< Previous10 MEP Middle East | June 2021 www.mepmiddleeast.com The 2021 Top MEP Consultants Power List – an annual list of the most prolific and progressive design, engineering, and project management consultancies active within the electromechanical scope of the Middle East construction industry – is out! ITP Media Group’s MEP Middle East publication has spent weeks in discussion with respected stakeholders across the supply chain – including developers, contractors, consultants, and suppliers – to determine the multidisciplinary and specialised consultancies that are raising the bar in terms of quality and lasting solutions, project delivery, and strategic consultancy services. To start off, we would like to thank the leading consultancy firms in the GCC region who have responded to our survey questionnaire and provided the required details for this ranking. The criteria for the ranking includes – but is not limited to – the financial health of the consultancies; the number of full-time staff employed by the firm, including top management, discipline heads, specialist designers, lead specialists, executives, draughtsmen, and supervision staff, among others. The ranking has also taken into consideration the top completed and ongoing projects over the past 12 months; the value of the MEP consultancy contracts; as well as the size, location, scope of work, and the resources dedicated to each project. In addition to the firms’ reputation in the market, we have also carefully considered how each of the consultancies have implemented digital transformation within their workflows to maximise cost- and time efficiencies on their projects through the adoption of technologies such as Autodesk Revit, Navisworks 2021, BIM 360, Primavera, 3D Studio Max, and Performance Simulation, among others. We have tried our best to ascertain the respect and power that the firms command within the industry; their ability to tender for design and design-supervision projects independently; the total experience of their senior management; and the iconic projects that they have worked on. The 2021 Top MEP Consultancy list also offered firms the opportunity to share how their firms have focused on the health and safety of their employees, how they have incorporated diversity within their ethos and operations, how they have successfully broken siloes and engaged with various stakeholders in the early stages of a project; as well as how they have prioritised energy efficiency and sustainability – which is also the key focus of our Cover Story in this edition! Let’s take a look at the top firms pulling the built environment out of the woods, as the market sentiment improves in 2021.June 2021 | MEP Middle East 11 www.mepmiddleeast.com New York Stock Exchange-listed engineering and infrastructure consulting firm AECOM, which has been operational in the Middle East since 1948, and in the region’s MEP sector since 1966, has claimed the top spot in MEP Middle East’s 2021 Top MEP Consultants power list. The firm, which has supported a number of clients on various multidisciplinary buildings and infrastructure projects over the years, posted a 14% year-on-year increase in total adjusted EBIDTA to $746.1mn in FY20. Employing more than 51,430 staff globally, AECOM also touts 2,506 staff in the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region, including 1,032 in Saudi Arabia, 1,111 in the UAE; 241 in Qatar, 104 in Bahrain, and 18 in Oman. AECOM’s MEP team in the UAE – which is supported in project delivery by the firm’s global offices – comprises 5 members in management, 2 discipline heads, 24 specialist designers, 5 lead specialists, 5 draughtsmen, and 5 staff with authority-level experience. As the MEP Director and Practice Lead, Cathy Christer leads the firm’s MEP division with more than 28 years of experience in the MEP industry. “We have a team with an abundance of technical knowledge and experience to deliver the most complex and challenging design requirements. Our technical powerhouse reaches across all of the MEP disciplines and sectors, working seamlessly to produce outstanding design solutions,” Cathy Christer says. The AECOM team has delivered numerous projects across multiple sectors, and in 2020, it continued work on the King Khalid International Airport, the Midfield Terminal Complex, the Doha Oasis project, and DAMAC Heights. AECOM was also selected to provide airside construction supervision and quality control services for The Red Sea Development Company’s (TRSDC) sustainable international airport located within Saudi Arabia’s 28,000km2 The Red Sea Project. As the technical advisor lead for Tatweer Buildings Company, a subsidiary of Saudi’s PIF, the firm also initiated Wave 1 of the Schools Infrastructure Development PPP project in Saudi Arabia. In addition, AECOM was also appointed to design transport and utilities infrastructure for $500bn (SAR1.9tn) NEOM