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HABTOOR ENGINEERING 

   The Joint Venture between Al Habtoor Engineering Enterprises and Murray & Roberts is helping transform the BurJuman Centre, one of Dubai ’s premier shopping malls, into a total leisure destination. Ben Smalley reports.

    The BurJuman Centre has been an established favourite with shoppers since it opened in 1992, but the mall is set for even bigger and better things through a massive Dh1 billion redevelopment and expansion project which is transforming the existing shopping centre into a total leisure destination.

    The expansion will increase the retail floor space of the mall from its current 300,000 square feet to 800,000 sq. ft., but will also include two residential towers, an office tower and a number of special features designed to set it aside from the competition - including an entertainment section with a focus on ‘edutainment’; a state-of-the-art multi-screen Cineplex; a fully equipped health club and a large multi-cuisine food court and speciality restaurants.

    The Dh 274million contract for the construction of the superstructure has been awarded to the Joint Venture between Al Habtoor Engineering Enterprises and Murray & Roberts, which has already constructed some of the most prestigious buildings in the region, including the Burj Al Arab.

    As lead contractor, the Joint Venture also has responsibility for the co-ordination of the post tensioning, special steel roof features, curtain walling system, external façade cladding, façade cleaning systems, stone cladding, waterproofing, 50 lifts and 26 escalators.

    Project Director, Nasr A. Nasr, said: “This is definitely one of the biggest projects going on in Dubai at the moment and we are pleased to be associated with it - it is a unique project with some unique features and will definitely be a showcase for Dubai .”

    Planned around the existing BurJuman Centre, located in the heart of Dubai 's affluent residential area alongside the city's financial hub, the Al Ghurair Group, which owns the mall, envisages the new BurJuman as a benchmark for the retail, hospitality and entertainment industries.

    Majid Saif Al Ghurair, President of the BurJuman Centre, explained: “In the BurJuman Centre, we have a successful premium product that has carved a niche for itself in the highly competitive retail environment in Dubai .

    “However, we could not rest on our laurels and have been inspired by the message of His Highness General Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and UAE Defence Minister – ‘In the race for excellence, there is no finish line.’ We continuously strive to sustain BurJuman’s position as the pioneer and leader in retail and leisure development in the region.

    “For me, the new BurJuman is a watershed project for our group. We feel the new BurJuman strategically fits into the Government of Dubai’s plan to maintain Dubai ’s position as a world-class travel and leisure destination.

    “To create this exceptional destination, we have commissioned a team of 20 international consultants, who are specialists in their field, to partner us in this project. The team comprises professionals who have contributed in creating landmark developments across the world, such as Dubai ’s Burj Al Arab.”

    In explaining the vision for the new BurJuman, Al Ghurair added: “In customer and retail surveys that we periodically conduct, we have gauged that shoppers in the Middle East are increasingly favouring a mall that’s more than just a shopping destination. This feedback has propelled us to incorporate elements such as extensive landscaping and many more futuristic initiatives.”

    The Joint Venture began work on the expansion project in April this year, and has an overall completion date of October 30, 2003 – although different sections have earlier completion dates.

    “We have different milestones and different dates for handing over different areas,” Nasr explained. “The retail podium is the first one to be handed over and connected to the Bur Juman, and meanwhile we will continue with the towers on top with the new retail extension already operational.”

   The retail podium consists of four levels and a mezzanine floor - including the spectacular roof level, which will incorporate the Cineplex, food court and a Royal Pavilion - and will eventually be joined to the existing BurJuman Centre.

    “There is still a dividing wall between the existing Bur Juman Centre and the extension,” Nasr said. “We are taking the utmost care not to disturb shoppers by minimising the noise, which is difficult on a site of this magnitude, but so far we are doing quite well. At the end when the retail podium is handed over to the client, this intermediate wall between the existing Bur Juman and the new extension will be demolished and the whole lot will be connected together.”

    Rising from the top of the retail podium will be the two residential towers - a 22-floor apartment block and a 23-floor apartment block, while the office tower will be 26 storeys above ground level.

   The two apartment towers have been designed to overlook landscaped rooftop gardens and will comprise 200 furnished and semi-furnished condominiums in duplex and simplex styles, besides a block of fully furnished luxury apartments. Future residents will also have access to an exclusive health club, play areas, dedicated car parking and round-the-clock security.

    The office tower will provide almost 32,000 square metres of space, including state-of-the-art offices, a hi-tech business centre, exclusive conference rooms, a fully-equipped gymnasium and other sports facilities. It will also have a concierge style lobby, high-speed elevators, easy access to the retail centre, restaurants and a health club, in addition to an enchanting view of the landscaped gardens.

