Developer DAMAC Properties has announced its new premium project, Gems Estates, an ultra-luxurious collection of high-end five- to seven-bedroom mansions in the DAMAC Hills community.

Unveiling the project, the developer said the villa exteriors will be branded by Swiss jeweller de Grisogono, while the home interiors will be branded by Italian fashion house Roberto Cavalli – making Gems Estates the first co-branded real estate project in the world.

The artistic style of Gems Estates is inspired by the famous Austrian symbolist painter Gustav Klimt, and the colour theme is black diamonds mixed with heavily accented gold textures, the developer noted.

In June 2022, in an exclusive interview with Middle East Construction News (MECN), DAMAC said North America is a key target market.

According to DAMAC, Gems Estates – which will be spread across DAMAC Hills – will be the last villa additions to the community. The community is located on Umm Suqeim Road and Hessa Street, and is said to feature an array of entertainment and leisure amenities including a skate park, fishing lakes, horse stables, a petting farm and sports facilities for its residents.

DAMAC Senior Vice President Niall McLoughlin commented, “This is yet another premium addition to our DAMAC Hills community. We are continuously raising the bar when it comes to unique living experiences and our branded associations over the years with the likes of Versace, Cavalli and others have all been highly sought after by customers.”

International property consultant Savills, in its Branded Residences 2021 report, stated that the past decade had seen the number of branded residences increase by 230%, adding more than 500,000 units across 356 schemes across the world.

“DAMAC has carefully studied these market trends and capitalised on its existing relationships with premium global brands to bring unique products to market,” concluded McLoughlin.

In June 2022, DAMAC and de GRISOGONO launched the Safa Two tower while, in July 2022, the company announced the start of piling works at its Cavalli Tower project.

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Dubai-based Samana Developers has launched its $29.9mn Miami residential project in Jumeirah Village Circle, Dubai.

In a statement, the developer said that the project has been influenced by designs of the City of Miami, in the United States. The G+1P+6-storey Miami project symbolises a new niche in Dubai’s real estate space and is attracting investors, especially from North American and European regions, the developer added.

In April 2021, the developer broke ground on its Samana Golf Avenue project in Dubai Studio City. Earlier in 2021, the developer also said it was increasing the size of its salesforce in anticipation of greater post pandemic revenue potential.

The Art Deco architectural style of many of Miami’s most beloved buildings, Miami Modern, or MiMo for short, is a movement that has been recognised throughout the world for its historical significance in terms of designing the buildings, the statement continued.

Imran Farooq, the CEO of Samana Developers, said: “Dubai real estate is one of the world’s best in terms of bringing and hosting the foreigners who are stunned by Dubai’s lifestyle, eco-friendly and energy-efficient buildings.  We incorporate these features in our properties that make them popular in addition to Samana encouraging buyers with a flexible financing facility and 100% free UAE Golden Visa. Our investors and end-user-friendly approach keep us ahead of the competition.”

The project, spanning over 125,765sqft, is the first project in Dubai which has private pools with every one- and two-bedroom apartment. It is also said to host a leisure deck with a main pool, cascading water features, outdoor cinema, indoor and outdoor gyms, a sauna and a steam room, and a dedicated play area for children, in addition to other amenities.

“Apart from the attractive designs, the Miami project offers the space to enjoy sunbath under the blue sky at its spacious balconies that are complemented with beautiful urban gardens and private pools. That’s how we at Samana Developers add to the beauty of Dubai in addition to being On Time; Every Time in terms of project completion and delivery,” Farooq concluded.

In September 2021, the developer launched three ESG-inspired projects worth $110mn.

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Inspired by the best-selling children’s book “Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site” Caterpillar has released its latest Trial series video, which tells the story of Crane Truck, Cement Mixer, Dump Truck, Bulldozer and Excavator as they spend an action-packed day in the dirt.

The Cat Trials have taken on multiple tasks over several years, including playing a giant game of Jenga and lighting up a Chinese mountain side, which have racked up millions of views. In Cat Trial 13, the manufacturer brings that story to life with special guest appearances from three Cat dealer service trucks whose motto is “when you go to bed, we go to work!”

Cat Trial 13: Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site was enacted to celebrate the work operators do every single day and the commitment Caterpillar’s dealers make to provide support any time, day or night.

