Salam Tower (Team 1)

Today started with another visit to the Salam Tower on Sheikh Zayed road. Upon arrival to the Meeting Room, we were greeted by Site Engineer Ryan and the QA/QC Engineer Edgar.
They took the group, along with another QA/QC Engineer and Safety Officer to the top of the tower, where the structural work is still being constructed. We saw how the steel rebars from the slab should be connected to the columns before pouring the concrete.
Ryan also explained how the post-tensioning process is done, from the setting out until the final jacking of the strands.
We also went inside the core wall of the structure, currently the 27th floor, and checked to see the reinforcement used there, which also includes lateral reinforcement.
Then, we were taught how to read structural drawings and check for reinforcement on the drawings given to us and on site as well.

Trip to Fujairah (Teams 1 & 2)

On Thursday the 26th we departed at 10am for a vacation to another Emirate, Fujairah. The drive took us around 3 hours. All of the interns were ready for a few days of rest and relaxation. The bus ride took us through some of the very small and poor towns of the UAE. There seems to be a vast separation between the wealthy Dubai and Abu Dhabi cities and the surrounding neighborhoods. We stopped once for a bathroom break and to stretch our legs. More interestingly, there was a fresh fruit market as far as the eye can see. The second we got off the bus, we were swarmed by locals forcefully pushing their fruit on us. The view behind the market was a vast mountain range, which were the first mountains we’ve seen on the trip!
We stayed at Le Meridien in Fujairah. The beachfront resort seemed to be in the middle of nowhere with the Indian Ocean on one side and the mountains on the other. We stayed on the 16th floor in the club level with a balcony facing the ocean. Our floor had a lounge with a 4-story window looking out onto the ocean. The resort offered mini-golf, human-sized checkers, a large pool, multiple restaurants, and beach access.
Upon arriving, most of the group went to lunch at an Italian restaurant at the resort. As soon as lunch was done, we quickly changed and went swimming. The beach was beautiful and the water there was very warm. Some of us also spent a lot of our time at the pool. The pool consisted of two separate parts: one part that was extremely shallow so you can lie in the water and another part that was much deeper.
In the evening, we were treated to dinner at a Thai restaurant in the hotel. After eating plenty of appetizers, the entrees were brought to our table, much of which caused our mouths to be on fire. After dinner, we spent our free time enjoying the nice weather outside.
In the morning, we went to a large breakfast buffet that had every type of food we could imagine. Immediately following breakfast, we went back outside to enjoy more time at the beach/pool. We took a break to eat lunch at a buffet and then took advantage of our last few hours in the sun. On the ride home, almost everyone slept the entire way. Overall, it was a great vacation and we were very grateful for having the opportunity to visit Fujairah.

Saturday, May 28th 2011 (Team 2)

On our first visit to Abu Dhabi, Team 2 had the chance to visit AD1-building which is owned by Abu Dhabi Commercial Properties (ADCP). The building has 23 floors, with 4 basements, 1 ground floor, and 2 mezzanines. The visit started with an informational meeting with the project manager, Mr. Subramanyam. He gave us a brief description of the project, listing all the different stages and procedures that went into the project. He mentioned how they were ahead of schedule by 68 day due to aggressive concrete work. The program had a concrete slab cast every nine days, but they were able to cast a new slab every seven days. The concrete work is projected to be completed by June, instead of October. The key factor to the success of that project is the proper way to treat the concrete during the curing stage by adding water. Post-tension slabs are being used and all the other parts are being cast on site. Raft foundations at 16.5m depth have been used to support the building and a shoring system was needed to prevent soil collapse and water penetration. A dewatering system was also needed because of a high water table at 3 meters below the ground surface.

After the lecture we visited different floors starting by the second floor where the curtain were being fixed, then we went to level 14 where we built a small interior wall of hollow concrete block.

The site visit continued after that by visiting the basements where the parking and the stores are located. Finally, we went to floor 19 which was being cast and we saw the steel cages being placed in preparation for casting the next location.

