< PreviousCOVER STORY WWW.CONSTRUCTIONWEEKONLINE.COM20 CONSTRUCTION WEEK AUGUST 2021 COULD “FUTURISTIC” SKY PODS SYSTEM RESOLVE UAE COMMUTE CRISIS? INTERVIEW AND WORDS BY RANJU WARRIER | PHOTOGRAPHS BY USKY TRANSPORT In an exclusive conversation with Construction Week, Oleg Zaretskiy, CEO of uSky Transport talks about the company’s sky pods transportation system in Sharjah, how it could ease traffic congestion, and its environmental benefitsFOLLOW CONSTRUCTION WEEK @CWMIDDLEEAST COVER STORY WWW.CONSTRUCTIONWEEKONLINE.COMAUGUST 2021 CONSTRUCTION WEEK 21COVER STORY 22 CONSTRUCTION WEEK AUGUST 2021WWW.CONSTRUCTIONWEEKONLINE.COM The world is becoming more cautious of developing environmentally-friendly and potentially cost-effective means of transportation. However, it is still battling the commute crisis on a daily basis due to traffic congestion. “If you look at the current situation with the global transport system, accidental rate in traffic is huge,” says Oleg Zaretskiy, CEO of uSky Transport. According to the 2019 TomTom Traffic Index, traffic congestion has increased globally during the last decade. Of the 416 cities included in the Traffic Index report, 239 saw a spike in congestion levels between 2018 and 2019. That accounts for 57% of participants. Construction Week refrained from using the 2020 report as traffic congestion around the world was at an all-time low due to global lockdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Although technological advancements are keeping innovators and engineers on their toes to find innovative solutions to traffic problem, traffic congestion has increased as urbanisation sweeps developing nations. “Implementing our system, [sky pod], especially in developing countries with under-developed transport systems, will help save a significant number of people from being caught in road accidents,” Zaretskiy says. Much like Zaretskiy, most countries are considering futuristic transport systems, such as hyperloops, autonomous helicopters, super trains with maglev technology, and sky pods, which are crawling through conventional transport systems to solve the traffic crisis. In the Middle East, the UAE, which is regarded for innovation in infrastructure and digitisation, is doing its part by testing sky pods for an energy- and cost-efficient transport system of the future. Supporting this move, the Test and Certification Centre of uSky Transport is developing a sky pod system in the Sharjah Research Technology and Innovation Park (SRTI Park). uSky Transport is a part of Unitsky String Technologies, which is headquartered in Minsk, Belarus. The company’s sky pod transport system moves above the ground on a special string-rail overpass, and helps in optimising aerodynamics, increaseing speed, and ensuring a high level of safety. According to Zaretskiy, it also promotes the rational use of land and resources, while minimising environmental impact. “Our system does not interfere with the movement on the ground, which is dedicated for living beings, for agriculture, and irrigation purposes,” Zaretskiy notes. He explained that the system provides passenger and cargo transportation services in a separate space, suspended in the air above the ground surface. According to Zaretskiy, the system produces a minimal to zero carbon footprint. He notes: “From a sustainability perspective, the futuristic transport system has a low resource and energy consumption at all stages of its life cycle.” Unlike traditional cable cars, which run on a conventional pulley system, the sky pods system is based on an innovative string rail technology, which is an ordinary concrete or steel reinforced beam or truss The sky pod transport system is being tested at the Test and Certi cation Centre in Sharjah [Image: Supplied] The company is also testing a cargo pod in addition to the UCar at its 400-metre-long test track in SRTI Park [Image: Supplied]COVER STORY AUGUST 2021 CONSTRUCTION WEEK 23WWW.CONSTRUCTIONWEEKONLINE.COM with a rail head, additionally reinforced with strings that is formed by a bundle of pre-stressed steel wires. The system was invented by Russian scientist, Dr Anatoli Unitsky, Chairman of the Board of Directors and General Designer of Unitsky String Technologies, and a member of the Russian Cosmonautics Federation. Explaining Unitsky’s idea behind the system, Zaretskiy says: “Dr Unitsky rightly considered that the main application of these systems