ITP MEDIA GROUP / BUSINESS JULY/AUGUST 2020 • VOL. 15, ISSUE 07 BLACK & WHITE ENGINEERING CEO MICK CAIRNS “IF YOU ARE IN A POSITION TO ASSIST SOMEONE, THEN DO IT. NOTHING BAD EVER COMES FROM DOING A GOOD DEED.” MEP_1507_00_Cover_11305918.indd 129/06/2020 12:42:07 PMwww.mepmiddleeast.comJuly/August 2020 | MEP Middle East 3 JULY/AUGUST 2020 VOLUME 15 ISSUE 07 CONTENTS 05 NEWS DFF’s project M061 develops innovative ventilator prototype. 06 NEWS Middle East records faster dispute resolution period in 2019. 06 NEWS Awal Gulf Manufacturing launches PEARL Air Purifi cation Unit. 07 NEWS Camfi l taking the fi ght to Covid-19 with respiratory protection masks. 32 SUPPLIER NEWS The latest supplier-related news from across the market. 34 FINAL WORD Why smart sustainability begins with automation. THE BIG INTERVIEW MEP Middle East talks to Black & White Engineering CEO Mick Cairns about how the past is helping his fi rm navigate the problems of the present. LAW AND ORDER Uncertainty is the key challenge facing business leaders according to extensive new cross-sector survey. 16 20 8 DIGITAL DAWN All the headlines from the fi rst online MEP Middle East Conference. 28 MEP MIDDLE EAST AWARDS Save the date for the biggest night in the MEP calendar. RAISING STANDARDS CIBSE UAE unveils new minimum design standards. 14 MEP_1507_3_CONTENTS_11301474.indd 329/06/2020 12:21:14 PM4 MEP Middle East | July/August 2020www.mepmiddleeast.com or views on this issue, please email tom.oxtoby@itp.com For subscriptions and further information, go online to www.itp.com/subscription. More stories at www.mepmiddleeast.com If you have any comment Follow MEP Middle East: @MEP_Middle_East MEP Middle East PO Box 500024, Dubai, UAE Tel: +971 4 444 3000 Web: www.itp.com Offices in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, London & Mumbai ITP MEDIA GROUP CEO Ali Akawi Managing Director Sue Holt EDITORIAL Editor Tom Oxtoby Tel: +971 4 444 3419 e-mail: tom.oxtoby@itp.com ADVERTISING Group Sales Manager Anup Nagpurkar Tel: +971 4 444 3573 email: anup.nagpurkar@itp.com ITP LIVE General Manager Ahmad Bashour Tel: +971 4 444 3549 e-mail: ahmad.bashour@itp.com PHOTOGRAPHY Senior Photographers Rajesh Raghav, Efraim Evidor, Adel Rashid Staff Photographers Aasiya Jagadeesh, Ajith Narendra, Fritz John Asuro, Yuliya Petrovich, Jessica Samson PRODUCTION & DISTRIBUTION Group Production & Distribution Director Kyle Smith Production Manager Basel Al Kassem Production Coordinator Mahendra Pawar Senior Image Editor Emmalyn Robles CIRCULATION Distribution & Warehouse Manager Praveen Nair Circulation Executive Loreta Regencia MARKETING Director of Awards & Marketing Daniel Fewtrell Events Manager Business Teri Dunstan ITP GROUP CEO Ali Akawi CFO Toby Jay Spencer-Davies Subscribe online at www.itp.com/subscriptions The publishers regret that they cannot accept liability for error or omissions contained in this publication, however caused. The opinions and views contained in this publication are not necessarily those of the publishers. Readers are advised to seek specialist advice before acting on information contained in this publication which is provided for general use and may not be appropriate for the reader’s particular circumstances. The ownership of trademarks is acknowledged. No part of this publication or any part of the contents thereof may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form without the permission of the publishers in writing. An exemption is hereby granted for extracts used for the purpose of fair review. PIONEERING IN A NEW WORLD Tom Oxtoby MEP Middle East Editor tom.oxtoby@itp.com The fi rst ever MEP Middle East Conference to be held on a virtual platform was hailed a major success by all those who tuned in last week. It gave us all valuable insight into what the future of our professional world will look like – certainly in the short and medium term, and quite possibly beyond. From a personal standpoint, it was great to be par t of such an important milestone in the history of this publication – hopefully this will be the fi rst of many online conferences and webinars to come. Over the past 12 months there has been an increased focus on our digital offering, and to complement those efforts with a dedicated online-only forum rounds off a year of co-ordinated efforts nicely. Looking externally, the Middle East should be proud that its efforts to curb the spread and impact of coronavirus has resulted in the gradual reopening of the public and private sector – well ahead of some markets around the world where preventative measures have fallen well short of the expected mark. Caution is still paramount, of course, to prevent a resurgence of the virus, but tentatively it looks as though the worst of the initial impact is behind us. It allows contractors, consultants and suppliers the chance to start looking for ward and planning their long-term stabilisa- tion – and take the fi rst steps towards ramping up Expo 2020 expectation following the postponement of the mega event to next year. While we aren’t out of the woods yet, the consensus is we are on the right path. EDITORÊS NOTE Published by and © 2020 ITP MEDIA GROUP