Almoayyed Contracting Group, which has grown from strength to strength over the past few years, has clinched most of the major HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) electrical and plumbing contracts in Bahrain over the past year.

Among the most recent projects it has won is the HVAC and BMS contract for the prestigious Bahrain Racing Circuit - the largest of its kind to be awarded in Bahrain in recent years, according to M T Mathews, chief executive officer and general manager.
The company was responsible for undertaking the air-conditioning services for the Phase-II of National Bank of Bahrain which was the Kingdom's tallest tower - a distinction now gained by the Almoayyed Tower, where Almoayyed Contracting is currently engaged in providing the MEP (mechanical, electrical and plumbing) and air-conditioning services.
The Almoayyed Tower has brought with it a number of challenges, which the company has successfully surmounted and it has also been a learning experience for the firm in the realm of skyscrapers.
Almoayyed Contracting has taken care to select high-quality components for the M&E services and given close attention to details, says Mathews.
The tower is  provided with 2,100 tonnes of refrigeration by seven screw chillers from York International of the US.  They are supported by 422 air-handling units (AHUs) and 80 fan coil units (FCUs) from Cooline, the international brand of Zamil Air-Conditioners of Saudi Arabia.
The AHUs include energy recovery systems with the thermal wheel and heat pipes, says H Sriram, projects manager. Separate AHUs have been installed for the swimming pool which has a pool heating system.
The HVAC system includes dynamic balancing valves to keep and adjust the flow rate of the chilled water within the specific control range.
To ensure the efficiency of the cooling system throughout the tower, the HVAC system essentially has been split into two halves vertically and utilises the concept of primary, secondary and tertiary pumps system with plate heat exchangers which are located on the 20th floor - one of the three technical floors of the tower.
A special ducting system has been installed at the tower, comprising of preinsulated polyisocyanurate  rather than the conventional galvanized iron (GI) ducting - the first time such a system has been used in Bahrain, says N S Chandrasekar, contracts manager.
A smoke extract system has been installed in the basement car-park.
The building has been divided into fire zones with smoke control systems installed on all the floors in addition to fire dampers.  The staircase and lift wells have been pressurised to ensure the safe evacuation of occupants in the event of a fire.
The electrical works include high-voltage (HV) and low-voltage (LV) systems.
The HV systems include eight transformers of 1.5 MVA capacity and HV switchgear which are all supplied by the Swiss-Swedish ABB.  The transformers are located in the services block adjacent to the tower. All the components in the LV panels are also procured from ABB.  Power transmission throughout the building is via busbar which is of sandwich construction.
Medium and high-intensity lighting has been installed at various levels of the building for aviation warning. In addition, special lights have been fitted on the helipad to assist helicopters in landing. The building also includes a lightning protection system.
LV systems installed at the project include fire alarms, telephones, SMATV (satellite master antenna television), public address system and close circuit television (CCTV).
The fire alarm system from Gent installed at the project is completely addressable.
The entire building is protected with a fire sprinkler system supported by first-aid hose reels and landing valves.  The fire-fighting system also includes a set of sprinkler and wet riser pumps which can operate on a standalone generator.
The building is equipped with standby generators which can run the essential building services in the event of a mains failure.
The plumbing system uses PPR (polypropylene random) pipes with pressure reducing valves to maintain the water pressure.  A large GRP (glass-reinforced plastic) water tank has been installed on the 43rd floor which is a services and technical floor.
Heated water is supplied to each of the offices by standalone water heaters on the respective floors.
Transfer pumps located on the technical floors transfer water that has been pumped from the tank on the ground level on to higher levels, thus maintaining the flow of water at an optimum level.
The drainage system is equipped with pressure breakers on the stacks to regulate the flow of the sewage water.
The tower employs a building management system (BMS) from Invensys Building Systems of the US, which monitors and controls the air-conditioning system including the chiller monitoring and sequencing and the AHU and FCU controls. In addition, the lighting systems in the external and internal common areas are also linked to the BMS which is located in the service block.
Commenting about the project, Sriram says: "The major challenge of the project was the time span allotted for the project. We've had to complete physical work on site in eight months."
Almoayyed Contracting started work on site in September last year and by March the bulk of the work was completed, he says.
"Planning and project monitoring was a very important factor in ensuring the successful completion of the project," adds Chandrasekar. "Proper planning was necessary to make sure that the equipment was delivered just in time. Proper sequencing of work was essential to avoid wastage of time and to ensure the safety of workers as various tasks were being performed on different levels of the building.
Sriram elaborates: "For example, if welding was under way in the shafts, no other work could be carried out below his work area. Working inside the shafts was particularly difficult, where 18-inch diameter pipes had to be properly supported and installed. We designed special thermal compensators to allow for expansion and contraction forces."
"We are proud to state that there have been no accidents on site," he adds.
Another major challenge was coordinating with the various trades on site, especially the curtain-walling contractor, he says. Almoayyed Contracting had to ensure that the bulk of the material was within the structure before the tower was enclosed in curtain-walling. Almoayyed Contracting is currently involved in preliminary testing and flushing of systems and is poised to commission the project by the end of next month (September).
In the meantime, Almoayyed Contracting is racing ahead with its contract on the Formula One race track which it expects to complete in January.  The company is responsible for the HVAC and BMS for the entire project.
Another fast-track project it is working on is the renovation of the South Wing of the Gulf Hotel. It completed the first phase of the M&E project at the end of last month (July) and is working on the second phase which is due for completion this month.
It has recently commissioned the M&E services at the Al Jazeera Tower in the Sanabis area and has two other major projects in hand - the Al Zamil Tower in central Manama and The Rossais Tower in the Diplomatic Area.
In addition, it is involved in a number of projects for the ministries of health, education and interior.
Almoayyed Contracting offers a 24-hour maintenance back-up services for all electromechanical and BMS services and has regular maintenance contracts with ministries and a number of major clients.
The company, which is part of the YK Almoayyed & Sons group of companies, does not intend to rest on its laurels and is looking at both diversifying and expanding its horizons. Starting off initially as Almoayyed Airconditioning Contracting in 1982, the company has expanded and been recently renamed as Almoayyed Contracting Group. It now offers a range of specialised services, under the banners of Almoayyed Contracting, Almoayyed Airconditioning , Almoayyed Cleaning and Maintenance,  Almoayyed Scaffolding and Almoayyed Property Developers.
"Our primary aim is to act as a turnkey contractor in the market," says  the CEO.
The Almoayyed Contracting Group offers an extensive portfolio of services in two major fields:

 The company, which has streamlined its quality management systems, hopes to achieve ISO9001 by the end of this year and is also pursuing certification to OHSAS 18001 health and safety and 14001 environmental standards.
The company established an office in Qatar five years ago and has created a name for itself in a short span.  It is now looking at entering other markets in the Middle East.
Other companies within the YK Almoayyed & Sons umbrella include Almoayyed International Group, Almoayyed Lifts, Almoayyed Electronics, Almoayyed Computers and Almoayyed Institute of Information Technology.