ASGC, ALEC and Ithra Dubai win big at the Big Project ME Awards 2019
Coca-Cola Arena, One Za’abeel and Yas Arena amongst winners as industry gathers to recognise construction excellence
The 2019 edition of the Big Project ME Awards took place on November 26, 2019 at The Oberoi Hotel in Business Bay, Dubai. The event attracted a crowd of more than 250 construction industry professionals, with CEOs, managing directors, division heads and other senior level figures in attendance to celebrate the successes of the regional construction industry for the year.
Held annually, the event was hosted at The Oberoi for the first time, with guests assembling at the Grand Hall for the celebration, which included a gala dinner and awards ceremony. Situated in Dubai’s iconic Business Bay neighbourhood, the area’s stunning architecture provided a fitting backdrop for the night’s proceedings.
Having grown into one of the most recognised and well-regarded award nights in the construction industry, this year’s event featured submissions from a raft of contractors, subcontractors, developers, consultants, suppliers and manufacturers from across the GCC and MENA region.
This year’s awards saw more than 140 nominations filed for consideration across 23 categories, with several high-profile and prestigious projects, contractors and developers vying for the biggest prizes on the night. Amongst the nominees for the awards were local government authorities and bodies, including Dubai Municipality, Ministry of Infrastructure Development and Sharjah Electricity and Water Authority.
“The Big Project ME Awards 2019 was another massive success for us, and we’re extremely delighted with the response the event has had. The high attendance levels and the audience engagement we saw on the night showed us how valued and respected these awards are by the region’s construction sector. I’m delighted to see that we had a number of first-nominees and winners taking part this year,” said Raz Islam, managing director of CPI Trade Media, the organisers behind the event and publishers of Big Project Middle East magazine.
“It’s always a pleasure to see the passion and appreciation the industry has for our awards and events, and I must say that I found the quality of nominees fantastic. I would like to offer my congratulations to all those who took part – especially the winners and those shortlisted.”
For 2019, the two biggest awards of the night went to ASGC, the Dubai-based contractor, who was named as Contractor of the Year, while it’s work on the Coca-Cola Arena was recognised by the judges as the Project of the Year.
Other big winners at the Big Project ME Awards 2019 were ALEC, who won the Skills Development Programme of the Year for ALEC EVOLVE; the Big Project ME Executive of the Year, which was won by Hercu Viljoen, managing director – Related Businesses, ALEC; and MEP Contractor of the Year, which went to ALEMCO.
Ithra Dubai, the event’s Platinum Sponsor, also went home with the Developer of the Year Award, as well as the Big Project ME Mixed-Use Project of the Year for One Za’abeel.
In the other individual categories, Farah Zafar, chief legal officer at AMAALA, won the Big Project ME Woman of the Year Award; while Dr Anil Pillai, CEO of Airolink Construction Group, and Chris Roberts, CEO of Eltizam Asset Management Group, took away the Big Project ME Personality of the Year and Big Project ME Business Leader of the Year Awards respectively.
The judges for this year’s awards were:
• Chris Seymour – Mott MacDonald
• Joe Tabet – JT + Partners
• Matthew Sexton – Say Studio
• Nicholas Harris – Omnium International
• Paul Bogan – Serco Middle East
• Roger Griffiths – Heriot Watt University
• Tim Martin – Gensler
The sponsors for the Big Project ME Awards 2019 were:
Platinum Sponsor: Ithra Dubai; Gold Sponsors: Airolink, ALEC, ASGC and Eltizam Asset Management Group; Silver Sponsors: AESG, CCS, Hadley Group, Hill International, Voltas; Bronze Sponsor: 12d Model. The awards’ Intelligence Partner was ProTenders, while the Knowledge Partners were: CIOB and RICS.
