Arab Construction World (ACW), the pioneering business-to-business magazine for the Building, Construction Machinery, Roads, & Power Generation sectors in the Middle East & North Africa, is proud to announce the winners of its 2008 Excellence Awards. The program aims to celebrate great innovations and exquisite achievements within the rapidly evolving construction industry in the Middle East & North Africa region. The judging panel was comprised of ACW’s Honorary Editorial Consultants (HEC) who worked together with the magazine’s editorial team. The HEC board is a group of renowned international professionals. Decisions were based upon the study and analysis of each company’s performance and activity documentation and the cyclic comparison of the observed results.

Developer of the Year

Nakheel is one of the world"s largest privately held real estate developers, and a key player in realizing the vision of Dubai for the 21^st century: creating a world class destination for living, business, and tourism.

Nakheel is developing an iconic portfolio of innovative landmark projects in Dubai, and now in key markets around the globe, across a range of sectors: residential, commercial, hotels, retail, and leisure. Nakheel"s projects are conservatively estimated to be worth US$80 billion. Upon completion Nakheel"s waterfront projects will have added more than 1,000km of shoreline to Dubai"s coastline.

Nakheel"s Dubai portfolio currently includes Palm Jumeirah, Palm Jebel Ali, Palm Deira, The World, Waterfront, Jumeirah Islands, Jumeirah Village, Jumeirah Park, Jumeirah Heights, The Gardens, Discovery Gardens, Ibn Battuta Mall, Al Furjan, International City, and Dragon Mart.

Having already played a leading role in establishing Dubai as a leading tourism destination, Nakheel"s planned projects will include up to 250 new hotels - a 50-percent increase on the current number. The Palm Jumeirah alone is more than doubling the number of beachfront hotels in Dubai, with more than 30 hotels and 14,000 rooms.

Nakheel is a key entity within Dubai World. Dubai World is one of the world"s largest holding companies and supervises a portfolio of businesses and projects for the Dubai government across five continents and more than 100 countries.

Fastest Developing Company

Collaboration, Management, and Control Solutions (CMCS), a leading provider of Project and Portfolio Management solutions and an authorized representative of Primavera in the Middle East, is conducting a region-wide campaign to further strengthen its presence in the Middle East. The company is preparing the opening of new offices in KSA and Bahrain while broadening new operations in Jordan, Qatar, and Lebanon that it launched in 2008.

This strategically follows a solid 50 percent revenue growth and a more than 25 percent increase in the number of employees in 2008 despite challenging regional and global economic conditions. CMCS started 2009 with the launch of a road show plan that will span the entire region throughout the year; it will soon co-organize a major user event with Oracle Primavera as well. The company’s goal is to familiarize key sectors throughout the region with the best Project Management practices and their indispensable value amidst the current economic crisis.

In 2008, the company secured partnerships with major companies such as BARWA Real Estate and Al Habtoor Leighton Group, among others. It also conducted 95 public training courses attended by 953 delegates and organized 185 in-house training sessions for 1,707 trainees as part of its certified products and accredited project management & value engineering training programs, reinforcing its commitment to helping organizations maximize the potential of their personnel. CMCS’ inclusion of the Hard Dollar project cost management and Synchro 4-dimensional construction simulation software solutions to its product portfolio last year further increased demand for its services.

Health & Safety Award

This award goes to Drake & Scull International PJSC (under incorporation) (DSI or the Company), a leading service provider of mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) contracting and civil contracting in the UAE. Drake & Scull joined "Build Safe Dubai" (BSD) in October, 2008, as part of its ongoing commitment to highest standards of health, safety, and welfare.

"BSD" is a not-for-profit organization consisting of major international and local companies in the construction industry that share a common cause: worker welfare and safety. BSD aims to promote an agreed minimum of health and safety standards for the benefit of all workers in the construction industry in Dubai and the UAE as a whole. The organization also seeks to communicate best practice and the importance of construction safety to all project stakeholders.

DSI has a dedicated quality, health & safety, and environment (QHSE) department which reviews, maintains and implements QHSE policies across all divisions in line with strict international standards and regulations, while promoting a positive health and safety culture.

Earlier in October, DSI also joined the Emirates Green Building Council (Emirates GBC), a not-for-profit organization formed in July 2006 with the goal of advancing green building principles for protecting the environment and ensuring sustainability in the UAE.

To date, DSI has designed, constructed and maintains the district cooling plant and network at Jumeirah Beach Residence, the largest of its kind at the time of construction, Dubai Festival City, Saudi Iron & Steel Company (Hadeed), as well as many more around the GCC.

Innovation of the Year

The Bobcat T2250 is a compact machine which combines for the first time the features and benefits of three different machine types: the telescopic handler (lifting height and reach), with the advantages of an articulated loader (loading ability), and those of a skid-steer loader (compactness, maneuverability, and – especially – versatility).

All-new model, the smallest in the Bobcat range with maximum lift capacity of 2.2 ton and maximum lift height of 5.2 m complements existing range of Bobcat telehandlers with lift capacities from 2.5 to 4 tons and maximum lift heights ranging from 5.6 to 17.4 m. 

With a height of 1970 mm, width of 1800 mm and length (without attachment) of 4190 mm, the 4.5 ton T2250 is as compact as Bobcat’s largest skid-steer loader models, and, yet, offers a loading performance comparable to that of an equivalently sized articulated wheeled loader.

Designed and tested to the level of a loader, the T2250 provides all the attributes expected of a compact jobsite telehandler, combining maneuverability, agility, and speed.  But for the first time on a telehandler, there is a choice of quick-change attachment mounting systems: the traditional front carrier, either with manual or hydraulic locking, or the “Bob-Tach” system, with either mechanical or hydraulic locking, which takes the T2250 into places where no other telehandler has ventured to go.