In May 2022, Caterpillar launched three new compact wheel loaders.

Crane Truck is a Cat TL642 Telehandler which can handle any task and “offers stability, maneuverability, speed and power in any application,” Caterpillar says.

Bulldozer is a Cat D6 Track Type Tractor with an integrated engine and power train designed and built by Caterpillar to work together for “maximum productivity, efficiency and reliability.”

Cement Mixer is powered by a Cat On-Highway Truck Engine, built “to have multiple lives,” while Dump Truck is a Cat 745 Articulated Truck, re-enhanced with new controls, transmission-protection features, hoist-assist system, advanced automatic traction control system, stability-assist machine rollover warning system and a fuel saving ECO mode.

In June 2022, Caterpillar said that it would move its worldwide headquarters to Texas.

Finally, Excavator is a 349 Hydraulic Excavator that comes with simple to use technologies like Cat GRADE with 2D, Grade Assist and Payload, helping to “boost your operating efficiency up to 45%,” the company says.

In September 2022, Volvo CE and Brio joined forces to inspire budding engineers through the launch of a wooden toy range.

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Big Project Middle East’s inaugural Digital Construction Summit saw attendance from several key personalities and decision makers from regional entities including the Dubai Municipality, Miral Asset Management, and many others. The event, which took place at the Anantara Downtown Dubai Hotel on 14 September from 9am to 5pm, recorded over 200 people in attendance.

The event comprised five highly curated panel discussions, eight presentations, a Dubai Municipality led workshop on 3D Concrete Printing, an interactive exhibition space and networking activities.

“It was a fantastic live event that gave us the opportunity to hear and exchange ideas with industry experts, and learn about the latest digital transformation solutions,” said Wajdi Mereb, Digital Construction and Digital Twin Expert at Miral Asset Management.

The event was endorsed by the Private Office of His Highness Sheikh Saeed Bin Ahmed Al Maktoum, as well as Dubai Municipality and buildingSMART UAE.

The event is an evolution of the successful Middle East BIM Summit, which first launched in 2015.

Firas Alsahin, Design Director at 4space, added, “I was delighted to attend the Digital Construction Summit; the event discussed many great topics and shared useful insights. I felt privileged to be part of a high caliber, regional experts panel to discuss the Metaverse’s impact on the future of construction.”

Commenting on the water sector and the potential benefits of digital twins, Umar Kazi, Utilities Director at AECOM Middle East remarked, “It was real pleasure to attend and moderate a panel on digital twin applications in the water sector. Water is a scarce resource and the water industry faces multiple challenges to conserve this precious resource. From the panel discussion it was obvious that the sector can hugely benefit from digital twins in terms of asset management, design and reduction in operational costs. Digital twins can also support the water sector to become more sustainable by implementing smarter solutions.”

Discussing the event and key takeaways, Prakash Senghani, CEO and Co-Founder at Navatech Group commented, “It was a very well attended event with a diverse set of participants from government, industry and academia. The main take away for me was that we’ve made great progress with digitalisation in the industry, but there’s still a long way to go. It showed me that we have to work even closer together if we’re going to meet the challenges such the digital skills gap, labour shortages and the impact of climate change.”

The Digital Construction Summit was sponsored by: Gold Sponsor: ASGC; Silver Sponsors: ASITE, The SNC-Lavalin Group, Topcon; Bronze Sponsors: AECOM, AESG, CUPIX, JT+Partners, Kairnial, KEO, ZOHO; Technical Partner: Bentley, ECC, OpenSpace; Exhibitor: Plan Radar; Knowledge Partner: BSI.

Lynne Davidson, Regional Marketing Manager – India, Middle East & Africa at ASITE remarked, “Another excellent event by Gavin, and the team at CPI Trade Media. They succeeded in bringing the industry together to discuss all aspects of digitalisation and the opportunities this brings to the region. Data continues to be the driving force of this digital transformation and the event featured a number of insightful sessions about the need to capture and use this data more effectively. We were delighted with the interest shown in the ASITE platform, and we’re looking forward to continuing these discussions. See you there next year.”

Carolina Fong Guzzy, Co-founder, Digital Engineering Manager at Accienta added, “The Digital Construction Summit encompassed key participants from the construction industry ranging from consultants, contractors, owners/developers and service providers. Every stakeholder shared insights on current approaches to change management, talent acquisition and retention, the latest technology applications, digital transformation methodologies and lessons learned.”

