Saeed Khan/Getty Images

US soldiers survey the scene following a recent twin bombing close to a bus station in Bayah, western Baghdad. Two near-simultaneous car bombs ripped through the bus station killing at least 16 people. Funding of reconstruction efforts for other buildings hit by bombs during the Iraqi and Gulf wars began with the creation of the Iraq Relief and Reconstruction Fund (IRRF) in April 2003.

CONSTRUCTION SIGHTS


Construction Week visits The Greens, Dubai to find out how the real estate development is progressing. Developer Emaar designed groups of four low-rise buildings at The Greens to offer views of the community, marina and Emirates Golf Course and since its initial release, it has grown to include The Views community.

Joshua Lott/Getty Images

A closed-off street leading to homes in a subdivision are seen unfinished, in Maricopa, Arizona. Maricopa, AZ was one of the fastest growing towns in America until the employment and the real estate decline swept through the country. Now, approximately 75% of residents owe more money on their mortgages than their homes are actually worth. Some developers will abandon building new homes due to the slow economy.

Jovana Obradovic/ITP Images

PRODUCT REPORT


SAFE FROM Stakeholders can make great

advances when they come together in the name of health and safety.

Fida Slayman reports.

The picture in the first frame of the storyboard shows workers putting up formwork on a building rooftop at night. In the third frame, a plank of wood falls, landing on the ground below. During the course

of this graphic narrative, the workers report the incident to their supervisor, who installs edge protection and a safety net.

So goes an animated story distributed by Buildsafe UAE, a construction stakeholder group dedicated to improving health and safe-ty practices. The storyboards are designed

HARM

Available in different languages, storyboards aim to raise workers’ awareness of health and safety.

Source: BUILDSAFEUAE

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PRODUCT REPORT

March 7 - 13, 2009 29www.constructionweekonline.com


minimise

PRODUCT REPORT


“A lot of developers employ project

management and they leave health and

safety to them. For me, that’s not quite

good enough”Andrew Broderick, health and safety

manager, Aldar

to raise workers’ confidence in recognising and reporting risks, one of the biggest chal-lenges facing the industry’s health and safe-ty experts. “There are a lot of messages in them,” says Elias McGrath, Buildsafe UAE’s administrator. “If you read them once they seem straightforward, but after a few times you get absorbed. Then, when the workers come across the situation, they think ‘OK, I’ve got to report this.’ ”

Storyboards are one strategy industry experts are using to communicate the mes-sage of health and safety to their workforce. By involving its operatives and supervisors in the risk assessment process, Dutco Balfour Beatty encourages them to think critically about the situations in which they work. “If we’re doing a blockwork wall, for example,”

explains general manager Grahame McCaig, “we’ll get some of the foremen and skilled labourers in and ask them ‘what do you think is dangerous about doing this work?’ We try and prompt them to give us an answer, and when they do we’ll say ‘that’s a good point, now how would you deal with that issue?’ ”

Developing a culture of health and safe-ty, especially for workers to whom the idea is alien, takes time and persistence. The results of such initiatives, says McCaig, can-not be seen immediately. “We’ll continue to work with them to develop their skills and encourage that culture, and possibly in five or six years’ time we will get to the stage where they will say ‘I’m sorry I’m not going in there because it’s too dangerous.’”

In its own bid to empower workers, Wade

Sign boards on site are an important tool to emphasise safety.

PRODUCT REPORT


Adams has issued a management direc-tive obliging all those on site to stop work if they feel it is unsafe. Put into action one year ago, the initiative has resulted in more than 30 reports of unsafe conditions. “I’m sure there were many more cases,” admits health and safety manager Colonel Mushar-raf Khan, “but the workers’ perception of risk is different. The eyes only see what the mind knows.”

Until a proactive safety culture among workers takes full effect, however, direc-tion for improving health and safety must come from contractors and developers, says McCaig.

“Of course we want it to start bubbling from the bottom to the top. But in the mean-time, we have to drive it from the top down,” he explains. “If the client is committed to health and safety, if he is promoting it as a major point on the agenda on his site, it’s going to be positive for the whole industry. And you can’t get any higher than a client.”

As the first developer to become a full sig-natory member of Buildsafe UAE, Aldar Prop-erties’ participation is signalling a change in

how the traditional responsibilities for health and safety are viewed. Andrew Broderick, Aldar’s health and safety manager, says it’s time for developers to step up their involve-ment. “A lot of developers employ project management to handle the site for them and they leave health and safety to them. For me, that’s not quite good enough,” he explains. “I see it as our responsibility to enforce it – it starts at the top, as they say.”

Part of Aldar’s commitment to improv-ing health and safety is through inspections, managed by a team of four who visit construc-tion sites and report back to the company. “We monitor, we audit and we attend week-ly health and safety meetings,” says Broder-ick. “We’re not there to manage health and safety,” he adds, “but to make sure that it’s actually done.”

To win contracts, Broderick continues, contractors needs to prove they have a meas-urable commitment to health and safety. As a member of Aldar’s pre-qualification team, he looks carefully at a contractor’s history, acci-dent rates and management systems. Pref-erence is usually given to contractors who

show they have dealt effectively with health and safety issues, rather than those who claim to not have such issues at all.

