Big Project ME july 2014 supplement by Big Project Middle East

BUILDING SECURITY & SAFETY SUPPLEMENT 2014

TAKE CHARGE

Big Project ME finds out that things have changed in the fire and life safety landscape

ALSO INSIDE WSP’S GARALD TODD INSULATION PROGRESS FIRE SAFETY CODES CHANGE INTELLIGENT SECURITY WORKS

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EDITOR’S COMMENT

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The last year has seen tremendous advancements in fire and life safety. Sadly, it has taken some tragic incidents to force this change through, but at least we’re now seeing strong measures being taken by the regional authorities. What’s really interesting is that the tone of the arguments have changed. When we did our previous fire and life safety supplement in July 2013, the experts we spoke to were a little more considered in their words. They realised that this was something that the general public was unfamiliar with and as such, adopted a more conciliatory tone. This time around, the tone is far more assertive and the onus has been firmly put on the end user. And why shouldn’t it be? No one has done more than the industry and the civil authorities to bring fire and life safety issues into the main stream. They’ve educated, they’ve informed and they’ve even mandated. Now it’s up to us, the end users, to take all that information on board and implement it so we have a truly safe society to live in.

TAKE CHARGE OF FIRE SAFETY

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IT MEETS SECURITY BUILDING SECURITY & SAFETY SUPPLEMENT 2014

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IN PROFILE GARALD TODD

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TAKE RESPONSIBILITY

WSP’s head of Fire and Life Safety, Garald Todd, tells Big Project ME that while the GCC is taking fire safety extremely seriously, there’s a lot more that needs to be done. Gavin Davids and Neha Bhatia report

ast year a survey revealed some disturbing facts about fire safety awareness in the GCC. A YouGov poll found that more than half the 2,600 GCC residents surveyed – 53% – were unaware of the need to test fire safety equipment, while 48% said that they had never taken part in a fire drill. Furthermore, one in three said that they ignored fire alarms and were unaware of the locations of fire exits in their buildings. In the UAE alone, 26% of all respondents said that they had no idea where the fire exits in their buildings were. All of this paints a terrifying picture of the consequences of a major fire, with residents in the region clearly unprepared for how to handle an emergency. Or are they? Since the results of the survey came out, the various Civil Defence Forces in the region have worked tirelessly to create awareness and increase the levels of responsibilities when it comes to fire and life safety. Top officials at the Dubai Civil Defence Department insist that security is a top priority

in the UAE, and that fire safety standards in the country are amongst the highest in the world. They add that new regulations and devices are being introduced – with harsher penalties available to be imposed on owners who violate safety standards. Certainly, this is something that Garald Todd, head of Fire and Life Safety at WSP Middle East, says that he’s seen more and more of, certainly in the UAE. “I wouldn’t use the words ‘better’ or ‘worse’, but the UAE is very progressive; the economic development here is different from the rest of the region, and the same goes for the market pressures and stresses,” he explains. “For instance, Qatar’s struggles right now are the same as what the UAE was facing five years ago. “Similarly, Saudi has some real bright spots in its fire safety systems, but there exists some problems too. As mentioned, it is a mixed bag, but the UAE is in a different socio-economic phase, and cannot be compared with the other countries.”

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“IT IS A SMALL SECTOR, AND I KNOW A LOT OF DESIGNS FLOATING IN THE MARKET DON’T MEET REAL REQUIREMENTS. THAT’S MY FRUSTRATION; WE’RE PASSIONATE AND WANT TO HELP IT ALL. IT’S NOT ABOUT MONEY OR DOING THE DESIGN FOR THE BIGGEST MALL OR THE TALLEST TOWER”

BUILDING SECURITY & SAFETY SUPPLEMENT 2014

Todd concedes that there are legacy issues to be dealt with, citing Sharjah as an example of a city with ageing infrastructure that has legacy issues to deal with. Despite this, he insists that his experience in the country has shown that the authorities are serious about tackling the problems ahead of them. “I’ve been involved and worked with the Abu Dhabi civil defence since my earliest days in the Middle East; the city was my starting point in the region, and a lot of work we did with the civil defence guys in the emirate focused on presentations and education about smoke control,” he recollects. “We also drew up proposals to revamp their approval process from a consultant point of view, and maintain a very close working relationship with the guys from Abu Dhabi’s civil defence offices. It’s been a very successful collaboration. “An advisor in their setup is American, so we have the commonality of code language with them and it helps us tap into the expanded levels of knowledge and share our expertise with them. It’s exciting to see how they’ve grown over the years.” Having a common language between civil defence authorities, engineers and suppliers is something that Todd feels is crucial for the development of fire safety awareness in the region. As such, he is a vocal proponent for the introduction of a unified code that clearly lays out what is expected from

