< Previous20 MEP Middle East | March 2021 www.mepmiddleeast.com SPECIAL REPORT Prefabrication – the concept in itself could be simplifi ed to: the process of manufacturing and assembling individual components of a process, system, or product off-site and then transporting it to a construction site where it merely needs to be “fi tted” or installed. At the outset, it seems to be the obvious evolution for the construction industry as a whole, especially given the impact of COVID-19, which has necessitated minimal worker interactions, social distancing, fewer boots on the ground, and forced the industry to adopt cost- and time-effi cient processes in order to compensate for lost time due to lockdowns, quarantines, and precautionary measures. Although the Middle East construction industry is no stranger to prefabrication, the adoption of this technology is still in its nascent stages within the MEP and HVAC sectors in the GCC region. Leading the charge for prefabrication and raising the bar for industry best practices in the Middle East, the Prime Focus Group of Companies – represented by three of its entities in the UAE, including Prime Air Conditioning Industries, Focus Air Conditioning Industries, and Gulf Duct Industries – has been manufacturing products with an end-to-end solution for more than a decade. Referred to as the “Carrefour” of the HVAC industry, the Prime Focus Group of Companies has dominated the “air” portion of the Middle East “air-conditioning market”, offering solutions right from the air fi lters that handle the “checks and balances” of air at intake all the way to the cold air that is released through the diffusers. Speaking exclusively to MEP Middle East, the managing director of the Prime Focus Group of Companies, and Gulf Duct Industries (GDI), Amiruddin Thanawalla, says: “We practically manufacture each and every product in the entire network of duct works for the distribution of cold air within the HVAC sector.” The Prime Focus Group of Companies – which has become a one-stop shop for all things HVAC on the “air-side” – has been innovating and pushing the industry forward with the aim of bridging gaps and overcoming challenges that the MEP and HVAC contractors have faced through the years in the Middle East – a region of the globe where HVAC is more than just comfort; it’s a necessity. This brings us to prefabrication – a key industry solution that has constantly attempted to scale the hurdles faced by stakeholders in the construction sector. “Prefabrication is the need of the hour not only for the civil contractors, but also for the MEP contractors. It plays an important role in helping the contractor overcome the challenges of a stressed economy caused by the COVID-19 pandemic,” says Shahid Lirani, the general manager at Gulf Duct Industries. “The advances in technology and software applications in the 21st century have made the application of prefabrication PREFABRICATION: “The Need of the Hour” The managing director of the Prime Focus Group of Companies, and Gulf Duct Industries (GDI), Amiruddin Thanawalla, and the general manager at GDI, Shahid Lirani, speak to MEP Middle East editor Anup Oommen about the time, cost, quality, health, and energy efficiencies of utilising factory- prefabricated duct works in the HVAC stages of constructionMarch 2021 | MEP Middle East 21 www.mepmiddleeast.com SPECIAL REPORT a lot more feasible on construction projects.” Yet, in order to understand where the industry is, and where it needs to go, it’s crucial to understand where the industry has been and how it has got here. “Our strategy – right from the start – has been to make things easier for the contractor to complete installation, testing, and commissioning in a manner that’s quicker, more effi cient, and utilises optimal resources,” Thanawalla says. The Middle East is known for a wide range of projects – from massive giga- projects the size of entire countries to small individual projects for a set of houses or apartments – and there was a need for “Our strategy – right from the start – has been to make things easier for the contractor to complete installation, testing, and commissioning in a manner that’s quicker, more effi cient, and utilises optimal resources ... ” MEP and HVAC contractors working on all of these projects to have products and services tailor-made for their individual projects. “This is where the idea of prefabrication came into existence,” Thanawalla explains. “If I take you back in time to the turn of the 21st century, we used to supply duct works that were L-shaped. The onus for assembling these duct works was solely on the contractor. At the time, this was considered cutting-edge because the contractor did not need any machines on- site to fabricate duct works, but they still needed to assemble the product on-site.” “From there, we graduated to ready-to- install box duct works. This shifted the onus of assembly to us; we assembled and put together all the duct works with the connectors, fl anges, longitudinal seams, and supplied the completed, assembled product to the contractor. This signalled a major change in the construction industry. We set an example; people followed us.” Yet, having set new standards within the construction industry, the Prime Focus Group of Industries didn’t stop innovating. Commenting on its continual ambition to push the industry forward, Thanawalla says: “We want to leave a trail, and we want others to follow our trail. We want to be at the forefront of setting best practices.” As part of its drive to go the extra mile to help MEP and HVAC contractors, the fi rm addressed another gap within the market. The