PACE ARCHITECTURE, ENGINEERING + PLANNING
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CONSTRUCTION
Keeping Pace with
Transformation Pace Architecture, Engineering and Planning have been shaping the skylines of the Middle East for the past 50 years. Director of Operations Ahmed Soliman, explores design-led excellence Writer: Phoebe Harper | Project Manager: Ryan Gray
F
ew construction companies can lay claim to world records – but for leading Middle Eastern architectural consultancy firm Pace Architecture, Engineering and Planning (Pace), this is part of the enterprises’ esteemed legacy. Within its home nation of Kuwait, the company lays claim to the world’s largest robotic car park and the record for the largest government-owned official
building with the Jahra and Farwaniya courts complexes, soon to be overtaken by Pace’s ongoing construction for the Kuwait Palace of Justice. Alongside the headquarters in Kuwait City, the company’s presence spans additional offices in Manama, Riyadh and Tunis. The firm primarily serves the construction industry across the Middle East, Asia, Eastern Europe, and Africa. Over 50 years of operation, Pace has EME Outlook issue 43 | 3
The IKK Group of Companies is a major business institution, serving most of the Arab World in the industrial, construction and trading fields, as well as in specialized maintenance and services. Today, the IKK Group of Companies is a pioneer in waterproofing, weatherproofing, building material supplies, UPVC and CPVC and high-density polyethylene pipes and fittings and several other products for the construction industry. The Group is also represented in the sanitary products, steel production, kitchen manufacturing, telecommunications, food, decoration, re-insurance, and in the real estate business. Composed of various company entities and joint ventures, the IKK Group operates through more than 200 divisions, branches and outlets; it is spread in 10 countries, covering all major cities in the Gulf & MENA Regions, employing around 14,000 employees.
14,000
Employees & Workers
Manufacturing Factories
60
Diversified factories and production lines for construction material (Metal structures, Plastic Pipes, Glass, and other) in the Middle East and Arabian Gulf region.
10
Services
Branches & Facilities Countries
Various
The IKK Group include several services specific companies which vary from specialized construction services and supporting services to telecom related services.
Trading
Various Lines
The trading companies operating under the IKK group of companies umbrella cover the market needs in many construction material requirements (tools and essential renovation needs) in addition to food supplies and other items.
Media Designs
Media and design is an essential for all business lines in IKK Group of Companies, with specialized and professional companies and entities within the group.
Contracting Construction
The Kabbani Construction Group and its subcompanies cover a wide range of general and specialized contracting services and operate in all the Gulf and Middle East region, working with major contracting firms.
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
+966 12 627 8000
info@ikkgroup.com
PACE ARCHITECTURE, ENGINEERING + PLANNING amassed an impressive portfolio of projects as a multidisciplinary consultancy firm championing a visionary approach to design and project delivery with quality at the core. “We benchmark our work against the highest of industry standards and have established a widely recognised reputation as an early adopter and an active leader in the region for the implementation and promotion of new design technologies,” opens Ahmed Soliman, Pace’s Director of Operations. “Our diverse and talented team of over 850 industry experts provide a full suite of specialised and integrated architectural, engineering and planning services to a wide range of public and private sector clients, with seamless cooperation that guarantees exceptional project delivery - from start to finish,” he continues. Soliman himself was drawn to the design and engineering aspects of retail and real estate development projects during his previous tenure at Exxon Mobil Corporation (XOM). “During the last three years of my XOM service, I was fortunate to work on the design, localisation and roll-out of a newly flagship convenience store
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EME OUTLOOK: COULD YOU TELL US MORE ABOUT PACE’S WORK ON THE KUWAIT NEW PALACE OF JUSTICE? Ahmed Soliman, Director of Operations: “Our New Palace of Justice project in Kuwait City, upon completion will be the largest judicial building across the Middle East. Since our appointment, Pace has offered our full multidisciplinary range of design, project management and construction services to reach the milestone of 60 percent completion in record time. “The building will be situated on a plot area of 33,384.50 square-metres (sqm). It will feature a solid plaza and two floating cantilevered towers, or wings that will soar 26 floors above ground (and a basement of three floors) to represent a massive abstract of the ‘Scale of Justice’. The facility boasts a total area of about 400,000 sqm, including the area on which the existing Palace of Justice building is located. The project will house more than 141 courtrooms and around 284,000 sqm of administrative space, with direct views on the Arabian Gulf waters. Other components include a grand judicial library, cafeterias, grand theatre, and lecture halls. A special building dedicated for car parking will also be constructed, which will include about 3,129 automatic and traditional parking spaces. “Pace has ‘Fast-Tracked’ construction to complete almost 90 percent of structural works to date. As well as being fully developed and delivered by Pace, the project has already garnered global recognition within the global architectural community and press including a shortlist nomination at the World Architecture Festival’s future project category. The Palace continues to tread a firm path on its way to becoming an architectural landmark for the country by creating a monolith structure that is characterised by modernity, opulence and innovation.”
