Jacobs wins Borouge deal
JACOBS Engineering Group has won an Abu Dhabi Polymers Company contract to develop front-end engineering and design (Feed) for a section of the Borouge 3 project, a grassroots polypropylene/polyethylene facility in Abu Dhabi. The US-based group’s role involves compounding, soaking and product handling. The project’s Feed portion is scheduled to be completed by mid-2010. Jacobs’ design will optimise Borealis’ proprietary XLPE technology, which creates plastic of an extremely high level of purity. Borealis is the leading global market supplier of this calibre of material, which is manufactured in Stenungsund, Sweden. Jacobs will execute the work from its office in Stenungsund.

Pearl Dubai sets pour record
PEARL Dubai has accomplished 50 per cent of the foundation work in the Dubai Pearl development with the completion of raft pouring in the South Tower.
The South Tower has a foundation slab which is 3.25 m thick and 3,072 sq m in total area. Juxtaposed against the 8.07-m excavation, the dimensions account for a major challenge in the project’s construction timeline. The second raft pouring was completed in a record time of 30 hours. The overall concrete pouring on all the four towers of the project would consist of around 44,000 cu m of concrete in the foundations that contain over 4,800 tonnes of steel reinforcements.

Designer eyes tall record
SANTA Monica building designer Tommy Landau has proposed a record-breaking 224-storey skyscraper in Abu Dhabi, and the project has aroused the interest of developers, according to a report in the Los Angeles Times.
Art dealer Fayez Barakat is also involved in the project, the US newspaper reported, adding that another likely investor is Wayne Kao, founder of Morgan Browning Capital of Los Angeles and Taipei.
Landau, whose previous designs for tall office buildings have not exceeded 25 storeys, said he would turn over the technical aspects of putting the skyscraper together to one of three large international architecture firms if the project gets off the ground.

Voyer to run HLG operations
LAURIE Voyer has been appointed managing director of the Al Habtoor Leighton Group (HLG) to oversee the operations of one of the region’s largest broad-based construction groups. He has over 35 years’ senior management experience in the industry.
Voyer was earlier deputy managing director for Leighton Contractors, the Leighton Group’s flagship operating company and was largely responsible for the company’s outstanding performance over the past few years. He will replace David Savage.

Study reveals asbestos risks
THERE'S a substantial risk to health due to a heavy use of asbestos-containing materials (ACMs) in construction activities, a lecture concluded.
Statistics revealed that in 2007 alone, more than 17,000 tonnes of asbestos were imported into the UAE for the manufacture of asbestos cement pipes which were used in sewerage systems, the Emirates Environmental Group’s (EEG) ninth community lecture noted. Charles Faulkner, consultant for WSP Environment and Energy Middle East, said: “The continuous use of ACMs on a large scale in the construction sector is expected to increase the number of illnesses related to asbestos. New policies should be set in place to enforce the ban on all kinds of ACMs, while safer alternative materials must be identified to encourage construction firms and companies to refrain from using ACMs.”
Habiba Al Maraashi, chairperson, EEG, said: “The lecture was a significant step in our efforts to draw public attention towards the risks related to asbestos exposure.”

Mirdif City car-park nearly ready
MIRDIF City Centre in Dubai is well on way to mark a key milestone as work on its 7,000-vehicle car-park achieves 90 per cent completion.
The 272,000-sq-m car-park is strategically located around the mall and provides shoppers access to and from the Emirates Road and Tripoli Street. There are 12 entries and exits that lead visitors in and out of different levels of the car-park. From inside the car-park, customers will be in a position to use 17 entrances to the mall with the signage comprising a simple mix of colour coding levels and row numbers to enable easy recall of vehicles parked.
Yousif Al Ali, vice president of Mirdif City Centre, said the easy use of car-park was high priority when the mall was designed.

GHD honoured for pumping feat
GHD has been recognised for overcoming a challenge of towering proportions in its work on the world’s tallest building, the Burj Dubai.
The Concrete Institute of Australia (CIA) has presented the company with an award for excellence for its groundbreaking work in pumping concrete to a height of 601 m during construction of the Dubai landmark.
GHD fulfilled the critical role of independent verification and testing agency for Emaar Properties, the developer of the 160-plus storey tower.
The team, led by concrete specialist Dr James Aldred, was involved in concrete mix development as well as quality control and assurance on materials used throughout the project.
The Burj Dubai stands over 800 m high. Its final height will be revealed during its launch on December 2, the UAE’s national day.