Championing intelligent solutions in its processes, Group AMANA operates and invests in technology to advance construction quality and efficiency, all of which are integral to the region’s growth ambitions. In this episode of ‘Behind the Mic’, Construction Week Middle East sat down with Jihad Bsaibes, CEO of AMANA Contracting to discuss the Middle East’s changing construction landscape, including how the company is adapting to the new future of construction in the region. The conversation circles around topics that include #modular construction, #digitalisation, and #inflation in the market.

As the construction sector embraces transformation in the region, one country that continues to showcase extraordinary achievements in the industry is the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. A nation that is witnessing its huge ambitions come to life through an impressive array of gigaprojects supported by Vision 2030. This achievement wouldn’t have been possible if not for the excellence and expertise presented by construction stakeholders. In this episode, Barry Lewis, Managing Director - Construction at ALEC, shares insights about the status of the exponential construction market in the kingdom. He also elaborates on why now is the right time to be involved in the nation's construction industry.

The Middle East construction market has faced several challenges over the past 18 months, in the light of the ongoing pandemic. And these have pressured clients and contractors in the region, highlighting the need for fast and cost-effective supply. For this podcast, Brett Smyth, general manager, EMEA, IDEAL Industries highlights the company's extensive range of electrical supplies, wire connectors, lubes, tools and test, and measurement equipment and how its portfolio delivers on the quality, reliability, and compliance that clients and contractors in the Middle East need.

A façade builds on a structure’s response to an external environment, protection capabilities, technical performance, and eventually contributes to the overall ‘health’ of a building. In ensuring optimal façades, important considerations are safety, sustainability and cost. On a recent podcast episode, Construction Week's Multimedia Reporter Disha Dadlani hosted Liam Northam, Façade Team Lead at Ramboll and Marina Kindelan, Associate Director, Façades at AESG to go over the important considerations, criteria, and gaps in designing and building façades. Catch the experts' insights in Construction Week's latest podcast - out now!

Early contract involvement can perhaps make or break the way a project is executed and delivered. The industry has oft-discussed the need to ensure such involvement alongwith optimal collaboration for the successful and smooth delivery of a project. Collaboration by itself does not suffice, as the coming together of all stakeholders could be a futile exercise if not initiated or undertaken early on. Construction Week's Multimedia Reporter Disha Dadlani recently sat down with ALEC's Operations Director Sean McQue to go over all this and more in Construction Week's latest podcast episode.

UAE's AEC (architecture, engineering and construction)landscape are having to navigate a lot of uncertainty, induced by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. And while braving the implications of the crises, AEC firms can focus on ensuring proper project management methodologies, collaborate efficiently, and incorporate a strategic way of working. In this podcast episode, we sit down with Dr Fadi Bayoud, Founder of Strategic Anchors, a company that guides AEC firms to tackle such implications.

Fire safety has remained topical for the construction industry globally, and recently for the Middle East, given the growing number of high-profile cases within the region. The question then remains: how can architects, developers and contractors be better-equipped to tackle building fires; how can they ensure enhanced safety across a project's lifecycle?

Construction Week's in-house podcast, featuring Disha Dadlani, multimedia reporter and Ranju Warrier, digital editor rounds up discussions on several pertinent topics including the change in on-site roles and functions to suit female members of the industry, the need to revaluate hiring strategies and gender diversity at the workplace, going beyond diversity to shift the spotlight onto inclusion and more.

Acuity's Roger Cruickshank & Jonathan Spear on the future of transport

It's only the start of the year and it has been raining appointments at construction consultancy WSP Middle East, with some of the key appointments including Kathleen McGrail as Managing Director - Advisory Services and Ian McGauley as Managing Director for Project Management Services. Listen to the podcast for details on both appointments.

Recruitment across industries has been evidently impacted through 2020 due to the ongoing pandemic and its implications. While this has been a recurring trend across sectors, the impact across the construction industry has been collosal. As part of the most recent Construction Week Viewpoint podcast series, we sit down with Shyam Visavadia, who has developed an online portal, driven by artificial intelligence and machine learning to ensure efficient, seamless and speedy recruitment during these trying times.

In line with its ongoing expansion as a globally-focused organisation, AESG, a specialist consultancy, engineering and advisory firm, has announced the appointment of Global Directors for each of its business lines. The move follows the company’s establishment of offices in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and the United Kingdom, and successful delivery of large-scale projects across the Middle East, Europe, and Asia. The consolidation of service teams under unified global divisions will enable AESG to now deploy the industry-best skills and resources from all its international offices on projects worldwide. As part of this move, former managing director at AESG Saeed Al Abbar has been appointed as the group-wide chief executive officer for the firm. Saeed joins us in the Construction Week studios to reveal further details about the firm's upcoming plans.