< Previous| THE BIG 5 | 30 JANUARY 2023 In the 2022 edition of The Big 5 exhibition, Construction Week Middle East talks to industry experts about how they are contributing to the overall growth of the industry The 43rd edition of MENA’s largest and most influential construction event successfully closed its curtains, attracting 2,000 exhibitors and 55,000 global attendees from more than 150 countries. With regional development set as its backdrop, the event brought to light important discussions and collaborations in the industry, proving that the Middle East’s construction landscape is now at its execution phase. On the first day of the event, industry leaders and experts came together THE BIG 5 2022: CONNECTING THE GLOBAL CONSTRUCTION COMMUNITY for the Global Leaders’ Summit, which came at a crucial time for the construction industry as it faces the challenge of reducing the carbon footprint and building for a more sustainable future. During his keynote speech, David The Big 5 edition of 2022 ran from 5 to 8 December.JANUARY 2023 31 | THE BIG 5 | Grover, CEO at ROSHN emphasised how the time was “exciting” for the real estate sector across the region. He said: “Despite headwinds, the industry has come together to address some of the most critical issues concerning the climate crisis. We must design to reduce waste. We must use BIM for all our designs.” Similarly, Christopher Seymour, regional director at Mott MacDonald Middle East, Africa, and Asia commented on the key learning from the latest COP27 and the need for decarbonisation of infrastructure. He told Construction Week Middle East: “I would really like to see how COP28 will translate into the UAE. In the MENA region, there are two takeaways; the first one being that decarbonisation strategies were a notable sight in COP27 – something we have not seen before. “The second takeaway, however, is that I do believe we have to set more ambitious goals and KPI’s in the UAE. So far, I do not think the work has been clear enough and we have to involve more metrics in that discussion.” All things considered, the collective sentiment on Day 1 was how it was imperative that the industry creates a construction playbook for the future, abiding by it to leave a legacy for generations to follow. Creating a construction playbook for the future There is one question frequently posed to the Middle East’s construction industry: How is the sector promoting sustainable contracting arrangements while producing profitable results for all stakeholders? The construction industry has gradually shifted towards strategies to future-proof itself, with a focus on the whole life cost of assets, standardised designs, and delivering a sustainable economic return on investment. Christopher Seymour of Mott MacDonald.| THE BIG 5 | 32 JANUARY 2023 To learn how the industry is creating a construction playbook for the future, we spoke to Cynthia Corby, audit & assurance partner and construction leader at Deloitte Middle East. She started: “What we are suggesting in the playbook and through the principles is to look at the whole life costing of assets from the time you are looking at the feasibility of a project, incorporating sustainability goals in capital projects rather than as you go.” “Technology may change, especially on megaprojects that span several years, but at least have a thought about it at the start and not during the construction phase.” According to Corby, the goal is to “determine how stakeholders can manage those assets and extend their lifecycle through more preventative maintenance.” She said: “We must start thinking about it much earlier and embrace everything we are trying to achieve through COP27 and the upcoming COP28.” The key enabler of Dubai’s development HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum expressed his view of the construction industry during his visit to the global construction exhibition. He said that technological advances are “disrupting several sectors” including construction, adding that the sector has introduced various elements of the fourth industrial revolution, including AI and its application in projects. He commented: “Dubai’s conducive business and investment ecosystem supports the growth of the global economy through the various exhibitions the city hosts.” HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum also visited to Some of the key discussions focused on the industry’s move to create a construction playbook for the future. Cynthia Corby of Deloitte Middle East.“THE CONSTRUCTION SECTOR IS A KEY ENABLER OF DUBAI’S DEVELOPMENT.” HH SHEIKH HAMDAN BIN MOHAMMED BIN RASHID AL MAKTOUM JANUARY 2023 33 | THE BIG 5 | The Big 5 and reiterated that Dubai aims to be a key partner for accelerating global innovation and digital transformation in various industries. “The construction sector is a key enabler of Dubai’s development programmes and plays a major role in the development of infrastructure that drives the emirate’s growth,” he said. Bridging the gaps in the industry The Big 5 goes beyond facilitating incredible business partnerships and fostering robust networks, it also unites key stakeholders from across the global construction value chain with qualified international audiences. In addressing the opportunities made available through the event, we talked to Salman Alhamad from BEC Saudi Arabia about how the company is making connections with the wider industry. He commented: “We are here to explore more opportunities and expand our market, as well as bridge the gaps in the industry.” Speaking on the future plans of BEC, Alhamad said: “We are very involved in infrastructure projects now, especially NEOM, Qiddiya, AMAALA, and Red Sea. “We have a strategy model where we upscale depending on the market verticals that we envision ourselves in. Our main challenging point is how do we engage our primary and secondary stakeholders and align with their objectives.” Alhamad concluded: “We make sure to actively engage with our client’s feedback. The more we explore, the more we learn.” Saudi Arabia’s construction landscape With the kingdom’s Vision 2030 placed at the forefront of growth, it comes as no surprise that Saudi-based construction companies were dominating the crowd at The Big 5 exhibition. Now, only eight years away from the goals, Saudi Arabia is showing significant progress in the implementation of its vision, and the country’s gigaprojects have a lot to do with this. To understand how the kingdom is edging closer to its 2030 goal, we spoke to Ian Williamson, group chief projects delivery officer