AAC wins $50m Hyundai deal

ARABIAN MEP Contracting (AAC) has signed a $50-million contract with Korea’s Hyundai Engineering and Construction for HVAC (heating, ventilation and air-conditioning), fire-fighting and plumbing works at Hamad Medical City in Doha, Qatar.

The project is scheduled for completion by the end of 2013. AAC is one of the largest MEP (mechanical, electrical and plumbing) building services companies in Qatar with Grade A status and ISO 19001, ISO 14001 and ISO 18001 cerification.

Elames to launch green techniques

ELAMES, a division of Behzad Group, Bahrain, is planning to introduce specialised equipment that will help in producing environment-friendly building materials.

The company will use the laser-guided manufacturing equipment to produce construction finishing materials that, according to Behzad, will conserve energy and increase production capacity by approximately 400 per cent, which will help the company achieve its growth targets. The new equipment will also help generate jobs for several skilled Bahraini labourers, according to Mishal Behzad, product director at Elames. This project will be funded with the support of Bahrain Development Bank and Tamkeen.

Doosan to build plant in Yanbu

DOOSAN Heavy Industries and Construction is to build a 68,000-cu-m-per-day multi-effect distillation (MED) desalination plant in Yanbu, Saudi Arabia.

The Korean company’s president and CEO Geewon Park said that Doosan had signed a contract with Marafiq, Saudi Arabia’s state-run company, to execute the Yanbu II seawater desalination project worth $80 million. Doosan will execute the project on an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) basis. The largest unit capacity in the world for an MED plant, it is scheduled for completion in March 2014.

Lakesmere names manager

LAKESMERE, one of the UK’s largest roofing and cladding specialists, has appointed a new business development manager who has more than 20 years of experience in sales and business development in both the UK, Europe and recently in the Middle East.

Ross Callicott will be working with the company’s head office in the UK as well as with local partners to secure roofing and cladding contracts across the Middle East, North Africa and other emerging markets. Ross brings with him a wealth of experience and extensive knowledge of the Middle East market having previously worked as general manager for one of Oman’s largest business houses.

Jacobs wins Marafiq deal

JACOBS Engineering Group has secured a contract from Saudi Arabian utility company Marafiq for providing project management consultancy services at its new integrated power and water facility in Yanbu, Saudi Arabia.

Jacobs’ scope of work for the project includes project management, quality assurance, safety assurance, permitting support, engineering review, construction oversight and start-up and commissioning oversight.

The overall project value has been put at more than $1 billion.

Jacobs Group vice-president Bob Irvin said: “Jacobs is very pleased to continue to be with Marafiq in its growth as the first private integrated utility company in Saudi Arabia. This project supports our long-term commitment to clients in the Middle East.”

Marafiq’s core business is the development, operation and maintenance of power and water treatment systems to provide essential utility services for the industrial cities of Jubail and Yanbu in Saudi Arabia.

Jacobs is one of the world’s largest and most diverse providers of technical, professional, and construction services.

Hyundai to build $434m museum

HYUNDAI Engineering & Construction has won a $434 million order to build a national museum in Qatar. The South Korean construction firm said it had secured the final contract from Qatar Museums Authority to build the museum on a site of 46,000 sq m in the country’s capital Doha. The company expects the construction work of the Jean Nouvel-designed museum to take 33 months.

Hilson Moran to open new office

LEADING multi-disciplinary engineering consultancy Hilson Moran opened its second GCC office in Qatar last month. The company will be known as Hilson Moran Qatar and will operate as a local engineering consultancy, offering all of its services in the areas of building design and operation, sustainable masterplanning, infrastructure, environmental and sustainability consultancy within the region. Hilson Moran also has an office in Abu Dhabi, UAE.

DSK secures $19m mosque deal

DRAKE and Scull Kuwait (DSK) has secured a contract to execute and coordinate the complete mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP) works for an administrative block and mosque for a public sector client in Kuwait.

The project, valued at $19 million, will be completed by November 2013. DSK, a subsidiary of Drake and Scull International, is also eyeing additional projects in the thriving Kuwaiti domestic construction sector set to post a 2.4 per cent growth to $2.4 billion this year.