Professional Documents
Culture Documents
MEP (Middle East) - Jan 2013
MEP (Middle East) - Jan 2013
MEP (Middle East) - Jan 2013
countries.
For instance, one
showed that the UAEs
energy distribution in
buildings was 80% of
its total usage - exactly
double the worldwide av-
erage.
But he also gave exam-
ples of innovations in en-
ergy conservation such
as the Dubai Chamber
of Commerce building,
which cut its electricity
and water usage by 48%
and 77% respectively
through implementing
green measures.
Shara said it would
be very easy and cost-ef-
fective for existing build-
ings to reduce energy
usage by 25% and there is
even room to reach 70%
in efciency savings.
This can be achieved,
he said, by measuring
performance and pro-
ducing data from which
to better inform deci-
sion-makers.
We believe that the
greatest challenges and
opportunities lie in ex-
isting builds which form
the big bulk of our as-
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NEWS UPDATE
12 MEP Middle East | January 2013 www.constructionweekonline.com
WATER-EFFICIENCY
A proposal by ve Abu
Dhabi higher education
students to separate
and repurpose the water
used in the process of
Wudhu the washing of
the arms and face in the
mosque before prayer
won rst place, and fund-
ing of up to $5,000 (AED
18,350) for implementa-
tion, at the conclusion of
the inaugural Sila Abu
Dhabi Conference.
Determining that one
individual can use up to
nine gallons of water a
day through the process
of Wudhu ve times a
day, and accounting for
the approximate daily
visitors to the mosque,
the winning team cal-
culated that the local
mosque they visited used
2,628,000 gallons a year.
By changing the
course of the Wudhu
pipelines to a separate
collection tank, the team
proposed that this still
relatively clean water
could be reused for wa-
tering the landscape
around the mosque
resulting in saved water,
energy, and money.
Starting with a pilot
project in one mosque,
and following with a
study of its results, the
team plans to eventu-
ally reach out to other
mosques in Abu Dhabi
to implement the same
technique.
The Green Wudhu
team comprising
The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi could be one of the places of worship to benet if the initiative is rolled out in the Emirate.
our idea actually being
implemented, especially
as its something that will
benet my country.
The rst runner-up
team developed a project
called Ethraa that pro-
poses to create a fertil-
izer from camel manure
and charred palm tree
fronds to produce a bio-
char substance that can
be mixed with soil, allow-
ing it to retain water up
to six times better than
the average soil, thus
leading to signicant
groundwater savings.
The project Dhabi
Share was second run-
ner up for its proposal to
create a web platform,
targeted to local universi-
ty students, to encourage
safe car pooling through-
out the emirates.
Conceived and organ-
ised entirely by students,
and hosted by the NYU
Abu Dhabi (NYUAD)
Institute, the conference
brought together more
than 50 students from
eight universities across
Abu Dhabi. The par-
ticipants were asked to
brainstorm and develop
proposals for sustainable
local projects tackling en-
vironmental issues in the
areas of energy, water,
and recycling and waste
management.
The participating stu-
dents from Abu Dhabi
University, Higher Col-
leges of Technology,
Khalifa University, Mas-
dar Institute of Science
and Technology, NYU-
AD, the Petroleum Insti-
tute, Paris Sorbonne Uni-
versity Abu Dhabi, and
Zayed University were
divided into 12 teams, en-
couraging collaboration
between students from
different institutions.
Sila Connection, the or-
ganizing group of the Sila
Abu Dhabi conference,
will continue to plan simi-
lar conferences concern-
ing different local and
global issues in the years
to come.
Mosque initiative wins $5,000
prize for water-saving design
Five Abu Dhabi higher education students rewarded at Sila Abu Dhabi Conference for idea to
repurpose water used in Wudhu by diverting drainage pipelines to mosque irrigation systems
Ameera Almarzooqi
(Khalifa University), Ha-
mad AlHammadi (Zayed
University), Margaux
Hein (Paris Sorbonne
University Abu Dhabi),
Rida Gul Qadir (Abu
Dhabi University), and
Mandy Tan (NYUAD)
also spoke to the Imam
of their neighborhood
mosque who gave the stu-
dents insights about wa-
ter usage in the mosque.
