GULF Construction goes on site at the Princess Nora bint Abdulrahman University for Women and speaks to Saudi Oger’s project director for PNU Stephane Chanteloux about the key aspects of the leading contractor’s scope of works on the massive development:
What is Saudi Oger’s scope of works on the Princess Nora bin Abdulrahman University project?
Our scope of work for PNU, known as Package One (P1) is to construct, test and commission all buildings contained in our scope. Certainly this is preceded and accompanied by a massive engineering effort to develop, submit and approve all required drawings for the execution of the works according to the project’s and the client’s quality requirements.
When was Saudi Oger awarded the contract and when is it due for completion?
The contract was awarded on January 26, 2009, and the handover of the site took place 24 hours later on the morning of January 27.
What are Saudi Oger’s strengths that have helped it win this major contract award?
Saudi Oger has more than 30 years of experience with the company endowed with experienced project managers, site and design engineers and a trained workforce in fast-track projects. The company also benefits from its design and engineering capabilities that lie in Oger International, based in Paris, and the design team located in Riyadh and on site. Recent investments in modern machinery and equipment have also allowed us to increase the productivity of our manpower and have given us the ability to mobilise rapidly for fast-track projects. Moreover, the company has had considerable experience lately in delivering large-scale projects in a short time, and that has added to its technical and practical experience. Finally, project managers and engineers benefit from the presence, support and intervention of the company’s top managers and their guidance, ensuring that projects in general, and PNU in particular, find all the resources and support needed to be completed on time.
Please provide an overall description of the project within Saudi Oger’s scope?
Currently, Saudi Oger is developing the PNU north of Riyadh, which is conceived to accommodate 40,000 female students on its campus. Saudi Oger is executing Package One of the project which consists of a series of colleges, schools, administrative buildings, housing facilities, a medical research centre and a hospital, in addition to multiple support facilities spread across the campus, with an approximate built-up area of 1 million sq m.
What aspects of the project have been completed and what stage is it at now?
Today, practically the majority of concrete works have been completed. MEP (mechanical, electrical and plumbing) and building enclosures had been started almost immediately after the removal of scaffolding for the first levels. With time being of essence on this project, works must proceed almost in parallel. Finishing works have also started inside the buildings and are proceeding at an accelerated pace.
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Work in progress ... at the College of Social Service and Human Welfare and College of Family and Consumer Sciences (top). |
Is the project designed to address sustainability issues?
The project aims to meet the requirements of United States Green Building Council (USGBC) for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (Leed) and to obtain Gold certificates for several of the buildings.
Describe the detailed architectural plan for the entire development and highlights of the architecture.
The architectural concept for this project was developed by Dar Al Handasah Shair & Partners, one of the region’s leading design firms. The most impressive and challenging architectural features of the project are the facades. A mixture of mushrabiyah, stone cladding, curtain-walls and other decorative elements give the university a characteristic identity and instill a desired sense of privacy for the university’s population. From a construction point of view, this is a major challenge for which Saudi Oger has mobilised and invested in new technologies and engineering skills.
What were the major challenges in implementing the project?
The main challenge in this project is time. For that, Saudi Oger has invested heavily in equipment, cranes and new technologies to reduce construction time and increase the productivity of our workforce. An elaborate logistics set-up has also been established to ensure an efficient management of the project. Again, a sense of discipline and flexibility allows us to manage this fast-track project.