CONSTRUCTION
Palace of Justice, Kuwait City
EME Outlook issue 43 | 7
PACE ARCHITECTURE, ENGINEERING + PLANNING “PACE IS COMMITTED TO CONSTANT EVOLUTION AND CONTINUOUS DEVELOPMENT AT EVERY TURN” – AHMED SOLIMAN, DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS, PACE brand for XOM called ‘On the Run’, which was deployed throughout Egypt and other parts of Africa including Kenya, Gabon and Tunisia,” he explains. This was amplified further in Soliman’s subsequent role at the Kuwait Gulf Oil Company as Specialist Project Manager, overseeing the design and construction of LEED Certified Head Office buildings. “Ultimately, I moved to Pace to expand my experience of the design and delivery of complex projects in the realm of built environment and infrastructure.”
A COMPETITIVE HERITAGE Although backed by a prestigious history, Pace champions a forwardlooking perspective centred on continual improvement. “With over 50 years of industry experience, Pace has, and continues to, make a significant contribution to the development of the architectural and urban landscapes within the entire region, earning a global reputation for pushing the boundaries of design and architecture in our pursuit of quality and excellence.”
PACE – KEY PROJECTS The Abdali Economic Zone: • Pace completed the design for complete master planning and detailed infrastructure for the project. • The project area is five million square metres and comprises four development blocks including 13 diverse land use areas. • The Abdali Economic Zone will be the first economic zone in Kuwait where infrastructure as a service is implemented in the design. • District cooling, street lighting powered using IP network doubling as Wi-Fi hubs, solid waste vacuum collection and processing systems are all integrated in the design as investment opportunities rather than government capital cost. • The project has been approved by Kuwait Municipal Council and is in the pipeline for tendering to investors. Public Authority for Housing Welfare (PAHW) investment opportunities projects: • J3 is a mixed-use mall and investment residential development. • S2 is an industrial and logistics park on one million square metres land. • J2 is a mixed-use office park. • All projects were won through a collaboration between Pace and three investors. Pace won all three projects and was awarded post competition design and supervision services with EPC contractors. • These projects put Pace in a unique position and experience for publicprivate partnership (PPP) type projects which spring boarded Pace as the go-to consultant for any investor seeking PPP projects.
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TK Elevator Engineering that keeps the world moving Present in Kuwait since 1976 and formally established in 2013, TK Elevator installs, maintains, and modernizes elevators and escalators in Kuwait. We have a strong presence in various segments, such as residential, retail and infrastructure. Over the past decade, TK Elevator has had a strong engagement with PACE Architects in several iconic projects, such as the New Maternity Hospital, Jahra Court, Kuwait National Museum, and several projects in the Hessah Al Mubarak District, just to name a few. TK Elevator worked closely with PACE Architects to ensure the best suited vertical transportation systems for each specific project, using smart designs and the latest technology, such AGILE destination dispatch system, INSIGHT monitoring system and even TWIN elevator systems in which 2 elevators move independently in the same shaft. TK Elevator has an extensive maintenance portfolio across Kuwait, serviced by teams of trained and well-equipped technicians following our global standards in preventive maintenance.
About TK Elevator With customers in over 100 countries served by 50,000 employees, including 24,000 service technicians, and over 1,000 locations around the world, we operate an extensive network that guarantees timely support for our customers. Over the past decades, TK Elevator has established itself as one of the world’s leading elevator companies. The product portfolio covers commodity elevators for residential and commercial buildings to cuttingedge, highly customized solutions for state-of-the-art architecture and skyscrapers. Our all-encompassing portfolio also consists of escalators and moving walks, passenger boarding bridges, as well as stair lifts and platform lifts.
www.tkelevator.com.kw
PACE ARCHITECTURE, ENGINEERING + PLANNING
The Imperial Group The Imperial Group Company is specialized in the Design, Supply, Installation, Testing, Commissioning, and after sale maintenance of solid waste handling equipment. Our main goal is to seek the latest technology in this field, trying to introduce what so ever new and of best quality to Kuwait Market. We solely represent the following international firms which covers most – if not all – types of waste handling and recycling equipment: 1. Hardall International -UK One of the leading manufacturers of Refuse & Linen Chute Systems, and under chute compactors. 2. M.B.T. - Austria Specialized in the manufacture of all kinds of roll on-off bulk waste compactors, baler press machines, and recycling equipment. 3. Santes - Turkey Manufactures waste incineration plants and flue gas treatment systems for complete destruction of infectious hospital waste, medical, and municipal waste. 4. Motrec - Canada Supplies tow trucks for various types of waste bins.
