C o n s t r u C t i o n

Monthly Construction news, tenders, project focus, and forthcoming exhibitions in QatarIssue No.89 - December 2014

SITESBuilding Information Modeling (BIM) sup-ports all aspects of building-related data, from design, through construction and commissioning, to operations and mainte-nance. BIM has the potential to save upto 30% of building costs through improving efficiency. According to studies operations and maintenance phase of building life-cycle can result in efficiency losses of $9 billion per year.

In Focus: Construction Technology

PAGES 14-21

EXCLUSIVE Interview with Ben Van Berkel of UNStudio; architects for QRail’s Doha Metro Stations

Designs for the revamp of Sheikh Khalifa Stadium unveiled

D-BUG: Launch of Doha BIM Users Group

SITESC o n s t r u C t i o n2

News

C-Ring Road expansion progressing The Public Works Authority (Ashghal) opened in November part of C-Ring Road to traffic, extending from Jabor Bin Ahmed Intersection (Ramada Intersection) to Al Kinana Intersection. The stretch was widened from three lanes to four in each direction as part of phase four of the C-Ring Road development project, to improve traffic flow and reduce congestion.Currently Ashghal is working on phase four of the C-Ring Road project, which is expected to be completed by the end of the year. As part of this phase, works are taking place on both directions of Salwa Road starting from right after Al Asiri Intersection towards Jabor Bin Ahmed Intersection (Ramada Intersection) and to The Centre Roundabout which will be converted to a signal-controlled intersection. This phase includes works on C-Ring Road starting from Ramada Intersection until mid-way before Rawdat Al Khail Intersection. Ashghal is working around the clock to expedite the phase’s completion. Works continue seven days a week, with the same number of men working day and night in order to complete the phase by the end of December as scheduled. All four phases of the C-Ring Road project will be completed in the second quarter of next year.

ASTAD Project Management Signs MoU at WISE 2014 ASTAD volunteers expertise to design school prototype for a UNHCR pilot project in Kenya

ASTAD Project Man-agement, signed a Memorandum of Understanding

(MoU) earlier today with Education Above All Foun-dation, for a pilot project in the Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya. Opened in 1992, the refugee camp is run by UNHCR.Her Highness Sheikha Moza Bint Nasser, Chair-person and Founder of Ed-ucation Above All Founda-tion, attended the official signing ceremony, which took place at the 2014 World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE). The MoU was signed by Ali Al-Khalifa, Chief Executive Officer of ASTAD Project Management, Mr. Marcio Barbosa, Chief Executive Officer of Education Above All, Mr. Raouf Mazou on behalf of the United Na-tions High Commission for Refugees in addition to other project partners. During the ceremony, Ali Al-Khalifa highlighted the significance of collaborat-ing and working alongside like-minded partners to give refugee children in the Kakuma Refugee Camp access to quality education. He said, “In keeping with ASTAD’s Corporate Social Responsibility, we are honoured to part-ner with Education Above All on such a noble humanitarian cause. ASTAD will do its utmost to extend its technical know-how and project management expertise in the planning and development of Kakuma’s education facilities.” ASTAD is volunteering its expertise to design a school prototype that will offer children a host of improved educational amenities. Moreover, before the project is implemented on a large scale, local expertise will be employed and the school will be enhanced based on a complete post-occupancy analysis.Ali Al-Khalifa added, “ASTAD is especially eager to help develop local talents, skill-sets, knowledge and experience. Our aim is to create an innovative, cost-effective, and sustain-able infrastructure for education that will enable strong community engagement in both the construction and operation of the schools. We have committed to overseeing the project and will ensure that the schools are constructed to the exact specifications, standards, and budget.”In accordance with the agreement, ASTAD will help facilitate this valuable initiative by adopting a simple and practical approach that is compatible with the local environment. Its scope of work will include overseeing the construction management of the schools, as well as monitoring the design, cost, procurement, progress, and delivery of the buildings.

Al Huwailah Link Road opens to traffic The Public Works Authority (Ashghal) has announced the opening of Al Huwailah Link Road, leading to Ras Laffan City, to traffic. Some complementary works are now being done on the sides of the road that do not affect the traffic flow.Al Huwailah Link Road was developed from single carriageway, with one lane on each direction without any separation, into a dual one that includes mainly four lanes in each direction, separated by a median. In addition, street lighting has been provided and signals have been installed with cameras to moni-tor traffic violations on the four new intersections, to improve safety.The road primarily serves the traffic flow from and to Ras Laffan Industrial City, especially for heavy trucks vehicles, by providing an alternative route to Ras Laffan Road that links Ras Laffan and Al Khor Street, which used to cause congestion on the expressway from Doha to Ras Laffan Industrial City.The road comprises 16km and is linked to the North Road at Al Huwailah intersection (Intersec-tion 66), representing an essential part of the expansion plan of Ras Laffan Industrial City and its environs. Road improvement works included, in addition to mainly increasing the number of lanes from one to four in each direction, the establishment of four new intersections: one between Al Huwailah Road and College Street, another between Al Huwailah Road and Al Shagub Street, the third be-tween Al Huwailah Road and Khalifa Street and the fourth between Al Huwailah Road and Al Jas-sasiya Street. As for the infrastructure improvement works, services networks have been established and devel-oped completely, which include: storm water drainage network, potable water network, telecom-munication network and intelligent transport systems.The Al Huwailah Link Road is part of Qatar’s ambitious Expressway program which is being execut-ed by the Public Works Authority. The Expressway includes more than 32 projects to build 1,000 km of improved multi-track roads and 240 main intersections.

Dubai’s sustainable stance gets a boost The Dubai Municipality is taking radical steps to ensure the city maintains its leading-edge reputa-tion for sustainability, according to its top official. Addressing the opening of the two-day Sustainable Design and Construction Conference on the sidelines of The Big 5, a regional building construction show recently, Hussain Nasser Lootah, Director General of Dubai Municipality, unveiled details of a tough new smart checking system and an emirate-wide move to using “green concrete”. He also gave details of “Desert Rose”, the new Dh20 billion Emirati housing development built around sustainable principles.“We already have the best standard of construction and materials in the region. Our Green Building Regulations Guide has 79 chapters, and we are working through these chapters to implement all of the directives.” Lootah said that the municipality, three years ago, had decided to implement green concrete – pro-duced without releasing or creating CO2 - after examining a number of materials in the market and now would insist all buildings were constructed using “green” concrete by early 2015.He said the municipality had implemented three “quick-fix”’ sustainable solutions in buildings: in-sulation, solar heating and installing LED lighting. Now, he said, his department was concentrating more on the issues surrounding electricity, water and waste.Another initiative he discussed was the launch of a “smart” online checking system for project proposals. “Consultants are busy people, so we are launching a new Business Information Management (BIM) system to come between the end user and the municipality via the internet,” he said. “Quite often we will reject a proposal due to it not fulfilling the sustainability criteria, and the con-sultants often simply blame the municipality rather than revealing to clients it was down to their own omissions.”Now, consultants must log-in and virtually “tick off” a number of criteria before a proposal is sub-mitted to the municipality for approval. “We had to find a better system, so now consultants cannot log their project details unless every-thing is correct. This makes the process easier for the municipality; streamlining applications, and will stop consultants from incorrectly apportioning blame,” Lootah said.With the expected pre-Expo 2020 construction boom, the municipality chief expects to see a huge influx of new materials and technologies in Dubai. But he says his department is prepared.“We have the largest laboratory in the region and are ready to check whether new materials and technologies are sustainable. We are open to check any material and are happy to check if it fulfills our sustainability criteria.”

Lessons from the pastThe Third International Symposium of Urban Design and Architecture in Muslim Societies has been held at Qatar Faculty of Islamic Studies. The symposium explored features of old neighborhoods, including relations between neighbors, and the kind of facilities that should be available and how this all worked into a single system that was so simple but so fascinating as well.From water management to neighbor relations, from the use of space to interaction between neigh-bors, from the facilitation of trade and business in the city to protecting privacy and having a won-derful open life rather than a closed lone, the symposium covered a wide range of subjects as it stressed that architects had an obligation to learn about the local culture.Speakers pointed out that this obligation to learn about the culture was recommended to give guidance to architects and designers, not to take a step back to the past but to learn from the past that would help us to carry the torch to a bright future, noting the great contributions of the Islamic civilization to the world.Discussions at the symposium revolved around the question: Could we use lessons from the past without replicating them altogether? Different views were expressed in response, mostly underlin-ing the need for international and local views to merge together, so that we could understand what these traditions mean to us and that they are not static either.

Ali Al-Khalifa: ASTAD Project Management CEO

SITESC o n s t r u C t i o n 3Qatar

ond quarter of next year,” SC Competition Venues Director Ghanim Al Kuwari said during the Fourth Coliseum Mena-ConfEx in Doha.Two more World Cup stadiums have been revealed this year. The first of which is Al Bayt stadium at Al Khor city. In 2022, the stadium will have the capacity to host 60,000 spectators and will fulfill all FIFA requirements for hosting World Cup matches through the semi-final round. Dar Al Handasa serves as the design consultant for Al Bayt Stadium - Al Khor City and the surrounding precinct and Projacs serves as its project manager.Al Bayt Stadium is modeled after Bayt Al Sha’ar, a tent traditionally used by nomadic peoples in Qatar and neigh-boring countries.For those traveling through the sometimes harsh land-scapes of the desert, the sight of a black-and-white striped tent on the horizon means an invitation to enjoy the hospitality of the tent’s owner, whether known or not to him. Al Bayt Stadium will carry on this tradition, beck-oning football lovers near and far, bringing them together to put aside their differences in a global celebration of the beautiful game.Al Bayt Stadium - Al Khor City will maintain ideal tempera-tures for player performance and fan comfort throughout the year. Employing the latest con-struction techniques and ma-terials, the stadium will target both Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) and Global Sustain-ability Assessment System (GSAS) certifications. Just as Bayt Al Sha’ar re-mains central to family life in Qatar, the precinct surround-ing Al Bayt Stadium - Al Khor City will become a center of community life. Landscaped paths will wel-come residents seeking exer-cise. Retail areas will create opportunities for small busi-nesses to thrive. The stadium will be used to host sporting events as well as cultural fes-tivals.Further echoing Bayt Al Sha’ar, parts of the stadium will be transportable. In line with the SC’s legacy commit-

ments, the stadium’s upper tier will be demountable. In the years after 2022, the upper tier will be removed and the modular sections will be used to build stadiums in countries around the world that lack adequate sporting infrastructure. Al Wakrah StadiumTaking the dhow boats that carried generations of Qatari fishermen and pearl divers as inspiration, the design of Al Wakrah Stadium and the approximately 586,000m2 surrounding precinct weaves together the city’s cultural heritage with Qatar’s progres-sive outlook. In addition to the stadium and precinct, Al Wakrah’s seafar-ing identity will be incorporat-ed into the 2022 World Cup Qatar fan experience.It will have a natural grass pitch cooled to an optimal temperature of 26 degrees Celsius. Spectator stands will be cooled to a supremely comfortable 24-28 degrees Celsius. AECOM designed Al Wakrah Stadium in association with Zaha Hadid Architects. AE-COM serves as the design consultant on the project while KEO International Con-sultants is the project man-ager.In support of the SC’s commit-ment to host a carbon-neutral FIFA World Cup, Al Wakrah Stadium’s carbon footprint has been considered from an early stage. The stadium’s structure has been designed to minimize the amount of materials re-quired for construction and the embodied carbon of these materials taken into account. The stadium and precinct buildings all incorporate en-ergy usage best practices, minimizing natural resource demand before, during and after the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar. To minimize cooling require-ments, state-of-the-art com-puter modeling techniques are being applied to optimize the structural design. Furthermore, renewable en-ergy will be generated within the precinct, making a sig-nificant contribution to the energy required to operate Al Wakrah Stadium.To ensure that FIFA and the SC’s sustainability require-

Qatar going ahead with plans to host a historic World Cup in the Mideast

ments are met, Al Wakrah Stadium will target Global Sustainability Assessment System (GSAS) 4 Star and Leadership in Energy & Envi-ronmental Design (LEED) cer-tifications.Following the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Al Wakrah Sta-dium’s modular, 20,000-seat upper tier and associated cooling systems will be disas-sembled and distributed to developing nations that lack sporting infrastructure.The remaining 20,000-seat stadium will become the new home of Al Wakrah Sports Club, whose football team’s kit has been donned by the likes of Qatari football legend Mansoor Muftah and French international player Frank Le-boeuf. On days when matches are not taking place, the stadium facilities will serve as a social hub, offering a shaded and cooled promenade and seat-ing areas for residents and visitors.The precinct surrounding Al Wakrah Stadium will also serve to strengthen the bonds of community in Al Wakrah. Pleasant, pedestrian-friendly outdoor spaces, schools, a wedding hall and numerous new sports facilities, amongst other attractions, will serve as gathering points for Al Wakrah’s residents, enrich-ing life in the city and provid-ing ample space for work and play. The precinct’s abundant re-tail space will cater to entre-preneurs and owners of small and medium enterprises, fostering sustainable growth and contributing to the diver-sification of Qatar’s economy, in line with the Qatar National Vision 2030. A new metro system and other public transportation options will ensure easy access to the

precinct – for fans during the 2022 FIFA World Cup and for the people of Al Wakrah for generations to come. 24th Men’s Handball World Championship - Qa-tar 2015The Qatar 2015 Organizing Committee has provided an overview of the preparations for the 24th Men’s Hand-ball World Championship at the fourth Coliseum Summit Mena ConfEx (Conference and Exhibition).Qatar 2015’s keynote ad-dress on the second day of the summit provided an overview of the construction of the three new world-class venues – Qatar Handball As-sociation Complex, Al Sadd Sports Hall and the Lusail Multi-Purpose Hall.Fahad Fadol Al Yafei, Head of the Venues Committee, Qatar 2015, said: “Qatar is com-pleting major preparations in its role as host nation for the 24th Men’s Handball World Championship. “Our teams are working hard to incorporate all the techni-cal requirements of the sport, as well as the design ele-ments needed to deliver a su-perb spectator experience at each of the venues. “In addition to meeting the guidelines and recommenda-tions of the IHF, the competi-tion venues have also been built to host other sports matches and tournaments in the future.”All three venues have been built to include competi-tion and training facilities to support the development of handball in Qatar. In addition, the Al Sadd Sports Hall and Lusail Multi-Purpose Halls have been de-signed so that they can host a full range of sports such as badminton, basketball, vol-leyball, rhythmic gymnastics

– and even ice hockey, in the case of Al Sadd Sports Hall. With seating capacities of 7,700 and 15,000 respec-tively, the two halls will pro-vide ideal destinations for sports fans in Qatar.He said: “Projects like this are challenging and have risks, but these risks can be managed by keeping all stakeholders involved from the very beginning – which is what we have done. “Following up with tight proj-ect control and monitoring progress helps to ensure timely project completion and avoid surprises during the project implementation. “By following these mea-sures, we have already over-come most challenges and have delivered two stadia with the third is on its way to completion. We are posi-tive that the event will leave a lasting legacy for sport and for spectators in Qatar.”The Qatar Handball Asso-ciation Complex was trialed and tested during the recent IHF Super Globe Champion-ship 2014, proving to be an excellent venue for the inter-national event and receiving extremely positive feedback from visitors and competing teams. Qatar 2015 plans to test the other two venues before the main championship event in 2015, by hosting similar events there.This year also witnessed two trials of cooling systems at Aspire and Katara Fan Zones. The open-air fan zones were used by the SC to test the prototype cooling technol-ogy that will be utilized at the 2022 World Cup. The results from the tests have been incredibly positive, with temperatures on average 12 degrees Celsius lower in-side the fan zones.

After intense media specula-tion over the FIFA 2022 World Cup, the year concluded on a positive note with the FIFA Ethics Committee deciding that “the evaluation of the 2018/2022 FIFA World Cups bidding process is closed” for it.The decision has been wel-comed by the Supreme Com-mittee for delivery and Legacy (SC), Qatar’s 2022 World Cup organizing committee. “We have always been confi-dent of our position and stand by the integrity and quality of our bid – we have nothing further to comment on this matter and will continue to focus on delivering a historic FIFA World Cup in the Middle East,” SC said in a statementRegardless of the 2022 World Cup speculations, this year witnessed several announcements regarding sports venues in Qatar. The latest announcement was the beginning of main contractor works on the project to reno-vate Khalifa International Stadium, the third proposed host venue for the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar. The renovation includes re-vamping the venue to en-compass a seating capacity of 40,000 during the tourna-ment and to become compli-ant with FIFA’s stadium re-quirements to be able to host group stage, round of 16 and quarter finals matches. Six Construct, a joint venture between Midmac Contracting and a subsidiary of the Bel-gian Besix Group, oversees the main contractor works on the stadium. Dar Al Handasah and Projacs are the design consultant and project manager respec-tively. The project, which will include the addition of inno-vative cooling technology to the stadium to provide ideal conditions for players and fans during the tournament, is expected to be completed in 2016.SC has also announced that a new stadium will replace the current Qatar Sports Club while another one similar to the proposed Doha Port Sta-dium will be built near the Hamad International Airport as venues of the 2022 World Cup.“The early works on both sta-diums will begin in the sec-

Al Wakrah’s seafaring identity will be incorporated into the 2022 World Cup Qatar fan experience

SITESC o n s t r u C t i o n4

LegaL

In this article, we examine the impact of Law No. 9 of 2014 (the FIL Amendment) Amend-ing Certain Provisions of the Foreign Investment Law No. 13 of 2000 (the FIL) Regulating the Investment of Foreign Capi-tal in Economic Activities. International investors have been eagerly awaiting a deci-sion from the Qatar authori-ties that increased investment opportunities for non-Qatari investors in Qatari Joint Stock Companies (QSC) listed on the Qatar Exchange (the QE). The Morgan Stanley Capital Inter-national Index (the MSCI) had previously rejected Qatar’s ap-plication for inclusion in the Emerging Markets Index rather than the Frontier Markets Index for five years in a row. Media reports in 2012 indicated that the Qatari government’s posi-tion on the limitation of non-

Qatari ownership of QSCs listed on the QE would not be amend-ed upwards in the near future. Prior to the FIL Amendment, non-Qatari investors were pro-hibited from owning more than 25% of the shares already be-ing traded in QSCs listed on the QE, unless the memorandum and articles of association of such QSCs provided for a great-er percentage. However, in the case of a higher threshold, the memorandum and articles of association of the QSCs were required to be approved by the Council of Ministers upon a proposal by the Minister of Economy and Commerce (the MEC). This exemption was not generally put into practice by most QSCs, although we are aware of Aamal having sought such exemption. Nevertheless, on 29 May 2014 the MSCI formally entered the

QE on the emerging market index one week after the issu-ance of the FIL Amendment. Qatar now joins a host of coun-tries such as, inter alia, Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Af-rica, Malaysia, Turkey, Taiwan and the UAE on the emerging market index. It is expected that such inclu-sion in the emerging market index will permit an inflow of funds from global portfolio

managers that seek to invest in emerging markets as opposed to frontier markets, which by definition carry higher risk. Deutsche Bank estimates an increase of up to USD 440 mil-lion as a result of the Qatari government’s decision to per-mit increased foreign share-holding in QSCs listed on the QE. Article 2 of the FIL Amendment provides the following: “Non-Qatari [foreign] investors may hold a share of no more than 49% of the capital of Qa-tari joint stock companies listed on Qatar Stock Exchange upon approval of the Ministry to the proposed share in the memo-randum and articles of associa-tion of the proposed company. Non-Qatari investors may hold a share greater than the afore-said percentage subject to the Cabinet’s approval upon rec-ommendation of the Minister. Nationals of GCC states shall be treated as Qatari inves-tors in respect of ownership of shares in companies listed on Qatar Stock Exchange.”Pursuant to Article 2 of the FIL Amendment, non-Qatari inves-tors may now hold up to 49% of the capital in QSCs listed on the QE. In addition, GCC citi-zens are to be treated as Qatari nationals in respect of owner-ship and are therefore subject

to no limitation on the num-ber of shares they may hold in QSCs listed on the QE. According to Article 2 of the FIL Amendment, the MEC is re-quired to approve the increase of non-Qatari shareholding from 25% to 49%. We are not aware of any indication from the Qatar authorities or the MEC as to whether the MEC will apply some type of discretion in granting an approval for the in-creased investment. The foregoing increased open-ing of the Qatari market will likely be an excellent opportu-nity for foreign investors to ride the wave of Qatar’s strong eco-nomic growth and perceived immunity from worldwide shifts in the market. Note: All Qatari laws (save for those issued by the QFC to reg-ulate its own business) are is-sued in Arabic and there are no official translations; therefore, for purposes of drafting this article Clyde & Co has used its own translation and interpret-ed the same in the context of Qatari laws, regulation and cur-rent market practice. The views set out in this article do not constitute legal advice and readers are urged to seek specific legal advice in relation to any particular issues which arise from the subject-matter of this article. For further in-

formation on this topic please contact Laura Warren at laura.warren@clydeco.com or Ramiz Shlah at ramiz.shlah@clydeco.com

Summary and Analysis of Law No 9 of 2014 – Amending the Foreign Investment Law

Laura Warren is a partner of the International Law firm, Clyde & Co LLP, in Doha. Laura has a wide ranging contentious and non con-tentious construction practice in-volving projects in Qatar as well as in the UAE, Oman, Bahrain, Libya, Egypt and TunisiaLaura is Co-ordinator for the Soci-ety of Construction Law (Gulf) in Qatar.

