Red Sea Global (RSG) has awarded the design contract for the Rosewood Hotels and Resort at Triple Bay to Saudi-based Salco. Per the terms of the deal, Salco, a specialist in external works, site development, infrastructure, utilities, landscape, and irrigation, will be responsible for softscape works.

The Saudi group will transform the outdoor areas of the property, in line with the design concept which aims to implement a spectacular landscape for guests to enjoy, the firm explained in its statement.

“We are thrilled to collaborate with Red Sea Global on this monumental project. Our partnership signifies a shared commitment to delivering exceptional projects that surpass expectations. Like Red Sea Global, we are driven by a common vision of excellence, sustainability, and environmental stewardship,” said Salco CEO Yehya Kreidieh.

Discussing the contract award, Fahad Al Balawi, Head of construction at Amaala said they are delighted to appoint Salco for softscape works. He noted, “We signed them up for this Rosewood Hotels and Resort project mainly because of their expertise in delivering extraordinary outdoor spaces.”

Established in 1982, Salco brings more than 40 years of expertise and an exceptional track record which makes them an ideal partner for this landmark project, he added.

The post RSG appoints Salco to Rosewood Hotels and Resort project at Triple Bay appeared first on Middle East Construction News.

Source: MEConstructionNews

Godwin Austen Johnson (GAJ) has said that Dubai’s Ladybird Nursery is the second in the Middle East to achieve LEED Gold Certification. GAJ designed the project, which is located in Al Barsha, Dubai, and said that the first Ladybird Early Learning Centre – which it also designed – was the first to achieve the certification in 2016.

Based on a points system, LEED certification is a globally recognised symbol of sustainability achievement providing a framework for healthy, efficient, carbon and cost-saving green buildings, the firm said in its statement.

The Ladybird Early Learning Centre and the Ladybird Nursery have both achieved the highest scores for a pre-school outside of the United States, with scores of 72 points and 68 points respectively, and are the only LEED certified nursery schools in the UAE.

“Creating sustainable, healthy buildings is more about being clever with the design, understanding and working with the local vernacular architecture air infiltration and by utilising natural lighting where possible. It doesn’t need to be overly complicated,” said Jason Burnside, Managing Director at Godwin Austen Johnson.

Completed in August 2022, the Ladybird Nursery is a single storey building with indoor and outdoor play areas. Each of the three age groups defined within the Ladybird Nursery has their own distinct area and all the spaces are accessed through the main reception for security and supervision.

The school was designed with open classrooms and shared learning spaces to create an unrestrained and boundary-free environment using architectural features such as roof overhangs, deeper windows, and the overall orientation of the building for more passive sustainable design strategies, the firm added.

Burnside added, “We employed a number of both active and passive measures to achieve LEED Gold status including the installation of high performance variable refrigerant flow (VRF) units which are highly energy efficient providing zoned comfort with precise temperature control. We also specified LED light fittings connected to light and PIR sensors.”

Walls and adjoining facilities are kept to a minimum to encourage flow and avoid inhibitory barriers and additional innovative learning and social spaces have been created within the nooks and corners of the building. Small, coloured pods in the shape of small houses have been added as storage spaces, the statement concluded.

The post Ladybird Nursery in Dubai achieves LEED Gold Certification says GAJ appeared first on Middle East Construction News.

Source: MEConstructionNews

A new report from Asteco says that the Dubai real estate market has continued to significantly outperform many of its worldwide peers; and meanwhile, sales activity for completed and off-plan developments in Abu Dhabi reached highs not seen in almost a decade. Both emirates demonstrated great resilience in the face of rising interest rates and inflation, stated the Q2 2023 report.

For Abu Dhabi, the Asteco report indicated that approximately 1,400 apartments were added to the market during Q2 2023, with another 2,200 apartments and 850 villas expected for delivery by the end of the year.

Whilst new supply was distributed across most established International Investment Zones, the majority was delivered within the Al Reem Island and Saadiyat Island master plan communities in Abu Dhabi.