“If companies come in with a perfect record, you know straight away that some-thing’s not right. We’d rather people be hon-est and admit they’ve had some issues,” he says. “If they can prove to us that they’ve been responsible and looked at reasons why they’ve had accidents on site, then that’s great. We’d rather that than companies who come in with an excellent safety record that we know is based on lies.”

Prompted by Buildsafe UAE, many contrac-tors are now coming forward with the fatali-ties and lost-time injuries (LTI) they have had on-site. Each week, the organisation distributes safety alerts, showing best prac-tice in health and safety, and giving details of on-site accidents. The alerts outlining LTIs and fatalities are carefully rebranded, mak-ing sure the company, location and people involved are kept anonymous. Contractors that own up to mistakes, says McGrath, not only help themselves in improving future safety, but other contractors as well.


Number of Lost Time Injuries by Type / Circumstance, UAE, 2008.


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Falls from height are the biggest cause of fatalities on construction sites.

PRODUCT REPORT


“If you have an incident and decide to hide it and clean it up so that no one knows about it, there won’t be any improvement, and it’ll probably happen again,” he explains. “Your culture will be negative, your morale will be negative, you will have delayed the work and your reputation with your client is going to be destroyed. With bad practice, there are only negatives involved.”

Though these alerts are an excellent resource for preventing similar accidents, the region’s culture of secrecy and aversion to negative news prevents further advances, says McCaig.

“I’ve always advocated that we have to become more open,” he explains. “If we’ve got an issue, we have to be man enough to stand up and say ‘this is what happened, this is what we’ve done to prevent it from happen-ing again, and we want to share it because it’s important everyone knows we’ve had an issue.’”

Contractors must take more responsibili-ty for incidents happening on their site, he says. “This is a realistic expectation any-

where else in the world – we’re supposedly in a first world country and we should oper-ate in a first world manner. I know there’s a reticence to bad news, but the only way to really start solving a problem is by admitting you’ve got one.”

The region’s development of ‘mega-projects,’ such as Dubailand and Burj Dubai, create an ever-pressing need for construction stakeholders to practise openness in health and safety. “There are joint ventures and partnerships, and all the contractors and sub-contractors are working together to deliver the same project,” says McGrath. “But if one contractor has an excellent safety record, and the other one doesn’t know anything about it, you’re putting each other at risk. If there’s a fatality, both projects will be stopped. You’re both getting paid by the same client, so it’s better if people work together, if there’s one benchmark for health and safety.”

Formulating a unified set of regulations for health and safety in the UAE’s construc-tion industry will go a long way in promoting best practice, says McGrath. Dubai Munic-

“If we’ve got an issue, we have to be

man enough to stand up and say ‘this is

what happened, this is what we’ve done to prevent it from

happening again’” Grahame McCaig, general manager,

Dutco Balfour Beatty

PRODUCT REPORT


“The municipality hired a consultant,

who didn’t seek any feedback from any of us. No one was

consulted” Colonel Musharraf Khan, health and

safety manager, Wade Adams

ipality’s recently amended regulations pro-vide a baseline from which other regulators, such as Jafza (Jebel Ali Free Zone Authority) and Tecom (Dubai Technology and Media Free Zone Authority) add their own health and safety policies. “There’s a challenge for regional bodies who deliver projects right through Dubai,” explains McGrath. “Safe-ty managers have to understand each body’s regulations inside and out.” The industry, he continues, is “crying out for one regulato-ry body,” a sentiment echoed by McCaig. “It would be far better,” he says, “if we had a uni-versal set of regulations that everyone had to comply with.”

Dubai Municipality’s amendments to its own regulations, though applauded by the industry, were completed without conferring with the contractors and subcontractors who have to work under them, Khan points out. “The municipali-ty hired a consultant, who didn’t seek any feedback from any of us. No one was con-sulted.” McGrath agrees the construction industry would have been able to make val-uable contributions to the new code. “They

cried out for a bit of collaboration; they would have liked the opportunity to see the docu-ment and to comment on it before it was final-ised.”

Nevertheless, the construction industry still has a crucial role to play in advancing existing health and safety practices, particu-larly in times of economic slowdown. When many contractors are under pressure to cut costs, the temptation to slash health and safe-ty budgets should always be avoided, says McCaig. “We’ve got to break this connota-tion with safety and cost. People who view safety as a cost will cut that cost, and that is a concern.” Safety should instead be regarded as an investment, he continues. “If contrac-tors continue to invest in safety, they will get a return on that investment. Safety should not be associated with cost.”

The construction industry has seen a “huge improvement in the standards of health and safety over the last five to six years,” adds McCaig. With the right amount of collabo-ration, initiative and commitment, few doubt that future health and safety practices will continue to progress.


Number of Fatalities by Type / Circumstance, UAE, 2008.

