UPDATEDewan’s masterplan for Samarra University in IraqP.08

FEATURE What is the real price of building sustainably?P.30

REVIEW Siemens’ new Middle East HQ at Masdar City P.36

THE Uwe Krueger, Atkins’ global

CEO, on how consultants are reshaping the modern city

INSIGHT AND ANALYSIS FOR CONSTRUCTION SPECIALISTS

PUBLICATION LICENSED BY IMPZ

001 FEBRUARY 2014

FUTURE

ACROSS THE WORLDSHAPING CITYSCAPES

www.hyderconsulting.com

Hyder is an award winning multi-national design and engineering consultancy that has delivered landmark projects in over 100 countries for more than 150 years.

01

CONTENTS

FEBRUARY 2014

36 SITE VISIT

HOW SIEMENS’ NEW HQ RAISES THE BAR FOR

REGIONAL OFFICE SCHEMES

06 18 28 42

02

CONTENTS

ON THE BOARDS THE LATEST PROJECT LAUNCHES ACROSS THE REGION

IN PRACTICE COMPANY NEWS, ANNOUNCEMENTS AND INTERVIEWS

14 NOTICEBOARDNew appointments in the industry and key dates for your diary

16 OPINIONBroadway Malyan’s Ian Apsley on Abu Dhabi’s building codes

18 COMPANY PROFILE Niche interior specialist Areen Hospitality opens in Dubai

20 GET TO KNOW…Ian Harfield, GM for Facilities Management firm Cofely Besix

22 INTERVIEWAtkins’ CEO Uwe Krueger and Middle East CEO Simon Moon

IN THEORYDEBATE, RESEARCH PAPERS AND FUTURE POSSIBILITIES

26 THOUGHTIndustry leaders give their predictions for the future

28 STUDENT PROJECTUK Masters students share future vision for towers in Abu Dhabi

30 FEATUREHow going green does not have to involve a bigger budget

ON SITEANALYSIS AND BUILDING REVIEWS ON THE GROUND

36 BUILDING REVIEW How Siemens’ new HQ raises the bar for regional office schemes

42 PROJECT SNAPSHOT Consultants collaborate to deliver GEMS International School

46 ON THE RADARLondon’s tallest tower and Harvard’s new hall

48 DAY IN THE LIFE24 hours with Sanu Mathew, SEED Engineering

06 UPDATEFoster + Partners to design UAE Pavilion for Milan Expo 2015

08 UPDATEUnveiling Dewan’s masterplan for Samarra University in Iraq

10 UPDATEfhsi architects reveals super luxury villa for golf estate in Dubai

26 27 27 48

14 16 20 26

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04

EDITOR’S NOTE

It gives me great pleasure to wel-come you to the first ever issue of Middle East Consultant.

This magazine aims to bring all con-struction consultants together, whether you are a project manager, architect, en-gineer or quantity surveyor.

In our efforts to cover the full range of consultant services, we’ve divided the magazine into four sections – On the Boards, In Practice, In Theory and On Site – covering everything from project conception to completion.

The first section reveals the latest project announcements, such as Foster + Partners’ UAE Pavilion for Expo 2015 in Milan.

As you can see from the ambitious designs, it is a real statement of intent for Expo 2020.

This leads into the next section ‘In Practice’, covering recent company news and business thoughts. I was privi-leged to get an exclusive interview with Atkins CEO Uwe Krueger and Middle East CEO Simon Moon. As two of the most powerful men in construction, they shared their inspiring vision for the future of cities.

Next up is ‘In Theory’, a section which offers thought-provoking ideas and concepts that are perhaps unreal-ised. Dr Philip Oldfield – now a lecturer but previously a fellow student when I studied architecture – shares a daring concept design for Middle East towers.

The final section ‘On Site’ showcases completed buildings in the Middle East and elsewhere. The big news regionally was the opening of Siemens’ Middle East HQ at Masdar City. This project has garnered a lot of praise from the in-dustry and picked up numerous awards. Having toured the building I feel it sets the benchmark for efficient commercial design in the region.

My colleagues and I sincerely hope you enjoy reading the magazine. We want it to be a true mouthpiece for the industry, so please do not hesitate to share your ideas, opinions and keep us updated on your news.

WELCOME

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Abu Dhabi, UAEPO Box 112046Tel: +971 2 418 0999Fax: +971 2 418 0998

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Come and chat to us and you’ll find that there’s more to WSP than you think. www.wspgroup.com

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Did you know that: WSP is one of the world’s leading professional services company?

WSP has more than 500 Staff in the Middle East and 15,000 globally?

WSP is based in more than 300 Offices and 35 countries globally?

WSP is currently engaged in signature projects across the globe from ‘Freedom Tower’ in New York to ‘The Shard’ in Central London, and that we are appointed to deliver some of the Middle East’s most challenging and prestigious projects including ‘Zayed National Museum’ ‘Presidential Palace’ and ‘Masdar City’ in Abu Dhabi and the ‘Roads Contract 2’ in Doha?

To see how we can add value to your project please get in touch with any of our team.

UPDATE

06

UK architecture giant Foster + Partners has revealed its design for the United Arab Emirates Pa-vilion at Expo 2015 in Milan.

The firm previously designed the UAE pavilion for Expo 2010 in Shanghai, which was disman-tled and moved to Saadiyat Island in Abu Dhabi.

For the 2015 iteration, the pavilion’s interior of self-shaded streets is said to evoke the nar-row alleys of ancient desert cities, while demonstrating the natural energy efficiency of their com-pact urban form.

Visitors are drawn into the mouth of a canyon-like space, defined by two undulating 12m-high walls.

The walls continue throughout the 140m site in a series of paral-lel waves, designed to mimic the ridges and texture of sand dunes.

Norman Foster commented: “Our challenge has been to de-sign for two climates – to create a naturally cool, comfortable space for visitors in Milan, while con-sidering the pavilion’s ultimate reconstruction in the Emirates, where there is a need to provide shade from the intense sun.”

A state-of-the-art auditorium is located within a drum at the heart of the site, while the end of the trail contains a green oasis leading into a ground level café, a formal restaurant on the first floor and a hospitality roof terrace on top.

The Pritzker Prize winner con-tinued: “The design reflects our investigations into the form of an-cient cities and our appreciation for the desert landscape.

“It also maximises the oppor-tunities presented by the elon-gated site – the dramatic canyon-like entrance will welcome people inside, and the channels between the high walls provide intuitive circulation, naturally leading visi-tors to the auditorium, exhibition and restaurant spaces.”

The project targets LEED Plat-inum through a combination of passive principles and active tech-niques, from rainwater capture on the roof garden to the integration of photovoltaic cells.

Just like the 2010 pavilion, it is designed to be recycled and rebuilt in the UAE after the Expo – GRC panels are supported by a steel frame, which can be easily demounted and reconstructed.

UAE PAVILION FORMILAN EXPO UNVEILEDFOSTER + PARTNERS REVEALS STRIKING DESERT DESIGN

ON

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THE TEAMClient: National Media Council Architecture, structures, MEP: Foster + PartnersCollaborating architect: Marco Visconti Quantity surveyor: Fraser Randall Landscape consultant: WATG Lighting consultant: David Atkinson Acoustic consultant: Sandy Brown Associates Project manager: Fraser Randall

UPDATE

07

ON THE BOARDS

UPDATE

08

UPDATE

09

Previously a no-go-zone ravaged by sectarian violence, the city of Samarra – just north of Baghdad – is well on the road to recovery.

The UNESCO World Herit-age-listed city received a further boost with the unveiling of a 250ha campus for its existing uni-versity, spearheaded by Dewan Architects and Engineers.

Design has been partially completed while tendering for construction is expected in the summer, with completion three years later.

Dewan has been tasked with the masterplanning and architec-tural design of a modern univer-sity campus with high sustain-ability standards, to house 12,000 students and faculty members.

It will include about 19 col-leges of various fields as well as administrative, residential, agri-cultural, medical, communal and other services buildings, which are all connected through a com-plex infrastructural network.

According to Ammar Al As-sam, executive director at Dewan, the firm was given a very loose brief and had to research and pro-pose the academic programme with spatial requirements, based on universities of a similar size.

“The main challenge was com-posing a curriculum and a space programme for the vast area of the site where no specific brief

was given, along with overlapping the design requirements,” he said.

The designers looked to the heavens and found inspiration, as Al Assam explained. “The con-cept reflects the nucleus of a gal-axy and the infinite movement of change, which represents knowl-edge and its infinite evolution.”

He continued: “The nucleus embodies the central academic and social activities represent-ed by the main library and the student centre as the pulse of knowledge. It’s surrounded by the academic buildings and the remainder of the facilities are ar-ranged in a revolving radial grid.”

A central entrance tower forms a key part of the masterplan’s composition, which is connected to a clear circulation axis. The whole campus is tied together by two streams said to represent the “continuity of learning”.

For Al Assam, the provincial scale of the university will benefit the surrounding area. “The pro-ject is very important for the city – the current campus of Samarra University is small with insuffi-cient facilities,” he remarked.

