Building on expertise

The role of Canadian construction companies cannot be ignored in supporting continued growth in the UAE.

Almost from the time the UAE came into being, Canadian know-how has been part of the country's progress. Since early '90s, several Canadian companies have set up Middle Eastern operations, conveniently executed from Dubai. They continue to provide their valuable expertise in various fields, especially in design and construction and infrastructure development, consultancy, project management as well as interior design and decor. Coming from an environment that is multiethnic and similar to that of the UAE, these Canadian companies have been able to adapt quickly and meet the challenges in this region.

Martin Mileham, Vice President, Middle East Operations, NORR Group Consultants International Ltd, says, "We are a long-term and established participant in the local construction industry, an international architectural and engineering design firm responsible for the delivery of iconic buildings in Dubai such as Emirates Towers, National Bank of Dubai, Shangri La Hotel and others. We have been instrumental in — and are proud to be a part of — Dubai's and the UAE's phenomenal growth which we have witnessed and participated in since our establishment in 1989."

"Our international edge is that we are able to draw resources, skills and experience from our worldwide offices through our Toronto 'home base'. We have combined with our Canadian counterparts to bring together teams able to design and deliver projects such as Atlantis on The Palm Jumeirah — that particular example facilitated our client (North America-based) in design of the project in North America via our Canadian base and deliver it in the UAE in a seamless manner, drawing upon 15 years of local UAE experience," adds Yahya Jan, Vice President and Design Director, NORR Group Consultants International Ltd.

Some of the other projects of NORR include Emaar Business Park, residential towers in several Emaar properties and Damac properties as well as those of United Real Estate and Delta Properties, Marriott in Abu Dhabi, Union National Headquarters and interiors of several bank branches in Abu Dhabi.

Cansult Maunsell is another established company which is now one of the largest firms offering engineering services in the Middle East and employs more than 1,500 skilled professionals as well as administrative and support staff. The recent merger that created Cansult Maunsell brought together two of the leading firms in the Gulf, each representing different but mutually complementing field specialities.

Cansult Maunsell and AECOM offer a unique blend of global reach, local knowledge, innovation and technical excellence, and have been involved with the design and management of several infrastructure projects besides design of roadways, bridges and buildings across the UAE, including Global Village, Etihad Towers and other commercial, hospitality and residential buildings.

SNC-Lavalin, one of the leading groups of engineering and construction companies in the world, is a major player in the ownership of infrastructure and provision of operations and maintenance services. The SNC-Lavalin companies, with offices across Canada and in 34 other countries around the world, are currently working in about 100 countries. Among other projects in the UAE, SNC-Lavalin is engaged in a joint venture with its Australian partner WorleyParsons to design and build a new aluminium smelter for Emirates Aluminium (Emal) in Abu Dhabi.

Watt International is a strategic design company that specialises in the design of branded retail experiences. "We feel our unique point of differentiation in this market is the actual process by which we work and design. Watt is a comprehensive studio that is trained to design the identity, environment and environmental communications for the retail businesses as well as their packaging. Strategically, we always think about how to grow our client's market share. Retailers always strive to be top-of-mind with their clientele and to sell as much products as possible. Everything Watt does maintains this core focus to grow market share," says Andrew Gallici, Executive Creative Director of Watt International and based in Dubai.

Dubai Festival City, Plug-Ins Electronix, Souk Extra! and Magrudy's are some of the projects executed by Watt International in Dubai. "Getting to understand this market has been a bit of a challenge. Timeframes are generally tight. Fit-out and technical skills are inconsistent and varying.
Combating a 'design-build' mentality and educating clients through an integral 'design process' have also taken up time and energy from our staff," says Gallici who is confident that the company will continue to provide its services to the UAE and the region. Watt International is in the process of officially opening an office in Dubai.

Feature Factory (FEFA) is the largest company in Canada devoted to the design and construction of eye-catching and media-savvy architectural features and special projects. It was the first Canadian company to be featured on the front page of the guide to Big 5, the largest annual meeting place for the Middle East construction and contracting industry. The article featured the equestrian sculpture created by FEFA for the new BinHendi Avenue retail complex. FEFA has been a strategic resource to the global marketing, design and architecture communities since 1984. Its workload in 2005-2006 includes projects in Miami, Las Vegas, New York, Barbados, Dubai, Macau and various locations in Canada.

The design and engineering team of Activated Decor have developed products in the area of lift motorisation for more than 30 years. Their creations include everything from motorised blinds and paintings to flat panel televisions. Activated Decor products such as the Tele-Lift and the Elmira line of pop-up TV furniture are much sought after in the UAE.

Global Contract, established in 1993, provides effective business solutions in a fully integrated line of systems furniture, wood casegoods, laminate desking, seating and filing. Global Middle East office is located in Dubai and provides various furniture solutions to this market.

According to Mileham of NORR, the future prospects for the construction industry in the UAE are very strong. Economic prosperity, a growing population and increasing liberalisation of the UAE economy will result in a sustained demand for real estate development projects in the
foreseeable future. He says, "As in the past, we expect Canadian companies to play a significant role in supporting tnontinued growth of the UAE."

Gallici echoes his sentiments and says, "As long as the UAE grows at this exponential rate and Canadian expertise remains strong in relation to international firms, I believe there will always be a Canadian presence in the UAE."