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

www.constructionweekonline.com38 March 7 – 13, 2009

2009

EVENT: Saudi PMV showSECTOR: Three days of exhibition and 30 workshops covering technical, safety, maintenance and training.DATE: 8 - 10 March VENUE: Dhahran Exhibition Centre KSAEMAIL: [email protected]: www.saudipmvshow.com

EVENT: Front roof and cladding.SECTOR: Two-day trade show.DATE: 16 - 18 MarchVENUE: Expo Centre SharjahPHONE: +971 657 70000WEBSITE: www.eventseye.com

EVENT: Facilities Management Conference SECTOR: Facilities managementDATE: 30 March VENUE: Mina A’ Salam, DubaiEMAIL: [email protected]:www.itp.net/events/fmconference

EVENT: Building Intelligence and Construction IT SECTOR: IT, ConstructionDATE: 31 March VENUE: Madinat JumeirahEMAIL: [email protected]

EVENT: Construction Week Saudi Arabia Conference 2009 SECTOR: Forum on doing business and carrying out

project operation practices in the Kingdom.DATE: 13 MayVENUE: Habitat hotelPHONE: + 971 4 4356127EMAIL: [email protected]

EVENT: GCC Leadership Summit 09 DATE: 29 April VENUE: Mina A’Salam, Madinat JumeirahPHONE: +971 4 4356125WEBSITE: www.itp.net/events/cwseasonpass

EVENT: Construction WeekQatar Briefing 2009DATE: 4 JunePHONE: +971 4 4356125WEBSITE: www.itp.net/events/cwseasonpass

EVENT: Construction WeekIraq Briefing 2009DATE: 15 JuneVENUE: Holiday Inn hotelPHONE: +971 4 4356125WEBSITE: www.itp.net/events/cwseasonpass

EVENT: DWRW 2009SECTOR: Doors, windows, roofs and walls expo.VENUE: Expo Centre SharjahDATE: 16 - 18 March EMAIL: [email protected] PHONE: +971 657 70000

EVENT: Interiors and Buildex 2009DATE: 16 - 18 MarchVENUE: Oman International Exhibition CentreWEBSITE: www.

interiorsbuildex.com EVENT: Buildex 2009, the 11th Saudi International Building and Construction ExhibitionDATE: 8 - 12 MarchVENUE: Dhahran International Exhibitions Centre WEBSITE: www.bme-global.com

EVENT: Infrastructure Syria 2009 DATE: 6 - 9 AprilPHONE: + 963 11 211 93 12EMAIL: [email protected]: www.infrastructuresyria.com

EVENT: Saudi Building and Interiors Exhibition (SBIE) DATE: 12 - 16 AprilVENUE: Jeddah Centre for Forums and EventsWEBSITE: www.acexpos.com

EVENT: Project Qatar 2009,the 6th International Trade Exhibition for construction technology, building materials and equipmentDATE: 27- 30 AprilVENUE: Qatar International Exhibition Centre WEBSITE: www.ifpqatar.com

EVENT: Project Near East 2009, the 6th International Trade Exhibition for construction technology, building materials and equipment and the 6th International Rebuild Iraq DATE: 4 - 7 MayWEBSITE: www.ifpemirates.com

EVENT: Libya Build 2009, the 6th International Building and Construction Exhibition DATE: 18 - 21 MayPHONE: + 218 21 334 2193

EVENT: Project Lebanon 2009, the 14th International Trade Exhibition for Construction Building Materials EquipmentDATE: 16-19 JuneWEBSITE: www.ifpexpo.com

EVENT: 5th Build Asia International Exhibition and Conference.DATE: 1 - 3 August VENUE: Karachi Expo Centre, Pakistan EMAIL: [email protected] EVENT: Turkmen Construction - 2009 and International Scientific Conference DATE: 20 - 22 August FAX: + 993 12 351352 EMAIL: [email protected]

EVENT: Building and Construction Indonesia 2009DATE: 14 - 17 OctoberVENUE: Jakarta International Expo, KemayoranPHONE: + 62 (0) 21 - 316 2001 FAX: + 62 (0) 21 - 316 1981 / 2EMAIL: [email protected]

EVENT: Building and Construction ExhibitionDATE: 21 – 27 November VENUE: Kuwait International Fair Ground WEBSITE: http://www.kif.net

CALENDAR OF EXHIBITIONS & EVENTS

BUSINESS LEADS

www.constructionweekonline.com March 7 – 13, 2009 39

test and place into success-ful operation.Closes: 9 AprilFees: EGP17,000Bond: EGP4,500,000 Contact: 7 Riad Pacha St., Glim, Alexandria Tel: 03 - 5761375

Issuer: Egyptian Electricity Transmission Co., Central Egypt Electricity Zone, The Cashier Description: Request of offers from international bidders for implement-ing Gebel El Zeit, GIS type, 220/22 kV substation in El Canal Zone.Closes: 24 MarchFees: EGP14000Bond: EGP1,700,000 Contact: 5 Sixth October St, El Mounib, Giza Tel: 02 - 35716390

Issuer: Egyptian Electricity Transmission Co., Central Egypt Electricity Zone, The Cashier Description: Supplying 2 x 125 MVA, 22/ 22/ 220 kV transformers for comple-tion in 16 months.Closes: 31 MarchFees: EGP11000Bond: EGP561,000 Contact: 5 Sixth October St, El Mounib, GizaTel:02 - 35716390

Issuer: West Delta Electric-ity Production CompanyDescription: Request of offers from international manufacturers regarding the mechanical works and piping package pertaining to units 6 and 7 at Abu Qir power station of 650MW capacity each under fund-ing from Kuwaiti Fund for Social and Economic Devel-opment.