Several new projects are also in the planning or design stage, with official announcements expected later in 2023 and early 2024. The market also saw a number of new projects launched for sale in Q2 2023, including Murjan Saadiyat, The Source on Saadiyat Island and Jubail Island – Phase 3. In the rental market, rates for both apartments and villas within prime and high-quality residential developments increased between 2% and 5% over Q2 2023.

Prime villa communities, particularly those located on Saadiyat and Yas Islands, remain the most sought-after, with rental hikes of up to 10% over the same period last year. Mid and low-end developments remained relatively stable with nominal rental rate changes. Lower-end stock, on the other hand, has continued to face pressure from rising supply and an ever-expanding number of options.

Furthermore, there was high demand for office space, notably in the Grade A/B+ category, with interest expressed from both existing companies seeking to expand their footprint and new entrants to the Abu Dhabi market.

Strong transactional volumes for completed and off-plan developments were also recorded in Q2, with the end-user segment accounting for a significant amount of this demand.

Average villa sales prices within Abu Dhabi increased by nearly 2% throughout the quarter. However, sales prices for high-end and well-established villa communities continue to outperform, with some achieving sales price growth closer to 6%.

In addition, prime and high-quality off plan projects, located on Saadiyat and Yas Islands, have been well received with sales prices ranging between $408 and $1,034 per sqft.

On the Dubai market, Asteco said almost 11,000 residential units were delivered over Q2 2023, with apartments accounting for the majority of this stock (9,400 units).

Although villa supply slowed over the quarter, it is expected to pick up again in the second half of the year. The pace of supply is forecasted to further increase thereafter, with close to 20,000 completions planned for 2024/25.

Despite continued demand from existing tenants and newcomers, the market is not immune to changes in the real estate dynamics, including those at a micro level. Some areas, like Meydan (with the addition of Azizi Riviera), Arabian Ranches 3, and Al Furjan, saw minimal rental growth due to increased supply.

On the other hand, popular communities like Dubai Silicon Oasis (Cedre Villas), Al Waha/Layan Villas, Jumeirah Beach Residence (JBR), and The Greens/Views experienced above-average rent increases due to limited availability and tenant movement.

In the rental market, average apartment, villa, and office rental rates increased by 6%, 3% and 6% respectively over the quarter and 21%, 23% and 25% annually. Though the upward pressure continued unabated across all asset classes, the pace of increase has slowed within some communities and asset classes, particularly within the villa segment.

The post Abu Dhabi and Dubai real estate buoyant in Q2 appeared first on Middle East Construction News.

Source: MEConstructionNews

Bahrain’s Electricity and Water Authority (EWA) has announced that it has received a high standard of bids from consultants wishing to take a principal role in setting-up nine 66kV substations in the Kingdom. These include tenders from Canada’s SNC-Lavalin and Ireland’s Esbi Engineering.

As per the tender notification, EWA proposes to complete the work on all the nine 66kV substations within the next five years. This requires consultants who are familiar with working on large scale projects under significant time pressure, with a proven track record in the power generation marketplace.

Initial comments from the Bahraini utility company explained that SNC-Lavalin has emerged as the lowest bidder, with a figure of US $5,488,023, followed by EsbiI Engineering’s $5,545,114.

The scope of work includes carrying out technical and engineering studies, preparing a range of project specifications and engineering designs, as well as evaluating offers and supervising the contractors during the period of implementation. The nine projects are set to play a key role in the delivery of Bahrain Economic Vision 2030, which has at its heart the full and comprehensive delivery of high-level utilities able to support and drive the kingdom’s proposed economic expansion.

The post Bahrain receives bids for key substations appeared first on Middle East Construction News.

Source: MEConstructionNews

A breakthrough has been announced by Adnoc and the National Central Cooling Company (Tabreed), following the conclusion of testing on two geothermal wells at Masdar City in Abu Dhabi. The project is said to be the first in the Gulf region to harness geothermal energy.

