B Surendar

Two events have marked June as a special month for us at Climate Control Middle East. The first was DC Dialogue 2010, on June 2, which unexpectedly, drew quite a large number of people. I say unexpectedly, because we never intended to have an audience, considering that DC Dialogue has a roundtable format, and so in the strictest sense, is a series of closed-door sessions, each involving, say, 10 participants and a moderator. As it turned out, we had close to 70 people in attendance, and they participated as much as those at the table. For me, a highlight of the event was a clear evidence of an increase in mindshare for existing buildings. Even a year ago, at conferences in the UAE, the focus was steadfastly new construction – about hunting for projects that had somehow managed to proceed, despite everything, and about how smaller modular units could do the trick.

At Yas, though, substantial airtime went to EB. With more reasonable load profiles emerging, thanks to the chastening effect that the downturn has had, suddenly there was optimism that there was scope to erect smaller plant rooms in existing neighbourhoods. Footprint-related issues, it seemed, could be surmounted. Case-in point, the suggestion by Ken Currie of Mott MacDonald that the space at existing roundabouts could be used for the purpose of erecting smaller plant rooms, with the cooling towers positioned atop the chillers.

A key aspect that was not discussed in detail, though, was service corridors. Dubai’s services corridors in existing neighbourhoods are highly congested. Where, then, is the scope to entrench supply and return pipelines? True, a certain portion of Sheikh Zayed Road was able to accommodate a district cooling infrastructure, but Dubai’s arterial road is multilaned and nowhere as congested as Deira or Bur Dubai. It is this facility of space that has suddenly made district cooling a viable proposition for Burj Al Arab. Have I raised an issue that is worth detailed discussion? I would love to hear your thoughts.

The other event that has created quite a buzz in the newsroom is the launch of a dedicated web site for Climate Control Middle East magazine. We were so keen on a June 2 launch, to coincide with DC Dialogue, that we hurried things a bit and put it on board for you to view  – ccme.news. Having said that, any web site is a work in progress, and in the coming days and months, you will see quite a ramp up, in terms of content and in the manner in which we present the words and pictures. Happy visiting!

B Surendar