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

Indicative Steel Prices For

Prices In US $/t CFR Dubai Country of Origin

Billets - Blooms 400 – 450 CIS, Turkey

Reinforcing Bars 470 – 500 Turkey

Angles 525 – 550 Turkey

Beams - channels (EN+UB/UC)

600 – 650 Far East, India, S. Africa

Wire Rods 475 – 525 Turkey

Hot Rolled Plates 600 – 650 CIS

Hot Rolled Coils 430 – 470 CIS, India, Iran

Cold Rolled Coils 500 – 520 CIS

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

610 – 650 India

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

610 – 650 India

Prepainted Galv. coils, 0.35 850 – 900 Far East, India

Tinplate 0.32mm 1200 – 1250 Far East, W. Europe

SS HR Coils 304 Base 1900 – 2000 Far East, W. Europe, Brazil, S. Africa

SS HR Coils 316L Base 3500 – 3600 Far East, W. Europe, Brazil, S. Africa

BAHRAIN

Issuer: Bahrain Radio and TV CorporationTender No: 5/2008Description: Supply, installation and commis-sioning of 10KW Solid State Digital (DVB-T) Ready Transmitter for CH 44.Closes: 25 MarchBond: BHD1000Contact: Tender Board’s Office at Al Moayyed Tower, Seef Area, 7th floor, Kingdom of Bahrain

Issuer: Ministry of Health Tender No: 107/09Description: Supply and installation of one passenger lift at Jidhaf’s

Maternity Hospital.Closes: 11 MarchFees: BHD15 Bond: BHD500Contact: Tender Board’s Office at Al Moayyed Tower, Seef Area, 7th floor, Kingdom of Bahrain

Issuer: Bahrain Civil Avia-tion AffairsTender No: EMD/9/MO/40.00Description: Replacement of existing fire water tank at Bahrain International Airport.Closes: 18 MarchBond: BHD500Contact: Tender Board’s Office at Al Moayyed Tower, Seef Area, 7th floor,

Kingdom of Bahrain

Issuer: Bahrain Petroleum CompanyTender No: T090018Description: Construction of six new duplex houses in Awali.Closes: 18 MarchFees: BHD50Bond: BHD2,500Contact: www.tender-board.gov.bh

Issuer: Tamkeen (Labour Fund)Tender No: LF-030Description: Enterprise Development Support Agency. The second phase.Closes: 8 AprilFees: BHD50Bond: BHD4000Contact: www.tender-board.gov.bh

EGYPT

Issuer: Cairo Airport Co., The CashierDescription: Implement-ing the infrastructure for buildings and service establishments of passen-gers Terminal No. 3 on the Autostrad. Closes: 10 MarchFees: EGP5oooBond: EGP2,000,000 Contact: Second Floor at Terminal Building No. 1, Cairo Airport, CairoTel: +20 22653115

Issuer: West Delta Elec-tricity Production Co., The Cashier Description: Electrical equipment/ instruments installation package pertaining to Abu Qir. That includes design, furnish, receive at site, store, install,

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

www.constructionweekonline.com40 March 7 – 13, 2009

Mahdha Bureimi grid stations area-Dhahira region and replacing 132 KV single circuit line on wooden poles dank-Al Hail by double circuit on steel towers. Closes: 13 AprilFees: RO1500,000Contact: www.tender-board.gov.com

Issuer: Ministry of Trans-port and CommunicationTender No: 47/2009Description: Development of Muscat and Salalah inter-national airports.Closes: 23 MarchFees: RO1500,000Contact: www.tenderboard.gov.om

Issuer: Oman Refinery Company LLCTender No: 45/2009Description: Static equip-ment turn around and inspec-tion works (2010 shutdown). Closes: 13 AprilFees: RO1500,000Contact: www.tenderboard.gov.om

Issuer: Ministry of HousingTender No: 69/2009Description: Construction of 11 housing units, Majlis and a mosque.Closes: 20 AprilFees: RO191,000Contact: www.tenderboard.gov.om

Issuer: Oman DrydocksTender No: 63/2009Description: Design, manufacture, installation and commissioning of machinery equipment.Closes: 6 AprilFees: RO1461,000Contact: www.tender-board.gov.om

Issuer: Ministry of InformationTender No: 79/2009Description: Design, supply, delivery, instal-lation and comissioning of radio automation and digital media archive system for radio sultanate of Oman.Closes: 27 AprilFees: RO325,000Contact: www.tenderboard.gov.om

Issuer: Ministry of InformationTender No: 78/2009Description: Technical fit out for the new digital HD TV studio complex in Muscat and the refurish-ment of Salalah TV centre.Closes: 27 AprilFees: RO1500,000Contact: www.tenderboard.gov.om

Issuer: Ministry of Regional Municipalities and water ResourcesTender No: 77/2009Description: Constuction of 62 houses at Al Jiniyah residence to hospital planned subdivision at Wilayat Sur.Closes: 27 AprilFees: RO800,000Contact: www.tenderboard.gov.om