fi rm noticed that while contractors were receiving fully assembled duct works from the Prime Focus Group of Industries, the MEP and HVAC contractors still needed to look for other suppliers to provide coating for the duct works; to provide insulation for the duct works; and to provide adhesives to stick the insulation onto the metal surface of duct works. Thanawalla says: “For instance, contractors needed insulator workers and laggers on-site to manually apply insulation on top of the duct works by using adhesives. This process was quintessential to prevent heat loss, reduce noise, and act as a fi re- stopping mechanism to prevent the spread of fi re and smoke, when necessary.” Lirani adds: “At the time, the HVAC contractors – and some of them do it even now – needed to buy duct works, adhesives, insulation, and more from various sources. Once they received this, they needed to deploy two or three teams at the construction site to assemble and fi x all of this together.” Prefabrication came to the rescue, yet again! Through a factory-prefabricated system, the process of ducting, adhesives, insulation, and cladding, became less labour intensive and more quality oriented. “There was a need to address the time, cost, quality, health and safety, and energy effi ciencies of this process that had been continuing without question for years. Prefabrication came to the forefront and did just that,” Thanawalla says.22 MEP Middle East | March 2021 www.mepmiddleeast.com SPECIAL REPORT Quality Assurance Before prefabrication took over the implementation of applying adhesives and adding insulation for duct works, there were instances where a mistake in a single brush stroke of applying adhesives manually had cascading negative effects. “With a single brush stroke, the facing can come off, exposing the insulation to the weather conditions, which may lead to condensation and other complications,” Thanawalla explains. “These are very small, but important issues, that MEP or HVAC contractors may not even look at, but these are real issues on the ground that need to be addressed.” Prefabrication has not only eliminated the possibility of human error, but has also guaranteed a higher quality fi nished product 100% of the time. In addition, prefabrication permitted for versatility in the type of insulation used for duct works at scale. “Every project is different, and every contractor has different specifi cations. For instance, in insulation material alone, there are various kinds – such as rubber insulation, glass wool insulation, and XLPE or cross-linked polyethylene thermoset insulation material. We had to adapt to that, as well,” Thanawalla adds. “Currently, thanks to prefabrication, we are able to supply to all the contractors – irrespective of project size – duct works with adhesives pasted onto the duct surface, with insulation, and wherever necessary, we can also provide lagging – which refers to the application of a water vapour barrier to prevent moisture from entering into the thermal insulation.” In addition to this, the Prime Focus Group of Industries also used prefabrication to prevent mechanical damage to duct works installed on the roofs of buildings, which are exposed to natural elements, as well as maintenance teams who often tend to walk over the duct works. As a result, the fi rm began to offer metal cladding on its duct works. “Depending on the clients’ or the customers’ requirements and appetite for duct works, adhesives, insulation, lagging, and cladding, we can meet all of their demands off-site through prefabrication,” Thanawalla says. “What makes it future-proof and fool- proof is that we have invested in highly effi cient, high-quality equipment and computer numerical control (CNC) machines for factory-prefabricated duct works, which cannot be compared to the mobile, basic machines used to fabricate at construction sites. Quality is always assured with prefabrication,” Thanawalla adds. While traditional contractors will need to depend on the manual cutting of duct works; the manual addition of adhesives; and the manual setting up of insulation, water vapour barriers, and cladding, all of this can be performed and completed at a much higher quality through prefabrication, which is more capital- intensive than labour-intensive, making it ideal for the longer term. Through a factory-prefabricated system, the process of ducting, adhesives, insulation, and cladding became less labour-intensive and more quality oriented Shahid Lirani, General Manager, Gulf Duct Industries Amiruddin Thanawalla Managing Director, Prime Focus Group of CompaniesMarch 2021 | MEP Middle East 23 www.mepmiddleeast.com SPECIAL REPORT Time and Cost Savings In a 100-storey tower construction project, the duct works within the HVAC phase of construction is usually delivered four or fi ve-storeys at a time. In the absence of prefabrication, a crane will have to manually deliver the various components of the duct works individually to each of the fi ve fl oors. While the time-honoured adage “Time is Money” comes into play here, with worker salaries and man-hours on-site being taken into consideration, there are other nuances that also need to be addressed. Thanawalla explains: “We need to realise that even the contractors and sub-contractors will need to make better use of their resources. When we have prefabrication as an option, is there a need for a site supervisor to run up and down all the fi ve storeys to ensure that all the right materials have been delivered; that all the right people are on the job; that all the work is being completed on time; that the materials are not being wasted or