company profile
a passion for engineering
IMAGE Sharjah Tower, Sharjah
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Ramboll is a leading engineering, design and consultancy company employing more than 8,000 ambitious experts worldwide. At Ramboll we understand that our solutions depend on the creativity, insight and integrity of our employees. This is why we allow our people to explore their passion for engineering. Whatever their field of expertise, we provide a creative work environment. www.ramboll-mea.com
SERVICE SPECIALTIES IN THE MIDDLE EAST Hot climate design High-rise design Innovative systems Multi-disciplinary collaboration MIDDLE EAST 400 experts 3 offices WORLDWIDE 8,000 experts 200 offices 20 countries
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Ramboll mIDDLE EAST full service engineering
The recent story of the Middle East is a story about creating modern cities in the desert. When the construction boom of Dubai and Abu Dhabi first started only decades ago, it was the beginning of a true construction adventure. The world’s tallest building, entire cities built from scratch, museums, grand prix, palaces, railways, bridges and airports, all appearing as if directly from out of the sand and sea.
Yas Island As a perfect example, Yas Island near Abu Dhabi is the setting for a AED 150 billion, 25km2 development. The island will be the home of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix from 2009, the world’s first Ferrari theme park, two golf courses, over 20 worldclass hotels, retail facilities, beautiful residential developments and a marina. Once completed, the development will be home to an estimated 110,000 people. Ramboll has provided a wide variety of services on the island project, from its inception through to the present day and will continue until completion. We provided the design and site supervision of the roads, car parks and utilities, as well as site supervision services for the creation of a golf course. Also, we engineered the facades of two hotels, Rotana and Centro.
IMAGE Reclaimed land at the links golf course, Yas Island, Abu Dhabi
For the Ferrari theme park on the island, we prepared the schematic design of its 90,000m2 roof, carried out ground investigations for the pile design supporting the roof, participated in research to find the right roof material, and prepared the design of the roof drainage system. Our building services engineers worked on concept design for power supply, ventilation and cooling of the indoor spaces, ensuring a pleasant indoor environment. We were also involved in the design of the complex system of access and service roads surrounding the enormous structure.
PROJECTS Ferrari World Abu Dhabi, Links Golf Course, F5 and F6 Roller Coasters, Rotana and Centro hotels Yas Island, Abu Dhabi 25 km2 development 7 services Landmark Tower and Creek Towers and Plaza Dubai Maritime City, Dubai 6 buildings within the 2.27 km2 reclaimed island 6 services Badrah The Waterfront, Dubai 680 hectares with several hundred buildings 2-70 storeys each 6 services Greece and Russia islands The World, Dubai Two reclaimed islands within the 300 island development 3 services Read more about our services and projects on www.ramboll-mea.com.
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cities out of sand and sea
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Ramboll mIDDLE EAST high-rise design
tall aspirations
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Strong forces are at play when constructing tall buildings, so it requires an experienced eye to get the details right. As engineering consultants we are at the cutting edge of development, seeking untraditional solutions that go beyond the obvious to solve the specific challenges posed by high-rise buildings constructed to stand out.
Empire Tower The iconic design of the 58-storey Empire Tower translated into a complex geometry challenge for our engineers. Our in-house teams within facades, structures, fire & safety and building services were all deeply involved in making the construction of this high-rise building possible. During concept stage, our structural engineers came up with a state-of-the-art composite transfer slab structure to free up interior spaces in the building that would not have been possible using traditional methods. This revolutionary material technology and advanced 3D structural modelling gave us the flexibility to move columns to more suitable placements. Our building services team also had to adapt the services distribution system to the special layout of the building. Typically, you would have one large, central riser distributing cooling, electricity and plumbing to each floor. Given the twisting and tapered nature of this tower, a series of smaller risers from the lower ground plant room were designed instead. These micro-risers follow the vertical incline of the building with ease — and also enable us to slim the ceiling void, reducing the overall height of the building and saving our client money.
image Bonnington Tower, Jumeirah Lake Towers, Dubai
PROJECTS Empire Tower Abu Dhabi 238m, 58 storeys Volante Tower Business Bay, Dubai 428m, 96 storeys Damac Heights Dubai Marina, Dubai 98 storeys The Atrium The Waterfront, Dubai 378m, 70 storeys Al Rafi Towers Dubai 201m, 60 storeys Read more about our services and projects on www.ramboll-mea.com.
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Ramboll mIDDLE EAST design SOLUTIONS
Engineering the impossible THE OPUS
In the constant search for original designs that truly push the limits, many building projects in the Middle East are in fact driving innovation in engineering design.