Issuer: Ministry of InteriorTender No: 76/2009Description: Construction, completion and maintenance of Wali resi-dence at Yanqul.Closes: 27 AprilFees: RO160,000Contact: www.tenderboard.gov.om

Closes: 10 MarchFees: EGP3000Bond: EGP2,000,000 Contact: West Delta Elec-tricity Production Compa-ny, The Cashier, 7 Riad Pacha Street, Glim, Alex-andria Tel: 03- 5761375

Issuer: East Delta Electric-ity Production CompanyDescription: Request of offers from eligible bidders for the steam generators (boilers) and auxiliaries package pertaining to Ain El Sukhna supercritical ther-mal power plant of 2 x 650 MW gas/oil fired units.Closes: 16 MarchFees: EGP1500Bond: EGP9,000,000 Contact: East Delta Elec-tricity Production Compa-ny, The Cashier, Shebin El Kom Street, behind the Agricultural Directorate Building, IsmailiyaTel: 064- 3371906

Issuer: Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation, the Mechanical and Electri-cal Department, The Stores DepartmentDescription: Request of offers from specialised eligible bidders for the construction, civil works, supply and erection of mechanical and electrical equipment pertaining to an irrigation pumping station at Kilo 57 on the guides of branches 1 and 2 of Toshki Canal comprising 4 + 1 pumping units of 5.7 m3/second discharge each at 21.5m maximum static lift.Closes: 17 MarchFees: EGP1500Bond: EGP1,500,000

Contact: Ministry of Water Resources and IrrigationTel: 02- 22069294/5/6

Issuer: East Delta Elec-tricity Production Co, The Cashier Description: Request of offers from specialised local contracting companies for the site preparation pack-age pertaining to Ein Al Sukhna 2 x 650 MW steam fired power station of critical pressures. Closes: 12 AprilFees: EGP1500Bond: EGP900,000 Contact: Shebin El Kom St, Behind the Agricul-tural Directorate Building, Ismailiya. Tel: 064- 3371906

Issuer: Egyptian Author-ity for Maritime Transport Safety, The Cashier Description: Request of offers from special-ised companies for the upgrading of operating programmes, maintenance and repair of the electronic systems of the Gulf of Suez and Aqaba Gulf entrances in Sharm El Sheikh’s Vessels Traffic Information Manage-ment System.Closes: 30 MarchFees: EGP5600Bond: EGP703,000 Contact: Alexandria Port, Customs Gate 1, Ras El Tin, Tel: 03 - 4802031

OMAN

Issuer: Oman Electricity Transmission companyTender No: 46/2009Description: Upgrading conductor size from exist-ing to 400mm between

BUSINESS LEADS

www.constructionweekonline.com March 7 – 13, 2009 41

Issuer: Oman Ministry of EducationTender No: 75/2009Description: The construc-tion, completion and main-tenance of 30 class rooms at Al Hajar, Wilayat.Closes: 20 AprilFees: RO370,000Contact: www.tenderboard.gov.om

Issuer: Oman Ministry of EducationTender No: 74/2009Description: Construction, completion and mainte-nance of proposed Dhahira regional office at Ibri. Closes: 20 AprilFees: RO300,000Contact: www.tenderboard.gov.om

Issuer: Oman Ministry of EducationTender No: 73/2009Description: Supply of furniture and equipment for schools, offices and houses for the 2009/2010.Closes: 20 AprilFees: RO150,000Contact: www.tenderboard.gov.om

Issuer: Oman Drydock CompanyTender No: 72/2009Description: Design, manufacture, installation and commissioning of one lot of shop crane to Oman Drydock Company. Closes: 20 AprilFees: RO1500,000Contact: www.tenderboard.gov.om

Issuer: Ministry of HealthTender No: 71/2009Description: Supply of pharmaceuticals for the

Ministry of Health.Closes: 13 AprilFees: RO150,000Contact: www.tenderboard.gov.om

QATAR

Issuer: Qatar PetroleumTender No: GT09102500 Description: Provide two Construction/Workboats services on all QP Offshore facilities and operational structures.Closes: 22 March Bond: QAR 500,000 Contact: Contracts Depart-ment – Corporate Division, Qatar Petroleum, PO Box 3212, Royal Plaza, G Wing, 4th Floor, Room G11, Doha

Issuer: Qatar PetroleumTender No: ST09100700Description: Replacement of deep well anode ground beds at tank farm.Closes: 23 March Fees: QAR200Bond: QAR5000 Contact: Contracts Depart-ment – Corporate Division, Qatar Petroleum, PO Box 3212, Royal Plaza, G Wing, 4th Floor, Room G11, Doha

Issuer: Qatar PetroleumTender No: GT09102800Description: Refur-bishment and external decoration of various accomodations in Dukhan Township.Closes: 29 MarchFees: QAR500 Contact: Contracts Depart-ment – Corporate Division, Qatar Petroleum, PO Box 3212, Royal Plaza, G Wing, 4th Floor Room G11, Doha

