Building a great reputation

The construction sector is one of Canada's largest industries, representing 12 per cent of gross domestic product and employing around one in every 16 of the country's workers. Canada is renowned for its superior construction methods, sustainable design and
its capabilities in the domains of engineering.

A number of Canadian construction companies are now operating in the UAE, taking advantage of the construction boom and offering their high levels of expertise. Around 70 companies took part in the Big 5 trade fair last year and participation is expected to increase by
about 25 per cent this year, according to
Sanam Shahani, the Trade Commissioner.

An impressive roster

Canadian firms have been involved in
major UAE developments at various stages, from urban planning to design, engineering and project management. Some examples of these include the National Bank of Dubai, Emirates Towers, Shangri-La hotel, Dubai Marina, Dubai Festival City, Sharjah Expo Centre, Sharjah Mega Mall, Burj Dubai, The Atlantis hotel, Dubai Sports City, Dubai Promenade and The Palm Jumeirah.

According to Shahani, the diversity of projects being undertaken makes the UAE a very attractive country for Canadian companies to do business in. "These companies like to see growth that is consistent and this surely exists in Dubai, with some of the neighbouring emirates showing equal promise," she says. "The easy market access, excellent re-exports and free zone facilities, and the
fact that businesses can conveniently diversify into neighbouring markets has encouraged many to locate here successfully."

There are a number of high-profile Canadian companies operarating in the UAE. KCL is a well-established full-service general construction company servicing Ontario, Canada and Dubai. It specialises in new construction as well as addition and renovation of institutional, industrial and commercial facilities.

Best practices

"In 2007 KCL began conducting a feasibility study regarding the construction companies in the UAE,"says John Gioia, general manager at KCL Contracting and Engineering, "During this period, the UAE was identified as a growth region. While studying the market and observing the various construction methods, we acknowledged an opportunity to provide our services to the region.

One of KCL's strategies is to provide Canadian construction methods and practices to assist the UAE in achieving its building growth objectives. We would like to see other builders benefit from our methods, practices and experiences." NORR Group Consultants International Ltd,
is another established company that offers
full-service architecture, engineering and interior design. The company has 15 years of UAE experience and has worked on projects such as the Emaar Business Park, the National Bank of Dubai, residential towers in several Emaar properties and interiors of several banks in Abu Dhabi.

NORR has offices in both Abu Dhabi and Dubai.
SNC-Lavin specialises in engineering
and construction. The SNC-Lavin companies,
with offices across Canada and in 34 countries, are currently working in about 100 countries. Among its projects, the company is currently engaged in a joint venture with its Australian partner WorleyParksons to design and build a new aluminium smelter for Emirates Aluminium (Emal) in Abu Dhabi.

Sustainable construction

Canadian construction expertise in the
region spans from project management to design, building and management.

In recent years, there has also been a rise in new and innovative building products and technologies, with a particular emphasis on advanced building systems, green technology, energy efficiency and sustainability. Gioia says that Canadian construction is renowned for sustainable construction.

"Sustainable construction practices are escalating in the commercial and residential construction industry as more consumers demand environmentally friendly building practices. Projects can still be delivered on
time and budget, while using cleaner, stronger and safer building methods. Canada definitely pushes the envelope towards sustainability," says Gioia.

The Globe foundation, a not-for-profit private business foundation that was established in Vancouver to promote the business case for sustainable development, will be holding
one of its environmental events in Dubai
this autumn. The event will have a significant focus on sustainable construction methods
and the use of green and energy-efficient buildings in all future developments.

Building better cities

The previous Globe event, which was held
in Vancouver in March this year, had various conference themes including how to build better cities, where leading planners, architects, urban design specialists and municipal leaders shared how they are incorporating sustainability principles into the design and construction of buildings,
urban transportation systems, and energy
and water systems.

Bright future

The future of the Canadian construction industry is looking bright, with an economic boost from the government being announced in February this year.

In the next four years C$3 million will be awarded to the Construction Sector Council to support the council's work in dealing with skilled labour shortages.

The funding will enable the Council to focus, over the next four years, on implementing its plan for programmes and projects that respond to skills needs, strengthen human resources and create new opportunities in the Canadian construction industry. Additionally, Export Development Canada (EDC) plans to map the construction industry's supply chain in order to help Canadian construction find
new business efficiencies.

Things are also looking promising in the
GCC region. According to official statistics
from the EDC, the total volume of construction exports to the GCC from Canada was C$79.2 million (about Dh279.11 million) in 2005, while the EDC's total business support
in the GCC was valued at C$622 million
(about Dh2.191 billion) in 2006.

Amidst the rapidly growing property development sector, Canada has established a solid market in GCC countries through its high-quality construction products, with exports of construction machineries to Kuwait and the UAE amounting to Dh97.1 million, and veneer, plywood and engineered wood products to the UAE valued at Dh6 million in 2005.