Laura WarrenRamiz is an associate based in Clyde & Co’s Doha office and has over five years’ experience in Qa-tar having worked on corporate, commercial, construction, insur-ance, finance, securities and bank-ing law. His clients include a wide array of international and local entities, including banks, investment firms, construction, industrial and tech-nology companies. Ramiz is admitted to practice law in Massachusetts and New York and has published articles on vari-ous topics, including GCC invest-ment in Qatar, Ostensible Authori-ty in Qatar and the Qatari National Health Insurance Scheme.Prior to joining Clyde & Co, Ramiz was a consultant at a leading local practice in Doha.

Ramiz ShlahAssociate

lapsed. “But the regional economic re-covery and high oil prices have combined to trigger another boom in building, particularly as the region prepares for ma-jor events like the World Cup. This is feeding sharply rising demand for international con-tractors to deliver these proj-ects.”Procorre explains that the con-struction sector accounts for 82% of all roles in Qatar adver-tised to international contrac-tors as the country gears up for the 2022 World Cup.Lisa Mangan says: “There is a massive need for contrac-tors to oversee the construc-tion work beginning in Qatar. Building has started on the 12 stadiums needed for the 2022 World Cup and contrac-tors such as architects and en-gineers are needed to imple-ment the planned extension to its road system, expansion of its power supplies and the construction of a new interna-tional airport.”She continues: “Senior con-struction consultants are find-ing the opportunities available in the Gulf very attractive be-cause of the many advantages to undertaking an overseas contract. Often these jobs of-fer rapid progression, immers-ing contractors in the project from the off.

“The posts are also well paid, with additional bonuses such as free flights and discounted accommodation coming as part of the package. For those looking for a promotion, it could well be worth consider-ing a short-term contract in the Gulf.”Procorre says that over a quar-ter of positions (27%) for in-ternational contractors in the United Arab Emirates are in construction despite the Emir-ate being known best as a fi-nancial services hub for inter-national contractors. Recent research by Deloitte revealed that the value of con-struction projects in the UAE has bounced back sharply from its trough after the finan-cial crisis, with $12 billion of stalled construction projects in the Emirate now having re-started.Landmark projects underway in the UAE include Expo 2020 and the Mall of the World, both in Dubai.Lisa Mangan says: “Abu Dhabi and Dubai are returning to their position as huge users of senior UK construction exper-tise and knowledge. The proj-ects range from mid-sized right the way through to the kind of huge, innovative projects that create opportunities for con-tractors to gain quick progres-sion up the career ladder.”

Qatar and other Gulf countries see an increasing demand for construction professionals, ac-cording to Procorre, an inter-national professional services consultancy.The number of posts for se-nior construction profession-als in the Gulf is surging as the region ramps up its infra-structure projects for upcom-ing global events such as the Qatar World Cup and Expo 2020, says Procorre which op-erates in various business sec-tors across 120 countries and delivers advisory and imple-mentation solutions to clients worldwide.Construction positions now ac-count for a high percentage of the total number of jobs for in-ternational contractors in the Gulf. Positions that are in high demand include project con-struction engineers, construc-tion managers and project di-rectors. Currently, senior construction positions account for 27% of the total number of white col-lar roles marketed to UK con-tractors in the UAE, 82% in Qa-tar and 54% in Saudi Arabia. Lisa Mangan, Relationship Manager at Procorre, says: “The number of roles for se-nior construction contractors in the Gulf fell sharply after the financial crisis as funding for new building projects col-

Qatar sees increasing demand for construction professionals

OUR ADDED VALUE SERVICES

Rapidshor - Safe Stair Access

On Site Assistance

Rapidshor - High Leg Capacity up to 80kN

Rapidshor - Robust Galvanized High Grade Steel Rapidshor - Cost Effective Modular Bridge Support

Demonstration & Training Facilities Technological Support Consultancy & Design

Bahrain | Oman | Saudi Arabia | UAE | Qatar | Lebanon | Kuwait | Iraq

For more information scan the QR code above with your smartphone or tablet

35 years supporting the Middle East

RMD Kwikform QatarT: +974 4465 3034F: +974 4465 3282

E: rmd.qatar@rmdkwikform.comW: www.rmdkwikform.com

www.rmdkwikform.tv

RMD KWIKFORM RAPIDSHOR SHORING - SIMPLY THE BEST

SITESC o n s t r u C t i o n6

Qatar

a new building to the east wing, and building a single roof to cover the whole seating area.Hilal Jeham Al Kuwari, Presi-dent of Aspire Zone Foundation, which is supervising the reno-vation project, said: “Khalifa International Stadium has been always pivotal to the sporting scene in Qatar, having hosted several international tourna-ments and friendly matches. The aim of the renovation is not only to refurbish the stadium to fulfill the FIFA requirements, but to enhance it with new features as well. In this way, we will be able to keep the stadium sus-tainable for a longer time and ensure that it will remain a glob-al sports hub as well as a focal point for the local community.”Among the new additions, the stadium will include the 3-2-1 Qatar Olympic and Sports Mu-seum. This museum will include historic sport collections and interactive exhibits, demon-strating the strong relationship that connects Qatar with world sports.The cooling technology that will be employed in the stadium and training sites was tested by the SC at an open-air fan zone set up in Doha during the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil™.

The fan zones were reported to be a great success, it brought the temperature down by 12

Qatar unveils new design of Khalifa International Stadium at Gulf Cup in Riyadh

degrees Celsius and providing a comfortable environment for more than 15,000 fans.To ensure that the fans will have a unique experience, the tour-nament will be the first com-pact edition of the FIFA World Cup™. This means that players and fans will not have to fly from one city to another for matches. Instead, a modern transport network will be in operation to take fans from their accommo-dation to the stadiums in less than 45 minutes.A joint venture between Mid-mac Contracting and a subsid-iary of the Belgian Besix Group, Six Construct, is overseeing the main contractor works on the stadium. Dar Al Handasah and Projacs are the Design Con-sultant and Project Manager respectively. Expressing GCC support for Qatar in hosting the 2022 FIFA World Cup™, H.E. Abdullatif Al Zayani said: “Hav-ing such a global tournament organised by a Gulf state will be a source of pride not only for the Gulf, but for all Arab coun-tries as well. Hosting the FIFA World Cup is a legitimate right for this region, and the GCC will always stand by Qatar to safe-guard this right and make the World Cup happen.”

Commenting on the event, H.R.H. Prince Abdullah bin Musa’ad bin Abdul Aziz, Gen-eral President of Youth Welfare, said: “As host of the tourna-ment, Qatar will be able to bring the World Cup to the Middle East for the first time….. I am confident that Qatar will deliver an exceptional tournament, in-troducing our culture and tradi-tions to the world and promot-ing football and sports across the Gulf and the whole region.”Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Bin Ahmed Al Thani, President of Qatar Football Association, said: “We are pleased to be here with our brothers in Riyadh, which is currently hosting the Gulf Cup. This tournament reflects the importance of sport, especially football, in strengthening the brotherly relationship between Gulf countries. Likewise, we hope that the 2022 FIFA World Cup will offer another good op-portunity for the people of our region to come together and make it an impressive track re-cord of success.”In his speech, Hassan Al Tha-wadi, Secretary General of the Supreme Committee for Deliv-ery & Legacy, said: “Unveiling the design of our third pro-posed World Cup host venue

from Riyadh shows how much the World Cup is welcomed by all the countries and peoples of the region, especially Saudi Ara-bia, which has been supporting us since the early days of our bid. It also demonstrates our determination and firm commit-ment to deliver on an amazing tournament, creating a lasting legacy for Qatar, the Gulf States and the whole region.”Commenting on the project, Yasir Al Jamal, Acting Assistant Secretary General for Delivery Affairs at the SC, said: “Khalifa International Stadium is the third proposed FIFA World Cup venue to be revealed by the SC so far. This comes after we revealed the designs for Al Wakrah Stadium in November 2013, and Al Bayt-Al Khor City Stadium in June 2014.”He added: “The SC has previ-ously announced that work will start on five proposed FIFA World Cup venues before the end of this year. In the coming weeks, we will be unveiling the design for Qatar Foundation Stadium, which is currently in the enabling works phase, and Al Rayyan Stadium, which will be announced during Qatar’s National Day Celebrations in Darb Al-Saa’i.”

The Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy, the body re-sponsible for building the stadi-um and infrastructure required for the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar™, and the Aspire Zone Foundation have unveiled the renovated design for Khalifa International Stadium, the third proposed host venue for the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar™. The announcement was made at a ceremonial dinner held in the capital of Saudi Arabia, Riyadh, on the sidelines of the 22nd edition of the Gulf Cup.The redevelopment includes revamping the venue to include a seating capacity of 40,000 during the tournament in order to be compliant with FIFA’s sta-dium requirements for hosting group, round of 16 and quarter-final matches. Additionally, in-novative cooling technology will be incorporated to ensure an optimal playing temperature of 26 degrees Celsius and provide a comfortable viewing environ-ment for fans and players.Built in 1976, and renovated for the Asian Games in 2006, Khalifa International Stadium will undergo a comprehensive renovation to meet the FIFA standards for World Cup stadi-ums, which will include adding

Aspire Zone Foundation unveils design for revamp of Khalifa International Stadium, the third proposed host venue for the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar™.

The redevelopment includes revamping the venue to include a seating capacity

of 40,000 during the tournament in order

to be compliant with FIFA’s stadium

requirements for hosting group, round

of 16 and quarter-final matches. Ad-

ditionally, innovative cooling technology will be incorporated to ensure an optimal playing temperature of 26 degrees Cel-sius and provide a

comfortable viewing environment for fans

and players.

SITESC o n s t r u C t i o n8

specificatioNs

the subcommittee of QCS, pro-vided an overview on the issue of quality in the specifications. He started his presentation with examples of construction failures that sparked a wave of laughs in the hall. Thomas pointed out that, trivial as these construction failures might seem, they did not only cost money but a substantial loss of lives as well.He added that quality was about health and wellbeing of people and not just about doing the job right.Thomas stressed that QCS set the minimum requirements for quality. However, new technol-ogy could not be used without compliance with QCS or dem-onstration that its quality was higher than QCS. He explained that QCS was based on ISO 9001 since it was the most commonly-used model in the construction sector in the country. “Around 99% of construction companies in Qatar have ISO 9001. So we didn’t want to change the way they work. There are various standards and we have to use something that is achievable”.He pointed out that the new edi-tion of QCS included some im-proved definitions and updates of contractors’ responsibilities.

He concluded his presentation saying that if utilized properly, QCS 2014 would deliver the quality that Qatar wanted.In another presentation by Oss-man al Hussein from Ashghal, the topic of how QCS 2014 ad-dressed certification was dis-cussed. “Projects need to be safe and correct to perform well. To ensure this, we need to check material quality and system competency. The tool to do that is certification,” he said.Al Hussein explored various levels of certification, starting with the self declaration which is used in cases when non-compliance consequences are minor. Then there are the affili-ated certification and third party certification.The latter is the one commonly used in construction projects. It is required when human safety or property protection is at stake and when serious impact is ex-pected. Responding to a question about the testing labs approved by Ashghal for certain certification, Al Hussein said there was a list of 18 private labs issued every month by Ashghal. Choice of labs is based on ISO 1702:5 cer-tification. He advised attendees to use the list, but also monitor the performance of the labs.Among updates in QCS 2014

highlighted by speakers was the new definition for concrete exposure conditions. Moreover, for the first time QCS started to mention design, while in the past editions it only focused on execution of work.Al Hussein provided various ex-amples of QCS 2014 certifica-tion-related clauses as follows:Section 1: Part 7, GeneralElements of work that may af-fect the safety of persons or property shall be checked and certified by an approved safety inspector.Section 1: Part 21, Final in-spection and handover pro-ceduresThe contractor shall complete the following to the satisfaction of the engineer before request-ing the pre-handover inspection:a) Submit final manufacturer

certification, guarantees, warranties and similar doc-uments.

b) Submit occupancy permits, operating certificates, final inspections and test certifi-cates and similar releases enabling full and restricted use of the works.

Section2: Part 2, Submittalsa) A detailed description of pro-

cedures for reviewing shop drawings, samples, certifi-cates and other submittals necessary for compliance

with the project documen-tation.

ReadymixReadymix concrete for use in government projects may only be carried out in batching plants that have an approval certificate issued by the Central Materials Laboratory. When this certificate is under renewal process by the readymix concrete manufac-turer, other certificate such as NRMCA shall be considered by the Engineer as an approval of the facility.Section 6: Part 3, Earth-worksNuclear density gauge testing should only be carried out by personnel who have approved user certification issued by the Ministry of Environment.Section 6: part 4, Unbound materialsThe contractor shall submit a test certificate that proves that the raw materials that are pur-chased/used comply with speci-fications.Section 6: Part 5, Asphalt worksBased on the engineer request, the contractor shall submit the pertinent certifications of mate-rial, equipment, plants, person-nel and processes in relation to the project. Certificates must be issued by a competent authority approved by the engineer.

Delivery of materials produced from commercial manufacturing processes shall be accompa-nied by the manufacturer’s certi-fication and test report showing that the materials comply with the designated requirements.Section 9, part 1, GeneralTest certificates, manufacturer’s test certificates, third party test certificates and quality control test certificates shall be submit-ted as required in the general and particular project specifica-tion. Certificates shall be origi-nals or certified copies.Test certificates. Certificates and documents of equipment tests shall be provided (e.g. pressure vessels, lifting equipment, etc.). Performance test certificates and characteristic details shall be provided. After the general session, at-tendees broke up for various technical workshops that dis-cussed QCS in more detail. The first workshop was titled “Na-tional technical concrete indus-try”. The second covered asphalt production, quality control and performance evaluation. While the last workshop of the day cov-ered issues related to drainage.The second day of the confer-ence, which was held in October, focused on concrete, roads du-rability and green construction.

The fifth edition of Qatar Construction Specifica-tions (QCS 2014) has been launched at a con-

ference at the Qatar National Convention Center.Minister of Environment HE Ahmed bin Amer Al Humaidi said in a speech at the confer-ence’s opening ceremony that the State of Qatar was endeav-oring to lay down the criteria that ensured and realized high quality in all sectors in the state after specifications had become a basic requirement.He noted that Qatar Construc-tion Specifications 2014 would be binding to everyone, stress-ing that these specifications had become a pressing necessity for society to maintain peoples’ health, safety and property. QCS 2014 is the first step to-wards issuing the Qatar Inter-national Specifications for con-struction 2017.At a panel discussion during the launch event, Khaled Al Emadi from Ashghal urged engineers, architects and technicians to submit their feedback through the QCS website, adding that all comments and concerns would be addressed by a QCS commit-tee and might be included in the 2016 edition of the specifica-tions.Gareth Thomas, who is part of

QCS 2014 promises to deliverthe quality that Qatar wantsThe new edition of QCS includes improved definitions and updates of contractors’ responsibilities

SITESC o n s t r u C t i o n10

review

Qatar’s real GDP growth rate is expected to remain high un-til 2017, reaching over 18% (if oil prices are around $70 per barrel and still higher if they exceed that), but will slow thereafter with the completion of the LNG program and mega projects such as Shell’s Pearl GTL facility.According to an assessment by Qatar’s Ministry of Develop-ment Planning and Statistics, the non-hydrocarbon sector accounts for most of the econ-omy’s expansion. This pattern is set to be maintained for the foreseeable future. The Ministry, in its report, fore-casts that, despite an expected decline in oil production, Qa-tar’s economic growth will re-main robust at 6.3% in 2014.As production from Barzan comes on stream in 2015, and as investment activity in the non-hydrocarbon sector gath-ers pace, growth will accelerate to 7.8%. The contribution to a positive and strong current account surplus is expected to continue due to hydrocarbon exports. Earnings from hydrocarbon ex-ports plus the income gener-ated by the state’s sovereign wealth fund (SWF) will continue to fund the aggressive infra-structure drive.Qatar, by all means, is a wealthy country. It owns the third-larg-est gas reserves in the world,

after Russia and Iran. Qatar is a sovereign state with a small population of Qatari national citizens and a significant num-ber of expatriates, totally at the last count in excess of 2.1 mil-lion. Qatar, whose population reached 2.21 million late this year as per the latest figures available, has huge plans for infrastructure development in the next 10 years, funded by its hydrocarbon exports. It is now the world’s largest exporter of LNG. Its sovereign wealth fund, Qatar Investment Authority, has made many high-profile overseas investments (Barclays Bank; Credit Suisse; Volkswagen; Harrods; Miramax Films; Sainsbury’s; prime real estate in countries like the Su-dan, Turkey, Croatia, Tajikistan). Both the Al Jazeera broadcast-ing network and Qatar Airways give a boost to the state’s in-ternational image. In 2010, Qatar won the right to host the FIFA 2022 Football World Cup, attracting increased global at-tention to the state. This year, a FIFA judge cleared Qatar of

corruption allegations in its winning World Cup bid and cleared the state to stage the sport’s showpiece tournament in 2022.The Qatar National Vision 2030, launched in October of 2008, by the then Heir Appar-ent HH Sheikh Tamim bin Ham-ad Al Thani, has set ambitious goals for the state. In June 2013, HH the Emir Sheikh Tamim was installed as his father’s successor, taking over the reins of the govern-ment. The long-awaited opening of the massive Hamad International Airport (HIA) was a watershed moment for the state this year. HIA which will eventually oc-cupy 29 square kilometers and accommodate 50 million pas-sengers a year, aims to set new benchmarks for passenger con-venience and comfort. It boasts a single 600,000-square-meter terminal building – its north and south sides linked by a 700-meter-long internal auto-mated people mover system - and two runways, including one of the world’s longest at 4,850 meters.Arcadis, in its Second Global In-frastructure Investment Index, found that although Singapore remained the most attractive global market for infrastructure investment, the government there self-financed most of the major projects, Because of this investment opportunities were limited there.

As a result, other countries with major development plans such as the Gulf states of Qatar and the UAE, alongside developing Asian markets such as Malay-sia and the Philippines, were more promising for investors, according to Arcadis.According to Arcadis’ index, the cash-rich, hydrocarbon-en-riched Gulf countries are highly experienced in harnessing pri-vate investment, with the UAE and Qatar in particular having relied on access to cheap debt to finance investment. Looking ahead, there are ex-pectations that governments would seek to diversify fund-ing streams further, accessing capital market finance to sup-port aggressive infrastructure spending plans. The emerging markets will be a significant driver of the con-struction industry in the next decade, according to the Global Construction 2020 report by Global Construction Perspec-tives and Oxford Economics. The report forecasts a sharp increase in construction levels from $7.5 trillion today to $12.7 trillion by 2020 as a result of burgeoning activity in India, Brazil and China; meanwhile, more developed regions of the world are predicted to show modest growth. Companies ignore the growth markets in emerging world at their own peril and these areas are a key part of any strategy for long-term success.