Issuer: Qatar PetroleumTender No: GT09103400 Description: Interface of DAS system to existing energy power consump-tion metres in the thirty nine stations in the Dukhan Fields. Closes: 5 AprilFees: QAR500Bond: QAR200,000 Contact: Operations Divi-sion, Qatar Petroleum, PO Box 3212, Royal Plaza,G Wing,4th Floor Rm G13, Doha

Issuer: Qatar PetroleumTender No: GT09103100 Description: Construction of new training centre at Mesaieed.Closes: 5 AprilFees: QAR500Bond: QAR300,000 Contact: Engineering Divi-sion, Qatar Petroleum, PO Box 3212, Dana Tower, 3rd Floor, Room 309, Doha

UAE

Issuer: Dubai Electricity and Water Authority Tender No: CE/0707/2008 Description: Supply, installation and commis-sioning of 33/11kv substations.Closes: 10 March Bond: AED5000 Contact: Dubai Electricity and Water Authority PO Box 564, Dubai, UAE

Issuer: Dubai Electricity and Water Authority Tender No: CE/0005/2009 Description: Installation and commissioning of 11 KV cables. Closes: 10 March

Bond: AED5000 Contact: Dubai Electricity and Water Authority PO Box 564, Dubai, UAE

Issuer: Dubai Electricity and Water Authority Tender No: CNE/0114/2008 Description: Hassyan Power and Desalination Complex sea-water in-take and outfall system. Closes: 11 March Bond: AED5000 Contact: Dubai Electricity and Water AuthorityPO Box 564, Dubai, UAE

Issuer: Dubai Electricity and Water Authority Tender No: CE/0734/2008 Description: Construction of warehouses and associ-ated facilities at Warsan. Closes: 11 March Bond: AED5000 Contact: Dubai Electricity and Water Authority, PO Box 564, Dubai, UAE

Issuer: Dubai Electricity and Water Authority Tender No: CE/0194/2008 Description: Supply, instal-lation and commissioning of online transformer dry-out system.Closes: 12 March Bond: AED500 Contact: Dubai Electricity and Water Authority,PO Box 564, Dubai, UAE

Issuer: Federal Electricity and Water AuthorityTender No: 1M/2008 Description: Relocation of 3MIGD R.O. Plant Fujairah to Ajman.Closes: 30 MarchBond: AED500 Contact: PO Box 1672 Dubai, UAE

PROJECT FOCUS

www.arabianbusiness.com/construction42 March 7 - 13, 2009

UAE PROJECTS DATABASE - BUILDING PROJECTS FOCUSPROJECT TITLE CLIENT CONSULTANT MAIN

CONTRACTORVALUE / VALUE RANGE (AED MN) PROJECT STATUS TYPE OF PROJECT

Uptown MotorCity, Dubailand Union Properties Burt Hill Al Futtaim Carillion 376 project under construction

Residential Development

Royal City Seasons Hotel in Abu Dhabi City Seasons Group James Cubitt & Partners Not Appointed 101 - 250 bidding underway for the main contract

Hotel

Ritaj Mixed-Use Complex in DIP Dubai Investments Real Estate Co.

Al Jabal Consultants Robust Contracting 155 project under construction

Mixed Use

NCC Harmony Towers at DuBiotech NCC Urban Islamic Architects Al Mubarakia Contracting

408 project under construction

Mixed Use

Al Falah Development in Abu Dhabi - 2500 Villas

ALDAR Properties Al Torath Engineering Consultants

El Seif Engineering & Contracting Co.

251 - 500 project under construction


Trinity Heights in Jumeirah Village Paramount Properties Veritas Global FZE Not Appointed 215 project under design Mixed Use

Al Naboodah Showroom in Mussafah Al Naboodah Automobiles Makan Consulting Engineers

Emirates & Al Nasr Building & Contracting


Commercial Buildings

Yasmin Tower 1 in RAK Asteco Consulting Engineering Group

Jog Union Engineering 14 project under construction

Mixed Use

The Wings in Najmat on Reem Island Dar Al Dhabi Holding KEO International Consultants

Not Appointed 101 - 250 project under design Mixed Use

Burj Al Fattan in Jumeirah Al Fattan Properties LW Design Not Appointed 31 - 100 bidding underway for the main contract

Hotel

Frankfurt Sports Tower 1 in DSC Memon Real Estate Al Hatmy Design & Engg. Cons.

Not Appointed 92 bidding underway for the main contract

Residential Buildings

The Diamond Tower in Dubai Sports City First Group Badri & Bensouda United Engineering Construction (UNEC)



Lilies Tower in Emirates City R Holdings Adnan Saffarini Abou Seif Building Contracting Co



Al Jazeera Club Tower Al Jazeera Capital Real Estate Atkins Al Habtoor Engineering 35 project under construction

Mixed Use

Sea View Club Hotel and Apartments Das Real Estate Al Wasl Al Jadeed Consultants

Not Appointed 31 - 100 bidding underway for the main contract

Mixed Use

Mixed-Use Development on Marjan Island

Solanki Holdings & Investments

Kassian (Canada) Not Appointed 2,450 project under design Mixed Use

Muhara 1 at Jumeirah Village Khuyool Investments Maks & Partners Not Appointed 16 - 30 project under design Residential Buildings