should be somewhere, where the growth of population makes the demand for transport natural. These parts of the world are Africa, Middle East, Asia – mainly India and Pakistan. “In order to be close to the customers, he [Dr Unitsky] decided to set up the facility in the UAE. And this was based on two reasons. The first one being the UAE’s strategic location as a preference for people coming from India and Africa.” The second reason, according to Zaretskiy, is the company’s plans to have its commercial project up and running in the Middle East, particularly in the UAE. He explains: “When people from the region see a new technology in Russia, Belarus, Germany or the US, the first question they ask is how this system would work in hot climatic conditions. To answer that question, we set up our Test and Certification Centre in Sharjah’s SRTI Park, which would enable us to test and operate the system by ourselves first.” uSky Transport’s testing facility along with their office is located on a 280,000m2 area, rented out by the SRTI Park within its premises in Sharjah. During the site visit, Construction Week got a first-hand experience of the project’s test track. The team stepped into the UAE’s first high-speed electric sky pod, a four-seater UCar, which covers a 400-metre distance — the length of the test track — in less than a minute at a speed close to 50km/hour. Zaretskiy explains that the sky pod, UCar in this case, can travel upto 150km/ hour, however for “safety reasons the test track cannot be operated at the maximum speed for now”. The sky pod has a white finish on the outside and features two padded armchairs and two foldable seats on the inside, in addition to a display screen that shows a presentation on string technology system by Unitsky String Technologies. Recalling the time when construction began on the test track, Zaretskiy notes: “The actual construction started in 2018. We had a very stringent bidding process The sky pod prototype features two padded armchairs and two foldable seats on the inside [Image: Supplied] Dr Anatoli Unitsky, Scientist, Chairman of the Board of Directors and General Designer of Unitsky String Technologies [Image: Supplied]COVER STORY 24 CONSTRUCTION WEEK AUGUST 2021WWW.CONSTRUCTIONWEEKONLINE.COM during the pre-construction stage.” He says: “The first challenge for us was to appoint a local consultant who would match our expectations because this is not just an ordinary project. The sky pod transportation system is a special project from a structural point of view.” uSky Transport appointed International Engineering Consultants as the local consultant with Al Serh Al Kabeer Construction as the general contractor for the project. “We were able to bring on board one of the finest contractors in the emirate. However, we had to implement several training sessions to make sure the contractor understood the project’s dynamics, and how it is different from building high-rise structures and skyscrapers in the city,” Zaretskiy adds. Having constructed the passenger and technical station for the 400m test track, the companies are currently busy constructing similar facilities, about 14-metre-high, for a bigger test track, which will be 2.4km long and is expected to open in November 2021. Zaretskiy says: “At this point, we have achieved a complete understanding with the consultant and the contractor, and are happy with their work.” A permanent commercial line will be built in the UAE by September 2023. “Construction will soon commence on this line,” he notes. When Construction Week took a ride in the sky pod accompanied by Zaretskiy and Dzianis Yunitski, Managing Director of uSky Transport and son of Dr Unitsky, the temperature outside was over 45° Celsius. “Even in a high temperature, the ride in the sky pod was nice and comfortable. This is a real achievement. And all this has been possible because of Dr Unitsky and his engineers,” Zaretskiy says. Unitsky String Technology has deployed a team of over 600 engineers at its test site for practical implementation of string innovative technologies, their international expert evaluation, and certification at the EcoTechnoPark in “Implementing our system [sky pods], especially in developing countries, will help save a significant number of people from being caught in road accidents” OLEG ZARETSKIY CEO, USKY TRANSPORT Oleg Zaretskiy, Chief Executive Of cer uSky Transport [Image: Supplied] International