Bevan Farmer has been elevated to Head of Qatar by Addleshaw Goddard. The leadership role will be in addition to his responsibility at the firm as Co-Head of the Middle East construction and engineering team.

Farmer is said to specialise in construction and construction disputes, and has worked in the GCC and MENA region for over a decade. He succeeds Ahmad Anani who recently announced his decision to retire from Addleshaw Goddard.

He originally joined Addleshaw Goddard in 2014, became a partner in 2016 and co-head of the Middle East construction and engineering practice in 2020. A recognised specialist in construction and engineering disputes, Farmer has particular expertise across a broad range of industry sectors, including transport, infrastructure, utilities, industrial and energy, a statement from Addleshaw Goddard noted.

In September 2022, the Umm Al Houl desalination plant in Qatar said that it had achieved one millions hours without an accident.

“The State of Qatar has one of the most exciting, fastest growing economies in the world and is a vital hub for our business in the Middle East, which has continued to grow under the leadership of Ahmad who leaves with our best wishes. Bevan is incredibly well respected in his specialist field, excellent at building strong relationships with clients and enthusiastic about growing AGs brand in the region and so as we approach our 10th anniversary, he is absolutely the ideal person to lead, encourage and ensure that we continue to expand our business in this key market and support the ambitions of clients in both the public and private sectors,” said Andrew Johnson, Addleshaw Goddard Head of Middle East and Asia.

In Qatar, the firm is said to have a team of lawyers able to advise on the laws of Qatar, the QFC and England. Since the office opened in 2012, the firm has developed strong relationships with the region’s key government agencies, corporate entities, financial institutions, regulatory bodies and private individuals, it noted.

Farmer remarked, “We have a fantastic group of lawyers across the Middle East whose approach is dynamic, entrepreneurial and innovative and we are very well placed to provide clients with specialist, local market expertise, on any regional assignments, and also in relation to their international investment portfolios during this time of immense growth and change. The imagination and impact we bring to our client assignments combined with our ambition and the ongoing investment we have planned for our business in Qatar will continue to distinguish Addleshaw Goddard, and I am excited to be leading the firm in this market through the next important stages of its growth.”

Late in September 2022, QatarEnergy and GE inked a deal to step up carbon capture in the energy sector.

Alongside traditional strengths in corporate, banking and finance including Islamic finance, commercial litigation and construction, the practice also has expertise in infrastructure, projects & energy, employment and real estate. The firm is said to have over 70 lawyers and fee earners operating across the MENA region.

In early October 2022, JLL signed an agreement with a Qatar real estate brokerage to boost property investments.

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Source: ME Construction News

Select Group has announced the launch of its final development at its waterfront master community, Peninsula.

In a statement, the Dubai-based developer said that two residential towers, waterfront lofts and a commercial building will comprise Peninsula Four, The Plaza, and will be the final pieces of the Peninsula master community. All previous developments within the project have been successfully sold out, it added.

In March 2022, Select Group launched Peninsula Three in Dubai’s Business Bay district and, in July 2022, it acquired The Mere Golf Resort & Spa in the UK.

Billed as the first community-focused waterfront development in Business Bay, the Peninsula project consists of six residential towers, waterfront podiums and commercial units. The master development features a variety of lifestyle facilities, including tennis and padel courts, running tracks, a skate park, along with family play areas.

Commenting on the launch for the final phase of development, Founder and Group Chief Executive Officer Rahail Aslam said: “Shaped by ideals of beauty and perfection in everyday life, The Peninsula Four, The Plaza is an exquisite tribute to the art of living, being the centrepiece of the community in the heart of Dubai Downtown. We are proud to bring to the market an elevated experience of waterfront living that we have witnessed become increasingly high in demand.”

In August 2022, Select Group and the Jumeirah Group launched a new development in Business Bay.

The two towers at Peninsula Four feature studios, one, two, three, and four-bedroom residences and half-floor penthouses, while the waterfront lofts offer three and four-bedroom multi-story residences.

Peninsula Four, The Plaza is located at the epicentre of the community marketplace (The Plaza). It will showcase a vibrant waterfront gastronomical, entertainment and retail scene. Residents and guests will find organic cafés, coffee shops, boutique stores and artisan galleries, fine-dining restaurants and local culinary offerings in one destination, the developer stated.

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DAMAC Properties has announced that it has awarded the contract to build electrical substations at its master planned community, DAMAC Lagoons, to Danway EME.

Under the supervision of Energoprojekt Entel Co, a consultancy approved by DEWA, the substations will be built according to the highest quality standards and in compliance with DEWA’s strictest regulations and specifications, a statement said.

The substations are expected to accelerate the development of DAMAC Lagoons and provide power supply to the first stage of development, including Central Hub, it added.

