Yas Island
[More Images]
Many projects are underway on Yas Island, among them the Rotana and Centro hotels. MEP Middle East assistant editor Peter Ward visits the site to look at the progress Drake & Scull International is making on the MEP works of this fast-track development.
Yas Island is playing host to a fast, frenzied race which leaves no margin for error – and that is before the Formula One event begins. Not far from the racetrack, Drake & Scull International is currently working on the fast-track Centro and Rotana hotels project.
The hotels are two of many developments on Yas Island, which includes a theme park, shops, more hotels and a yacht club, as well as the race track, which is due to stage a Formula One race in September. The impending race has made it all the more important for projects on the island to meet their proposed completion dates, in order for them to participate in the showcase event.
Drake & Scull International Abu Dhabi area GM Ahmed Al Naser reports: “It is a fast-track job, but for us at Drake & Scull International we are used to this type of project, as we are known for our ability to utilise resources in terms of people, equipment, management and planning our activities ahead. As always, the challenge of a fast-track job is commitment to the date; we are totally committed to it.”
Although the Centro and Rotana hotels themselves are making good progress, it is hard to imagine many more of the developments on Yas Island being ready in time for the September race. The island is vast, dusty and, up to this point, fairly empty. However, encouragement can be taken from the fact that work is ongoing on the island, and it does not seem to have been hit by any delays or cancellations yet.
The Rotana Resort will be a four-star hotel, while the Centro by Rotana will be a three-star offering.
Both will open at the same time, despite the Rotana Resort having a slightly bigger design, boasting 308 rooms, compared to Centro’s 259. The resort will also feature a range of restaurants and conference facilities.
Story continues below
Advertisement
|  |
|
Despite so much work to be done, Al Naser is confident the work is going as planned: “The completion date is 30 June 2009, which means we have to finish our installations sooner for testing and commissioning. So far we are on track; the structure was completed on time, and we then started with the finishes.”
In a fast-track development, it is crucial to have large staff numbers in order to maintain momentum on a project. Al Naser comments: “We are at the peak of staff use. We have 950 people on staff in the day shift, and in the night shift we have 150.” Work being undertaken by Drake & Scull International on the two hotels includes fresh-air ventilation systems, duct work, power distribution systems and CCTV.
Prefabrication can also have a big impact when projects are being completed on a tight schedule, although Drake & Scull International has not used this extensively on Yas Island. “For certain I can say, yes, we have done prefabricating off-site, but most of the work was done on-site. The ducting was prefabricated in our workshops and put together on-site. This is something we normally do with all our projects,” reveals Al Naser.
“Certain elements are fabricated on-site. The construction of this project was done in a different way. It was an Italian system, which means the main contractor was casting four rooms a day. We had to implement night shifts to facilitate the casting,” he adds.
Night shifts on projects on Yas Island have been made a lot more practical by the decision to build labour camps on the island and to accommodate workers there. Al Naser comments: “The main issue here is the decision to accommodate all of the workforce inside the island, which has solved a big logistical problem. It allows extra working hours. The camp is only ten minutes away from the location of the site. It has allowed other trailers, which are handling materials, to come onto the island easier, so we have not had any problems in getting the materials here.”
Due to the large number of companies working on Yas Island, companies have needed to work together successfully in order for construction to run smoothly, a point made by developer Aldar Properties. The firm also revealed that longer working hours, spending more money on projects and a design-build approach were policies being used on some of the projects.
The consultant for the Rotana and Centro hotels was Althorath Engineering Consultant, while the main contractor was Abu Dhabi J&P. The contract value was budgeted at US$35 million (AED125 million), and work began in May last year.
Site Map
\
FEATURED COMMENT
I am sure Drake & Scull will successfully complete this project in time since they got the experience, manpower and tech