BUILDING SECURITY & SAFETY SUPPLEMENT 2014

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IN PROFILE GARALD TODD

all stakeholders involved in the fire and life-safety process in the GCC region. “The GCC has, for most part, adopted the American standards for building codes, and that allows us to have a common language from the code point of view with all authorities in the region. Obviously, each has their own viewpoints as well, but we have a foundation to start conversation with them. “I’ve been in the region for nine years and have a personal relationship with local officers; the same goes for my team. This is crucial since the Middle East is a relationship-driven market and collaboration and the understanding of where each party is coming from are key here. The transparency is no more vital than in civil defence since it is a key stakeholder in the construction process,” he asserts. Using the US as an example, he then highlights the importance of having a unified building code, a system that he says allows for consistency and uniformity in market and ensures that everyone is one the same page. “The USA has almost entirely adopted a unified building code, with most jurisdictions accepting on a common set of principles. They

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“AS AN EDUCATOR AND CO-CONSULTANT, MY BIGGEST GOAL IS TO PUSH THIS UNDERSTANDING IN THE INDUSTRY”

then take their local city elements and add it to the uniform code; so as a co-consultant, I can go into any city in the USA, follow the unified code, show them I can adapt to their local modifications exclusive to their city alone, and do business there by delivering a safe and consistent product,” Todd tells Big Project ME. “There is a definite benefit in the market by using a uniform building code. Suppliers can manufacture better products if they have to follow a single code as against three different codes, for instance. It makes everything easier, really.”

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UNIFIED CODE A unified building code can be a definite advantage to the UAE market, Todd says.

BUILDING SECURITY & SAFETY SUPPLEMENT 2014

While the UAE has, to some extent, adopted a unified fire code, Garald Todd points out that it is still an evolving document that will need years of work to cover all the various facets of fire safety in a complex and ever-changing environment. “With the NFPA and IBC, years and years of work have gone into making them what they are today. The UAE fire code is a new document that still faces teething issues,” he explains. “Not everyone is on the same page just yet about how to interpret some of the requirements. I applaud the effort and understand the intent and political desire to brand something, but the reality is this fire code is an amalgam of different codes – which is not a bad thing, to be fair. “It’s a good place to start, but a unified building code sitting on top of that can simplify things a lot. Most my conversations with representatives from civil defence authorities agree on the point that the acceptance of a single document across the country can bind together the different players in a way that they’re all on the same page.” However, he’s quick to stress that having a unified code isn’t the only solution.

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IN PROFILE GARALD TODD

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Ultimately, as the survey indicates, responsibility needs to come down to the end users and the owners of the buildings. The civil defence departments of the GCC can introduce as many unified codes as they like, and contractors and consultants may have to follow them, but ultimately, if the end-users, the owners and renters, ignore them, then there is little that can be done. “At the end of the day, they (tenants, renters) have the ultimate burden; so if I’m renting a shop that I want to make a successful business out of, it is essential I understand the FLS standards and am trained to know how a safe building works,” he points out. “That said, the builder shares this responsibility, as do the designer and contractor. It’s never just one person’s job – even the guy doing the drywall has a stake in it; the guy doing the facades does too. That’s what I love about my field – everyone has to be involved to contribute to full safety, but the challenge is that not everyone understands that they have to play a part. “As an educator and consultant, my biggest goal is to push this understanding in the industry. When Qatar says the ultimate responsibility to check for safety lies with the tenant, I agree. That’s because they must know to check if any safety measure is missing and that they should flag it up. Maybe an additional sprinkler or fire exit was part of the design, but the contractor missed it. It’s a whole chain of things that has to come together to promote safety.” Therefore, Todd proposes that there be greater enforcement of the fire and life safety laws, so as to ensure that lives and property are not destroyed thanks to careless negligence. “Historically, enforcement is the only way to get someone to do something – it sounds terrible, because you want to ‘promote’ education, but the only way to get someone to do something is to make them. For instance, I want everybody to wilfully use a car seat for their child, but they won’t unless I force them to. Enforcement, in effect, means a law has been established, and a law means something, which is why the civil defence is so important. Enforcement plays a massive role in what we do. You can’t catch everything that’s going wrong in the market. “One of my biggest frustrations is that even though I’ve ensured I surround myself with the most competent team I can find, we do in reality on tap into 5-10% of the

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SHARED RESPONSIBILITY All stakeholders on a project must share responsibility when it comes to fire and life safety, says Todd.

“WITH THE NFPA AND IBC, YEARS AND YEARS OF WORK HAVE GONE INTO MAKING THEM WHAT THEY ARE TODAY. THE UAE FIRE CODE IS A NEW DOCUMENT THAT STILL FACES TEETHING ISSUES”

BUILDING SECURITY & SAFETY SUPPLEMENT 2014

market. So there is a whole stock of buildings going out there that don’t meet the required safety standards,” he claims worryingly. “I know my peers in the market and there aren’t that many of us. It is a small sector, and I know a lot of designs floating in the market don’t meet real requirements. That’s my frustration; we’re passionate and want to help it all. It’s not about money or doing the design for the biggest mall or the tallest tower. It’s about changing the built environment and making a difference in the way safety is followed, and enforcement has to close the gap that catches everything,” he asserts.

