Expertise on a roll

World-class services at competitive prices have catapulted Australia to the forefront of the construction industry.

An architectural marvel of the modern world, the Sydney Opera House is not only one of the most photographed buildings, it is also instantly recognised worldwide as the image of Australia.

Along with other fine cultural institutions such as Parliament House, National Museum, National Gallery, High Court and the majestic Harbour Bridge, it stands as a tribute to the expertise of Australian engineering firms in civil and structural engineering and design.

With the hosting of the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games, Australian firms had an opportunity to show their expertise. This was evident in the design and construction of Stadium Australia and other facilities for the international event. The booming tourist market also revealed Australia's ability to deliver the highest standards in luxury resort and hotel complex design and construction.

The construction of high-rise luxury apartments in the central business districts of Melbourne and Sydney rival any in the region for innovation and quality design. Recently completed roads, bridges, tunnels, rail links and terminals further accentuate Australian engineering excellence.

What makes Australian skill and expertise appropriate for the Middle East region is that they share similar terrain and climatic conditions. " Australia is well experienced in building on sand, soft soil and construction of infrastructure," says Joel Hicks, Australian Trade Commissioner in Dubai. "Huge investments in technological innovations have enabled Australian construction firms to drastically cut down on labour costs as well as ensure immense savings on time."

World-class services at a fraction of European or US prices, without any compromise on quality, have catapulted Australia to the forefront of the construction industry. "The success of the Olympic Games also had a follow-on effect," says Hicks. "From medals to torches, to facilities fit-out, designing and engineering the main stadium, Australian solutions are found in every aspect at Doha, Qatar, hosts for the 2006 Asian Games."

Australia's ties with the Gulf go back more than four decades, says James Wyndham, the Australian Consul Commercial in Dubai. "In the past five years, the level of Australian representation, especially in Dubai, has grown tremendously. Currently there are more than 200 Australian companies registered with the Dubai Chamber of Commerce. Of these, 60 are involved in construction activities."

Almost half of the Australian population in the UAE is also in the construction trade, he says.

Annually, the Trade Commission office receives around 300 enquiries from Australian firms wishing to set up business here, he adds. "At the Big 5 Exhibition this year, Australia was the fourth-biggest exhibitor, and with the participation of 90 companies, it was the largest-ever Australian presence at the show."

Australian engineering design underpins the success of many technically complex projects around the world. This engineering expertise, built up over decades, has resulted in a highly trained and technically skilled design engineering workforce employed within Australia's leading edge consulting firms.

Using their internationally recognised quality management techniques, Australian construction contractors have built a solid reputation for delivering projects on time.

According to Guy Scott, Managing Director, APP International, " Australia is a small but highly sophisticated market using techniques and systems that are the world's best practices. As an independent project management provider, our professional approach using quality systems and procedures, combined with a willingness to integrate with local customs and practice, allows us to offer clients a reassuring level of certainty when setting project objectives."

To explain the company's growing presence in Dubai's extensive and highly competitive construction market, he says, "In an industry where big name players were managing significant projects ‘by the book', there was a niche for APP's flexible approach, results-driven attitude and high-level strategic skills that could also provide different options for clients."

Major players

Part of APP International's expertise is being able to plan large and sophisticated projects to ensure not only time and cost are within budget, but quality is also optimised, he adds.

CliftonConey Group is another Australian project management company that has been making a big difference on the UAE construction scene. Taking over the project management of 736 luxury villas at Jumeirah Islands midway through its construction phase and turning it around in record time, set the ball rolling for this firm's prospects in the UAE.

Says David Hendrie, Senior Project Manager, Clifton Coney Group (ME) Ltd, "Professional project management has become an industry staple as developers are keen to minimise their risk and complete their projects on time and on budget. Construction activities in the UAE are progressing at a brisk pace, but there is also a shortage of both skilled labour and adept management professionals. Tackling the escalating prices of raw materials is yet another challenge we face here."

Currently involved in the development of the Dubai Sports City, one of the most ambitious projects of the region, the firm is also overseeing two towers for Bavaria Hotels International and the Abu Dhabi-based Al Khalidiya Complex.

Delivering its first project in the UAE - the Emirates Towers office building - 17 weeks ahead of the contract date, and by completing floors at a rate of three per week, Nasa Multiplex set a new precedent in cutting-edge techniques in construction. A subsidiary of Australian-based Multiplex Constructions, the firm's successful completion of this prestigious project led to other major projects in the region, including the construction of six high-rise towers for the Dubai Marina complex, 15 residential towers at Burj Dubai, the 50-storey The Tower, Taj Palace Hotel, and Le Meridien's Grosvenor House Hotel, among others. "The majority of work we undertake is based on a design and construct approach, a concept that's new to Dubai," says Terry Martin of Nasa Multiplex. "The Emirates Tower contract was based on an innovative structural re-design and was the first in the region to be built using a modern slipform and structural steel and pre-cast systems."

The Tower, he adds, was a re-engineered project. "Multiplex's pre-cast and composite column re-design of the typical floors provided the client with time and cost savings over the original design."

Nasa Multiplex takes immense pride in delivering on time and within budget, he says. "The construction boom in the UAE has brought in so much competition that one needs to keep innovating and finding ways to build faster, despite a shortage of resources including skilled and unskilled labour."

The future prospects in the region look optimistic, says Martin. "The sheer sizes of the projects we are undertaking and the three-years' average duration of each, gives the industry very good stability."

Judging by the various projects undertaken by Australian firms in the UAE, it would appear that no scheme is too large or challenging for the capabilities and capacity of Australia's construction industry.