Engineering Consultants is the local consultant and Al Serh Al Kabeer Construction is the general contractor of the project [Image: Supplied] COVER STORY AUGUST 2021 CONSTRUCTION WEEK 25WWW.CONSTRUCTIONWEEKONLINE.COM data, internet of things (IoT), and artificial intelligence (AI) to imporve the operational efficiency of their transportation systems. “We are exploring ideas to implement blockchain technology into the control system of the transport,” Zaretskiy says. “So, the systems such as ticketing, movement, controlling, as well as safety, will be unified and integrated with the blockchain technology.” While technology will be an integral part of the sky pod transportation system’s operations and maintenance, the company will train more operators, once the project becomes commercial. “There should be certain people involved in the operations, such as maintenance technicians, operators, technical supervisors, and ticketing managers,” the CEO notes. According to Zaretskiy, this move will help uSky Transport improve the operational and maintenance efficiency of the system. In the long run, the company is also looking at setting up a manufacturing facility in the UAE, where it currently operates training as well as warehousing facilities to store materials. Wrapping the interview, Zaretskiy says: “With the development of our first test track, we have gained the right experience for the sky pod transport system. And now, we are ready for commercial projects.” He smiles: “uSky Transport, through the sky pod system, aims to transform the future of transport not just in Sharjah or the UAE, but around the world.” Maryina Gorka, Minsk. “At this test site they have various departments for string rail overpasses, for the development of transporting pods — which range from Unibike to Unicars (UCar) to Unibuses — as well as for the design and construction,” Zaretskiy explains. “The sky pod we took a ride in was also produced in Minsk, and we have two more pods coming here in Sharjah soon; one is a cargo pod for containers and another one is a Unibus, both are currently under production.” While construction work continues on the longer test track, Zaretskiy tells Construction Week that the team is simultaneously busy “publishing standards that are applicable to an innovative system such as the sky pods”. “We want to publish these standardisations with the Emirates Authority for Standardization and Metrology (ESMA),” he stresses. “Through this the UAE could become a native ground for this technology. However, we know that this could be time consuming, so we are now appointing third party companies, such as Gloitt, TÜV, Bureau Veritas, to independently evaluate the safety features of our system.” He adds: “When we begin our commercial project, we will involve them from the design stage, which is when the safety certification should be done, followed by certification of raw materials, assembling unit, and the final product.” Many companies in the UAE are embracing future techonology applications, such as blockchain, big FLEXIBLE ADAPTATION Nadeem Shakir, Technical Director Transport Planning – Middle East at Aurecon on how sky pod system could change the transport landscape of Sharjah As the population grows, there is an increase in demand for living spaces, which makes cities overcrowded. This naturally impacts existing road and transport network causing congestion and commute crisis. According to future mobility expert, Nadeem Shakir, Region Technical Director (Transport Plan- ning) – Middle East at Aurecon, “innovation” is the right solution to combat an overcrowded transport network. Talking about how the sky pod system will tranform the face of transport in Sharjah, Shakir says: “The sky pod system is being developed considering the local needs of Sharjah. The suspended transit technology is land-efficient. It is also quite different from other typical technologies because it is more flexible and adaptable.” He adds: “Unlike lot of other futuristic transport technologies, which are either focused towards first-last mile solution to cater to shorter trip distances, or other high speed breakthrough technologies, which are more oriented towards the long-distance travel, this technology [sky pod] can be adapted for the shorter or longer travel distance depending on the travel demand and requirements.” Shakir has been optimistic about the sky pod transport system, which is based on a