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FOCUS FIRE AND LIFE SAFETY

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Big Project ME speaks to the experts to get an idea of how changes in fire and life safety codes have impacted both contractors and consultants as they look to adapt to a shifting landscape. Gavin Davids reports

BUILDING SECURITY & SAFETY SUPPLEMENT 2014

FOCUS FIRE AND LIFE SAFETY

arlier this year, Dubai Civil Defence announced that it was making sweeping changes to fire and life safety regulations in the city as it looked to further improve safety standards in the region. From May 2014, it has become mandatory for all new villas and apartments in Dubai to have fire alert systems. Furthermore, Dubai Civil Defence has also made it mandatory for 10% of all supermarket and retail staff, and 50% of hotel staff to take fire safety training. In addition, the UAE government has been strongly enforcing a number of new rulings, including the framing of a law that will govern safety standards across the country. Stiff fines will be levied against violators of the law, with fees ranging from $136 to $136,000. These measures are an indication of how seriously the government is looking at improving fire safety in the country, following a spate of fires in 2012 and 2013, which shook the UAE’s communities and raised serious questions about the reliability of the fire safety systems being installed in thousands of buildings. Speaking at the launch of Intersec 2014, Lieutenant Colonel Jamal Ahmad Ebrahim, director of the Preventive Safety Department at Dubai Civil Defence, said that the move to make fire alert systems mandatory was part of the Dubai government’s efforts to make the city a ‘safer place to live in’. “We have realised that, currently, fire safety in villas is not the highest level. So we are planning to overhaul the system. In the first phase, we will start with new villas and buildings. The next phase will move to existing buildings,” he was quoted as saying. Awareness levels towards fire safety can be seen increasing all across the GCC, with both Qatar and the UAE taking the lead in this regard. “The standards of fire and life safety, in the UAE in particular, are very high,” says Mark Bingham, the general manager of Wagner Fire Safety Management Consultants (Middle East). “It has a tendency towards continuous improvement,” he adds, pointing out that

lessons have been learnt on both sides following the incidents from previous years. “The lessons have been hard ones, but they do create necessary changes in mind-set, for all of us.” Garald Todd, head of Fire and Life Safety at WSP Middle East, agrees with this, pointing out that although fires are tragic and often unnecessary events, it is crucial that civil defences, governments and fire safety professionals all learn from them, in order to ensure that they don’t happen again. “Basically, as fire and life safety professionals, we track where people die due to fires. It is an unfortunate job, but it’s the historical fires that drive giant shifts in codes and their development. We call it disaster disasterled legislation. A huge number of deaths places impetus on authorities to recognise and rectify what they’ve been doing wrong. Luckily it hasn’t happened in Dubai yet, but it could,” he warns sombrely. One country that unfortunately learnt a devastating lesson was Qatar, which suffered one of the worst fire-related death tolls in GCC history when 19 people, including 13 toddlers, were killed during a major fire at the Villaggio Mall. As a direct consequence of that, Qatar Civil Defence authorities have introduced far stricter regulations for contractors to follow, as Prasad Cherukot, senior systems engineer at Arabian Air-Conditioning Company – Fire Division, explains. “Doing business here in Qatar now requires Civil Defence approval. That’s a basic thing. Since the Villaggio fire, the Qatari Civil Defence has been very strict and conducts regular (fire safety awareness) campaigns.” “Two months ago, they conducted a convention for NFPA training. They’re very strict about fire safety rules and regulations now, for each and every product or project. Even for existing buildings, if you want to get approval for the renewal, they will have a separate inspection and they’ll (test the building).”

BUILDING SECURITY & SAFETY SUPPLEMENT 2014

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“WE HAVE TO DO THIS, THE EDUCATION. SOME CONSULTANTS MAY NOT BE AWARE OF THE FIRE AND SAFETY REGULATIONS. SOMETIMES, THEY’LL JUST BLINDLY FOLLOW THE SPECIFICATIONS”

FOCUS FIRE AND LIFE SAFETY

“There are new rules and regulations coming in. For us (as contractors) it’s become a lot tougher. Now every building has to have fire alarms, even if it’s a small office, it has to be protected,” he points out. Cherukot says that he in fact welcomes this strictness, because it makes for safer buildings. Rather worryingly, he reveals that this isn’t always the case. “We have to do this, the education. Some consultants may not be aware of the fire and safety regulations. Sometimes, they’ll just blindly follow the specifications, but we’re a designer as well, so we have to know the exact requirements. Maybe the specifications are common for all the projects, but we have to do the engineering judgement for each and every one and we have to advise what the requirements for each and every site are,” he asserts. He’s backed up in this by K M Thandapani, manager – Fire Protection and HVAC – BARQ Construction Group, who tells Big Project ME that whatever fire safety products are being used, they all have to be QCD approved. “When it comes to fire safety, the government always pushes contractors to use certain NFPA codes in terms of insulation, fire alarms