The project was enabled by Adnoc’s initial US $15bn allocation towards low carbon solutions and will support its decarbonisation plan and Net Zero by 2045 ambition, as well as the Abu Dhabi Climate Change Strategy and UAE Net Zero by 2050 Strategic Initiative.

According to a statement, the project will decarbonise the cooling of buildings in Masdar City, further diversifying the UAE’s energy mix and support the UAE National Energy Strategy 2050, which aims to grow renewable energy capacity to 14GW by 2030.

“Across Adnoc, we are developing and deploying innovative climate technologies and low carbon solutions to deliver on our accelerated decarbonisation plan and Net Zero by 2045 ambition. Geothermal heat is a clean and renewable source of energy abundantly available in the UAE and capable of providing baseload electricity. However, until now, it has remained an untapped source of energy. By leveraging technological advances, for the first time Adnoc and Tabreed have unlocked this clean energy source to decarbonise one of the most energy intensive sectors in the country,” said Musabbeh Al Kaabi, Adnoc Executive Director for Low Carbon Solutions and International Growth.

The wells produced hot water at temperatures exceeding 90-degrees Celsius and flow rates of approximately 100 litres per second (l/s). The hot water generated by the heat from the wells pass through an absorption cooling system to produce chilled water, which will then be supplied to Tabreed’s district cooling network at Masdar City, accounting for 10% of its cooling needs.

Currently, the cooling of buildings accounts for the majority of the UAE’s electricity consumption. District cooling offers a sustainable alternative to traditional cooling methods, as it is around 50% more energy efficient in its standard operations. Leveraging geothermal heat for district cooling operations has the potential to significantly reduce electricity demand for cooling from the grid, helping to decarbonize one of the most energy intensive sectors in the region, the statement added.

Khalid Al Marzooqi, CEO, Tabreed added, “The integration of geothermal energy with district cooling operations represents a significant advancement in the UAE’s journey towards diversifying its energy mix and achieving Net Zero by 2050. We are proud of our collaboration with Adnoc to accelerate our decarbonisation efforts in the lead-up to COP28, which also underscores our commitment to exploring the latest technologies and harnessing the power of renewables to meet the rising demand for sustainable cooling.”

Adnoc is pioneering the development of geothermal energy in the UAE, which can provide a supply of clean baseload energy for electricity generation. Building on the success of the project, Adnoc is also working with several companies to maximise the contribution of geothermal energy in the UAE using the latest drilling and power generation technologies, the statement concluded.

The post Adnoc and Tabreed to decarbonise cooling through use of geothermal energy appeared first on Middle East Construction News.

Source: MEConstructionNews

The Oman and Etihad Rail Company, the developer and operator of the railway network connecting Oman and UAE, has invited prequalification bids for freight facilities, depots and stations linking the two GCC states.

An ambitious project, the UAE-Oman Railway Network aims to facilitate passenger and freight movement, create rewarding job opportunities for professionals in both countries, and foster sustainable development and stronger ties through the development and operation of a safe, secure, and efficient railway network connecting the two Gulf nations.

The 303km Oman-UAE railway network will extend from Sohar Port to the UAE National Rail Network, linking Oman with Abu Dhabi.

As per the tender document, potential contractors must demonstrate individually – or as a joint venture/consortium – that they have the necessary resources and expertise to meet the following requirements.

The bidders must be a local company – or a JV/consortium led by a local company – registered in the UAE or Oman, as applicable, to deliver the package(s) in the relevant country.

They must have recent experience executing projects of a similar size, or nature (rail freight facilities, rail passenger stations, and rail maintenance depots, etc.) in a railway environment.

Bidders must also have a reputation for timely completion, quality work and design and build experience.

The prequalification documents will be available for purchase and downloading through an e-Payment Services Gateway until August 24.

The post UAE-Oman Railway announces competitive tender appeared first on Middle East Construction News.