FZ-LLC. MEP_1507_4_EDS NOTE_11301384.indd 429/06/2020 12:22:24 PMNEWS UPDATE July/August 2020 | MEP Middle East 5 www.mepmiddleeast.com AWARDS SEPTEMBER MEP Middle East Awards 2020 Date: 30 September Place: Dubai DECEMBER Construction Week Awards 2020 Date: TBC Place: Dubai POWER LISTS SEPTEMBER Top 20 MEP Contractors MONTHLY IMPRESSIONS 40,00040,000 MONTHLY IMPRESSIONS 40,00040,000 TOTAL VIEWS 1.7m1.7m SUBSCRIBERS 9,5009,500 DAILY E-NEWSLETTER SUBSCRIBERS 6,3006,300 Project M061 followed the recently established Rapidly Manufactured Ventilator System standards outlined by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency in the UK. MEP’s digital footprint CORONAVIRUS Dubai Future Foundation (DFF) has confi rmed the launch of a mechanical ventilator prototype named M061. DFF CEO Khalfan Belhoul said that Project M061 was initiated and implemented under the directives of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Executive Council of Dubai, and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Dubai Future Foundation, to ad- dress the urgent need for large num- bers of mechanical ventilators that play a crucial role in treating patients with severe symptoms of Covid-19. Within the context of the intense pressure global supply chains face as a result of restrictions in different countries, the M061 Project serves as a response to calls for local ventilator production to meet the needs of the UAE population. This crucial healthcare project is a partnership between Dubai Fu- ture Foundation, Offi ce of Minister of State for Artifi cial Intelligence, Dubai Covid-19 Command and Con- trol Centre, Ministry of Health and Prevention, Dubai Health Authority, Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences, as well as government agencies, research centres and international institutions. The Dubai Future Foundation as- sembled an interdisciplinary team of local and international engineers, programmers, industry experts and healthcare specialists to develop the robust and rapid prototype mechani- cal ventilator that would also contrib- ute to the international open source network that has emerged to tackle the device shortage. Over an eight-week period, the project team worked relentlessly to design and build the M061 ventila- tor system as a modular and scalable prototype, relying on interchangeable components that are easy to source and integrate, in an effort to circum- vent the world-wide scarcity of crucial medical supplies. By closely studying existing ven- tilator designs, the team identifi ed functionality and durability as two key elements that would help make a difference and defi ne the M061 ven- tilator. The team designed and tested prototype medical ventilators systems that could provide oxygen to patients for longer periods and effi ciently adapt to changes in vital indicators DFF’s project M061 develops innovative ventilator prototype such as blood pressure, heart rate and temperature. The M061 prototype has been designed to address the individual needs of patients by delivering mul- tiple modes of ventilation in the pres- sure and volume mode families, along with further assistive and support- ive functions, based on the patient’s breathing capacity. The prototype, which consists of a mechanical airway made of tubes, fi tted with various valves, sensors and fi lters, is capable of providing invasive and non-invasive mechanical respiratory assistance with the aim of sustaining raspatory support for both short- and long-term periods. Incorporating a custom printed cir- cuit board (PCB), the prototype facili- tates easy interface with various types of I/O (input/output) devices. A typical ventilation process is a cy- cle of precisely controlled inhalation and exhalation phases. During the inhalation phase, the ventilator takes in air and compressed oxygen, and blends them in a mix- ing chamber to achieve the required oxygen concentration for the selected ventilation mode – normally between 21% and 100%. This mixture is then re- leased into the patient’s lungs accord- ing to a specifi c ventilation profi le. Ventilation profi les are of two types – pressure-controlled profi les that focus on precisely controlling the pressure during inhalation to avoid causing a ventilator associated lung injury (VALI), and volume-controlled profi les that attempt to deliver the re- quired volume precisely. During the development process, the team followed standard profes- sional engineering practices to ensure that the ventilator adhered to the high- est quality standards and received input from ventilator specialists cur- rently treating Covid-19 patients. The Project M061 team followed the recently established Rapidly Man- ufactured Ventilator System (RMVS) standards outlined by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) in the UK. The prototype is intended to sup- port, rather than replace, existing hospital ventilators that have broader medical applications and are designed to last for signifi cantly longer durations and will undergo rigorous testing. MEP’s 2020 calendar MEP_1507_5-7_NEWS_11301134.indd 529/06/2020 12:23:47 PMNEWS UPDATE 6 MEP Middle East | July /August 2020 