It was a pleasure to welcome Mr. N Prabhakar for the first session of WME India’s Knowledge Week.
With over 50 years professional experience and memberships to multiple organisations, including the Institution of Structural Engineers, Mr. Prabhakar shared his expertise to the WME staff with his presentation, ‘The Essence of Detailing in Structures’.
Two of Saudi Arabia’s ambitious planned tourism projects on the Red Sea coast are set to generate 57,000 jobs, a member from Saudi Economic Association has told the kingdom’s local media.
As reported in the Saudi Gazette, Dr Abdullah Al-Maghlouth said The Red Sea Project – one of three planned Saudi Arabian gigaprojects to diversify the kingdom’s economy away from oil – will create 35,000 job opportunities.
The 3,800km2 Amaala resort, announced by the kingdom’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) in September 2018, will also have the potential to create 22,000 job openings, Al-Maghlouth added.
At the time of its launch, PIF described Amaala as an “uber-luxury” wellness tourism destination, which will “sit alongside Neom and the Red Sea Project as part of the gigaprojects investment portfolio” that make up the Saudi Vision 2030 programme.
Meanwhile, Phase 1 of The Red Sea Project, due for completion in 2022, includes 14 luxury and hyper-luxury hotels, providing 3,000 rooms across five islands and two inland resorts. Yacht marinas, leisure and lifestyle amenities, and an airport to serve the resort will also feature during this phase, alongside “the necessary supporting logistics and utilities infrastructure”.
The Riyadh-based news outlet said Al-Maghlouth believed the “difference between the two [projects] lies in the fact that [The Red Sea Project] focused on developing exceptional tourist resorts on over 50 natural islands situated between Al-Wajh and Umluj cities”. Amaala, on the other hand, “invents a new concept for fancy and luxurious tourism focusing on recuperation, wellness, and recreation as per international standards”.
The report comes just under a month after The Red Sea Development Company, tasked with building The Red Sea Project, received approval for the gigaproject’s masterplan from its board of directors. The approved design will steer the development of 22 out of more than 90 islands at the destination, providing up to 10,000 hotel rooms across island resorts, mountain retreats, and desert hideaways.
Content Source: Construction Week Online
Video Source: The Red Sea Development Company
For the second time, WME have been commended with an “Award of Appreciation” for our active contribution and commitment towards Fire & Safety from the Dubai Aviation City Corporation.
The “Fire & Life Safety Awareness” campaign took place between 22nd January and 18th February 2019, with WME’s Holiday Inn and Staybridge Suites project being recognised for its commitment to fire safety.
A huge congratulations to all of the WME team on site.
Our Associate – Roads, Pavlos Panteliadis, is on site conducting the final snagging of the Nakheel Mall road network on The Palm, Dubai. The network linking the mall & hotel tower with parking, ramps and existing external networks was undertaken in 2015 and will be ready to be handed over in the next few weeks.
Raghunath Murthy will take on this role following 18 years+ of experience in the field of Integrated Design Engineering for Structural, MEP and Architectural services. This experience will aid the company’s efforts in the execution of Commercial, Residential, Hotel and Institutional Projects within the region, the Middle East and Asia.
WME were recently awarded a new-mixed use development in Mumbai, in Thane region, providing integrated engineering services including infrastructure design.
Speaking at WME Global’s January board meeting in Singapore, Peyman Mohajer, Managing Director said, “We are looking forward to making a start on our strategic plans for WME Global, which include a vision to establish a Work-Share Design Centre in India and also to be part of the fast growing regional India market. Raghu will form an integral part of this strategic plan and work towards WME becoming the ‘Engineer of Choice’ in our industry.”
Raghu will lead the overall design process to make sure all liaison inputs and constraints are incorporated in the development of the project. He has extensive experience in conceptualizing and implementing integrated design management processes, designing and developing systems/procedures. His last employment was with Piramal Realty, Mumbai.
Dubai-based developer Nakheel has started work on the infinity swimming pool at its 52-storey Palm Tower hotel and residential project on the Palm Jumeirah.
Described by the development giant as “one of the highest in the world”, the 210m-high pool will border all four sides of the tower’s 50th floor, with views across the Palm Jumeirah, the Arabian Gulf, and the Dubai skyline.
Covering 775sqm, the pool will hold 930,000 litres of water. There will be a podium above it, housing a 51st level speciality restaurant and a 52nd storey public viewing deck 240m-high.
Around 850 construction workers are currently on-site for The Palm Tower, with the number due to surpass 1,500 when internal fit-out work picks up in full swing in the next few weeks. Fit out of the accompanying St Regis hotel – due to open later this year – has already begun.
Located within Nakheel’s iconic Palm Jumeirah development, The Palm Tower comprises a 289-room St Regis hotel, 432 luxury residences and an array of dining and leisure facilities. The hotel occupies the first 18 floors, with fully-furnished studios and one, two and three bedroom apartments on the upper floors.
The tower is directly connected to the under-construction Nakheel Mall – the access point for the public viewing deck – and its 350 shops, restaurants and attractions.