“Samarra is of historic and reli-gious importance yet there is no large higher education provider. I’m hopeful that this project will help determine the future of the area and attempt to elevate its so-cial and intellectual foundation.”

THE TEAMClient: Ministry of Higher EducationMasterplanning and architectural design: Dewan MEP design: Ian Banham & AssociatesInfrastructure design: Civil Consulting Engineering Group Education consultant: Turnkey Project ManagementGeotechnical consultant: Andrea – Engineering Tests Lab

DEWAN REVEALS PLANS FOR IRAQ UNIVERSITY HISTORIC CITY OF SAMARRA SET FOR 250HA CAMPUS INSPIRED BY GALAXIES

10

UPDATE

MODERN MASHRABIYA VILLA AWAITS APPROVALDEVELOPER CONSIDERING FHSI DESIGN FOR LUXURY GOLF ESTATE

Dubai-based fhsi architects, found-ed by ex-Aedas designer Fariborz Hatam, has revealed its design for a series of super-luxurious villas on a prestigious golf estate in Dubai.

Approached by one of the Emirate’s top developers – which requested to remain anonymous – fhsi provided an undisclosed num-ber of villa designs, for a location that is equally secretive.

Hatam said: “We wanted to cre-ate a bold structure that was con-ceived as a composition of con-crete slabs, neatly folded that look

as if they could float out to the golf course. The interior of the house is an exercise in open-plan living with as few internal walls as possi-ble to maximise natural light. The glazing has a Low-E coating that admits sunlight but blocks heat.”

The villa’s north-facing entrance offers a view through a double vol-ume, glazed living space to the golf course. It is elevated above a po-dium to allow a better view while enhancing privacy.

Functions are separated – the private area is a simple floating

rectangle over three boxy public cantilevers with the majlis, formal dining and guest quarters.

A staircase is part of a system of large sculptural block-like volumes that jut out into the double height communal spaces to inject drama.

Although strikingly modern, the design retains a sense of tra-ditionalism with its mashrabiya-style façade on the southern side.

Hatam explained that this outer skin is also high-tech. “One of the most ingenious aspects of this de-sign is that the light in the south-

facing façade can be manipulated by a system of aluminum mashra-biya panels. These are electronical-ly-controlled and have a dramatic effect on the internal climate.”

The status of project is still un-certain, with the developer yet to give the green light. Nevertheless, Hatam has faith in the effective-ness of his design. “It has low en-ergy techniques which increase occupant comfort. Our goal is innovation in the field of building technology through intelligent, re-sponsible architecture,” he added.

THE TEAMClient: UndisclosedArchitectural design: fhsi architects Sustainability and MEP: Buro Happold Structure: Derby Design

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12

UPDATE

Drake & Scull has signed a con-tract worth around US$30m to provide complete MEP works for the extensive redevelopment of the popular Mall of the Emirates in Dubai.

The contract was awarded by the main contractor, Khansaheb Civil Engineering.

Drake & Scull will procure, install, test and commission all MEP works at the shopping mall,

with work completed by 2015. Mall of the Emirates recently an-nounced its multi-stage redevel-opment project at an estimated cost of US$272m under the theme ‘Evolution 2015.’

With work on Phase 1 already underway, the mall redevelop-ment will include a new fashion district, a sports and leisure pre-cinct, and an expansion of dining and cinema facilities.

MEP CONTRACT FOR MALL OF THE EMIRATES WON BY DRAKE & SCULL

Design firm Perkins+Will has been selected to pen a new five-star hotel in the Diplomatic Quarter in Riyadh for Saudi Hotel and Resorts Company (SHARACO).

Covering 40,000m2, the four-storey structure is due for com-pletion in 2016.

Inspired by the country’s geology, the exterior façade is made up of layered strata which provides solar shading and im-proved privacy.

“The façade provides an op-portunity for us to take advan-tage of the layered exterior by

creating internal spaces that are lit with filtered natural sunlight creating grand, open yet wel-coming spaces,” said Ben Piper, Dubai-based director of archi-tectural design for Perkins+Will.

The centre of the hotel is de-signed as an oasis-like sanctuary. Gentle ribbon-like curves in de-sert tones are blended in bands of colour-tinted render, timber and stainless steel.

This creates a series of shaded spaces, and a comfortable micro-climate, allowing external recrea-tional activities such as outdoor dining and relaxation.

PERKINS+WILL DESIGNS WADI-INSPIRED HOTEL IN RIYADH

This sketch by Andy Veall, associate director at

WSP, depicts a section of the structure deep within

the upcoming Zayed National Museum in Abu Dhabi.

Created during the detailed design stage, it shows

WSP’s working process of hand drawing structural

solutions before translating them into BIM models and

handing over to MEP consultants.

SKETCH OF THE MONTH

ZAYED NATIONAL MUSEUM, WSP

NOTICEBOARD

14

A new board of directors has been announced for the American In-stitute of Architects (AIA) Mid-dle East Chapter, with Jeddah-based Loay Quota appointed president for the year ahead.

Quota’s location in Saudi Ara-bia – where 20% of AIA ME’s membership is located – means that the chapter becomes decen-

tralised from the UAE for 2014, its fourth year of operation.

Departing president Sherif Anis added: “With past president Thierry Paret in Qatar serving as country representative and myself remaining in the UAE, I expect a strong continued presence of the AIA and programme outreach with our sustained leadership.”

Anis takes up the position of past president and fundraising director, while other key board appointments include Tannar Whitney as vice president, Joseph Fazio as secretary, and Richard Wagner as treasurer.

He also announced that he has joined the recently founded AIA International Region Board of

Directors as the MENA Region Zone director.

Anis continued: “Together with other AIA Middle East Chapter founders Thierry Paret and Hisham Youssef, we look to support the AIA’s international members with full voice and stat-ure within the institute’s govern-ance structure.”

“With the Government of Abu Dhabi having adopted adjudication into its conditions of construction contracts, it is likely that other emirates, particularly Dubai, will follow suit, moving towards a more adjudication-friendly environment. It will however be interesting to see whether this move will result in a growth in the use of the NEC form of contract in the country.”ALI AKBAR FARD, ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR, HILL INTERNATIONAL

AIA MIDDLE EAST DECENTRALISED FROM UAE JEDDAH-BASED LOAY QUOTA APPOINTED PRESIDENT FOR 2014

MY 5 CENTS

IN P

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NOTICEBOARD

15

Global design firm Gensler announced the promotion of Richard O’Halloran to senior associate in its Abu Dhabi office.

O’Halloran began his career at Gensler’s London office in 2004 and moved to Dubai the following year to oversee technical and project coordination for the 180,000m2 Ritz Carlton Hotel in DIFC.

Currently, O’Halloran is a design manager based in Gensler’s Abu Dhabi office and is in-volved in projects for Credit Suisse in Doha, Latham & Watkins, Akin Gump and Baker Botts in Abu Dhabi. He most recently over-saw the fit-out of Symantec’s and Heidrick and Struggles new corporate offices in Dubai.

“Richard possesses an in-depth under-standing of design and its role within the com-pletion of corporate workplaces,” said Tareq Abu-Sukheila, principal and managing direc-tor of Gensler’s Abu Dhabi office.

“He has a proven track record of meeting fit out challenges with innovative solutions.”

GENSLER PROMOTES ABU DHABI CONSULTANT

Facilities management company Macro has appointed Chris Bond as director of consul-tancy for the MENA region.

Bond, who joined Macro in January 2013, is a chartered engineer with over 20 years’ asset and facilities management experience.

He said: “I’m delighted to be given this op-portunity and look forward to building on the hard work that the team has done in develop-ing, promoting and delivering FM consultan-cy across the MENA region.

“Strategic asset and facilities management starts from the inception of all design and con-struction projects, and it is critical to promote this message in terms of maximising asset value, growing consultancy, and supporting clients and the wider Mace organisation.”

Bill Heath, Macro chairman, added: “Chris’s experience has added a huge amount of value to our Middle East team. I look forward to working together on growing the MENA con-sultancy business.”

MACRO ANNOUNCES NEW MENA DIRECTOR

DATES FOR THE DIARYFEBRUARY11-13, DWTCMiddle East Electricity & Solarwww.middleeast electricty.com

MARCH9-12, Jeddah Centre for Forum and EventsBig 5 Saudiwww.thebig5saudi.com

10-12, DWTCMiddle East Coatings Showwww.coatings-group.com/show/mecs

APRIL15-17, DWTCDubai International Property Showwww.international propertyshow.ae

14-16, DWTCWetex www.wetex.ae

22-24, ADNECCityscape Abu Dhabi/ World Eco Constructwww.cityscape abudhabi.com MAY4-6, Jeddah Centre for Forum and EventsCityscape Jeddahwww.cityscape jeddah.com

FOREIGN LEGION PROPORTION OF EXPAT WORKERS TO TOTAL POPULATION

EXPATRIATESNATIONALS

QATAR UAE KUWAIT BAHRAIN SAUDI

SOURCE: DIPLOMATIC CENTRE, 2013

OPINION

16

From October 2014 all government building projects in the emirate of Abu Dhabi will be required to conform with six new building codes. With international standard building codes already in place, and a buoyant real estate market, you can be forgiven for asking ‘why?’ and ‘why now?’