Wednesday, May 25th 2011 (Team 1)

Salam Tower and Introduction to Tendering

Today, Team 1 attended a construction site visit of the Burj Al Salam building which is a multi-use tower with an adjacent carpark building. The main tower will be functional as a Sheraton Hotel, work offices and residential area. The Hotel and Residential parts of the tower will be four basement levels, ground level, loft level and 54 stories (4B+G+L+54 floors), while the office tower will be 4G+G+L+50 floors. The adjacent car park will be four basement levels, ground, and 12 stories. This project is currently under construction headed by the Dubai Contracting Company after taking over the project from a previous contractor. The consultant is CHAWLA Architectural & Consulting Engineers alongside ERGA Progress Engineering Consultants, who are leading the majority of the design. The project is expected to be completed by April 2013 with a contract duration of 31 months (943 days) including 1 month for mobilization. The contract value for this project is an estimated 230 million US and is expected to double following fitting, equipment and finishes needed for the Hotel and residential area.
Our visit began with a basic overview of the project provided by the project coordinator, Mr. Mazen Hallak, who provided our team with comprehensive project data including, but not limited to, plot contract values, total build up areas for both tower and car park building. Following the overview Mr. Hallak was kind enough to provide us with a quick tour of the DCC main project offices on site, which are temporary spaces that will be deconstructed and disassembled upon completion. The site office tour showed offices of the Project Manager, Site Engineer, QAQC Engineer, Project Engineer, MEP Coordinators and Site-Project Engineer as well as a sample and discussion room, document control room and staff mess. Before touring the construction floor, we attended a health and safety induction which provided us with an idea of what to do in case of an emergency. The tour of the construction site was conducted by local Site Engineer Mr. Ryan Bistany. We began the tour by taking the hoist from ground level to level twenty one and worked our way down through several floors which allowed us to view the progress of the work being done floor by floor. Mr. Bistany provided a particularly thorough description of the work being conducted from block work, shuttering/formwork layout, to the bonding rush coat laid on the walls followed by plaster. It was interesting to see the progression of construction from the lower floors which already had been outfitted with MEP utilities, electrical conduits and plaster work and the higher floors which were still in the early block work and layout stages. Another thing to note was the cleanliness and organization of the site. All signage was clear and concise and construction materials were placed in an organized manner in order for the workers to be as efficient as possible. This site visit provided Team 1 with a clear indication of the quality and efficiency present in a typical DCC construction site as well as invaluable information of construction work detailing.

In the afternoon we were provided with an Introduction to Tendering lecture provided by Mr. Chris Battle, DCC Commercial Manager. We learned that the main objectives of tendering are to enable the employer to secure a suitable contractor to carry out the intended works at a competitive price and to provide a level platform for the participating tenderers to understand the requirements of the intended works and the various risks involved in carrying out the works before deciding on their tender bid price. The tender process includes the pre-qualification phase, the tender invitation phase, the tender clarifications and addenda phase, the tender bid submission phase, the tender opening and tender clarification phase, the award phase and the formalization of contract phase. This lecture provided us with a clear description of the process of tendering.

Wednesday, May 25--Conrad Hotel

We left the hotel at 7:45 in the morning, and headed to our first site visit, The Conrad Hotel, which will be a 7 star hotel when completed. At first, we were given a brief introductory and a site specific safety induction. The tower is owned by PPM (Private Properties Management), and designed by SRSS (Smallwood Reynolds Stewart & Stewart). Arabtec and DCC both work together as the m

ain contractor for the Conrad Hotel. The original budget was 1.076 billion AED and the duration was initially expected to be 3 years. However, due to different delays in the car park and underground services, the budget is expected to go up to 1.7 billion AED and be completed in June 2012. The total area of the project is 182,233 m^2, which is equivalent to 1,961,540 ft^2.

The project is divided into two parts: the car park and the tower. The car park consists of 13 floors that fit for 1056 cars. The foundation consists of three concrete slabs and the finished car park has an automated system that transports the vehicles to the parking spots without human interaction. This system includes huge transfer beams that are three meters depth and will be able to carry seven floors above them. The tower includes three basements, a ground floor, six podiums, and hotel rooms and offices for more than 35 floors. We went up to the 51st floor where we were introduced to the different types of cranes, hoists and lifts used. We also saw the cladding and storage on the 46th floor, where the MEP structures were erected and then built up around them. Then, we went to the 24th floor where we saw a mock hotel room. One unique feature that will be included in the rooms is the mirrors in the bathrooms will be heated so that they do not fog up when you shower. Next, we moved down to the levels 4 and 2, where we went into ballrooms. After that, we proceeded to the Mezzanine level and learned about the ceiling under construction that has a shape of an intersection of a cylinder with a sphere.

