Aligning with the UAE’s Capital 2030 vision

The tower will have 26 floors above the Podium level and nine floors of Parking and services below-Podium with parking spaces for 1,047 cars with access from two side roads. The smart tower has several firsts - from having six of the nine-storey parking floors underground, state of the art electromechanical services and systems, and exacting high-end finishes imported from several international sources and still meeting the Estidama sustainability standards.

One of the unique features of the construction process was the preparation of life-size mock ups of major components made prior to installation. As such Al Fara’a General Contracting spent a significant amount of time with the project’s Architect, Goettsch & Partners, to arrive at the architect’s concept and the Client’s approval of the visual models in realizing the envisioned shapes, colors, and textures. Building the tower was more like assembling a prototype machine rather than a typical building where several material components, instruments, and equipment had to be fitted and coordinated into relatively small spaces and yet crowned with several exacting finishes that had no room for dimensional errors or quality oversights. Most finishes had to be manufactured to precise dimensions and had to be remade if the demanding tolerances were exceeded.

A main feature of the project finishes was the natural stone for the main lobbies that was imported from Italy and dry-laid to meet the color hues and patterns before shipment. Each of the marble floor pieces was cut to a unique shape & dimension and numbered within a pattern where it would be fitted with utmost care to avoid breakages that would be very difficult to find a matching replacement for. The stainless steel materials also required the highest grades of electro-polished surfaces to retain their luster in the marine environment of Abu Dhabi, and 10-meter tall trees were imported from a nursery in Florida, USA where they had been growing since the inception of the project and placed inside the main lobby of the building. The building envelope with fins and façade lighting and notched soffits required creative installation unique to the project.

Al Hilal Bank Tower has emerged as a distinguished luxury office building bearing all the hallmarks of the status of its prospective tenants & setting benchmarks for the luxurious concept of Abu Dhabi`s new Central Business District.

Client: Al Hilal Bank PJSE
Consultant: Goettsch Partner

The first LEED PLATINUM and ESTIDAMA Pearl 3 rated building in the region

One of Al Fara’a General Contracting’s key engagements, the Siemens Headquarters is a new model for sustainable office buildings based in the prestigious Masdar City development, which is the world’s first carbon neutral, zero waste city to be powered entirely by renewable energy. The project is set to be the first building in the UAE to achieve LEED Platinum certification and Estidama pearl 3 rating whilst maintaining the highest sustainable requirements in the region through Masdar City’s specific KPI’s. Al Fara’a General Contracting’s involvement in this project is a fitting testament to the construction powerhouse’s expertise in utilizing green-tech methodologies to achieve optimum results while mitigating their environmental footprint.

The facade design system features unique aerodynamic sunshade units which were designed to efficiently harness natural sun light and wind. Moreover, three internal but fully open Atrium voids were created to provide additional cooling by generating a rising air current which draws heat from the facades away from the building. This results in reduced usage of air conditioning and less power requirement of the mechanical systems.

To ensure the timely execution of the project, the Al Fara’a General Contracting team conducted intricate micro planning and created an efficient follow-up strategy for the delivery of materials and subcontractor works. In further adherence to LEED and Estidama standards, Al Fara’a General Contracting implemented an aggressive waste management process that resulted in 93% of material wastage being recycled.

Client: Masdar
Consultant: AECOM

Building world-class healthcare facilities

The award of this prestigious project to Al Fara’a is significant considering the importance and focus accorded by His Highness Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan and His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan towards the continuous improvement of Abu Dhabi’s healthcare sector bringing it in line with recognized global standards. The hospital will be built in Abu Dhabi’s Western Region and is part of SEHA’s strategy to improve the Emirate’s healthcare infrastructure and to achieve its vision of providing world-class healthcare to its residents.

Once complete, the hospital will provide 35 beds along with specialities like general medicine, obstetrics, gynaecology and intensive care units for infants.