We wanted to do
something related to our
environment locally in
Abu Dhabi, said Almar-
zooqi. Its really great
to see something that is
Its really great to see something that is our
idea actually being implemented, especially as its
something that will benet my country.
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14 MEP Middle East | January 2013 www.constructionweekonline.com
COMMENT
Samsung C&T is developing the zero energy houses of the future
W
ith many developers in Dubai, in particular, it has
pretty much been a take-it-or-leave-it approach
when it comes to delivery of units. We have all
heard about the cries of dismay from disgruntled
investors when they took delivery of their units after parting
with some serious cash, only to discover substantial deviations
from the plans and designs and/or different nishes. Of course,
this was during the heyday, when delivery was the only accept-
able mantra; we now live in a different world, as it were, where
notable developers like Emaar are championing quality pro-
jects, and reaping the rewards as a result.
Samsung C&T Engineering & Construction Group, a major
builder of apartment complexes in South Korea, is approach-
ing the housing sector in an interesting manner. I was fortu-
nate enough to recently visit the contractors Residential Per-
formance Research Centre and Green Tomorrow pilot house
project, both on the outskirts of Seoul.
What is interesting about the South Korean market is that
companies like Samsung brand their apartments. If you are in
South Korea, Raemian is a
well-known and respected
brand that is also much
sought-after. Samsung, of
course, is well aware of this
brand equity, and invests a
considerable amount of mon-
ey and intensive research
into ensuring that Raemian
apartments stay ahead of
the game.
Green Tomorrow is a fully-functioning house deploying an
intricate web of renewable and sustainable technologies, with
the aim of producing a house that is zero energy rated, mean-
ing that it produces all the energy it needs. Samsung C&T an-
ticipates the commercial roll-out of zero energy Raemian apart-
ments as early as next year, and is already planning to extend it
further to commercial and industrial buildings.
I have also had the pleasure of visiting one of the latest sus-
tainable buildings in the UAE, and that is the new Standard
Chartered headquarters in Downtown Dubai. From the ns
on the faade that radiate heat, to the use of high-performance
glass and passive design techniques, this
building aims to make the work environment
as comfortable and efcient as possible.
The main contractor, Brookeld Multi-
plex, states that this involved extensive col-
laboration between the professional team
in order to achieve
the LEED certication
for core-and-shell and
t-out that the build-
ing managed no
small feat, and surely a
green benchmark for
future such buildings.
Samsung C&T notes
that a project like
Green Tomorrow is more expensive than a
traditional building, but that the affordabil-
ity scales are likely to be tipped by 2015 as
green markets mature and as economies of
scale render sustainable technologies more
cost-effective and ubiquitous.
At the moment, buildings like the Standard
Chartered headquarters and Green Tomor-
row are the exception rather than the norm,
when we should be building sustainability
into everything, from single villas to mighty
high-rise towers.
Build the future
Samsung C&T anticipates
the commercial roll-out of zero
energy Raemian apartments as
early as next year.
www.constructionweekonline.com
COMMENT
January 2013 | MEP Middle East 15
Claims are widely misused and misunderstood in a
construction context
T
he word claim is often widely misused and misunder-
stood in a construction context. In terms of construction
contracts, a claim is not an assessment of the evaluation of
a variation, which is a commonly-misused interpretation.
Put simply, a claim is the product of the mechanism provided by
contracts through which the contractor seeks redress due to the
effects of one or more events for which the employer is considered
to be responsible and which, in the opinion of the contractor, have
critically delayed his ability to progress the works or caused him
to incur additional cost which cannot be recovered through other
provisions of the contract. Similarly, an employer may raise a claim
against a contractor if the contractor has, through his own failings,
delayed completion of the project. Claims from employers may in-
clude various heads, such as liquidated damages or delay penalties
in addition to the reimbursement of actual loss.
Contractors raise claims not only
to pursue their perceived entitle-
ments to additional payment but also
to apply for extensions of time, seek-
ing to protect themselves from the
threat of liquidated damages or delay
penalties. Therefore a contractors
claim should be regarded as being of
major importance when delays and
contractual entitlements are being
considered. While the individual events relied upon in a claim may
be contentious, the recipient engineer or employer should still as-
sess the claim reasonably and in the light of all known information.