www.mepmiddleeast.com CONTRACT DISPUTES Average construction dispute value and time needed to resolve disputes in the Middle East continued to move in opposite directions according to the 10th edition of Arcadis’ Global Construction Disputes Report. This time, however, the average dispute value increased while average resolution time decreased which reversed the move- ments seen in 2018. The 2020 Global Construction Disputes Report is an annual study from Arcadis that examines the most common causes of dis- putes on construction projects, as well as the average duration and value of disputes, and the method of alternative dispute resolution most commonly deployed. The data used in this report was gathered prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, and how the industry collaboratively responds to the many challenges that fl ow from the pan- demic will play a large role in the quantity, duration and value of construction disputes in 2020 and beyond. Globally, the number of disputes in 2019 increased while average disputes value decreased. The Middle East, on the other hand, recorded a slight increase in average dispute value in 2019 to $62 million from the $57 million recorded in 2018. Despite this increase, the 2019 fi gure is still lower compared to the $91 million aver- age dispute value recorded two years ago. From a nine-year high of 20 months in 2018, resolution period in 2019 became much faster which averaged 17 months. The decrease was attributed to the involved parties’ inability to withstand long periods of uncertainty that have long-term impacts on projects. Shawkat Abbas, Head of Quantum Con- tract Solutions Arcadis Middle East, said: “Considering the ongoing Covid-19 pan- demic, it is a good sign that involved parties are realizing the need to resolve disputes fast as manifested in the shorter average resolution period in 2019 because having prolonged disputes during these times can easily compound the already negative effects of the pandemic. Hopefully, this trend will continue for the rest of 2020 and beyond.” Middle East records faster dispute resolution period in 2019, Arcadis states PRODUCT LAUNCH Awal Gulf Manufacturing has launched its in- novative air purifi cation unit PEARL – using state-of-the-art design technology to deliver fresh air through effi cient fi ltration systems. The PEARL air purifi er is powered by a portable multi layered, high effi ciency HEPA fi lter designed to remove viruses and bacte- ria from the air, providing enhanced level of respiratory protection. The air purifi er also uses the latest UV-C technology that thoroughly decontaminates the indoor air by killing up to 99.999% of air- borne viruses and infections. Ghassan Freiwat, Deputy CEO of Awal Gulf Manufacturing, said: “The world is currently passing through an unprecedented time and Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) has never been so critical to the health and safety of the people. “Clean air is specifi cally vital in hospitals, clinics and healthcare facilities to protect patients, staff and visitors from airborne dis- eases and infections. “We at Awal Gulf Manufacturing believe that as leaders and experts in the HVACR in- dustry for almost 50 years we have a role to play in creating a safer, cleaner and effi cient environment. “We are pleased to launch our all new PEARL air purifi er with a fi ltration effi ciency of 99.999% – down to 0.3micron particles, H14 as per EN1822. The unit is now available to or- der through a select dealer’s network across Europe, Middle East & Africa.” The unit is a simple plug and play system with no integration into the existing mechani- cal systems. The system draws in contami- nated air and removes all bacteria and viruses through a series of integral fi lters and then delivers clean air back into space. The unit can be placed in common areas, hospitals and ancillary healthcare facilities, including research labs and pharmaceutical plants. The unit application is not limited to the healthcare vertical only, but can also be used in educational institutes and other residential and commercial applications. Awal Gulf Manufacturing launches PEARL Air Purifi cation Unit that fi lters air up to 99.999% LEED CERTIFICATION Global consultant in architecture, design and technology, CallisonRTKL (CRTKL), has an- nounced its City Centre Almaza (CCA) pro- ject has received LEED-Gold certifi cation from the US Green Building Council (US- GBC). The certifi cation was awarded to one of the biggest retail malls in Egypt, commending its sustainable design, construction, and opera- tion standards. The project comes in line with CRTKL’s commitment to performance-driven-design organisation, applying technical advance- ments to enhance and optimise design solu- tions that contribute to a more sustainable and productive environment. With the use of sustainable strategies and designs, energy savings, water effi ciency and CO2 emissions reduction, the shopping centre has been clas- sifi ed as one of high environmental quality. CRTKL Shopping and Entertainment Dis- trict’s Director, Nick Guy, said: “Throughout the fi rst few years of a building’s lifetime, there is a lot