One of the major features of this project is its automated Car Park that is considered the biggest in the Middle East. Another important feature is the large variety of aspects implemented in the design such as pre-cast concrete, post-tensioned members, steel structures, and composite sections. The greatest on-site difficulties include logistic challenges due to little space around the tower, as well as the coordination between subcontractors.

Monday- May 23rd and Tuesday- May 24th

In the morning session on May 23, 2011, we learned about cost estimation from Mr. Naim Mohamed, the Chief Estimator for the Dubai Contracting Company. First, he outlined the different aspects that make up tender documents from instructions to tenderers through specifications. The fourth component of a tender document is the Bill of Quantities, BOQ. We learned about the fifteen bills that make up the Bill of Quantities and how each differs from the others.

Once tender documents are received and the documents are reviewed, the quantities must be checked. We practiced an example that broke down the different components of a complete building and associated costs to understand the total cost spent on the project.

After the lunch, we went to visit the ERGA group offices in Dubai. The company started in 1982 in Lebanon and began working in Dubai as a consultant company in 2003. This company has been involved with more than 310 projects in Dubai. Their biggest projects include the Rolex tower and the Burj Al Salam. The Burj Al Salam is currently being built. We were introduced to different procurement strategies and the selection of the best strategy for specific projects. From these different procurement strategies, we learned about the pros and cons of the traditional contract, the design and build contract, the design and construction management contract and a consortium or alliance contract. We also saw some pictures about different project that ERGA worked on in Dubai, but also in other nations.

To conclude our visit, we went for a tour through the offices where we met many architects and engineers working on different projects and drawings. This opportunity allowed us to experience the different projects that these engineers were working on and ask questions about their career paths.
Here are some completed projects ERGA has done with DCC:
014 and Rolex Towers

Sunday - May 22, 2011

In the morning Mr. Amir Kolahzadeh, the Business Development manager of ITWorks, gave us a presentation about Converged Technologies. The lecture started with an overview about ITWorks where he explained its objectives, mission and vision. It was a really interesting and energetic lecture where Mr. Kolahzadeh introduced the concept of smart technologies and how it can be implemented in our everyday life. He explained that these technologies can be and are being used to create smart homes, hotels, hospitals and even cities in the near future. In addition to this Mr. Kolahzadeh stressed the impact which such technologies could have on education where many alternatives for traditional ways of teaching were proposed.

Our afternoon lecture was an introduction to economics and accounting in the construction industry. Keeping track of your expenses and income is very important. We learned about the three financial statements used to track spending. These were income statements, balance sheets and cash flow. We also learned about financial tools that clients and contractors use. These include guarantees which are promises from someone to pay, bonds which are commitments to pay or perform works, and letters of credit.
Tracking your costs and income can be very difficult in the construction industry. Due to retention and bonds, you are never receiving the full amount of your payment until the end of the project. This can make it hard to be able to cover all of your bills without pulling from your own account. It is also important to track your profit margin as you go. This is done using a “cost value reconciliation sheet”. This is used to track your overall costs and expected returns throughout the project.

Desert Adventure

At 4:30 pm on Friday, we left Topaz Courts Apartments and headed for the desert to begin our desert adventure. We began our travels to Rub' al Khali or Empty Quarter Desert, one of the largest sand deserts in the world. On our trip from the apartments to the general Arabian Adventures meeting point, we passed many different attractions that started development within the last few years. However, these projects, including Dubai Land and Universal Studios, have still yet to be finished. At a certain point in our travels, it was interesting to see the separation between city development and isolation. After a 40-minute ride, we stopped to deflate the tires so it would be easier to drive on the sand and over the sand dunes. After reaching the meeting point and stopping to take a few pictures, we began our bumpy journey over, through, and around the sand dunes. Although the entire desert looked the same, each vehicle experienced some rough riding. The vehicles slid over the sand dunes and sometimes seemed to fall over sharp edges. During the trip, some of the drivers managed to get stuck in the sand dunes, so the vehicle had to be emptied and another vehicle pulled the other one out.