Mohammed Adib, Chief Design Officer at Dewan Architects + Engineers, commented, “The event was a very useful mix of attendants including contractors, designers, developers, suppliers and legislators. This is the perfect mix to get positive collaboration and take the construction industry into the next level of technological advancement.” Adib presented the firm’s newly formed Metaverse Architecture Department (MAD) and highlighted Babel 4.0 – a virtual space for members to meet and exchange ideas about design.

Guzzy concluded, “The event targeted present and future applications of construction technology in the built environment, from 3D printing to the Metaverse, digital twins, common data environment and cloud collaboration. It was a great transition from the successful ME BIM Summits. This is the event where industry professionals leading and changing our industry gather to interact and collaborate.”

To learn more about the Digital Construction Summit click here.

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Miral, in partnership with SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment, announced that it has reached 90% construction completion of its next-generation marine-life theme park – SeaWorld Abu Dhabi.

The mega-development is scheduled to open in 2023 and will be the latest addition to Yas Island’s tourism offering. It will include the UAE’s first dedicated marine research, rescue, rehabilitation and return centre, a statement from Miral said.

Located next to the marine-life theme park, the research and rescue centre will open later this year. It will support regional and global conservation efforts, providing an advanced knowledge hub with a focus on indigenous Arabian Gulf and marine life ecosystems.

In July 2021, GAJ announces handover of Miral headquarters.

The centre will be led by world-class marine scientists, veterinarians, animal care professionals, rescue experts and educators, who will collaborate with peers, environmental organisations, regulators, and academic institutions to impact long-term conservation efforts in the region. The rescue team will also be available to support authorities 24/7, explained Miral.

Commenting on this milestone, HE Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman of Miral said: “Abu Dhabi and the UAE has delivered longstanding marine conservation, and SeaWorld Abu Dhabi signifies the start of a new chapter in regional and global marine life knowledge, conservation, and sustainability. Our partnership with SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment to bring this next-generation marine-life theme park to the capital will help further position Abu Dhabi as a global tourism hub and contribute to its economic growth and diversification vision.”

Built across five indoor levels with a total area of approximately 183,000sqm, the marine-life theme park is in the final stages of construction completion of the interior themed guest environments, habitats, rides, and immersive experiences, Miral stated.

In August 2021, Kimmco-Isover said it won the contract to supply the acoustic ceilings package to SeaWorld Abu Dhabi.

Utilising SeaWorld’s experience operating marine-life theme parks for over 55 years, the purpose-built habitats and ecosystems for the animals that will call SeaWorld Abu Dhabi home have been designed and built using the latest technologies, aiming to provide the residents a dynamic environment that replicates their natural habitat, the company noted.

The marine-life theme park is set to be home to the region’s largest and most expansive multi-species marine-life aquarium. It will feature a myriad of immersive experiences and interactive exhibits, inviting guests from around the world to broaden their knowledge and appreciation of marine-life, while educating and inspiring.

The central “One Ocean” realm of SeaWorld Abu Dhabi links six distinct marine environments throughout the park, all of which tell a unified story based on the inter-connectivity of all life on earth and in our ocean. Within the central hub, guests will encounter fascinating ocean stories presented in an expansive 360-degrees fully immersive media experience, transporting them from one fascinating place to another, while they encounter much of the ocean’s diverse marine-life, learning how the One Ocean current impacts us all, the company explained.

Scott Ross, Chairman, SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment, said: “On behalf of the Board of Directors of SeaWorld, I’d like to thank Miral for their partnership as we work together to bring SeaWorld to Yas Island. We are honoured for the unique opportunity to be a part of Abu Dhabi’s innovative vision for economic diversification and growth as well as the emirate’s commitment to marine-life conservation.

He continued, “SeaWorld brings a legacy of inspiring love and conservation for the ocean and marine animals, and we cannot be more excited to extend our global conservation network and mission to protect marine animals and their habitats in the sea and gulfs surrounding the UAE. We look forward to celebrating the UAE’s history and deep-rooted connection to the ocean through the many incredible and immersive experiences at SeaWorld Abu Dhabi.”

SeaWorld Abu Dhabi will further support Miral’s vision to position Yas Island as a top global destination and a great addition to the island’s unique portfolio of attractions and experiences, the developer said.