Typically, the contractor is required to notify the engineer of his
awareness of an event or circumstances that will likely give rise to
a claim. Subsequently the contractor is obliged to advise/update
the engineer of the status of the event or circumstances at intervals
prescribed by the terms of the contract if the claim is to remain
valid. Having cleared these hurdles, the burden of proof is then
on the contractor to substantiate his claim, which must adequately
demonstrate his entitlement to the amount of time and/or money
sought, a task which presents a completely new set of challenges:
* Demonstrating that the event or circumstances giving rise to
the claim entitle him to do so under the contract, and that the con-
tractual procedure for notication has been complied with;
* Demonstrating cause and effect through
an appropriate form of delay analysis; and
* Demonstrating that the additional cost (as
dened in the contract) was incurred directly
as a consequence of the event or circumstance.
Sounds relatively easy to comply with, but
even the most experienced contractors often
fail to comply with notice requirements, there-
by weakening or totally undermining their en-
titlement to claim at all.
More importantly, many contractors fail
to keep sufciently adequate records in con-
nection with the event on which the claim is
based. This hampers their ability to impact the
effect of the resultant delay on the baseline pro-
gramme in order
to demonstrate
cause and effect,
and to establish
the extent of any
additional time
to which the con-
tractor is entitled.
Finally, many
contractors do not
maintain a sufciently detailed record of their
costs, are reluctant to release such sensitive
information, or they do not fully understand
which costs they are entitled to recover.
In summary, variations are, typically,
clearly identiable and evaluated by follow-
ing simple rules prescribed by the contract.
Claims, however, call for compliance with
detailed contractual and procedural require-
ments which place a huge burden of proof
upon the contractor, if the remedy sought is
to be maximised.
Graeme Macdonald is Director of the Hill Inter-
national Claims Group.
Staking a claim
Variations are clearly
identiable and evaluated by
following simple rules
prescribed by the contract.
NEWS ANALYSIS
16 MEP Middle East | January 2013 www.constructionweekonline.com
There are hints of a return to condence in the Dubai
market and some project announcements are getting in
early, but will there be funding available to turn ideas
into contracts?
one could be forgiven for thinking that we
were back in 2006 and 2007 again, reports
Jones Lang LaSalle MENA in a media
statement.
Recent ofcial announcements have re-
called the heady days of the mid-2000s,
when Dubai was building some of its most
striking projects, such as the Burj Khali-
fa and Palm Jumeirah. Dubai ruler H.H.
Sheikh Mohammed has unveiled plans
for Emaar Properties and conglomerate
Dubai Holding to build a new city called
Mohammed Bin Rashid City.
It is planned that this will include the
worlds biggest shopping mall, a title held
at present by Dubai Mall. A local property
analyst, speaking on condition of anonymi-
ty, told Reuters estimated that it could cost
between $20bn and $50bn, with the upper
end of this range being well over half of
Dubais yearly economic output. H.H.
Sheikh Mohammed also announced that
Dubai planned to build a $2.7bn complex
of ve theme parks at Jebel Ali.
Other projects hitting the radar in the
last few months include the extension of
Business Bay Canal and a mooted $1bn
replica of the Taj Mahal. These are all clear
signs that the Dubai economy is recover-
ing on the back of the three Ts of trade,
transport and tourism, with the Dubai Sta-
tistics Centre releasing new gures that
show real GDP growth of 4.1% over the
D
ubai is reviving massive real-
estate projects as its economy
recovers from the global nan-
cial crisis and downturn in the
construction industry. Does this mean the
boom times are back?
Given the number of major real-estate
announcements over the past few weeks,
rst half of 2012 (the fastest growth rate
since early 2008).
Encouragingly, there are also indica-
tions that some of the lessons of the last
real-estate crisis have been learned. The
most important of these is the need to
adopt a long term and co-ordinated ap-
proach, rather than developing too much
real estate too quickly.
