CBNME / PROJECT
Legacy Woven Concrete Samer Tamimi, Senior Vice President at Hill International Inc., lifts the curtain on the intricate project management story behind the Zayed National Museum, the cultural heart of Saadiyat Island. From coordinating specialist systems to honouring a nation’s heritage, he explains how Hill is helping to deliver a landmark worthy of the UAE’s founding father
BY VIBHA MEHTA
W
hen Samer Tamimi speaks about the Zayed National Museum, he sounds less like a consultant ticking off milestones and more like a custodian safeguarding a legacy. With decades of experience on complex schemes, he understands that this project is not just another line on a portfolio, it is a national narrative written in steel, stone and light. “Our responsibility is to protect the client’s vision at every step,” he says, “so that what eventually opens to the public feels worthy of Sheikh Zayed’s name.” As a Project Management Consultant, Hill International sits at the centre of the project’s moving parts, safeguarding cost, schedule, quality and risk while keeping the client’s objectives in clear focus. The team oversees contractor performance, manages interfaces between designers, specialists and authorities, and supports the client through testing, commissioning, handover and operational readiness. Samer describes Hill’s role as “the central coordination point that holds the line, so this landmark is delivered to the standard a nation expects.” The challenges are as layered as the building itself. The museum’s distinctive façade of wings, its highly integrated building management
20 | CONSTRUCTION BUSINESS NEWS ME | JANUARY 2026
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