As economic conditions tighten across the world and the Middle East, safety cannot be sacrificed to lower the cost of projects, fire experts have said at a major conference in Dubai.
Fire safety must be carried through from the design pages through to construction and maintenance without changing façade specifications or cutting corners on materials chosen, industry heads said on the first day of the Middle East Facades Summit in Dubai on Monday.
Fire safety engineers must be involved from the design stage, said Peter Stephenson, associate director fire engineering BuroHappold, an integrated engineering consultancy.
“The fire safety engineer can quite often be forgotten until an issue actually arises. They often don’t get introduced unless approvals are needed or if there is an issue on site. Irrespective of what a (fire safety) code says or not there should be fire engineer on a project. The intent now is to have a fire professional on board because it’s important to understand what the developer wants to achieve from the start.”
Experts said that the updated UAE Fire and Life Safety Code clearly states the requirement for a fire safety engineer. In earlier years the stage at which fire safety aspects were included varied between projects and contracts.
Safety has been in focus in the UAE from the Tamweel Tower fire in 2012, to the Address Downtown Dubai hotel blaze on New Year’s eve 2015 that hit international headlines, to Torch skyscraper catching fire twice in 2015 and recently this year, and the Grenfell Tower fire in London in which at least 80 people died.
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Read more:
Dubai tower security guards to get trained in fire safety
Dubai begins retrofitting skyscrapers to protect against fires
Tamweel Tower residents move back home - five years after fire
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“Fire safety is coming into prominence after the high profile fires around the world with fire risk assessment and fire safety engineering becoming much more of an important factor. So from design through to construction, building occupancy and ongoing maintenance management, it is important to have a fire safety professional involved in the process,” Mr Stephenson said.
It was crucial to continue working with safety experts during tough economic conditions to ensure high standards were maintained with smaller budgets, he said.
“One thing you always see happen when cash flow becomes tight is that budgets need to be realigned, so some projects may go on hold for awhile and some may get cancelled. But if you’re well into construction that is where the risk becomes high because how do you make your saving?” he said, adding that in some cases the height of buildings may be reduced.
“Quality surveyors can work with cost consultants to maintain safety for a lower price, but with no compromise on safety.”
Knowledge of how fires started is also vital for instance, police said a discarded cigarette started the Tamweel Tower fire five years ago. The need to control the sources of ignition and the proximity to combustible items was essential.
“Generally cigarettes cause a problem if they are insulated because if it rolls under a box, is dropped in a bin, wrapped in material, the heat will build up. If it is surrounded by combustibles and the heat is contained, then it will develop into a fire,” he said.
Banning smoking in a building except in specified areas, prohibiting people from throwing cigarette butts from their balconies should be implemented.
In most tower blazes where the fire spread has been rapid, aluminium cladding with a highly flammable thermo-plastic core has been blamed for the speed at which the flames jumped to higher levels.
This non-fire rated aluminium cladding is banned in new buildings in the UAE.
Agnes Koltay, director of Koltay facades urged clients to pay attention to the advice of experts.
“I would say listen to façade engineers. Consider their advice and listen to what is suggested because if facades are tested the right way and applied in the correct way, then composite panels on the outside will not create a problem,” she said.
“There needs to be more awareness of the different materials and the correct use of these materials. It should not be driven by the pure consideration of the pricing but consideration of what value you get for that price and if it is optimal.”
MATCH INFO
Watford 1 (Deulofeu 80' p)
Chelsea 2 (Abraham 5', Pulisic 55')
Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
Kanguva
Director: Siva
Stars: Suriya, Bobby Deol, Disha Patani, Yogi Babu, Redin Kingsley
Islamic%20Architecture%3A%20A%20World%20History
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Company%20Profile
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
Company%20Profile
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Cricket World Cup League 2
UAE squad
Rahul Chopra (captain), Aayan Afzal Khan, Ali Naseer, Aryansh Sharma, Basil Hameed, Dhruv Parashar, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Waseem, Omid Rahman, Rahul Bhatia, Tanish Suri, Vishnu Sukumaran, Vriitya Aravind
Fixtures
Friday, November 1 – Oman v UAE
Sunday, November 3 – UAE v Netherlands
Thursday, November 7 – UAE v Oman
Saturday, November 9 – Netherlands v UAE
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Qyubic
Started: October 2023
Founder: Namrata Raina
Based: Dubai
Sector: E-commerce
Current number of staff: 10
Investment stage: Pre-seed
Initial investment: Undisclosed
THE BIO
Favourite car: Koenigsegg Agera RS or Renault Trezor concept car.
Favourite book: I Am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes or Red Notice by Bill Browder.
Biggest inspiration: My husband Nik. He really got me through a lot with his positivity.