Coupled with this, are the twin challenges; the emerging trend of urbanization and the expo-nential increase in the number of young people in growth mar-kets. This has forced govern-ments to invest in infrastruc-ture – increasing construction activity and demand for equip-ment. The types of projects vary, rang-ing from transportation to com-merce and tourism. However, because these markets are growing so fast there is no time to put in place the administra-tive and information manage-ment systems to support this growth, which makes operating in emerging markets risky for investors. They require additional over-sight and also intimate local knowledge of regulatory issues, procurement laws and ways of doing business.In 2011, Qatar committed 40% of its budget to infrastructure projects, more than in all the previous years together. The then Finance Minister, Yousef Kamal, said that Qa-tar planned to invest between $160 billion and $170 billion on infrastructure and oil and gas projects in the next 10 years. Many of these projects were planned before the FIFA World Cup win and are integral to realizing Qatar’s National Vi-sion 2030. The 2022 World Cup has given an added impetus to existing in-frastructure plans by providing

a fixed date by which they must be operational.Specific projects planned in-clude a new national railway system, including a Doha met-ro, light rail, freight and high speed lines ($25 billion) slated for completion in 2025; an en-tire new port ($7 billion) being constructed on a “green field” site; construction of the Qatar-Bahrain Causeway ($4 billion); the huge Dohaland – Mush-eireb urban redevelopment ($5.5 billion) in the heart of Doha; and a planned Doha Bay Crossing ($1 billion) linking the new airport with projects in the northern part of Doha. In addition there is a major pro-gram for building and expand-ing roads ($20 billion), water and wastewater facilities. The Barzan Gas project was the subject of a recent joint venture agreement with ExxonMobil that will supply gas for domes-tic use. For the FIFA World Cup, nine new state-of-the-art stadia will be built with capacities of at least 43,000 each and three existing stadia will be refur-bished ($5 billion). An addition-al 90,000 hotel rooms are also planned.Unsurprisingly, such a huge development program contin-ues to attract new entrants to the construction market and to many other areas of business. Chinese contractors have been successful in winning many pro-jects (including the first huge

contract to form the basin of the new port).Despite the continuous award of new projects and the seem-ingly bottomless budgets, in-vestors are advised to proceed with caution, however. It would be erroneous to think there is easy money to be made in the construction sector, par-ticularly for new entrants to the market. Many contractors, sub-contractors and suppliers were hard hit during the last financial crisis, and five years on, its ef-fects are still being felt. Stories of established contrac-tors on mega projects going un-paid for months are common-place and the most negative effects are felt down the supply chain.According to a recent report is-sued by Deloitte, “GCC Powers of Construction 2014: Are you ready for the recovery?”, Qatar is planning to directly intervene in the construction sector as part of its efforts to ameliorate the rising inflationary pressures in the wake of fast-paced infra-structure development in the country. Construction, seen as the most promising non-hydrocarbon in-dustry in Qatar, is projected to continue to perform strongly if supply chains are well managed and inflation is contained. The conservative growth in 2013 reflected the roll-out phase of Qatar’s infrastructure pipeline and catch-up on earlier project delays.

The Construction Year in Perspective: Looking back at 2014

Qatari SourcesQatari SourcesGRP SECTIONAL WATER TANKSFIRE SECTIONAL WATER TANKSSTEEL STRUCTURESPPR PIPES & FITTINGS LEED & GREEN BUILDING SOLUTIONS

Tel: +974 4487 3850 Mobile : +974 55141030 Fax: +974 4487 3826 P.O.Box 17175 Doha-Qatar e-mail: mohdzeli@gmail.com

SITESC o n s t r u C t i o n 11

By Mr. Maro Puljizevic How noisy is Doha? It may seem like a rather banal ques-tion; but answers would vary significantly, depending on the area. Tenants of a pricey Pearl could state Doha is unbearably noisy as they are in a fight of their own against late-night en-gine-revving or noisy jet skis. On the other hand, residents of a significantly cheaper Al Gharra-fa district seem to enjoy peace and quiet.When buying, renting or even developing a property, we’re faced with numerous factors which ultimately guide our final decision and selection of a suit-able area. Usually, it all comes down to lo-cation. Distance to work and to kindergarten or school is a pre-dominant factor for most of us. However, do we ever consider noise? Yes, but usually when it’s too late and we’ve realized that a good night sleep is just a distant dream.Wouldn’t it be convenient then to have some information on noise levels throughout Doha, just a click away? Filtering out the noisiest areas and browsing only through the quieter ones. By all means, price of a proper-ty within an area highly polluted with noise should be lower than the price of a similar property

in a quiet and peaceful part of the city. Unfortunately, this factor is not even closely considered by au-thorities, developers or real es-tate agents. It does sound a bit utopistic and distant, however it’s all possible, thanks to noise maps. A noise map is a very powerful tool, yet it is nothing more than a regular city map with graphical representation of noise levels during different times of the day. Such a map can consider only one noise source (traffic, industry, outdoor events, etc.) or any combination of those. It can show noise lev-els during day, evening or night time. Nowadays, such noise maps can be easily accessible on-line, with all the data made publicly available. How is noise map done?Noise maps are done with specialized acoustic software, providing great accuracy of re-sults. The starting point of every acoustic model, and a future noise map, is a digital terrain model of the area of interest, i.e. of the city itself. Having in mind Doha’s predom-inantly flat terrain, digitalization of such a model would be quite straightforward. With a terrain model ready (including buildings, roads, bridges, etc.), information on

noise sources is inserted. Noise sources considered can be vari-ous, yet the noise map is usu-ally done for road, rail, air traffic and industry. Finally, noise level contours in an easily readable graphical format are produced and plot-ted on a city map. One of the noise map’s paramount fea-tures is that it is useful to every-one and easily readable even by a non-technical people.How does the noise map actu-ally help us? Made available to residents, it would provide instantaneous information on noise levels throughout Doha. Noise pollution coming from nearby roads, any industrial plant or a sports venue would be clearly indicated. That would surely change the way we search for properties; and real estate market would ultimately have to adapt, with prices adjusted accordingly.Noise maps are indispensable tools for authorities as they enhance urban planning tech-niques and enable quick selec-tion of suitable locations for noise sensitive developments such as hospitals, parks and resorts; or indicate suitable sites for locating any projects associated with noisy activities; industrial plant or even a World Cup venue.

Noise maps – a ‘sound’ way to experience Doha

Although very useful, noise maps can’t reduce noise pol-lution. In a real life; airplanes have to fly, cars have to drive and concerts, football matches and speed boat races have to take place. However, with noise maps avail-able, authorities can develop certain action plans in order to reduce nuisance as much as practically possible. Such ac-tion plans may consider intro-duction of noise barriers along major roads, limiting duration and maximum noise levels for concerts or even compensate

residents living near the air-ports. What next?Doha is a city which changes rapidly in front of our eyes. Buildings, blocks, parks, high-ways, even whole islands ap-pear and disappear almost on a daily basis. At that pace of a construction, tracking new de-velopments and having an ac-curate noise map would surely be a challenge. Nonetheless, it is definitely just the right time to start with noise mapping process and authori-ties have to start steering in

that direction. Although it will surely face vari-ous challenges and may lack accuracy in the beginning of the project, a base noise map model will be useful practically forever. Just by knowing that noise is tackled by authorities, as one of the important issues in our daily lives, would mean a lot to residents and act as a driving force towards a higher quality of our lives.Mr. Maro Puljizevic is the Acoustics Section Manager at Al Mana Associates.

Noise maps are done with specialized acoustic software, providing great accuracy of results

Qatar

SITESC o n s t r u C t i o n12

Renault Trucks Qatar Opens State-of-the-Art Workshop

To commemorate its 40th anniversary, Al-Attiya Motors and Trading Co. (AMTC) held an opening ceremony for the launch of its state-of-the-art Renault Trucks (RT) workshop in the Industrial Area recently. The RT Qatar workshop is strategically located in the heart of the Doha Industrial Area at Street No. 6, Al Kas-sarat Street, providing easy access for regular servicing and maintenance. The capac-ity of the workshop has been doubled from 150 to 300 job

cards per month, with state-of-the-art tooling and extra park-ing spaces as an added con-venience as well. In addition, the warehouse storage space is capable of accommodating over QAR 10 million worth of parts stock.The total value of the sprawl-ing, state-of-the art 4,500 sq. m. facility is estimated at QAR 26 million. It is conveniently situated and is fully air-con-ditioned with a comfortable reception area, modern tool-ing equipment and expanded work stations to be able to pro-vide a professional and timely service and maintenance ex-perience for clients.Over 2,000 Renault trucks are currently in operation across Qatar and the new workshop will help significantly in accom- modating the increasing de-

mand for repair, service, body work and maintenance due to the growth experienced by Re-nault Trucks in the country. According to a report from Renault Trucks Middle East, AMTC is one of best perform-ing importers in the region. As a result, Renault Trucks is a strong player when it comes to the medium duty range and one of the best brands when it comes to the heavy duty range. To give AMTC the ability to ad-dress and resolve urgent re-

pair cases, a 280HP Renault Midlum Mobile Workshop Truck is available and is ca-pable of reaching customers at remote sites across Qatar, from the industrial north to the challenging sand-dunes of the south.Building on the legacy of the French truck industry know-how, Renault Trucks has been supplying transport profes-sionals with robust tools and strong relationships since 1894. With an aim to reduce operational costs for its cus-

tomers, Renault Trucks pro-vide a range of commercial vehicles for distribution, con-struction, waste management, fuel tankers, long haul as well as after-market products and support.

Over the past four (4) decades, AMTC has gained extensive ex-perience and continuous suc-cess in various business sec-tors through the original vision of its founder “Grow slowly, steadily but surely”.

• 4,500 sq. m. Workshop • One-stop shop caters for

all sales, parts, service, repair and maintenance needs

• Total investment by AMTC of QAR 26 million

News

SITESC o n s t r u C t i o n 13

working in collaboration with key stakeholders to encour-age innovation and entrepre-neurial thinking. Addressing the gathered ex-perts, Engineer Meshal Al Shamari, Director of Qatar Green Building Council, said: “QGBC is focused on promot-ing green practice across Qa-tar’s construction sector so we were delighted to host this conversation between sus-tainability experts, innovators and building specialists. We are committed to helping the nation deliver the Qatar Na-tional Vision 2030, and our discussions highlighted some interesting ideas and themes for reform and growth.”Asfandiar Ansari, President

of the Pakistani Engineers Forum, highlighted the im-portance of organisations working together to achieve common objectives: “The Pakistan Engineers Forum was established in 1997 with the main objective to dis-seminate knowledge within the community. Since knowl-edge knows no boundaries, we joined hands in our knowl-edge sharing efforts with key engineering organisations in Qatar like QGBC. The informa-tive discussions at this event enable our members to con-nect with others and gener-ate new insights into the con-struction industry in Qatar. We would like to thank QGBC for providing a great network-ing opportunity for our mem-bers.”Among Qatar’s large con-struction projects over the coming decade are Qatar Rail, the FIFA 2022 World Cup stadia, Msheireb Downtown Doha and Lusail Real Estate Development amongst many more.Dr Alex Amato, Head of Sus-tainability at QGBC, added: “Innovation opportunities in the construction sector are abundant. The real ques-tion we need to answer is, ‘to what extent is innovation and research encouraged in

QATAR GREEN BUILDING COUNCIL SEMINAR ENCOURAGES INCREASED INNOVATION IN QATAR’S CONSTRUCTION SECTOR

this sector?’ As part of our efforts to encourage innova-tion and research in the con-struction sector, QGBC has brought together members of the construction industry to conduct vital innovative re-search as part of its landmark project the Qatar Case Study Passivhaus. The project is now undergoing the research phase and is aimed at reduc-ing energy consumption by half.” Engineer Mohamed Al-Sada, Chairman of Gulf Scientific Gateway, focused on the im-portant role of entrepreneurs in encouraging innovation in the construction sector. He

said: “Qatar’s current regula-tions and laws help entrepre-neurs and innovators in many ways. However, they do not adequately address the main challenge facing new entre-preneurs in Qatar, which is capturing market gains while competing with existing mar-ket giants. We hope that we will witness further modifica-tions in this regard.” Dr Azhar Iqbal, Managing Director of Gulf Scientific Gateway, offered a potential solution. His presentation suggested that increased in-novation and the introduc-tion of new concepts to the construction industry will

help minimise competition between new entrants and established market leaders. The event featured another informative presentation by Dr Uvais Qidwai, Associate Professor of Computer Sci-ence at Qatar University that highlighted the challenges innovators face in Qatar and how old innovations can pro-vide answers to the modern age challenges.He explained: “New concepts such as Zero Energy Design housing or the Passivhaus will encourage innovative thinking in Qatar’s market by pushing both the new en-trants and existing giants to join forces and work together for their mutual benefit.” QGBC is a non-profit, mem-bership-driven organisa-tion dedicated to advocat-ing green building solutions, leading industry research, as well as promoting sustainable practice in the community. QGBC offers membership op-portunities to organisations, individuals and students who demonstrate support for QNV 2030 and showcase passion for environmental sustain-ability. For more information about QGBC, please visit: www.qa-targbc.org.

In the wake of the nation’s construction boom, Qa-tar Green Building Council (QGBC), a member of Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community De-velopment (QF), and the Paki-stan Engineers Forum (PEF), hosted a joint seminar explor-ing innovation opportunities and challenges in Qatar’s construction sector. The event, which took place this week at Qatar Founda-tion, was attended by more than 50 construction practi-tioners and sustainability ex-perts. The seminar supported QF’s objective to ensure cut-ting-edge, environmentally sustainable infrastructure, and QGBC’s commitment to

Green experts Debate Opportunities And Challenges To Help Deliver The Qatar National Vision 2030

Engineer Meshal Al Shamari, Qatar Green Building Council Di-rector, speaking at the seminar

Dr Azhar Iqbal, Managing Director of Gulf Scientific Gateway, addressing the audience

The Middle East Smart Cit-ies Summit, held in Doha last month, underscored the crucial role of technology in sustain-ability and environmental initia-tives.With valuable inputs from some of the leading experts and authorities in smart city developments, the summit also focused on key issues and con-cerns that were of importance to municipalities and govern-ment authorities, public servic-es, urban planners, architects and consulting firms, universi-ties and research institutes, banks and investment hubs, system integrators and technol-ogy providers.Among the key speakers were Mansoor Al Malki, Director of Information Systems Depart-ment of the Ministry of Develop-ment Planning and Statistics, Qatar; Dr Wissam El Hamra, Lead Transportation Modeler, Transportation and Infrastruc-

ture Planning Department of the Ministry of Municipality and Urban Planning, Qatar; Nasser Rashid E R Al Kuwari, Head of Engineering Information Sys-tem, the Public Works Author-ity Ashghal; Tareq Al Emadi, Head of Information Technology at Qatar National Food Secu-rity Program; Saleh A Mubarak, PhD, Associate Professor, De-partment of Civil & Architectur-al Engineering at the College of Engineering of Qatar University; and Dr Rainer Schnepfleitner, Regulation Affairs and Com-petition, Department Manager CRA, Qatar.The summit was also ad-dressed by Tuomas Kosken-ranta, Founder & Chairman of COBA Middle East FZCO; Mo-hamed Jaber, Director of MEP Engineering, Design Division at KEO International Consultants, Qatar; George Galica, Head of Business Solutions at Vodafone Qatar; Zeina Nazer; Secretary

General and Smart Cities Work-ing Group Chair of ITS Arab, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; Dr Nagwa El-Shenawi, Undersecre-tary for Information & Strategic Planning at the Ministry of Com-munication & Information Tech-nology, Egypt; and Husamettin Baskaya, Senior Regional Direc-tor Mena, Websense.Sessions at the two-day sum-mit included “Vision to Smart Cities”, “The ICT Segment”, “Smart Cities in Business from the Pioneers”, “Inventing the Wheel” and “Connecting Smart Cities”. Within these sessions were two panel discussions on “Breaking through Tools for developing Smart City Business Models” and “Master Planners of Poli-cy”.Key topics discussed during the sessions of the summit’s open-ing day were “Official Statistics and Smart Cities in Qatar”, “Less Traffic Congestion Using Smart Route Choice”, “M2M Project Opportunities and Mar-ket Potential”, “New Innova-tions in ICT to Enable the Smart Elements in Future Smart Cit-ies in Trade”, “Automation in-frastructure – Challenges and Future Growth Prospects in the Region”, “Regulatory and Policy Framework Changes towards Smart ROI‘s”, “Successful Im-plementation and Integration of all Automation, Metering, Secu-

rity & Safety Systems – Paving the Path to a Fully Inter-opera-ble Smart City”, “Smart Cities: Increasing the Human Secu-rity IQ in A Digitally-Connected World” and “Sustainable Ap-proach to Lighting Design in Buildings”.On the second and final day, the topics focused on “Intelligent Designs of Service and Sys-tems for Smart Cities through Telecommunications”, “Smart Cities and Behavior Change”, “National Food Security Pro-gram”, “The role of Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS ) in Managing Traffic Safety, Secu-rity and Congestion”, and “Mea-suring Happiness In Cities - Big City Glitter”.The pre-conference Master-

class workshops covered an “Introduction to LEED v4” con-ducted by Hamoda Youssef, Research Specialist and Con-sultant at the Qatar Green Building Council, and “A Primer on Smart Cities: Characteris-tics, Infrastructure, KPI‘s and Data Analytics: What/Why/How” presented by Dr Sekhar Kondepudi, Vice-Chair for the Focus Group on Smart Sustain-able Cities at the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), a specialized agency of the UN, developing global stan-dards, and Associate Professor – Smart Buildings at the Na-tional University of Singapore.The closing remarks were deliv-ered by event chairperson Ebra-him Al Haddad, Regional Direc-

tor, ITU Regional Office for the Arab States Telecommunication Development Bureau, Republic of Egypt.The summit was supported by Vodafone as Headline Sponsor; Coba as Platinum Smart Inter-Operable Cities Partner; Reign as Smart BMS Solutions Part-ner; Lonix as Smart Building Connectivity Partner; Granlund as Smart Energy Logistics Part-ner; EXI lights as Smart Light-ing Solutions Partner; Simply City as Smart City Integration Platform Partner; KSENOS as Smart City Video Surveillance Partner; Qatar Green Building Council as Official Green Build-ing Partner and QPM as Project Management Partner.

Middle East Smart Cities Summit discusses key issues

coNfereNces

SITESC o n s t r u C t i o n14

National Priorities Research Program which is the flagship funding project of the National Research Fund.The Center for Construction Re-search and Innovation at Tees-side University will use a whole life cycle approach to informa-tion flow integrated to 3D visu-alization to track the cost, time, use of materials and execution space utilization of building projects.By analyzing where problems and delays may occur before construction has even started, Professor Dawood says BIM could cut the cost of building projects by up to 10%.“This could potentially save bil-lions of dollars in Qatar which is predicted to spend $150 bil-lion on construction over the next 10 years, including on stadiums for the 2022 Football World Cup,” stresses Professor Dawood.The research is a partnership between Teesside University, Qatar University and Hochtief-ViCon, BIM Consultancy to create a knowledge hub in the Middle East for BIM technology.Professor Dawood says: “This will be a whole different way of looking at how you organize in-formation in the delivery of your building project. It’s a matter of creating digital assets for the projects and then implement-ing the work on the construc-tion site in a way that’s been rehearsed.” He says: “This can have ma-jor cost and health and safety implications. Hopefully, it will have an international agenda in terms of pushing the bound-aries of how we manage con-struction projects in the fu-ture.” Benefits of BIM come as a so-lution to the challenges of the local construction industry. “BIM is mature in the region, though BIM had to be per-ceived as a process supported by technology rather than a software or a tool, where col-laboration is a key to success,” according to Derek Murray, civil engineer, Head of Service Strategy at Mott MacDonald, a global engineering and devel-opment consultancy.In the region where all project partners come from different backgrounds, BIM serves as collaborative platform to bring

together stakeholders, owners, end-users of the project and also consultants, contractors, specialists and suppliers in-volved, within a common data environment.This ensures everyone is fo-cused on achieving best value, from project inception to even-tual decommissioning, com-ments Murray. BIM can be also used to en-hance operational safety and to reduce safety risks. Contrac-tors can minimize construction risks by reviewing complex de-tails and procedures before go-ing on site. Increased use of design for manufacture and assembly reduces risks associated with onsite construction activities. Crowd behavior and fire model-ing capability enable designs to be optimized for public safety.Faster project delivery is an-other important benefit of BIM. Significant time savings up to 50% could be achieved by agreeing the design concept early in project development to eliminate late stage changes; using standard design ele-ments when practicable; re-solving complex construction details before the project goes on site; avoiding clashes; and using data to control construc-tion equipment and optimize construction efficiency. “BIM allows to get maximum value of the investment, which simply serves as an example of how new technologies can be utilized to increase collabora-tion among project teams and also increase efficiencies,” ex-plains SchumannHowever, most local consultan-cies agree on the significance of establishing a local BIM standard to optimize local con-struction efficiency and to in-crease collaboration between teams and to promote a collab-orative approach. Adopting BIM standard could significantly improve working relation on the project.“The Qatar market is generally open for new technologies to enhance success in business,” says Schumann.“This is a cornerstone for the change the industry has to ex-ecute. Additionally, a clear defi-nition of BIM in Qatar’s indus-try, a national BIM standard, is missing. This makes it difficult

for organizations to start BIM implementation and to include BIM in stakeholder contracts. Many companies understand BIM as a technology only. This is not correct,” he points out. BIM is becoming a regulatory requirement for a number of projects in Qatar, though many sub-contractors aren’t yet BIM-enabled, according to a recent survey. “If BIM was mandated,” com-ments Paul Wallett, Area Busi-ness Director at Tekla ME, “it would have a dramatic effect on the industry and all stake-holders involved in the proj-ects.”Using BIM clearly has its ad-vantages and the examples are there for all to see, according to him. “Projects like the Aldar Head-quarters in Dubai, Capital Gate, and in-progress Midfield Termi-nal in Abu Dhabi, Qatar Mu-seum and the Capital Market Authority office tower in Riyadh will prove to be success stories because of BIM.”As the use of BIM is accelerat-ing dramatically, local consul-tancies and practitioners are looking for BIM implementa-tion strategies for better return on investment from the novel technology. “Some BIM practitioners lose hope that they can achieve something with BIM when they experience some hurdles in the beginning. BIM is a perfect way to go; one just should know a perfect way to make it hap-pen,” says Esam Elabsi, Bim Center Manager, from Consoli-

dated Contractors Company. “At the early stage of BIM im-plementation at the company, it is important to address a pro-fessional BIM solution provider company to have couple of proj-ects done with BIM and adjust the working process to BIM,” advises Schumann.There’s no denying that adopt-ing BIM takes money and time – both in short supply for most businesses at the moment, according to Louay Dahmash, Territory Sales Director at Au-todesk Middle East. However, there are compelling reasons why now is a good time to consider BIM and all of these points make its implementa-tion immediately worthwhile. “Early adopters have been using BIM now for around a decade. Consequently, there are many case studies and re-ports of return on investment – including those from smaller businesses - to reassure the more cautious,” Dahmash added. As firms become more familiar

with BIM, they discover ways that they can use the models or the data produced to add value to their service. “Think how valuable a 3D mod-el of a building fully populated with asset data can be to a client. It can help significantly reduce total cost of ownership. BIM data from across a number of projects can also help a firm identify trends and optimize supply chains,” says Dahmash. The shift towards BIM adoption is inevitable for the local con-struction industry. “Much like going to the doctor, delaying the inevitable move towards adopting BIM is not a sage decision,” comments Teo-dor Pop, BIM consultant at NCS Qatar. “Sooner or later all the AEC industry is going to adopt BIM processes – up to a certain level. BIM is already changing the construction workflows ev-erywhere around us, is trans-forming the way buildings are designed, manufactured and maintained,” he points out.

