Creative engineering solutions

Australian know-how in project management, property development and other aspects of the construction industry has come to be accepted, and expected, in the UAE over the past decade.

Several leading companies in the Australian construction sector have set up their overseas offices in Dubai to cater to the industry in the country as well as the region.

They have brought invaluable expertise in their field to the booming construction sector and enhanced it with their refreshing ideas of architecture, design, methods, project management and more.

Building expertise

Nasa Multiplex LLC was one of the earlier Australian construction specialists to come to the UAE. A joint venture of Multiplex Constructions in Australia and the UAE's Naser Abdullah Hussain Lootah's Nasa Group of Companies, Nasa Multiplex today is a major building operator with various completed projects and several under construction in Dubai.

The completed projects of Nasa Multiplex include the Emirates Office Tower, Taj Palace Hotel, Al Ghurair Apartments refurbishment, Al Fattan Properties Building, six towers on the Dubai Marina and the Creekside Union Properties Apartments.

Current projects include 15 residential apartment towers for phases one, two and three of the Burj Residences project, as well as a six-tower residential project on the Dubai Marina.

Nasa Multiplex has clinched a contract for the design and construction of an 86-storey office, residential and retail complex in Dubai.

The Union Properties project, called the Index - located in the heart of the Dubai International Finance Centre - incorporates 25 levels of office space, 520 apartments and penthouses over 50 levels with other levels being occupied by parking, retail, services and landscaped podium.

While Nasa Multiplex has appointed international firms to provide the architectural concept and design development of the project, Union Properties has engaged Edara-APP, a joint venture between edara, a Dubai-based project management group, and APP, a renowned Australian project management company, as project managers during the design and construction phases of the Index.

APP, Australia's largest independent project management service, is present in the UAE not only as part of joint ventures but also as APP International (APPI) and is a hands-on project delivery organisation that has moulded its business to respond to the demands of the developing nations in which it operates.

APPI's professional approach using quality systems and procedures, combined with a willingness to integrate with local customs and practice, allows it to offer clients a reassuring level of certainty when establishing project objectives.

Project management

Having pioneered and delivered many project management solutions for some of Australia's leading commercial, leisure, industrial and residential projects, APP's experience is extensive and encompasses all phases from rezoning of major sites to feasibility analysis, planning and development management, local government approvals as well as overseeing construction delivery and marketing.

"We are finding that the success experienced by APP International here is due to our ability to understand the client's business from start to finish. We give more than just project management and get close to the client to provide a smaller team of high-calibre professionals to achieve the highest value returns," says Eddie Sammut, General Manager Middle East of APP International.

In addition to the Index tower and a tower on Shaikh Zayed Road, APP is project manager for Ritz Carlton Hotel and Apartments, Dubai University Campus in Academic City, and a range of projects from hospitals to residences across Dubai.

Another large and successful Australian company that has brought its high standards and expertise in project management to the UAE is Clifton Coney Group (CCG), which has 11 offices worldwide - in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Vietnam and the UAE.

CCG has extensive experience in managing major government, institutional, commercial, retail, residential, transportation infrastructure and urban redevelopment projects.

Foreign markets

CCG launched an overseas office in Dubai in 2003 as part of its strategic initiative to investigate opportunities and compete in foreign markets.

The company has been functioning as project managers for Al Khalidiya complex, EREC new buildings (Federal National Council Building), Dubai Sports City, Dalma and Al Yassat towers and Jumeirah Islands.

The latest projects managed by CCG include three towers in the Dubai Marina, called Skyview, Royal Oceanic and Yachtbay tower respectively.

Greame Fenton of CCG says, "It is essential to have a multicultural attitude to work successfully in this environment and CCG, coming from Australia and working in various markets around the world, has that attitude in plenty."

Sunland Group, which has 23 years of experience in property development in Australia, is now in the UAE as an equal partner of Emirates International Holdings. The new entity is known as Emirates Sunland Group (ESG) and has offices in Dubai.

Based on Sunland Group's reputation for top-quality residential and commercial properties in Australia, ESG has announced the development of several high-profile projects in Dubai.

These include the design, development and ongoing operations of Palazzo Versace Dubai, the world's second Versace branded hotel, a master-planned community resort development called White Bay in Umm Al Quwain, and D1 which is an 80-storey residential/resort apartment tower to be built on the Dubai Creek.

D1 is a sister tower to Q1, the world's tallest residential tower that Sunland Group completed on the Gold Coast, Australia in 2006. Due to Sunland Group's constant attention to detail and innovative designs, Q1 has received several internationally recognised architectural awards.

D1 is to be a spectacular tower and a candidate to become another architectural landmark not only in Dubai but the world.

Soheil Abedian, Managing Director of Emirates Sunland Group, says, "Sunland Group is celebrating its 23-year anniversary and international expansion, beginning with the establishment of Emirates Sunland Group and the opening of our offices in Dubai six months ago.

This will set new standards of excellence for design, project management and property development in the UAE and the entire Middle East.

"It is a very exciting time for the group and we are keen to showcase to the region the credentials of Sunland Group and the quality of the award-winning developments we have created in Australia," says Abedian.

JMA Architects is at present working on a large distribution centre and office building for Abdul Latif Jameel Company in Jeddah. The company is keen to finish the project and establish a presence in the market and create the all-important links with its construction partners and suppliers.

James Millar, Director of JMA, will be a speaker at the 2006 Warehouse Conference in Dubai in December. He believes that attending such events has been an excellent way of introducing the practice and some of the creative architectural solutions to potential clients.

Infrastructure projects

Leighton Asia is currently working on the infrastructure projects in the City of Arabia within Dubailand in Dubai and on a world-class Equestrian Centre for the Qatar Foundation in Qatar.

"We have been in the region only for about a year now and hope to be a significant contributor to the construction industry here just as we are in South East Asia where we have worked for the past three decades," says Graeme Dunn, General Manager for the Gulf Region of Leighton Asia.

Several other companies from Australia involved in different aspects of construction, ranging from cast concrete products and paint to interior fittings and lighting, are operating here.

Seeing the participation of the increasing number of Australian companies in construction-oriented exhibitions, such as the Big 5 and Cityscape in Dubai, it is logical to conclude that the UAE in particular, and the region in general, will benefit from Australian expertise in various facets of the construction industry in the foreseeable future.