Sandoval Townhouses & Residences in Jumeirah Village

Bavaria Gulf Diar Consult Al Sayegh Contracting 101 - 250 project under construction


Al Gurm Complex in West Abu Dhabi - Banyan Tree Hotel

ALDAR Properties Dar Al Handasah Not Appointed 101 - 250 bidding underway for the main contract

Hotel

Fairview Tower in Business Bay Deyaar Arex Consultants Al Huda Contracting 31 - 100 project under construction


32 Villas in Al Barsha Mohammed Al Nasser City Space Engineering Consultancy

Moal Contracting 31 - 100 project under construction


Le Diamond Towers at Waterfront Darvesh Group Aedas Not Appointed 409 project under design Mixed Use

Altitude Tower in Emirates City BL Properties Adnan Saffarini Mehwal Building Contracting



99 villas in the Flame Tree Ridge at the Jumeirah Golf Estates

Leisurecorp Mott MacDonald Al Nekhreh Contracting 101 - 250 project under construction


The Kingdom of Sheba Resort on Jumeirah Palm

International Financial Advisors (IFA), Dubai

Wimberley Allison Tong & Goo

Dubai Contracting Co (DCC)


Mixed Use

The Cavendish 1 in Awali City UK Capital Investments Group(UKCIG)

Adnan Saffarini Not Appointed 31 - 100 project under design Residential Buildings

The Binary in Business Bay Omniyat Dubarch Dutco Balfour Beatty 150 project under construction


Garden Heights in Jumeirah Village Dheeraj & East Coast L.L.C Arkiteknik International Not Appointed 82 bidding underway for the main contract


PROJECT FOCUS

www.arabianbusiness.com/construction March 7 - 13, 2009 43

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

PROJECT TITLE CLIENT CONSULTANT MAIN CONTRACTOR

VALUE / VALUE RANGE (US $ MN) PROJECT STATUS TYPE OF PROJECT

Julphar Towers in RAK RAK Properties Arenco Al Hamad Contracting 116 project under construction

Mixed Use

Goldcrest Dreams in Ajman Star Giga Establishment Adnan Saffarini Sky Construction 190 project under construction


Head Quaters in Jumeirah Village Dheeraj & East Coast L.L.C Arkiteknik International Not Appointed 109 project under design Commercial Buildings

Park Corner Building in Jumeirah Village Test Contracting Adnan Saffarini Test Contracting 22 project under construction


The Abjar Tower in Jumeirah Village South

Khuyool Investments Maks & Partners Ali Moosa & Sons Contracting



Emke Group Headquarters Emke Group/Line Investment

Al Salaam Consulting Ali & Sons Contracting 31 - 100 project under construction


Noor Al Ain Project in Al Ain Aldar Properties Benoy Architects Not Appointed 545 award awaited for the construction contract

Mixed Use

Burj Al Fattan in Jumeirah Al Fattan Properties LW Design Not Appointed 31 - 100 bidding underway for the main contract

Mixed Use

Metropolis Tower in Business Bay Deyaar La Casa Engineers & Architects

Emirates MAN 99 project under construction


Centro Rotana Hotel on Airport Road Al Badie Trading & Investment

LW Design Polensky and Zoellner 31 - 100 project under construction

Hotel

St. Regis Hotel & Residences on Saadiyat Island

Tourism Development & Investment Co. (TDIC)

Woods Bagot Not Appointed 409 bidding underway for the main contract

Mixed Use

Hannover Square in Jumeirah Village ACW Holdings Al Hawraa Engineering Consultants

Haqqani Contracting 147 project under construction


Fortune Bay in Business Bay Fortune Investment Group Dimensions Engineering Not Appointed 16 - 30 project under design Commercial Buildings

Super Slim Tower Along Sheikh Zayed Road

Tasameem Real Estate Atkins Not Appointed 101 - 250 project under design Mixed Use

Centro Business Traveller Hotel at Dubai World Central

Daman Asset Management LW Design Not Appointed 101 - 250 project under design Hotel

Bayswater at Business Bay Omniyat Dubarch China State Construction & Engineering



The Skyscraper in Business Bay Al Attar Real Estate Canadian Consultants Caterpillar Contracting 300 project under construction


The Fronds in Jumeirah Heights- Fronds A

Nakheel Corporation Arenco Consolidated Contractors International Co;



Prodigy in Jumeirah Village MiNC Property Enterprises Tijan Engineering Gannon Dunkerly & Company

2.5 - 15 project under construction


The Bridge Tower in Dubai Sports City First Group Shankland Cox China Railway & Engineering Corporation



Tasameem 1 at the Business Bay Tasameem Real Estate National Engineering Bureau

Construction & Reconstruction Engg. Co;



Tasameem 2 at the Business Bay Tasameem Real Estate National Engineering Bureau

Construction & Reconstruction Engg. Co;




SPECIALIST SERVICES

March 7-March 13, 2009 45

Building Materials

Construction Building Materials

To advertise in this section please contact: Bipin Soneji Tel.: +971 (0)4 435 6119 Email: [email protected]

