Gulf Construction Online

Events

Update

01 November 2015

Marmomacc concludes 50th edition

Marmomacc, the largest exhibition in the world dedicated to natural stone business and culture, set new show records as it concluded its 50th edition early last month.

The event (September 30 to October 3) held on an exhibition space of more than 77,000 sq m in Verona, Italy, attracted more than 67,000 visitors from 150 countries, registering an increase of three per cent from last year.

About 57 per cent of international operators participated, marking an increase of nine per cent.

For the second consecutive year, the show was held in conjunction with Abitare il Tempo, Veronafiere’s event dedicated to contract, design and interior decor sectors.

Marmomacc said 1,524 companies including 936 from 55 countries attended, with debuts by Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cameroon, Venezuela and Georgia. Next year’s edition is scheduled from September 28 to October 1.

Dubai to host tunnelling conference

The third Arabian Tunnelling Conference (ATC15) will take place in Dubai, UAE, this month (November 23 to 25) against the backdrop of mega projects linked to Expo 2020.

More than 600 participants with a cross-section of government, municipalities, consultants, contractor and suppliers will attend the event to be held at Grand Hyatt Dubai.

More than 30 key experts and professionals from various fields within the tunnelling sector will discuss key topics on design and planning of underground spaces, security and safety standards, maintenance of tunnels, risk assessment and more, said Maged Hanna, general manager, Society of Engineers-UAE, the organiser.

Other highlights include a special forum for young engineers and visits to key development sites in Dubai.

Bipex attracts key developers

Leading developers and real estate firms from across the region will be showcasing their projects at the 2015 Bahrain International Property Exhibition (Bipex), which will be held this month (November 5 to 7).

To be held under the patronage of Deputy Prime Minister Shaikh Khalid bin Abdulla Al Khalifa, the exhibition is back this year with greater focus and vigour thereby paralleling the growth and prosperity of the kingdom’s economy, according to the Bahrain Society of Engineers (BSE), the event’s organiser.

Meanwhile, Bahrain-based developer Naseej said that it will be showcasing its large-scale affordable housing project ‘Jumana’ in Al Madina Al Shamaliya, which is considered to be the largest and most unique public-private-partnership (PPP) with the Housing Ministry, in relation to its overall size and value.

Municipality in race for award

Dubai Municipality is among the 54 project finalists in the 2015 Be Inspired Awards programme hosted by the US-based infrastructure software specialist Bentley Systems.

The municipality has made it to the shortlist in the Innovation in Utilities and Communications category on the strength of Insaat, its utilities management system.

Bentley Systems, a leading global provider of comprehensive software solutions for sustaining infrastructure, has announced 54 project finalists for this year’s awards programme. Ten independent jury panels comprising distinguished industry experts selected the finalists from more than 360 nominations submitted by organisations in 55 countries.

The awards honour the work of Bentley users in advancing infrastructure design, construction, and operations throughout the world. The winners will be announced at a ceremony this month (November 3 to 5) in London, UK.

200 design leaders head for forum

More than 200 global industry design leaders working on multi-billion-dollar projects across the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) will discuss further advancement of the sector at a major design conference in Dubai, UAE, this month (November 15 and 16). Organised by International Business Council, ‘Leaders in Design Mena’ will feature 60 presenters including industry leaders such as Marc Cerone, director of Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture; Andrew Linwood, head of Design of Areen Hospitality; Clay Pendergast, senior vice president of HOK; Predeep Menon, CEO of RSP Architects; and Tom Hasker, managing director – Property of Atkins Middle East.

iTWO experts to meet in Hong Kong

The third annual gathering of iTWO users and experts across the world will address issues related to construction industrialisation when it gets under way this month (November 18 to 19) in Hong Kong.

iTWO World Conference 2015 will feature top clients case-sharing iTWO practice, experience on construction prefabrication technology, iTWO courses at universities, knowledge exchange in podium discussions, an awards ceremony and networking activities with global industry leaders.

iTWO is a 5D end-to-end software for construction, planning and execution from RIB.

Top users such as Wolff & Müller and Al Jaber, university professors, technology partners and government agencies will share successful cases and insights on iTWO BIM (building information modelling) solutions. Attendees will have a chance to experience frontier technologies such as the ‘Internet of things’, prefabrication and virtual reality in a hands-on lab session.