East Consulting Engineering Center (ECEC), a leading design consultancy firm,  is playing a key role in fashioning the kingdom’s educational infrastructure of the near future.

It is currently designing a total of 10 technical colleges and 19 vocational training centres for the Technical Education and Vocational Training Corporation, under the General Directorate for Project and Maintenance.
The firm is also supervising work on connecting the Shoaiba desalination plant to the main distribution network of Makkah for the client – the Ministry of Water and Electricity, Makkah branch, Jeddah – which  is expected to be completed this July.
ECEC, which has more than 25 years of experience in architectural and engineering service, has offered its expertise to several prestigious projects in the kingdom.
Technical colleges
Two sets of designs from ECEC’s drawing boards – including a new generation design – will be replicated at 10 sites, located at Arar, Bisha, Jouf, Al Kharj, Zulfi, Al Ras, Al Quariat, Khamis Mushayit, Al Majmah and Hafr Al Batin, which will house technical colleges. The project is part of the government’s effort to expand the educational apparatus throughout the kingdom, says a spokesman for ECEC.
ECEC has furnished designs for six colleges at Al Majmah, Jouf, Arar, Bisha, Al Kharj, and Hafr Al Batin, which are now in the tendering stage. Design work is continuing on the remaining projects that are to come up at Zulfi, Al Ras, Al Quariat and Khamis Mushayit.
Says a spokesman for ECEC: “The Technical Education and Vocational Training Corporation assigned the design works of technical colleges for many of these sites to ECEC as we have the ability and qualification to do such kind of projects.’’
Each of these projects is allocated a site area of approximately 300,000 sq m and will have a built-up area of 12,600 sq m. Most buildings – all of which have no basement – will be two-storey units while others will be single- and three-storeyed complexes.
The main elements that form the project include: the educational and administration blocks, a multipurpose hall, mechanical, electrical and general study centres, several workshops, a mosque, a cafeteria, and storage buildings.
“The concept of this project was to develop a prototype design as a landmark of the educational institution. As per requirement, ECEC aimed to portray the the same image for the projects, but with a new methodology. By manoeuvring with spaces, we have introduced this new methodology to create community spaces, which we call the new generation of technical colleges,” says the spokesman.
“The concept was to design spaces that would allow students to feel comfortable while studying. To create this, the designer has created a small centrally-located  semi-public area that will serve as a lounge to students and others. This has been done bearing in mind the functional role of the institutes and ensuring easy access to all buildings and private parking facilities for all staff.
The new approach in building placement was introduced when conceptualising the design. A ‘core’ area has been created that will serve as the focal point of the entire complex around which the buildings will be constructed in a radial pattern. The core with its patterned paving and landscaped features is connected to the buildings by means of walkways covered with concrete trellises. In view of the climatic conditions prevailing in the kingdom, the distance the user has to walk from the building to the parking area has been kept to a minimum.
Says the spokesman: The design has also taken into consideration the aspects of future expansion that is expected to be a result of urbanisation and population increase. The initial development can be repeated in a determined location without disrupting the aesthetics or symmetry of the design, thus making the expansion blend with the original concept of the complex.”
The buildings will feature local construction materials and construction methods shall give local contractors opportunity to participate, which will in turn lower construction costs, comments the spokesman. They will comprise mainly of conventional 300-mm-wide CMU (concrete masonry units) cavity walls with 50-mm-thick rigid thermal insulation. Textured paint finish on alkali-resistant base primer will be the main external treatment for finishing. Glazed doors and windows with tempered insulating glass, glazed porcelain tiles, marble and carpeted areas will be a common feature of the buildings. The conventional roofing system which will be used for the project will be ‘topped-off’ with ballast gravel.
Arabic influences will also be noticeable on the buildings through the patterns of parapet openings and plaster recess ornaments on the façades of the buildings. The same pattern, which will also be reflected in the security grilles, contributing to the objective of creating a congruity in the design of all the institutional projects, he says.
The buildings will be equipped with the following mechanical systems:
HVAC: roof-mounted packaged type air-conditioning and ceiling-mounted DX-split type air handling unit will be used to cater to the large cooling load requirements of the complex. A roof-mounted exhaust fan will be installed to ventilate the toilets;
Fire-fighting system: The facilities are equipped with wet sprinkler system fire hose cabinets. High pressure CO2 system will be used for electrical rooms;
Water supply: A main water tank will be filled with a deep well pump as a standby source of water in the event of municipal water being unavailable. Toilets and bathrooms will be provided with separate electrical water heaters;
Drainage system: The drainage will be routed through manholes to septic tanks via lift stations;
Irrigation system: An automatic irrigation system will be provided to feed the water as per the water requirement for each type of plant; and
Electrical system: The complex will also be provided with a range of supporting systems including power supply, telephone, fire alarm and LAN systems.