The drivers stopped a few times during the trip for soft drinks and to watch the sunset on the desert. This gave us a chance to take a few pictures of the scenery and group pictures with each other. After stopping to watch the sunset, the vehicles traveled about ten more minutes to the camp site for dinner. At the camp site, we were able to ride camels, get Henna tattoos, and purchase souvenirs, among other activities. A barbecue was provided for dinner, as guests sat on pillows at floor-level tables. After dinner, there was a belly-dancer that performed for the guests. All of these activities were included in the provided package and there were many opportunities for photos. Around 10:30 pm, we boarded the vehicles to head back to Topaz Courts. We all enjoyed the desert adventure that included an exciting drive in the desert and dinner at the campsite. This opportunity provided us with a chance to further develop our friendships with one another.

Construction Planning and Scheduling

On Thursday, we started learning about construction planning and scheduling. The presentation, given my Mr. Bassam Haddad, covered cost vs. time relationships, bar charts (used for smaller projects), and network diagrams (used for more complex projects). AON, which means activity-on-node, is the most common type of network diagram because it is easy to create. It includes the days on which each activity starts and finished, as well as the duration of each activity. In addition, this diagram allows us to find the critical path, or the path with zero total float. Total float is the amount of time any given activity can be delayed without affecting the completion date of the project.
We also learned about Project General Documents (PGDs). These documents are created before construction starts and they are important because it includes lists of site layouts, organizational charts, schedules, budget information, labor, subcontractors, etc. The actual PGD is never altered, but parts of it (schedule and budget) may change for progress reports and site booklets. Site booklets are used by the management team to monitor the progress of the construction site. After this lecture, we feel more prepared to understand scheduling on construction sites that we will visit.

Day 5 - Wednesday May 18

We went to our first site visit today, which was a concrete batching plant, called RMB (Ready Mix Beton). To ensure safety for all the students, personal protective equipment (PPE) was worn, which includes safety vests, hard hats, gloves, and glasses. Our visit began with an introductory lecture given by the technical manager of RMB, Mr. Adel William. This lecture was about the RMB projects and the basics about how to mix concrete, including the specific ingredients RMB uses. Mr. William informed us about the “Pentominium Tower”, the tallest residential tower in Dubai. RMB has been responsible for making and distributing concrete to this site. Mr. William also talked to us about the different additive materials used and their effect on durability and workability of concrete. These additives that improve the quality of the concrete include GGBS, Fly Ash, and micro-silica. Chemical admixtures such as super-plasticizers also have a role in increasing the workability of the concrete without increasing the water content. One aspect specific to concrete in Dubai’s climate is its temperature. To ensure uniform settling and lower concrete temperatures of 30-32 Degrees Celsius needed for a normal ready mix, RMB adds thin ice flakes to every batch. The processes behind pumping and placing of concrete were also discussed before we left the offices for the tour.

Next, we took a tour of the RMB plant where we saw the pumping station, the testing labs, the stock storage location, the silos and mixers, the batching plant production office, and the ice flakes used during the mixing to reduce the temperature. Mr. William showed took us to one of the labs and the technician performed a compressive strength test on a 8.56 kg sample. The test showed that the sample failed at 1975 kN, or approximately 88 MPa. After the tour, we returned to the office and had a small break where we had the opportunity to ask Mr. William a few questions regarding some parts of the batching plant that were unclear.

In the afternoon, Mr. Ian Harper continued our discussion on construction management. We learned how construction management used to only focus on time, quality, and cost, but now attention needs to be paid to health and safety, as well as environmental management. Later, we were introduced to delays, disputes, and dispute resolution. We learned about the different steps that can be taken to settle disagreements from delays, for instance. However, it is best to avoid arbitration and instead make amicable settlements when resolving disputes because of the time and money wasted on the process.