Qatar’s construction sector is set to continue its race to be-come one of the foremost inno-vators of the modern age with 2014 becoming a year of Build-ing Information Modeling (BIM) implementation in the state. Stakeholders, clients and the architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) industry are increasingly turning to the groundbreaking technology of BIM to help improve time- and cost-efficiency, without com-prising on the quality of their projects or the environment. With Qatar’s ambitious plans and tight deadlines, BIM comes as an efficient solution for opti-mized planning and execution of construction projects. It is being used to build mile-stone projects like the National Museum of Qatar, Lusail City Development, the Doha Metro, the Doha Expressway Program and the eight stadiums that will be hosting the FIFA World Cup in just over eight years time. BIM has been developed to increase productivity in con-struction and therefore many organizations have identified its advantages for their own business. “Major government organiza-tions have established BIM standards for ongoing and future projects to be followed by all involved stakeholders. Among them are Ashghal, Qa-tar Rail, Q22 and Qatari Diar,” comments Rene Schumann, General Manager at Hochtief ViCon.“BIM in Qatar is no longer an optional accessory but is be-coming a mandatory working tool,” adds Schumann.Government adoption of the technology is seen as a key to ensuring a wider uptake of BIM in the country.A three-year research project has been awarded by Qatar Foundation to Teesside Uni-versity to do research work on BIM and how it can be used to improve construction process in Qatar. The research program aims at making Qatar a center of BIM knowledge and excellence in the GCC.A $900,000 research grant has been awarded to Profes-sor Nashwan Dawood and Dr Mohamad Kassem of Teeside University as part of the Qatar

Qatar is making steady progress in BIM adoption With Qatar’s ambitious plans and tight deadlines, BIM comes as an efficient solution for optimized planning and execution of construction projects

Rene Schumann:General Manager at Hochtief ViCon.

Teodor Pop:BIM consultant at NCS Qatar.

Professor Nashwan Dawood :from Teeside University.

Booking Close Shortly

For more details contact+974 66881424

BUILD YOUR LOCAL BUSINESSReach out to your Potential Customers

through aldrin.menezes@primedia-qatar.com

www.primedia-qatar.com

Qatar Construction Site_Strip_QYP_20Nov2014.pdf 11/20/2014 4:00:18 PM

iN focus

SITESC o n s t r u C t i o n 15

The Doha BIM Users LinkedIn networking group was formed to serve those involved in Building Information Modeling (BIM) in Qatar at all levels and in all roles. The purpose of the group is to

promote and accelerate BIM adoption and use in Qatar. There is a very unique set of circumstances here in Doha. We have the FIFA World Cup Stadia, Lusail City and ma-jor infrastructure projects including Qatar Rail and Sharq Crossing and the iconic Qatar National Museum. BIM is very much driven by owners and their consultants, and the goals for implementation are set high.Turner, Parsons, Atkins, Jacobs, HDR, HOK, AECOM, RTKL are among the global design firms involved. Many of the builders are local companies, and we also have Interna-tionals, some of which provide both design and construc-tion services. There has previously been no single orga-nization encompassing all of these participants who are involved in the dramatic transformations taking place in Qatar and throughout MENA region.The group was set up to share knowledge for those who are interested in knowing more about BIM (Building Infor-mation Modeling), how it is being used and implemented in Doha and amongst other topics, the challenges of us-ing various software products. The first meeting of DBUG was held on Saturday 15th November 2014 at Qatar University. The meeting was at-tended by some 25 enthusiastic members representing private companies and educational institutions. There was a mix of professionals and students ranging from architects, engineers, project managers to professors,

students and one or two software vendors. Since this was the first meeting the agenda was mainly related to formalizing the group and discussing the aims and activities. A Chairman, Vice Chairman and an Executive Committee were chosen to organize the group and its activities. Suggested activities for the group included presentations and talks of various aspects of BIM, tips and tricks and discussions related to creating standards, conventions and procedures specifically for Qatar.There are currently more than three hundred DBUG members, 62% of whom reside in Qatar. Meetings will continue to be held at Qatar University. The next one is tentatively scheduled for Saturday, December 6th. All who wish to participate are invited to join the group by visiting the Doha BIM Users Group on LinkedIn.https://www.linkedin.com/groups/Doha-BIM-Users-Group-6747984

BIM Builds Bridges in Doha with new Networking GroupDoha BIM Users start online networking group for those involved in Building Information Modeling (BIM)

Qatari Diar-Egypt Nile Corniche project benefits from ViCon’s BIM experienceThe Qatari Diar-Egypt Nile Corniche Project is one of the largest developments currently ongoing in Cairo. The multi-purpose 38-storey building located on Nile’s riverbank in Cairo’s busy city center will include a luxury hotel, offices, several restaurants and diverse retail areas. Once completed, it will be one of the most exclusive locations in the city, becoming a 140m tall landmark shaping the silhouette of Cairo’s city center.ViCon has been the project’s BIM consultant since 2009. Because of the complexity and the size of the project, ViCon has been engaged to deliver BIM implementation, management and services. ViCon teams in Essen, Doha and on-site in Cairo support the planning, co-ordination and monitoring of the construction progress with the help of detailed BIM models. The BIM use cases consist of 3D design co-ordination, 4D progress and cost monitor-ing, 4D construction program verification and the support in MBQTO, value engineer-ing, marketing and training initiatives.The collaborative setup with the user interface managed by a BIM manager has so far provided valuable experiences to all participants, from the project developer to project managers, designers, consultants and contractors. ViCon’s Building Information System allows a remote access to the current 3D model and information and integrates various documents in a database, supporting the us-age of BIM. The system is continuously used for reporting purposes and it will further support the later operation phase, enabling a true life-cycle approach to BIM.ViCon’s involvement on the Nile Corniche Project has been extended until the end of 2015 to maintain continuity on the BIM related work and ViCon will be retaining exist-ing teams. Qatar Society of Engineers hosted International BIM expert Mr. Robert Molinos in Doha

in October 2014. He spoke to society members about the challenges of BIM and its applications. Molinos is working with the Qatar based company, Qatar Design Consor-tium.

iN focus

SCAFFOLDING ROOFING FORMWORK SLABSTRENCHLINING SHORINGS

www.uicqatar.com

Head OfficeP.O.Box: 91152 Doha - QatarSalwa Road, Al Waab CityZone A, 2nd FloorTel: +974 44483000Fax:+974 44483099

United International Company Head Office P.O.Box 91152 Doha | Qatar | Salwa Road, Al Waab City | Zone A, 2nd Floor

Tel: +974 44483000 | Fax +974 44483099 www.uicqatar.com

Pilosio Head Office St. Enrico Fermi, 45 33010 | Tavagnacco (IT)Tel: +39 0432 435311 | Fax: +39 0432 570474

www.pilosio.com | info@pilosio.com

United International Company offers its potential clients Pilosio construction formwork equipment and scaffolding. Nowadays Pilosio solutions represent the gold standard for construction sites, as well as for temporary structures for maintenance and restoration works. The company offers an all-round service based on the expertise of its employees who are dedicated to the fulfilment of the company’s mission, day in, day out.

UNITED INTERNATIONAL COMPANY AND PILOSIO. ENGINEERING SOLUTIONS FOR THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY

big_Dicembre.indd 1 11/28/2014 11:24:12 AM

SCAFFOLDING ROOFING FORMWORK SLABSTRENCHLINING SHORINGS

www.uicqatar.com

Head OfficeP.O.Box: 91152 Doha - QatarSalwa Road, Al Waab CityZone A, 2nd FloorTel: +974 44483000Fax:+974 44483099

United International Company Head Office P.O.Box 91152 Doha | Qatar | Salwa Road, Al Waab City | Zone A, 2nd Floor

Tel: +974 44483000 | Fax +974 44483099 www.uicqatar.com

Pilosio Head Office St. Enrico Fermi, 45 33010 | Tavagnacco (IT)Tel: +39 0432 435311 | Fax: +39 0432 570474

www.pilosio.com | info@pilosio.com

United International Company offers its potential clients Pilosio construction formwork equipment and scaffolding. Nowadays Pilosio solutions represent the gold standard for construction sites, as well as for temporary structures for maintenance and restoration works. The company offers an all-round service based on the expertise of its employees who are dedicated to the fulfilment of the company’s mission, day in, day out.

UNITED INTERNATIONAL COMPANY AND PILOSIO. ENGINEERING SOLUTIONS FOR THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY

big_Dicembre.indd 1 11/28/2014 11:24:12 AM

SITESC o n s t r u C t i o n18

tion to ARABAL, headed by CEO Mr. Tom Peter Johansen, Depu-ty CEO Mr. Khalid Mohammed Laram, in addition to a number of directors, various heads of departments, and specialists. Leveraging the networking op-portunities available through hosting of a stand at the Exhibi-tion and dissemination of ma-terials, Qatalum management is representing the company

in several events, including CEO Johansen speaking on an expert panel of GCC smelter CEOs, and Qatalum’s Chief of Power Operations presenting Qatalum’s latest environmental and sustainability innovations at a renewable energy panel.Tom Peter Johansen, Qatalum’s CEO, said in his presentation at the GCC CEOs panel: “We have a long term gas con-

tract with Qatar Petroleum which secures competitive en-ergy costs. We have a long term alumina contract with Hydro, securing high quality and competitive cost alumina, as well as a sales

and marketing agreement, to optimize customer service and synergies, and technology ser-vice agreements. These partnerships are driv-ing further operational excel-lence”.Johansen also outlined Qata-lum’s leadership development, including seconders from part-ners, development programs and Qatalum’s sponsorship of the Qatalum/Hydro Chair at the Centre for Advanced Materials within Qatar University.Said DCEO Khalid Laram: “At Qatalum we are creating a culture of continuous improve-ment that has led to a signifi-cant increase in efficiency and

a lowering of our business costs, to the point that we are now rated fourth globally in pro-duction cost efficiency by CRU, a foremost market intelligence research organization”.“We attribute this to invest-ment in the Qatalum Improve-ment Program (QIP) and Qata-lum Production System (QPS), which have together driven increased efficiency across the organization, based on achiev-able short and medium term targets. We look forward to present-ing these developments to our friends and partners across the industry at this ARABAL event.”

Qatalum is participating in the 18th edition of the Arab Inter-national Aluminium Confer-ence and Exhibition (ARABAL), the most important trade event for the aluminium industry in the Middle East – held this year in Manama, Bahrain, from 25-27 November, and hosted by Aluminium Bahrain (ALBA).As in previous years, Qatalum has sent a high-level delega-

QATALUM SHOWCASING INNOVATIONS IN QATARI ALUMINIUM SECTOR AT ARABAL 2014Participating in 18th edition of ARABAL, including expert speaking engagements and hosting of a pan-sector lunch, affirms Qatalum’s leadership in regional innovation

iN focus

At Qatalum we are creating a culture of continuous im-

provement that has led to a significant increase in efficien-cy and a lowering of our business costs,

to the point that we are now rated fourth globally in

production cost ef-ficiency by CRU, a

foremost market in-telligence research

organization

SITESC o n s t r u C t i o n 19

looked after the space in front of their houses (their immedi-ate environment). Law, who is involved in the Msheireb project, explained that the dominant driver for its master plan was the public realm.“The value of good public realm is that it creates a good social connection, longevity and evo-lution of these spaces over time,” she said.“Good public realm has a cultural value. While the eco-nomic value of it can be seen in healthy generations, with the walkable environment lowering lifestyle disease rates.Law summed up the challenges facing the public realm design in the following: • Increasing car ownership

(movement, parking, etc.)• Rapid urbanization• Isolated communities• Climate changeUrban ecologyDr Alex Amato, Head of Sustain-ability at Qatar Green Building Council, focused his presenta-tion on the city’s urban ecology. Amato listed a set of key ques-tions that need to be addressed if Qatar’s urban ecology is set in a completely new man-made environment. The questions are:* Is it necessary to get locked

into the “indigenous spe-cies of flora only” mindset or can we be more re-laxed?

* Is there really an issue with water? There seems to be abundant treated sewage effluent (TSE) available, so should we succumb to the cliche that Qatar is a desert?

* Are we really convinced that desalination can’t be made sustainable?

* Does not the future poten-tially promise desalination using renewable energy and where the effluent is collected as the input for the chemical industry and is not discharged into the Gulf?

* In which case, will we have abundant sustainable wa-ter to irrigate our urban environment?

* Do we really know what is out there now in the ur-ban environment? Plenty of birds and insects seem to be living in that environ-ment.

* We know that much work is being carried out on Qa-tar’s rural ecology, but is anyone in academia both-ered about Qatar’s urban ecology?

* Should not our landscape professionals and ecolo-gists combine their knowl-edge, working collabora-tively and begin to propose a new and unique Qatar urban ecology where the consequences of our choices are understood?

* Do we acknowledge the need for linear parks so that fauna can travel from one area to another and so maintain biodiversity?

* Should these linear parks link both coastal and rural environments?

* Can we not devise an ur-ban architecture that sup-ports this concept with abundant green roofs and copious planting on and surrounding buildings?

Challenges and opportunities for Qatar’s public realm development

* Could not parks also be a means for people to walk, jog or cycle to work or sim-ply enjoy Qatar’s urban ecology?

* Is climate really an impedi-ment to their use?

* Who is putting these choic-es about Qatar’s future ur-ban ecology and environ-ment up for discussion? Who is vision-eering?

So how might we go forward in a sustainable way? Ama-to had a few suggestions:

* Appreciate that with increas-ing technology, our impact on ecology becomes more profound;

* That we are part of the glob-al ecological process and that we have always made choices that have had eco-logical consequences;

* That with choices (e.g. BAIJ) there will be consequenc-es and thus some mea-sure of responsibility - fi-nancial, moral, etc;

* Recognize that we do have choices and indifference is not a credible option for Qatar.

Sustainability Qatar project management company (QPM) participated in the Future Landscape & Public Realm Qatar as a partner, with landscape architect Hala Shi-blaq addressing the challenges between artificial and natural grass in a presentation titled “Plastic vs Green”. Shiblaq has, during her over-all career, contributed to the design of the Sheraton Park in West Bay, Sky Gardens of Shams Abu Dhabi, Dubai Festi-val City Al Badiya and the Dubai Waterfront Project.

During her presentation, she highlighted the basic challeng-es landscape architects face when designing projects. “The homogenization of land-scapes has become so popu-lar that modern cities are los-ing their local identity. The approach of transforming des-ert into a lush paradise is not a sustainable solution either.” She spoke about the advantag-es and disadvantages of artifi-cial grass including health, en-vironmental and performance concerns about it. “Due to the intense transforma-tions these cities undergo, de-velopers are using treatments such as artificial grass. How-ever, we must be wary of the rubber infill used in some low-grade artificial grass fields; they are often made out of pulver-ized tires with traces of heavy metals such as lead and could also contain traces of carcino-gens.”She said the dust produced by constant contact with rubber in-fill could be inhaled or ingested by those who play on it. Using sand infill is a better op-tion. Sand doesn’t absorb as much heat as rubber. It is also preferable to use an underlay which acts as a shock pad and reduces possible skin abrasion during play due to athletes slid-ing on the turf.There are many such higher quality turf variations. So when choosing artificial turf, planners should ensure they are using environmentally regulated arti-ficial grass. Qatar uses environmentally reg-ulated artificial grass, and the option of using toxin-free infill is available in the country. There

are lots of organic alternatives to rubber infill such as dune sand, walnut shells, coconut shells, or even cork.Other disadvantages when selecting the artificial route include the heat factor. The surface temperature of natural grass is similar to atmospheric temperature while the surface temperature of artificial grass can be 20 degrees higher. This makes cooling a necessity with artificial grass.Shiblaq said developers and designers should refrain from using artificial grass in residen-tial and educational facilities, sports fields or playgrounds un-til the health and environmen-tal impacts were resolved.Artificial grass does have its merits when used wisely. They are great for highways and me-dians, roundabouts or airport grounds where they remain ver-dant and use zero water. “We also tend to change our behavioral habits when driving to next to a green space,” said Shiblaq. “People slow down or remain cautious when they drive in green areas. So this is one of the things we need to think about when creating fu-ture master plans.”Airport grounds are another op-portunity for the use of artificial turf in massive spaces. The sense of arrival or departure from a city can leave a positive impression on the passenger while looking through the air-plane window.She concluded that from a landscape architect’s perspec-tive, local identity must be pro-tected, ecological diversity em-braced and artificial treatments chosen wisely.