In June 2022, DAMAC told Middle East Construction News (MECN) that North America is a key target market for the developer and, later that month, launched the Safa Two Tower with de GRISOGONO.

“In continuation of DAMAC’s commitment to deliver this project on time, the first substation has been awarded to Danway EME, given its long history of delivering quality power projects on time. As a developer, these are essential to fulfilling our commitments as far as our own deliverables are concerned and ensure that we provide the highest standards for utility services to our customers,” said Mohammed Tahaineh, General Manager of Projects at DAMAC Properties.

The scope of works includes the design, supply, construction, installation as well as testing and commissioning of substations. The first substation, to be completed in 22 months, is located in close proximity to Hessa Street and once commissioned, will have a conversion capacity of 150MVA.

The other 132/11kV substation, meanwhile, will begin construction soon. In addition to reduced project completion duration, both substations have enhanced safety features and allow greater flexibility in construction.

In July 2022, DAMAC said piling work was underway at its Cavalli Tower project while, in September 2022, it said that an ultra-luxurious mansion development was being added to DAMAC Hills.

Launched in November 2021, the DAMAC Lagoons project is based around the concept of ‘The Eight Wonders of the Mediterranean’ and aims to turn 45mn square feet of space into a community of villas and townhouses built around one million square feet of lagoons.

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Source: ME Construction News

A new supercomputer will be built at the Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI) by Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE). HPE said supercomputing is vital to delivering artificial intelligence (AI) at scale and driving global innovation, industry competitiveness, and economic growth.

From accelerating vaccine discovery to fight a pandemic, advancing clean energy systems to increase sustainability, enabling new possibilities in AI, supercomputing is a core technology to solving the world’s most challenging scientific and engineering challenges, HPE noted.

MBZUAI is dedicated solely to AI and to accelerate AI-driven scientific discovery and advance the UAE’s goal to be a global AI leader. HPE said its robust supercomputing and AI technologies will significantly enhance the university’s ability to run complex AI models with extremely large data sets, and increase predictability in research analyses in fields including energy, transportation and the environment.

In January 2021, the RTA said that using AI helped it reach an operational surplus of 61% while, in March 2021, it was announced that Qatar’s Umm Al Houl desalination plant will leverage AI to optimise operations and achieve energy saving at the site, reducing carbon emissions.

Established in 2019, MBZUAI has already ranked 24^th in the world for AI, computer vision, machine learning, and natural language processing. The new supercomputer will help MBZUAI support the UAE’s National Strategy for AI, bringing together the power of academia, government, and industry to strengthen the country’s global competitiveness, the statement from HPE explained.

“Supercomputing plays an essential role in unleashing AI to achieve significant breakthroughs for organisations worldwide, across public and private sectors. HPE is leading the market in this next frontier by combining supercomputing performance and capabilities with solutions that are purpose-built for AI, to build and train machine learning models at-scale. MBZUAI’s Campus Super Computing Center is demonstrating this capability to unlock new possibilities in AI and strengthen UAE’s position as an AI-driven nation to advance key initiatives in healthcare, sustainability, and engineering,” said Justin Hotard, Executive Vice President and General Manager, HPC, AI & Labs, at HPE.

The advanced supercomputing and AI technologies will also expand resources for larger projects to allow MBZUAI to attract global talent and create new economic and societal opportunities for the UAE, HPE pointed out.

In July 2022, Trimble’s Paul Wallett said that AI in construction won’t be taking jobs but it will save lives, while, later in the month, PlanRadar’s Ibrahim Imam said that robotics, AI, and IoT can alter business models, and make the process of project completion more efficient.

The supercomputer will be housed at MBZUAI’s new Campus Super Computing Center (CSCC) and will enable faculty members, researchers, and students to accelerate scientific discovery in many areas, including healthcare, structural engineering, law enforcement, supply chain, and sustainability.

In addition to meeting the research needs of the faculty and students, the new supercomputer will help MBZUAI fulfill its role as an AI talent developer and innovation hub that brings together the business community to drive entrepreneurship in the AI sector. MBZUAI already is contributing to significant initiatives such as the Emirati Genome Program, which uses AI-based tools to extract and interpret large amounts of complex data resulting from DNA sequencing, and the Abu Dhabi Health Services Company, SEHA, which uses AI algorithms to predict heart attacks, HPE explained.

“HPE has a longstanding commitment to advancing the way people live and work in the United Arab Emirates, through our Emiratisation program, Digital Life Garage, and industry and government partnerships,” said Ahmad Alkhallafi, Managing Director for UAE, Hewlett Packard Enterprise.

In September 2022, AVEVA’s Gary Wong discussed how digitisation is helping cities provide clean water, and, later in the month, His Highness Sheikh Hamdan launched the Dubai Robotics and Automation Program.