Day 4 - Tuesday May 17th

Departing from the Topaz Living Courts at 8 am, and were driven by the Sheikh’s Palace entrance where few dozens of peacocks were lining the road.
In the DCC offices, we continued our work on construction drawings by looking at some drawings for different projects in Dubai and the UAE, which included the Kingdom of Sheba project that we will visit later in the internship. A small pop quiz was given to ensure that everyone understood all the elements of these drawings. The presentations were introduced and we started our work as a team for our first presentation which will take place this Saturday, May 21.
In the afternoon, Mr. Ian J. Harper, the Contract Director at the DCC, gave us a lecture about Construction Management. Many of these concepts covered in the lecture were outlined in the Construction Stage of Construction Management. This lecture contained a description of the major elements needed in the Construction Stage, including formal agreements, instructions to proceed, the Construction Management team, the General Project Document, and months progress reports. We also learned about the different personnel involved in each aspect of the Construction Stage.

After work, Mr. Yabroudi took all of the interns, Professor Clemence and his wife to dinner at the Dubai Mall, the largest mall in the world. We ate at a Lebanese restaurant were the food was never ending. The waiters served traditional Lebanese and Middle Eastern food on platters that were shared by the entire table. We were exposed to different appetizers including fatouch, which resembles a salad, and homos, among others. For the main course, we had soujouk, which is similar to spicy sausage and mashawi, which is a combination of meat, chicken, and vegetables.

Day 3 - Monday May 16th

This morning we went to the DCC offices and began with a lecture by Mr. Mazen Hallak, the DCC Projects Coordination Manager. He taught us about reading and understanding different types of construction drawings. We learned about the three basic drawing types which are Architectural, Structural and MEP (Mechanical, Electrical and Plumbing). Within these drawings there are five stages which are Design Stage, Tender Stage, For Construction Stage, Workshop Drawings and As-built Drawings. We used drawings from the villa designed by the son of Mr. Yabroudi, Hassan, to further understand the concepts that were taught to us. Later on, we had a quiz to reinforce the concepts that we learned in the Health and Safety lecture from yesterday.

The afternoon was devoted to a tour of popular sites in Dubai. The first place we went was the Madinat Jumeirah, Jumeirah City. We visited the souk, the Arabic word for a market, which was full of vendors of many fine products. We were able to get a great view of the Burj al Arab, one of the most luxurious hotels in the world.

Next we drove to Old Dubai which was across Dubai Creek. On our way we stopped at the Dubai Museum where we learned about the progression of Dubai throughout the ages.

Old Dubai is a much smaller section of the city filled with many souks and areas of trade. We walked through the Gold Souk, which was a very interesting experience. You could not walk 20 feet without a salesman coming up to you trying to sell knock off products of all makes including Rolex, Louis Vitton and many others. Sean attempted to barter with a man for a “silk” rug but they could not agree upon a price. Our last stop of the day was the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world. We went up to the viewing deck on the 124th floor which was about 2/3 the way up to the top. The views were amazing. You could see for miles in any direction. It was great to learn more about Dubai and an unforgettable day.

Day 2: Sunday May 15, 2011

Today marked the first day of our internship at the Dubai Contracting Company. Starting off the day we were introduced to our team of students which comprised of three LAU students and three Syracuse University students. We were able to pick our own work stations in clusters of our teams. We were then issued our PPE bags (Personal Protective Equipment) which included steel toe boots, safety glasses, gloves, vest and hard hat.
After choosing our work stations, we were provided with a lecture of an overview of the Dubai Contracting Company. Following the lecture, we were given a tour of the entire DCC office building as well as individual departments where department leaders gave us a specific overview of what their department does and is in charge of.
We ended the tour in the office of Mr. Yabroudi, the CEO of DCC, where we took a customary group picture after which he informed us that we had 10 minutes or so to prepare for a drop quiz.

Lunch was quite an experience; we tried a new food called Kibbeh, with Chicken and Rice in addition to a chocolate cake all in our DCC dining room. The afternoon consisted of a lecture by Mr. Pat Doyle, a man with a great Irish accent who discussed health and safety regulations in DCC. At the end of the day we had some free time to explore Dubai.