gigaproject, with the scope including environmental and geotechnical support. Cathy Christer adds: “A key aspect that also differentiates us is the strength and breadth of the wider AECOM team, both in the Middle East and across our global community. The MEP team works alongside Middle East based experts in Architecture, Structures, Sustainability, Civil, and Infrastructure to name a few, and we have access to AECOM global specialists who are experts in their field, through our technical practice network.” AECOM’s key technical focus in 2020 – at both the MEP and the corporate level – has been its commitment to deliver on its sustainability goals. In terms of MEP, this has meant a renewed commitment to deliver sustainable, highly efficient, and highly engineered design solutions. The firm has continuously focused on reducing the use of materials, water, and energy in the implementation of its designs. AECOM has also harnessed the innovation of its partners such as Microsoft, Bentley, and Autodesk, to leverage the vast amount of project knowledge they possess to build industry-leading automated design tools and creating collaborative digital platforms. “An overarching priority for us this year has also been to ensure the well-being of our team during the pandemic and to recognise and respond to some very difficult circumstances faced by individuals,” Cathy Christer concludes. AECOM CATHY CHRISTER MEP DIRECTOR AND PRACTICE LEAD 112 MEP Middle East | June 2021 www.mepmiddleeast.com One of the world’s leading engineering professional services and multidisciplinary consulting firms, WSP – which employs more than 42,000 people globally, based in more than 550 offices, across 40 countries – has become not only established itself as one of the heavyweights in the Middle East’s MEP sector, but also within the construction industry as a whole. Ranking at No. 9 on the latest 2021 Construction Week Power 100 list, WSP in the Middle East also takes the No. 2 spot on the 2021 Top MEP Contractors ranking. The firm has etched a name for itself through its highly experienced and well-recognised team of technical experts and strategic advisors including engineers, technicians, scientists, architects, planners, surveyors, and environmental specialists, as well as other design, programme, and construction management professionals. WSP in the Middle East has been actively involved in a number of iconic projects, including the One Za’abeel project, the Expo Mobility Pavilion, and the record-breaking Ain Dubai project in the UAE; the FIFA Stadium Programme in Qatar; and the Riyadh Metro project in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. In 2020, WSP Middle East prioritised three of its business units – Project Management Services, Property and Buildings, and Transport and Infrastructure, while also creating a new business unit in Advisory Services. The firm has employed more than 700 staff members for the Advisory Services business unit in five countries across the region. British multinational engineering, design, planning, architectural design, project management and consulting services firm, Atkins, which is a member of the SNC- Lavalin Group, has been a giant in the MEP sector with more than 80 years of design and engineering expertise. In June 2020, a new market- focused business structure was announced for Atkins and SNC-Lavalin companies, including Faithful+Gould and Atkins Acuity across their businesses in the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region. Atkins has been working on several projects in the kingdom for companies including Diriyah Gate Development Authority (DGDA), NEOM, AMAALA, as well as Qiddiya Investment Company (QIC) among others. In October 2020, Atkins also bagged the lead design consultant services contract for the Six Flags Qiddiya theme park project – located within Saudi Arabia’s 366km2 Qiddiya gigaproject, the under-construction capital of entertainment, sports, and the arts in kingdom – by Qiddiya Investment Company (QIC). Atkins in Saudi Arabia has been helping clients with project management as well as cost planning. The firm has also been focused on working with clients closely on public-private partnerships. In 2021, Atkins announced the expansion of its design and engineering services in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to meet the needs of the country’s growing mixed-use developments, leisure, and entertainment industries, while also being “country-focused”. WSP IN THE ME MARK FARLEY, DIRECTOR OF BUILDING SERVICES ATKINS MEA CRIS DEDIGAMA CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER 2 3June 2021 | MEP Middle East 13 www.mepmiddleeast.com KEO International Consultants is a leading firm in planning, design, engineering, and project management, being a well-established consultancy in the Middle East for more than 57 years. Led by Darryl Custer, the firm currently employs more