The new codes impact on a number of important standards in property development: construction, energy conservation, fuel gas, mechanical, private sewage disposal and property maintenance.

This throws up new, positive challenges for developers and their consultants operating in Abu Dhabi, as does the recent announcement from the Department of Municipal Affairs (DMA) – which is leading the implementation of the new codes – that it will co-operate with private sector and strategic partners to seek a wider take-up of these new regulations.

What is the impact of these new codes likely to be and what aspects should developers and consultants be concerned with? Although the devil is ultimately in the detail, the codes will undoubtedly strengthen Abu Dhabi’s position as a world-leading centre for real estate investment and development, and that is to be welcomed.

While codes of practice are widely used in the various emirates, there are often ambiguities which require consultants and building owners to negotiate with the various municipalities on the application and interpretation of such codes.

While this negotiation rarely causes severe delays to new schemes, it can be a sticking point and is often unnecessary. The new standard set of codes will reduce this element, creating a faster and smoother development approvals process.

The changes will also make the design process for new properties more efficient.

By introducing a new consistent and transparent building standard in Abu Dhabi, cross-office global working will become much easier –

improving the efficiency and speed of the design process and delivering greater value to developers and investors. In an increasingly competitive global market, this will make Abu Dhabi an even more attractive location to invest.

Although sustainable new projects are being built across the emirate of Abu Dhabi – district-wide cooling schemes are an obvious example – the new codes reinforce the importance of designing sustainable, resource-efficient buildings.

That is to be welcomed as it will encourage the design and delivery of new buildings which not only have a less severe impact on the environment, but which are more attuned to the demands of international occupiers. Properties which are better quality and more resilient can only be good news.

A new set of building codes will inevitably attract a few grumbles from those who question whether Abu Dhabi really needs them. While in many areas, the regulations do reflect the standards required in the current international best practice codes, as we saw in the tragic Villagio Mall fire in Qatar in 2012, devastating incidents can still occur in mature markets with high standards of design and construction.

The new building codes demonstrate to the world that Abu Dhabi is not resting on its laurels; it is actively shaping its real estate market to respond to current challenges and ensure it remains one of the best locations to investors.

Familiarisation with a new set of regulations – as many firms are doing already – is a small price to pay for this continued success.

Ian Apsley is a board director at Broadway Malyan and is responsible for the practice’s Middle East operation

Ian Apsley

Abu Dhabi’s new building codes are a step forward for the industry

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PROFILE

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PROFILE

19

Sitting in the lobby of a high-end hotel in Dubai, Andrew Linwood can’t resist the urge to comment on the décor. “This may look nice but these white walls and white carpets will not last. I would never have specified this. Somebody is going to spill something and they will be stuffed.”

As head of Areen Hospitality, it’s second nature for Linwood to scrutinise the work of other hotel designers. To a certain extent he’s also checking out the competition – the UK-based firm is preparing to launch an office in Dubai in a matter of weeks.

“We need to be here. Most of our work is for five and four star hotels in developing markets. We have international clients and we’re now in a very good position.”

Established five years ago, Areen Hospitality forms part of design and procurement firm Areen Design, which was set up in London by three Lebanese graduates in 1984.

Both Areen Design and the hospitality division are no strangers to the Middle East, having worked on five hotels in Mekkah that overlook the Masjid Al Haram – a Mövenpick, Raffles, Fairmont and two Swissôtels.

In addition, the company has secured several contracts in Dubai for the likes of Hilton, Marriott and Raffles. “These jobs are currently going out of London,” adds Linwood. “We need an office here if we aren’t to lose business to competitors – our clients need someone to answer the phone at 9am. Once the office is open it will grow very quickly and we hope to have four people within six months.”

The Dubai office is envisioned to start as a satellite of London and develop into a fully-

CHECKING IN Niche interiors firm Areen Hospitality is capitalising on the emirate’s

booming hotel market with the launch of a Dubai office

fledged design operation. “This will be a major step for Areen as it will be the first oversees office that does design instead of just delivering projects,” adds Linwood.

He underlines the value of the company’s niche expertise. “We only design hotels – we do this all day. Big architecture firms don’t have a clue – they do it now and again. We know how hotels work as we talk to operators. The earlier we get on the project the better, but we often don’t get hired until the end.

“It’s not just cushions and curtains; we review the hotel plans, that the architect has inevitably done wrong.” Linwood stresses that the consultant team for a hotel project should be extensive. “You need an architect who may or may not be the lead consultant, and interior designer, a lighting designer – clients often think we’ll do that – an acoustic consultant, F&B consultant, a kitchen supplier and security. In short, you need a good team, and for that you need an experienced developer and operator.”

According to Linwood, the dual directorship of the developer and operator poses a challenge for hospitality designers. “Our job is to make both parties happy and we usually get the blame if it’s not right,” he explains.

“It’s a tricky job – more so than for the other consultants – as hotel guests see what we’ve done. You don’t see the wonderful plumbing system and the sprinkler system. We will have considered everything you touch and see, so it’s our neck that’s on the line.”

Yet despite the stresses of responsibility, Linwood is visibly excited about the prospect of working in Dubai. “It’s such a vibrant market here. Dubai has bounced back with a vengeance and more of a clear head. It was reassuring to

find that there’s a transparent system and all the structures are in place. Now is the time to be here, especially since the Expo announcement.”

He also predicts that hotel renovations will soon become prevalent. “The hotels are getting older – they were once all shiny and new. In the hotel business, you have to keep up with the Joneses. You have a five- to seven-year cycle in hotel interior design.”

When it comes to design trends, he believes that bling is no longer king. “There will always be a market for the super high-end stuff. In this region nothing succeeds like excess – you can just keep layering it on and you can’t really go wrong. But there’s a new market and perceptions are changing.

“Dubai has become a sophisticated city with sophisticated developers and sophisticated clients. Look at the walls in this hotel – everything is painted. There isn’t any marble as far as you can see – this is a very new trend.”

For Linwood and Areen Hospitality, the booming Dubai hospitality market is the perfect platform to take the company to the next level. “Part of my job is to boost Areen’s profile because hotel design is a very public business. Areen is a big company that has flown under the radar. We want to change that now.”

AREEN HOSPITALITY – VITAL STATISTICS5 years of operation20 employees250 employees in parent company2 offices (London and soon Dubai)

01 Raffles Makkah spa lobby 02 Makkah Palace Hotel03 King Abdulaziz International Airport hotel lobby 04 King Abdulaziz International Airport restaurant

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Throughout his career, British na-tional Ian Harfield has operated both on the client side and as a contractor in direct service delivery. With a BSc in Building Management and a CV in-cluding the likes of the Royal Navy, Currie & Brown and Zabeel Proper-ties, Harfield joined Cofely Besix in 2010. He uses his combined experi-ence to lead the facilities manage-ment company in the Middle East, which is on the verge of announcing a new acquisition in 2014.

What’s on the horizon for Cofely Besix in the year ahead? Business is definitely booming for us at the moment as we have quite a few new projects on the boil. We’ve just been awarded the contract to maintain a large mall in Dubai and we will be announcing an acquisition in early 2014. We will also be focusing on new energy saving initiatives for residential and commercial facilities later this year, which we are very excited about.

Will you make any changes to your business strategy?My ultimate goal is to deliver a wider range of service to our clients and to gain an even larger presence in the local market. Moving forward, we’ll continue to deliver quality service with a focus on health and safety and environmental management.

Should designers work more closely with FM companies?Yes, I believe so. Many buildings in the region are superficially attractive, but have

inefficiencies built in from the start. For instance, basements that force cleaners to transport waste long distances to bin stores results in more staff being required.

We all live in buildings in our own way, style and we end up adjusting to the con-straints of the built environment. Yet the building is created by designers whom must perform the same functions. On many occa-sions I find myself asking, ‘why is it so hard to transpose the people’s use of a building to a design?’

Is the situation in the region improving? Lessons have certainly been learned by both parties in the region regarding making MEP installations accessible, such as having service hatches in corridors so repairs can be

done without disrupting the occupier, but there is a further level of attention to detail, and owners are increasingly aware of the savings that come from efficiency.

In a country where the volume of available commercial space is high, service charges are under close scrutiny and are already an influencing factor in the choice of a build-ing. Greater efficiency means lower service charges, which has the potential to translate into higher occupancy.

At what stage in the process should FM companies be utilised? Facilities management companies bring value to the design process for the simple reason that they have an in-depth understanding of how buildings are actually lived in over time. I certainly believe that by involving facilities management in the earliest stages of a project it is possible to have a building that is both beautifully designed and cost effective.