Mohammed Abdalla Al Zaabi, Chief Executive Officer, Miral added: “We are proud to mark this significant milestone in the development of SeaWorld Abu Dhabi, in partnership with SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment, leveraging its legacy of marine animal rescue and rehabilitation. This is an important and transformational addition to Yas Island’s immersive experiences, which is yet another testament to achieving our vision for the island, positioning it as a top global destination.”

In March 2022, Miral and DCT Abu Dhabi confirmerd that work on the landmark Abu Dhabi Natural History Museum project will be completed by 2025.

SeaWorld Abu Dhabi is anticipated to contain more than 58m litres of water and be home to more than 150 species of marine animals including sharks, schools of fish, manta rays, sea turtles, reptiles, amphibians, and invertebrates in addition to hundreds of birds including penguins, puffins, murres, flamingos and more.

Marc Swanson, CEO of SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment, said: “It is a privilege to partner with Abu Dhabi’s leading creator of experiences Miral as we bring to life another extraordinary SeaWorld experience for guests with our first marine-life theme park in over 30 years and our first outside the USA.

“SeaWorld’s nearly six decades of caring for such a vast array of marine animals is what makes this possible and what enables us to introduce another first for the UAE region – a marine animal research and rescue centre for the UAE. We are excited to witness the impact that these endeavours will have on inspiring the next generation of marine animal conservationists across the UAE and advancing the causes of research, rescue, and conservation worldwide,” he concluded.

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Source: ME Construction News

Genie has introduced a new White Noise Alarm that detects movement on mobile elevating work platforms (MEWPs) and is an optional fitting for Genie equipment. The new alarm provides an alternative to a traditional tonal alarm and can reduce noise emissions on jobsites by up to 45%, the manufacturer says.

Like a traditional tonal alarm, the new White Noise Alarm sounds when a MEWP travels forward or in reverse, or moves up or down, the firm explained.

Construction Machinery Middle East will host the latest edition of its popular Access & Handling Summit on 16 November. The summit will touch on operator and site safety; registration is complementary but mandatory for construction professionals.

The manufactured not that instead of making a beeping sound, the White Noise Alarm makes more of a whooshing sound, which can be heard by personnel who are in direct proximity to the MEWP, but which dissipates quicker than a tonal alarm if further away, due to the technical acoustical differences in the alarm.

“On busy jobsites, personnel can become desensitised to competing warning alarms coming from a variety of equipment. However, because the White Noise Alarm makes a sound that is directional and not penetrating, it is more obvious from where the sound is coming. As a result, it is audible only to people who are near the equipment and serves as an immediate reminder to watch out,” says Bryan Williams, Genie Product Manager.

In June 2022, Genie brought its new hydraulic oil containment system to global markets.

In addition to crowded job sites, the alarm can be beneficial for environmentally sensitive work areas, or for after-hours work in locations where it is important to minimise public disturbances.

In September 2022, Genie recognised Galadari Trucks and Heavy Equipment with a dealer award.

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Swedish mining giant Epiroc has signed an agreement to acquire AARD Mining Equipment, a South African manufacturer that specialises in low-profile, underground machines for mines with low mining heights.

Based near Johannesburg, AARD designs, manufactures, services and supports a wide range of mining equipment including drill rigs, bolters, loaders and scalers.

In early September 2022, Caterpillar inked a deal to replace the haul truck fleet at a Chilean mine.

The acquisition is said to be part of Eprioc’s strategy to increase its underground product portfolio and expand its presence in the Africa region.

“AARD has reputable and reliable products that complement our underground product portfolio well,” says Helena Hedblom, Epiroc’s President and CEO. “This acquisition will further strengthen our growth ambitions in Africa and beyond. We are looking forward to welcoming the great team at AARD to Epiroc.”

The deal comes on the back of the RNP México acquisition that was completed by Epiroc at the beginning of last month. RNP México is based in Mexico with branches in both Chile and Peru, it develops, manufactures, and sells rock drills and related components, serving mining and construction customers mainly in Latin America.

“We are excited about the prospect of continuing to grow the business within the Epiroc Group,” concluded Mike Adendorff, AARD’s CEO.

In August 2022, Weir Mineral partnered with Eriez to offer coarse particle flotation systems.

