AFE provides coordinated access
01 February 2000
Al-Futtaim Engineering's (AFE) Scaffolding & Formwork Division has been the major supplier of scaffolding and access at Dubai International Airport since the concourse package was let over 12 months ago.
Having been the supplier of scaffolding services to two recent mega-projects - Arabian Tower Hotel and Emirates Towers - the company says it is well used to handling multi-million-dirham subcontracts, but the sheer volume of work involved at the airport terminal presented a new challenge in terms of logistics - men and materials. At the peak of the project in mid-1999, AFE had 140 men on site working with over 500 tonnes of equipment.
AFE divisional manager John Farr elaborates: ''The internal scaffold was a 60-m-wide and 28-m-high bridged structure allowing full access beneath for men, materials and plant and also giving floor level trades the opportunity to continue working whilst cladding, mechanical and electrical, and HVAC (heating, ventilation and air-conditioning) were being installed above. Outside, the level of activity was on no less a scale. AFE had secured the contract to provide external access for the cladding contractor with whom it had worked previously on a number of major projects throughout Dubai. This massive structure required access to the full facade, on both sides of the building, and the cladding operation was running concurrently with all the work going on internally.''
The company's previous experience in carrying out large-scale contracts and co-ordinating with numerous sub-contractors was felt to be a major factor in AFE securing this crucial sub-contract package.
Farr explains: 'To have had 20-odd contractors using half a dozen different scaffolding companies under one roof would have resulted in complete chaos. Successfully co-ordinating the scaffolding work as the job progressed was absolutely vital to ensure that the whole project progressed as per the construction programme. With literally hundreds of tradesmen using the various areas of scaffolding at any one time, safety issues were just as important. We were very confident that our reputation as a company that places great importance on safety and training would be a big advantage for us when bidding for this package.''
AFE contracts manager Jim Cooper, who has been closely involved with the project since Day One, also recognises the importance of the safety issue and quality of service. He says: ''The safety standards that we have worked to on this project have been the highest that any of us have experienced in Dubai, and we certainly feel that contractors are now becoming much more aware of safety issues and the need to implement ever higher standards. The excellent safety record achieved on this project is a real testament to all involved and we are very proud to have played a part.
"Dubai International Airport has proven to be a major challenge for AFE but also a wonderful opportunity to show the construction sector in Dubai what it's really capable of. The company's range of services and management expertise, backed up by the reputation of the Al Futtaim name, has given us a firm platform from which to grow in the year 2000 and we are confident of a very healthy future for this rapidly expanding division.''
- AFE provides coordinated access
- Cladding gives flight to aerodynamic design
- FUTURISTIC CONCOURSE set for take off
- Key statistics at a glance ....