Nakheel Mall, which has its own Palm Monorail station, is due for completion this year.
Content Source: Construction Week Online
“The two most broad ways of thinking about [how drones are used on a construction site]: understanding construction progress … using drone photos, drone maps and 3D models to map exactly what’s happened on a construction site,” DroneDeploy CEO Mike Winn explained in an interview on the subject. “The second way is using drones to help with site modelling—understanding the topology of the land before something gets built and bringing that into BIM software as a basis for planning.”
Moving away from the traditional surveying methods, drones make it possible to capture the exterior of a site far more cost-effectively and in extremely high definition. Autodesk’s Tristan Randall explained, “We’re seeing a lot different use cases, ranging from things like inspecting wind turbines—which may not involve 3D modelling but just using imagery or video—all the way to mapping huge mining sites, where you actually take that data into one of our design platforms like Civil 3D and InfraWorks and perform quantity take-offs, design new facilities and perform quantitative analyses”.
Despite what many may think, modern drones do not require the skills of an airline pilot in order to operate them. In fact, many of today’s drones fly autonomously, between designated points, capturing repeat imagery. On top of this, the software has become more sophisticated with ‘sense and avoid’ technology.
As is the way with all new market disrupting technology, there is resistance to the adaptation of new approaches in performance. Drones are no different, especially when some may see them as just a fad.
Alongside these presumptions was the fact that high quality drone hardware was extremely expensive, putting this new technology out of reach to most companies and enthusiasts.
Today though it is a different story. Drone technology has advanced incredibly and when you combine this with a much lower price point, it makes commercial sense to begin investing in it.
Another obstacle that comes from the use of UAV’s is the conflict with existing professions in the industry. An example would be surveyors, who now compete with a device that can capture and render much of an exterior of a building and bypassing their skillset and expensive laser measuring equipment.
But again, this comes down to the resistance to adapt. Surveyors would still be required for analysis and official sign-offs, things that cannot be handled by a robot.
One huge obstacle for drone enthusiasts (professional or hobbyist) is regulation. The mainstream media have highlighted numerous events in the last couple of years where UAV’s have disrupted sporting events and even international airports. Each country is implementing their own set of rules and devices in order to combat this disruption, from fines to infrastructure that brings down any drone flying in its vicinity.
But these should not be viewed as hinderances, just further adaptation to a new era of technology.
Now that the device has become affordable with high quality features, the rate of progression will be determined by the advancement in software used to interpret the data that’s gathered.
Speaking with WME’s Associate Engineer, Kareem Rui, he said “Drones are rapidly evolving in the engineering field and becoming one of the most effective tools for real-time construction monitoring. Combining the collected data with the right software can provide engineers the necessary information to track workflow, resources and ensure smooth delivery according to the allocated budget. The fact that you can monitor the project’s progress remotely increases the whole team’s efficiency as it reduces travel time to site and resource expenditure, while you can support and highlight any potential issues wherever you are in the world.”
“The latest advance in commercial drones is the recently introduced x-ray technology which is utilising Wi-Fi signals to penetrate certain materials to create high resolution 3D imagery of unknown areas behind walls. It would be interesting to see how this technology emerges in the coming years”.
With the right software to gather the data, UAV’s could contribute vastly in the development of BIM, the reduction of project schedules, budgets and error tracking. From those interviewed on the subject, it is clear that the engineering and construction industry is waking up to this new technology. The pros are now clearly outweighing the cons and soon drones will become an integral part in the construction process across the world.
At WME, our BIM portfolio includes malls, hospitals, mix-used high-rise towers, etc. We are also working on various Expo 2020 Pavilion projects where our aim is to deliver smart and intelligent 3D models where Industry Foundation Classes (IFC) data can be used throughout the project life cycle, from conceptual design through to operation and legacy.
“Identifying BIM goals and uses through quality design”
With a goal of quality design, reducing construction costs and eliminating field conflicts with less RFI’s onsite; 3D Coordination, Design Review and Drawing Production are the key BIM uses that are identified and deployed on almost every project that we deliver.
We use Digital Design Review processes, which helps to minimise the use of paper and with 3D review processes, it gives our engineers the strong understanding of how building/facility systems integrate with one another within the design phase itself. We’ve also developed in-house co-ordination processes, including a clash detection matrix, which facilitates Architects & Engineers to work together and prioritise elements from different trades in a sequential manner for clash resolution. This enables the project team to reduce any design conflicts between different trades and improve quality.
“Precision modelling of the finished product”
The WME BIM Team develops the LOD 300/350 models leveraging the virtual experience and optimising services coordination. This enables our design team to visualise potential constructability and accessibility issues in the design phase itself and before the project goes to site. This helps in reducing the number of RFI’s during construction.
LOD 300 models developed by WME can be easily further developed to LOD 400 and LOD 500 construction models. Our design documentation is enhanced with more information using 3D detailed views which helps increase project quality, productivity, efficiency and communication among all stakeholders at all stages of the project.