GET TO KNOW…Ian Harfield, General Manager, Middle East at Cofely Besix Facilities Management,

on the year ahead and how to improve the efficiency of regional buildings

“Many buildings in the region are superficiallyattractive but have inefficiencies built in from the start.”IAN HARFIELD

SILGA is a consulting company specialized in engineering projects, mainly focused on civil, industrial and building structures. Its areas of activity are: Construction Projects: SILGA provides its experience in general civil engineering projects, specialized in structures. On site construction assistance: control, problem solving and partial modifications or extensions of the initial project. Project control and supervision of projects done by other consulting offices. Calculations, drawings and bill of quantities are checked. Supervision often involves full recalculation of the structure. A global approach Besides Spain, SILGA has had the opportunity of working in countries such as USA, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Mauritania, Peru, Bolivia and Portugal, and with several construction codes.

Welcome to SILGA

Civil and Structural Engineering

+34 91 639 80 50 • www.silga.es

STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING

INTERVIEW

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ENGINEERING THE FUTURE

Atkins is using its expertise to shape the way we use cities, says Uwe Krueger, CEO, and Simon Moon, Middle East CEO

From creating world renowned icons such as Burj Al Arab and Bahrain World Trade Centre, to providing ex-pertise on countless bread and but-ter schemes, to steering the region’s flagship rail projects; Atkins is argu-ably the most influential international construction consultant in the entire Middle East.

As well as employing 2,000 people in the region, the company’s global empire spans 175 countries, with a total workforce of 17,500. Since August 2011, the man at the top of the tree has been the intimidatingly-titled Profes-sor Dr Uwe Krueger.

Middle East Consultant had the privilege of catching up with Krueger while on a flying visit to Abu Dhabi. What’s more, the new CEO for the Middle East Simon Moon was also on hand to offer his thoughts – the first time both leaders had been interviewed together.

Far from being intimidating, Krueger cracked a warm smile and immediately di-vulged the company’s plans for the region. “The Middle East is the business with the high-est dynamism and momentum within Atkins and all units are combining their efforts. It is of enormous importance to Atkins,” he remarks, speaking with a scientific precision that one

might expect from a German CEO with a PhD in complex system theory.

“It has my particular attention and that’s why I am so often in the region. We also have a new leadership in place with Simon Moon and that is testimony to how much attention and support the corporation gives this business to grow,” he says.

Moon, a British national who took on the re-gional CEO position in November 2013, ech-oes Krueger’s sentiments. “It’s a hugely exciting market. I think it always has been but it’s even more so now. Where else would you want to operate if you are an engineering, design com-pany? We have some of the biggest, most excit-ing projects in the world.”

When asked to elaborate, Moon says: “I’m excited about what will come out of the Dubai Expo – that will spill into a number of big in-vestments – and some of the developments in the Downtown area. We’re also looking at Bluewater Island by Meraas – the client uses the dialogue of linking people, place and infra-structure and I think that’s really exciting. In Qatar, the work we are continuing to do with the Central Planning Office is so influential and the rail programme in Saudi is fascinating.”

Krueger points to the upcoming Dubai Op-era as a critical project, for which Atkins was

appointed architect and theatre project con-sultant by developer Emaar. “I think it is enor-mously important,” he says. “In fast developing cities like Dubai you bring in a lot of capital be-cause of the attractiveness of the place. But at some point in time you figure that it lacks char-acter. When you attract the more sophisticated clientele there is this desire for culture.

“The opera house is the smartest thing they could possibly do. What I find amazing in the vision of Sheikh Mohammed is that it’s not just a venue for Arab culture. It recognises the in-ternational melting pot character of Dubai and can be used to stage the Lion King or the Chi-nese Opera.

“We are proud that we were able to translate that vision into something that can be built and is commercially viable. I think that is why we won it.”

According to Krueger, the Middle East is now more focused on delivering commercially viable projects than Burj Al Arab-style icons. He continues: “In general what we are see-ing across the region, in infrastructure and in property, is a much more astute sense of com-mercial viability. That’s healthy and a lot of les-sons have been learned. However, on the other hand we are fascinated and excited about the fact that a visionary approach is maintained.

“Besides commercial success, we really want to influence and shape the world we are working and living in.”UWE KRUEGER, CEO, ATKINS

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“We approached the Dubai Metro as an iconic project in a different sense. It set the standard for public transportation that’s state of the art. On the back of that, the team here has won contracts for Doha Metro and Riyadh Metro projects.”

Continuing on the subject of rail projects, Moon adds: “Without being boastful, we are probably the preeminent rail designer in the region. We’re carefully tracking all the other big metro projects – not only in the region but around the world. We have a capability that we can deliver very easily. Linking transportation into a city is, for me, a hugely exciting area.”

Krueger offers some thoughts for future transportation methods. “It is all well and good that people fell in love with the car but this is not sustainable. Setting a signal with Dubai Metro was extremely important for the whole region. As well as public transporta-tion, we need individuals to walk or use other means. In Abu Dhabi we are engaged with the DoT with a really breakthrough concept – in enabling citizens of the future to use bicycles in the months where it’s not too hot, for work and leisure.

“We all know that it needs a cultural change for that to happen – not just providing bicy-cle roads and new pavement. It’s also about educating society on safety aspects and the benefits of physical exercise – this can address the issue of obesity which is often found in fast-developing countries.”

He stresses the need for a “holistic ap-proach” in order to develop a sustainable city of

the future. “You need to consider how it all fits together – transportation, energy, waste, water, and just as we mentioned – culture. What we are seeing right now – in the UAE more than in other places globally – is that more and more elements of that holistic approach are being put into place. For example, we are currently engaged in one of the first waste-to-energy plants to be built here in Abu Dhabi.”

Moon points out that the public realm is an increased focus for Atkins and the indus-try. “In Abu Dhabi there’s a huge amount of public realm – such as the Corniche – that’s now being looked at in much more detail. In Downtown Dubai, we’re looking at how peo-

ple – who are just visiting Dubai Mall and Burj Khalifa – can actually use the public space.

“So our masterplanning capability from the region is really sought after. You can design amazing buildings but you need to address how they exist within that place – putting peo-ple, infrastructure and buildings together to create a sense of community.”

Of course, a holistic approach to urban de-velopment requires the expertise of multiple parties, and Atkins has formed key partner-ships with other consultants and contractors. Moon elaborates: “We may be a huge multi-disciplinary organisation but we are never bold enough to think we can deliver everything our-

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selves, especially when there’s technical expert capability out there.

“We form long-term partnerships with other companies and this has been made easier with the growth of BIM technology.”

Moon believes that clients recognise the need for partnerships in order to deliver suc-cessful projects. “These days, most clients on large programmes are joint ventures so they know all about partnering. Forming the right team in the client’s organisation is really im-portant. We do that particularly in Doha and Riyadh metro projects where we have the teams embedded. It’s the way the UK went 20 years ago – there was a very confrontational

construction industry where clients, contrac-tors and consultants were constantly fighting.

"I think that maturing is happening here as well. It doesn’t mean that clients aren’t any less demanding, but they understand what it takes to make a project a success.”

With regards to Atkins’ financial success, a statement released in September 2013 pro-claimed that the full-year outlook is “slightly ahead of expectations”.

When asked if this is still the case, Kruger is cagey yet positive.

“I have to be careful here – I can’t disclose more to you than I have done in the US or UK. Besides the commercial success, we really

“You can design amazing buildings but you need to address how they exist within that place to create a sense of community.”SIMON MOON,MIDDLE EAST CEO, ATKINS

want to influence and shape the world we are working and living in, and help to implement what we think is right. I think on both fronts we are making encouraging progress and I’m of course pleased, along with our investors and shareholders.

“With all the projects we have done – the legacies of the London Olympics, Dubai Met-ro, Burj Al Arab and Jeddah Airport – we’ve shown that we can really attract the best and the brightest to serve our clients for tomorrow, and that really makes a difference.”

01 Burj Al Arab under construction 02 Dubai Metro's iconic station design03 Dubai Opera 04 The Address Downtown Dubai 05 Bahrain World Trade Centre

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Dubai is to host the World Expo 2020 which is set to be the 21st century iteration of ‘The Great Ex-hibition of the Works of Industry of all Nations’ in London.

Unlike the Great Exhibition of 1851 – which highlighted one nation’s prowess and empirical trade – Expo 2020 will truly be an exhibition for ‘all nations’, with tech-nology at the forefront.

The heavy industries that built a 19th century empire still exist, but we’ve seen the development of vibrant technology which has become as essential to the sus-tenance of nations as the steam locomo-tive and iron foundries were 170 years ago.

We can, however, draw parallels with the timings and intentions behind both events. In 1851, Great Britain was produc-ing nearly half of all the world’s manufac-tured goods and London was at the centre of a huge span of cultures.

Yet the country had suffered an eco-nomic downturn a decade earlier and the Great Exhibition was proposed to revive the nation while confirming Britain’s sta-tus as a global leader. Expo 2020 repeats that historical formula.

In an interview with the BBC, Dubai’s Ruler and Prime Minister of the UAE Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Mak-toum stated: “Dubai is back”.