The scope consists of the Main Hospital Building, which includes front of house interior works, administrative furniture, medical equipment and other required equipments. This project includes accommodation buildings for families, visitors, as well as separate accommodation for males and females. Ancillary buildings include provisions for medical waste, medical gas, ambulance parking, generator rooms, chiller rooms, HV/MV rooms and a Mosque. External work entails soft and hard landscaping, asphalt roads, covered and uncovered parking bays, street and security lights, communication and power supply systems, water supply and irrigation, storm/waste drainage, medical waste treatment plant, helipad, and playgrounds.

Client: Abu Dhabi Health Services (SEHA)
Consultant: GDP (Overseas Ltd.)

Flexibility and adaptability to deliver high magnitude requirements

Etihad Plaza (formerly known as Abraj Al Raha) is located a mere 2km from the Abu Dhabi Airport and consists of housing for 2,000 occupants in some 800 one to four bedroom apartments. Etihad Plaza also offers offices for 500 staff along with a retail and leisure area and copious parking. With a built up area of 205,000 ft2 this project was completed in two phases with 2,500 employees on site at the peak of construction.

Essentially the project consisted of two massive structures with a magnificently landscaped podium in-between. The first phase entailed the construction of one of the massive structures comprising 198 units and some of retail units along with podium landscaping. The second phase involved the balance of 598 apartments along with retail and parking areas.

We harnessed our supply chain to help us meet high quality, cost effective delivery to allow for flexibility in respect of considerable revisions by the client. For example, we reduced slab cycle times from 10 to six days by implementing the latest in technology and amassed a time saving of three months in phase one.

We value engineered in structural steel framing and delivered a specialised cement board cladding solution with a design overlay. This resulted in the expediting of concrete works, because the inclined formwork for the external was no longer required. Aesthetic improvement was delivered because of the stone finish paint that was utilised.

Finally during the finishing phase, we value engineered in material to fast track and deliver on time despite project scope changes which were incorporated during the construction of the project. We delivered the project on 13 October 2009.

Client: Aldar Properties
Consultant: Architectural and Planning Group (APG)

Managing the paradox of appealing aesthetics and stringent hygiene

Mushrif Mall which was previously known as the Central fish meat and vegetable market in Abu Dhabi is a state of the art facility that spans 45,000m2 and includes a three storey mall along with 3,500 parking bays. The mall is equipped with panoramic elevators, travellators, escalators and passenger lifts and over 200 shops coupled with a food court and large hypermarket, which caters for an estimated 2,000 customers at a time.

The total built up space is in excess of 1,8’million ft2 and is compliant with the requirements of stringent global leading quality, health, safety, environmental, hygiene and water systems such as ISO14001, ISO9001, OHSAS18001 and HACCP.

The public and service areas are completely segregated and the market is to be absolutely odour free and hygienic, while ensuring a pleasant shopping experience for the customer. We value engineered the footing system from a piling to a strip footing and raft system, to support more effective air circulation and therefore reduce energy costs for years to come.

Given the size of each 45,000m2 floor, the floor construction cycles can be so long as to render the project uneconomical. To reduce the length of each cycle for the construction of each floor, we supplemented concrete with other materials such as precast hollow core slabs. We also divided the structure into 12 independent units using 5cm expansion joints to enable compartmentalisation as we ascended floor by floor. We also utilised a fast and productive framework system for vertical members.

The targeted duration of the project was 24 months and this posed a challenge for the installation of two domes that are at a height of 40 metres and collectively span an area of around 4,000m2. The first dome has a diameter of an 80 metres and the second has a diameter of approximately 70m. To meet this challenge, we developed a temporary tower support structure of reinforced concrete to support the structures around the void.

Client: Line Investments, EMKE Group
Consultant: Architectural Consulting Group (ACG)

Transforming Khor Al Raha into a truly vibrant hub of growth and progress

In line with Abu Dhabi National Insurance Company’s commitment to realizing Abu Dhabi’s 2030 vision, construction has commenced for a huge waterfront project with commercial, retail, hospitality, and residential units.