misused; and that the quality of the product is maintained?” With prefabrication, the cost- and time-effi ciencies of the overall HVAC installations improve exponentially. When the same duct works are implemented off-site, there’s full-time supervision in a single industrial warehouse with products delivered at a higher quality, while saving time and money on the actual construction site. “If he buys a completely tailor-made factory-prefabricated option from us, the contractor merely needs to install it,” Thanawalla adds. Similarly, prefabrication can also prove extremely helpful when a fi re damper needs to be installed – to prevent the spread of fi re within a building – and the fi re dampers are usually installed within the walls of a building. “Traditionally, the contractors need to make a fi re sleeve on-site, which Quality prefabrication also helps to prevent mechanical damage to duct works installed on the roofs of buildings, which are prone to damage by maintenance teams24 MEP Middle East | March 2021 www.mepmiddleeast.com SPECIAL REPORT encompasses the fi re damper, according to the Underwriters Laboratories (UL) standards. We can help by prefabricating the fi re sleeve off-site, with the fi re damper fi xed within the sleeve, and with the loose ends with fl anges made available, so that it can be easily connected to the duct works. “Therefore, all the contractor’s operations at the walls – some of which may not even be easily accessible – is eased through prefabrication, saving time and cost on the construction site.” Health and Safety Prefabrication reduces the number of boots on the ground due to the amount of work done off-site using CNC machines, and thus, has a proportional impact on the total number of safe manhours, lowering the possibilities of any lost-time incidents such as injuries on the construction site. At a time when COVID-19 precautionary measures such as social distancing, quarantines, and the physical and mental health of the construction workers have come to the forefront, prefabrication has stolen the spotlight by placing the health and safety of workers at the apex of construction, reducing manual tasks to those that are absolutely essential on-site. “The factory environment off-site defi nitely provides for much more safety than on-site construction,” Lirani says. “Prefabrication reduces the need for workers. This reduction in congestion results in an organised workplace, creating a safer and cleaner working environment. This, in turn, also improves the morale and the effi ciency of the workers.” With prefabrication, the cost- and time-efficiencies of the overall HVAC installations improve exponentially Lirani adds: “Compared to on-site which is uncovered and unprotected, the process of manufacturing and assembling all aspects of duct works off-site in a closed and controlled environment through prefabrication and having it delivered neatly and effi ciently to the site is also much safer than the alternative of having to complete all of these works on a construction site.” Traditionally, manual insulation and lagging works can be a lot slower and more prone to damage than prefabricated duct works. The process of removing the pressure for precision and perfection from workers and translating that onto the CNC machines has resulted in worker and product effi ciencies, both of which are essential to raise the overall quality of the project. March 2021 | MEP Middle East 25 www.mepmiddleeast.com SPECIAL REPORT Low Wastage, High Energy Ef fi ciency Prefabrication within an off-site factory-permits for the use of a “standard production sequence”, which saves energy and cannot be expected from workers on a construction site. The use of CNC machines to cut insulation with precision also avoids any gaps at corners, or within the duct works, preventing any loss of heat, reducing air leakage, and saving energy. Lirani explains: “For instance, the Crayfl ange Slide-on Flanging System for air ducts is designed with special factory applied sealant within its profi le. This sealing compound reduces the air leakages from the ducting system. “If contractors are concerned with the conventional practice of minimising fl ange- to-fl ange leakages, we have proactively concentrated on reducing leakages between the duct and the fl ange joints. So, imagine the scale of effi ciency and savings when we are looking at mega-projects and giga-projects, where so many leakages are prevented through prefabrication.” In addition, the construction industry has woken up to the impact that it is having on the environment. In recent times, the world as witnessed a number of natural disasters – all of which are directly caused by climate change. The construction industry is beginning to take cognizance of the fact that it has to reduce the magnitude of its negative impact on the climate. “There are many factors within the construction industry that affect climate change,” Thanawalla opines. “Yet, there is no factor as big and easy to address as the wastage of construction material on-site. “For example, adhesives are commonly known to harm the environment. Although they lie within the volatile organic compounds (VOC) limitations; the ozone-depleting limitations; or the global warming potential limitations; we all know that there is a measure to which these adhesives are contributing to climate change – even if it is used in microns or parts per million (ppm). “To take a simple instance, in prefabrication adhesives are applied through spray guns, which provide a fi ne, constant application across the surface of the duct work that is perfectly at the optimum level for the insulation