Dubai certainly is back. Developer Na-kheel announced plans to repay half of its existing bank debt of $1.85bn a year early, projects that were on hold – such as Falcon City of Wonders – have been resurrected and Dubai Government has established committees with new policies to control the inflated property market.

We at Hyder Consulting can draw an-other fascinating connection to the Victo-rian extravaganza. The exhibition’s legend-ary venue, the Crystal Palace, was built by a firm headed by a relatively young man, Charles Fox.

Using innovative modular design and techniques, the scheme was completed in nine months with Fox knighted for his efforts, along with the palace’s famous de-signer Joseph Paxton. Fox went on to set up Freeman, Fox & Partners, which later became part of Hyder Consulting.

Just as our firm had its roots in the Great Exhibition, we hope to be at the epicentre of what will surely prove to be the world’s greatest exhibition in 2020.

And with the historical knowledge of the tremendously positive influence of the Great Exhibition, we can look forward to a glittering legacy from the expo of all expos in six years’ time.

IN T

HEO

RY REWRITING HISTORY

Wael Allan is regionalmanaging director of Hyder Consulting Middle East

EXPO 2020 IN NUMBERS

SOURCE: OXFORD BUSINESS GROUP

25mVisitors

$8.1bn Cost

$38.1bnRevenue

“I think that people looking for apartments are probably willing to overlook some defects [such as potentially flammable cladding] if they find something they really like. Risk is a matter of perception and lay people are inclined to see no risk or too much risk. I don’t imagine [that buildings made using such cladding] would have lost too much of their market value."THOMAS BELL-WRIGHT, CEO AND CTO OF FACADE AND FIRE TESTING CONSULTANCY, THOMAS BELL-WRIGHT

THE BIG OPINION

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Bringing a whole new meaning to the phrase ‘living in a bubble’, this conceptual project by Orproject Architects is said to respond to the bad air quality which affects cities in the developing world.

The scheme, called ‘Bubbles’, proposes an enclosed park, protecting inhabitants and providing a healthy environment.

It also contains housing, office space and retail outlets, sports and medical facilities, which make use of the refined oxygen.

Temperature is regulated through ground source heat exchange, while electricity is generated via solar cells integrated into the roof’s surface. The controlled internal climate helps the growth of plants from all over the world, allowing the creation of an urban botanical garden. Bubbles recalls the conceptual projects by Buckminster Fuller – the legendary futurist and visionary of the geodesic dome.

THE BIG IDEA

“How would nature do if it was to design an ideal city? It would not be the way we design cities – I can guarantee that. The components would be rotated in the most logical or appropriate locations as opposed to an imposition. It would result in a very different urban plan. We look at cities like Paris – they are magnificent urban plans – but they are an imposition.”DANIEL HAJJAR, MANAGEMENT PRINCIPAL, MIDDLE EAST, HOK

“What’s going to happen in the next six to 18 months is that Qatar will go into a panic. They will start to throw a lot of money to make sure the projects get done. That will put a lot of pressure on salaries, not only on Qatar but also in the UAE, as they will be competing for resources. Staff retention will be a problem as there will be lots of opportunities. Take care of the good people around you and try to restrain growth.” BART LECLERCQ, HEAD OF STRUCTURES DESIGN, WSP ME

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Rather than following the fully-glazed international style pioneered by Mies Van Der Rohe in the 1920s, the first tall buildings in the Middle East took inspi-ration from ideas of shade and opacity in local vernacular architecture.

Buildings such as Dubai World Trade Centre (Dubai, 1979), Deira Tower (Dubai, 1980) and National Commercial Bank ( Jeddah, 1983) displayed façades of stone cladding with small-er punched windows.

However, this phase of façade common sense was short-lived, and today the glass curtain wall is king in the Middle East and other global cit-ies. A skyline full of gleaming crystalline towers

SUN SCREENDr Philip Oldfield, course director for Masters in Sustainable Tall Buildings at the

University of Nottingham, reveals a futuristic yet vernacular tower for the Middle East

is seen to reflect prosperity, but what is the im-pact of this?

The environmental failings of the fully glazed curtain wall are widely recognised; they allow the transmission of unwanted solar gain and external heat into the building, forcing the air-conditioning system to work harder, using more energy.

Visual glare can also be a problem, often re-sulting in the drawing of blinds and in turn ne-gating any daylight and view benefits that were there in the first place. A recent study by the Ur-ban Green Council in New York, for example, found that in highly glazed buildings, an aver-age of 59% of the façade area had been covered

by blinds or shades by the occupants. Naturally, these issues are exaggerated in the harsh desert climate of the Middle East.

With increasing consideration of sustainabil-ity, and building environmental performance, it seems strange that a design idea proposed for Europe almost 100 years ago is still the primary influence for tall building façade design today, even in some of the most extreme climates.

However, glass itself is not to blame and there is clearly the need to balance the opposing requirements of view, daylight and connection to the outside world, with restricting unwanted thermal transmissions. Instead, the finger has to be pointed at a lack of innovation in high-rise fa-

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01 Mashrabiya Tower designed by Amna Shahid and Adriana Villegas 02 Al Bahar Tower designed by Aedas03 Doha Tower designed by Ateliers Jean Nouvel

çade design and laziness on behalf of architects, who seem to consider never-ending glazing as the only option for high-rise cladding.

It is against this backdrop that the Mashrabi-ya Tower design-research project was initiated by Amna Shahid and Adriana Villegas, gradu-ates of the University of Nottingham’s Masters in Sustainable Tall Buildings. The brief called for the design of a residential tall building on Abu Dhabi’s Corniche that takes inspiration from the region’s climate, culture and context.

The challenge is that the tall building is truly a global typology, perhaps more so than any other form of architecture. How then can we balance this global form with ideas of local character and performance, in order to create cities with identity rather than monotony? The façade plays a key role in this, as it is the aspect of the building that people first see and iden-tify with, while also controlling the experience, comfort and atmosphere of internal spaces.

Shahid and Villegas’ starting point was an ex-amination of local Middle Eastern architecture and in particular the role of the mashrabiya. This traditional vernacular shading system of Islamic patterns is used to provide shade but also privacy with its dense patterning allowing views out, but blocking views in. The Mashra-biya Tower examines if this small-scale ver-nacular concept can be reinvented to provide environmental comfort and cultural identity to a skyscraper in the Middle East.

The result is a simple rectangular form, wrapped in an aluminium mashrabiya, acting as an environmental veil to the internal spaces. The geometry of the patterning at first seems random, but is actually more complex and con-sidered, with the density of patterns designed to open up towards key views, but to become more solid in areas that need additional privacy and shade, such as bedrooms. The simple form also hides a complex, fragmented interior with apartments set around a central atrium.

Careful consideration is given to the design and organisation of the apartments themselves, with internal corridors minimised to reduce overlooking of spaces and maintain privacy.

Apartments are larger than those typically found in high-rise, accommodating extended families, with planning also separating guest areas from the more private family living spaces.

Each apartment also has a small courtyard on the building’s perimeter, shaded by the mashrabiya. At the tower’s apex sits a public mosque, twisted off grid to face Mekkah. Here the mashrabiya not only provides shade, but the filtered light passing through contributes to the spiritual quality of the spaces, reflecting the atmosphere of local souks and mosques.

While these ideas may seem somewhat radical, many built and proposed towers in the

region have begun embracing similar philoso-phies. Jean Nouvel’s Doha Tower, for example, is wrapped in a mashrabiya-like screen of in-tricate geometric patterns that vary in density depending on the sunpath. This, it is estimated, reduces cooling loads by 20%. Aedas’ Al Bahar Towers in Abu Dhabi goes one step further, us-ing a dynamic mashrabiya façade that opens and closes in response to the sun-path. The result is both environmentally responsive, with a 50% reduction in solar gain and CO2 savings of 1,750 tonnes per year, but also surely more visually striking than a fully glazed tower.

As the region continues to be a front-runner in skyscraper construction, clearly there is a big opportunity to reinvent the high-rise façade de-sign and move away from the all-glass approach to one which embraces shade and privacy.

Reinventing vernacular concepts such as the mashrabiya is just one possibility, with the field clearly ripe for innovation. This result will be skyscrapers that not only use less energy and are more comfortable, but are truly rooted in the region’s history, culture and lifestyle.

“The finger has to be pointed at a lack of innovation in high-rise façade design and laziness on behalf of architects.”DR PHILIP OLDFIELD

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For most companies across the UAE, the new year began with the need to accommodate the Expo 2020 bid into their operations. The consequent in-creased activity in the UAE’s construc-tion market due to the Expo win now depends on impeccable project qual-ity and optimal cost management. Ad-ditionally, construction in the region also carries the responsibility of being sustainable – in more ways than just ecologically.

As companies set aside budgets to support their ‘green’ undertakings, sustainability is re-defining itself into a practice that goes beyond the environmental impacts of business activi-ties, and most privy to the multi-faceted sus-tainability concept are those involved in value engineering in the region.