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“THE LESSONS HAVE BEEN HARD ONES, BUT THEY DO CREATE NECESSARY CHANGES IN MINDSET, FOR ALL OF US”

and so on,” he explains. “Being certified also means that we’re a certified contractor for civil defence and Kahramaa. Because of this, we follow all the instructions (from authorities) and we do execute projects based on those codes and those requirements,” he asserts. However, while this government drive is essential and most welcome, it cannot be the only way to ensure complete fire safety. All the regulations and rules in the book won’t do any good when the people using the space aren’t doing so correctly, as Dragisa Dubocanin, export sales manager for Reinert – Ritz, explains. “It’s important to have a system that regulates the piping, the electronic tools

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HARSH LESSONS The Qatari government increased their vigilence towards fire safety since the Villaggio Mall tragedy.

BUILDING SECURITY & SAFETY SUPPLEMENT 2014

which are necessary for firefighting systems. However, I’ve heard that in Qatar, they’ve changed the responsibility of the firefighting systems from the owner of the building to renters/leasers in the building,” he says. “For me, that’s a good thing, because the owner of the building gives free spaces and then people put stuff like gypsum walls in. Sometimes, you can have the detector in one room and the sprinklers in another, this causes a big problem! That’s why I feel that renters should be responsible for this. It’s the first big, right step,” Dubocanin asserts. “If you want to build so many buildings here, as you need to do in the Emirates, as well as in Qatar, you cannot do it with only educated people. The critical people are the people who are responsible for the reliability of the systems. The installers have to be educated, that is very important. The rest is really about using good quality, tested products. If these two critical points are solved, then there is no big risk anymore,” he adds. What clearly comes across from all the experts is that despite how far Qatar and the UAE have come in terms of fire and life safety, tremendous amounts of work needs to

FOCUS FIRE AND LIFE SAFETY

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Imre Solt

continue to be done to ensure that the horrific events of previous years are not repeated. “The learning curve never ends. The people involved in the business, including consultants, contractors, suppliers and authorities will keep changing. Therefore their awareness campaign cannot be reduced. Safety awareness for residents, visitors and the layman in general can be improved and it is being improved through a variety of multi-lingual media by the relevant authorities,” says Mark Bingham. “The impact of the fire safety codes will be seen in the future and it is now of course significant because the construction industry is recovering from a long period of relative stagnation. The impact will not just be due to the prescriptive standards now in place, but also because the methods of enforcement that have changed,” he warns.

FAST RESPONSE Mandatory fire alert systems linking houses to Dubai Civil Defence networks have been announced by Dubai Civil Defence, the authority for fire-accidents in the emirate. Undertaken to improve fire safety at homes, the first phase of the project will involve the installation of these systems in all new residential units such as villas and apartments. “The new system will automatically alert the nearest fire station in case of fire or any emergency in any house,” said Lt Col Jamal Ahmad Ebrahim, director of Preventive Safety Department, Dubai Civil Defence. “Firefighters will be alerted even if there are people at home or not.” While no clear cost estimates or deadline have been provided for building owners to comply with the new directive, the initial phase of installations is expected to begin before the year ends, said a report by Gulf News. “The project is part of Dubai government’s efforts to make the city the safest in the world,” added Lt. Ebrahim. “We have realised that currently fire safety in villas is not at the highest level. So we are planning to overhaul the safety system. “In the first phase we will start with new villas and buildings and in the next phase will move to existing buildings.”

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MANDATORY ALERTS Dubai Civil Defence has made mandatory residential fire alert systems that link to their alarm networks.

BUILDING SECURITY & SAFETY SUPPLEMENT 2014

The new move comes in light of the many firerelated accidents reported across residential and commercial developments in Dubai and the country alike, most notable of which was the Tamweel fire incident in November 2012.