The unique appearance of the Opus derives from an unusual source of inspiration: the architect, world famous Zaha Hadid, sank a hot poker into a cube of ice to create an irregular, curved void in the middle. To achieve this unusual vision, the design of the Opus was performed in close cooperation between the architect and our façades, building services, fire & safety and structural engineers. Due to its unique shape, the Opus proved as a challenging project for our façade team. Massive façades of darkened curved glass face each other across the void in the middle of the building, appearing
as a continuous, fluid surface. In reality the surface is a combination of glass with varying thickness, bent in different ways and fitted by using several techniques seamed together invisibly. Moreover, due to extreme climate conditions, we needed to use glass processing technology from the automotive business to provide glazing solutions for the spherical double curved glass used – something that has never been done in this region before. Design solutions like this are currently driving the engineering industry forward, constantly pushing the limits for engineering design.
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Ensuring a safe living environment THE cube
When creating buildings with untraditional layouts, it can become a challenge to make sure that these also remain safe to live in. For instance in case of a fire, it is essential that occupants are protected in the best possible way.
We provided fire & safety, structural and building services engineering for The Cube, an innovative 27storey building forming an exciting attraction at the heart of Dubai Sports City. The project has a strong health, sports and fitness focus and will contain several groundbreaking design features. A 12th floor outdoor pool complex will create a seven-storey hole through the building, exposing the two columns on the open corners supporting the above floors. This feature required a design that included a 31m dead-end corridor
and a single exit stair on some of the levels, which did not comply with regulations on first view. Working with the customer, architects and the authorities and using computational fluid dynamics modelling, our fire engineering team achieved the vision for the building with minimal alteration to the initial design. By suggesting a number of additional architectural features that would prevent spread of fire and smoke, we successfully negotiated the approval of the proposed building features.
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Ramboll mIDDLE EAST
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Selected Ramboll projects in Business Bay, Dubai
01 ONE BUSINESS BAY 30-storey office tower Completed
04 DREAM BAY 32-storey office tower Under construction
07 IRIS CRYSTAL 26-storey office tower Under construction
02 BAYGATE 55-storey office tower Under construction
05 THE PAD 19-storey residential tower Under construction
08 THE ADDRESS 60m tall steel spire Completed
03 THE OPUS 18-storey office tower Under construction
06 U-BORA 16-storey residential tower 54-storey office tower Under construction
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Ramboll mIDDLE EAST RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS
When designing any building to be placed in the extremely hot Middle Eastern climate, it takes experienced specialists. The construction itself should keep its flawless appearance throughout the wear and tear of the burning sun, sand storms, and occasional earthquakes. But keeping out the elements is also essential for achieving a sustainable living environment.
Landmark Tower Keeping out solar heat was essential for the design of the Landmark Tower, the tallest proposed tower in Dubai Maritime City at 229m. Together our sustainability, fire and façades teams found a solution for Landmark Tower, preserving its specific architectural features while also achieving a demanding LEED Gold Rating. As a result, the building will use 20-25% less energy than other similar buildings. Our façades and sustainability teams designed a façade solution significantly reducing the powered lighting needs of the building. Furthermore, our façade engineers were deeply involved in finding the right type of glass and coating to reduce heat transmission and minimise energy use. Our sustainability team also incorporated renewable energy into the building’s design by using solar panels to heat water. By working closely with the design team, our fire engineering team found the optimum fire safety solution without compromising the architectural features of the several large, open atria in the building.
PROJECTS Landmark Tower 44 storey commercial tower 24 storeys of hotel rooms Bonnington Tower 26 storeys of serviced apartments 10 storeys of hotel rooms Al Falah community Sustainable community 5 residential villages and a town center The Pad Technology-rich apartment building 19 storeys Shining Towers Urban housing in Abu Dhabi 33 storeys Read more about our services and projects on www.ramboll-mea.com.
IMAGE Double-height leisure deck at Bonnington Tower in Jumeirah Lake Towers, Dubai
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COMFORTABLE LIVING IN A HOT CLIMATE
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Ramboll mIDDLE EAST LOCAL ENVIRONMENT
creating SPACES TO UNWIND LINKS GOLF COURSE
Sports and leisure experiences are essential parts of life. As the Middle Eastern region seeks to attract tourism from around the globe, exceptional sporting and recreational facilities are essential. Imagine yourself playing golf on a desert island with views of the sea - and the hard work going into ensuring an undisturbed experience.
