Leader by Design

Keith Hill

Hill says this is “not just an engineer’s problem, but an architect’s issue as well.” Recovery technologies are then followed by the final step, which is renewable energy. “It is very easy to jump to the final one without going through all those other steps. You can throw a lot of toys at the problem, such as putting in photovoltaics. However, this means you have missed the first step, because you have made it very complex for the end user to understand what they are supposed to do.

“Our experience at Atkins is to hand a building over to a client and then do a walk through with and presentation to the engineers, explaining why we have done things in a certain way, and what the maintenance issues are, as we did with The Address,” says Hill. In some way this is a pragmatic means of ensuring due diligence in the design process itself. “We definitely feel we are doing the right thing and are going in the right direction. Whether the industry is catching up to us or we are merely catching up with the general industry trends, I do not know. At the end of the day we are all innovating and moving forward at the same time, and that is really key to the whole process.”

Commenting on the fact that a lot of new building stock in Dubai, for example, is perceived as being not particularly energy-efficient, Hills says this could be a general misperception. “There are things there that could perhaps be better, but at the time they were designed I am sure they were right. Again there is a level of context that needs to be given. It is very easy to make snap judgement calls; we all do it. That is why ‘sound-biting’ is so dangerous at times. Everything needs to have a context. If it can be evolved or innovated or moved forward, then clearly it should be.

Now whether or not that takes more money – it certainly takes more time – I do not know. It has to be undertaken on a project-by-project, and even a sub-component by sub-component, level at times.”

In terms of specific projects that Atkins is working on at the moment, Hill says many consultants are wary of giving away such information at present. “A lot of our projects are at the very early stage. Combined with the economic crisis, people are a little bit more nervous than usual. Maybe they have not tied up all their downstream issues, and there are no people at the end of the line queuing to snap up the assets, as they were before.”

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Added to this, says Hill, is “a case of, I guess, more process in the paperwork now, mirroring the European market more, and becoming more prevalent here. This is all good, as it brings a different level of innovation and understanding to bear, but it is bound to slow things down further. If you are actually going to audit yourself every time you do a development or a master plan, you cannot do it in a snap judgement way, because then you are not according it your due respect.”

What this all means at the end of the day is “in my view a slightly more mature market,” says Hill.

In terms of specific challenges, he cites ongoing transition as a major issue. “I think we are in that big transition stage right now, certainly if you look at Abu Dhabi as a focal market. It is now the centre of attention, probably as it used to be back in the 1980s.

“We have been in the Middle East for over 40 years now. We started originally in Umm Al Qawain. We are used to working in what is perceived as alien or different markets. We are actually moving back into such areas again as they have got a chance to spread their wings and do something different.”