Source: MEConstructionNews

The Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) has announced that Abu Dhabi energy group Masdar has emerged as the preferred bidder for the construction and operation of the 1,800MW 6th phase of the Al Maktoum Solar Park project.

The major project is being developed on an ‘independent power producer’ (IPP) model, at a total cost of US $1.5bn.

DEWA has achieved, through this phase, the lowest Levelised Cost Of Energy for any of its solar IPP projects so far, coming in at a remarkably low rate of $1.6215 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh).

The Dubai utility has received 23 expressions of interest from international applicants to develop this project. The Request for Qualification (RFQ) was released to market in November last year.

Announcing the preferred bidder, Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD and CEO of DEWA said, “The 1,800MW 6th phase of the solar park using PV solar panels based on the IPP model will become operational in stages starting from Q4 of 2024. The project documents, Power Purchase Agreement (PPA), and financial close agreements will be signed in due course.”

The total capacity of the solar energy projects commissioned at the solar park has reached 2,427MW. When completed, the solar park will reduce over 6.5m tonnes of carbon emissions annually.

The share of clean energy in Dubai’s energy mix is about 16.3% from its total installed capacity. This percentage will reach 24% in 2026 with the completion of the Sixth Phase and the remaining phases under construction of the Solar Park.

The post Masdar is leading bidder for mega solar project appeared first on Middle East Construction News.

Source: MEConstructionNews

Emaar Properties has announced first half (H1) 2023 revenues of US $3.3bn, with net profit growing by 15% compared to the same period last year, reaching $1.3bn. The Dubai-based group added that the H1 results showcase consistent performance and operational efficiency across its various businesses.

Emaar’s consistent performance was driven by the growth in tourism, retail sales, and sustained real estate demand in Dubai. Meanwhile, a focus on improving profit margins and operational efficiencies resulted in achieving higher EBITDA, which grew by 5% to $1.7bn compared to H1 2022.

Emaar achieved H1 2023 group property sales of $5.5bn, a 14% YoY growth. Supported by incremental property sales, the company’s revenue backlog from property sales reached $17.1bn as of 30th June 2023. This backlog represents future revenue from property sales to be recognised over the next few years.

During the period, Emaar has received credit rating upgrades from major rating agencies S&P (BBB), Moody’s (Baa2) and Fitch (BBB), all with a stable outlook. These upgrades reflect Emaar’s financial performance and improved financial position. Overall, these positive indicators point to a better outlook for Emaar’s future.

Mohamed Alabbar, Founder of Emaar said, “Emaar’s recent performance reflects our ongoing commitment to sustained profitable growth and in our focus on meeting the needs of our loyal and new customers. Our investments have resulted in strong returns, driving our growth and improving our operations. We are confident in our ability to continue executing our business strategy and meeting customer demand as we move forward in the year.”

In terms of divisional results, Emaar Development, a majority-owned subsidiary, achieved property sales of $5.2bn during the first half of 2023, reflecting a growth of 25% over H1 2022. The UAE build-to-sell operation reported H1 2023 revenue of $1.7bn and successfully launched 16 new projects in the UAE.

Meanwhile, in H1 2023, Emaar’s shopping mall, retail, and commercial leasing operations reported an 8% growth in revenue compared to the previous year, reaching $844mn. During the same period, the portfolio yielded an EBITDA of $871mn, a 77% increase over H1 2022. This success is credited to robust tenant sales, which rose by approximately 30% compared to H1 2022. Emaar Malls Management’s prime mall assets achieved an impressive occupancy rate of approximately 96%.

The post Emaar Properties delivers strong H1 performance appeared first on Middle East Construction News.

Source: MEConstructionNews

UAE-based Roya Lifestyle Developments has joined hands with leading lifestyle hospitality group Ennismore for the launch of its inaugural project – SLS Residences at Palm Jumeirah, set to open in 2026.

Roya said the partnership with Ennismore will result in residences that offer an extraordinary lifestyle experience coupled with a playful ambience, culinary artistry, theatrical interiors, subversive design touches, and unexpected ‘indulgences’.

