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THE BIG INTERVIEW
In that respect, it’s not just about construction companies showing a greener, more sustainable focus; it has to come from the client as well. Do you think there needs to be greater education as to the benefits and the advantages of sustainable construction? I think there have been some great initiatives, but we’re certainly not at the level we need to be just yet. When I was with the Leighton Group back in Australia, we were at the forefront of responding to clients’ demands regarding sustainability in some of the building contracts we won, for which we were awarded six-star ratings for both design and construction, which was unheard of before then. So we set the benchmark pretty high and we attained it, which does show that it can be done. And I think the client enjoyed the process as well because they got all sorts of benefits from it, from energy savings to operational cost savings to great PR. However, that was a few years back and we’re still talking about pushing the benefits of sustainability. Nonetheless, I do think the tidal wave is about to happen, because in many cases, these kind of benefits can bring real tangible money-saving and cost-saving advantages as well. We have certainly found that. Our own focus on sustainability forced people to be far more diligent in looking around for products and materials and companies to work with. And as a result of that, I think it put some uniqueness in our product; sustainability became a point of differentiation. So in my mind there’s no doubt that we should all be more responsible in terms of our consumption of energy and the way we approach sustainability. And we will be making sure we step up to the plate on that. So what impact do you think sustainability will have on the Middle East’s construction and development sector over the next few years? Do you think the Middle East has the potential to become a pioneer in terms of sustainability? We’ve certainly seen political statements to support that, and the fact that the Middle East has to import a fair amount of its product suggests that the concepts of sustainability and being more conscious about recycling and power consumption and energy usage have got a big future in the region. Sustainability is just good business. I can’t understand why it should still be seen as a costly business proposition; that’s just short-term thinking in my opinion. Over the longer term, it’s got to be beneficial. And so what’s your outlook for the region’s construction industry – and HLG within that sector – over the next 12-18 months? The budget and the forecasting we’ve done suggests that 2010 has been a marginally better year than 2009, and that 2011 will probably show a similar increase on this year in terms of figures. So we’re being cautiously optimistic in terms of what our expectations are for next year. To be honest, we’re just looking at it as business-as-usual, with natural growth being bolstered by our overseas expansion. Hopefully, our investments in moving into other countries will pay off and give us that little bit of an uplift that we’re
Al Habtoor Lead.indd 34
Record breaker Capital Gate in Abu Dhabi has been certified as the ‘World’s Furthest Leaning Manmade Tower’ by Guinness World Records. Currently under construction by HLG, Capital Gate, owned and developed by the Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company (ADNEC), has been built to lean 18 degrees westwards - more than four times that of the world famous Leaning Tower of Pisa. Capital Gate earned the Guinness recognition after rigorous evaluation by the Awards Committee, following exterior completion of the 160-metre, 35-storey tower earlier this year. Capital Gate’s floor plates are stacked vertically to the 12th storey, after which they are staggered over each other by between 300 millimetres to 1400 millimetres, giving rise to the tower’s dramatic lean. The tower features other innovative construction techniques including the world’s first known use of a ‘pre-cambered’ core, which contains more than 15,000 cubic metres of concrete reinforced with 10,000 tons of steel. The core, deliberately built slightly off centre, has straightened as the building has risen, compressing the concrete and giving it strength, and moving into (vertical) position as the weight of the floors has been added. “The Capital Gate structure has been a most challenging and enjoyable engineering project,” said Senior Construction Manager for Al Habtoor Leighton Group, Leslie Fairchild. “Every day has brought new challenges for the team, requiring us to come up with some exceptional solutions. We have a very strong site team and excellent sub-contractors who worked closely together to ensure the project’s success.” looking for in terms of our results. It’s consistent with what I said before – we want the UAE to hold itself up as it has done and continues to do; and then the uplift in our business will come from the investments we’ve made in other parts of the region, outside the UAE. Do you see any external trends or developments influencing the construction sector in the Middle East over the next couple of years? It would be great to see some of our international competitors retreat back to their countries of origin, so we could be left alone here to run the Middle East as we would like to. An HLG empire? It’s got a nice ring to it. Put that in the article. That would be great. ■
16/09/2010 10:00