Contractors and Manufacturers

Flooring

Wood and Timber Construction

Steel Supply


SPECIALIST SERVICES

46 March 7-March 13, 2009


Construction/Building Materials

Construction / Building Materials

“ FLOSTO ” HOT PRESS MOULDED GRP PANEL TANKS

(WRC, U.K. CERTIFIED)SUPPLY AND INSTALLATION

Union Fiber Glass FactoryTel: 04-8802522 Fax: 04-8802747

Mobile: 050 1408400/6256595

Email: [email protected]

Readymix Steel Sheet Piling


SPECIALIST SERVICES

March 7-March 13, 2009 47

PP Corrugated Sheets

Man Power Supply


HVAC & Plumbing Related Equipment

Formwork and Scaffolding Systems

Construction Chemicals Hard Landscaping Supplier

ON-SITE TALK


L ike Charles Darwin said, ‘adapt, migrate or die’. This is an important fact for modern businesses to

understand, along with the cyclical nature of markets, in order to plan the use of resources and expertise accordingly.

Companies need to consider their ability to adapt as a primary facilitator to long-term success or else be forced to restructure by changing economies or business environments.

Market ForcesThe real estate market is particu-larly cyclical in nature, as factors such as inflation, demographics, and economic growth affect prices and confidence in the sector. It’s these changing market conditions that alert us to the fact that there is no status quo and that what goes up, must come down. The Dubai market has seen some of the fall-out from unrealistic expectations in a dynamic market; mortgage restructuring, speculation and cri-ses of confidence have led to a drop in sales and speculative inter-est, forcing some property compa-nies to make redundancies.

As the saying goes ‘don’t put all your eggs in one basket.’ Re-al estate companies now need to listen to these market forces and understand what the market wants and needs, and more importantly, to know the needs of a changing market in advance. This means not just a full range of property on the books, but also a full range of services on offer. Asteco’s exten-sive portfolio of services, coupled with our experience, means that we’ve been able to grow across the sector as a whole; taking into account the varying needs of buy-ers, sellers and developers and

Diversification is the key to successDavid Oayda, general manager of Qatar-based project management team Asteco, tells us how companies can survive the economic slump in the real estate market.

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

the market value of properties and to assist banks in the prudent man-agement of risk associated with exposure to mortgage finance. Strata management services have also become increasingly popular as the secondary market begins to emerge here in Qatar. Strata management incorporates facility, property and ownership associa-tion management and represents the different branches available to property companies on which to build revenue and long-lasting customer relationships, as inves-tors often look for companies to manage a portfolio of properties on their behalf.

The recent dip in the fortunes of the maturing property market has meant that some companies have left themselves wide open to risk. In the case of the GCC, sales have dropped. Redundancies are symp-tomatic of a market that didn’t wor-ry about the worst case scenario. By having a diversified business, you’re able to effectively manage your talent pool across a number of sub-divisions. This means the ability to move resources around your business and reduce expo-sure to market fluctuations.

A successful business needs to be all things for all people, servicing developers, investors and banks. To do this requires constant moni-toring of external market forces to understand the market fully and a willingness to think long-term and be able to quickly adapt to change to manage risk. Like any other market, it’s survival of the fittest in the real estate sector.

David Oayda, general manager, Asteco.

ing future risk. Clients are looking for companies that can offer them creative and competitive advice and solutions. The strength of the company’s experience and knowl-edge is therefore critical.

It’s important not to underesti-mate the importance of these early stages, in order for a strong sales market to be sustainable. Although sales in some of the more mature markets in the region have begun to ease off, new developments haven’t stopped completely, which means that companies that are able to provide services to cater for different elements of the mar-ket will continually be in a strong position.

As the market begins to mature and more properties progress towards the handover stage, it gives rise to a multitude of con-sultancy-based services, which provide the market with what it’s looking for; advice and support on how to manage investments most profitably. The growth of the real estate sector, which at present is a nascent market, has given rise to the need for property valuation services by certified valuers who are in the best position to assess

being involved with these stake-holders at every stage.

Stages of the marketPerhaps the easiest way to explain the need for diversification is to consider the different stages of the market and the different needs at each stage. In the early adoption and growth stages of a property market, it’s important to offer serv-ices which provide the necessary and relevant information to allow investors and developers to make informed choices. Services such as market research, valuation, design and feasibility studies are critical as they enable the market to grow and evolve whilst manag- CURRICULUM VITAE

David Oayda has a vast range of experience in real estate gained since joining the industry in the mid 80s.He has been involved in all facets of the real estate business from property management to project management, conducting feasibility studies and highest and best land use methods.He has personally been responsible for several developments from incep-tion to completion, from the management of the construction to the mar-keting and selling phases.Oayda has been within the real estate industry for 17 years, dealing in a cross section within the industry, his business skills include: management of over 400 staff and implementation of various technological systems keeping abreast best practice and systems.

AlQouz Industrial Area 38th St. Community #368Plot #443 Shed. #16Tel: +97143235367Fax: +97143235368Email: [email protected]

cw issue 262

Documents

local economy

kingdoms economy

uae minister of economy

stable economy

diversi ed economy

economy mohammed abdullah

construction companies

construction commitments