Gary Williams, Director of Commissioning at AESG.

Dubai, UAE: Sheikh Faisal Ahmed Al Abdullah Al Sabah, Chairman of the Al Hamra Tower, has presented the certificate of ‘Appreciation For Outstanding Contribution and Dedication’ to Gary Williams, Director of Commissioning at AESG, in recognition of Williams’ efforts in guiding the building’s contractors and commissioning teams to achieve successful completion of reportedly the tallest building in Kuwait, and one of the tallest in the world.

The commissioning services, an announcement from AESG said, ensured that systems critical to the operation of the USD 550 million property, such as HVAC, plumbing, electrical, fire/life safety, Building Management Systems (BMS) and interior systems, are being operated in accordance with the building requirements and at peak efficiency.

The project, the announcement said, was designed to be best-in-class with the goal of achieving a high-performance, low-maintenance and low-operating cost facility through sustainable and energy-efficient design features. As the Tower has been designed for resource efficiency, AESG added that it is currently working to help the project secure LEED certification.

“Commissioning has been vital to making this vision a reality,” said Williams. “The ambitious scale of the project called for multiple contractors, so proper management was key to ensuring a strict adherence to industry best practice and keeping the mammoth project on track. Our services have also helped the building owner uncover commissioning snags on the project and address them before they escalated into significant issues during the life of the building.

A major factor behind the decision to utilise Commissioning Agent services, AESG said, were the findings of a report into the ‘as-found status’ of the building’s systems. “This survey,” said Williams, “uncovered scope for improvement in multiple aspects of the building. By identifying and addressing these challenges, we have been able to streamline building operations and greatly improve overall efficiency, safety and reliability of the building.”

Commenting on the successful completion of the Al Hamra Tower, Saeed Al Abbar, Director at AESG, said: “We feel that public and private sector developers in the region are truly leading by example in developing world-class buildings and should be commended for their efforts in energy conservation and sustainability, of which commissioning proves to be a vital tool. The Tower is truly an icon and we take pride in the fact that our region is leading the world with such innovative and sustainable large-scale developments.”