INTERNATIONAL construction services and fit-out specialist ISG has completed five fit-out projects totalling almost 6,000 sq m of office space with a combined contract value of Dh23 million ($6.3 million) for blue-chip clients at Sowwah Square, Abu Dhabi’s new Central Business District (see UAE Focus).

The typical office floors at Sowwah Square are column-free open plan and include multi-tenant corridor planning, column-free corners, suspended ceilings with a modular design, a 2.8-m ceiling height, raised floor and data closets.

The buildings come fitted with Lutron Quantum lighting control system with light sensors and individual addressable dimmers to each fixture, maximising daylight and minimising lighting electrical load. They include a number of features that conform to Leed (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) requirements including dual flushometers for water closets, low-flow urinals, and low-flow wash basins with motion detector faucets. The specified/installed materials for interior base-build meet Leed requirements for recycled content, region materials and certified wood.

ISG’s fit-out projects, which cover offices ranging from 600 sq m to 2,000 sq m in area, have been handed over to leading law firms and management consultants Booz & Co, Norton Rose, Latham & Watkins, Baker Botts and Akin Gump, all of whom will occupy space at the prestigious development.

For the Norton Rose offices, the project ethos was to recreate the Norton Rose brand on Sowwah Island and achieve a level of continuity to all their offices worldwide.

Here, back-of-house areas are hidden from client areas by means of secret doors and joinery matching sliding doors. The space consists of a large reception area, four meeting rooms all with custom-made joinery tables and audio-visual units. Meticulous attention to detail has been paid to hide all cables and containment has been housed into the tables themselves.

The design allows for a prayer room, shower room, pantry and large break-out area, filing room and many joinery units for storage and client personal items. ISG also constructed and fully installed a server room, complete with a high level of finish. The glazed office system is Optima and close attention to detail here has resulted in base build installations and new-build works meeting seamlessly.

ISG is now in negotiations to undertake further fit-out work on this major development. The company is being recognised as the ‘partner of choice’ to carry out the fit-out of prestigious new offices in the UAE capital.

“With more than 70 per cent of its work secured through repeat business and already an approved framework supplier to leading global companies, ISG has quickly made its mark in Abu Dhabi, securing more interior fit-out deals at Sowwah Square than any other contractor,” says a senior official at the company.

Alan McCready, managing director of ISG’s Middle East office, comments: “As an international business with offices worldwide, ISG understands the overriding priorities of global clients. They set the highest standards in their work and expect us to do the same. On each project at Sowwah Square and others in the pipeline, aspirations need to be met in terms of timescale and budget, but there was never any question of sacrificing the highest quality of fit-out expected to achieve some very tight deadlines. Our reputation is as important to us as it is to our clients.”