    “It is a huge construction,” Nasr said. “The office tower is very unique because of its oval shape, and overall it is an extremely beautiful and complex project. The time frame we have is extremely tight, but we have a good team spirit on site and are confident that we will give the client his project on time and with the quality for which we are famous.”

    The Joint Venture is working with a number of subcontractors on the project - BBR (post tensioning design and installation), Mero (special roof features/glazing/curtain walling to podium and office tower), Alico (external cladding carrier system to podium/curtain walling to office tower/apartments), Melco (lifts and escalators) – and also hopes to be awarded the contract for the interior finishing, which has yet to be awarded.

    Nasr, who is also Project Director for the ongoing construction of the 50-storey Shangri-La Al Jaber Complex on the Sheikh Zayed Road , which is also being constructed by the Joint Venture, has been working with Al Habtoor Engineering Enterprises for eight years – starting as a Project Manager before being promoted to Project Director two years ago.

    Previous projects he has worked on include the Al Nakheel Villas (100 villas on the Abu Dhabi road), the Oman Insurance building, Dubai Customs Headquarters, the Jumeirah Beach Hotel, the Dubai Airport Expo and two projects of 200 villas in Abu Dhabi.

    Nasr says the Joint Venture between Al Habtoor Engineering Enterprises and Murray & Roberts is continuing to grow from strength to strength as a dynamic force in the region’s construction industry – which will be boosted further by association with the BurJuman Centre expansion.

    “Our history in the UAE and overseas is very well known,” he said. “We have completed similar showcase projects and have others ongoing at the moment. In addition to the BurJuman Centre and the Shangri-La Al Jaber Complex, the Joint Venture is also constructing the new National Bank of Abu Dhabi headquarters, which will be the tallest building in Abu Dhabi .

    “We have also now started Madinat Jumeirah which is one of the biggest projects taking place in Dubai . We also have the new ADNOC Headquarters in Abu Dhabi, as well as previous projects we have completed like Al Kendah House on the Sheikh Zayed Road, Sharjah City Centre, and of course the Burj Al Arab, which were all constructed by the Joint Venture.

Schüco International - "Preparing the way to Success"

    As with all projects undertaken with Schüco International systems, quality is a prerequisite.

    To achieve the quality that is being demanded within the market today, it must be recognised that ‘Teamwork’ is of prime importance. When we talk of ‘Teamwork’, we refer not only to the co-operation between active groups within the company’s own organisation - naturally that is essential - but the word ‘Teamwork’ encompasses all who are responsible for the end result.

    With the BurJuman development, it has been necessary to work closely with the Design Architects, Contractor, Project Managers, Client and Fabricator to ensure a full understanding of what is to be provided. Logistically this has been complex as designers from England , Germany , Dubai and Singapore are involved. However, through close co-operation between these parties, the intricacies of the design are being resolved and will lead to a successful conclusion for the project.

    From the initial introduction of a project, the Client, Consultant Architect, Consultant Engineers, Quantity Surveyors, Contractor, Fabricator/Installer and the Systems organisation are all part of “The Team” that is essential if the project is to be a success.

    Clients have become aware that, whilst they wish to ensure they obtain the best for the money available, they cannot always afford to accept the ‘bottom line’ quotation. They are recognising that the continuing functionality of the building is a prime requisite and maintenance factors must be taken into consideration.

    Continual repairs not only expend valuable capital that could be put to a better purpose, but also frustrate tenants who will eventually seek out a building with a better reputation.

    Naturally, maintenance of a building is as important as the maintenance on an individual’s car as, without planned maintenance, both will eventually fail.

    Selecting a system is not something that should be attempted in isolation.  With the availability of many cladding organisations, it is essential that input be obtained from the Services Engineers, who can consider the thermal and acoustical requirements at an early stage and evaluate what is being offered and its suitability for the project. In addition to this, ensuring that all the items within the ‘system’ are part of the ‘tested’ system on offer can reduce the risk of failures at a later date.

    It may also be advisable to keep the client informed at various stages of the development to keep him aware of the reasons why a particular system is being considered and how this will affect the success of the building.

    What do we mean by success? Success is not only limited to producing a pleasing visual and functional building - the success of a project must also encompass the satisfaction of the end user.

    There may be many innovative ideas which the client should be made aware of to give him the opportunity of selection and make his building more desirable in terms of appearance and efficiency.

    To bring information to the design team and client, Schüco has established a centrally located Architectural Advisory Service, which it operates from the Dubai Airport Free Zone. The function of this Advisory Service is to provide information about product availability and the selection of systems. Subsequently, information and details which will make the process of design preparation easier can be provided.

    Establishing the parameters at an early stage and being provided with efficient details for a given project will not only ease the tendering procedure, but can make evaluating tenders a less arduous task whilst ensuring that the quality required is maintained.