Celebrating the success of the GCC projects community

07 February 2011

Rewarding excellence in the Gulf’s built environment

The results of the first MEED Quality Awards for Projects are the outcome of 12 months’ work by MEED and the awards judges, and years of effort by tens of thousands of workers from the Middle East and beyond who are the real stars of the region’s premier built-environment recognition initiative.

The story began at the start of 2010 with a question. How can MEED, working with its readership and customers, help address the challenge of delivering world-class projects that will inspire all those working in the GCC construction supply chain?

The MEED Quality Awards for Projects was the response and the projects showcased within these pages show how well it has worked. More than 30 extraordinary projects are contending for the title of being the best of the best in the region.

All projects were completed in the period from 1 January 2008 to October 2010, which was the deadline for the submission of nominations. This approach distinguishes the MEED Quality Awards for Projects from other initiatives because it is about the outcome of the construction process, not the process itself.

MEED Quality Awards for Projects judging process

To allow a fair comparison among nominated projects, MEED Quality Awards will be presented to projects within distinct categories. This will underline the objective of recognising excellence in outcomes and the contribution an individual project is making to a specific sector.

The MEED Quality Awards will be won by projects that have applied quality and high standards in approaching tasks encountered during the concept, build and delivery of a scheme, in each category across the GCC. The nomination process started at the national level and this document comprises completed projects deemed to be the best-in-class in each of the six GCC states.

The moment is now approaching when an elite few … will be named as the best GCC projects in their sector

Support from the Societies of Engineers of each GCC country is an important part of the initiative and thanks are due to these vital organisations. They are playing a key role in promoting excellence in the region’s built environment and our judges are appointed directly from these respected local institutions.

The featured projects have been selected following a detailed assessment of nominations submitted by those that have delivered them. This process expresses the initiative’s core principles; the MEED Quality Awards for Projects is an open competition and those selected for the awards have been chosen by an independent panel of project professionals, who represent the region. Thanks are therefore due to all those who have worked hard to deliver the nomination documentation and to the judges who have given so generously of their free time, experience and imagination.

The projects in this supplement and the overall GCC winners of the MEED Quality Awards for Projects to be announced on 22 March 2011 have been recommended by the judging panel, but MEED has full and final responsibility for the outcome of this competition. The selection process is based on an objective assessment of quality. All projects satisfied the judges that they delivered excellence in five sequenced elements of the project delivery process: economic and social feasibility; design and architecture; engineering; procurement and project management; and sustainability.

And so the national winners have emerged. The moment is now approaching when an elite few of these will be named as the best GCC projects in their sector. From these, one will be selected as the overall GCC project winner.

MEED awards presentation

The awards ceremony will be held in the Al-Noor Ballroom at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Bahrain on 22 March 2011, where an audience of influential stakeholders from across the region will convene to celebrate the best projects the GCC has produced.

The MEED Quality Awards for Projects evening will consist of a reception, dinner and awards ceremony, and will provide an unparalled forum for the Gulf to come together under a banner of excellence and recognition. Government organisations, developers and those that service their ambitious requirements will have a chance to congratulate each other, make new alliances and reinforce partnerships.

The event should stimulate deep thought about the importance of projects to the economies of the Middle East. A great project is much more than the materials with which it is made or the effort and imagination that has been mobilised to create it. It should communicate well beyond the confines of the projects industry, to inspire and engage the communities it serves.

All projects in this supplement satisfy these criteria and, therefore, all entrants are already winners. They deserve praise for their commitment to excellence and the standard of quality they have set for the region.

The MEED Quality Awards for Projects

22 March, Ritz Carlton DIFC, Dubai

Reception begins at 19:00

Awards and dinner begin at 20:00

Book a table by visiting www.meedawards.com

MEED Awards contacts

Edmund O’Sullivan

Chairman of the MEED Quality Awards for Projects judging panel

edmund.osullivan@meed-dubai.com

(+971) 4 390 0437

Chris Edwards

Awards and Events Manager

chris.edwards@meed-dubai.com

(+971) 4 368 1644

Janice Menezes

Awards Marketing Executive

janice.menezes@meed-dubai.com

(+971) 4 390 0045

Meryem Sardogan

Awards Sponsorship/Business Development Director

meryem.sardogan@meed-dubai.com

(+971) 4 390 0971

Nish Liyanage

Awards Sponsorship/Senior Business

Development Manager

nish.liyanage@meed-dubai.com

(+971) 4 433 5189

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