Smart buildings ‘more common in Gulf construction’
Waseela notes increasing demand for intelligent designs
Smart buildings are becoming more common in the Gulf construction sector, says a Jordan-based ICT firm, which has bagged $10 million worth of construction packages in the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
New projects are now increasingly reliant on integrated ICT/Extra Low Voltage (ELV)/Building Management Systems (BMS) systems for efficient functioning, according to Waseela, a telecommunications service provider established in Amman in 2006.
The company expects ICT/ELV/BMS solutions to become a requirement at newly constructed malls, hotels, hospitals, airports, schools, and stadiums.
Smart buildings are commonly equipped with ELV systems for physical security, communication, lighting, audio-visual, surveillance cameras, parking, and access control. Meanwhile, green buildings, which Waseela describes as advanced versions of smart buildings, require BMSs to control and regulate air conditioning, elevators, lighting and heating, and other electro-mechanical systems.
“BMS solutions now operate over IP networks. This is [also] the case with surveillance and access control solutions. In the coming years and as the trends of smart buildings intensify, more converged and integrated ICT/ELV/BMS solutions will emerge requiring more complex and sophisticated engineering and integration capabilities,” commented Dr Samer Taha, CEO, Waseela.
The firm has observed a significant increase in demand for converged ICT/ELV/BMS packages among buildings under construction in the GCC, he added.
In line with market demand, Waseela began consolidating engineering capabilities in 2013 into a new ICT / ELV / BMS department to work on smart building requirements.
The company is currently participating and bidding for long-term projects with converged ICT/ELV/ BMS packages, expected to materialize during 2016-2017 at an approximate value of $50 million.