Another factor to consider is that not
all announced projects are likely to attract
funding. Banks remain wary about lend-
ing to real-estate developments at a time
when they still have to make major provi-
sions against non-performing real-estate
loans from the last development boom.
Our 2012 Real Estate Investor Sentiment
Dubai is back
Dubai experienced
4.1% growth in
GDP in the rst half
of 2012.
4.1%
Real GDP growth over H1 2012
2008
The fastest growth rate since this year
10-20
Years to build a mega project
10%
Annual growth in air passenger trafc
www.constructionweekonline.com
NEWS ANALYSIS
January 2013 | MEP Middle East 17
Survey (REISS) shows that investors also
remain cautious, preferring completed in-
come producing projects than development
plays or land. Given the understandable re-
luctance to rely so heavily on offplan sales
as in 2007-08, the level of available nance is
likely to act as a natural anchor, limiting the
number and timing of the announced pro-
jects that proceed, said Jones Lang LaSalle
CEO Alan Robertson.
We are denitely seeing a return in con-
dence to the Dubai real-estate market. This
is still Dubai, and it is as ambitious as ever,
but we are also seeing a more mature and
considered approach, which is only going
to benet the long-term health and credibil-
ity of the real-estate sector among domestic
Dubai to lead in increasing construction activity through 2013 - 2015? Source: Pinsent Masons
YES
78.7%
NO
21.3%
NEWS ANALYSIS
18 MEP Middle East | January 2013 www.constructionweekonline.com
sult of earlier debt restructuring will want to
see their money back before lending more,
rather than, as SC imply, face further re-
structure. Risk analysis would be grim.
Off-plan property sales in profusion are a
real no-no as an essential funding option. It
will simply never y, plus the tourism num-
bers required to ll such a development and
fund it operationally are staggeringly hard
to believe.
Another reader announced that Dubai
has bounced back with a bang. This is great
news for UAE residents, who are desperate-
ly waiting for laurels for Dubai. Yet another
reader concurred with great stuff but
pointed out: I wonder whether Palm Deira
would be a better location? Lots of beach,
and would be killing two birds with one
and international investors and stakehold-
ers. The key to the success of individual
projects and the future performance of the
overall market will be the adoption of a re-
alistic phasing strategy in line with market
demand, said Robertson.
However, potential constraints on nanc-
ing are likely to slow the pace of the build-
ing boom, according to a Reuters report.
With the nancial crisis still fresh in inves-
tors minds, many could be reluctant to in-
vest in projects before they are completed,
meaning that many proposed developments
would have to rely on bank loans and the
bond markets.
One Construction Week Online reader,
posting from Ireland, concurred: Indeed,
funding is the big issue, as it was with gi-
ga-projects like Dubailand and Jumeirah
Gardens. According to recent Standard
Chartered (SC) estimates, there is a Dubai
liability of $48bn in debt to pay down be-
tween 2014 and 2016.
European banks are unlikely to lend, un-
til their economies back at base camp stabi-
lise; most analysts see a rocky ride ahead
in this respect until 2017-18. Plus, of course,
the ones that have loans outstanding as a re-
stone. In general, the mood among Con-
struction Week readers seems to be largely
optimistic.
Let the world know that the nancial
crisis may delay geographical development,
but never cripple the thinking of our lead-
ers, who have a vision of the future that is
clear and intact. What H.H. Sheikh Moham-
med has seen in his imagination will come
true, said one reader.
Anybody who knew Dubai 12 years ago
knows that the leadership and the people
are equal to any task. I hope other lead-
ers, especially from Africa, will learn from
Dubais leadership and move their countries
forward. I wish the government and people
of Dubai all the best, said Salisu Sabo Ring-
im.
The key to the success of individual projects and
the future performance of the overall market will be
the adoption of a realistic phasing strategy in line with
market demand.