He continued, “We are proud to support the UAE’s national strategy for AI by helping MBZUAI grow its contribution to research and education. Supercomputing will play a crucial role in helping the UAE anticipate and take advantage of new AI technologies now and in the future. We look forward to helping the UAE meet its goal to be an AI leader by 2031.”

As a recently established institution, MBZUAI is still building its team of in-house supercomputing specialists. By collaborating with HPE, the university is gaining access to a large local team for supercomputing and AI support, in addition to world-leading technologies, the firm pointed out.

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Source: ME Construction News

Facilities management company Farnek has joined a select group of organisations by signing the Climate-Responsible Pledge, aimed at supporting the UAE’s decarbonisation drive – in line with the country’s ‘Net Zero by 2050′ strategic initiative.

The pledge is part of the focus from the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment (MOCCAE) on scaling up the UAE’s climate action in response to the call of the Glasgow Climate Pact, an outcome of the 26th UN Climate Change Conference (COP26). The pledge was announced late in August 2022.

Previous signatories include Beeah, Emirates Nature-WWF, Majid Al Futtaim Group, Standard Chartered Bank, HSBC, Masdar, Emirates Global Aluminium, Emirates Steel Arkan Group, Aldar Properties, Emirates Environmental Group and the Chalhoub Group.

In January 2022, Farnek showed off its roadmap to achieve Net Zero emissions by 2050 and, in April 2022, it said that it would launch a standalone hotel management company.

During the signing ceremony – held at the Fifth National Dialogue for Climate Ambition (NDCA) in Abu Dhabi – Farnek CEO Markus Oberlin commented, “By signing this pledge, we have committed to stepping up our efforts to combat climate change by measuring and reporting our greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions transparently, developing ambitious but realistic science-based plans to reduce our carbon footprint and sharing these plans with the UAE government to contribute towards the UAE achieving its national Net Zero targets by 2050.”

He added, “Furthermore, by integrating sustainability principles across our operations, we will adopt an all-inclusive approach that engages youth, women, and vulnerable segments of society.”

Mariam bint Mohammed Almheiri, Minister of Climate Change and the Environment and Vincent Keaveny, Lord Mayor of the City of London, were also present.

In August 2022, Farnek said that it was awarded $11.54mn in security contracts over the last 12 months.

According to Oberlin, Farnek consultants have identified the scope and boundaries to measure its carbon footprint accurately.

Apart from building performance, such as energy and water consumption, Farnek is also considering employee travel, logistics, purchased goods and services, waste disposal, and focusing on recycling, renewables and other lower carbon alternatives.

In September 2022, Farnek said that it had organised 4.6t of basic food and essentials for 131 Sri Lankan families.

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Source: ME Construction News

Standard Chartered’s Sustainable Banking Report 2022 shows how retail investors in the UAE can mobilise more than US $100bn towards top Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) priorities – particularly the financing of the transition to Net Zero.

In the report titled ‘Mobilising retail investor capital’, Standard Chartered explores ESG investment opportunities; it explains how this capital could play a critical part in bridging funding gaps in the UAE’s other ESG priorities, including food and water security, as well as pollution and waste management.

The new research also identified the massive sum of $8.17tn of investable retail wealth that could be channelled into sustainable investments by 2030 to finance ESG objectives in 10 growth markets. The report also highlights the investment barriers currently faced by investors and recommends solutions to expand sustainable investing (SI) into a mainstream asset class.

In September 2022, Emaar investors approved the acquisition of Dubai Creek Harbour and, later in the month, His Highness Sheikh Hamdan launched the Dubai Robotics and Automation Program.

According to the research, the UAE has high potential for growth in sustainable investing, largely due to its rising domestic wealth. The market could mobilise over $100bn in sustainable retail investment by 2030. Across the UAE, more than 40% of investors respectively want to put their money towards addressing climate issues, the report noted.

The top ESG priorities for investors in the UAE include:

• Climate change and carbon emissions (38%)
• Energy and resource use (31%)
• Pollution and waste management (26%)

The report further highlights the need for investor and market-specific barriers that need to be overcome to translate this investor interest into actual impact.

In October 2022, Abu Dhabi-based Global Mission launched a $17bn fund to achieve the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals.

Investors in the UAE identified the following as their top barriers to increasing their sustainable investments:

• Comparability (47%)
• Perceived low returns/higher risk (45%)
• Comprehensibility (44%)

These findings demonstrate how financial institutions can play a critical role in unlocking available capital by breaking down the existing barriers for retail investors.

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Source: ME Construction News

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Jeddah Airports Company has awarded a five-year contract outlining operations and maintenance (O&M) services for the King Abdulaziz International Airport Terminal 1 to Alstom, the latter has confirmed. The $53mn contract win is said to position Alstom as the leading O&M provider in Saudi Arabia.

According to Alstom, the contract period with Jeddah Airports Company (JEDCO) began in June 2022 and will run through to 2027. The company said it first secured the contract in August 2019 which ran until June 2021 – it was previously awarded due to positive performance.

