Dubai Case Study

Posted: August 27th, 2021

Dubai Case Study

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Institutional Affiliation

Dubai Case Study

Introduction

The case study is an eighteen billion USD tri-city development surrounding Ras al Khor Wildlife sanctuary with the Dubai Creek extension. Notably, the project needed assessment of the environment and related social impacts. The assessment report was to be approved within six months prior to the start of the construction phase.Further, the project incorporated two hundred and fifty international experts on the team, which commenced in 2002. The environmental and social impact assessment was crucial in the project as birds flew to Dubai from Asia and Africa to refuel. Additionally, from an economic perspective, Dubai is known as Hong Kong in the Middle East due to the tremendous developments and many mega projects (Youtube.com, 2020). Among the mega projects in Dubai is the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building globally. Another mega project is Burj Al Arab, the only seven-star hotel globally. Likewise, Dubai has steered its development projects under the leadership of Sheikh Maktoum, who is the ruler of Dubai and UAE’s vice president. Therefore, this paper will examine Dubai’s $18 billion tri-city expansion in the construction of Dubai health care cities, the Lagoons, and Business bay in the large-complex industrial ecology in the wildlife sanctuary.

The case study demonstrated how industrial ecology principles could effectively be applied to large and complex projects. In this case, it showed how to integrate industrial ecology thinking and principles in development projects, primarily environmental, into complex analysis involved in social, technological, economic, policy, and other construction dimensions. Notably, the mega project had challenges from diverse perspectives by the major stakeholders on economic development versus nature reserves (Youtube.com, 2020). Another major constraint of the project was the lack of sufficient water, as Dubai has no water. Its water source is distilled from the Arabian Gulf though it has numerous oil resources. Besides, the development encountered significant hindrance. This is because it involved the Dubai Creek extension for a second outlet to the Arabian Gulf next to the Ras al Khor Wildlife sanctuary. Hence, for the project’s development to be successful, better ways of dealing with the challenges should be implemented.

Moreover, the three significant city developments cost approximately $18 billion. This is comprised of Dubai health care cities under an Egyptian company, the Lagoons under the Iraqi management, and Business bay under a Dubai company. The Dubai government-employed Dutch for physical and mathematical models to conduct continuous water quality monitoring of Dubai Creek to determine water movement on the gulf to Dubai (Youtube.com, 2020). Furthermore, extensive physical and water quality modeling was conducted to define the future Dubai Creek, a second outlet to the sea, and long term seal levels due to global warming trends. However, the construction site’s most significant challenge was a waste discharge that the Dubai municipality rectified by constructing two major sanitation plants in Al Awir and Jebel Ali. Below is a detailed analysis of the three projects.

The Lagoons

Topic Sentence

The Lagoons consisted of a high-end residential area that was run by Iraqi management. The project also involved raising the sea levels in Lagoons.

Situation Assessment

The Lagoons construction project has not been successful as it countered some problems during its implementation. Initially, the Iraqi personnel were uncooperative, argued, preferred fight, and were very disruptive, making them not be incorporated in the environmental committee. They also faced financial problems in the 2008 downturn that hindered their progress. Furthermore, the Iraqi management that operated the project sold off most of its developments in the Lagoon project that crippled its operations. Additionally, the project faced a significant blow as most of the project was taken by the buffer zone created along with the wildlife sanctuary (Butt et al., 2016). Finally, the project’s management made a major change in its scope that delayed its commencement. A consulting engineer would have assisted the Iraqi management in planning, maintaining, designing, and supervising the construction project to accomplish it within the stipulated time and budget. Therefore, the consulting engineer could have been essential in completing the financial planning project and adhere to the original plan, which the Dubai municipality approves.

Lessons Learned

The case study’s major lessons include proper financial planning by setting out the project’s costs to complete the project within the timelines. The project team should also have a communication plan, set the project’s objectives, and clear deadlines and deliverables (Jovanovic & Beric, 2018). Furthermore, it is paramount for the project team to identify the stakeholders’ needs. Similarly, they should have a detailed project schedule with clearly defined roles and place the right processes and system in project accomplishment (Butt et al., 2016). Therefore, the role of the project manager is to ensure that the project is initiated and implemented successfully, including monitoring and controlling project activities within the projected scopes and timelines.