than 15 discipline heads, four specialist designers, 20 lead specialists, 70 draughtsmen, as well as over 276 supervision staff with Martin McFadden leading the MEP team. During the past 12 months, KEO has been actively involved on a number of key projects across the UAE, KSA, Kuwait, and Qatar, with a portfolio including the MEP design consultancy services on the construction of Al Shera’a, which is the Dubai Electricity & Water Authority’s (DEWA) new headquarters, covering a built- up area of more than 105,000m2. In addition, the firm also provided MEP and structural design consultancy services on four key hotel projects as part of Shurayrah Island Package 8 for The Red Sea Development Company — the developer of Saudi Arabia’s 28,000km2 The Red Sea Project. The firm has also been involved in the Aykon City Tower in Dubai; the Abraj Quartier Residential Towers in Doha; the Kuwait Business Town Tower 6 and the Sheraton façade unification project in Kuwait, the Mall of Qatar – Grand Zone project; and the Lusail Central Boulevard District in Qatar, among others. Over the past three years, KEO has designed 24 projects, including 19 iconic projects. It has tendered and implemented more than 18 projects, and currently has 6 projects in the drawing board stage. Global engineering, management, design, planning, project management, consulting, and advisory company firm, Aurecon – which has more than 70 offices in 26 countries – has been adding value across the project lifecycle through deep technical and advisory expertise in the Middle East for more than 20 years. In the UAE, Aurecon worked on the Sharjah House of Wisdom – a two-storey building featuring a large floating roof, cantilevered over a transparent rectilinear volume. Aurecon provided engineering services for structural, mechanical, electrical, plumbing, geotechnical, utilities, transport planning, roads, facades, BMU, vertical transportation, security, AV, ICT and communications, fire/ life safety, waste management, and acoustics on the project. The firm also worked on a number of other iconic projects, including Ithra Dubai’s One Za’abeel project, providing independent third-party review of the structural system of the twin- tower development. Aurecon used real-time wind simulations to test the strength and safety of One Za’abeel’s structural design. Aurecon was also chosen as the engineer and architect-of- record to collaborate on a range of design and technical features for the Dubai Creek Tower project. Previously, Aurecon also managed the engineering master-planning services for Yas Acres in Abu Dhabi. The firm was also associated with the Abdul Latif Jameel Corporate HQ project in KSA; the CoEx Campus at Expo 2020 Dubai; as well as the Lusail Stadium in for the FIFA 2022 World Cup. KEO IC MARTIN MCFADDEN DIRECTOR OF MEP AURECON MARK DAVIES MEP TECHNICAL DIRECTOR 4 514 MEP Middle East | June 2021 www.mepmiddleeast.com Black & White Engineering – which is a well-renowned, global MEP consultancy with extensive experience in producing energy efficient, practical electrical and mechanical designs that are commercially feasible, robust, and meet the exacting demands of the Middle East local conditions – has witnessed significant expansion since March 2020, with more than 70 new employees joining the 245 strong team, representing a remarkable 30% growth in its total workforce. With its chief executive officer Mick Cairns at the helm, the firm employs 16 management staff, eight discipline heads, 80 specialist designers, 34 lead specialists, 52 draughtsmen, and 11 supervision staff, among others. Commenting on navigating through the past 12 months, Mick Cairns says: “Our ability to implement remote working and procedures that ensure the safety of our staff has allowed our projects to continue on track despite significant global disruption over the past year.” “As well as office, mixed-use, and commercial developments, we are seeing considerable growth in the specialist field of data centre design – an area that has continued to grow due to the demand for online services during the pandemic and which we have focused on during the past few years.” As a mission-critical MEP consultant, Black & White are currently concentrating on data centres and high-tech manufacturing projects in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East, being the “first-choice consultant in the technology sector” in the Middle East. Cairns added: “With highly experienced technical staff we can turn around most challenges with our knowledge and speed, an example being, we successfully delivered full design packages on five major Data Centre projects in the summer of 2020. We held a strong advantage that our business model required very little change to service our clients during the pandemic.” In addition to data centre projects, the firm has also been working on confidential entertainment projects in the