to stick. In stark contrast, the manual application of adhesives in the MEP and HVAC stage of a construction site can often result in adhesive thickness that is much more than required.” As a result, instead of using 10,000 drums of adhesives in prefabrication, for instance, the contractor could land up using 12,000 drums. This not only has a direct impact on the cost of the project, but also has an extremely adverse effect on the environment because when the duct works eventually have to be replaced or pulled down, the disposal of the adhesives could have a terrible effect on the environment. “Material wastage, especially among adhesives, can be easily avoided through prefabrication, informed decision-making, and responsible behaviour.” Thanawalla concludes: “Every time I drive down the Sheikh Zayed highway and see the sign: ‘We are all responsible’ I am reminded about the immense need to prevent wastage and safeguard our environment.” The Prime Focus Group of Companies’ product range prevent heat loss, reduce noise, and act as fire-stopping mechanisms26 MEP Middle East | March 2021 www.mepmiddleeast.com EXPERT OPINION “We’ve got to be “We’ve got to be SERIOUSSERIOUS about making about making the UAE’s buildings the UAE’s buildings GREENGREEN and and SMARTSMART”” Let me get straight to the point. Globally, buildings account for 40% of the world’s carbon emissions. Our houses and hotels, schools, skyscrapers, airports, and hospitals use energy for lighting, heating, cooling, and appliances. Then there’s the manufacturing, transportation, and assembly of the building materials – the wood, concrete, steel, and plastic – that account for additional energy use. In total, the places where we live and work may be responsible for up to 50% of the national, regional, and global carbon emissions. Why does this matter, you may ask? It’s simple. We’re heading towards a climate disaster, and we have a limited number of years to reduce our carbon emissions. Climate change is one of the greatest threats to the planet’s health and to its people. We are headed in the wrong direction. The UN Environment Programme’s (UNEP) Emission Gap report, published on November 2019, showed that the 1.5 Celsius goal of the Paris Agreement is “slipping out of reach”. Last year we had a reprieve of sorts, given global lockdowns. Emissions dropped globally by a record 7%. Researchers say Mar wan Zeidan, the Real Estate and Healthcare Segment Director for the Middle East and Africa at Schneider Electric delves into the future benefi ts of constructing greener buildings global carbon emissions dropped by an estimated 2.4 billion metric tonnes, mainly due to us not using transportation. Ironically, experts also suggest that the percentage of carbon emissions that buildings were responsible for last year actually increased due to us using fewer planes trains and automobiles. Going forward, our approach must be different. If we are going to reduce our carbon emissions by 55% by 2030 – which is the target we need to hit to achieve the Paris Agreement and stop climate change – we’ve got to focus on buildings. This will include integrating renewable energy through direct electrifi cation and addressing the issue of energy effi ciency. Our own research has found that approximately 80% of the unnecessary energy consumption in buildings could be saved by using digital technologies. In addition to energy effi ciency, comfort will be a deciding factor in a building’s value and attractiveness – and also the rentability – of real estate. Smart buildings and smart homes are becoming the benchmark of building effi ciency worldwide … and smart buildings are green buildings. Just look at the global numbers. Green buildings with a Green Star certifi cation March 2021 | MEP Middle East 27 www.mepmiddleeast.com EXPERT OPINION in Australia produce up to 62% less greenhouse emissions and use 51% less potable water than the average building. The numbers in India are similar, with buildings certifi ed by the Indian Green Building Council saving up to 50% energy and up to 30% water. The UAE’s authorities are encouraging building owners to think seriously about their energy and water use. During the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week, Masdar’s Chairman Dr Sultan Al Jaber said, “The [UAE] government has pushed ahead with some of the most ambitious green targets, pledging to generate 24% of its electricity from clean sources by the end of this year and reducing its carbon emissions by 30% by 2030 through building and construction effi ciency improvements.” Likewise, executives from the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy have openly spoken about the need for the building sector to go green as part of the emirate’s sustainability ambitions. Dubai aims to reduce 30% of its energy and water use by 2030 – a minimum of 1.7 terawatt-hour energy savings, 5.6 billion imperial gallons of water savings, and one million tonnes of carbon emissions savings. These targets include the need to reduce energy usage in tens of thousands of buildings. The question of energy effi ciency in building stock is attracting attention both globally and here in the UAE. In addition to sustainability, it’s about quantifi able, profi table benefi ts for private households, small- to medium-sized businesses, and large corporations alike. Digitisation is one of the most effective instruments for upgrading a building, be it a new build or a retrofi t, and hence infl uencing return on investment, “Climate change is one of the GREATEST threats to the planet’s health and to its people … and we are headed in the WRONG direction”28 MEP