The nature of reality

Taking shape: a 'leaf' nears completion at the 14.2 million square foot Al Barari botanical developement.
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A manmade oasis in the middle of Dubai’s desert, the high-end botanical Al Barari development is the vision of the Zaal family. fmME talks integration, sustainability, delivery and operations with FM manager Robert Hunter and senior landscape manager Robert Rye

fmME: Al Barari FM is a full service provider. What is your development remit?

Robert Hunter: Our remit is to establish a total facilities and property management company within Al Barari to contribute towards the design and handover of the project. This will lead into operational management when the development is completed.

fmME: The Zaal family has an extraordinary vision for the Al Barari development. Why did Mr Zaal create an in-house FM team, as opposed to outsourcing?

RH: It has always been Mr Zaal’s intention for his vision to extend beyond the construction phase of Al Barari. Everything about the project is driven by his desire to provide the best product and unrivalled service.

In order to deliver a facilities management service in keeping with the standards set during the design and construction phases, we believed this was more likely to be achieved if the service was delivered by Al Barari staff who are motivated by pride and accomplishment, as opposed to outsourcing our requirements to a team who are motivated by financial gains.

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RH: Phase one of Al Barari is a unique residential community containing exceptional villas, landscaped parks, winding waterways and themed gardens.

In fact, over 60 percent of the development is given over to gardens and open space. We have worked with the design team, headed by Robert Rye, to find a balance between being not only visually appealing, but also operable, maintainable and sustainable. Since July 2008 we have been contributing towards product specifications, life-cycle and replacement, infrastructure maintenance, way-finding, waste management, water recycling, transition management, logistics, and eventual operation. All very challenging, but as the eventual operator we will certainly benefit from our involvement during each of the design, commissioning and handover phases.

Furthermore, we have been working with our project team and the consultants to ensure the handover documentation we receive is provided on time, and in a format that is accurate and consistent; very important.

fmME: Al Barari is obviously high-end. How will you work with residents to ensure seamless, unobtrusive FM?

RH: With strata law requiring the establishment of home owners associations, we expect to have frequent communication with our residents, during which times we will inform them of our planned maintenance schedule for each month.

In addition, the community manager will be provided with our annual maintenance schedule and the planned
activities will be posted within the monthly newsletter and on our community website. We want to encourage our residents to contribute towards the smooth operation of the community, and we will welcome any feedback regarding our scheduling of events.

fmME: As you said, 60 percent of the development is laid over to landscaping. How closely do you work with the development’s landscape architects?

RH: Since the landscaping is such a large part of Al Barari it is important that it be not only aesthetically pleasing, but also user and operator friendly. We have had ongoing discussions regarding vehicular access, maintenance, water consumption and waste collection, all of which have had to be considered from an operational perspective. We feel we have reached a satisfactory compromise and are now looking forward to the handover and full operation.