Leading international construction consultancy Linesight is currently providing full cost management services for the development of Digital Life Garages for Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE), having successfully completed its regional head office in Dubai Internet City, on time and within budget.

Adjacent to the office building are two independent pods, which are set to become HPE’s inaugural Digital Life Garages, a series of next-generation HPE innovation centres that will be established around the world over the coming years.

McCormack... providing full cost management services.

The HPE Digital Life Garage will consist of three parts once completed: the ‘Lab’, where interactive workshops will take place between HPE customers and partners to create innovative concepts and in turn, pro-production demonstrations;  the ‘Venue’, which will showcase all innovations realised in the HPE Digital Life Garage in the UAE and across the world, to partners and customers; and the ‘Digital Knowledge Centre’, where new competencies in technology, business and management will be discussed through a combination of seminars, workshops and on-the-job training with lab fellows and senior engineers from HPE and its partners.

“With a scheduled completion date of March 2020, we are currently providing full cost management services for the development of these Digital Life Garages, which will offer HPE partners and customers in the UAE the opportunity to benefit from competencies, solutions and innovations developed around the world, while also showcasing what is created in the UAE market,” says Ciaran McCormack, regional director for the Middle East, Linesight.

Having worked successfully on a number of HPE projects across the globe in recent years, Linesight was commissioned to provide full cost management services for its new Middle East headquarters, which was completed in September 2019.

“We oversaw all pre- and post-contract cost management services, including the initial budget validation, cost estimates as well as advice and management of costs for design changes throughout the post-construction phase.

“We also managed the tendering process and contract negotiation, as well as providing value engineering and advice on procurement strategy,” McCormack says.

Hewlett Packard Enterprise’s (HPE) regional head office is located in Dubai Internet City.

HPE’s office, located in the heart of Dubai Internet City’s Innovation Hub, features 150 workstations, various breakout and quiet spaces, a chill-out room complete with pool tables and play stations and a fitness studio.

Gordon McNair, HPE’s global project manager, comments: “In addition to being our chosen cost management consultant for our new office in Dubai, we have been working collaboratively with Linesight under a global partnership for a number of years now – completing various projects around the world on time and within budget, and we look forward to continuing this successful relationship.”

The UAE’s fit-out sector is currently one of the fastest growing industries in the GCC and is predicted to reach $973 million by 2022, with Saudi Arabia’s fit-out sector following closely behind, according to a latest industry report1.

McCormack comments: “Despite recent challenges in the market owing to volatile oil prices, the GCC – and particularly the UAE and Saudi Arabia – have in fact witnessed a growth in the number of fit-out projects awarded as a result of Expo 2020 in Dubai and the kingdom’s Vision 2030.

“With the opening of Expo 2020 now a few months away, we are seeing an increased focus on refurbishments in the region as clients look at reinventing space rather than building new structures from scratch.”

Hewlett Packard Enterprise’s offices feature various breakout and quiet spaces.

Linesight provides professional consultancy services, management support and strategic advice to the global construction industry. From initial concept to project completion, the company has been helping clients since 1974 to build their businesses.

The company has knowledge and experience spanning a multitude of sectors including commercial, data centres, life sciences, healthcare, high-tech industrial, hospitality, education, residential, retail, transportation and infrastructure, energy and oil and gas.

Linesight has a global reach, with staff located in 21 offices around the world including the Middle East, Europe, Asia Pacific and the US. The company is currently working in 150 countries on project developments worth in excess of $31 billion globally and $10 billion in the GCC.

1. Based on the recent Index Interiors Market Report by Ventures Onsite.