Middle East | March 2021 www.mepmiddleeast.com EXPERT OPINION achieving energy effi ciency, and reducing operating costs. Digitisation transforms a building’s total building lifecycle, which covers up to 80% of its total cost of ownership, such as repairs, maintenance, and running costs. For example, smart alert management systems in connection with predictive maintenance, for example, promote effi ciency, and effectivity which are the basis for sustainability. These arguments aren’t lost on policy makers and governments, especially in regions like Europe. To reduce emissions by at least 55% in 2030 and build the foundations for a climate neutral continent by 2050, the European Union’s Renovation Wave aims to renovate 35 million energy ineffi cient buildings, be they malls, factories, data centers, residential buildings or even family homes, by 2030. This isn’t about “ideology” or politics. This initiative has three simple goals: calculable cost reduction, investment protection, and value retention. The European Renovation Wave is a turning point for how we can improve our buildings and make them both green and smart. We will see millions of buildings that will be retrofi tted through integrated digital renovation, combining on-site energy generation from renewable sources, electric heat pumps, networked systems and EV charging stations. These buildings will be given new life, and their operational costs will be drastically reduced. I’d even go as far as saying that Europe is aiming to create systemic effi ciencies in the construction sector. This systemic effi ciency – which describes the interaction of all parts of a solution by means of effi cient buildings and smart energy infrastructure – will make a decarbonised, highly electrifi ed, and resilient urban ecosystem possible. Then there’s the indirect benefi ts, such as stimulating the market for energy services, enabling access to attractive private fi nancing, and promoting technology in the building sector. This includes setting minimum standards for overall energy effi ciency and requirements for using a minimum proportion of renewable energy in buildings, as well as support for Building Information Modeling (BIM) for the construction sector and digital industry platforms for collecting and optimising the use of building data. Both consumers and investors are expecting the construction industry to “We will see millions of buildings that will be retrofitted through integrated digital renovation”March 2021 | MEP Middle East 29 www.mepmiddleeast.com EXPERT OPINION adapt to new realities. They’re wanting to see new services, such as electric charging stations, as well as facilities that will improve how we work and live. This includes sustainability-focused developments. We’re going to see carbon pricing introduced in many parts of the world too, which is going to force people to change the way they think and live. In the next few years, key regulatory policy decisions will be made that will add to the cost of the already highly unprofi table energy consumption of many existing buildings. Conditions in the future – such as CO2 pricing, for example – will create further costs and at the same time result in a rapid fall in the value of energy-ineffi cient buildings. The sooner the building stock is made future-ready, the better. There’s another element we haven’t talked about. That’s new jobs and new industries. For example, Canada’s green Conditions in the future – such as CO2 pricing, for example – will create further costs and at the same time result in a rapid fall in the value of energy-ineffi cient buildings. The sooner the building stock is made future-ready, the better. mandatory. This is what the construction industry wants to see happening, according to research undertaken by the Emirates Green Building Council. Even if developers don’t want a mandatory scheme, they would like to see more fi nancial incentives for building modernisation plans. I’m going to end on an optimistic note of where we could and should be headed. The World Green Building Council and the European Union have estimated that energy effi ciency measures could save an estimated €280bn to €410bn in savings on energy spending globally. Green buildings will put us on track to meet our national and global climate goals. There’s so much opportunity for the construction sector in the UAE and the wider Gulf in going green and smart. I want us to be pioneers in this space, as the country and the region always have been. Let’s be serious about this subject and make the UAE’s buildings greener – after all, everyone will benefi t. building industry generated $23.45bn in GDP and represented nearly 300,000 full- time jobs in 2014. According to the Business Research Company’s 2020 non-residential green buildings market report, the global non- residential green buildings market size reached a value of nearly $784.89bn in 2019, having increased at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 29.2% since 2015. No other part of the industry is growing faster globally, and that growth isn’t going to slow down. The global non-residential green buildings market is expected to reach $1.39tn in 2025, and $2.30tn in 2030. And, just as importantly for us in the region, green buildings don’t need to be new buildings; we can retrofi t existing stock. Which means there’s ample opportunities in this space, no matter what is happening to market demand for new buildings. The open question that keeps being asked is whether retrofi tting will be made Marwan Zeidan, Real Estate and Healthcare Segment Director for the Middle East and Africa at Schneider Electric Next >