string rail technology. He notes: “I find this technology quite interesting, and I am looking forward to see how it will solve the future transport condition in Sharjah. “The need now is for the Multimodal and Integrated Transport solution, which can be used for short and long term future.” The current consul at the technical centre for its 400m test track controls, operates, maintains, and manages the pods [Image: Supplied]LEADERS EGYPT 26 CONSTRUCTION WEEK AUGUST 2021WWW.CONSTRUCTIONWEEKONLINE.COM The developer is using post-tensioning concrete, which not only helps reduce cost but builds the structure ef ciently Construction Week wrapped its Lead- ers in Construction Egypt summit for the first time discussing the huge developments in the North African country such as the New Administrative Capital, Cairo Metro Line, as well as desalination and wastewater treatment projects. Through four panel discussions, featuring top construction leaders, the event focused on Egypt’s construction industry, how to best position organisations to capitlise on current market conditions, and where the areas of growth lie. Leaders in Construction Egypt was held at the JW Marriott Cairo on 13 July 2021. EGYPT SETS NEW STANDARDS EGYPT SETS NEW STANDARDS FOR SMART CITIESFOR SMART CITIES What does it take to build a smart and sustainable city for the future? We asked. Egypt’s leading contractors, engineers, architects and construction experts answered. “The Evolution of New Cities in Egypt” panel at Leaders in Construction Egypt conference summarised the North African nation’s technology adoption; retention of ‘human’ elements of a city with the development of the New Administrative Capital city; and the need for a balanced architecture. The panel was headlined by Eng. Perihan Elwy, VP of Operations, Africa, Hill International; Darryl Custer, Executive Director, KEO International Consultants; Arch. Waleed Raafat, Managing Director, MT Architects; and Eng. Moustafa Kazamel, General Manager, ASGC. Speaking at the event, Arch. Waleed Raafat, Managing Director, MT Architects, said: “The New Administrative Capital represents a new era and vision, and is expected to align with the latest technologies.” Some panellists also deliberated on Egypt’s architectural landscape to potentially reflect that of Dubai. “Dubai is now a successful model for any country on the path to develop further. The New Administrative Capital will soon be like Dubai, especially owing to its strategic location,” stressed Arch. Raafat. Commenting on the need to consciously retain humanisation within Egypt’s landscape despite technology acceleration, Darryl Custer, Executive Director, KEO International Consultants said: “It is important to be creating environments where you are leveraging technologies as appropriate, but also balancing it with traditional culture and environments. The environment we’re aiming for must not strip away the culture of the place.” Echoing Custer’s thoughts, Eng. Perihan Elwy, VP of Operations, Africa, Hill International said that the “human” aspect of any country or city, anywhere in the world, cannot entirely fade. EGYPT’S AMBITION AND VISION IS “INTACT” TO REPRESENT “A NEW ERA” Construction Week highlights the key takeaways from the Leaders in Construction Egypt Summit that addressed the issues and opportunities surrounding Egypt’s construction sector “The New Administrative Capital represents a new era and vision, and is expected to align with the latest technologies” Arch. Waleed Raafat Managing Director MT Architects [L-R] Moderator, Ashley Williams; Panellists, Eng. Perihan Elwy, Hill International; Eng. Moustafa Kazamel, ASGC; Darryl Custer, KEO International Consultants; Arch. Waleed Raafat, MT Architects [Image: ITP Images]LEADERS EGYPT AUGUST 2021 CONSTRUCTION WEEK 27WWW.CONSTRUCTIONWEEKONLINE.COM “IMMENSE” OPPORTUNITY FOR EGYPT’S WATER SECTOR “Water is the driving force of all nature,” said Leonardo da Vinci. However, today the world is at the brink of a massive water shortage, making it the single biggest concern globally. In Egypt, as well this concern is escalating to a greater extent. The average amount of available water remains constant, but the population continues to grow. Currently, the World Bank estimates Egypt’s population at over 102 million. “The Opportunities in Water Projects” panel explored ways in which construction stakeholders in Egypt are contributing to the sustainable