“The value and benefits of BIM are clear”
The value and benefits of BIM are clear for all involved. We see a clear demand for BIM services in the market but still it’s unclear what is expected by clients in terms of BIM. Employer Information Requirements (EIR’s) are not detailed enough or sometimes absent. Lack of understanding of BIM on the part of other stakeholders also sometimes creates a hurdle in the implementation of BIM as an actual use. In such scenarios, we at WME try to overcome these hurdles by conducting awareness about the technology and processes to the client project team.
“Not just limited to M”
BIM will not be just limited to “M” in the future. Modelling will become secondary to the importance of Information, or “I”, in the models which will be used throughout the project life cycle. It will not just be limited to design/construction phase. Instead of paper prints, hand held devices will be most commonly used on the job site with direct access to models. In the years to come, the BIM model-based information created will be used as a valuable resource for owners and operators, providing an efficient bank of information to control operation and maintenance tasks and all the relevant information about building service components.
WME Global is amongst sixteen construction consultants and contractors that have been recognised for their safety-conscious work – especially at heights – within the Dubai South master development (pictured). Between January and December 2018, Dubai South achieved 35.8 million man-hours without “any serious accidents or lost-time incidents” at its construction sites.
The ‘Safety at Heights’ campaign by Dubai South Occupational Health, Safety, Security and Environment Authority (OHSSE) was introduced to raise awareness among workers about construction site safety rules and regulations. As part of the campaign, consultants and contractors working within Dubai South were required to conduct activities that would increase safety awareness among workers.
Commenting on the programme, HE Khalifa Al Zaffin, executive chairman of Dubai Aviation City Corporation and Dubai South, said: “The highest risk within any construction site and most fatal accidents that occur [on site] involve working at heights. With any work activity that takes place at height, such as working on ladders, man-lifts, or on scaffolding, the risk of a fall resulting in serious injury or death is a fact.
“However, those risks can be managed by making sure that the work is always planned and organised with safety in mind. It is our obligation as the management team to ensure that our workers are safe, the condition which they work in and on, is safe and that they understand the risks involved in the work they need to carry out. Through campaigns like this, we will help raise awareness of the dangers and that the people will know they are empowered to work safely.”
Dr Wim Raath, head of OHSSE at Dubai South, said the participation of consultants and contractors within Dubai South would continue to be encouraged for Dubai South’s ‘Safety through the Empowerment of People’ (Step) Programme, of which Safety at Heights is a part.
“It is of paramount importance on all construction sites, as too many lives are being lost because people are not working safely in high locations,” Raath added.
“Unsafe conditions, incorrect use or damaged equipment and ignorance plays a huge role in not following the correct practices. Our aim through this campaign was to reduce the potential number of accidents resulting from fall from heights on construction sites and to provide support in empowering people in the construction industry, to stop and think before they undertake any work at heights. We are positive that this campaign will help cut the number of potential accidents and save lives.”
Dubai South’s safe man-hours achievement was described by Ramesh Narayanan, manager of OHSSE, as a reiteration of consultants and contractors to achieving Dubai South’s health and safety targets.
He added: “We applaud the effort of all of them and we encourage them to continue to be committed in providing a safe working environment especially for those working at heights while they safely complete all the iconic projects within Dubai South.”
Source: Construction Week
Welcome Vanja. To get started, tell us about your technical abilities and how you put them to use at WME?”
“I successfully carried out the structural design for Santiago Calatrava’s UAE Pavilion inspired by a falcon in flight, for the Dubai World EXPO 2020. When completed, the UAE Pavilion will be approximately 15,000m2 and will include exhibition areas, an auditorium, food and beverage outlets and VIP lounges. During my engagement on the UAE Pavilion project, I performed various complex and demanding tasks in different fields of structural engineering such as analysis, design and construction supervision. I am especially proud of the work carried out on this project.”
See more on the UAE Pavilion project here.
As an Engineer, how do you feel you have contributed to the success of WME Global’s projects?
“I have helped on several projects carried out by WME during the last year. Due to very onerous project requirements, most of my work was related to the completion of structural design for the UAE Pavilion, one of the most complex buildings to be built for Dubai Expo 2020. Successful delivery of this project has significantly contributed to WME’s growing presence at Dubai World EXPO 2020 as well as to the company profile and demonstrated ability to deliver projects of the highest complexity.”
“My commitment, attention to detail, hard work and quality of work produced also helped WME Global satisfy expectations of extremely high standard international client’s such as Santiago Calatrava.”
How do you advance your professional development and where do you see engineering in the region headed?
“Well, I started her career in 2012 as a graduate structural engineer in Serbia, where I advanced from the position of a graduate to a chartered structural engineer. I moved to Dubai in March 2017, to take up a role of Structural Engineer at WME and i’ve been a member of the UAE Pavilion project design team since.”
“I’m motivated by curiosity and desire for new opportunities to learn and develop. I really enjoy working on challenging projects that require tenacity, innovation and dedication.”
“I am an active member of the engineering community in the region an abroad, as well as being a member of Engineering Chamber of Serbia.”
Vanja is nominated for Engineer of the Year at the Construction Week Online awards on 4th December 2018. WME wishes her the best of luck!