The Full List of Winners (in bold) and Short-listed Nominees are:
Company Awards:
1. Excellence in BIM:
• ALEC
• ASGC
• HPBS
2. Product Innovation Award:
• GTL-1000 by Topcon Positioning Middle East and Africa
• Prefabricated Multi-Service MEP Modules – Emirates Falcon Electromechanical Company
3. Skills Development Programme of the Year:
• ALEC EVOLVE – ALEC
• Employee Happiness Strategy 2019 – Eltizam Asset Management Group
• Skills Development Program of the Year – Al Ghurair Group
4. Sustainable Government Department:
• Department of Sewage Treatment Plants and Networks, Dubai Municipality
• Sharjah Electricity and Water Authority
5. Sustainability Programme of the Year:
• Corporate Social Responsibility Initiative – Al Futtaim Construction
• Science Based Targets – Multiplex
• UAE’s Green Key Program – Emirates Green Building Council
6. Developer of the Year:
• Ithra Dubai
• Lootah
• Select Group
• Sobha Realty
Individual Awards:
7. Big Project ME Technology Champion of the Year
Bashar Abou-Mayaleh, Managing Director, Concrete Industries Complex
8. Big Project ME Woman of the Year Award:
• Eng. Eman Al Mansoori, Director of Tenders and Contracts Department, Ministry of Infrastructure Development
• Farah Zafar, Chief Legal Officer, AMAALA
• Nadia Zaal, CEO, Al Barari
9. Big Project ME Executive of the Year:
• Hercu Viljoen, Managing Director – Related Businesses, ALEC
• Kenneth Rob Davies, Managing Director, Depa Interiors
• Yu Tao, President and CEO of China State Construction Engineering Corporation Middle East
10. Big Project ME Personality of the Year
Dr Anil Pillai, CEO and Managing Director, Airolink Construction Group
11. Big Project ME Business Leader of the Year
Chris Roberts, Chief Executive Officer, Eltizam Asset Management Group
Contractor Awards:
12. Sustainable Contractor of the Year:
• Multiplex
• Ssangyong Engineering & Construction Company
13. Fit-Out Contractor of the Year:
• A&T Interiors
• ALEC Fit-Out
• Depa Interiors
• Pinnacle
14. MEP Contractor of the Year:
•ALEMCO
• China State Construction Engineering Corporation Middle East – MEP Division
• Emirates Falcon Electromechanical Company
• Voltas
15. Civil Contractor of the Year
China State Construction Engineering Corporation Middle East
16. Contractor of the Year:
• ALEC
• ASGC
• China State Construction Engineering Corporation Middle East
• Multiplex
Project Awards:
17. Excellence in BIM Implementation on a Project:
• Mobility Pavilion, Expo 2020 – ALEC
• The Address Harbour Point – KEO International Consultants
• Yas Arena – BAM International
18. Excellence in HSE on a Project:
• Dubai Creek Horizon – AF Construction
• Dubai Harbour Infrastructure and Logistics – Kier Dubai
• Mall of Oman – Majid Al Futtaim Properties
• Oman Convention Centre, Package 3 – Shapoorji Pallonji Mideast
19. Sustainable Project of the Year:
• Al Maha Factory – Nestlé Middle East
• Expo Village – KEO International Consultants
• Mohammed Bin Rashid Library – ASGC
• Tilal Al Ghaf – Majid Al Futtaim Properties
20. Design and Build Project of the Year:
• Al Karamah Private School – McLaren Construction
• Arab Academy of Science, Technology and Maritime Transport – HPBS
• Coca-Cola Arena – ASGC
• The Residences at Marina Gate I & II and Jumeirah Living Marina Gate – ALEC
21. Infrastructure Project of the Year:
• Al Madinah Al Munawwarah Wastewater Treatment and Sludge Management Project – Khatib & Alami
• Dubai International Airport Improvement Works – ASGC
• Parallel Roads Project – China State Construction Engineering Corporation Middle East
• Shamal Bridge – Ministry of Infrastructure Development
22. Big Project ME Mixed-Use Project of the Year
One Za’abeel – Ithra Dubai
23. Project of the Year:
• 25 Hours Hotel and Offices 4&5 Project – Dubai World Trade Centre
• Al Wasl Plaza Trellis Structure, Expo 2020 – Cimolai Rimond Middle East
• Coca-Cola Arena – ASGC
• Mobility Pavilion, Expo 2020 – ALEC
