Voltas Olayan, Saudi arm of MEP contractor Voltas, has won Sustainable GCC Project of the Year at the MEP Middle East Awards 2013 in Fairmont The Palm Hotel in Dubai.
The contractor received the award for its work on Al Bustan Utility Complex in Riyadh.
It won ahead of category finalists Doha Marina Mall by Ramboll; Msheireb Downtown Doha, Phase 1B by ETA Star; Bab Al Bahr in Ajman by Trans Gulf; and Yemen Power Plant Project by Altaaqa Global.
The judges lauded the winner for its “hugely impressive ongoing energy savings”, which one judge described as “a project that will be remembered throughout the region”.
Rejil Kumar, senior manager of business excellence at Voltas, accepted the award and said: “This is the first project we’ve done in Saudi Arabia so that makes it all the more special for us. It’s also the first sustainability award that we’ve won so that really adds to it.”
“Al Bustan is a co-generation plant and we had a lot of green initiatives that our consultant placed on the project, which they helped us with. That really made a lot of difference to us. This is a project where the water and electricity is completely developed in the plant itself. It’s not dependent on the grid so it is totally independent in this regard,” he added.
ETA Star was highly commended for its work on Msheireb Downtown Doha, Phase 1B, which the judges said was an “excellently designed project with technology that promotes sustainability”.
An independent panel of 12 judges voted for the 2013 MEP Middle East Awards made up of industry professionals from across the GCC and throughout the construction sector.
The MEP Middle East Awards 2013 were presented by du, while this year’s Platinum Sponsor for the event was Leminar Air Conditioning.
