Enoc builds staff accommodation
Dubai: Emirates National Oil Company (Enoc) recently performed a groundbreaking ceremony at a site earmarked for high-quality staff accommodation in Dubai.

The sites, located in Al Quoz and in Al Muhaisinah, will feature a range of facilities including recreation areas for sporting and relaxation, dining and prayer rooms, first aid stations, pantries, training centres and selected retail outlets.
Heralded as a new concept for staff accommodation, Enoc has developed plans for two sites in Dubai that are above the market standard requirement for staff accommodation.Due for completion in November, the sites will house around 2,300 employees in Al Quoz and Al Muhaisinah.
“We have selected leading consultants to design the residential areas, which will be created with the optimum comfort of our employees in mind, and wherever possible environmentally sound procedures have been taken into consideration with the planning,” said group chief executive and Enoc board member Hussain Sultan.
Both sites will feature separate male and female blocks, and all rooms will be designed for a maximum number of four people per room for optimum comfort.

ETA to develop low-cost housing 
Dubai: ETA Star is set to build low-cost housing in Sharjah and Ajman. When plans become a reality, it will be the first affordable housing project from a private developer.
Exorbitant rent hikes which can sometimes spiral up to 100 per cent of the original agreement in just a year are forcing Dubai residents to seek cheaper housing in Sharjah and Ajman, impacting rent prices there too.
ETA Star officials say they have earmarked a two million sq ft plot of land across the Emirates Road in Ajman for the project. Abid A Junaid, executive director, said: “It will be difficult for us to undertake a low-cost housing project in Dubai as land prices and construction costs are increasing fast. That’s why Ajman is a better option,” he added.

New landscape consultant launched
Dubai: The UAE-based Al Shamsi Holdings and Terra Firma Consultancy of the UK have launched a joint venture to provide world-class landscape consultancy services in Dubai.
The scope of the Alshamsi-Terra Firma’s work is expected to include private estates and gardens, quality residential schemes, prestigious corporate headquarters, health and community care complexes, sports and leisure centres, school, college and university buildings, industrial and office complexes, public parks and open spaces, theme parks, urban streetscape, and other community initiatives.

Chinese firm clinches RAK deal
Ras Al Khaimah: RAK Properties has recently contracted China-based China Harbor Engineering Company (CHEC) for the construction of the marine works of Mina Al Arab Project in Ras Al Khaimah for an estimated Dh67 million ($18.24 million).
Mina Al Arab is expected to become one of the elite resort destinations in the region with its 3 sq km mixed-use leisure and holiday beach resort situated along the Arabian Gulf in Ras Al Khaimah.
China Harbor’s work at Mina Al Arab is expected to be completed by the end of this year.
Call to build workers complexes
Abu Dhabi: Private sector companies have been invited to bid for a series of contracts to build residential cities for workers in Abu Dhabi.
The Higher Corporation for Specialised Economic Zones (HCSEZ) is allocating some of its land for building sprawling ‘world class’ residential complexes.
The plans coincide with an announcement of a new strategy to regulate the residential construction sector, by General Shaikh Mohammad bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, as part of government efforts to reform the labour market.
“These workers’ complexes and cities will be modelled on international standards in terms of architecture, integrated infrastructure and modern amenities from water, electricity, transport and telecommunications networks,” he said.
e-Procurement portal launched
Dubai: Builders Portal, a Dubai Internet City-based company, has developed buildersV2B.com – the first e-procurement portal for the construction and contracting industry of the Middle East.
The site has been launched to provide top-of-the-line choices of vendors and solutions to buyers and to cut down procurement costs in the construction sector.
Builders Portal business development manager Siddique Jamal said the website 'is vertically focused on the construction sector and already has implemented the system to a vendor base of over 5,700 tried and tested suppliers”.
“The BuildersV2B.com e-procurement solution provides a greater choice of suppliers, reduces cost of transactions that impacts the bottom-line in the long run, brings in greater transparency and visibility in the procurement process and thus better management control,” said Builders Portal general manager Animesh Basu. “The focus of the solution offered is not on technology alone but on looking at ‘best practices’ that meet the ultimate objectives.”
The website aims at streamlining the entire process by seamlessly connecting the buyers (patrons) to the vendors (partners) community.

RAK to launch education hub
Ras Al Khaimah: The Ras Al Khaimah Investment and Development Office has launched Edrak (Education in Ras Al Khaimah), a Dh1 billion ($272 million) educational initiative aimed at turning the emirate into a world-class educational hub.
The company would undertake three major projects in the first phase, involving an initial investment of Dh650.1 million ($177 million).
The projects include setting up of the Ras Al Khaimah campus of US-based George Mason University, creation of the Ras Al Khaimah Medical and Health Sciences University, and setting up of the Al Hamra Academy along with the Future University, which will have centres of excellence for certain universities that are internationally reputed in certain fields.

Abu Dhabi to private waste sector
Abu Dhabi: The UAE emirate of Abu Dhabi is to invite bids from private firms for a Dh500 million ($136 million) waste management contract.
“Several investors, from within the country and abroad, have shown strong interest in the project. They will be asked to express their interest in writing, ahead of the pre-qualification process,” Juma Mubarak Al Junaibi, undersecretary of Abu Dhabi Department of Municipalities and Agriculture, said.
The new move is part of efforts to privatise services in Abu Dhabi. The 10-year contract will cover solid waste management, and the construction of new facilities to replace an existing landfill site.
The project will be implemented with the objective of enhancing efficiency in terms of facility utilisation based on international environment standards and regulations, providing market access for recyclable materials such as metals, glass, and plastics and benefiting from the experience and capabilities of the private sector.

Deyaar acquires M&E firm
Dubai: Deyaar, a leading property developer in the UAE, has acquired Omega Engineering, a company specialising in the fields of air-conditioning, plumbing, electrical contracting and maintenance.
The acquisition is designed to bolster the presence of Deyaar, which has a facilities management division, in the fast-growing electro-mechanical services market in the UAE and Qatar, said a spokesman for the company.
The acquisition of 55 per cent stake in Omega gives Deyaar full operational and managerial control of the engineering company. The move is expected to bring significant mutual advantages, with Deyaar benefiting from Omega’s considerable expertise in the provisioning of electro-mechanical services while Omega stands to gain from Deyaa’s sound financial background.