Key challenges and opportuni-ties facing Qatar’s landscaping and outdoor design industry were in the spotlight at the re-cent Future Landscape & Pub-lic Realm Qatar conference in Doha.The conference provided a platform for landscaping and exterior design professionals, urban planners and high-level decision makers to discuss the latest trends and ongoing proj-ects. The first day of the event saw an interesting presentation by Dr Rosanna Law, Senior Direc-tor Buildings + Places, Design + Planning and Economics, AE-COM. Law, who is working with Ash-ghal on landscape projects, is an architect-urbanist by train-ing. She sees the crafting of places and spatial planning as an integral part of social poli-cies. Commenting to CS on the chal-lenges urban designers face when working in a rapidly-changing environment like that of Doha’s, she referred to the “instant city phenomena”. “The instant city phenomena is one where we have to create an identity overnight and that is one of the biggest challenges we face,” she said.“Homogenization of cities across the world came with the widespread of car use. So I think it’s really important to re-engage with creating spaces for people locally, on the ground and particularly in an age of the internet, when everybody is tex-ting and e-mailing. “And it’s all the more important that sense of character and identity is rooted into the physi-cal location of the city,” she ex-plained.Law pointed out that in her work with Ashghal, they were trying to address pedestrian and cycling connectivity, not just in particular parts of the city but across the wider region so that people felt comfortable and also developed a sense of ownership which would help enhance the social life within the city.In her presentation, Law com-pared the traditional neighbor-hood or “fareej” to the modern districts we now saw in Qatar.She said that the old fareej was characterized by a strong sense of community where people

As Qatar’s urban environment undergoes rapid change, the country is facing various challenges as well as opportunities in the design, construction and supply of appealing outdoor spaces

iN focus

SITESC o n s t r u C t i o n20

of construction. Therefore, the campus’ unique design pro-vides the highest possible liv-ing standards for students and employees, while conserving the environment.”Eng. Telefat adds: “Qatar Foun-dation has always given prior-ity to human development by introducing young people to sustainable development prac-tices, engaging the student community in environmental care standards, and encourag-ing individuals to adopt sus-tainable lifestyles.”One way in which Qatar Foun-dation weaves sustainable awareness into the lives of the younger generation is by mak-ing it part of their living environ-ment through various means - from healthy living awareness activities and providing basic recycling facilities around the Education City campus in Doha - to its grander plans of making the 14km/2 area, a car-free zone.Qatar’s social, economic and environmental sustainability ef-forts are also exemplified in the Qatar Green Building Council (QGBC). As a Qatar Foundation member, QGBC is a non-profit, membership-driven organisa-tion that provides leadership to encourage collaboration in sustainable best practice, for green building design and de-velopment across Qatar. “We support Qatar Founda-tion’s sustainability efforts by communicating and collaborat-ing with experts at other Qatar Foundation member organisa-tions,” said Engineer Meshal Al Shamari, Director of QGBC. “Currently, we have on-going research projects underway with Hamad Bin Khalifa Univer-sity and Texas A&M University at Qatar, all based at Education City. We also provide technical

support to Health, Safety, Secu-rity and Environment (HSSE) Di-rectorate at Qatar Foundation.”QGBC also supports the gov-ernment and private sectors in Qatar, by studying the market’s sustainability needs and provid-ing training to relevant parties, as it works to raise the levels of environmental awareness in both the corporate realm and the wider community. A variety of initiatives and pub-lic campaigns are what QGBC utilises to achieve its goal, with the most recent being the launch of an e-survey that encourages residents to share basic, but valuable, informa-tion about their household en-ergy and water consumption. This recent drive is a data col-lection exercise that will help QGBC gauge current national levels of environmental aware-ness in order to develop best practice guidelines for both the professional and residential sectors.In addition to these, QGBC has developed a virtual reality edu-cation program for high school students that feature interest-ing facts and information about environment and the underly-ing sustainability woes in Qatar. QGBC will soon launch Qatar Green Directory that aims to serve as a platform for all the green products and services available in Qatar and the re-gion. “Generally, sustainability is a relatively new concept for everybody worldwide, which makes incorporating environ-mental awareness into the mind-sets and the lifestyles of the new generation crucial to any effort, especially in a place with abundant energy like Qa-tar,” said Eng. Al Shamari.Qatar Foundation is also dedi-cated to upholding the rights of migrant workers in Qatar. The Karama initiative, launched in 2013, was specifically created to prevent unjust employment practices. This unique initiative is set to significantly raise the standards of living for migrant workers contracted on the Foundation’s projects. Furthermore, Qatar Foundation also promotes social sustain-ability through its Community Development Pillar, by encour-aging healthy living among Qatar’s residents. Accordingly, the Qatar Foundation Support Services Directorate continues

to organise programmes for its internal community through-out the year, including swim-ming, gymnastics, football and basketball classes, in addition to health circuit training and self-defence classes for ladies. For Qatar’s wider community, Qatar Foundation facilitates healthy living through various events, including its popular National Sport Day celebration. “The Support Services Direc-torate contributes to Qatar Foundation’s social efforts, which fall under its sustainable development initiatives cutting across research, education and community development,” said Mohammad Al Naimi, Com-munity Affairs Director at Qa-tar Foundation’s Support Ser-vices Directorate. “Therefore, throughout the year, we organ-ise activities and programmes that benefit communal well-be-ing. We understand how crucial sustainability is for the develop-ment of Qatar, which is why we encourage the community to take an active role in driving a healthy and harmonious social environment.” Qatar Foundation is equally dedicated to sustainable in-frastructural development. For instance, the male and female student housing complex at Education City is currently one

of the only platinum LEED certi-fied student housing complexes in the world. Having earned 12 Platinum LEED certifications in the category of ‘New Construc-tion’ from the US Green Build-ing Council, it is also the larg-est collection of platinum LEED certified buildings in one area in the world.In addition, the complex com-prises state-of-the-art sustain-able technology and energy-efficient systems throughout its entirety. It also allows students to track their green footprint by monitoring their individual water and energy consump-tion, and is also equipped with a solar-panelled roof, and wind turbines that generate clean energy at gusts of 10km or more. These turbines have be-come icons of the sustainabil-ity practices that define Qatar Foundation.Another feature of the student complex is the special key card system that helps to save ener-gy. When the card is removed, the lights turn off automatically and the air conditioning reverts to an average temperature in order to reduce energy con-sumption.A key landmark, the Qatar National Convention Centre (QNCC), is designed to oper-ate efficiently with innovations

such as water conservation and energy-efficient fixtures. It is also approximately 32 per cent more efficient than similarly designed buildings. QNCC’s most prominent fea-ture is the 3,500sqm of solar panels on its roof that provide 12.5 per cent of the Centre’s energy needs. Additionally, the exhibition halls are equipped with energy-efficient LED light-ing and various other integra-tive design elements currently being adapted to maintain the highest sustainable standards.Environmental protection, the conservation of natural re-sources, and the elimination of all adverse health and safety risks are at the core of one of the key sustainability projects of QF, QSTec (Qatar Solar Tech-nologies). QSTec’s operations, in line with the QNV2030, is tasked with the mission to manufacture and supply solar energy solutions in a safe and environmentally conscious manner for the interest of Qa-tar. It works to support initia-tives that promote sustainable practices and the use of solar technologies worldwide. Addi-tionally, the plant’s progressive equipment allows for the recy-cling and re-use of vent gases used in the production of poly-silicon. – QATAR FOUNDATION

The earth abounds with natu-ral resources that ensure the sustainability of humanity and its environment. Unfortunately, due to rapid population growth, economic expansion and the over consumption of our plan-et’s natural resources, the per-petuation of these resources remain a growing concern. However, it is clear that the survival and well-being of each nation depends, directly or indi-rectly, on its individual natural environment, making sustain-able living a crucial aspect of the protection of our collective global society. One of the most urgent issues currently at the forefront of the international agenda – amid rapid global population growth, social development and eco-nomic expansion – remains climate change. This is not an abstract issue, it is apparent and has real consequences on our lives; some more than oth-ers. It is also, in some cases, disrupting national economies. However, there is increasing recognition that affordable, vi-able solutions exist to enable the global community to devel-op sustainable economies.Since the social, economic and environmental realms are interlinked on the issue of global sustainability, Qatar has made this issue a top pri-ority on its national agenda. Environmental Development is one of the four main pillars of the Qatar National Vision 2030 (QNV2030), which itself aims to manage rapid domestic ex-pansion to ensure harmony be-tween economic growth, social development and environmen-tal protection. Qatar Foundation has adopted a number of programmes de-signed to encourage the public to integrate sustainability into their daily lives. “Qatar Foundation’s main ob-jective is to educate the com-munity about the importance of sustainability while creating a green urban environment,” says Engineer Jassim Telefat, Goup Executive Director of Qa-tar Foundation Capital Projects and Facilities Management. “For this reason, Education City’s highly functional build-ings, with their low consump-tion of environmental resourc-es such as water and energy, have been created to help re-duce the environmental impact

MAKING SUSTAINABILITY A TOP PRIORITY Qatar Foundation Winning Global Recognition for Sustainable Development Efforts within the Local Community

Jassim Telefat: Goup Executive Director of Qatar Foundation Capital Projects and Facilities Management

���� �� �� ��� �� ��� �� ����� �� �� ����� ��� ������ � ������� �� ����

���� �� � �� �� ���� ������� ���� ��� ��

�� �� ���� ���� �� ��� �� ��� ��� ��� ������ ��� ���� �� �� �� ��

IÈÿG øe ÉeÉY 40 øe ÌcCG

º«ª°üàdG ‘ ábO áfÉàe IOƒL

� ���� ������ �� �ء �� �� ��� � �� �� �� ��

iN focus

SITESC o n s t r u C t i o n 21

dimensions of some of the buildings you work with?MR: We have no limits to the size of projects that we can take on, we can deliver on small boutique style projects to whole towers, multi-use devel-opments and stadiums.What kinds of materials do you recommend to your cli-ents in Qatar for their inte-riors?Because we are specialized in corporate interior branding and we understand the importance of a company’s brand and how it should be best represented, we will always recommend the highest quality materials that not only look the best once applied but are going to last a long time, we pay particular at-tention to maintenance longev-ity which in this region is always too often overlooked and re-quired more than in other coun-tries or regions due to the harsh climate. We will always recommend ma-terials that are LEED certified and meet all required building codes and standards at an in-ternational level.What makes a building unique?MR: Each building has its unique-ness, I guess what we are always looking to achieve when we approach any project is the user experience of the

building, this begins with under-standing the use of the building and improving visitor, staff well-being and safety, proper design should always deliver on these outcomesCan you talk about some of the brands that you prefer to use on your interior de-signs?MR: We are very specific in the brands we recommend to our clients and spend years doing research to find the right mate-rial manufacturers. We need to know we can stand by each of the brands we sell 100% and offer warranties where appli-cable.3M is a brand we use for Wall and Glass manifestations. Spe-cifically, DI-NOC and Fasara. DI-NOC has unique characteristics that differ from a traditional wall paper or sticker that allow you to have “real” looking ma-terials such as marble, wood and leather and conform these surfaces over top of wavy and unique levels. Can you describe the pro-cess? Do you work directly with building owners, proj-ect managers? Architects?MR: It always begins with a project brief, from project brief we go into scoping the building to understand the site fully, we develop project drawings and from there we begin recom-

‘Look of the Games’: The pioneer behind Qatar’s sports facilities branding

mending materials, produce project mock ups for approvals, schedule production and then delivery & installation.Yes. We work very closely with the interior designers, archi-tects and project managers from the beginning of the proj-ect all the way through to com-pletion and handover.DI –NOC laminates: What is this? Where is it best used?MR: Di-Noc is a self-adhesive flexible laminate film that is ide-al for resurfacing and refurbish-ing hard smooth surfaces. The product is easy and quick to use and gives amazing results, transforming existing surfaces.DI-NOC can be the perfect substitute for, or addition to, aesthetically pleasing build-ing materials for interior and exterior surfaces. DI-NOC is a self-adhering material, and can be flexed to fit a variety of sur-faces and budgets. Surfaces such as walls, ceilings, elevator cabs, floors or furniture can be remodeled or designed with a proven, dependable product to give any surface a lift.In a nutshell – we can transfer someone existing office walls and furniture over a weekend without any carpentry work or dry walling work ever needing to be done. No down time for an office which is imperative in

this type of fast paced market. Fabricmate upholstery Walls: What is this? Where is it best used?MR: The use of fabrics as a form of wall covering has emerged into a highly sought after interi-or decor. The fabric upholstered wall offers interior decorators unlimited options for colors, patterns an even choices in ma-terials in the creation of each room they are working with.Unlike paint or wallpaper a fabric covered wall provides a warm and welcoming mate-rial that provides both form and functionality in any setting. The ability to change panels and create patterns of colors and textures gives the decorator an unlimited canvas upon which to draw. NovaPolymer – Braille and Tactile signage: How is this brand different from other products available in Qa-tar?MR: Traditional signage re-quires you to mechanically ad-here or “stick” letters onto a surface or substrate. Over time the glue you used to mechani-cally fasten the lettering or the tape can release causing let-ters and number to fall off. No-vaPolymer’s process starts with a materials and removes mate-rial away from the surface leav-ing you with letters and braille

left on the surface. No need for sticking or mechanically fasten-ing letters. This assures out clients a long last and more im-portantly accurate sign.Are items fabricated in Qa-tar or do you import them?MR: We import raw materials and fabricate, print and install them locally. We are fortunate to have a state of the art fac-tory in the Industrial area that allows us to quickly and effi-ciently deliver projects on time and on budget.Qatar Football Association and The LOOK Company renewed their Branding Agreement in May 2014. Mr. Kuwari of the QFA said that: “The benefit to the QFA within this Partnership is that The LOOK Company re-cycles the stadium and outdoor branding materials to preserve the environment and re-uses them to produce backpacks, clothes, multipurpose bags. We look forward to working with The LOOK Company for the next 2 seasons and look forward to benefiting from their creativity such as this Recycling program which aligns with QFA’s main corporate values.” Previous events that they have branded include the AFC Asian Football Cup Qatar in 2011. They will also be branding the venues for the 24th Mens Handball Cham-pionships 2015.

Construction Sites spoke to Melissa Rangi of THE LOOK COMPANY who spe-

cialize in providing event and location branding solutions for Sport, Retail and Commercial customers globally. According to Melissa they are recognized as the pioneer of the “Look of the Games”. The company’s expertise is in exploiting the entire available landscape and architecture, interior and ex-terior, to deliver imaginative and visually engaging fan and consumer environments. Es-tablished in 1998, in Ontario, Canada, TLC’s growth and suc-cess is driven by a passion for our craft, a culture that rewards innovation and a commitment to excellence in every engage-ment with Organizing Commit-tees, Sport Associations, Clubs, Venue Operators, Retailers and Commercial clients. How do you decide what kind of interior products a building needs?Melissa Rangi: Based on the cli-ents requirement’s and project brief we work very closely with the designers, architects and project managers to recom-mend the best solutions that will meet not only the design aesthetics but also functional-ity to the project.What are the sizes of the

Ali Bin Hamad Al Attiya Are-na in Al SaddDesigned by: The architect Yasser Al Khalil of James Cubit and PartnersMain Hall Capacity: 7,700 spectatorsMain characteristic: The dynamic and oval shape of its exterior lookTotal footprint: 16.000 square metres and a built up area of 54.000 square metres.Features: One main and two training grounds, following all guidelines and recommendations of the IHFOther uses: Handball, Volleyball, Badminton and Gymnastics groundDesigned to be transformed into an ice hockey ring which fulfills the standards of the IIHFPost event use: Main hall of Al Sadd ClubDid you know that?• Time required for the trans-

formation of the hockey ring to a regular field is 48

hours• It safeguards the complete

privacy of the VIPs and the athletes while its design has received a 4 star GSAS rating

Lusail Multipurpose HallDesigned by: The architects of “Dar Al Han-dasah Consultants”Main Hall Capacity: 15,300 spectatorsMain characteristic: The distinctive Dia/Grid which is made of glass, colored after the representative elements of Qatar: the sand, the pearl and the sea waterTotal footprint: 45.000 square metres and a built up area of 130.000 me-tresFeatures: One main and two training halls following the standards and the recommendations of the IHFOther uses: Handball, Volleyball and Basket-ball HallPost event use: Studies are currently under-

taken in order to explore its transformation into a space dedicated for other entertain-ing activities, usable 365 days / yearDid you know that?It is rated with 3 GSAS Stars (Global Sustainability Assess-ment System) for its design?As per the initial plans, it was supposed to accommodate approx. 18.000 spectators, however, the will of the Qatar Olympic Committee, to create a venue that would primarily provide comfort to the visitors, led to the decision for more spacious seats transforming it into one of the most “spectator-friendly” venues in the world?It will be surrounded by a mas-sive landscape of 350.000 square metres, decorated with colorful shaded trees, walking/jogging and bicycling tracks, an outdoor covered gym, as well as covered and uncovered kids playgrounds?

Duhail Handball Sports HallDesigned by: IGH (Architectural and Interior), WSP Middle East (Structural, MEP and Geotechnical Engi-neering)Main Hall Capacity: 5,500 spectators including Presidential & Exclusive seats adequately cooled & ventilated thru displacement systemMain characteristic:

A sustainable “Green” buildingTotal footprint: Total built-up area of approx. 40,000 square metres. Con-structed on a 30,000 square metres land area of softscap-ing, water feature, parking spac-es and paved walkwaysFeatures: Main arena, designed in compli-ance with IHF requirements2 training halls60-bedroom players’ accommo-dation, restaurant and loungesQHA administration and media officesPresidential & exclusive loungesMedical centerGymnasiumSwimming pool and grand-standsOther uses:Mainly intended for handball court

Post event use:It will accommodate the Qatar Handball Association head-quarters and serve as the home ground and the main training base for all Qatar’s National Handball TeamsDid you know that?State-of-the-art scoreboards are provided for both the arena and training halls. Equipped with all necessary infrastructure for broadcasting and internet pro-tocol television?High importance to noise and crowd management, traffic im-pact, fire and life safety, spe-cialised lighting, interior design, landscaping and environmental impact has been given?It is located at North Duhail and the project’s construction will last from June 2013 to August 2014.

ASTAD & Qatar Olympic Committee launch the Ali Bin Hamad Al Attiyah Arena

iN focus

SITESC o n s t r u C t i o n22

Don Bain and Karthik OblaBy Colin L Lobo and Richard D GaynorASTM C 94/C 94M requirements for measuring materials recognize both indi-vidual scales and hoppers for weighing a single material and cumulative scales and an associated hopperfor weighing more than one material. This system, and the terminology that is used, developed from the use of dial scales where the material weights were accumulated as materials were weighed. With the increasing use of computerized batching equipment, it has now be-come possible to have the computer do the subtraction and print the weights of the individual materials in a cumulative batcher, including recognition of the zero reading or tare. A note is needed in ASTM C94/C 94M to explain the fact that cumulative toler-ances apply to cumulative batchers irrespective of the format used to report the batch weights. This means that the tolerance of any individual weighing is based on a toler-ance percentage of the intended cumulative weight.Cementitious materialsCement, slag, fly ash, and other pozzolans may be weighed cumulatively on a single scale provided cement is weighed first.The weighing tolerance is 1% of the required cumulative weight. For small batches where the cumulative weight is less than 30% of scale capacity, the tolerance is from– 0 to + 4%.The primary reason for weighing cement first is related to the flow character-istics of fly ash that could cause it to be over-weighed, and result in a lower batched quantity of cement. This requirement tends to ensure the correct ce-ment weight and, if anything, an excess of mineral admixtures. Cumulative weighing of cement and supplementary cementitious materials (also referred to as mineral admixtures) also has the advantage that the batch-er tends to “rathole” when it discharges into the mixerand the cementitious materials blend as they are loaded. There have been a few instances when individual separate batcherswere used for cement and fly ash and the fly ash wound up inone part of the batch, sepa-rate from most of the cement. When separate batchers are used, which is rare, the batcher discharge must blend the two materials.Batching silica fume is not addressed in the current version of C 94/C 94M; however, this is currently being considered since it is a small amount and if it is weighed cumulatively as the last ingredient it is possible to meet current batching tolerances by batching 60 % of the desired amount if 5% by weight of cementitious materials is desired. With the load cells and automation now available it is possible to treat the silica fume as a separate material and batch it with an accuracy of 0.3 % of scale capacity. Normally this would be within 10% for 5% of silica fume and correspondingly less for 10 or 15% of silica fume by weight of cementitious materials. Another alternative might be to weigh the silica fume to 100.3% of the amount desired with a tolerance of 0.3 % of the capacity of the scale. This will slow down the batching process. Producers still using dial scales and 5- or 10-year-old automation are likely to use silica fume in pre-weighed bags. Likewise even those with the newer systems should not attempt to weigh silica fume for batches less than about half the batching capacity of the cumulative system. Naturally if the plant uses a separate individual silica fume weigh batcher the tolerance would be 2 % of the desired amount. This would speed up batch-ing and provide some flexibility in controlling the batching process when silica fume is used.Although it is not addressed in ASTM C 94/C 94M, many concrete plants con-tain several silos for cementitious materials and there is always the possibility that material can be placed in the wrong silo. Producers generally use different coloured fill pipes, different sized connec-tions, signs, and distinctively colored bills of lading to distinguish between ma-terials.In some cases, fill pipes can be at different locations in the plant. Some pro-ducers use keys and locks on fly ash pipes and control access to the keys. Because fly ash tends to flow freely through cracks, some specifications do not permit common walls between multi-compartment cement and fly ash silos. The space between these double-walled bins needs to be free-draining with

access provided for inspection. AggregatesAggregates can be weighed either in cumulative or individual weigh batchers. The basic batching tolerance in cumulative batches is 1 % of the cumulative weight and 2 % of the required amount in individual batchers.For cumulative weights less than 30 % of scale capacity, the tolerance is 0.3 % of scale capacity or 3 % of the required cumulative weight, whichever is less. This means that at less than 10 % of scale capacity, the 3 % tolerance will govern.Mixing waterASTM C 94/C 94M defines mixing water as any water added to the batch plus surface moisture on aggregates, ice, or liquid admixtures. The tolerance on batching added water is 1 % of the total water content, not a percentage of that being batched. The tolerance on the total water is 3 % of the total water content. This does mean that if a water meter is accurate to about 10 lb (4.5 kg) or 1 gal (3.78 L), and the nominal total water content is 280 lb/yd3 (166 kg/m3), then the minimum batch size that can be batched is about 3 yd3 (2.3 m3). The NRMCA Checklist establishes a tolerance of 1.5 % on added water and is considered more realistic. When water is weighed, the present ASTM C 94/C 94M tolerances are more easily achieved, but the ultimate importance to concrete quality is question-able.The total mixing water consists of that measured in the plant plus that from free moisture on aggregates, or an adjustment for that absorbed by less than SSD aggregate; that from wash water measured through the batch plant; and that from certain water-based admixtures that are used in significant quantities, such as high dosages of high range water reducing admixtures, corrosion inhibitors, or shrinkage reducing admixtures. Other sources of mixing water include that which is in the mixer during a job site wash out, which is generally quantifiable through the measuring device on the truck water tank (site gage or water meter), and some minimal quanti-ties that could enter the mixer at the wash-down rack before the vehicle departs the plant. Additionally, water may be added from the truck water tank on arrival at the job site that is within the limit permitted by the specification or that which controls the strength of the concrete. Often the delivery ticket will indicate the maxi-mum additional water permissible. The truck driver is normally advised by the company to record the amount of job-site-added water on the delivery ticket and obtain the signature of the person requesting this addition. Mixers need to be cleaned at the job site before returning to the plant. This will require about 40 gal of water from the truck water tank to wash down the truck chute, interior of the drum, and fins. When facilities are not provided at the job site to discharge this water, it is car-ried back to the plant and either discharged or used with the next batch with the appropriate corrections to the plant batch water. The accuracy of the quantity in the mixer truck prior to batching is possibly questionable as this is generally verbally communicated by the driver to the batch man.Chemical admixturesChemical admixtures are rarely batched by weight, except when they are add-ed in prepackaged fixed amounts. Volumetric dispenser systems are quite so-phisticated and are integrated into plant automation. Admixtures are required to be batched to within 3 % of the desired amount or plus or minus the amount or dosage required per 100 lb (50 kg) of cement, whichever is greater.It should be noted that on small batches of lean concrete the admixture batch-ing accuracy may be as large as 25 % of the amount batched. Even in a 10-yd3 (7.6-m3) capacity batch, if the dosage rate is ½ oz/100 lb (0.3 mL/kg) and the dispenser is accurate to 1 oz (30 mL), the overall batching accuracy will be 5 %. However, variations of this size would not change the air content, setting time, or concrete strength. In a 2-yd3 (1.5-m3) load, the effects will be significant.