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FOCUS INSULATION

BUILDING SECURITY & SAFETY SUPPLEMENT 2014

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FOCUS INSULATION

INSULATION IN PROGRESS

Ensuring the most fire-retardant materials are used in the market is as much the responsibility of contractors and consultants as is suppliers’ and civil defense authorities’, Big Project ME finds

INSULATION EXPLAINED An insulation material should ideally meet the definition of ‘noncombustible’ in accordance with section 7.1.4.1 of NFPA 5000, Building Construction & Safety Code, non-combustible materials and typically have an organic content that is zero or very low. When we speak of zero organic content, we’re referring to things like minerals, cements, metals, glass, rock and so on. Testing experience suggests that non-combustible materials also include materials with organic content of typically less than 3%.

be righteous enough to approach them for factors beyond self-interest,” he points out. “In that sense, a public system to gather feedback from the entire market, get comprehensive feedback and so on would be much healthier for the UAE market.” According to Donabedian, fire risks and hazards, especially in commercial warehouses and industrial storage facilities, persist despite the efforts undertaken by civil defense authorities of the UAE’s emirates. “The roofs and partitions of such structures increasingly use insulated composite or sandwich panels,” he explains. “Using lightweight core materials, such panels provide a highly economical solution, especially where temperatures need to be reliably controlled. The danger is that many of the core materials used are highly combustible.” Marco Vincenz, general manager of Foamglas Building is appreciative of the civil defence’s keenness for market feedback. “We work with the Dubai Municipality and the civil defence authorities in the country,” Vincenz reveals. “They are open to interaction with the suppliers in the market, which is an extremely positive sign for the construction market here.” The civil defence authorities across the country are not alone in their drive to improve fire-safety awareness in the UAE. The Medical Services Department of Abu Dhabi Police recently organised an awareness lecture on fire-fighting and safety in emergency situations, in cooperation with the Emergency and Public Safety Department and the Strategy and Performance Development Department. While an outsider might consider these steps as being an inherent part of the operations meant to be undertaken by civil defense authorities, Dean has an alternative viewpoint to offer.

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00 skyscrapers in the UAE, as of May 2012, were reported to have been built with highly flammable materials. According to a report by Gulf News at the time, these towers, spread across the UAE, were constructed using non-fire rated aluminum cladding panels, infamous for their highly combustible nature. A myriad of factors have been responsible for the fire accidents that the UAE has witnessed in recent years, Miro Donabedian, general manager of Technical Supplies & Services Co says. “Different factors resulted in the start of these fires, and the extent of its spread was dependent on the particular set of circumstances. “One common factor, however, has been the lack of proper prevention measures, coupled with the use of combustible building materials.” Speaking with Big Project ME in May 2014, Andy Dean, head of façade engineering at WSP Middle East agrees that legislation remains a major factor towards ensuring such improper materials are not released into the market for use during construction. “The biggest issue (in the fire insulation market) is the depth of understanding,” Dean admits. “Governments require and request market feedback and guidance when implementing codes and standards. We have seen in the past that interested, but not entirely knowledgeable parties have advised the civil defense leading to inaccurate practices creeping into the codes.” A watertight legislative process to gain this feedback, Dean argues, is the need of the hour. “A proper, public consultative process would be ideal for the local market to create, test and implement codes and standards. It is healthy that the civil defence in the UAE is keen on feedback and honestly appreciates guidance, but not every company would

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INDUSTRY GUIDANCE The sector should be guiding government, not the other way around, says Andy Dean.

MIDDLE EAST

“The UAE civil defence is not necessarily responsible for educating the market – this might sound more provocative than it actually is. “The industry has a responsibility to guide the government. Usually, the industry knows more about products and processes than any other organisation. Regulatory bodies are ideally supposed to take feedback from the market as they try to create and formulate the best practices for the industry. “This trend is followed globally and ensures that the market gets to interact with the very bodies and individuals who influence their products’ market flow and performance.” Clearly, the fire insulation industry in the region is entrusted with great responsibility to ensure only the best materials enter the market. Vincenz states this accountability is one that is shared amongst all parties involved in a project’s development, and cannot solely rest on insulation providers. “I think everybody – be it the supplier, subcontractor, main contractor or project consultant – knows a flammable material from a noncombustible one,” he argues. “For instance, no party involved in a project’s construction would agree to use wood-based facades for a high-rise structure. “If the product requirements and specifications are not clearly stated, then the odds are high that you will end up with a failed project. Therefore, contracts need to be clearly drawn up in terms of specifications and costs, so that an approval by the project consultant and contractor can prove shared

responsibility on the project,” Vincenz opines. In that sense, it becomes even more critical to ensure poor quality material is not released into the market – for contractors and consultants, this means an increased awareness of the standards set down by civil defence authorities. “There are a 100 ways to get around the good intentions of the market and do the wrong thing,” Dean concedes. “An appropriate way of doing things right, and this is followed in the Middle East too, is for the industry to work in collaboration with the local government and formulate standards and self-regulatory procedures to control the inadequacy of products in the market and set minimum performance limits.” Dean adds this approach is followed by civil defence bodies across the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain and the wider Middle East. “The supplier takes certification (on his products) to its local civil defence body, which approves or disapproves the product for the market. “A good consultant would ideally check for the civil defence approval while working

on a project, so he/she knows the product is appropriate for use in the market,” he continues. “Fraudulent misuse comes down to vigilance of people buying the product and trying to ensure the material is indeed the one they have ordered and asked for. That’s no different from any other procurement process in the market.” Vincenz agrees with this factor, reiterating that product awareness by contractors and consultants working on the project – he believes this diligence can improve fire safety standards far more than any amount spent on research and development of new technologies in the market. “Investment is not required in new systems, since the existing ones meet the minimum fire-retardation standards they should. As a supplier, you can choose to go a step ahead and improve your product, but as such, 99.9% of the products in the market are as good as they can be. “If awareness about these systems is low, then it is the supplier’s responsibility to market his products better. However, consultants need to be aware of the products in the market and the fire insulation these products provide.”