UAE, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia. Moreover, the firm continues to build a strong portfolio of education projects, infrastructure projects, mixed-use developments, as well as heritage and culture projects. The firm has also provided MEP consultancy services on a number of country pavilions at Expo 2020 Dubai. More than 85% of the firm’s projects are design-and-supervision projects. Black & White has also benefitted from a sharp rise in demand for its mechanical and electrical engineering design solutions. In addition to its repeat business, the firm has also worked with several new clients across the Middle East, Europe, and Asia in 2020. Over the past three years, Black & White has designed more than 86 projects, including 15 iconic projects, and has tendered and implemented more than 260 projects. The firm currently has over 21 projects in the drawing board stage. Cairns concluded: “Our growing, highly talented technical team share a great mind- set and have worked incredibly hard to position the business where it is today, leading the way in mechanical, electrical and public health (MEP) engineering design. “Through continued investment in our employees and infrastructure, we are now in a strong position to take the business forward.” BLACK & WHITE ENGINEERING MICK CAIRNS, CEO 6June 2021 | MEP Middle East 15 www.mepmiddleeast.com In line with its ongoing expansion as a globally- focused organisation, specialist consultancy, engineering, and advisory firm, AESG has recorded more than a 45% increase in staff and 35% increase in revenue turnover despite market conditions. AESG has also appointed global directors for each of the lines of business. The consolidation of service teams under unified global divisions enable AESG to deploy its skills and resources from all its international offices on projects worldwide. The firm has been actively involved in a number of key projects including Dubai’s iconic One Za’abeel project, the ICD Brookfield Place project, the DIFC Gate Avenue, as well as the UAE Pavilion and the Sustainability Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai, in addition to a number of giga-projects in Saudi Arabia. The CEO of AESG, Saeed Al Abbar, said: “We started the year with our acquisition of Springboard Middle East and the subsequent launch of AESG’s Data+ platform, which drives our capabilities and offering in data management in the built environment. We also continue to invest in parametric and algorithm driven design, which is crucial to our plans of delivering high-performance, complex engineering projects.” Al Abbar adds: “We are seeing major corporate clients approach us as consultants for the development of net zero, energy- efficient developments with a low carbon emission. Alongside this, our environment teams are well positioned to respond to the challenges of urban resilience and habitat adaptation, which will be crucial in the climate decade.” AESG SAEED AL ABBAR CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER 8 International multi-disciplinary design consultancy Khatib & Alami (K&A) – which operates across the Middle East and Africa, Levant, Central and South-East Asia, and Europe, among other geographies – has been active in the region’s MEP industry for more than 50 years. Led by the firm’s vice president for Energy, Roupen Sulahian, who has more than 47 years of experience in the sector, the firm employs more than 2,970 supervision staff, 1,282 specialist designers, 19 discipline heads, 668 lead specialists, and 246 draughtsmen, among other staff. Showcasing its expertise across geographies on a variety of projects, K&A has revealed its work on Majid Al Futtaim’s City Centre Al Zahia project in the UAE; the Basra infrastructure project in Iraq; the Bahr Al Baqar water reclamation plant in Egypt; the Riyadh Smart Square project in Saudi Arabia; the Al Jahra Waterfront Development in Kuwait; and the Middle East Airline’s Green Office Building in Lebanon, among others. Roupen Sulahian, said: “We have shown our adaptability and resilience during a challenging period.” He added: “Tools such as BIM360 and Teams have been vital. Although our digital transformation has been underway for several years, the pandemic provided a catalyst for adoption because it forced change, both technical and behavioural, faster than would otherwise have been possible. “This has driven efficiencies in project delivery and collaboration of more than 40% compared to traditional methods, resulting in higher productivity, lower costs, and greater consistency.” KHATIB & ALAMI ROUPEN SULAHIAN VICE PRESIDENT - ENERGY 716 MEP Middle East | June 2021 www.mepmiddleeast.com Dubai-headquartered specialised building services (MEP) consulting firm, Ian Banham & Associates (IBA), has become a recognised name, operating within the MEP sector for more than 45 years. IBA’s services consist of the design and supervision