AS LEAD consultant and architect of record on the Fujairah City Centre project, Hyder Consulting Middle East has played a key role in ensuring that the landmark development remains on track. In fact, the centre is now poised to open its doors to trade six weeks ahead of schedule, in line with the client’s objective of 100 per cent occupancy.

The consultancy was responsible for the design and supervision of the Fujairah City Centre from concept design through to the construction supervision stages, together with the co-ordination of the full consultant team.

“The primary challenges on the Fujairah City Centre project were the fast-track nature of the 12-month construction programme and the client’s objective to have 100 per cent of the tenancies trading on opening day,” says Greg Kane, business director buildings.

“Among the key measures we took to meet these challenges was the preparation of a comprehensive, coordinated, construction documentation package, together with the provision of a dedicated, experienced on-site delivery team of architects and inspectors to work alongside the main contractor,” he adds.

Kane comments that the mall will be of great benefit to the local community in Fujairah.

Fujairah City Centre ... latest addition to Hyder’s portfolio.

Hyder Consulting Middle East is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hyder Consulting, which is listed on the London Stock Exchange. It is a multinational engineering advisory and design consultancy, which operates across four geographical regions: Europe, Middle East, Australia and East Asia. Its expertise and capabilities encompass four main sectors – transport, property, utilities and environment.

As one of the world’s longest established engineering consultancies, Hyder has a history of projects that go back over 150 years. The company has designed some of the world’s most recognised landmarks including London’s Tower Bridge, Sydney Harbour Bridge, the Taiwan High-Speed Railway and Berlin’s main station.

In recent times, it has seen the opening of Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building; the design of a new submerged tube tunnel in Hong Kong and the design of several new interstate highways across Australia.

Hyder provides strategic advice based on knowledge and experience gained from a broad portfolio of international projects. “Our expertise in architecture and numerous engineering fields ensures we deliver unmatched quality and services,” says Kane.

The consultancy has access to international resources of approximately 4,000 staff worldwide, 1,000 of whom are located in the Middle East.

Its long-standing service across the Gulf region is extensive, having successfully carried out civil engineering projects for over 100 years for a wide range of public and private sector clients. In 2010, Hyder celebrated five decades since its foundation in the GCC. With a presence in Abu Dhabi, Al Ain, Bahrain, Doha, Dubai and Saudi Arabia, Hyder is one of the largest international multi-discipline consultancies in the region.

The firm is currently working on a range of varied and interesting projects in the region. “Our work continues on the Eastern Mangroves Resort project in Abu Dhabi, which is due for completion and opening in the coming months,” says Kane. “We have just been appointed by Dubai Municipality on The Frame project in Zabeel Park, a very interesting building that will serve as a showcase for the history and culture of Dubai. In addition, we have just completed the design of the Deira Fish Market project, also in Dubai.”

“Further afield, we are working on an indoor ski slope project in China, drawing on our experience on the Ski Dubai project and are nearing completion of a super-tall tower project in Istanbul, Turkey, leveraging our Middle East experience in this field,” he adds.

Commenting on the UAE construction market, Kane says: “The market has been challenging for the past couple of years. However, we have seen an increase in activity and consequently an improvement in sentiment in the last six or so months. Some stalled projects are being revived and we are helping clients with re-design and value engineering of older projects. New projects are moving forward on a sounder footing backed by fundamentals and this is particularly evident in retail and hospitality projects.”

He says last year was a challenging although a reasonably good year nonetheless. “Compared to the previous year, we won projects and grew our headcount in what is a very competitive market place,” he adds.

For the next year, Hyder has embarked on a growth-orientated strategy, whereby it will focus on cementing and growing its position and relationships with key clients in Dubai and Abu Dhabi as those markets improve, as well as drawing on its 50-year presence in Qatar to capitalise on the opportunities there.

The consultancy is optimistic about the year ahead in which it hopes to see continued stabilisation, with moderate growth in the UAE and more rapid growth in Qatar, and will continue to focus on Saudi Arabia, where it aims to reinforce itself in what is the largest market in the region.

“Our structure and people have been largely stable following our group restructure in 2009 to align more closely with client needs in our four key sectors. These remain at the heart of our business in the Middle East region but we have refocused our efforts in the last year towards growth. While we are already working in Saudi Arabia, Hyder has acquired a majority stake in the industrial buildings division of SAK, a Saudi-based architectural and engineering firm,” says Kane.

The company has started new business streams in architecture and landscape architecture as well as rail in Qatar with some early wins already on board. In November last year, it announced a historic win in Qatar – the Ashghal general engineering consultancy services contract for the local roads and drainage project, Area Three.

“The five-year engineering services framework contract for the north of the city of Doha is the largest in the history of the Hyder Group and the largest let by Ashghal,” Kane says.

The consultancy has been involved in the planning and development of Doha South STW (sewage treatment works) since the early 1960s – originally as John Taylor and Sons (which merged with Freeman Fox and Partners in 1988 to form Acer Consultants that became Hyder Consulting Middle East in 1998). A team of 156 staff service Qatar predominantly providing highways, building, civil, structures, and water and sewerage services.

In the UAE, Hyder established offices in 1973 and has delivered landmark developments such as the Mall of the Emirates and the Burj Khalifa in Dubai; Sky and Sun Towers on Reem Island, and Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan Mosque in Abu Dhabi; and Al Ain Wildlife Park & Resort in Al Ain.

In Bahrain its presence dates back to 1962 when the company was known as John Taylor and Sons, which operated from the UK. Formally registered in Bahrain in 1973, the consultancy has been actively involved in the development of the kingdom’s infrastructure since then.

Some of its key projects in the country include a masterplan study and consultancy services for Bahrain’s water distribution scheme (1974-1997); traffic study, design and construction supervision for Sheikh Khalifa Bin Salman Bridge (1995-2003); structural consultant for Government House (2001); and consultant for Alba water transmission project (2001). More recent road and infrastructure projects include Zallaq Bridge, Isa Town Gate Interchange, North Manama Causeway, PK Resort, Bahrain Investment Wharf and King Faisal Highway improvements.