February 2011
Making the grade Sammon Group construction director Austin Duffy reveals how the family-run Irish company is meeting Abu Dhabi Education Council’s vision to deliver schools rated three on the Pearl-rating system, in record time
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ecuring the budget and client buy-in can be one of the biggest challenges in delivering a sustainable project, according to Sammon Group. Sustainable objectives on the firm’s latest Middle East project to construct five schools under the Abu Dhabi Education Council (ADEC) Future Schools programme have, however, been driven by the client. “Sometimes it’s difficult to convince a client to integrate sustainable systems with the view that they will see a payback over 20 years, but the more intelligent clients are already thinking that way. Clients just need to understand the benefits, even if they don’t understand the technology,” says Sammon Group Middle East construction director Austin Duffy. As part of ADEC’s 10-year strategic plan to transform the education system, phase one of the Abu Dhabi Future Schools Programme involves the construction of 15 new institutions across the emirate. The business, which was established in Ireland in 1886, has been operating in the UAE for three years and was awarded one third of the tendered design-and-build contracts, last year.
We fully comply with our own environmental plan, even if it isn’t in the client brief. We implement wastemanagement plans, occupational health and safety practices and other elements of best practice commonly encountered in Europe”
The projects are located at Al Towaya, Al Jahly, Al Khazna in Al Ain, Al Khatem and Abu Dhabi West. But perhaps what is most significant, each school scheduled to be delivered in August and covering a combined total of one million square feet, has been designed to achieve an Estidama three-Pearl rating — the first of their kind. Delivering Pearls Working closely with ADEC, the design team and delivery partner Musanada,
Sammon Group will implement features such as energy-efficient air-conditioning systems, water conservation devices, PV panels for solar energy, solar panels for water heating, intelligent lighting controls, and landscaping featuring ‘eco-trees’ and ‘vertical gardens’. “The design and lifecycle of these buildings has to be at least 40 years, preferably heading towards 60 years; that is part of the design criteria brief. “These schools are also designed to be flexible and can be easily expanded for