Alan Robertson
ECOTHERM Austria GmbH, Karlingerstrasse 8, 4081 Hartkirchen, Austria, offce@ecotherm.com, Tel. +43 7273 6030-0, Fax. +43 7273 6030-15
ECOTHERM International Support Center, Monarch Offce Tower, One Sheihk Zayed Road, Dubai - U.A.E., support@ecotherm.com, Tel. +971 4 7050467, Fax. +971 4 7050301
ECOTHERM Middle East FZCO, P.O. Box 299350, Dubai - U.A.E., info@ecotherm.com, Tel. +971 4 4226944, Fax. +971 4 4226943
ECOTHERM Kuwait W.L.L., 1st Floor, Kiwan Complex, Tunis Street, Hawalli, Kuwait, kuwait@ecotherm.com, Tel. +965 2 2646797, Fax. +965 2 2646798
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ECOTHERM Virtual Reference City
Trans Gulf Electro Mechanical LLC is an ISO 9001 2008, ISO
14001-2004and OHSAS 18001-2007 certified organization which
boasts over four successful decades in pioneering projects within
the Middle East MEP industry. These range from the design
phase through to supply, installation, testing and commissioning,
retrofitting and after-market care. The company provides electro
mechanical solutions for all aspects of the MEP services, whilst
leading the way in its innovative workings with the latest
technology available in the market.
Trans Gulf has successfully executed numerous projects in
various sectors ranging from the largest district cooling plant
operation of its kind in the gulf region, luxury hotels and resorts,
high end residential and commercial projects, hospitals, airports
and a variety of infrastructure projects.
To add to this extensive list, Trans Gulf was recently awarded the
Bright Start Beach Resort & Spa by Dubai Contracting Co., who
are the Main Contractors for this project. With Dubais famous
coast line the Jumeirah beach being its location, Bright Start is a
5-star beach resort with a built up area of 735,220 square feet.
This prestigious property includes 227 guest rooms with beach
front access, three restaurants, poolside dining, a state of the art
spa, ball rooms, meeting rooms, indoor and outdoor pools and a
private beach club.
Bright Start falls under the banner of the famous Four Seasons
Hotels and promises to carve a new niche in Dubais thriving
hospitality industry. Apart from having 270 meters of exclusive
beach access, this beach resort is also first of its kinds to be
located on the northern side of Dubais prominent Jumeirah
Beach Road.
Trans Gulf was awarded this project in April 2012 and is aiming
for a target completion date of May 2014. The MEP services on
the project comprise of Chillers, Primary & Secondary Chilled
water pumps, Condenser / Make up pumps, Cooling Tower, ELV
Systems - Tel. data / wireless systems, Mirror TV, Mirror
Demister and a plethora of plumbing services.
Carrying out these MEP services could post several challenges
due to the location of the resort. Bright Starts waterfront location
will require detailed selection of materials and precise
coordination due to ceiling and height constraints.
With our current quality and safe practices, we have achieved 0
(zero) LTI at Bright Start Beach Resort. This is achieved through
implementing strategies in line with international standards such
as OHSAS 18001 & ISO 14001 and a strong commitment from
the top management.
From supplying and installing to testing and commissioning of
MEP works, Trans Gulf aims to deliver this project using value
engineering processes and systems.
Trans Gulf believes that delivering a finished product of outmost
quality on time whilst maintaining a close relationship with the
main contractors and clients.
Bright Start Beach Resort Hotel Jumeirah, Dubai, UAE
an ISO 9001, ISO 14001, OHSAS 18001 certified company
www.transgulfdubai.com
Trans Gulf Electro Mechanical LLC
Abu Dhabi
P O Box 132789,
United Arab Emirates
Tel: +971 2 555 0399
Fax: +971 2 555 0234
Dubai
P O Box 2432,
United Arab Emirates
Tel: +971 4 884 8753
Fax: +971 4 884 8463
Sharjah
P O Box 22247,
United Arab Emirates
Tel: +971 6 545 4960
Fax: +971 6 536 3412
e-mail: transgulf@tgemdubai.ae
Trans Gulf International Electro-Mechanical WLL
Doha, State of Qatar
P O Box 47132,
Tel: +974 44 55 0216
Fax: +974 44 55 0217
e-mail: transgulf@tgiemqatar.com
Trans Gulf MEP Engineer Pvt. Ltd.
Mumbai, India.