Links Golf Course is an 18-hole attraction alongside the Formula One Circuit and Ferrari World Abu Dhabi. Creating a golf course in this harsh climate requires expert knowledge of the local environment, as well as expert knowledge of infrastructure engineering. Ramboll engineers from Sweden moved to Abu Dhabi to help successfully design the utilities, and learn from our local engineers the specific design challenges of the Middle East.
While overseeing the irrigation installation, it was discovered that the dredged sand used to create the course could not absorb the water correctly, resulting in water ponding on the golf course. Our experts investigated the problem and were able to identify solutions to solve the issue. Scheduled to open October 2009, the new golf course will be a shining example of our global knowledge combined with local experience.
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PRESERVING THE PAST FOR A better future Eco-Arish
Social responsibility is an integral part of Ramboll’s fundamentals. This means we strive to ensure our services contribute to sustainable development that benefits people and communities around the world. We aim to minimise environmental impact whenever we can.
Eco-Arish is a proposed accommodation facility for the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage (ADACH) staff working with restoration of old forts in Liwa Oasis, UAE. For this project our aim was to deliver a self-sustaining design solution, not adding to the world’s carbon emissions. This project will be the first contemporary building using date palm tree and stems (Arish) as building materials. This is naturally very challenging for the structural design of the building. Our engineers will have to thoroughly identify and test how a structural design made of these natural building
-Pictures: Eco-Arish, Liwa –> 10.4 pictures (folder)
materials can live up to current international building standards. In addition to using local materials, the facility is designed to be selfsufficient in energy and water. We have proposed several renewable technologies ensuring this, such as a solar pumping system, a solar desalination plant providing water, a solar energy system providing electricity, an air tank to store surplus energy and a small anaerobic digester to supply biogas for cooking. Any waste generated on site will either be recycled or consumed on-site, meaning that there will be no need for any landfill.
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Ramboll mIDDLE EAST HOw we work
looking beyond the obvious
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With close to 400 international experts at our offices in the Middle East, we are able to provide multi-disciplinary engineering consultancy for the benefit of our repeat customers. Due to our strong local presence, we have particular expertise in high-rise building engineering and design for extremely hot climates.
Dynamic cross-disciplinary teams We truly believe that new ideas emerge and develop when competencies and personalities meet and connect across professional and national boundaries. This is why our employees work in small, dynamic, cross-disciplinary project teams supported by a culture that maximises knowledge sharing.
Innovative environment Our employees have relevant experience within design and construction, and the breadth of our knowledge combined with a passion for engineering enable our people to look beyond the obvious. This strong combination creates an environment for innovative solutions and a belief that there is a solution for every challenge.
Diversity in knowledge We develop our solutions in close cooperation with our customers, coprofessionals and contractors. We are also strong team members in this respect, sharing our specialised knowledge with colleagues in and outside the company. For instance, we are currently preparing a comprehensive design guideline for tall buildings, based on our broad experience within this area.
IMAGE Ramboll site engineers at Baygate, Dubai
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Ramboll mIDDLE EAST services
SERVICES
BUILDINGS & DESIGN Acoustics Building physics & material technology Building services Facade engineering Fire & safety Geotechnical engineering Lighting design Renovation & refurbishment Structural engineering Sustainability services Technical due diligence INFRASTRUCTURE & TRANSPORT Acoustics & noise Airport engineering Bridge engineering Geotechnics, geophysics & rock engineering Masterplanning & urban development Road & motorway engineering Traffic engineering, transport planning & safety ENERGY & CLIMATE Climate - CO2 reduction District heating & district cooling Energy planning & strategy ENVIRONMENT & NATURE Climate change Environmental due diligence - EDD Environmental impact assessment - EIA Environmental management Landscape architecture Soil & groundwater Waste Waste water Water resources management Water supply
IMAGE Dubai Marina
company profile
CONTACT INFORMATION RAMBOLL, DUBAI First Floor, Emerald Building Oud Metha Road PO Box 116921 Dubai, UAE Phone +971 4 334 3616 Fax +971 4 334 3617 RAMBOLL, ABU DHABI Hazaa Bin Zayed Street (11th Street) Al Karamah Area, Villa 215/2 PO Box 96039 Abu Dhabi, UAE Phone +971 2 445 0207 Fax +971 2 445 0797 RAMBOLL, QATAR Building no. 2, Fereej Bin Mahmoud Street PO Box 21404 Doha, Qatar Phone +974 423 1700 Fax +974 436 2813 www.ramboll-mea.com
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WWW.RAMBOLL-mea.com