of focus on the energy in use as shop- ping centres are heavy energy consumers. “While designing the City Centre Almaza shopping centre, the design team operated with energy effi ciency in mind as we saw sig- nifi cant opportunities for savings in line with region-wide efforts to tackle sustainability challenges.” City Centre Almaza in Egypt awarded LEED Gold certifi cation by USGBC MEP_1507_5-7_NEWS_11301134.indd 629/06/2020 12:23:56 PMNEWS UPDATE July/August 2020 | MEP Middle East 7 www.mepmiddleeast.com EVENTS The Big 5 construction showcase has been postponed until next year, organisers dmg events has confi rmed. The event will now take place from 12- 15 September 2021 at Dubai World Trade Centre. The new dates also apply to the specialised events that are staged along- side The Big 5; The Big 5 Heavy, Middle East Concrete, HVAC R Expo, Middle East Stone, The Big 5 Solar, and the Urban Design & Landscape Expo. The decision to postpone this year’s event, scheduled for 23-26 November, comes after a thorough consultation with key stakeholders groups in the wake of the effect of the coronavirus pandemic. The new dates are the closest pos- sible, enabling the global construction industry to come together for a successful trade event, and take into consideration a wide set of factors, most importantly: the health, safety and convenience of all par- ticipants, the ease of travel, as well as the global events calendar for the industry. Ben Greenish, senior VP at dmg events, said: “It was not an easy decision to take, but we believe it is the best for the con- struction players we proudly connect and have served since 1979. “Over the past weeks, we made it our priority to listen to our exhibitors, visitors, and other key stakeholders. We understand how crucial a successful trade event is for their businesses, and how challenging planning ahead can be in such uncertain times. “We have therefore decided to postpone this year’s event to offer an edition of the scale and nature expected of The Big 5 in 2021, which will boost the sector’s recov- ery efforts in the post-Covid-19 era.” Big 5 construction showcase postponed until Sept next year The event has been moved for health reasons. CORONAVIRUS Camfi l has been designing and developing respiratory protection masks in response to the coronavirus outbreak. The Swedish fi rm is a prominent fi gure in developing clean air solutions for commercial and industrial systems, and the initiative was raised to meet the urgent demand for respira- tory protection masks, and their testing. For many years, Camfi l has provided hospi- tals and healthcare facilities with air fi ltration and ventilation solutions for, but not limited to, operating theatres, laboratories, reception rooms, intensive care units, and pharmacies. “We have a deep knowledge of designing and manufacturing air fi ltration solutions,” said Torbjörn Bäck, president of Camfi l Northern Europe. “We are now applying this expertise in a new area and see this as an opportunity to support the community. We want to help re- duce the risk of spreading Covid-19 and pro- tect our everyday heroes – health care pro- fessionals – and others who tirelessly work every day in a vulnerable environment.” The preliminary project gained momen- tum through Camfi l’s Global Tech Center in Trosa. Together with the Swedish business, a prototype of a respiratory protection mask was developed, and testing began in the labo- ratory. Since such face masks are not part of regular manufacturing output, Camfi l kicked off a large-scale internal initiative with R&D. Along the way, Camfi l consulted with health care organisations and partners to pro- duce the best possible product and plan for execution. Production is now in full swing, and the goal is to provide the Stockholm region with 100,000 CamProtect respiratory protection masks per week, initially. “We are experts in air fi ltration solutions using the technology we develop and manu- facture, and we bring enormous expertise to the fi eld,” added Bäck. “We have the research, development, labs, and manufacturing we need in Sweden, along with passion and an “anything is possible” at- titude. Our fantastic staff has worked 24/7 to make this a reality, and we’ve started produc- ing respiratory protection masks, CamPro- tect in Sweden. “Now we can provide the health care sys- tem with the respiratory protection masks that are safe to use and helpful in reducing the spread of infection.” Camfi l taking the fi ght to Covid-19 with CamProtect respiratory protection masks Access to safe and effective PPE is of critical concern to people all across the world. MEP_1507_5-7_NEWS_11301134.indd 729/06/2020 12:24:02 PMMEP CONFERENCE 8 MEP Middle East | July/August 2020 www.mepmiddleeast.com MEP_1507_8-13_MEP CONFERENCE_11301382.indd 829/06/2020 12:25:21 PMMEP CONFERENCE July/August 2020 | MEP Middle East 9 www.mepmiddleeast.com DIGITAL DAWNDAWN MEP Middle East’s rst online conference MEP Middle East’s rst online conference dubbed a resounding success dubbed a resounding success by attendees. by attendees. Words: Tom Oxtoby MEP_1507_8-13_MEP CONFERENCE_11301382.indd 929/06/2020 12:30:12 PMNext >