info@greymatters.ws www.greymatters.ws

KnowCrete by

Ready-mixed concrete: batching and measuring materials by ASTM C 94/C 94M

coNcrete

SITESC o n s t r u C t i o n 23

moting social communication and environmental awareness among students.”The Scouts’ complex in Al Maz-rouaa includes the following facilities:1. Administration build-

ing: Constructed for of-fice facilities and related services. The built-up area is 1,180sqm, consisting of administrative offices, meeting rooms, and ser-vices facilities. It has a large car-park area. Dis-abled parking areas are also provided.

2. Seminar building: In-cludes facilities to conduct seminars, training classes and reading rooms. The built-up area is 1,750sqm and consists of IT rooms and services facilities. The building includes a mul-tipurpose hall equipped with independent audiovi-

sual systems.3. Hostel building: It

houses bedrooms with at-tached services. The built-up area is 1,760sqm.

4. Entertainment building: Provides recreational facili-ties, cafeteria and services facilities. The built-up area is 1,455sqm.

5. Dining building: The 890sqm area mainly con-sists of a dining hall, a kitchen, freezer & chiller rooms and services facili-ties.

6. Show yard (amphithe-ater): An open gallery for parade or similar func-tions. The built-up area for the covered part of the show yard is 595sqm. It mainly consists of an open gallery, a covered gallery with a lift at first floor for VIPs, seating facility for VIPs (23 seats) and ser-

vices facilities.7. External works: These

include well-lit camping areas for 251 tents, two football fields, shaded car-parks, slots for bus park-ing, roads, pavements, walkways, hard and soft landscaping with appro-priate lights, and required services facilities.

8. Five service block buildings: Typical service blocks are constructed within the camping ar-eas with walkways to and from the camping areas. Each block is positioned to serve 50 camping tents. The built-up area for each service block is 645sqm. It mainly consists of six kitch-ens, two shower rooms, toilets, a dish washing area, external sitting area and services facilities. Other buildings in-

clude:9. Guardhouse: The built-up

area is 345sqm.10. Storage buildings: The

built up area is 495sqm.11. Substation and fire

pump room.Ashghal has also completed the construction of the headquar-ters of the Qatar Scouts and Guides Association project in the Ain Khalid area. The project contractor has been Domopan

Qatar WLL. The project includes a three-story headquarters main build-ing that consists of adminis-trative offices, multi-functional areas and a hostel for visitors. The project includes ancillary services buildings, car-parks and playgrounds. The project has a plot area of 9,759sqm and a built-up area of 6,812sqm

The Public Works Author-ity (Ashghal) has com-pleted the Scouts Over-land Camp for the Qatar

Scouts and Guides Association project in Al Mazrouaa at a cost of QR86 million.Ashghal has also completed work on the association’s head-quarters in Ain Khaled at a cost of QR31 million.The Qatar Scouts and Guides Association project in Al Mazr-ouaa began in the last quarter of 2012 and was implemented by Al Balagh Trading and Con-tracting. The project comprises the con-struction and maintenance of an overland camp facility at the Al Mazrouaa area, located around 30km from Doha, off Al Shamal Road. With a total area of approxi-mately 400,000sqm and a built-up area of around 11,500sqm, the camp is con-sidered one of the world’s big-gest of its kind, having various facilities at a single place. “The design and the location of the facility match the highest standards and have the provi-sion for future expansion,” an Ashghal statement said.“The project aims to provide the possibility of organizing inter-national and regional scout’s events and to encourage camp-ing during vocational train-ing periods, through providing all necessary facilities to the scouts,” Ashghal said. “The project also aims at pro-

Qatar’s Scouts among world’s largestNews

SITESC o n s t r u C t i o n24

Qatar Rail has appointed UNStudio as the principal ar-chitect to design the Metro Network, an all-new metro network of four lines that will connect destinations in the Greater Doha Area and the coastal city of Al Khor and will also transform Doha from a ‘city of cars’ to a modern and sustainable urban environ-ment, representing an effec-tive vision of modernization and preserving traditional ar-chitectural expression. As the first phase of the new Doha Metro Network design, around 35 stations is completed, UN-Studio’s principal architect Ben van Berkel reveals to Construction Sites the archi-tectural approach used by UNStudio which incorporates all functional and technical aspects of the stations, with the view to make Doha Metro a global benchmark for public transportation services.Qatar Rail has appointed UNStudio as the branding architect for the Qatar In-tegrated Railway Project. Could you elaborate on the progress of the pro-ject?We have recently completed designing the most important aspects of the preliminary de-sign for the stations, but as you can imagine that involves a great deal. It encompasses all of the integral aspects re-lated to way finding, the place-ment of the lighting systems, passenger flows, etc. Basical-ly all of the elements required for a metro station have been taken into consideration. The most important aspect of this early design phase was to sys-

tematise and categorise the 4 metro lines and the various scales of identity involved. It was quite a complex chal-lenge to get the system of the design to work, because it is not only about design, it is also about creating an adap-tive and flexible system that can be applied across all sta-tions. Issues such as material choices or the optimisation of the detailing of the light-ing systems etc., have not yet been finalised. This will form part of the next phase, the op-timisation phase, but we have made great progress so far.2. What is your design phi-losophy?At UNStudio we avoid precon-ceived choices of style and develop an architecture that is derived from research, in which questions of organisa-tional structures take centre position. After developing a clear concept for a specific project, we test programmatic data within computer gen-erated graphics and three-dimensional models. Within these models elements such as routing, infrastructure, and programme densities can be examined and incorporated. A coherent spatial and structur-al logic organisation is then developed from these analy-ses from which the physical form of the building takes its shape.We favour an integrated ap-proach to architecture; a non-hierarchical, complex and generative design process that takes on board all as-pects of architecture. Time, use, circulation, construction and all other material and

virtual systems and underly-ing values are studied, visu-alised, related to each other, and finally joined into an in-clusive organisational struc-ture. The shifting fields of engi-neering, urbanism and infra-structure form some of the most important parameters of architecture, and these fields exist concurrently in one pro-ject. The new integral visuali-sation of a project challenges the imagination to also make that switch from construction

to spatial effect to organisa-tion. On the whole the archi-tecture we propose results from our continuous search for the balance between a process-oriented approach with its unknown outcome and an enduring professional vision.What are the key con-cepts within the design of Doha Metro?A key concept within the design is to create varying scales of identity - for the network, the individual lines and the stations themselves. This requires an element of ‘branding’, but unlike what we may normally associate with the term, architectural brand-ing is about creating recogni-tion through all elements of the buildings, from the form and structure through to the materialisation - and in this case, to create a coherent ar-chitectural expression across all stations and lines.It was of course important that the design would relate to its context, to the city of Doha and to Qatar. We wanted to merge the past

and the future of Qatar in one gesture, so we drew inspira-tion from various traditional Qatari architectural elements – particularly the arch - and adjusted this to create what we refer to as ‘Vaulted Spac-es’. Through the use of recur-ring elements and the mate-rials that will be employed, it was possible to create a distinct architectural identity across the stations, that in turn creates visual coherence and instant recognition.

Where do you find your in-spiration for the creation of the authentic design with traditional Qatari ar-chitectural features?As I mentioned, in formal terms the arch was a large influence on the design, but we were also influenced by the lightness of the dhow sail, and the profiles of nomadic tents. On the whole the no-tion of the Caravanserai-inns with enclosed courts that served as gathering and rest-ing places on ancient trade routes, informed the overall concept and following in the lineage of historic train palac-es, the stations are designed to generate social interaction and a sense of community. At the moment, Doha is a city of cars. The metro system is going to generate new public space. We wanted to reduce the use of the car, but also to create more interaction, pub-lic transport introduces more openness.From the perspective im-ages of the stations de-sign, we can admire a balance of modernization and preservation. How did you gain the knowledge of the local culture, tradi-tion, identity that is mir-rored in the design of the project? Have you lived in Qatar or did you visit the country for this particular purpose? I have visited Qatar many

times and have always been struck by the culture, simply because for somebody with my cultural background it presents such a different en-vironment. But the beauty of Qatar’s longstanding culture, its landscape, its traditional architecture and urban ar-chitectural features I have always found very inspiration-al. But for the design of the metro network we also want-ed to think about the current plans for the future and the modernisation of Qatar: its new contemporary ambitions, cultural, technological etc., which also maintain a desire for a connection to history. We understand this very well because experience of work-ing in so many different cul-tures has taught us that the only way to settle a project in its most optimum manner is to work with these kinds of connections.UNStudio has developed an ‘Architectural Branding Manual’; can you speak more about the manual what’s its purpose and ob-jectives?For the design of the stations we have developed a large catalogue of architectural elements which represent a flexible and new architectural system that can adapt itself to the varying scales and the amount of stations required. So the design incorporates recurring elements, most spe-cifically a system of intercon-nected triangular base forms, which can be arranged and assembled to suit the specific dimensions of each individual station.The ‘Architectural Branding Manual’ is in fact a set of de-sign guidelines, architectural details and material outlines. Through the production of this design manual - and with the use of adaptive parametric design - it has been possible for us to create a design with many variants, yet one which maintains a coherent identity throughout all of the stations. In this way, we can combine local contextual differences within an overall identity and parametrically adapt physical factors such as way finding, daylight penetration, passen-ger flows, constructive ele-ments etc. in a complex but extremely disciplined system. The manual will be used by the appointed D&B contrac-tors to implement and deliver the stations of the first phase.With a project of this size, it is of course also essential that it is cost effective and buildable within a given period of time. The scale of the metro net-work in Doha requires careful planning in order to comply with a strict time schedule and achieve minimum disrup-tion to the existing infrastruc-ture. For this reason flexibility became a design and plan-ning objective on all levels. But by using a large catalogue of architectural elements it

Transforming Doha from a ‘city of cars’ to a modern and sustainable urban environmentDesigning for the Future

We favour an inte-grated approach to architecture; a non-hierarchical,

complex and genera-tive design process that takes on board all aspects of archi-tecture. Time, use,

circulation, construc-tion and all other ma-terial and virtual sys-tems and underlying values are studied, visualised, related to each other, and

finally joined into an inclusive organisa-tional structure.

Ben van Berkel

EXCLUSIVE Interview with Ben van Berkel of UNStudio; architects for QRail’s Doha Metro Stations

iNterview

© Inga Powilleit

SITESC o n s t r u C t i o n 25

provide a design with optimal acoustics, you don’t have a theatre. Similarly, in station design passenger flows are a top priority. If the stations are not easy and pleasant to use you are not encouraging peo-ple to use them.Are there some particu-larities in designing the first metro project in the country as way finding, constructive design ele-ments for passengers’ ori-entation?Way finding and passenger orientation are essential in any station design and cer-tainly played a large part in the design for the Doha Metro Network. Aside from practical considerations, such as the organisation of the stations enabling smooth passenger flows, the materialisation of the interiors also plays an im-portant role. While the exteri-ors reference the monolithic strength of old Qatari archi-tecture, the interior spaces employ uniquely Qatari orna-mentation to create an effect of lightness, movement and

fluidity. The material palette will assist in dividing the large interior spaces and guiding pedestrians towards the tran-sient spaces. The pearlescent vaults become identifiers of vertical circulation and ac-cess along the journey. Addi-tionally, the integrated light lines amplify the experience and function as natural way finding elements.Do you think the design will encourage the resi-dents of Qatar to choose public transportation rath-er than using their private cars? Yes. We firmly believe that it will generate a level of com-fort for the city which will be very efficient and attrac-tive to use. It’s going to be a transport system which will be different in its organisa-tion and its expression and

will make travelling pleasur-able: both through climate control and the ease of move-ment through the city. I be-lieve it will not merely be an alternative mode of transport in Doha, but it will instead become a primary mode of travel. It will be much faster,

more efficient and more eco-nomical than private trans-portation, and passengers will never face traffic conges-tion or need to find ever more elusive parking spaces. They will be able to get from A to B quickly, efficiently and in comfort.

But what is also very impor-tant with this new network is the extent of it. The Doha Metro Network will cover the whole city. We can see in other cities, such as London, that the more extensive and

encompassing a metro sys-tem is, the more successful it is, and the majority of the population come to rely on it to move around the city. In places where the networks only cover specific areas, with only one or two lines, this is not the case.

What are the other pro-jects that you are working on in Qatar?We currently have other pro-jects running in Qatar, howev-er for confidentiality reasons I can’t go into specifics here.

became possible to develop a flexible and adaptable new architectural system that re-sults in an efficient organi-sation of the production and assembly of elements, which in turn results in an effective construction site and a high level of quality control. So for this project we have created an architectural system which manages not just the design, but which also enables high levels of efficiency during construction.Do you see any challenges at this early stage of the project implementation? (Collaboration with local contractors, the supply and the availability of the building materials that could affect the imple-mentation of your design or collaboration with local authorities).These are exactly the parties with whom we will optimise the project. Where we obtain the materials from, how and to what extent can they be produced efficiently and local-ly, which contractors we work with etc. these are the ques-tions that are now arising. A combination of local and in-ternational teams will ensure quality and a collaborative approach, but the ultimate aim is to together achieve the best implementation of the design and to make it work optimally in order to create uplifting and pleasant to use public transport in Doha. How did you approach the task of designing stations to assure a perfect pas-sengers flow? We carried out many studies, even during the competition stages. In collaboration with Qatar Rail, we were constant-ly changing the organization (of the station) in order to im-prove the flows, and to avoid the eventuality of congestion. So the designs for the sta-tions avoid any obstacles that could slow passenger flows, but instead ensure comfort-able movement throughout, even during peak hours. We now have a lot of experience on that level as we worked with the top specialists in this area for the designs. In terms of designing, it is similar to a theatre in a sense. For thea-tres the most important thing is the acoustics. If you don’t

We wanted to merge the past and the fu-ture of Qatar in one gesture, so we drew

inspiration from various traditional Qatari architectural elements – particu-larly the arch - and

adjusted this to create what we

refer to as ‘Vaulted Spaces’. Through

the use of recurring elements and the materials that will

be employed, it was possible to create a distinct architectural identity across the

stations, that in turn creates visual coher-

ence and instant recognition.

But the beauty of Qatar’s longstanding culture, its landscape, its traditional archi-tecture and urban architectural features I have always found very inspirational. But

for the design of the metro network we also wanted to think about the current plans for the future and the modernisation of Qatar: its new contemporary ambitions, cultural, technological etc., which also maintain a

desire for a connection to history.

iNterview

SITESC o n s t r u C t i o n26 News

aid productivity.The Construction Sites team along with other media were given an opportunity to test drive the full new truck range, including the new D range which was introduced to the Middle East earlier this year, at the Losail international Circuit.Renault Trucks in the Middle East, with a dealer network in 13 countries, has experienced sustainable growth over the past three years. Qatar is one of the key markets in the region with an expected growth of 30% between 2012 and 2015. This launch is set to further secure the Middle East

as one of the prime focus areas of Renault Trucks.The C and K ranges set new standards in terms of robust-ness and productivity, and with the capacity to accept a variety of body types, each model can easily be adapted to a wide range of applications and cus-tomer demands found within the distribution and construc-tion segments. The C range will enter the mar-ket with two options of cabin width, 2.3m and 2.5m, both of which are designed for specific jobs. The 2.3m is built for distri-bution and deliveries while the 2.5m cab is for long haul, light construction and heavy distri-bution.At the launch in Qatar, Bruno Blin, president of Renault Trucks, said the C and K ranges had undergone rigorous qual-ity trials and had also been exhaustively field tested under actual operating conditions “In developing the C and K ranges, we have deployed sig-nificant resources to ensure these vehicles deliver maxi-mum reliability,” he said.“Ruggedness, driver comfort, payload, pulling capacity, and easy body mounting are the features which set these trucks apart and make them the per-

fect tools for demanding busi-nesses.”Blin continued: “Both new rang-es have been designed and developed in close association with international customers who have been involved in the project from the design stage right through to testing under actual operating conditions. “The Renault Trucks C range of-fers superior driver comfort, ex-ceptional reliability and optimal fuel efficiency, making it ideal for both long-haul and certain construction applications. “The K range offers new stan-dards in durability and robust-ness. The front bumper is 100% steel with headlamp protection and has models that suit the harsh demands of the construc-tion industry.” Lars-Erik Forsbergh, President, Renault Trucks Middle East, said that the trucks had been tested for over a year in Oman in some of the toughest region-al settings. “Oman presents the type of extreme conditions in terms of heat and topography that are ideal to test a truck to its lim-its,” said Forsbergh.“The new Renault Trucks rang-es performed extremely well with no issues reported. This is vital for businesses which need

to be able to rely fully on their vehicles for the maximum pro-ductivity.”Herve Bertrand, Director of Design and creator of the new range, said: “This original design, as well as the atten-tion paid by the Hall of Design teams to the sides of the vehi-cles, has added a great deal of dynamism to the new ranges.” The media were given a behind-the-scenes look at the design process from the concept right up to the mini prototypes, whose plastic components were printed on a 3-D printer. This was to ensure that each part fitted correctly and could be adjusted accordingly.In 2013, the D range was launched in the Middle East with a facelift model. The new

addition to the range came to the region to cover all customer demands. As a distribution truck, the D range has further enhanced on its existing reliability and quality and has improved ergonomics and design. Renault Trucks headquarters is in Lyon, France, with more than 1,280 dealers and workshops in Europe. In 2001, Volvo Trucks Group acquired the Renault Trucks division from Renault SA which was established in 1899, and continues to produce a range of cars and vans. Renault Trucks offers a range of distribution, construction, long haul, heavy construction and defense ve-hicles.