“The word ‘sustainability’ in the business environment is not contained to ecological im-pacts anymore,” says Najib Faris, chief commer-cial officer at Bee’ah, a Sharjah-based environ-mental and waste management company. “The social, environmental and economic aspects of any operation are the three integrated modules that spell sustainability for companies.

“Of late, firms have begun to analyse the en-vironmental impact of their activities on the surroundings they do business in,” adds Faris. “How they can continue to exist – and co-exist – is a major concern driving them towards ac-cepting tools such as Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA).”

The role of value engineers is, resultantly, now an elevated one, which requires them to

IS THERE VALUE IN SUSTAINABILITY?

Middle East Consultant examines how value engineering can make space for sustainability in construction

not only optimise project costs and quality, but also effectively rope in sustainable practices while maintaining an acceptable parity between expenses and returns.

“The traditional value engineer is one who substitutes engineering and construction methods and materials with less expensive alternatives,” says Conor Coakley, managing consultant at Hill International (Middle East). “Essentially, the role of the value engineer is to ensure the project is completed at the lowest possible cost without compromising the overall functionality of the project.

“Today, it is important, as a value engineer, to advise developers – be they private or gov-ernment bodies – about the concept of Life Cycle Cost Analysis (LCCA). This requires the developer to account for the full lifecycle of the project – in its costs, returns, quality and so on – as against focusing purely on the bottomline returns,” explains Coakley.

Competitive pricing, therefore, needs to take a backseat to make way for sustainable practices and their efficient incorporation into opera-tions – a factor all the more pivotal to enhanc-

ing project ‘value’ in a booming construction hub as Dubai.

“‘Value’ to a building owner is typically an expression of cost, efficiency and durability, which all directly correlate to sustainability,” says Scott Coombes, principal consultant at AESG. “Removing unnecessary materials from a project will decrease costs while also reducing its impact to the environment.

“I think that there’s a point where excess ‘sus-tainable features’ actually become detrimental to the overall intent of sustainable projects,” Coombes warns.

“A well-designed building is inherently ‘green’, as it will be conscious of the building life cycle, material efficiency, energy and water use, and operational requirements. There are many ways to achieve these concepts without increasing costs and it’s only when these prin-ciples are taken to extremes that costs escalate,” adds Coombes. “For example, spending more on properly insulating and sealing a building al-lows for cost savings in MEP plant sizing.”

Faris, well-versed with the cost and material wastes Coombes speaks of, is largely in agree-ment with the latter’s take on cost-efficiency and sustainability.

“The common misconception is that sus-tainability requires immediate spending,” says Faris. “On the contrary, economic sustainability requires lowered spending, while social sustain-ability calls for better facilitation and coopera-tion within the market.

“In most cases, environmental sustainability is the direct result of reduced costs,” Faris ar-gues, calling for a holistic approach to achieving

“Companies don’t have to go from 0% sustainable to 100% sustainable in a day”NAJIB FARIS, BEE'AH

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sustainability rather than the tech-heavy ap-proach often used by large-scale, high cap play-ers in the market,” Faris explains.

In a growing supply market where cost-effi-ciency is key, breakeven points could be chal-lenged by the contemporary, mainstream defi-nition of sustainability as high-end technology and methods. However, sustainable engineer-ing can be a less threatening target for relatively smaller, low-budget companies. Coakley be-lieves the cost-friendliness of ‘going green’ boils down to client expectations.

“Value engineers are meant to advise com-panies on the various technologies at their dis-posal – with sustainability now a core system employed into our developments, it becomes integral to know what the client ultimately ex-pects from its project.

“The value sustainability brings comes at a high initial cost, but it is one that is repaid many times over in the life cycle,” Coakley continues.

“An increasing number of companies in the Middle East use sustainable technologies – and

this includes local contractors and suppliers of ‘green products’. The increased demand for these products has gradually led to reduced costs of green technology, and it is a trend that will continue in the near future, especially with sustainability being a vital theme of the Expo 2020 in Dubai.

“A decade ago, sustainability might have been cut from a value engineer’s list to reduce costs, but it is different now since there are more options of green technologies available that are cost-efficient as well,” Coakley declares.

The rapid acceptance of sustainability in the UAE can be attributed to the government’s role in ensuring environmental aspects of construc-tion are not ignored while the country’s eco-nomic growth continues. The Government of Dubai, in collaboration with the Dubai Munici-pality, recently implemented the Dubai Green Building Code – a set of 79 regulations worked on for nearly five years to ensure new and exist-ing buildings in the government are sustainable – economically, environmentally and socially.

“The cost of construction was a major factor while undertaking the study for the creation of the Green Building Code,” says Adel Mokhtar, senior architectural engineer at Dubai Munici-pality’s building department, and a member of the team behind the code.

“We started working on the regulations just after the economic crisis of 2008 – therefore, we had to pay special attention to keeping costs as minimal as possible.”

Mokhtar explains the complete application of all the initially planned regulations could increase costs from 5% to 25%. “Therefore, we have kept some regulations on hold for the mo-ment – these could lead to huge savings in the long run, but we have to bear in mind that some sections in the market still focus only on short-run costs.

“There is undoubtedly a lot of thought put into the creation of the code – the initial appre-hension to ‘going green’ is mostly due to the fear that cost of construction will increase. The fact there are 79 regulations is scaring some people,

Conor Coakley, managing consultant at Hill International (Middle East) lists an example of intelligent value engineering. “The Radisson Blu Resort Sharjah won an award for the Best Waste Water Management Project of the Year with its Grey Water Recycling Project. They save approximately 33,000 gallons of water per day purely because they implemented various tools to undertake the sustainable lifecycle study for their resort.”

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who view the code as complicated schoolbook study material.”

He continues: “Going green is best under-stood when implemented step-by-step – and the sooner it is implemented, the better it is for the government, developers and end-users. Respect the environment from the very begin-ning at the design stage to ensure easy imple-mentation. Hurried designing will only lead to modifications during construction, which often costs far more than is acceptable.”

As the government makes provisions for sus-tainability in its business practices, it is worth asking if financial incentives – such as ‘green loans’ – could help to open the floodgates.

“Middle Eastern governments, especially those in UAE, Qatar and Saudi Arabia are very aware about the need for sustainability and its returns,” explains Coakley.

“However, subsidised electricity and water often compound the challenges for the value engineer dealing with developers and other such clientele, who are not the end-users of the development.

“Be it a residential, commercial or industrial development, the end-users are the ones who will benefit from reduced amenity costs; say, the reduced electricity bills from using solar heating against traditional electricity.

“Governments therefore need to spread awareness about the benefits of sustainability, and allowing for easier financing options to ‘go green’ would go a long way in this process,” Coakley adds.

Faris, however, is of the view that sustainabil-ity begins at home. “A ‘green loan’ could surely aid the business development aspect of the region’s local construction markets, but most sustainable activities are still relatively inexpen-sive to undertake. Recycling plays a huge role in environmental sustainability, as does intelligent business practices such as fleet optimisation and waste management.

He continues: “Companies don’t have to go from 0% sustainable to 100% sustainable in a day. Maximum sustainability gains can be achieved through efficient resource and dis-posal planning.”

Value engineering has naturally transitioned into the sustainability-conscious practice it is today; however its full potential demands the integrated efforts of governments, developers and end-users alike, besides ‘green’ industry-players themselves.

“The industry needs to help promote bet-ter education to building occupants,” reflects Coombes. “In the long run this would provide much more significant benefits in the sustain-able operation of buildings, particularly com-pared to the installation of high-tech systems.

“With good design it shouldn’t be neces-sary to add additional cost to make a building green,” adds Coombes, echoing Mokhtar’s call for designing sustainably.

“Even if there is an increase in capital cost, this slight cost increment should be seen as an investment, because a more sustainable build-ing will generally have lower running costs and a higher market value,” Coombes concludes.

“There’s a point where excess ‘sustainable features’ actually become detrimental to the overall intent of sustainable projects”SCOTT COOMBES, AESG

Middle East Ad SP523.indd 3 03/12/2013 08:23:16

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BUILDING REVIEW

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BUILDING REVIEW

RAISING THE BARSiemens’ Middle East headquarters in Masdar sets a new

level of efficiency for office buildings in the region

IN NUMBERS18,000m2: Area of commercial space

4,500m2: Area of office floor plates3: Green building rating systems

800: Occupants from Siemens 50%: Energy savings

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Great projects often have one or two breaking points along the way. As the sun sets on the successful launch day of Siemens’ Middle East headquarters at Masdar City, David Ardill of Shep-pard Robson describes his defining moment as lead architect.

“It was one of those moments of sheer desperation, late at night, when blood is com-ing out of your eyes,” he chuckles. “We were amount to present to Siemens in Munich but I just couldn’t get the building to work.

“I moved the 3D model up into the air to work on something and as I looked at it I thought ‘that’s the answer’. We had to lift it above the ground.”

This seemingly simple act – of elevating the building on steel silts – helped the architect to meet the strict requirements for Siemens’ office space while simultaneously creating a

shaded public realm and thoroughfare to the rest of Masdar City.