Favourite holiday destination: Being at home in Australia, as I travel all over the world for work. It’s great to just hang out with my husband and family.
From Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5
Disclaimer
Director: Alfonso Cuaron
Stars: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Kline, Lesley Manville
Rating: 4/5
Nayanthara: Beyond The Fairy Tale
Starring: Nayanthara, Vignesh Shivan, Radhika Sarathkumar, Nagarjuna Akkineni
Director: Amith Krishnan
Rating: 3.5/5
BAD%20BOYS%3A%20RIDE%20OR%20DIE
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Company%20Profile
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Sweet%20Tooth
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PRESIDENTS CUP
Draw for Presidents Cup fourball matches on Thursday (Internationals first mention). All times UAE:
02.32am (Thursday): Marc Leishman/Joaquin Niemann v Tiger Woods/Justin Thomas
02.47am (Thursday): Adam Hadwin/Im Sung-jae v Xander Schauffele/Patrick Cantlay
03.02am (Thursday): Adam Scott/An Byeong-hun v Bryson DeChambeau/Tony Finau
03.17am (Thursday): Hideki Matsuyama/CT Pan v Webb Simpson/Patrick Reed
03.32am (Thursday): Abraham Ancer/Louis Oosthuizen v Dustin Johnson/Gary Woodland
The drill
Recharge as needed, says Mat Dryden: “We try to make it a rule that every two to three months, even if it’s for four days, we get away, get some time together, recharge, refresh.” The couple take an hour a day to check into their businesses and that’s it.
Stick to the schedule, says Mike Addo: “We have an entire wall known as ‘The Lab,’ covered with colour-coded Post-it notes dedicated to our joint weekly planner, content board, marketing strategy, trends, ideas and upcoming meetings.”
Be a team, suggests Addo: “When training together, you have to trust in each other’s abilities. Otherwise working out together very quickly becomes one person training the other.”
Pull your weight, says Thuymi Do: “To do what we do, there definitely can be no lazy member of the team.”
Company%20Profile
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COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
Singham Again
Director: Rohit Shetty
Stars: Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, Deepika Padukone
Rating: 3/5
Abramovich London
A Kensington Palace Gardens house with 15 bedrooms is valued at more than £150 million.
A three-storey penthouse at Chelsea Waterfront bought for £22 million.
Steel company Evraz drops more than 10 per cent in trading after UK officials said it was potentially supplying the Russian military.
Sale of Chelsea Football Club is now impossible.
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Financial considerations before buying a property
Buyers should try to pay as much in cash as possible for a property, limiting the mortgage value to as little as they can afford. This means they not only pay less in interest but their monthly costs are also reduced. Ideally, the monthly mortgage payment should not exceed 20 per cent of the purchaser’s total household income, says Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching.
“If it’s a rental property, plan for the property to have periods when it does not have a tenant. Ensure you have enough cash set aside to pay the mortgage and other costs during these periods, ideally at least six months,” she says.
Also, shop around for the best mortgage interest rate. Understand the terms and conditions, especially what happens after any introductory periods, Ms Glynn adds.
Using a good mortgage broker is worth the investment to obtain the best rate available for a buyer’s needs and circumstances. A good mortgage broker will help the buyer understand the terms and conditions of the mortgage and make the purchasing process efficient and easier.
The Baghdad Clock
Shahad Al Rawi, Oneworld
At a glance
Fixtures All matches start at 9.30am, at ICC Academy, Dubai. Admission is free
Thursday UAE v Ireland; Saturday UAE v Ireland; Jan 21 UAE v Scotland; Jan 23 UAE v Scotland
UAE squad Rohan Mustafa (c), Ashfaq Ahmed, Ghulam Shabber, Rameez Shahzad, Mohammed Boota, Mohammed Usman, Adnan Mufti, Shaiman Anwar, Ahmed Raza, Imran Haider, Qadeer Ahmed, Mohammed Naveed, Amir Hayat, Zahoor Khan
All you need to know about Formula E in Saudi Arabia
What The Saudia Ad Diriyah E-Prix
When Saturday
Where Diriyah in Saudi Arabia
What time Qualifying takes place from 11.50am UAE time through until the Super Pole session, which is due to end at 12.55pm. The race, which will last for 45 minutes, starts at 4.05pm.
Who is competing There are 22 drivers, from 11 teams, on the grid, with each vehicle run solely on electronic power.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
ADCC AFC Women’s Champions League Group A fixtures
October 3: v Wuhan Jiangda Women’s FC
October 6: v Hyundai Steel Red Angels Women’s FC
October 9: v Sabah FA
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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THE SPECS
Touareg Highline
Engine: 3.0-litre, V6
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Power: 340hp
Torque: 450Nm
Price: Dh239,312
AIDA%20RETURNS
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