of mechanical and electrical systems and installations for buildings and specialised facilities. This includes feasibility studies, investigative reports, conceptual designs, cost estimates and analysis, production of specifications and bills of quantities, bids evaluation and recommendation, contract negotiations, detailed designs, working drawings and 3D models, project management, supervision and site management. The firm currently has approximately 50 large projects in the design stage. IBA caters to different types of projects, including commercial and residential buildings, housing complexes, hotels, education facilities, hospitals, shopping centres and malls, resorts, palaces, sports facilities and stadiums, and industrial projects. Ian Banham & Associates is most notably working on Ithra Dubai’s Deira Waterfront Development; the Crowne Plaza Redevelopment, the University of Birmingham, and the Four Seasons Residence in Dubai; the Traditional Souq in Abu Dhabi; as well as the Al Salam mixed-use development in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The firm employs more than 10 discipline heads, 50 specialist designers, 25 draughtsmen, and 35 supervision staff, among other full-time staff. Commenting on the last 12 months, the executive director at Ian Banham & Associates, Mahnad Kashani, said: “The pandemic has given us the opportunity to decentralise our operation and adapt to deliver projects with team members working from remote locations. “We continue to invest in training our staff and keeping them up to date with the latest in industry, as well as to further develop our BIM capability.” In addition to being involved in a number of high-profile projects across the UAE, KSA, and Iraq, IBA has also set ambitious sustainability targets. Kashani said: “The firm has delivered the Dubai Digital Park, which has achieved LEED Platinum rating. We continue to work with our sustainability partners to raise the standards for highly efficient designs and support our clients with achieving their targets.” Share the organisation’s future outlook for 2021-2022, Mahnad Kashani adds: “We expect steady workflow during the year 2021 and a slow recovery following the effects of the pandemic. Since we are witnessing a growing number of RFPs and tenders, we expect work on these new developments in KSA and UAE to start in Q4 and hopefully see further upside during 2022. “We remain optimistic that the worst is behind us and construction in the GCC will get back on track as we have witnessed for many decades.” Overall, Ian Banham & Associates has designed approximately 150 projects during the last three years, including approximately 20 iconic projects in this period. The firm currently has more than 50 projects in the drawing board stage, and it generally performs supervision on approximately 30% of its projects. 9 IAN BANHAM & ASSOCIATES MAHNAD KASHANI, EXECUTIVE DIRECTORJune 2021 | MEP Middle East 17 www.mepmiddleeast.com Multi-disciplinary engineering and construction consultancy WME Global provides engineering services for the built environment in the Middle East, South East Asia, and in the UK, and offers top quality integrated engineering solutions to architects and developers, focusing on performance, economics, and sustainability. The firm works collaboratively with specialists in facades, fire engineering and safety, as well as environmental and sustainability engineering with in house building physicists providing supporting innovative design solutions. With a client-focused integrated service, WME’s engineers are specialised in lead design consultancy, MEP, structural engineering, master-planning, roads and infrastructure, building services, AOR services, AV/IT and security engineering, infrastructure, Building Information Modelling (BIM), civil engineering, and more. The firm’s portfolio includes residential projects, offices, commercial buildings, educational and research buildings, healthcare projects, industrial projects, arts buildings, museums and theatres, high-rise buildings, roads and infrastructure, low-energy projects, retail and restaurants, as well as hotels. WME has been appointed to provide the lead consultancy design and site supervision for multiple projects within the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The firm has also led the engineering and site delivery of more than six cinemas in the MENA region with more planned for 2021 and beyond. In the UAE, WME provided lead design services as part of a multi-disciplinary team to The Reem Snow Park, which is the centre- piece of the Reem Retail Mall in Abu Dhabi. As lead design consultant on the 11,600m2 facility, WME ensured the interface between the specialist theme consultant, Thinkwell, and the snow-making consultant, Adereast, which included design and coordination of into a fully integrated design package. In addition, WME recently competed the