“I THINK EVERYBODY – BE IT THE SUPPLIER, SUBCONTRACTOR, MAIN CONTRACTOR OR PROJECT CONSULTANT – KNOWS A FLAMMABLE MATERIAL FROM A NONCOMBUSTIBLE ONE”

BUILDING SECURITY & SAFETY SUPPLEMENT 2014

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Fujairah Rockwool Factory started operations in 1982 and in the process became the first company to manufacture Rockwool insulation products in the GCC region. Today, FRF is the largest manufacturer of insulation products in the GCC with supplies being sent to the GCC and Middle East, the Far East and beyond.

GL O B A L N IO I NSU L ATO PL A N T F T H E Y EA R 2013

Tel: +971 9 222 2297 Fax: +971 9 222 2573 PO Box 211, Fujairah, UAE Email: sales@frf.ae www.fujfbi.ae

FOCUS ACCESS CONTROL

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IT MEETS SECURITY

Big Project ME looks at the UAE’s automated access control market, and how its benefits are extending beyond security

“

Did you hear? Google is now producing thermostats which are linked to your phone. Essentially, they let you use your phone or iPad like a remote to control the temperature of your room from wherever you are.” Arvind Swarnkar, general manager of Dubaibased automation solutions firm Building Automation and Security Systems (BASS) is raving about Learning Thermostat, a trademark product created by Nest Labs, an American home automation products manufacturer. Late last month, Nest announced its decision to acquire Dropcam Inc., a video security surveillance startup for $555 million. The deal allows Nest, currently owned by Google, to diversify its existing portfolio of internetconnected thermostats and smoke detectors. Swarnkar is in conversation with Big Project ME about the current state of the UAE’s automated access controls products market, and starts off by providing a breakdown of a building automation system (BAS)’s workings. “A BAS collects the operating information needed for intelligent building management,” he says. “The operator can easily analyse the operation of the building’s system by viewing all important temperatures, humidity values and equipment status.

“But security control has also evolved to reach individual end-users in a friendlier manner,” he continues. “Now, mothers can install a camera at home that monitors all their children’s activities. So, if the child is crying or is standing too close to the balcony, the mother will be alerted about it while she’s seated in her office.” The benefits of security sets are not restricted to convenience for the end user alone – the security aspects of a structure also fall under the purview of BAS, which is largely controlled by facility managers or owners of the building. “There are several aspects to security in buildings,” says Mahmood Mohd Amin, CEO of World Security and the security division of the Ports, Customers and Free Zone Corporations. “The more common forms of these that we see are security guards, access control mechanisms, gate barriers, biometric lock systems and video surveillance systems. The challenges are often to do with the size of the properties themselves that need to be secured coupled with the cooperation (or sometimes non-cooperation) of the occupants and visitors.” End-user cooperation is key, says Swarnkar, whose home surveillance product sales can hit up to 1 million units on a good day. “Most buyers for such products are from the African continent, largely because their private

MIDDLE EAST

“SECURITY CONTROL HAS EVOLVED TO REACH INDIVIDUAL END-USERS IN A FRIENDLIER MANNER. NOW, MOTHERS CAN INSTALL A CAMERA AT HOME THAT MONITORS ALL THEIR CHILDREN’S ACTIVITIES”

BUILDING SECURITY & SAFETY SUPPLEMENT 2014

MIDDLE EAST

FOCUS ACCESS CONTROL

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FOOTFALL SENSORS Abu Dhabi’s street camera system monitors ongoing road activity that takes place throughout the day.

security situation is weak when compared with some other parts of the world. “They tend to purchase security sets in bulk for their private establishments, and the demand for innovative surveillance products is certainly very high in the market.” Fortunately, the UAE’s automation industry is discovering new techniques to enhance its security products in both, hardware and software aspects. Access control hardware sets now utilise sensors to regulate the incoming and outgoing traffic in built units ranging from an apartment all the way to a warehouse facility. These sensors can also gauge footfall, thefts and other such physical anomalies. Swarnkar is especially excited about the street camera system, pioneered by Abu Dhabi and due to be taken up by the Dubai