For more news and content relating to construction machinery and accessories, visit Construction Machinery Middle East’s new digital home at https://constructionmachinerymenews.com.

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Dubai-based Virtuzone has said that it is partnering with pax.world to build its flagship metaverse office tower, which will be known as ‘The V’. Pax.world is billed as a blockchain metaverse with an early-mover advantage.

According to the organisation, the office tower has been designed to meet the needs of a growing global digital nomad economy, and will provide an interactive, end-to-end ecosystem for digital nomads, remote workers and global entrepreneurs.

The metaverse skyscraper is meant to attract and provide a virtual headquarters to millions of digital nomads, further foster and strengthen the UAE’s digital economy, attract foreign direct investment and cater to the changing needs of today’s modern entrepreneurs and remote workers, Virtuzone pointed out.

In June 2022, Ali Sajwani, General Manager – Operations at DAMAC and CEO of D-Labs shared his thoughts on the Metaverse exclusively with Middle East Construction News (MECN).

“It is our vision as a company to be at the helm of creating a border-less business environment, where geographical boundaries do not exist and entrepreneurs from all over the world enjoy the freedom to do business and transact with one another in a secure environment. Working hand-in-hand with pax.world signifies our solid commitment to making this a reality and to creating a future filled with possibilities and opportunities for startups, professionals and multinational corporations, especially in the Web 3.0 space,” said Virtuzone CEO George Hojeige.

The V will house a state-of-the-art virtual office environment offering features that individuals can use simultaneously, such as metaverse avatars, online video conferencing and communication capabilities, virtual meeting rooms, event spaces and town halls, the statement from Virtuzone noted.

The organisation also said that the V will enable businesses to establish tax-efficient legal entities, utilise legal decentralised autonomous organisation (DAO) structures, and benefit from real-world office spaces and mailing addresses, backed by a digitalised mail distribution system.

In July 2022, Lori Hufford, VP of Application Integration at Bentley Systems said that the intersection of digital twins, the metaverse, and the physical world is an ideal place to invest, allowing global teams to collaborate and solve complex infrastructure problems.

Frank Fitzgerald, Founder of pax.world remarked, “Virtuzone is the perfect partner for our professionally-based metaverse. They will serve as a launch pad for Dubai-based businesses to enter the world of Web3. We are excited and look forward to endless possibilities.”

In addition to providing a wholly-digital environment where entrepreneurs can seamlessly connect and network, The V integrates real-world corporate services and business solutions, thus providing a truly global and real-time solution, the statement concluded.

In July 2022, in an exclusive interview with MECN, Omnix Engineering’s Bhaskar Raman said that in the near future, cloud-based digital twins will serve predominantly as an asset management environment.

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Source: ME Construction News

Saudi Arabia plans to build three projects in the iron and steel sectors with a combined production capacity of 6.2m tonnes, according to a top government official. The total value of the projects is estimated to be US $9.31bn.

According to a Saudi Press Agency report which quoted Bandar Al Khorayef, Saudi Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources, one of the projects is an integrated iron sheet production complex with a capacity of 1.2m tonnes a year. Once complete, it will support the shipbuilding, oil platform and oil reservoirs manufacturing sectors.

In March 2022, Doosan Heavy Industries and Construction broke ground on a 400,000sqm forging and casting facility in Saudi Arabia.

He added that the ministry is working with local and international investors to establish a variety of investment opportunities in these sectors in the Kingdom.

Making the announcement during a speech at the Saudi International Iron and Steel Conference, Al Khorayef said that another project is being negotiated with international investors. He said that it entails the building of an integrated iron surface production complex with an annual capacity of four million tonnes of hot rolled iron, and one million tonnes of cold rolled iron, as well as 200,000t of tin-plated iron and other products. The complex will serve the automotive, food packaging, household appliances, and water transportation pipe sectors, Al Khorayef stated.

In August, Johnson Arabia completed works on a calcined petroleum coke plant in Oman.

Finally, a factory will be established to produce circular iron blocks with an estimated production capacity of one million tonnes per year. It will be the main introduction to the oil and gas industry’s unwelded iron pipes, the report concluded.

In September, JO Steel Holdings said that it had secured $692mn credit to set up a steel plant in Saudi Arabia.

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Source: ME Construction News