full engineering delivery of the 90,000m2 Solitaire retail mall in Riyadh. Most recently, WME provided building services and AV/IT engineering support, including Sustainable Design on multiple pavilions at Expo 2020 Dubai. WME was also involved through design and construction of Nakheel’s The View and Palm Mall at the Palm, celebrating the continued legacy of the Palm Jumeirah as one of Dubai’s key attractions. Moreover, WME has provided MEP and structural engineering services on Emaar Properties’ Downtown Views II project in Downtown Dubai, which is marking the completion of structural works. The residential tower project comprises of three structures, which are 64 floors, 59 floors, and 52 floors in height, respectively, positioned next to each other on a landscaped podium. WME also uses the latest BIM technology for structural and building services engineering design, and is proactive in the development of BIM and its implementation on projects. The firm runs its own BIM 360 Team hub, which is a cloud application that WME uses for data sharing, review processes, and the comparison of BIM model versions. This enables easy visualisation of modifications throughout the delivery process by all stakeholders on a project. WME GLOBAL NICHOLAS BYCZYNSKI DIRECTOR OF MEP 1018 MEP Middle East | June 2021 www.mepmiddleeast.com Ramboll is a global engineering, architecture and consultancy company that has been active in the Middle East MEP industry for the past 16 years. Over the last 12 months, Ramboll has successfully kept close to its strategic clients in a challenging market. The firm prioritised retaining its employees and avoiding significant downsizing while bringing fresh leadership into its MEP department through strategic hires. In addition, Ramboll has also expanded its business in Saudi Arabia, placing a greater focus on technical excellence and sustainable MEP solutions to increase efficiency and minimise costs while offering value-added solutions to clients through innovation and technology. Ramboll was also involved in the Guinness World Record-breaking Mina Plaza Demolition project in Abu Dhabi. The firm was responsible for the lead design and supervision consultancy services before and during the controlled demolition, and is now providing supervision consultancy services for the debris removal and plot reinstatement works. Furthermore, Ramboll was involved in The Cove Marina project in Abu Dhabi, where the firm acted as the employer’s representative and technical advisor for Modon Properties, providing project management, cost consultancy, and design review services on the architecture, mechanical, electrical, site infrastructure, landscape, and structures. Ramboll provided MEP services, sustainability, and site supervision services on Dubai’s Jumeirah Gate project – a mixed-use development consisting of twin towers with a built-up area of approximately 256,000m2 with a total height of 310-metres high respectively. The two 75 + 3B-storey high-rise towers include the branded five-star hotel with 217 Hotel rooms, 443 Serviced Apartments and 478 residential units, joined at the upper levels and topped with a rooftop destination restaurant, bar and large infinity pool. On the whole, Ramboll over the last three years, has designed more than 19 projects and has worked on more than 5 iconic projects, taking more than 7 projects from tender through implementation. The firm currently has more than 12 projects in the drawing board stage and has worked on more than 18 design-supervision projects during this period. Commenting on the firm’s core focus on sustainability, the department lead – Mechanical at Ramboll, Michael Rimmer, said: “Sustainability is one of Ramboll’s core values and over the last 12 months, we have seen increased client demand for enhanced sustainability solutions in developments, well above the minimum requirement. This demand together with our sustainability experts who employ the latest technology has enabled us to drive down carbon emissions in the pursuit of net zero.” Rimmer added: “We are continually striving to be the leader of our field, optimising the impact of embodied energy in the initial construction period, through modularisation and locally sourced material techniques. “We have also developed our digital twinning capability that replicates and improve operational energy performance of our designs, providing us with the necessary tools to deliver energy-efficient building’s that minimise the impact on the environment whilst achieving client objectives.” RAMBOLL MICHAEL RIMMER DEPARTMENT LEAD - MECHANICAL 11 MINIMISE PROJECT UNCERTAINITIES IMPROVED CASHFLOWS NO WORK-FRONT DEPENDENCY MINIMAL WASTAGE SUPERIOR SAFETY ZERO RE-WORK MITIGATE RISKS Accelerate MEP Jobsites MEP Modules Quality + Speed = Certainty Weathermaker Ltd A wholly owned subsidary of Voltas Limited www.weathermakeruae.com sales@weathermakeruae.comNext >