MIDDLE EAST

“SECURITY CHALLENGES ARE OFTEN TO DO WITH THE SIZE OF THE PROPERTIES THEMSELVES THAT NEED TO BE SECURED COUPLED WITH THE COOPERATION (OR SOMETIMES NONCOOPERATION) OF THE OCCUPANTS AND VISITORS”

government to monitor every ongoing road activity that takes place, all through the day. Software developments to enhance access control include the development of communication and storage systems to improve data collaboration, which is absorbed from the hardware security products and transported to the relevant party responsible for the BAS or BMS setup. Technological leaps aside, however, Amin is quick to point out the role of human involvement in ensuring building safety. “Through effective video surveillance and access control systems, blind spots can be limited in the buildings’ security system,” he says. “Of course, the best and only way to ensure the highest levels of security, however, would be a combination of uniformed (manned) security and technology.” Swarnkar understands how access control tools – such as video surveillance – are moving beyond offering the functions of security, to other benefits, such as occupancy calculation and room maintenance. However, he believes the market sentiment will have to overcome its myopic vision to earn those benefits. “Functionality-wise, a lot of ideas are possible, but the challenge is to find the will to implement them,” he says. “In the Middle East, two factors typically drive developers towards implementing Building Management Systems (BMS). Firstly, so they can claim that they have indeed implemented it while negotiating with the tenant. “Secondly, the government here insists that BMS and BAS systems are implemented,” Swarnkar continues. “However, European markets are more serious about using such systems than the Middle East is. Integrating

BUILDING SECURITY & SAFETY SUPPLEMENT 2014

video surveillance with building automation has historically centered on the video surveillance being used in conjunction with HVAC systems to aid with maintenance or detection of water leaks. “However, new applications of video surveillance integration, such as to gauge room occupancy, are beginning to gain mind share, if not market share too,” Swarnkar says. “Google’s products show that the future is in information technology. To control your thermostat from your phone is a great step forward for BAS, and such systems are where we’re heading.”

CISCO ON COMMERCIAL ACCESS CONTROL Rabih Daboussi, managing director and general manager of Cisco UAE tells Big Project ME how sensors can control and enhance commercial construction units. “In the construction industry, smart technology is entering buildings,” he says. “Smart metering, the ability to crowd control and parking management are also available. Parking then becomes intelligent, and the sensor in the building could guide the cars to the nearest available parking spot. You could push a button saying find me the nearest available parking spot, so putting intelligence in these things would bring tremendous value. “Now, what does that mean to construction? It means as a builder you can differentiate yourself by saying I build smart buildings and my competitor doesn’t build smart buildings. Or if you specialise only in parking lots and crowd management, you say I offer these solutions and the lots and controls and systems and flow control I have is totally different.”

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COMMENT HEMPEL

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LAURENCE BROWN

Exploring intumescent solutions Laurence Brown, country manager at Hempel Paints Emirates, explains why passive fire protection through intumescent paints can help protect structures and save lives

assive fire protection, as opposed to active fire protection, such as sprinklers, is a common method for protecting structural steel against fire. Passive fire protection includes methods like fire resistant boards, concrete, cementitious materials and intumescent coatings. Structural steel needs to be fire protected as it loses its structural strength when the steel temperature reaches around 500ºC. The purpose of passive fire protection is to avoid or prolong the steel reaching the critical temperature of failure. There are three primary objectives of protecting structural steel: • Allowing more time for people to evacuate a building in case of fire; • Protect firefighters during operations; • Minimise structural damage and loss of assets. The level of fire protection depends upon the type of construction, the type of fire and local regulations. Often the fire protection regulations or building regulations state how long buildings must be able to maintain the load bearing capacity. Normally these periods are from 30 minutes to 120 minutes. If the structural steel was not protected, the critical temperature and structural collapse will be reached within 10 minutes depending on the steel characteristics and use. THE CORE ISSUE

MIDDLE EAST

Intumescent coatings are products that expand and create a carbon char when exposed to fire. The char formed acts as an insulation layer, which reduces the rate of which heat is transferred to the steel surface. Intumescent coatings are different from many other passive fire protection types because the coating reacts when exposed to a fire, whereas many other types do not react but have a certain thermal insulation value before fire exposure. Intumescent coatings are normally based on organic binders and active ingredients, which chemically react to form a carbonaceous char when exposed to fire. When the coating reaches around 200ºC the

INSULATING LAYER When temperatures hit 200°C, Hempel's HEMPACORE expands and produces a layer of carbon char that protects structural steel.

binder system start to melt while a carbon source and acid source reacts to form the carbonaceous char. Intumescent coatings are often applied in thin film thicknesses compared to other passive fire protection types because the coatings react when exposed to fire and gradually build the thermal insulation during the fire. Intumescent coatings are normally applied in 0.2-5mm, depending on requirements and expand up to 50 times the original coating thickness when exposed to fire. The thickness of intumescent that should be applied on a structural steel section depends on the required protection time but also the characteristics of the steel section. Intumescent coatings are often specified according to individual steel sections or Hp/A value, which is a measurement for the mass of the steel section. Intumescent coatings have several advantages over other types of passive fire protection: • The installation costs are low and application can even be done away from site; • The decorative appearance provides more freedom and enables more open building designs;