development of the water sector. The panel featured Ahmed Farouk, Regional Commercial Manager for Africa at Metito; Hazem Kamal, CEO of Intech; and Gamal Abdelzaher, Chief Technical Officer and Joint-CEO of Phloem Co. With water shortage continuing to challenge the North African nation, the implementation of the National Water Resources Plan, a $57bn 20-year initiative, brings new hopes for Egypt. Applauding the government’s ambitious plan, Abdelzaher said: “The most important aspect of the national programme is raising awareness among the citizens.” One of the key enablers of the National Water Resources Plan has been the increase in the number of water projects. Stressing on the spike in such projects, Kamal said: “The number of [water] projects in the past four to five years have been immense. I have not seen such volume in my over 40 years of business experience.” He added: “It is the largest accumulated market in all of Africa and the Middle East.” However, with the steady rise in water projects comes the challenge of funding. During the discussion, Farouk explained: “Funding for any development is a challenge. The Egyptian government is allocating huge funds for water and wastewater projects and resources. [Having said that] the challenge is what excites me the most.” HIGHLIGHTS At the half-day conference, we asked the audience, how is Egypt safeguarding the quality and quantity of its water resources and identifying the best manner to use them? Most of the responders agreed that Egypt requires factors including, non- conventional water resources, more contribution of groundwater, and the national water plan to work collectively to better the status of the water sector. “With the potential threats to the water supply, Egyptians must understand the importance of water projects and support their development” Gamal Abdelzaher Chief Technical Of cer and Joint-CEO Phloem Co. [L-R] Moderator, Ranju Warrier; Panellists, Hazem Kamal, Intech; Ahmed Farouk, Metito; and Gamal Abdelzaher, Phloem Co. [Image: ITP Images]LEADERS EGYPT 28 CONSTRUCTION WEEK AUGUST 2021WWW.CONSTRUCTIONWEEKONLINE.COM Public-private partnerships (PPPs) are not new to the region, but in Egypt the PPP scene has a story of its own. The Egyptian Gov- ernment passed the PPP Law 67 in 2010, which targets key areas of the country’s infrastructure, including agriculture and irrigation, education, industrial develop- ment, roads and transport, and water and sanitation. Panellists on the “Are PPPs the answer to funding issues in Egypt?” panel were, Tarek Ammar, Private Sector Specialist, African Development Bank (Egypt); Menatalla Sadek, CEO, Hassan Allam Utilities; and Reham El-Beltagy, Group Chief Financial Officer, Orascom Construction. PPPs have become a crucial need for the government of Egypt for rendering efficient public services and projects amidst all the challenges for developing the country. However, the EPC plus finance model has been one of the most preferred methods for public sector projects. Addressing the scenario from a private sector perspective, El-Beltagy said: “Egypt today has been undertaking a lot of infrastructure projects. Due to the factors including post Arab Spring and the stability issues that we have been facing over the past five years, the perception was that EPC plus finance is the fastest way to move about for a project.” El-Beltagy indicated that there is a lot of “room for progress” in terms of PPPs adoption in Egypt. Reiterating El-Beltagy’s words, fellow panellist, Sadek said: “Given the change, we are seeing in Egypt, I think we are there. We only need a small push in terms of understanding the real value added by the private sector.” Tarek, on the other hand, touched upon the need for infrastructure development in Africa, into Egypt, further explaining how PPPs could help fulfill the need. He said: “By 2025, Africa needs $107bn for infrastructure. However, only $68bn to $70bn could be covered through DFIs or multi-lateral. “So, there is a gap in Africa in general. And the question there is, how can we fill this gap? This is when the private sector needs to come with PPPs or any significant model to bridge the gap.” Tarek further stressed on the importance of PPPs and added: “PPPs are very important to expedite the infrastructure in this continent and not just Egypt.” “Given the change, we are seeing in Egypt, I think we are there. We only need a small push in terms of