Some 300 project industry professionals from across the GCC gathered at the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Dubai’s financial hub on 22 March to hear MEED reveal the winners of its inaugural Quality Awards for Projects.

The awards celebrate the achievements of the GCC’s projects industry in delivering the infrastructure and building projects that are laying the foundations for the future of the Middle East.

Guests on the night included engineers, designers, project managers and architects, who have worked to deliver projects that have defined the skylines of cities such as Dubai and Abu Dhabi in the UAE and Doha in Qatar.

Selecting the winners was a judging panel that has been part of the awards from the beginning. Each judge is a representative of the Societies of Engineers in each of the six GCC states and is best-placed to assess every selected project on its individual merit.

Speaking to MEED on the night, Abdul Majeed al-Gassab, president of the Bahrain Society of Engineers, explained why the awards are important for the industry.

“By recognising quality projects and acknowledging their merits, you create a standard of project that needs to be lived up to. It pushes boundaries. Once you recognise quality projects, others are required to live up to that standard.”

Each of the categories awarded recognises an overall winner. Categories included the GCC Cadillac Transport Project of the Year, which went to the Dubai Metro Red Line.

“We are really happy to win this award,” Abdul Redha Abu al-Hassan, director of the planning and development department (Rail Agency) of the Roads & Transport Authority told MEED. “This award recognises the achievement of the quality of the project. In Dubai, we always try to achieve the highest quality on all projects.”

Another Dubai project team that walked away with recognition was the designer of the iconic Burj Khalifa, which opened last year. Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM), along with Arabtec, were awarded the GCC Project of the Year. George Efstathiou of SOM said the awards set a benchmark for future projects. “The awards are important for the industry, as they set the standard for others to achieve.”

On the night, winners sat alongside the national winners of their respective countries. Ranging from leisure and tourism schemes, such as the site for the 2nd Asian Beach Games in Oman, to the facility upgrade and relocation of underground oil and gas pipelines in Kuwait, all have been recognised for their hard work and innovative approach. And the sense of pride trickled down through all levels of businesses present on the night.

“Behind the project is 35 million man hours, and this win is a premium for all of the men, who worked on the project,” said Joaquin Sans Castello, general manager of Iberdrola Engineering and Construction and winners of the GCC Power and Water Project of the Year for the Mesaieed A independent power project.

“There are a great deal of projects on show and it’s nice to receive recognition from your peers in the industry,” Andrew Eastland, Dubai office director for URS Scott Wilson, added as the night drew to a close.

“An event like this gives us the opportunity to set goals for project teams to achieve their key performance indicators and win an industry award. It’s nice to have these awards in the region now.”

All that is left to say is congratulations to all the winners and to all the national winners of the MEED Quality Awards for Projects. During the next 12 months, MEED will be tracking the progress and development of more ground-breaking building and infrastructure projects to bring the awards to even more professionals that are driving the expansion of the region.