Abdali Economic Zone “We have always remained ahead of the curve by continuous selfassessment and an active approach to development – in pursuit of evergreater efficiency and optimisation of resources,” Soliman states. The company’s environmental commitments stand as a solid reflection of this outlook. “Pace has a fully-fledged HSE management system that incorporates environmental protection within the design ethos of Pace activities,” Soliman tells us. Complimentary to this, Pace’s status as ISO certified to ISO 450001 indicates a core requirement for environmental protection. As with all reputable players in 10 | EME Outlook issue 43
the global construction sector, the company comes equipped with the in-house expertise to deliver and conform to LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) standards. Indeed, five LEED AP professionals form a core part of Pace’s design staff within both architecture and mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP) disciplines. Investment-led innovation is at the cornerstone of this ongoing pursuit of excellence, with Pace continually incorporating and excelling within the latest design and construction technologies. Alongside LEED, this primarily extends to Business Information Modelling (BIM) and Project Information Management (PIM).
OUR CLIENTS: • Ministry of Health • Ministry of Defence • Ministry of Public Works • KOC • KNPC • KGOC • Tamdeen Real Estate Company • Al Tijaria Real Estate Company • Aqarat Real Estate Company • Wafra Real Estate Company SOME OF OUR EXECUTED PROJECTS: • Arraya Centre • KIPCO Tower • Symphony Complex • State Audit Bureau H/Q • KNPC New H/Q • KGOC New H/Q • Arabella Food Court • Wafra Seef Food Court • New Dar Al-Shifa Hospital • Palm Jumeirah - UAE
The Imperial Group For General Trading & Contracting Co. (W.L.L)
Specialised in Solid Waste Management Systems The Imperial Group For General Trading & Contracting Co. (W.L.L)
REFUSE-CHUTE-SYSTEM
UNIVERSITY PROJECT
REFREGIRATED COMPACTOR FOR ORGANIC WASTE
ROLL PACKER COMPACTORS
P.O.Box 24742 Safat 13108 Kuwait | Tel: (+965) 22496532-22496533 Fax: (+965) 22496534 | Email: imperial@imperialgroup.org
KNPC PROJECT
MOD PROJECT
PACE ARCHITECTURE, ENGINEERING + PLANNING
NOURI INDUSTRIAL ESTABLISHMENT CO. Founded in 1958, by Mr. Abdulkhaliq Al-Nouri, as a Civil Contracting company, and between 1958 and 1976 successfully executed several major civil projects in the Government Sector. Since 1970, we have gradually extended our business to supplying capital equipment to the Oil & Petrochemical Industries and providing operational and maintenance equipment for the Power, Defense, Aviation, Interior and Telecommunication Ministries. At present, we are one of Kuwait’s leading trading firms with operations in various business sectors; HVAC, Electrical & Telecom, Environmental, Mechanical, Laboratory & Chemical and Industrial Control and Automation.
“PACE HAS EARNT A GLOBAL REPUTATION FOR PUSHING THE BOUNDARIES OF DESIGN AND ARCHITECTURE IN OUR PURSUIT OF QUALITY AND EXCELLENCE” - AHMED SOLIMAN, DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS, PACE “Through critical design thinking across all disciplines and by adopting the latest in design and construction technologies, Pace is able to address multiple design challenges and manage projects, clients and partners more effectively, with timely delivery and minimum waste or errors,” Soliman comments. By the end of this year, Pace will conclude investment both in terms of digital infrastructure and staff, to attain BIM Level Two compliance. Adjacent to this, Pace continue 12 | EME Outlook issue 43
to advance the digital ecosystem in which they thrive. This hails the future of the construction industry by streamlining collaboration and eliminating the risk of prediction by forecasting and visualising cost and constructability through advanced software. The company’s investment in digital delivery is the natural progression in this area, advancing beyond simple project level BIM. “Digital delivery workflows afford Pace the ability to deliver projects anywhere through collaboration with geographically distributed teams and partners without the exchange of a single paper. This covers from contracting to post occupancy assessment,” Soliman explains. The adoption of the digital delivery framework will also fulfil a critical role in addressing the current industry challenge of disrupted access to both staff talent and clients, during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
We as a group are representing top quality manufacturers from around the world; SPX Marley, Alfa Laval, NIBCO, TACO, SPP Pumps, LAKOS, PETRA, NUAIRE, AAF International, Krantz, Frese, Flamco, Hisense VRF, Weksler, Superior Boilers, GE, CMP, Raychem, Cembre, Seal for Life, John Zinc, Baker Hughes, Sundyne, KochGlitsch, HACH, SETA, Allen Bradley, Rockwell Automation and many more. We have a huge reference list for supply of our products to many prestigious projects in Kuwait, especially the supply of HVAC equipment’s in almost all the PAN ARAB projects, to name the few Avenues Mall, Assima Mall, Kuwait Motor Town, The Scientific Center etc… NIEC is proud to say that our efforts to convince clients on value based products with long term gains is being accepted and has placed us in a unique position in the market , more importantly in the hearts our valued customers.