Ackruti Trade Center, 6
th
Floor, Road No. 7,
Marol MIDC, Andheri East,
Mumbai 400 093
Tel: +91 2267037400
Fax: +91 2267037403
e-mail: tg-india@tgemdubai.ae
20 MEP Middle East | January 2013 www.constructionweekonline.com
SITE VISIT
January 2013 | MEP Middle East 21 www.constructionweekonline.com
SITE VISIT
Cathal McElroy visits Mafraq Hospital in Abu Dhabi for a check-up
on a major MEP project that will breathe life into a building
D
riving south-west along the Sheikh Maktoum bin
Rashid Road past the Abu Dhabi International
Airport, a striking cluster of concrete and cranes
begins to dominate the horizon in the distance. It
is the site of what will become the new $600m Ma-
fraq Hospital and, while its span and height is accentuated
by the dwarfed low-rises of the surrounding area, it is still a
project on a hugely impressive scale.
The core of the 739-bed healthcare development is com-
prised of two 11 storey and two nine storey towers storey
Healthy
22 MEP Middle East | January 2013 www.constructionweekonline.com
SITE VISIT
a 3 storey annexe administrative building,
and a 3 storey outpatient building. This is
augmented by a variety of support buildings
located around the site, including ve substa-
tions and a cooling plant. The project, which
began in March 2011, marked its topping-out
in the second week of November and is set
for completion in March 2014. Currently,
the MEP project stands at 30% completion,
with various parts of the building at different
stages of the installation process.
Unlike most projects in the region, the
MEP at Mafraq Hospital has not been
subcontracted. Habtoor Leighton Specon is
carrying out the work as part of the Habtoor
Leighton Group/Murray Roberts (HLMR)
joint venture which is overseeing all aspects
of the projects construction.
While many of the team is new to
such a structure, Costas Ctorides, MEP
project director, says that it has yielded
signicant benets.
Mafraq Hospitals three-storey outpatient building which includes clinics.
MEP has posed a particular challenge at Mafraq Hospital as a lot of design issues had to be resolved.
Ctorides explains the complexity of the MEP project. Ctor
Metres of cabling which has to be
installed
70-80,000
SITE VISIT
January 2013 | MEP Middle East 23 www.constructionweekonline.com
SITE VISIT
We have created a strategy with our part-
ners on the civil side on how to proceed with
this size of project, he says. We came to an
understanding that it was to the benet of all
to treat the project as one company, so we
have introduced an innovative model here,
which we call an integrated model. The re-
lationship between the main contractor and
the MEP subcontractor was eliminated we
are all on an equal basis.
This integrated model has a lot of ben-
ets; the biggest benet is communication
between the teams. The big problem on
projects of this size is usually communica-
tion. With this integrated model the civil
teams and the MEP teams are sitting in the
same ofces, sitting with the same draw-
ings, they have the same structure on site,
theyre using the same programs, they are
creating the long and short programmes for
the site together, working on how the project
will move. It has given great benets to the
coordination of the project, he adds.
With an MEP project of the magnitude
Mafraq Hospital requires, Ctorides says
that maximising coordination is vital. There
are currently 5,500 workers on site, 1,500
of them MEP-related, with this contingent
expected to reach 2,500 to 3,000 at its peak.
The challenge for MEP on this project is
huge as it is heavily involved in the design,
Ctorides says. The MEP works constitute
Coordination of MEP services was essential.
Changes were introduced as the project progressed.
Work is at an advance stage in the kitchen area.
Coo
around 40% of the project so there are a lot
of design issues that have to be resolved, as
well as site and mobilisation issues. Since the
beginning it has been a very challenging job.
The coordination of the different MEP
services is a huge challenge due to the size
of the project. These coordination issues
have been derived out of architectural
restraints, design restraints, verication of
The relationship
between the main
contractor and the
MEP sub-contractor
was eliminated we are
all on an equal basis.
24 MEP Middle East | January 2013 www.constructionweekonline.com
SITE VISIT
.
the design, additions and changes to the
design. This is a live project with changes
as we progress.
We have introduced different systems to
address this such as Building Information
Modelling (BIM) to eliminate, as much as
possible, clashes in the project.