The building provides 18,000m2 of com-mercial space in Abu Dhabi’s zero carbon city – two thirds to be occupied by 800 Siemens employees and the remainder to be let to oth-er organisations.

Having reduced energy by 50% compared to buildings of a similar size, the project has achieved LEED Platinum certification, a rat-ing of 3 Pearls with Estidama, as well as meet-ing Masdar’s very own targets in areas such as energy, carbon and water consumption.

This was no mean feat says sustainability sub-consultant Gonzalo Seminario, from AE-COM, which also provided structural and MEP consulting.

Seminario continues: “It was a challenge to get the balance. There were three different systems to comply with and not all of them

aligned perfectly. However, the base lines for energy and water targets were quite similar. We worked with Sheppard Robson to create the most sustainable building possible within the targets.”

Ardill explains how Sheppard Robson got the project off the ground.

“After winning the competition we had a four-week period where we were told not to design a building but to address the brief and the sustainability issues. We assimilated all of the information, put it in a blender and came up with something.

“The project had to be delivered on time – as Siemens were moving in – and on budget as Masdar values commercial sustainability. It’s very easy to build a building that is highly sustainable, but with a high cost premium, and it’s easy to build something commercial but at the compromise of things like daylight.

01 The building is lifted on stilts to create a public realm 02 Siemens' main lobby with the spiral staircase at the back03 The interior decor is light, functional and fresh 04 An intimate room displaying the Siemens story05 Siemens' corporate identity is reflected throughout

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"Our challenge was to find a common ground between commercial and sustainable. We’ve never blended the two together to such a high level.”

Ardill states that the common ground was efficiency. “If you can build more with less it will mean that you’re getting better value for money and using less carbon. Underlying eve-ry choice in the building was efficiency and how can we make it work harder.”

He points to the distinctive façade, with its jagged aluminum panels giving an almost rep-tilian quality, and explains that it was designed from the inside out rather than with an iconic appearance in mind.

Ardill continues: “For the first part we only designed how it was going to function, then we tried to make it look better.

“There are two layers to the façade; the in-side is very simple – it’s a planar box with a

highly insulated, airtight skin and a 1.5m band of glass to allow the best views and the best penetration of daylight.

"The external shading is hung to protect only the glass of the outside. It’s offset and lifted to provide maximum shading and make sure there is no direct sun on any of the glass, so it can be more transparent. Each aluminium panel is distorted in a different direction to al-low the maximum daylight in. The triangular form is suspended to use less material for sup-port as it’s working in tension.”

The same technique of suspension is used for a monumental spiral staircase at the back of Siemens’ lofty lobby. It is deliberately posi-tioned next to the lift to encourage users to ex-punge physical, rather than electrical, energy.

Office spaces above are characterised by spacious rooms and circulation routes, abun-dant light and a clean aesthetic. Ardill con-

tinues: “We have mega floor plates – they are the largest I know of in the Middle East at 4,500m2. That’s 80m by 80m broken up with nine atria.

“Internally the language of the building is very simple – concrete columns, no over-cladding, no shiny steel soffits. The design decisions were simple and robust to make it buildable so we didn’t have to apply technol-ogy to solve any bad choices made at the start. Siemens’ technology obviously enhanced the building completely in terms of its environ-mental credentials.”

Joerg Scheifler CEO, Infrastructure & Cit-ies Sector, Middle East, Siemens, elaborates on the technology. “We tried to make a show-case building so we packed in as many tech-nologies in our offering as possible. We will happily bring customers here, tour with them and let them see this technology in real life.

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“Our challenge was to find a common ground between commercial and sustainable. We’ve never blended the two together to such a high level.”DAVID ARDILL, SHEPPARD ROBSON

BUILDING REVIEW

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“The most important thing when it comes to energy saving is having a building automa-tion system. We have used the latest version on the market – it helps to control the air-conditioning and the lighting. We provided systems for access control and security and the fire alarm and fire suppression system is also from us.”

AECOM’s Seminario explains that efforts were constantly made to ensure the building was economically sustainable.

“We had a list of technologies that had to be integrated into the building – luckily for us we had Siemens involved early in the project. They were looking at the best technologies, not the most expensive ones.”

Quite amazingly, the overall cost per me-tre was no more than a normal office building in Downtown Abu Dhabi, including the land price. Seminario says the key to affordable sustainability is forward planning. “If you start early – and that is the key part – it does not cost you more than a normal building.

“If you have clear targets it’s much easier – you can incorporate a lot of passive design strategies early in the process and this makes a big difference.

"Later on you can optimise the building. But if you’re looking to overhaul and incorpo-rate sustainable features later in the process I think it would be expensive.”

He adds that there are many misconcep-tions about the cost of building sustainably in the region yet the situation is slowly im-proving. “Sustainable design has been com-monplace in Europe for a long time but in this region it is quite new.

“But now there is a drive for sustainability, not just in design but also in economy. This is being driven by governments in places such as Abu Dhabi and beyond. I think everybody is looking for a building that is not only user-friendly but also high-performance.

“If you tell your clients and the people working in the industry that it will not cost you more – and it will save money and energy in the operation – it's an easy sell.”

Ardill stresses that a key part of sustainabil-ity is attention to detail. “All of the tiny little things add up – we were tightening and tight-ening to make it work very hard. Anything that wasn’t needed was taken out. For instance, we minimised the amount of concrete by putting polystyrene void formers into the slab.

“This reduced the amount of carbon in the main structure of the building by about 40%, making it lighter and thinner and reducing the overall height by about a metre. If you take a metre off a building which is 20m then you have reduced the external envelope by 5%.”

With hundreds of people congregating in the lobby and at the base of the building dur-

ing the launch event, Ardill is visibly content with the sight of his building coming to life. “It’s great seeing it today,” he says.

“I’m pleased with the quality of the finish-ing. Look at that steelwork – I haven’t seen better in the Middle East.

“Sometimes you finish buildings and there’s at least one person that’s not happy. I’m still waiting to find out who that one person is, apart from our finance director. It’s nice to have a happy client. It has also been well re-ceived by the architectural community.”

Ardill believes it couldn’t have been achieved without close collaboration between Masdar, Siemens, Sheppard Robson and the various sub-consultants.

“It really was a fundamentally collabora-tive process – everybody has been seen as equal. There have been arguments all the way through but they’ve been constructive.

“We all had to try to find the right path and the only way you can do that was by continu-ing to draw as fast as you can, then test, then measure, and if it didn’t work then try again. We knew if we did that then things would eventually fall into place.”

Judging by the building’s multiple green building accreditations, numerous industry awards and harmonious integration within Masdar’s urban fabric, it’s clear that this hunch was correct.

THE TEAMClient: MasdarTenant: SiemensArchitect: Sheppard RobsonSub-consultants: AECOM, Davis Langdon

06 Aluminium panels characterise the façade

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For Faithful+Gould to be at the core of one of your projects visitFGOULD.COM

PROJECT SNAPSHOT

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GEMS INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL The delivery of this education project in Dubai required a close collaboration between the consultants

“In particular, the planning of the kindergarten ‘village’ has been very well received - it genuinely makes you want to be a kid all over again!”GRAEME FISHER, GEMS

PROJECT SNAPSHOT

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“We required a school which provided an inspirational teaching and learning environ-ment throughout, harnessing excellence in its design approach and promoting innovation in line with the IB curriculum. It was imperative that all areas were seen as providing learning opportunities – we needed the external area to be designed as ‘positive’ space – again pro-viding opportunities for learning and interac-tion. We devised a ‘schools within a school’ model, ensuring that the various age groups (kindergarten, elementary, middle, plus the high school in phase two) have their own en-trances, environments and a sense of place. The design of the main reception area was very important. It is the first point of parental en-gagement and we seek to create a space which is similar to a headquarters building yet wel-coming to parents and visitors – we include a parents’ café and parents relation executive in all of our schools. Since the GEMS Inter-national School has opened, I have spoken to teachers, parents and – most critically – the students themselves. The feedback has been almost unanimously positive. In particular the planning of the kindergarten ‘village’ has been very well received. It genuinely makes you want to be a kid all over again!”

THE CLIENTGRAEME FISHER, DIRECTOR - DESIGN & INFRASTRUCTURE, GEMS EDUCATION

BUILDING DETAILSLocation: Al Khail, DubaiSite area: 30,000m2

Built up area: 15,000m2

Scope of work:Kindergarten, elementary and middle school classrooms (Phase 1a); two sports halls and two swimming pools (Phase 1b)Construction timeframe: 11 months (Phase 1a); Six months (Phase 1b)Completion: September 2013 (Phase 1a); March 2014 (Phase 1b)

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“The overall internal space aimed to be fresh and light with a welcoming family atmos-phere. The minimalism of the architecture is reflected in the calm spacious common areas. A neutral background palette of colours was selected for permanent items such as floor-ing and doors, with punches of bright painted walls to reflect a cheerful school spirit. These walls can be easily repainted and updated in the future, and provide landmarks for ease of navigation. Materials were chosen both for their aesthetic qualities and their durability. The sunny yellow wall behind the reception attracts your eye straight away and helps cre-ate a welcoming environment for what could be a stressful first introduction to the school.”