Renault Trucks has introduced two new distinct ranges to the Middle East. The new

C and K ranges were launched to the industry in Qatar. The launch shows a significant commitment to the region by the French manufacturer as it was the largest-ever launch event Renault Trucks has held in the region to date. More than 250 industry profes-sionals and management offi-cials from across the region at-tended the two-day event which included educational sessions to highlight how the new ranges can support businesses and

Renault launches new range of trucks in the Middle EastThe new ranges bring higher levels of driver comfort, reliability, fuel efficiency and durability to the Middle East

SITESC o n s t r u C t i o n 27coNfereNces

The key role of cutting-edge district cooling technologies in build-ing a sustainable future

was underscored by industry experts during the sixth Annual Middle East District Cooling Summit in Doha.It was addressed by 25 speak-ers. More than 300 delegates from Qatar and the region at-tended the summit which has as its theme, “Exploring innova-tive cooling technologies for a sustainable future”.The summit started off with opening remarks by Salah Ne-zar, Sustainability Director, Qa-tar Project Management (QPM), and one of the summit’s co-chair, an inaugural address by Al Theyab, a keynote address delivered by Ahmad M Bin Sha-far, Chief Executive Officer of Empower UAE and an opening keynote presentation by Jamal Alderbasty, Head of Permit Dis-trict Cooling Services Depart-ment, Kahramaa.These were followed by a Qatar Cool keynote on “District Cool-ing in Practice” delivered by Na-har Al Mutawah, Vice President, Operations & Services, Qatar Cool, and a presentation on “Solar Outdoor Cooling In Qatar As New Reality” by Nezar.

In talking about Qatar Cool’s experience, Al Mutawah recom-mended that in order to ensure smooth design and operations of district cooling plants, there should be proper testing and balancing for HVAC to meet de-sign conformance and installa-tion of right equipment. There must also be support from services provider for best opti-mization, continuous condition-based maintenance programs and regulations to establish incentives and encouragement. The first day of the summit had a “Leaders & Stakeholders Panel” discussion on District Cooling Evolution and Future. The moderator was Nezar and members of the panel included Ahmad M Bin Shafar; Isaa Qa-ndeel, Vice President Develop-ment at Qatar Cool; Dominic McPolin, Chief Planning Officer of the Central Planning Office, Ministry of Works of Bahrain; Robert Miller, Technical Spe-cialist District Cooling, Marafeq Qatar; and George Berbari, Chief Executive Officer, DC Pro Engineering, UAE, and the Sum-mits’ other Co-Chair.The second and final day of the summit focused on key technol-ogies such as the use of treat-ed sewage effluent (TSE) and

its impact on the environment, low-to-medium temperature geothermal cooling, and imple-mentation of renewable energy in district cooling networks, thermal energy storage, and pre-insulated piping solutions.The summit came to an end with a number of recommenda-tions that were announced on the concluding day. The recommendations were for better published regulations from government organizations concerned regarding the usage of TSE, undertaking extensive researches for finding out alter-natives for desalinated water in cooling applications, providing incentives for private business entities to encourage district cooling and ensuring financial mechanisms and availability of the vibrant technologies and cutting-edge practices among others.Water-cooled systems as efficient as District CoolingDC Pro Engineering in the UAE has revealed that new water cooled systems installed in standalone hotels and hospi-tals are becoming as efficient as district cooling.This came in a presentation on “Improving power-generation efficiency through employment

Experts discuss cool technologiesfor sustainable future at summit

of district cooling”, made by George Berbari, Chief Executive Officer of DC Pro, on the first day of the sixth annual Middle East District Cooling Summit being held at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Doha.He noted that if district cool-ing systems did not develop to include renewable energy such as solar or deep geothermal and conserve primary energy sources such as natural gas or petroleum, they might become obsolete.“District cooling systems reduce power consumption compared to traditional and predominant-ly-used air-cooled air condition-ing systems by around 50%,” Berbari said while describing some of the benefits of district cooling. “It reduces peak power demand by 60% when thermal storage is utilized.” He said: “Tri-generation or Com-bined Cooling, Heat and Power (CCHP) with 45% electricity effi-ciency and 87% total efficiency, where exhaust and jacket heat recovery can be used with ab-sorption chillers in series with electric chillers fed from the generators and in series with thermal storage, will provide 30% reduction in primary en-ergy sources and much more if

renewables are integrated.”He also highlighted the fact that while tri-generation or distribut-ed generation today comprised only less than 2% of all district cooling plants, there was a fast-rising trend of higher interest from governments to integrate generation efficiencies with re-newables and green building.“This is meant to curb the alarming increase in the share of strategic oil and gas wealth for internal power generation which reaches 25% of their total production and has been increasing at around 7% annu-ally,” Berbari said.During his presentation, Ber-bari discussed the role of an ultra-modern and ultra-efficient

tri-generation project in Oman that synchronizes locally-pro-duced power with 1 MW pho-tovoltaic and with the national electric grid to save 75% of pri-mary energy compared to tradi-tional electric-powered district cooling fed by traditional cen-tralized power generation.“Traditional district cooling cen-tral plants with electric chillers are the dominant ones used at this time,” Berbari explained. “With almost 25% of district cooling plants utilizing thermal storage and treated sewage ef-fluent as make-up for the cool-ing tower, newer plants are also now required by authorities and regulations to use these tech-nologies.”

More than 300 delegates from Qatar and the region attended the summit which has as its theme, “Exploring innovative cooling technologies for a sustainable future”

chasing raw materials for the General Electric Company. He came up with the idea that if he was unable to obtain one particular material, then it was necessary to obtain a replace-ment material which performed the same function. The “value engineering” began with a creative, team-based ap-proach which allowed the gen-eration of many alternatives to the existing solution. Because the General Electric Company were manufacturers, the term “engineering” was seen as being more appropri-ate at that time, than “manage-ment”. Later in the 20th century, value engineering started to spread across the world. But because of the differences between the mentality and the behavior of American companies compared to European companies, value engineering, as developed in the USA, had to undergo some modification.The Qatar Society of Engineers hosted Eng Abdulaziz Al-Youse-fi (CVS-Life, FSAVE) recently where he made a presentation to its members.The presentation proposed a conceptual synergy and inte-gration “model” between value engineering and sustainability that achieves better value over the life span of projects. It demonstrated the linkage between them within the stan-

dards and guidelines of SAVE International VE Job Plan, to ensure better planning for sus-tainability during early stages of projects developments. The presentation also showed how the “lean model” of value engineering could be consid-ered as an essential part of sus-tainability analysis and green concept technology; via adopt-ing VE tools and techniques. Al Yousefi is the founder and owner of the first value engi-neering office in the Arab world. He is a Certified Value Specialist for life (CVS-life) from SAVE In-ternational: The Value Society. He is the first Arab to become a Fellow of SAVE International. He is a currently serving as a member of SAVE International Certification Board. He’s a con-sultant engineer from the Saudi Council of Engineers.He served in the past as: * The president of The SAVE

International- Arabian Gulf chapter;

* The general secretary and then a board member of the Saudi Council of Engi-neers (SCE)

* The vice president of the Arabian Gulf Chapter of Project Management insti-tute (PMI-AGC).

* Member of King Abdulaziz Quality Award.

* Member of Saudi National Quality Council

Al Yousefi said that traditionally

projects had been developed by generating a program of needs and requirements, using in-house staff, or hiring con-sultants to develop necessary documents and subsequently award projects. However, there is little pro-grammed input to implement some kind of value engineering and sustainability studies. He added that in the past two decades, there had been a growing awareness of the im-portance of value engineering and sustainable development (SD) and sustainable construc-tion (SC) since they play crucial roles in realizing quality, reliabil-ity and durability as well as en-hancing performance through-out the life span of projects. They help to improve service related outcomes within budget constraints: achieve a more ef-ficient use of resources; and ac-complish an optimum combina-tion of Life Cycle Costing (LCC) and quality to satisfy the user requirements. Al Yousefi has the distinction of having written the first value en-gineering book ever written in Arabic titled Value Management (VM): Concept and Techniques, in 1991. The fifth edition was published in July 2009. VM is part of quality management. He Holds BSEE (Arizona State University, 1982) and MS (State University on New York at Alba-ny, 1987) degrees in electrical

engineering and project man-agement. Al Yousefi is a member of SAVE, IEEE, PMI, ASHRM, ASQ, Saudi Quality Counsel, Saudi Council of Engineers and Saudi Com-puter Society.He has about 30 year experi-ence in value engineering, qual-ity management, life cycle cost-ing (LCC), project management and design reviews of large-scale projects. He led more than 500 value engineering study workshops in construction, oil & gas, indus-try, operation & maintenance and management processes.

He has conducted more than 400 training courses in value engineering, project manage-ment, quality management and LCC.He is the founder of the newly-acclaimed quality improvement methodology that is called Total Value Management (TVM). He presented many papers at the ASQ, PMI, ASCE, SAVE, SJVE and IEEE conferences. He has specialized in computer applications in value engineer-ing and project management. Additional sources: http://www.designingbuildings.co.uk

What is value engi-neering? During a conversation with a group of engi-

neers on the sidelines of a re-cent Qatar Society of Engineers event, it has been explained that value engineering is used to solve problems, identify and eliminate unwanted costs, while improving function and quality. The aim is to increase the val-ue of products, satisfying the product’s performance require-ments at the lowest possible cost. In construction this involves considering the availability of materials, building methods, transportation issues, site limi-tations or restrictions, planning and organization, costs, profits and so on. Benefits that can be delivered include a reduction in life cycle costs, improvement in quality and reduction of environmental impacts. It is based on a methodology developed by Lawrence Miles, who worked for the General Electric Company in the USA during the Second World War. Because of the war, there were shortages of materials and cer-tain finished products. However, manufacturing indus-try was running at maximum ca-pacity, and ideas where needed to further expand production. Miles was responsible for pur-

Finding the value in engineeringFellow of SAVE International addresses Qatar Society of Engineers

SITESC o n s t r u C t i o n28

teNders

ASHGHAL TENDERS AND AWARDED TENDERSTender No. Type Tender Title Participants Issuing Date Closing Date Category

PWA/STC/029/14-15 GTC

Supply of Ductile Iron Manhole Cover and Gully Grating

(AA/DOM/14-15/M/1686/S)Qatari Companies Only 19-Nov-14 25-Dec-14 Drainage

PWA/GTC/058/14-15 GTC

Road Improvement Works in Al Dayeen and Umm Salal Zone 70 & 71 Phase – 5

(IA/14-15/C/078/G)Qatari Companies Only 19-Nov-14 23-Dec-14 Roads

PWA/GTC/059/14-15 GTC Road Safety Improvement Program, Stage 2A

(AA-R/14-15/OM/045C1/G) Qatari Companies Only 19-Nov-14 16-Dec-14 Roads

PWA/GTC/057/14-15 GTC Interim Upgrade of E-Ring Road and Najma Street

( IA/14-15/C/080/G) Qatari Companies Only 12-Nov-14 16-Dec-14 Roads

PWA/GTC/053/14-15 GTC

CALL-OFF AGREEMENT FOR SECONDMENT OF STAFF FOR INFRASTRUCTURE AFFAIRS – CON-

TRACT 1 (IA/14-15/SE/001/G)

Consultants 29-Oct-14 16-Dec-14 Consultancy

PWA/GTC/050/14-15 GTC

BARWA STP FACILITIES (IMPROVEMENT WORKS FOR BARWA CITY STP,BARWA AL

BARAHA STP)- O&M MISCELLANEOUS ELEC-TRICAL PURCHASE & WORK ORDERS

( AA-D/14-15/OM/1627-9/G)

Qatari Companies Only 29-Oct-14 9-Dec-14 Drainage

PWA/GTC/047/14-15 GTC

Application Development & Process Automation For Services & Infrastructure Utilities

(Ducts and Drainage House Connections ) ISD/14-15/EIS/2/G

Qatari Companies Only 15-Oct-14 9-Dec-14 ICT

PWA/ITC/027/14-15 ITC MOTOR CONTROL CENTERS-UPGRADING (AA/DOM/14-15/OM/1673/I) Qatari Companies Only 29-Oct-14 7-Dec-14 Drainage

PWA/ITC/029/14-15 ITCOperation and Maintenance of CCTV System

Throughout Qatar (AA-R/14-15/OM/042C1/I)

Qatari Companies Only 12-Nov-14 7-Dec-14 Roads

PWA/STC/028/14-15 STC

Supply, Install & Upgrade Symantec Netbackup Appliances

(ISD/14-15/SS/16/S)Qatari Companies Only 12-Nov-14 4-Dec-14 ICT

PWA/GTC/051/14-15 GTC

POST CONTRACT CONSULTANCY SERVICES FOR MODIFICATION AND ADDITIONAL WORKS TO EXISTING SCHOOLS AND KINDERGARTENS

(FIRE LIFE SAFETY CODE COMPLIANCE –PHASE FOUR)

BA/14-15/S/013/G

Consultants 29-Oct-14 2-Dec-14 Building

Companies Eligible to Tender: (1) Qatari Companies Only (2) Joint Venture (JV) Companies, which includes a Qatari Company having a minimum of 51%, share holding of the JV (3) Non-Qatari Companies (4) Not Applicable * All financial values are in QAR

General Conditions of Tenders- Full Documents for the Tender

can be obtained from Contracts Department (CD) against a Non–refundable fee paid to PWA Ac-count No. (0013-001813-052), Qatar National Bank together with a copy of the Company Registra-tion and a Company Authorization letter.

- Project document may be exam-ined at Al-Faisal Tower(1), Ground Floor, Al Corniche before purchas-ing from PWA.

- Each Tender must be accompa-nied by a Tender Bond, either in the form of a “Certified Check” or a “Tender Bond’’ issued by a Bank acceptable to the PWA” in the amount mentioned above valid for (120 days). Any Tender received without the proper guarantee will not be considered.

- The Tender shall be submitted in two separate sealed envelopes (technical and financial offer) and both envelopes must be enclosed in a third sealed envelope which shall bear the tender number, subject and closing date.

- All Tenders shall be submitted in original and one copy or they will not be acceptance.Tenders shall be delivered at or sent to arrive not later than 1.00pm local Doha time on the closing date and deposited in the relevant Tender Box of concerned Tenders Committee’s

Chairman at PWA.- The successful Tenderer shall provide a Performance Bond in amount of ten (10%) percent of the Contract Price endorsed by an approved local bank in Qatar.- For further queries about any of the tenders, please communicate in writing to the Contracts Department by Fax.: (+974) 44950777

TENDERS Please note that any information mentioned on this table are as per the listed companies’ tender advertisements, without any responsibility of the magazine.

Tender Number Type Subject Entity Close Date Value Envelopes System

Tender Fees (QRs)

521 /2014-2015 Central Tenders Supply of medicines and vaccines for veterinary clinics Ministry of Enviroment 1/12/14 390000 Q.R TWO ENVELOPES 300

62 /2014-2015 Local Tenders Supply of Stationary items for two years. General Administration of Customs 7/12/14 55000 Q.R TWO ENVELOPES 150

57 /2014-2015 Local Tenders Maintenance works for mosque No. 849 at Al Wakrah area. Ministry of Endowment & Islamic Affairs 7/12/14 33000 Q.R TWO ENVELOPES 150

63 /2014-2015 Local Tenders Rental of Nos.2 superban for three years. General Administration of Customs 7/12/14 20000 Q.R TWO ENVELOPES 150

58 /2014-2015 Local Tenders Maintenance works for mosque No. 151 at Fareej Abdul Aziz area.

Ministry of Endowment & Islamic Affairs 7/12/14 29000 Q.R TWO ENVELOPES 150

64 /2014-2015 Local Tenders Supply of Nos. 9 Tractors. Ministry of Enviroment 7/12/14 50000 Q.R TWO ENVELOPES 150

Tenders Conditions: - You can get a copy of the documents of this tender / tenders of the Central Tenders Committee during official hours, against payment of the tender documents witch you

can retrieve it.- Must be accompanied with the tender a letter of guarantee bank / certified check from a bank operating in the State of Qatar, as indicated above for a period of temporary

deposit on 120.- The offer must be valid for a period of ninety days from the date of the opening of envelopes.- Will be the last date for submission of tenders is twelve o’clock on the morning of the closure, and will not pay attention to any tender received after the deadline. - Tenders deposited in the box of the Central Tenders Committee, located in Muntazah - Rawabi Street, to be inside the stamped and sealed envelopes and addressed to

the Chairman of the Tenders Committee competent (central / local) showing the number, type of the tender and the subject.- The Central Tenders Committee invites bidders or their representatives to attend the opening of the envelopes and read the price on the day following the date of the

closure during the office hours. - To obtain tender / tenders documents highlight above must be to mentioned authorization letter from the company / institution.- For inquiries, please contact Tel: 44378192 /225 /143 /149. - For more information about the Central Tenders Committee ,tenders and auctions are being posed by the Committee You can visit the site on the Internet www.ctc.gov.qa

Morden is one of the leading companies in scaffolding and formwork. We believe that success can only be achieved through interaction with the customers. We have all systems for scaffolding and formwork with all accessories. we make technical support for our customers in all projects and we have a professional sales team with high experience in this field.

Tel: +974 44272344. +974 40374324Fax: +974 44272344P.O. Box: 15104 – Doha – Qatar (Opposite Abu Hamour Petrol Station)Email: info@mordenscaff.com mordenconstruction@yahoo.com

www.mordenscaff.com

Regent Hotel Al Ghanem Apartment Ezdan Mall

Double Coupler Swivel Coupler Board Retaining Clamp Putlog Coupler Timber H20

SITESC o n s t r u C t i o n 29

CALENDAREXHIBITIONS & EVENTSOF

eveNts

2014 -2015Future Drainage Networks QatarOrganizer: Advanced Conferences and Meet-ingsEvent date (s): 3 – 4 DecemberVenue: InterContinental, The City- Hotel Location: Doha, Qatar Tel: +971 4 361 4001Fax: +971 4 361 4554Email: opportunities@acm-events.comWebsite: www.futuredrainagenetworksqatar.com

ITU Telecom WorldOrganizer: ITUEvent date (s): 7 – 10 DecemberVenue: Qatar National Convention Centre (QNCC)Location: Doha, QatarTel: +41 22 730 6161Fax: +41 22 730 6444Email: itutelecom@itu.intWebsite: telecomworld.itu.int

AcousticsTech QatarInsulationTech QatarOrganizer: Advanced Conferences and Meet-ingsEvent date (s): 10 – 11 DecemberVenue: Intercontinental, The City HotelLocation: Doha, Qatar Tel: +971 4 361 4001Fax: +971 4 361 4554Email: opportunities@acm-events.comWebsite: www.acousticstechqatar.com/ www.insulationtechqatar.com/home

Offshore Middle EastOrganizer: PennWell eventsEvent date (s): 26 – 28 January 2015Venue: Qatar National Convention Center (QNCC) Location: Doha, Qatar Tel: +44 (0) 1992 656 658Website: www.offshoremiddleeast.com

Drainage and Sewerage Middle EastOrganizer: IQPCEvent date (s): 1 – 4 February 2015Venue: InterContinental HotelLocation: Doha, Qatar Tel: +971 4 364 2975Email: enquiry@iqpc.ae Website:www.drainageandsewerageme.com/

Interiors Qatar ExhibitionOrganizer: dmg eventsEvent date (s): 2 – 4 February 2015Venue: Qatar National Convention Centre (QNCC)Location: Doha, Qatar Tel: +971 4 438 0355 Email: karencrummer@dmgeventsme.comWebsite: www.iqexhibition.com

7th Annual Façade Design & engineeringOrganizer: IQPCEvent date (s): 22 – 25 February 2015Venue: InterContinental HotelLocation: Doha, Qatar Tel: +971 4 364 2975Email: enquiry@iqpc.ae Website: www.facadedesignmena.com/

Qatar Projects 2015Organizer: MEEDEvent date (s): 10 - 11 March 2015Venue: Grand Hyatt HotelLocation: Doha, QatarTel: +971 4 818 0217Email: meedevents@meed.com Website: www.meed.com/events/qatar-proj-ects-conference-2015

The Energy Efficiency and Conserva-tion ForumOrganizer: Fleming GulfEvent date (s): 24 - 25 March 2015Venue: TBALocation: Doha, QatarTel: +91 9164989507Fax: +91 80 49005100Email: sobia.jameel@fleminggulf.comWebsite: http://energy.fleminggulf.com/energy-efficiency-conservation-forum

The Outdoor Design & Build Show 2015Organizer: Streamline Marketing GroupEvent date (s): 13 – 15 April 2015Venue: Dubai World Trade CentreLocation: Dubai, United Arab EmiratesTel: +971 4 4475357Fax: +971 4 4475334Email: odbs@theoutdoorshow.aeWebsite: www.theoutdoorshow.ae

