Jul 16 2007
With an increasing demand for architectural cladding being witnessed worldwide, UAE-based Reem Emirates Aluminium (REA) has bagged a lucrative AED 300 million contract in Abu Dhabi to provide customized unitized curtain walling, cladding and sliding doors for 14 towering structures on Reem Island - Abu Dhabi.
According to Mr. Derek Bruce, General Manager of Reem Emirates Aluminium, 'REA has been created to fill a niche market by providing one off customized designs for high spec, high end façade projects. He also said that REA was awarded the curtain wall packages due to its ability to provide customized solutions and commitment to the program of works'.
Mr. Bruce said REA's success in bagging this exclusive contract stemmed from its extensive in house design capability. He also stated that the methods used in the fabrication and assembly of unitized panels favors bulk typical panel manufacturing with large volumes. Having spent many years designing and testing facades all over the world, Mr. Bruce brings personal experience and a solid design background mixed with his project management skills to form a company with a strong project design based foundation.
'Under this contract, we will be doing the curtain-walling of the 14 towers which are located in different blocks on the plot 1 of Reem Island. Five of these towers are situated in Block C, four are in Block A, three towers in Block D and two towers in Block B of the island. All told, there are 14 towers having the same generic unitized façade system with different adaptations to maintain each blocks individuality.
With the market witnessing increasing demand in architectural finishes and metal works in the UAE, we decided to meet these needs by setting up a purpose-built factory and offices built on 80,000m2 of land in ICAD1 at Mussafah in Abu Dhabi.' Pointing out that this factory will be one of the largest in the UAE, he said it will be capable of producing over 40,000 square metres of curtain wall panels per month. The 5 storey office building will be constructed in the shape of a wave and built in the front of the undercover factory building.
'As part of REA's expansion programme, we will be building a state-of-the-art glass processing facility adjacent to this factory during the latter part of this year. Also REA is also positioning itself to be one of the first companies in the UAE to research and test the first intelligent facade incorporating a double skin ventilated curtain wall, integration with HVAC, BMS, chilled flooring, chilled ceilings and LED lighting. A full size mock-up is currently being built at the factory and scheduled for trials in August. Our goal is to provide tangible and reproducible results and conclusive proof that it is possible to reduce energy consumption in a building by up to 40%.
'To conclude, we are furnishing our clients with solutions to their architectural intent through our system design capabilities that will surpass all ASTM and AAMA standards with competitive prices alongside our desire for research into renewable and intelligent façade system development.' Mr. Bruce added.