We are “Committed to Quality” www.nie-kwt.com
At NIEC it’s all about Experience, Quality, Dedication & Trust
Established in 1958, we are major suppliers of Engineering goods and services to Oil, Gas, Petrochemical, Power & Water/Waste Water, Telecom, HVAC Industries. We represent SPX Marley Cooling Towers, Alfa Laval Heat Exchangers, NIBCO Valves, TACO Pumps, SPP Pumps, LAKOS Sand Separators, PETRA A/C Units, NUAIRE Fans, AAF International, Krantz, Frese Valves, Flamco Pressurization Units, Hisense VRF, Weksler Pressure Gauges, Superior Boilers, GE, Raychem, Cembre and many more brands which are supplying to commercial, Oil and Gas sector.
Nouri Industrial Establishment Co. For Gen. Trad. & Cont. S.P.C
Ardiya Industrial Area, Block 2, Building No:86, Ardiya P.O. Box 2829, Safat 13029, Kuwait. T +965 22097275 /6 /7 | F +965 22090581 /82 | E contact@nie-kwt.com www.nie-kwt.com
PACE ARCHITECTURE, ENGINEERING + PLANNING
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CONSTRUCTION
We deal with all kind of structural and architectural metal fabrication including: • stainless steel • mild steel • galvanized steel We are an International Metal Fire Rated Door and Stainless Steel Door Manufacturer, Tested and Certified by BS 476: Part 22.standard
www.almashaansteel.com
A CHALLENGING LANDSCAPE On the topic of challenges, Soliman highlights the shifting and dynamic context of the industry in the geographical regions that Pace serves. “The construction industry in the ME region where we do business (Kuwait, Bahrain and KSA) is currently in a state-of-flux. “Kuwait is a proving to be a market with shrinking funds from the government and major developers, which is challenged by a great desired and need to diversify its economy as per the Government’s ‘New Kuwait’ Vision 2035,” he outlines. This government initiative aims at ameliorating Kuwait’s attractiveness to investors through transforming the country into a hub of finance and trade. Developed infrastructure is a key pillar behind this strategy, highlighting the integral role that the construction industry is expected to
play in the future of the country. In the context of the COVID19 era, this ambitious framework can lead to complications and confusion for lawmakers in striking a balance in legislation and economic restructuring amidst the overall project landscape. Looking beyond Kuwait, Soliman identifies Bahrain as a somewhat “swinging market”, defined by peaks and troughs in business activity due to opportunities largely being generated from outside of the country. “To get business in Bahrain, one needs to be close to KSA and UAE developers,” Soliman comments. “KSA is a booming market but stuck in the same all too familiar cycle of studies and design at inflated fees and salaries, only to come to the construction stages with cold feet when the feasibilities break the dreams on the rock of reality.” In spite of such market conditions,
Saudi Arabia remains a promising area of development that Pace intend to approach with suitable caution. “We are keen to capture opportunities in KSA but with a cautious eye to the inevitable dip until the market drivers get more experience in sustained development,” he surmises. With this savvy and agile market approach, Pace and their quality model of consultancy services, from procurement to design, are the company to fulfil the architectural vision of the Middle East.
Tel: +965 2266 9600 communications@pace-me.com www.pace-me.com
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PACE ARCHITECTURE, ENGINEERING + PLANNING 25th Floor, Baitak Tower Abdullah Al Salem St. Kuwait City, Kuwait P.O. Box 1031, 13011 Safat, Kuwait Tel: +965 2266 9600 communications@pace-me.com www.pace-me.com
PRODUCED BY EME OUTLOOK MAGAZINE