Interior Design of the Year

The winner in this category is Neos, the highest lounge in the city of Dubai, which is located at the Address, Downtown Burj Dubai - the newest hotel brand to enter the international luxury hospitality scene.

Visitors will find Neos on the hotel’s 63^rd floor where the panoramic 360 degree views across the city offer the ‘wow’ factor. The name Neos derives from the Greek word ‘neo’ meaning new and ‘eos’ meaning dawn, bringing a young and fresh venue to Dubai’s social scene. Here guests discover a glamorous and exciting destination where Dubai’s jet-set meet and mingle.

The hotel’s interior designers, WA International have taken an inspirational trip into the past and created in Neos a space that has its roots in Art Deco with a contemporary twist, the design concept encapsulating elegance, exclusivity and exquisiteness.

Exiting the lift at Neos, guests are immediately drawn to the floor-to-ceiling windows where the view encompasses Burj Dubai - the world’s tallest building - the nearby Burj Dubai Lake and spectacular sights of the city.

Neos offers a host of features which are both aesthetically pleasing as they are stimulatingly entertaining. Apart from the panoramic views outside, there are tasteful touches inside which provide a flow of movement: the beverage outlet has been fashioned from black granite infused with reflective quartz, giving a twinkling starlight effect.

Overhead, crystal chandeliers enhance the starburst effect while a fiber-optic light curtain surrounds the high gloss black lacquer lift case, further adding to the dramatic shimmering ‘feel’.

With a contemporary look and an elegant retro influence, Neos portrays a sense of relaxation and sophisticated lifestyle. The décor is enhanced by six-meter high columns made out of mirror polished stainless steel cladding which are down-lit, creating a highly striking effect.

Complementing the design features are furnishings which are understatedly elegant and in a monochromatic color palette with black, silver, and grey, enlivened with rich wine for contrast and warmth.

Landscape of the Year

This award goes to golfing legend Gary Player’s visually stunning and eco-conscious design of the Saadiyat Beach Golf Course - his only signature course in the UAE and the Arabian Gulf"s first ocean course.

Eco-guidelines for the course include a protection zone for a nearby section of beach which is a hatching spot for Hawksbill turtles and sand dune protection guidelines to be implemented by course management.

 The amphitheatre-style course will be capable of hosting a major tournament in the future. It has been designed in a classic figure of eight configuration with over a third of the course having views of the Saadiyat coastline where dolphins are regularly spotted. The course will also boast two freshwater lakes and one saltwater lake. Landscaping and course garden areas will utilize native grasses and desert palms.

Bermuda grass is to be used as the primary turf for the fairways, greens and tees with drought-tolerant Bahai turf selected for the outer rough and fairway peripheries as it uses a third less water than Bermuda.

Product of the Year

Traditional pool pumps are high energy consumers. In fact, it’s not unusual for a pump to consume as much energy as all other home appliances combine. Fortunately, there is IntelliFlo® VS-3050, a breakthrough innovation that’s brimming with new technology to drastically reduce energy costs and provide many other benefits as well.

First, IntelliFlo® VS-3050 uses an exclusive permanent magnet motor (used in hybrid cars) that is fundamentally more energy efficient and typically accounts for “base energy savings” of 30%.

Second, the IntelliFlo® VS-3050 is a unique variable speed pump with four selectable pre-set speeds in the control panel. This allows customized programming of optimum pump speeds for specific tasks – filtering, heating, cleaning, spa jets, waterfalls, etc. Using slower speeds takes advantage of a fundamental pump law: by going slower, power consumption is reduced. The result is additional savings; potentially up to 90% compared to even so-called high efficiency single-speed or two-speed pumps.

Project of the Year

Waterfront City is planned to become a lively city center 24 hours a day for a predicted residential population of 92,000 and a working population of approximately 310,000 people. Covering a land area of more than 330 hectares, Waterfront City comprises of a central island surrounded by four neighboring districts: the Boulevard, Madinat Al Soor, the Resort, and the Marina.

Located on the western shores of Dubai, the entire Waterfront development will transform 1.4 billion square feet of empty desert and sea into an international community for an estimated population of 1.5 million people that is twice the size of Hong Kong Island.

The Central Island district, a grid of five streets by five streets, is the defining element of the design of Waterfront City; it will create walkable distances between blocks, easing the flow of traffic passing through the city. To ensure maximum shading and climate control in the city, the higher building masses are concentrated on the south side also making efficient use of wind flows for cooling. To guarantee further protection from the sun each city block is lined with arcades and planted with trees. 

All of the surrounding areas as well as the Central Island will be connected by a comprehensive public transport system, including Dubai’s new metro train system. Waterfront City will also have a direct link to the Al Maktoum International Airport, currently under construction and set to become Dubai’s main airport hub.

Sustainable Development of the Year

Chicago architecture firm Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture’s (AS + GG) design of Masdar’s headquarters in Abu Dhabi"s Masdar City, the world"s first zero-carbon, zero-waste city fully powered by renewable energy.

Masdar’s headquarters, in Abu Dhabi"s Masdar City, the world"s first zero-carbon, zero-waste city fully powered by renewable energy, will be the world"s first large-scale, mixed-use "positive energy" building, producing more energy than it consumes. In addition to being the location of Masdar Headquarters, the building will accommodate private residences and ‘early bird" businesses starting up in the city.

 AS+GG teamed with Chicago-based MEP engineers Environmental Systems Design and structural engineers Thornton Tomasetti on the design, which includes numerous systems that will generate a surplus of the building"s energy, eliminate carbon emissions, and reduce liquid and solid waste.