References

Butt, A., Naaranoja, M., & Savolainen, J. (2016). Project change stakeholder communication. International Journal of Project Management, 34(8), 1579-1595.

Jovanovic, P., & Beric, I. (2018). Analysis of the available project management methodologies. Management: Journal of Sustainable Business and Management Solutions in Emerging Economies, 23(3), 1-13.

The Business Bay

Topic Sentence

            The Business Bay was run by a Dubai Company and comprised of constructing the tallest buildings globally. The company adhered to the construction policies, and they had good relations with the government.

Situation Assessment

           The project was successful as the project team was corporative, has adequate knowledge of the government’s operations, adhered to the construction rules and regulations. Additionally, the company was integrated into environmental and economic committees as they made swift decisions concerning the construction site and payment terms. Furthermore, the company was neither involved in corrupt nor fraudulent activities as contracts are considered sacred in Dubai (Du Preez & Meyer, 2016). However, the company encountered significant challenges from workforce management. The company did not provide adequate safety and housing in the construction site. Additionally, the rooms in the construction site were stuffy from the high temperatures in the region. The company would have incorporated a consulting engineer in the project to provide safety equipment and better housing for the workforce in the construction site (Du Preez & Meyer, 2016). Hence, a consulting engineer is crucial in planning and executing the budget by involving all personnel.

Lessons Learned

It is essential to know stakeholder’s expectations and avoid corruption. It is still vital to follow the contract’s terms and conditions to achieve a project within the budgeted amount and period. Additionally, it is crucial to incorporate different corporate cultures, such as Dubai, Iraq, and Egypt, to succeed. Equally, contracts are sacred and should be completed while prioritizing the stakeholders (Tabassi et al., 2016). It is also crucial to construct camp camps to avoid overcrowding and airflow to enhance staff productivity. Therefore, to improve project sustainability, it is essential to have basic amenities such as construct camps, safety equipment, sewer treatment, and minimum wages to the workforce.

References

Du Preez, M., & Meyer, H. W. (2016). Consulting engineers’ social networks and their collaborative information behaviour.

Tabassi, A. A., Roufechaei, K. M., Ramli, M., Bakar, A. H. A., Ismail, R., & Pakir, A. H. K. (2016). Leadership competences of sustainable construction project managers. Journal of cleaner production, 124, 339-349.

Dubai Health Care Cities

Topic Sentence

            The health facilities involved constructing an internationally recognized location for quality health care and excellence in medical education, wellness services, and research. The project was under an Egyptian company.

Situation Assessment

           The project was undertaken in two phases—phase one for medical and healthcare education and phase two to provide wellness services. The Egyptians ran the project and were quickly incorporated into the system as they are calm and very polite. Thus, they were involved in both economic and environmental committees. The free zone is regulated by an independent body (Youtube.com, 2020). The main challenge was in agreeing on creating the buffer zone along with the wildlife sanctuary. However, this was achieved through communication in the stakeholders’ meetings and Sheikh Maktoum’s assistance. The consulting engineer would have enhanced open communication in the team for a faster decision-making process to accomplish the project’s objectives (Al-Khazaleh & Eldeen, 2019). Therefore, it is advisable to include the consulting engineer in the two phases of the project.

Lessons Learned

           Open communication is essential in accomplishing the project’s scope within the set timelines and budget. It is crucial to integrate different cultural backgrounds to achieve the project’s set objectives (Meng & Boyd, 2017). Finally, it is fundamental to adhere to the contact and complete it while improving the project sustainability and prioritizing the stakeholders.

References

Al-Khazaleh, Q., & Eldeen, S. (2019). The Nature of Civil Liability of the Consulting Engineer in International Construction Contracts. JL Pol’y & Globalization, 92, 187.

Meng, X., & Boyd, P. (2017). The role of the project manager in relationship management. International Journal of Project Management, 35(5), 717-728.

Youtube.com. (, 2020). Retrieved 5 October 2020, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FFeJ00_Tj1w&feature=youtu.be