Project Qatar 2015Organizer: IFP QatarEvent date (s): 4 – 7 May 2015Venue: Qatar National Convention Centre

(QNCC)Location: Doha, Qatar Tel: +974 44329900 Fax: +974 44432891 Email: info@ifpqatar.com Website: www.projectqatar.com

Future BIM ImplementationOrganizer: Advanced Conferences & Meet-ings FZ-LLCEvent date (s): 6 – 7 May 2015Venue: Qatar National Convention Centre (QNCC)Location: Doha, Qatar Tel: +971 4 361 4001Fax: +971 4 361 4554Email:opportunities@acm-events.comWebsite:www.futurebimqatar.com

World Stadium CongressOrganizer: IQPCEvent date (s): 18 – 21 May 2015Venue: St. Regis HotelLocation: Doha, Qatar Tel: +971 4 364 2975Email: enquiry@iqpc.ae Website: www.worldstadiumcongress.com

4th Annual Underground Infrastruc-ture and Deep FoundationsOrganizer: IQPCEvent date (s): 7 – 9 June 2015Venue: InterContinental HotelLocation: Doha, Qatar Tel: +971 4 364 2975Email: enquiry@iqpc.ae Website: www.undergroundfoundations.com

QATAR UAE USA LIBYA IRAQ

WORLD ATLAS TRADING EMIRATES GATE BM & SAFETY United Globe Trading Co.2611 W. Woodland Drive.,Anaheim, Ca 92801T: 1-714-527-0300F: 1-714-527-0310M: 1-559-241-4881ugtc.usa@gmail.com

HOME OF TOOLS AL-USOOL GENERAL TRADING COMPANY LTSD Tel: +974 44981666 Tel: +971 4299 7555 Tel: 218 6190 82212 Tel: + 964 7198 741 Fax: + 974 44981333 Fax: +971 42997070 BENGHAZI-LIBYA BAGHDAD- IRAQ info-qtr@warriorsafety.com emigate@emirates.net.ae info@homeoftools.com info@usoolgroup.com

H I G H P E R F O R M A N C E S A F E T Y P R O D U C T SH I G H P E R F O R M A N C E S A F E T Y P R O D U C T S

ww

w. w

ar

ri o

rs

af

et y

. co

m

SITESC o n s t r u C t i o n30

Project Title Client Main Contractor Value Range (QR) Million Project Status Type of Project

Twin Towers M/s. Commercial Development M/s. Arabtec 500-750 Piling & Shoring Hotel and Office Buildings

Audit Bureau Towers M/s. Al Attiya Group Trading Co. Not Appointed 400-600 Tender Stage Offices / Residential Towers

Al Waab Mall M/s. Qatar Industrial Services Man Enterprize, Qatar 300-400 Under Construction Mall

Mesiemer Q-Tel Not Appointed 250-350 Tender Stage Technical

Manarat Lusail Mr. Mohamed Abdel Ghani Al Mansouri Not Appointed 200-300 Under Design Shopping Mall & Office Tower

Al Hodaifi Tower II Ghanem Al Hodaifi Not Appointed 600-800 Detail Stage Office Building

CBQ Boulevard CBQ HBK N/A Under Construction Commercial, Bank, Office Plaza

Five Residential Towers at Viva Bahriya at the Pear (project management) Qatar Islamic Bank AFQCO & REDCO - Al Mana 1.2-1.4 bn Under Construction Residential Towers

Gulf Mall at Gharrafa Business Trading Company IDC 400-500 Under Construction Shopping Mall

Doha Centro Hotel at Bin Mahmoud Al Malki Real Estate Investments Satal Qatar Contracting N/A Under Construction Hotel

Ghanem Office Building at Salwa Road Ghanem Al Thani Holding Ramco N/A Under Construction Office Building

Marsa Malaz Hotel at the Pear Qatar (Main Works) Alfardan Properties Co. CDC N/A Under Construction Hotel

Qatar Sidra Village Project Mazaya Qatar Real Extate Develop-ment QSC Sinohydro Group Limited N/A Under Construction Residential

Qatar Airways Crew Accommodation Qatar Airways Redco International N/A Under Construction Residential Building

Al Baker Executive Towers Ahmed Abed El Aziz Al Baker Construction and Recon-struction Co. 675 Under Construction Office Building

Al Nour Tower Private Investor Orientals Enterprises N/A Under Construction Residential

Al Nasr Showroom Shiekh Abdullah Bin Naser Al Thani Construction and Reconstruc-tion Co. 85 Under Construction Commercial

Police Training Institute MOI Hassanesco Co. N/A Under Construction Mixed Use

Panasonic Showroom & Residential Shk/Abdullah Bin Nasser Al Thani Construction and Reconstruc-tion Co. 205 Under Construction Commercial / Residential

Al Sadd Hotel Tricon International Atlantic Contracting Co. 150 Under Construction Hotels

Al Hodaifi Group HQ Al Hodaifi Group Not appointed 30-40 Million Design stage Office Building

Al Eida Villa El Eida Not appointed 5-10 Million Design stage Villa

Doha Education Centre Doha Education Centre Not appointed 30-50 Million Design stage Education

Step 1 International Academy Step 1 International Academy Not appointed 20-40 Million Design stage School

5 Hotel Towers adjacent to City Center Marriott Rensance, Marriott Courtyard, Shangri La, Rotana & Merweb Al Rayyan Holding Company Al Habtour 3.5 Billion Marriott Rensance & Marriott Courtyard in handing over

and the other 3 Hotels are under construction Hotels

Shemoukh Mixed-Use Twin Tower, Al Saad Real Estate Services Group SEG 800 Construction Stage Mixed Use Towers

Al Jasrah Twin Tower Lusail Al Shereef Enterprises Dorra Contracting 350 Construction Stage Mixed Use Towers

Qatar Radio and Television Complex PWA Tag Engineering & Contracting 120 Under Construction Media Complex

Markaz Almana Ford Showroom & Commercial Offices Al Mana Real Estate N/A 100-200 Tender Stage Mixed Use Tower

Police College Academy MOI Not Appointed N/A Design Stage Educational Complex

4 New Build Convenience Store Schemes Al Meera Al Alia Trading & Contracting Co. 130 Under Contruction Supermarket Stores

Construction of Head Quarters Bldg. for Ministry of Interior MOI WCT N/A Under Construction Administrative and Office Building

MIC Business & Recreation Complex ALAQARIA Arcon 169 Under Construction Mixed Use

Logistic City Qatar Navigation Not Appointed N/A Design Stage Warehouses

Headquarter of General Directorate of Borders, Passports & Travel Document Department Ministry of Interior Not Appointed N/A Design Stage Administrative and Office Bldg.

Construction of 6 Nos. New Schools PWA ITCC / Al Sraiya 350 Under Contruction Educational Buildings

Al Emadi Twin Towers IBA GROUP Not Appointed 400 Design Stage Commercial / Offices Towers

City Tower Mr. Saeed Ben Zayed El-Khayareen Al-Huda 200-250 Under Construction Office Building

Fahd Suite - Apartment Hotel FBA GROUP Not Appointed 200 Detail Stage Shopping Mall & Office Tower

IBA Hotel IBA GROUP Not Appointed 200 Under Construction Hotel

Al Attiya Compound Tameer Real Estate Al Seal Trading 160 Under Construction Residential Building

Qatar National Bank Branches QNB Not Appointed 20 Million Under Construction Bank

Qatar Driving School QDS Not Appointed 600 Permit Stage Driving Academy

Gulf Pearls Office Building Gulf Pearls Company Gulf Pearl 40 Million Design Stage Residential Building

Sheikh Badr Residential Building Sheikh Badr Khalifa Al Thani Al Batra 80 Million Under Construction Residential Building

ACES (Arab Centre for Engineers Studies) ACES Not Appointed 20 Million Tender Stage Industrial Building

Qatar Embassy and Diplomat Villas in Mogadishu, Somalia MOFA Note Appointed N/A Design Stage Governmental Building

Al Ahli Club Sh. Ahmad bin Hamad Al Thani NA 54,000,000.00 Service Design Commercial

FV9 Al Asmakh Head Office in Lusail Regency Group NA 38,000,000.00 Design Offices

Al Mansoora Building Abdulla AL Darwish Al Gefton 658,000.00 Testing and Commissioning Commercial Apratment

Office Building / D Ring M. Al Ansari Redco 28,800,000.00 Mobilisation Commercial

C5 Apartment Rabban Group NA 121,000,000.00 Design Commercial Apratment

FV7 Multi Purpose Hall/ Art Centre Regency Group N/A 67,500,000.00 Design Commercial

SITESC o n s t r u C t i o n30

NOTE: Whilst we take pride in keeping our Consultants Database with the most up-to-date information, please note that the above information is provided by the Consultants mentioned in the list; therefore QCS in not responsible for any incorrect data.

Consultant

project focus

Salwa Road - Tel: +974 4468 3040 - Fax: +974 4468 3080 - kitchenco@kitchencoqatar.com - www.kitchencoqatar.com

Commercial Food Service Equipment & Commercial Laundry Equipment Supply, Installation & After Sales Service• Hotels• Restaurants and Cafes• Hospitals• Central Kitchens• Catering Facilities

Established in 1998

SITESC o n s t r u C t i o n 31SITESC o n s t r u C t i o n 31

CRANE  AND  LIFTING  EQUIPMENT  ENGINEERS  GENERAL  MECHANICAL  WORKS  

4458 5480; 4469 4569; 5581 5641; 7748 7432 Email:  opera,ons@dutestqatar.com,  sales@dutestqatar.com  

Dutest Qatar W.L.L.

OUR  SCOPE  AND  SERVICES  

INCLUDE:  

WIRE ROPES, SLINGS, HEIGHT SAFETY, INSPECTION AND TESTING, RENTALS, CRANE HIRE

AL MANA & ASSOCIATESAL MANA & ASSOCIATES

Acoustic Consultancy Services

Al Mana Business Centre, Al Amir Road, P.O.B. 2255, Doha, QatarTel: (+974) 44684482 E-mail: admin@amaqatar.com www.amaqatar.com

• Noise and Vibration Control• Noise and Vibration Monitoring• Sound Insulation• Interior Acoustics

(Halls, Mosques, Auditoriums)• Commissioning Measurement

and Testing

Editorial Calendar 2015JANUARY FEBRUARY MARCH

JULY

Special marketing opportunitiesCalendar Inserts

ExclusiveGreen building

ExclusiveAluminum, glass & steel

Editorial HighlightsResorts and Hotels

APRIL

AUGUST

Special CoverageProject Qatar

Bonus distribution and events12th International Construction Tech. & Bldg Materials Exhibition

Special CoverageProject Qatar

Bonus distribution and events• 12th International Construction Tech. & Bldg Materials Exhibition• 4th Annual World Stadium Congress• 11th Trans Middle East 2015

Editorial HighlightsUnder ground and deep foundations

MAY

Editorial HighlightsLighting

Special marketing opportunitiesMulti industry bind-in supplement: Don't miss the opportunity to have your logo on our front cover by taking part in our new bind -in supplement that we guarantee will be kept by readers for continuous reference.

Special marketing opportunitiesNew Industrial Area MAP w/2015 QCS Calendar

Bonus distribution and events• Interiors Qatar Exhibition• 2nd Annual Drainage and Sewerage Middle East Summit• 7th Annual Façade Design and Engineering MENA Summit

Editorial HighlightsIndoor and Outdoor Design

Special marketing opportunitiesOld Industrial Area MAPBonus distribution and events• Cityscape Qatar• Drainage & Sewerage ME• Qatar Projects• The Energy Efficiency & Conservation Forum

JUNEEditorial HighlightsStadium construction

ExclusiveHeavy equipment and machinery

ExclusiveFormwork & sca�olding

ExclusiveConcrete and ready-mix

Bonus distribution and events4th Annual Underground Infrastructure & Deep Foundations

SEPTEMBER

Watch out for an updated version of our editorial calendar as more events are announced.Contact our sales team to learn more about sponsorship opportunities to some of our most popular sections, including: Technology/Product Focus/Project Focus/Safety Matters/Sustainable Construction

OCTOBER NOVEMBEREditorial HighlightsSafety in High rise Buildings

Editorial Highlights• Healthcare facilities• Insulation & Acoustics

Special marketing opportunitiesCalendar Inserts Mall MAP

Editorial Highlights• Year End report• Mall Updates• Education & Training• Retrofitting & renovation

Editorial Highlights• Real estate focus• MEP focus

DECEMBER

Editorial Calendar 2015JANUARY FEBRUARY MARCH

JULY

Special marketing opportunitiesCalendar Inserts

ExclusiveGreen building

ExclusiveAluminum, glass & steel

Editorial HighlightsResorts and Hotels

APRIL

AUGUST

Special CoverageProject Qatar

Bonus distribution and events12th International Construction Tech. & Bldg Materials Exhibition

Special CoverageProject Qatar

Bonus distribution and events• 12th International Construction Tech. & Bldg Materials Exhibition• 4th Annual World Stadium Congress• 11th Trans Middle East 2015

Editorial HighlightsUnder ground and deep foundations

MAY

Editorial HighlightsLighting

Special marketing opportunitiesMulti industry bind-in supplement: Don't miss the opportunity to have your logo on our front cover by taking part in our new bind -in supplement that we guarantee will be kept by readers for continuous reference.

Special marketing opportunitiesNew Industrial Area MAP w/2015 QCS Calendar

Bonus distribution and events• Interiors Qatar Exhibition• 2nd Annual Drainage and Sewerage Middle East Summit• 7th Annual Façade Design and Engineering MENA Summit

Editorial HighlightsIndoor and Outdoor Design

Special marketing opportunitiesOld Industrial Area MAPBonus distribution and events• Cityscape Qatar• Drainage & Sewerage ME• Qatar Projects• The Energy Efficiency & Conservation Forum

JUNEEditorial HighlightsStadium construction

ExclusiveHeavy equipment and machinery

ExclusiveFormwork & sca�olding

ExclusiveConcrete and ready-mix

Bonus distribution and events4th Annual Underground Infrastructure & Deep Foundations

SEPTEMBER

Watch out for an updated version of our editorial calendar as more events are announced.Contact our sales team to learn more about sponsorship opportunities to some of our most popular sections, including: Technology/Product Focus/Project Focus/Safety Matters/Sustainable Construction

OCTOBER NOVEMBEREditorial HighlightsSafety in High rise Buildings

Editorial Highlights• Healthcare facilities• Insulation & Acoustics

Special marketing opportunitiesCalendar Inserts Mall MAP

Editorial Highlights• Year End report• Mall Updates• Education & Training• Retrofitting & renovation

Editorial Highlights• Real estate focus• MEP focus

DECEMBER

Editorial Calendar 2015JANUARY FEBRUARY MARCH

JULY

Special marketing opportunitiesCalendar Inserts

ExclusiveGreen building

ExclusiveAluminum, glass & steel

Editorial HighlightsResorts and Hotels

APRIL

AUGUST

Special CoverageProject Qatar

Bonus distribution and events12th International Construction Tech. & Bldg Materials Exhibition

Special CoverageProject Qatar

Bonus distribution and events• 12th International Construction Tech. & Bldg Materials Exhibition• 4th Annual World Stadium Congress• 11th Trans Middle East 2015

Editorial HighlightsUnder ground and deep foundations

MAY

Editorial HighlightsLighting

Special marketing opportunitiesMulti industry bind-in supplement: Don't miss the opportunity to have your logo on our front cover by taking part in our new bind -in supplement that we guarantee will be kept by readers for continuous reference.

Special marketing opportunitiesNew Industrial Area MAP w/2015 QCS Calendar

Bonus distribution and events• Interiors Qatar Exhibition• 2nd Annual Drainage and Sewerage Middle East Summit• 7th Annual Façade Design and Engineering MENA Summit

Editorial HighlightsIndoor and Outdoor Design

Special marketing opportunitiesOld Industrial Area MAPBonus distribution and events• Cityscape Qatar• Drainage & Sewerage ME• Qatar Projects• The Energy Efficiency & Conservation Forum

JUNEEditorial HighlightsStadium construction

ExclusiveHeavy equipment and machinery

ExclusiveFormwork & sca�olding

ExclusiveConcrete and ready-mix

Bonus distribution and events4th Annual Underground Infrastructure & Deep Foundations

SEPTEMBER

Watch out for an updated version of our editorial calendar as more events are announced.Contact our sales team to learn more about sponsorship opportunities to some of our most popular sections, including: Technology/Product Focus/Project Focus/Safety Matters/Sustainable Construction

OCTOBER NOVEMBEREditorial HighlightsSafety in High rise Buildings

Editorial Highlights• Healthcare facilities• Insulation & Acoustics

Special marketing opportunitiesCalendar Inserts Mall MAP

Editorial Highlights• Year End report• Mall Updates• Education & Training• Retrofitting & renovation

Editorial Highlights• Real estate focus• MEP focus

DECEMBER

ENGINEERING

Established in 1974, TRAGS Engineering is recognized as the leading Grade-1 MEP Services, District Cooling and Facility Management Contractor in the State of Qatar. The scope of activities covers all aspects of building services including design, procurement, installation, testing and commissioning of multi-service installa-tions. In addition, the company offers 24/7 Facility Management Services to government buildings, corporations, educational, healthcare, industrial, commer-cial and residential sectors.

TRAGS Electrical Engineering & Air Conditioning Co. W.L.LJaidah Tower Ist Floor, Abdul Aziz Bin Ahmed Street P.O. Box 470, Doha – QatarTel +974 44 41 42 11, Fax + 974 44 41 33 06 tragseng@qatar.net.qa

HVAC - Plumbing & Drainage - Fire Fighting - Electrical & ELV - Energy Centers - Street Lighting - Maintenance - Facility Management

www.trags.com

Monthly construction news, tenders, project focus, and forthcoming exhibitions in QatarTel.: +974 4469 3280 - Fax: +974 4451 0428

Issue No. (89) December 2014, Doha - Qatar

C o n s t r u C t i o n

SITES

The UK’s National Stan-dards Body (NSB) is-sued its Standards Out-look 2014 recently.

The British Standards Institu-tion (BSI), a multinational busi-ness services provider whose principal activity is the produc-tion of standards and the sup-ply of standards-related ser-vices, shed some light into the changes being made to three of the world’s most adopted man-agement systems standards: • ISO 9001:2008 will

change to ISO 9001:2015 • ISO 14001:2004 will

change to ISO 14001:2015 • OHSAS 18001:2007 will

become ISO 45001:2016

The latest stage in the ISO 9001 revision process happened with the issue of ISO/DIS 9001 on May 8, 2014. The first formal draft describes the potential requirements of the revised version of ISO 9001; though this is not the final version, it does give an indication on what might be included and we need to be aware of its content. Further changes are, of course, possible before the final publi-cation of ISO 9001:2015 cur-rently scheduled to be released in fourth quarter of 2015.The main areas of changes proposed in ISO/DIS 9001 are:1. Structure and terminology,

including incorporation of

Annex SL framework; 2. The wider internal and

external context of an or-ganization’s Quality Man-agement Systems (QMS) (Clauses 4 and 6);

3. Detailed Quality Man-agement System (QMS) requirements’ (broadly clauses 5 & 7 – 10).

According to a leading provid-er of ISO-related training and services in Doha, certified or-ganizations feel the standard helps them to become a more consistent competitor in the marketplace and with a strong focus on quality management, allowing them to attract and meet the needs of high value customers better.

Key changes to the ISO 9001 CertificationWith a certified system in place, they can save time, money and resources while optimizing their operational performance with fewer errors and higher profits. The standard also helps them to set up efficient internal pro-cesses that help in motivating staff.There are changes to a number of the clauses and some of the key changes that users will ex-perience: Clause 4 refers to the context of the organization. This is a brand-new requirement and highlights the need for senior managers to understand the expectations of all relevant par-ties. They’ll also need to know how internal and external chal-lenges could affect their abil-ity to meet these. This clause is closely linked to leadership which means management sys-tems can no longer be held at arm’s length, but should form part of the strategic direction of the business. This will help to raise the stan-dards in the boardroom and align management systems with the needs of the business.Clause 8 has two new require-

ments. The first is contingency planning to improve customer communication, while the sec-ond looks at ways to assess the suitability of a design before it

reaches operations. Clause 8 also specifies the importance of controlling all outsourced activities through efficient risk management.

Rania Queen St. Amman- JordanTel: +9626 5356616 - Fax: +9626 535 6606 - P.O.Box: 622 - Aljbeha: 11941

watan_newspaper@yahoo.com