Gulf Construction Online - ACW lines up top speakers

Events

ACW lines up top speakers

01 March 2011

LEADING global construction experts will participate at key construction summits during the Arabian Construction Week (ACW) 2011 taking place this month (March 28-30) in Abu Dhabi.

A debate series and conferences – Building Smart, Green Building, Infrastructure and Climate Control – will feature an array of international speakers who will analyse the significant advantages of interoperability in construction and development at the event at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (Adnec).

ACW is organised by Clarion Events Middle East along with Corporate Publishing International, the strategic partner of the event.

The Building Smart debate series will focus on the importance and implementation of integrated construction and building information modelling (BIM) technology in an effective and realistic manner, highlighting success stories in the US, Europe and Singapore. Industry experts will emphasise the need for technology, people and process standards to ensure high-quality designs and lower construction costs in the long run.

Speakers at the debate will include: Tahir Sharif, founding president of buildingSmart ME; Michael Jansen, chairman, CEO and founder of Satellier; Mark Baldwin, BIM implementation manager of Oger International Abu Dhabi; Leif Granholm, technical director at buildingSmart ME, and many more eminent personalities in the field.

The Green Building Summit will have a selection of the world’s green building industry leaders highlighting ‘green’ technologies, practices, materials and initiatives that can benefit construction sites across the Middle East. Speaking about the future of this sector in relation to the environment and costs will be Ben Watts, editor of BuildGreen.

The importance, benefits and cost savings of using solar-powered water re-use projects will be presented by Peter Neuschaefer, director Middle East for water, energy and environment technologies at Waagner Biro Gulf Projects with the Dubai Municipality’s environmental department. He will also address the need for both the public and private sectors to invest in innovation in order to sustain an environment-friendly region.

Some of the speakers at the Green Building Summit include Rupert Oliver, director of forest industries intelligence and consultant for sustainability issues at AHEC (American Hardwood Export Council); Karim Aly, chairman of Emirates Biodiesel; and Rabih Fakih, founder and managing partner of Grey Matters (Group of Companies).

Meanwhile, the Infrastructure Summit will focus on opportunities and challenges in developing key areas of infrastructure, such as building schools, ports and industrial projects, and roads and railways. Among the speakers, Tim Burbury, construction projects counsel (roads and railways), King & Spalding International, will highlight the demand drivers for the rail project; and Grant Bowery, regional director, Meinhardt Middle East, will outline the steps to designing superior and economical buildings, while achieving an Estidama three-pearl rating.

Central to the Climate Control Summit is the debate between district and standalone cooling systems. International experts will present the advantages and disadvantages of each system to the environment, as well as discuss the associated benefits and costs to both businesses and end-users from both financial and health perspectives.

Participants at the Climate Control Summit include Dr Nawal Al Hosany, associate director, corporate sustainability, at Masdar; Adib Moubadder, managing director of Emicool; George Berbari, CEO of DC Pro Engineering; Sougata Nandi, executive director, asset management and sustainable sevelopment at Tecom; and others.

Christopher Hudson, managing director, Clarion Events Middle East, said: “The UAE’s large capital investment in the construction industry makes it one of the world’s most exciting project markets. ACW 2011 will welcome distinguished speakers and a veritable who’s who of industry leaders and prominent personalities in the global construction industry. Visitors will benefit from in-depth discussions on the current state of the industry as well as emerging opportunities, making it a must-attend event for all industry professionals.”

The ACW will simultaneously feature three dedicated trade shows, including the Green Building Middle East for sustainable construction solutions; Future Build Middle East for innovative construction products; and Civil Engineering Middle East, highlighting major infrastructure developments. One of the leading companies that will take part in the Civil Engineering show will be BMC Gulf that will showcase a range of high-quality products from Leister Process Technologies (Switzerland), Agru (Austria), Widos (Germany) and SKZ (Germany).

Meanwhile, delegates to the ACW will be treated to a world-class exhibition featuring over 500 exhibitors spread over more than 20,000 sq m of exhibition space.

Last year, the show attracted 7,000 visitors and Clarion Events Middle East is preparing for an even bigger turnout this year, expecting over 10,000 industry leaders, contractors, developers, urban and planners, architects, consultants, government organisations and financiers to attend.

Hudson said: “Abu Dhabi is fast becoming a hub for regional and international conferences. This is why the Arabian Construction Week is gaining the support of so many of the industry’s leading players and we are delighted that such a prominent contingent of world-class organisations will be with us in 2011.”