Vocational training centres
ECEC is also providing the design for the 19 vocational training centres that will be built  in Turaif, Thaima, Dhaba, Baqa’a, Rafa’a, Shaqra, Majmah, Namas, Rabigh, Aflaj, Afif, Laith, Makkah, Abha, Hail, Tabuk, Jouf, Yanbu and Khafji. All the sites are still in the design stage.
Says the spokesman: “The concept is to develop a prototype design of the educational firm by creating a certain distinctive image for the facilities that will provide the local market with highly-qualified and well-trained staff. The sites will range in area from 200,000 to 400,000 sq m and each facility will have a built-up area of approximately 18,000 sq m. While most buildings will be two-storeyed, there are single- and three-storeyed buildings as well.
Each facility will include educational and administration buildings, a multipurpose hall, mechanical, electrical and general study centres, several workshops, a mosque, a cafeteria, and a storage building.
The architectural concept and the finishes of the buildings dwells on the same lines as the technical colleges with a similar focus.
Once complete, the training complex will hone the skills of Saudis to enable to take up jobs in the local job market.
The mechanical systems that will feature in the buildings will include:
HVAC: Mini-split units will be installed in all offices with high wall-mounted fan-coil units and roof air-cooled condensing units. Tearooms and toilet will have wall and roof-mounted exhaust fans;
Plumbing: Pressurised water line will supply water to the toilets and cafeterias. Electrical water heaters placed at various locations will supply the required hot water. Gravity drainage lines with proper venting will collect the sewer waste in the manholes and to the septic tank and soak-pits;
Fire-fighting: Automatic sprinklers will be installed while portable fire extinguishers will be placed at various locations along corridors. 

Shoaiba desal plant pipelines
ECEC is also supervising the work of connecting the Al Shoaiba desalination plant to the main distribution network of Makkah, which is scheduled to be completed in July. The SR209 million ($55.73 million) project is being executed by Bin Jarallah Establishment for Trading and General Contracting. 
Mobilisation work on the potable water line project, which was envisaged in 1994 and designed in 1996, commenced in September 1998.
The scope of the works for the project includes the laying of 44 km of PCCP (pre-stressed cement concrete cylindrical pipes) pipes for the trunk line and CCP  (cement concrete cylindrical pipes), DI (ductile iron), steel welded pipes of different diameters in Arafat, Muna, Muzdalifa and in some parts of Makkah City and the construction of various buildings related to the project such as: the pumping station, administration and accommodation, electrical and control, chlorination, transformer and the guardhouse buildings.
The project, once completed, will supply water for pilgrims in Arafat, Muna, and Muzdalifa by supplementing the existing waterlines, while providing potable water to the residents of Makkah, says the spokesman.
In addition to a sizeable local population, Makkah faces an influx of over two million pilgrims each year during the Hajj and about 2.3 million pilgrims during other months to perform Umrah.
“The existing pipelines cannot adequately meet the requirement of the residents as well as the increasing number of pilgrims, hence a transmission line of a large diameter has been laid to connect the main lines from existing reservoirs feeding from the plant to nine areas of greater Makkah including: Mina; Muzdalifa; Arafat; Aziziah; Hai Al Hijrah; Al Nakkasah; Al Misfalah; Khalidiyah; and Hindawiyah. 
The pipeline works include:

• Execution of PCCP transmission line of a length of 19,400 m and diameter of 1,600 mm pipes from the reservoir at Tahliya, Taif Road to the pump station at Muzdalifa, at 16 bar working pressure;
• Laying 1,000 mm diameter CCP pipes for the following lines: Arafat line: A 200 m line to connect the 20,000 cu m Arafat reservoir from the main line at 16 bar working pressure; Muaysim line: A 2,800 m connection to the 1 million cu Muaysim reservoir in Mina at 16 bar working pressure; Kawashek line: A 8,500 m connection to Kawashek reservoir from the pump station through the Third Ring Road, at 16 bar working pressure;
• Laying of 10.4 km of 1.1 m diameter CCP pipes, from the transmission line through the Third Ring Road and connecting it to the existing 1.1 m diameter pipeline in Khalidiyah (Russaifah);
• Connecting the Ring Road line to the existing pipeline at the intersection of Taif Road and Ring Road from the control valve chamber near the pump station; connecting the Kawashek line from the control valve chamber; erecting 1,050 m of DI pipes to the existing pipeline of 700 mm diameter at the Third Ring Road, Taif intersection.

‘‘The presence hard rock in the Makkah made it difficult to excavate trenches and the contractor had to excavate 65,000 cu m of hard rock using jack hammers and blasting techniques in order to lay the pipes,’’ comments the spokesman. ‘‘In addition, a great deal of co-ordination was required with traffic, municipal, water and sewerage, telecommunication and electricity authorities. The pipeline also had to be redesigned in some cases to accommodate the profile of the existing maze of utilities.’’