“We are honoured to sign this contract and solidify our partnership with JEDCO. Alstom has been present in the Kingdom for more than 70 years and our strategy is one of long-term partnership cementing a sustainable legacy within the Kingdom. It also reiterates Alstom’s commitment to supporting the development of Saudi Arabia’s public infrastructure in line with Vision 2030. We will continue to enhance the performance of King Abdulaziz International Airport by continuing to offer world-class operations and maintenance, with a best-in-class team,” said Mohamed Khalil, Managing Director of Alstom Saudi Arabia.

In September 2021, Alstom said it had delivered the first two trains for the Cairo Monorail project and, later in the month, appointed new members to its AMECA leadership team.

The contract will see Alstom continuing to provide O&M services for the Innovia automated people mover (APM) within the King Abdulaziz International Airport (KAIA), Terminal 1 in Jeddah. The airport is one of Saudi Arabia’s largest and is said to welcome up to 30m passengers every year.

A fully staffed team of Alstom experts will provide 24/7 operations and maintenance services at Jeddah’s King Abdulaziz International Airport, Terminal 1, it said.

The O&M contract is one of many Alstom projects in Saudi Arabia. It also supported the Haramain high-speed rail line between Mecca and Medina and also supplies an integrated Metro System for Lines 3, 4, 5 and 6 and the maintenance for these lines, the firm stated.

In November 2021, the firm said it was appointed for a railway modernisation project by ENR.

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Source: ME Construction News

Terex Tower Cranes has added its latest flat top tower crane with “city class” design features, the company has announced.

The highlights of the new CTT 222-10 include Terex Power Plus (TPP), which enables the crane to increase power by 10%, and Terex Power Match (TPM), a feature that puts the crane into an energy saving mode, the company said.

The crane also uses T-Link, Terex’s telematics system to ensure remote access to fleet data, while Terex slewing technology, T-Torque, offers operators high control and precision over the crane slewing, regardless of wind direction, tower system and jib configuration, the firm added.

In June 2022, General Construction Company said it was using Terex Cranes on the Dubai Creek development while, in August 2022, Terex said it was investing in Acculon Energy to accelerate MEWP electrification.

The CTT 222-10 can be set up and erected with a 1.60m, 1.95m or 2.10m tower mast, depending on the needs and requirements of the user and setting it’s in. This particular model is fitted with the industry-known S-pace cabin, while it has a 10t maximum capacity and a maximum jib length of 65m.

“We are excited about this new model that will enlarge our offering in a key capacity class; this will help us to even better support our customers with many residential, commercial but also infrastructures projects,” says Angelo Cosmo, Terex Cranes Senior Marketing Manager

Lee Maynard, Global Sales Director, Tower Cranes adds, “This new model has already attracted a lot of attention and our first TEN cranes will be shipping to France in the fourth quarter of this year. We are already filling the order book for quarter one next year, with more units planned to ship to France and other parts of Europe. It’s an exciting time and there are further models planned in this mid-size range early in 2023.”

Also in August 2022, Terex MP said it was acquiring specialist producer of mobile volumetric concrete mixers, ProALL.

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Source: ME Construction News

The Diriyah Gate Development Authority (DGDA) has signed a MoU with the National Housing Company (NHC) to facilitate collaboration on mutual areas that serve the housing sector, including urban planning and offering designs that meet building codes around Wafi Hanifah and its tributaries.

The agreement aims to facilitate further integration between the two parties and offer more design options to NHC clients within the authority’s jurisdiction. The two entities will also conduct a series of joint workshops, initiatives and projects to help exchange data, statistics and expertise, a statement from DGDA said.

Commenting on the deal, Group CEO Jerry Inzerillo said: “It is significant since one of the workshops involved is a joint design studio between DGDA and NHC and its affiliated architects, who would be informing the authority of all its initiatives within the latter’s jurisdiction.”

In May 2022, DGDA announced that it would transform Wadi Hanifah into a nature-focused getaway.

He stated that the two sides will also explore avenues for further collaboration as and when agreed upon. In addition, the authority will be holding workshops to clarify the building codes applicable around the Wadi Hanifah area.

National Housing Company CEO Mohammed bin Salih Al Batti added that the MoU lays out a road map for collaboration between the two sides.

This includes the creation of a DGDA microsite as part of NHC’s Sakani website for users of residential units within DGDA-managed areas, to show that designs meet building codes around the Wadi Hanifah area, as well as the authority’s designs and platforms, he added.

In June 2022, DGDA and Saudi’s OSP inked a MoU to use sustainable polymer construction material and, in July 2022, a waste management agreement was signed between DGDA and SIRC to cover the handling and processing of all waste within the DGDA jurisdiction.

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Source: ME Construction News