The integrated model was also used in
the design teams which saw civil and MEP
teams combined. They sit in the same room
tackling site issues and this has worked to
the benet of the project. HLMR is one family
and were tackling all the issues together,
Ctorides adds.
As part of their coordination strategy,
HLMR has divided the project into six zones
which are all in different stages of comple-
tion. Each zone is treated as a smaller project
with its own hierarchy, but is still linked to
the wider team, as Ctorides explains.
The zones have their own project
manager, project engineers, site engineers,
superintendents, supervisors, foremen, and
tradesmen working independently as a site,
but commonly as a team, he says. We have
daily common meetings with the project
managers and project engineers to share the
problems between us. As the zones are in
different stages, a problem that is faced in
one zone shouldnt be repeated in another
zone. We share this information between us
on a daily basis.
This organisational structure has served
the project well thus far, with parts of
the MEP works already moving into the
second stage.
Right now the project moves to the
second phase, with the podium levels having
nearly completed the rst x items such as
containment supports and ducting, says
Ctorides. In some areas weve already
started moving to the second phase duct
supporting, pressure testing, wire testing,
cable pulling and cable wiring; in other areas
were still on the rst x and others were
still on the shop drawings.
The phased approach adopted by the
MEP team is perhaps best illustrated by
the mock-up areas which are being used
as testing grounds before the systems are
Light ttings which have to be
installed
50-60,000
From the HLMR JV: HSE engineer Michael Gosi, senior HSE manager Neels Becker, MEP project director Costas Ctori-
des and HSE manager David Allman.
The MEP works
constitute around 40%
of the project so there
are a lot of design issues
that have to be resolved,
as well as site and
mobilisation issues.
The integrated model of MEP and civil
engineering which the Habtoor Leighton
Group/Murray Roberts joint venture is
operating on the Mafraq Hospital project is
a new approach for most of those involved.
HLMR project director, Vanessa Currie, is
leading the combined effort and says it has
required some work .
The immediate challenge is with
peoples behaviours because they are used
to working as a main contractor or a sub-
contractor, and the relationship that involves.
As a consequence of that we have had to
work hard with people in the team because
it is a different working environment. Weve
had team-building sessions in all the areas
of the project to reinforce that were all part
of the same team responsible for delivery.
Its been a culture shock for some people
because some of the guys have been doing
it for 30 or 40 years in a traditional setup.
They are used to behaving in a certain way.
While the team may have taken some
time to adapt to the model, Currie says that
there have been signicant benets from the
outset.
The integrated model has its challenges
but is a denite benet to the project. There
is so much more transparency and a greater
ability to deal with change. We can react
quicker and provide more benet upstream
to the client. We can easily suspend works
or make a change. We also have more
transparent control over material deliveries
and orders.
OPERATING TEAM
January 2013 | MEP Middle East 25 www.constructionweekonline.com
SITE VISIT
the project managers and engineers on the
project, so they know exactly what they are
going to meet. A lot of the installation is typi-
cal after weve got these areas correct.
Right now we are on the critical path of
the project. We are resolving the biggest
challenges such as the power, HVAC and
installed elsewhere in the building. With
this approach it is hoped that any problems
with the design can be addressed at an early
stage and that progress in completing the
remainder of the project will be swift once
these are overcome.
We are establishing mock-ups in differ-
ent areas of the project, Ctorides says. We
have one on the ground oor which covers
a good majority of what we shall meet in the
rest of the project. We have advanced the
works in that area which gives us the chance
to face any problems at the earliest stage.
This will allow us to gain time in the future.
The problems that were facing in this area
are transmitted immediately to the rest of
The cooling plant (left) and one of five substations (right) are among a variety of out-buildings which augment the main hospital building and its four towers.
The main chiller cooler pipes from the cooling plant run through this mechanical corridor.
the re strategy. Once we conclude this we
are nearly towards the end. With the rest of
the project we will have problems, like any
project, but it will be faster, he adds.
While healthcare projects may be broadly
comparable to other MEP projects in such
respects, Ctorides makes it clear that
Right now we are
on the critical path of the
project. We are resolving
the biggest challenges
such as power, HVAC and
the re strategy.