Fujairah National Construction Company (FNC), well known in the region for high-rise construction, holds the distinction of having constructed the tallest building in Fujairah - the 46-storey Fujairah Tower.

And now, with the Almoayyed Tower in the Seef District, it holds claim to having built the tallest building in Bahrain.
Quality, speed and a reasonable cost are the three attributes of Fujairah National Construction Company which give it a competitive edge in the market, according to Michel Tannous,  vice president construction of the Dubai-headquartered company.
This leading general contracting firm is close to completing its BD22 million ($58 million) turnkey contract on the Almoayyed Tower which entails building, testing and commissioning the skyscraper, which is now scheduled for final handover by October-end this year.
Established in 1988, FNC has long-standing experience as a main contractor.  It was among the first contracting companies in the UAE to promote and develop the concept of integrated design and construction for all turnkey projects, whether big or small. Over the years, the company has executed various construction projects which have earned it a place among the leading construction firms in the region specialising in turnkey construction of all forms of reinforced concrete and steel buildings.
The company claims to have executed more than 3,000 projects where it has applied the latest advanced technology in the design, planning and execution.
Among other major projects successfully completed by FNC are the 24-storey Emirates Beach Resort-Le Meridien Hotel in Dibba, the 13 storey Union Bank Building, Fujairah Shopping Mall, Fujairah International Marine Club and the St. Mary Church and School Complex, all in Fujairah;  the Dnata Airline Centre, Churches Complex,  The Gardens residential building complex, 50 luxury and executive villas at Hattan for Emaar, 18 luxury villas at Al Safa, Oasis Shopping Mall,  Global Pharmaceutical plant in Jebel Ali, Design Division's new factory at Al Quoz, Dip labour accommodation and canteen at Jebel Ali and Al Futtaim Car Importation Centre, all in Dubai.
"Our business strategy is focused on modern construction techniques and total quality management. Our commitment to clients and expertise in construction of turnkey projects are vital factors that keep FNC competitive in the market," Tannous says.
For the Almoayyed Tower project, FNC designed and fabricated the steel skeleton through its affiliated company Emirates Building Systems (EBS). FNC was responsible for all aspects of the construction on the turnkey project and utilised the services of subcontractors such as Alico (curtain-walling), YK Almoayyed (MEP services) and Eversendai (steel erection).
FNC started mobilising for the project in early October 2001, and broke ground at site by the end of that month.
"We started work on the superstructure on June 10 last year," says Wayne Schmidt, project manager. "The superstructure comprises a concrete core with a steel frame around it. The floors comprise a steel decking system, used as permanent formwork, with concrete poured over it. The central core was slipformed using special concrete which allowed the slipform to be raised every three hours."
The concrete specified for the project was as per FNC's construction requirement. Self-compacting concrete was used for the columns and special rapid-setting concrete was specified for the slipform.
"All these special requirements for the project were achieved without compromising on the concrete specification and quality," he says.
Commenting on the challenges of the project, Schmidt says: "The particular challenge on the project was coordination of material delivery as well as of the workforce of FNC and subcontractors to ensure the construction programme of three days for each floor was met."
A Schuco curtain-walling system has been used for the project. The German system has been produced to international standards and factory-tested to ensure it can withstand the wind loads and water penetration, says Schmidt. In addition, site tests  have been performed for water penetration and colour uniformity of the glass, he adds.
Besides the Almoayyed Tower, FNC is currently involved in the construction of  the Ahli United Bank headquarters in Bahrain. In Dubai, it is currently building 640 executive villas at The Spring and nine private luxury villas at The Meadows for Emaar, 10 private luxury villas at Merdif  and Mazars, new hangar facilities for Aero Gulf at Dubai International Airport, DWTC staff accommodation at Ras Al Khor and  light industrial units (153,600 sq m) at Dubai Airport Free Zone.
Commenting about the company's business levels and its goals, Tannous says: "Business has been very rewarding, and we aim to develop and construct more landmark projects in the Gulf over the coming year."
FNC has branch offices in Fujairah, Sharjah, Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Lebanon, Qatar, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Tanzania and Maldives.