Al Fara’a General Contracting has played a turnkey role in the completion of the 61,189 Sq. Mts. residential building located in a prime plot in the Khor Al Raha district. This premier structure consists of 198 apartments, two basements for parking, six typical floors, a technical floor, and a recreation area with swimming pool. The workscope also included extensive external works and landscaping.

Client: Abu Dhabi National Insurance Company
Consultant: Dar Al-Handasah

The largest residential and commercial endowment in the UAE

Al Fara’a demonstrates its strong commitment to enlivening the vision of the nation’s noble rulers through its turnkey engagement in the AWQAF commercial building project, which is set to be the largest commercial and residential endowment in the UAE. His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, donated AED 360 million for this prestigious project. Upon completion, the AWQAF Commercial Building is expected to generate an estimated revenue of AED 45 million, which will be donated entirely to charity.

The new tower will sit on an area of about 2,324m2 with total built up area 10,2634m2, and consist of five basement levels for car parking with capacity of 440 car parking space, a ground floor for commercial showrooms, a mezzanine for office spaces in addition to 29 storeys. Overall, the building will comprise of 522 apartments, of which 348 are one bedroom, 58 are two bedrooms and the remaining 116 apartments consist of three bedrooms. Office spaces will occupy 1,544m2; whereas, showrooms will take up 815m2.

Client: Crown Prince Court
Consultant: Heberger Engineering

Focus on the Education

As part of Abu Dhabi 2030 vision to create a socially cohesive and economically sustainable community, ADEC and Musanda in a joint partnership had embarked on ambitious programme to build 100 new schools throughout Abu Dhabi by 2020. Al Fara’a is proud to be associated with Musanada and ADEC in their endeavour to transform the education sector of Abu Dhabi.

In 2012, Al Fara’a had successfully executed and delivered two school projects in Al Ain at Al Foah and Al Zakher, based on our performance we have been awarded construction of Chinese School in Abu Dhabi. This award re-enforces the confidence and trust placed in our capabilities by ADEC and Musanada.

Client: XXX
Consultant: XXX

A Passion for Care

Al Towayya Ambulatory Healthcare Centre a 2,500 m2 healthcare centre is a 21st century unique state of the art outpatient facility. This centre is a one-stop-shop ambulatory care clinic offering easier access to primary and specialist care including comprehensive laboratory and modern diagnostic facilities. Patients seeking routine medical care can find quality healthcare services in a convenient, accessible and affordable setting without having to go to a hospital.

Services offered at Al Towayya Ambulatory Health Services include:

• Family Medicine Services
• Dental Healthcare Services
• Maternal and Child Healthcare Services
• Urgent Care
• Occupational Health and Screening Services
• Comprehensive  Laboratory Test
• X-ray and Ultrasound Services
• Breast Examination and Mammography Services
• Electrocardiogram (ECG)
• Treadmill Stress Test
• Physical Therapy
• Minor Surgical Procedures

Client: SEHA / MUSANADA
PMC consultant: Hill international, UAE
Consultant: Astorino

Harnessing group strength to execute on design leadership

Le Grand Château was the first project to be delivered in Jumeirah Village, a large community in Dubai that offers the full suite of amenities and lifestyle requirements in a unique format with multiple entry points to assure residents of easy access to a sprawling village that is away from the hustle and bustle.

The vision of Al Fara’a Properties was to develop a well designed community and offer the investor competitive returns on investment for years to come. The residential development, which is inspired by the chateaux of the Loire Valley, in France consists of 200 apartments and 30 villas, with an assortment of one to five bedroom units and a shared pavilion with a sizeable shared recreation area and swimming pool.

Each townhouse and apartment integrates a distinctive design with modern novelty to create homes in serene, nonviolent and restful surroundings. Le Grand Château offers a professionally managed gym and clubhouse with rim flow temperature controlled pool.

The goal of the Group was to stay true to the design and deliver the project on time without compromising on quality. This project was awarded the prestigious CNBC Arabian Property Award for the best development in Dubai.

Client: Al Fara`a Propertise
Consultant: William & Jones