understanding the real value added by the private sector” Menatalla Sadek Chief Executive Of cer Hassan Allam Utilities CW CAPSULE Around the world public-private partnerships (PPPs) have become a successful and favoured model to design, build, and deliver public infrastructure assets. Through PPPs the private sector can present innovation in design and construction. It allows public sector to focus on education, healthcare facilities, and utility projects. During the panel discussion, we conducted a poll on, whether PPPs will be the most effective way to deliver quality, cost-efficient services over the long-term for Egypt’s infrastructure growth. To this, a majority of our attendees agreed that ‘PPPs are the future’. [L-R] Moderator, Ranju Warrier; Panellists, Reham El-Beltagy, Orascom Construction; Tarek Ammar, African Development Bank (Egypt); and Menatalla Sadek, Hassan Allam Utilities [Image: ITP Images] PPPs IN EGYPT HAVE “MORE PPPs IN EGYPT HAVE “MORE ROOM” FOR PROGRESSROOM” FOR PROGRESSLEADERS EGYPT AUGUST 2021 CONSTRUCTION WEEK 29WWW.CONSTRUCTIONWEEKONLINE.COM CAN EGYPT BUILD THE “BEST TRANSPORT SYSTEM IN THE WORLD”? Transportation is a fundamental requisite of any nation, to ensure smooth functioning, to boost economic growth, and to draw significant investments. From the development of Cairo’s metro line to the New Administrative Capital Airport, the fourth panel of Leaders in Construction Egypt, “Egypt’s Acceleration of its Infrastructure Sector”, explored how the North African nation is ramping up construction across its transport sector to promote tourism and build its economy. The panel featured Osama Bishai, CEO, Orascom Construction; Eng. Tarek El Gamal, Chairman, Redcon Construction; Waleed Khaled, Regional Sales Director, Losberger De Boer; and Fady Kobersy, Head of Sales and Customer Success MENA & Levant, RIB CCS. Commenting on the significance of transport projects, Bishai said: “Transport is an investment that attracts investors. Nobody will invest in a country with no mass transit; roads are of subgrade quality and there is a lack of access via transport. What’s happening in Egypt now is needed if it wants to progress in an era of developing industries and services.” “Egypt has the right kind of contractors to ensure that it builds the best transport system in the world,” said Bishai. However, he added that while the ambition and vision is “intact”, there has been a big question mark on the funding for these projects, and the vehicles for these could vary from government funding, loans, project finance, or EPC contracts. Eng. Tarek El Gamal, Chairman, Redcon Construction, reiterated Bishai’s comments, and said: “It’s a no-brainer that PPPs are perhaps the only way for projects to be financed, owing to the several benefits.” The panel also delved deep into the modular construction opportunities for Egypt as well as increased need for enhanced digitisation across projects. Highlighting the significance of modular construction, Khaled explained: “The major benefit associated with modular construction is the speed alongwith reduction of pollution.” It will be interesting to note how modular construction becomes a reliant method of construction in Egypt overtime, thereby fuelling infrastructure expansion. While there is more room for modular construction in Egypt, the country like its counterparts in the Middle East is ramping up its efforts towards digitisation. Stressing on the adoption of technology, Kobersy said: “The question is no longer about ‘should we apply digitalisation in the workspace’, but about ‘how and when’ will we adapt to the new technology.” FINAL NOTE Egypt is currently witnessing huge developments from the government’s large-scale infrastructure schemes, which are being planned and executed by construction stakeholders. But, it would be interesting to find out what does the future hold for Egypt’s infrastructure and what’s next for the ambitious North African nation after the New Administrative Capital is unveiled? “What’s happening in terms of Egypt’s transport sector in the last ve years hasn’t been witnessed before in Egypt or the region, due to the size of the investments” Osama Bishai Chief Executive Of cer Orascom Construction [L-R] Moderator, Ashley Williams; Panellists, Osama Bishai, Orascom Construction; Waleed Khaled, Losberger De Boer; Fady Kobersy, RIB CCS, and Eng. Tarek El Gamal, Redcon Construction [Image: ITP Images]Next >