BUILDING SECURITY & SAFETY SUPPLEMENT 2014

• Intumescent coating systems can easily be repaired if damaged. THE HEMPEL SOLUTION

Hempel’s range of one-component solventborne acrylic intumescent coatings provide up to 120 minutes of fire protection in cellulosic fires and have shown very good performances in official fire rating tests. All common building materials lose strength when exposed to high enough temperatures. In a fire, even steel can buckle and collapse in a matter of minutes. This is where intumescent coatings like HEMPACORE come in. Applied in thin coats, HEMPACORE expands when the temperature reaches around 200°C to produce an insulating layer of carbon char. This means the steel can maintain its load-bearing capacity for up to two hours longer, giving people valuable time to escape. n Laurence Brown is the country manager at Hempel Paints Emirates, based in Sharjah. He can be reached at: +971-6-531-0140

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Q&A FUJAIRAH BUILDING INDUSTRIES

BIGPROJECTME.COM

SET IN STONE

Big Project ME talks to Fujairah Building Industries about how their rock-wool plant could be the saviour of the insulation industry in the GCC

his year, Dubai Municipality has begun implementing 79 new compulsory specifications for new construction projects in the emirate. The specifications will focus on improving the energy efficiency performance and the carbon footprint of the projects, the civic body says. Amongst these specifications is a requirement for proper wall and roof insulation, which experts say can considerably improve a building’s energy efficiency. However, these new specifications also had another, rather more unexpected benefit. With the new legislation specifying that the insulation also be fire-rated to the highest degree, there is now a scramble amongst construction project specifiers to ensure that their insulation products meet the required A-1 rating. “Especially in Dubai, you cannot do any cladding or façade, without using protection from fire,” Obaid S Alkendi, CEO of Fujairah Building Industries, tells Big Project ME. “When most people die in fires, it’s not because of the flames, but because of the smoke. Because our insulation products are made of stone-wool, there won’t be any smoke as it can take temperatures of up to 1,300°.” This stands in sharp contrast to the majority of insulation products, which use spray foam insulation as more cost-effective alternative to products like rock-wool or stone-wool. “In the GCC, we use a lot of foam, but the foam has a very low fire-safety rating. You can see this when you do fire tests and what happens when you use foam and when you use stone-wool. Our goal is to bring into the market, A-1 quality, which is the best you can have. Our product goes up to 780° before it starts burning, while foam starts burning at around

SAFE GROWTH CEO Alkendi says the market is being driven by new laws and investments.

100°,” says Hubert Thaler, general manager of Fujairah Rockwool Factory, a subsidiary of Fujairah Building Industries. “When you use foam outside (in the cladding) you’ll see the fire jumping from level to level, bringing the smoke to each level. When you use stone-wool, the fire will not jump, it will be there and won’t burn. Even when you arrive at high temperatures, there isn’t any burning, so you have time to bring out the people and to save them. Also, when you do have material damage, it’s still less when you use stone-wool inside,” he adds. Alkendi adds that this surge in interest in stone-wool has seen an increase in demand that means that Fujairah Rockwool Factory has had to step up production considerably. “In 2008, the board and owners took the decision to build a new production line. The

MIDDLE EAST

“WHEN YOU USE FOAM OUTSIDE YOU’LL SEE THE FIRE JUMPING FROM LEVEL TO LEVEL. WHEN YOU USE STONE-WOOL, THE FIRE WILL NOT JUMP, IT WILL BE THERE AND WON’T BURN”

BUILDING SECURITY & SAFETY SUPPLEMENT 2014

capacity at the time was 15,000 tonnes per year, and they’ve now increased it to 33,000 tonnes. We started the new line in 2010, and it covers the UAE, most of the Saudi Arabian market, Kuwait and the rest of the GCC. We also export to China,” he explains. “We feel that the market requirement is increasing due to the new laws and the major investments in the oil markets in Abu Dhabi and Saudi Arabia. The Saudi market is also investing heavily in the infrastructure sector, Qatar is investing due to the World Cup and we see huge demand in the UAE. “Because of this, we decided to increase capacity again to 48,000 by 2017.” Alkendi asserts. In Dubai alone, the total amount of foam used as insulation in Dubai alone is as much as 70,000 tonnes, so the market for this expansion is certainly there. Most hearteningly for Fujariah Rockwool, is that there has been a noticeable uptake in demand for stone-wool insulation: “Last year, we didn’t have a customer for sandwich panels. It was under 1% of our market share. Now we’re supplying sandwich panels that use stone-wool. Before it was 100% foam, so we can say that, yes, we’ve changed perceptions along the way,” the general manager points out. n

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