A company spokesman explained that: “Roya will develop unique living experiences where luxury meets legacy for a refined lifestyle. Under the leadership of real estate industry professionals with over 30 years’ experience, Roya Lifestyle Developments aims to redefine contemporary living by offering unparalleled luxury in the heart of the city. Roya values balancing modern advancements in architecture and technology with timeless elegance to create opulent residences. With a focus on prime locations, meticulous design, and impeccable construction, Roya’s vision is to offer properties that boast unrivaled views and upscale amenities.”

Roya (which is Arabic for ‘vision’) takes a creative approach to harmonious living, combining classic sophistication with highly contemporary facilities.

“With a focus on creating timeless, refined living, Roya strives to shape the future of ultra-luxury real estate and provide its customers with unparalleled experiences,” the spokesperson concluded.

The post Roya to launch ultra-luxury SLS Residences appeared first on Middle East Construction News.

Source: MEConstructionNews

Arada and the American University of Sharjah (AUS) have collaborated to design a series of façade prototypes for the cladding of a substation at the Aljada megaproject in Muweileh. Sponsored by Arada, the Thick Skins design studio was a partnership between academic and industry partners that provided students with an important learning experience regarding architectural practice, including concept design, site analysis, design development, and coordination with consultants.

Taught by Associate Professor of Architecture Jason Carlow, a group of 18 students in their final year of studies at AUS’ College of Architecture, Art and Design (CAAD) researched and designed innovative and meticulously detailed cladding systems for the existing substation, which is operated by Sharjah Electricity, Water and Gas Authority (SEWA). The students reviewed real-world benefits in a series of classes taken under the guidance of AUS faculty members and Arada’s design and creative teams, a statement from Arada noted.

“This collaboration with AUS is in line with Arada’s vision of creating open and inviting spaces that are designed for people and cities. Façade design for public infrastructure can play an important role in uplifting cities and this project also represents a great example of Arada’s determination to foster creative partnerships with key stakeholders in the local community. We were impressed by the quality of the students’ work and look forward to building on this experience by introducing further hands-on initiatives in the near future,” stated Ahmed Alkhoshaibi, Group CEO of Arada.

Designs submitted by the students for the façade, which has a perimeter of 369m and a height of 12m, adapted global architectural best practices to local conditions, providing a wide range of approaches. These included flexible designs to take into account differing environmental conditions or exposure to the sun, the sustainable use of recycled construction materials, as well as the design of deeper facades designed to integrate structures or offer compelling architectural spaces. As part of the project, students undertook field trips to factories and buildings in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, as well as welcoming Evan Levelle, Principal of UK-based façade consultancy Front, who both presented his own work and reviewed their progress, the statement added.

Dr. Varkki Pallathucheril, Dean of CAAD at American University of Sharjah added, “We are always pleased to work with members of the private sector that are able to offer our students practical experience and skills that will prove invaluable in their future workplaces. We’re grateful to Arada for their support and guidance in providing a unique experience that encourages students to successfully tackle the challenges associated with real-life projects.”

The first review was said to have been centered on a prototypical towers skin module and was conducted by Huang Lee-Su, Instructional Assistant Professor at the University of Florida’s School of Architecture; Elie Mrad, Chief Architectural Officer at Arada; and Melissa Bayik, Senior Creative Director at Arada, while the second review focused on substation presentations and involved John Folan, Professor of Architecture at the University of Arkansas; Sand Helsel, Emeritus Professor at RMIT, and various faculty members from AUS.

The final presentation of the substation by the AUS students to Arada’s Group CEO, Ahmed Alkhoshaibi, was held in the presence of senior AUS faculty including CAAD Dean Varkki Pallathucheril; George Katodrytis, Professor of Architecture, and Jason Carlow, Associate Professor, Department of Architecture, the statement said.

The post Arada partners with AUS to design façades for infrastructure at Aljada appeared first on Middle East Construction News.

Source: MEConstructionNews