INTERIORSKATHRYN BROWN, SENIOR INTERIOR DESIGNER, GODWIN AUSTEN JOHNSON

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“The key challenge was making the right de-cisions due to the short timeframe. Creating a big courtyard was the best solution, consid-ering that the school is surrounded by desert from three sides, and this was formed by two L-shaped buildings. Classroom spaces sur-round the centre of the school to provide optimum proximity to the shared learning spaces between year groups. A central com-mons space opens up along the main student corridors, offering circulation relief and access to natural light. Stairwells are widened to sup-port student interaction as well as discour-aging the use of elevators. They also feature abundant natural light and views to the main court/football pitch. Additionally, terraces at-tached to the dining centre, the library and the athletic spaces help to break down the mass of the building. The fact that Godwin Austen Johnson handled multiple disciplines gave us a better overview to take the right decision in each stage. I would say that in general it was a great experience working with the client and the other consultants.”

ARCHITECTUREWALID MOUSSA, SENIOR ARCHITECT,GODWIN AUSTEN JOHNSON

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01 The exterior's clean aesthetic 02 Use of colour 03 Internal courtyard 04 Natural light pours into classrooms 05 External circulation06 Generous corridor space 07 Easy access for visitors 08 A view over the complex

“The key MEP requirement for us was to de-liver an energy-efficient building that is afford-able within a short design and construction programme. The client expressed concern over energy costs on some of their existing properties and wanted us to consider life cycle costs within our design. We were set a target of ensuring the overall electrical load for the building was less than 5MW (approximately 170W/m2). Our actual design came in under 130W/m2 which is great for an educational building that’s not on district cooling.”

MEPNATHAN CARTWRIGHT, ASSOCIATE PARTNER, GODWIN AUSTENJOHNSON

“Based on the requirement to provide a struc-ture that could be built quickly and the need for wall locations to be flexible, we opted to use a precast framed structure utilising precast columns, beams and slabs instead of a precast loadbearing wall system. The foundations were designed as strip footings to allow for precast slabs to be used at ground floor level avoiding the need for in situ slabs and saving construction time and money. One of the main challenges with a beam and slab system is MEP coordination. After regular meetings in the early stages, the slab span direction was changed to avoid downstand beams where services needed to pass through. Another challenge was designing the structure for the large auditorium – the span of 19m needed to support heavy loads while maximising head-room. This was resolved by introducing pre-cast ‘T’ beams at 800-1200mm centres.”

STRUCTURESPRIYANKA MCCULLOUGH, ASSOCIATE, SHEPHERD GILMOUR MIDDLE EAST

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ON THE RADAR

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Arena Das Dunas in Natal, Brazil has been officially opened, with preparations for the summer’s World Cup gathering path.

Designed by Populous, the are-na and 22,000m2 outdoor plaza will act as a multipurpose venue after the tournament.

The arena’s façade and roof are integrated and made up of 20 pet-al-shaped modules, designed to be higher on one of the stadium’s sides, creating the appearance of sand dunes – a defining feature of the region.

The petal modules are made of steel trusses, covered on the

outside with aluminum tiles and insulation, and internally coated with a PVC prestressed mem-brane. The parts are joined by translucent polycarbonate, which allows light to come through.

Gutters collect rainwater and take it to nine tanks below the lower stands for reused in the lavatories and pitch irrigation.

Christopher Lee, lead archi-tect, said: “We have designed a stadium and a masterplan that showcases the aesthetics of the beautiful surrounding area of Das Dunas and will create a great at-mosphere for the World Cup .”

02 BRAZIL EDGES TOWARDS WORLD CUP WITH STADIUM OPENING

Yale School of Management in New Haven Connecticut has opened a new hall designed by Foster + Partners.

Lord Foster, a former student of Yale School of Architecture, gave a lecture in the new Edward P. Evans Hall on 9 January as part of the building’s inauguration.

The design unites Yale’s faculty departments in a single location for the first time and brings a high level of transparency to the tradi-

tionally enclosed college court-yard, creating a green heart for the campus community.

Classrooms are contained within 16 double-height oval drums, arranged around the cen-tral courtyard.

The five-storey building incor-porates a variety of social spaces, designed to encourage collabo-ration and promote a sense of school spirit, as well as an impres-sive 350-seat auditorium.

01 FOSTER INAUGURATES NEW HALL AT YALE SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT

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ON THE RADAR

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Work is now complete on ‘The Tower, One St George Wharf ’, London’s tallest residential build-ing at 180m.

The 30,000m2 building was designed by Broadway Malyan, developed by St George South London and built by contractor Brookfield Multiplex.

Located on a former brown-field site in South London, which was derelict for 40 years, the tower contains 213 luxury apart-ments over 50 storeys.

The tower’s form has been de-signed to be elegant, with a floor plan based on a catherine wheel and typically divided into five apartments per floor with sepa-rating walls radiating out from the central core.

It is designed into three leg-ible parts – a base that houses the communal facilities including a lobby, business lounge and swim-ming pool, a middle section with

apartments and a top with spec-tacular 360° terraces and a 10m-high wind turbine crowning the roof of the structure.

This turbine generates suffi-cient energy to power the lighting in the common areas.

The building also draws water from the London’s aquifer deep below ground and uses heat ex-change technology for heating and cooling.

Additional energy savings are made through the use of a sophis-ticated, ventilated cavity façade with motorised interstitial blinds, hi-performance solar control and Low-E coatings.

Broadway Malyan director Pe-ter Vaughan said: “It was an op-portunity to create a landmark south of the river which would act as a visual and commercial coun-terpoint to the City of London on the north bank, bringing massive benefits to London as a whole.”

03 LONDON’S TALLEST RESIDENTIAL TOWER COMPLETES ONSITE

Just as Brazil puts the final touches to its World Cup stadia, a FIFA-standard 25,000 venue has been delivered in the perhaps unlikely city of Al Ain, UAE.

The construction team – which included Broadway Maly-an, WSP, EC Harris and BAM In-ternational – had a tough task of delivering the Hazza Bin Zayed stadium in a 16-month ultra-fast track programme.

Covering an area of 45,000m2,

the scope of the stadium also in-cluded a sports hall, commercial buildings as well as extensive ex-terior landscaping.

The stadium opened on 24 January, 2014, when it held a match between Al Dafrah FC and Al Ain FC, the latter which will call the stadium home.

The external façade consists of fabric elements that create the impression of the trunk of a palm tree while LED lights offer 15 different content modes.

The palm bowl-shaped roof provides pleasant conditions for both players and fans – even in summer – and the design of the roof makes it possible for match-es to be played in the shadow after 5pm.

04 FIFA-STANDARD HAZZA BIN ZAYED STADIUM OPENS IN AL AIN

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THE BACK PAGE

5:50am: Wake up to face my most challenging task of the day: making sure my two teenage daughters get out of bed in time to catch their school bus. My wife and I take turns to be a cheerleader, motivational speaker, or a good old-fashioned nagging parent.7:20am: I’m ready to leave home after a good breakfast prepared by my wife. Our office is close to where I live, thankfully away from the mad traffic chaos of Dubai.7.30am: I’m already at my desk. I like to come in early to check emails and reply to important ones. If I’m delayed I’ll get caught up in meetings and other office matters.8:30am: Hold a quick meeting with the team leaders and project managers on the progress of the various projects and key deliverables/issues to be tackled. Time management and a

SANU MATHEWMANAGING DIRECTOR,SEED ENGINEERING CONSULTANTS

A DAY INTHE LIFE OF…

to-do-list is a must in my field of work!9:30am: Back on the road to meet potential clients and for other scheduled meetings. I try to keep all meetings during the day session.12:30am: If in Dubai, I’ll try to go home for lunch to relax for an hour and have a good chat with my wife. 2.00pm: Back in the office. Making decisions, choosing directions and sharing knowledge and insights from meetings in the morning. Getting excited about new bids and strategies.4.30pm: Sit with the accounts department to check on the status of invoices and payments. This is a key issue and every day we determine who I should chase and who the accounts person needs to deal with! 6.00pm: Almost the end of the day for most of the staff but not for me. I’m back at my desk

checking emails again and responding to each and every one. 7.00pm: Plan for the bid numbers to be given. Thinking, calculating, recalculating and considering various permutations to come out with numbers for the proposals team to prepare the finalisation of bid documents. 8.00pm: Reach home sweet home to be with my wife and kids.10.00pm: It’s me time! I’ll check LinkedIn and Facebook and occasionally read an inspirational book.11.30pm: I'll head to bed for a good night’s sleep to recharge for the next wonderful day in my life.

Sanu Mathew is the owner of SEED Engineering Consultants, a Dubai firm

that specialises in MEP. Mathew previously worked for Hyder Consulting and Atkins.

“If I’m delayed I’ll get caught up in meetings and other office matters.Time management and a to-do-list is a must in my field of work!”

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