at Red Sea Global. He commented: “One of the main premises of Vision 2030 is creating jobs for Saudi nationals. We are already engaging a lot of people locally and we are reaching out to the local community to cooperate with the farmers. Williamson also revealed updates on Red Sea Global’s growth, saying: “We are doing more and more in terms of outreach and getting the community engaged. On the bigger scale, Red Sea Global has the first openings next year, and there is a large influx of new talent coming in on the coast.” A global pioneer in responsible development, Red Sea Global is delivering projects that actively enhance the well-being of guests, communities, and environments. Commenting on the developer’s greatest achievement, Williamson said: “We have hundreds of parallel projects. We went out of our way to get a master plan signed off and we were hugely successful in that. In November 2018, we were able to bring huge giga and mega projects into the market by introducing construction management for the first time in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.” On the other hand, DGDA’s chief delivery officer, David Watkins also detailed the company’s participation in the vision, highlighting the fact that all gigaprojects have an “obligation to deliver projects that enhance local employment and sustainability.” He said: “At the end of the day, it is all about efficiency, technology, and digital construction. We don’t want to use resources, labour, cost, and time, processing and producing reports that nobody uses.” Looking back at the outcomes of The Big 5 event, it is clear that the Middle East is heading towards the right direction. By bringing together major players in the construction sector, the region aims to catalyse emerging trends in the industry in areas like smart buildings and eco- friendly construction. HH Sheikha Shamma bint Sultan bin Khalifa Al Nahyan, Executive Director, UAE Independent Climate Change Accelerators.34 JANUARY 2023 | THE LAST WORD | MODULAR CONSTRUCTION: BRIGHTER, SMARTER, AND GREENER IN 2023 The last decade has been transformative for the region’s construction industry. Technology has been embraced more so than ever before, and strides have been made in reducing the negative impact construction has on the surrounding environment. As developers seek out solutions to bring their mega and gigaproject visions to life, modular construction has emerged as a viable alternative to conventional on- site construction. Developments in modular construction are making it more advantageous than ever, and here are some of the top trends that will shape 2023. Construction leaders are under increased pressure to not only cut construction material costs but also to find more sustainable materials. As a result, modular construction leaders have set their sights on developing new building materials. In addition to exploring the creation of engineered wood or aggregate from recycled construction and demolition waste, the sector is seeing increased demand for alternative construction materials that are either kinder to the environment or can be used for longer periods. Modular construction, by its very nature, allows for increased efficiency and reduced waste, making it a sustainability hero that can play a significant role in the green building trend. In addition to higher demand for buildings and projects to have an ‘eco look’, requests for sustainable building and design are on the rise. Beyond off-site manufacturing having several environmental advantages, design features and finishes can also help modular construction projects become greener. For example, the incorporation of reusable elements, LED lighting and systems that efficiently control climate can all help owners, operators, residents and visitors meet their own sustainability goals. One size doesn’t fit all, and modular construction offers solutions ranging from intimate event spaces to full communities comprising residential, commercial, retail, hospitality, healthcare and education buildings and facilities. The flexibility, adaptability and scalability of modular structures will continue to drive demand for this traditional construction alternative. The challenges of the pandemic over the last few years have made it clear that there is a growing need for interchangeable facilities that can be re-used, re-purposed, scaled up or down, or even moved to a new location. Flexibility paired with speed has enabled clients to pivot and update their facilities when required to meet their evolving business targets. Virtually every sector is adopting digital technology, and on a larger scale than ever. From automation and robots handling repetitive tasks during the manufacturing stage of projects to cloud-based apps that are improving communication, workflow and collaboration between on-site and off-site teams, modular construction is embracing digital solutions to enhance efficiencies. Digital planning and the ability to share the precise measurements of prefabricated structures with sub- contractors means everything fits perfectly when delivered and the risk of requiring costly revisions is reduced. Modular construction already boasts building times of up to 20% less than conventional construction, so further improvements gained through technology will cement modular construction as the preferred option when meeting ambitious project deadlines is paramount. The modular construction market is primed to grow significantly, with the total global market value reaching $154 billion in 2023 and $175 billion by 2025. As developers and contractors embrace the trends above in the coming year, the future of the sector looks brighter, smarter and greener than ever before. Paul Machin is the senior sales manager at Losberger De Boer Middle East.For Sponsorship EnquiriesFor Event Enquiries CONTACT Anup Nagpurkar Commercial Director Tel: +971 4 444 3573 M: +971 52 895 0931 E: anup.nagpurkar@itp.com PARUL RANA Conference Producer T: +971 4 444 3226 E: parul.rana@itp.com Analysing Qatar Construction Post FIFA REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN CONSTRUCTIONWEEKLIVE.COM Wednesday 1st March 2023 Doha, Qatar 01 Gold SponsorSilver SponsorSilver SponsorTOLL FREE 800 GLAZE (45293)TOLL FREE 800 GLAZE (45293) | TEL: +971 6 5353 123 (SHARJAH)TEL: +971 6 5353 123 (SHARJAH) | TEL: +971 2 5502 390 (ABU DHABI)TEL: +971 2 5502 390 (ABU DHABI) | MAIL: info@glaze.aeMAIL: info@glaze.ae www.glaze.ae/ MARBLE | GRANITE | QUARTZITE | ONYX | TRAVERTINE | LIMESTONE | PRECIOUS STONE Surface Solutions, Designed By NatureNext >