Construction Week Viewpoint

In this latest podcast episode from Construction Week, the editorial team explore what precast construction could look like in 2019.

Indeed, with population growth and affordable housing continuing to be key considerations for many states across the GCC, an increasing number of residential architects, builders, and homeowners are increasingly aware of the benefits of precast construction.

While it may not be the be-all, end-all answer for all construction needs, precast concrete does have some major advantages, offering more control over construction schedules for example; easier installation; cost effectiveness; durability; and of course sustainability – to name a few.

Saudi Arabia, which faces an affordable home shortage, is already making headway into the world of precast housing. At the end of 2018 a precast house was built in two days as the desert kingdom ramps up efforts to accelerate innovation and increase home-ownership.

Listen to the full podcast as both Jack Ball and Neha Bhatia, senior reporter and editor at Construction Week, run through whether this could really be the ‘year of precast’.

In this latest podcast episode from Construction Week, the editorial team explore what precast construction could look like in 2019.

Indeed, with population growth and affordable housing continuing to be key considerations for many states across the GCC, an increasing number of residential architects, builders, and homeowners are increasingly aware of the benefits of precast construction.

While it may not be the be-all, end-all answer for all construction needs, precast concrete does have some major advantages, offering more control over construction schedules for example; easier installation; cost effectiveness; durability; and of course sustainability – to name a few.

Saudi Arabia, which faces an affordable home shortage, is already making headway into the world of precast housing. At the end of 2018 a precast house was built in two days as the desert kingdom ramps up efforts to accelerate innovation and increase home-ownership.

Listen to the full podcast as both Jack Ball and Neha Bhatia, senior reporter and editor at Construction Week, run through whether this could really be the ‘year of precast’.

In this latest podcast episode from Construction Week, the editorial team explore - on the last day of 2018 - our top five most read online stories over the past 365 days.

They include a Dubai-based real estate development company offering investors a green card in exchange for investment at a residential project near Florida’s Disney World Orlando theme park; the first contracts that were awarded for Saudi Arabia’s $500bn (SAR1.9tn) gigaproject on the kingdom’s Red Sea coast; alongside others relating to rail projects in both Kuwait and Bahrain.

Listen to the full podcast as both Jack Ball and Oscar Rousseau, senior reporter and deputy editor at Construction Week, run through the stories that had us all talking in 2018, as we enter 2019.

In this latest podcast episode from Construction Week, the editorial team explore - on the last day of 2018 - our top five most read online stories over the past 365 days.

They include a Dubai-based real estate development company offering investors a green card in exchange for investment at a residential project near Florida’s Disney World Orlando theme park; the first contracts that were awarded for Saudi Arabia’s $500bn (SAR1.9tn) gigaproject on the kingdom’s Red Sea coast; alongside others relating to rail projects in both Kuwait and Bahrain.

Listen to the full podcast as both Jack Ball and Oscar Rousseau, senior reporter and deputy editor at Construction Week, run through the stories that had us all talking in 2018, as we enter 2019.

In this podcast episode from Construction Week, the editorial team explores the socio-economic impact of Spark and runs through the key features of the three-phase development that covers a total land area of more than 50km².

Located in Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province between the populous cities of Dammam and Al-Ahsa, Spark will be a hub for energy, industrialisation, technology, and innovation.

State-owned oil giant Saudi Aramco will be the anchor company at Spark, which has already enticed top international companies, such as Baker Hughes, Schlumberger, and Halliburton, to set up site in the area.

In this podcast episode from Construction Week, the editorial team explores the socio-economic impact of Spark and runs through the key features of the three-phase development that covers a total land area of more than 50km².

Located in Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province between the populous cities of Dammam and Al-Ahsa, Spark will be a hub for energy, industrialisation, technology, and innovation.

State-owned oil giant Saudi Aramco will be the anchor company at Spark, which has already enticed top international companies, such as Baker Hughes, Schlumberger, and Halliburton, to set up site in the area.

A cyberattack on Italian contractor Saipem's servers in the Middle East has raised an important question: is digital infrastructure more vulnerable than ever before?

The Italian oil and gas contractor was hit by the Shamoon disk-wrecking virus, the same malware that struck Saudi Aramco in 2012. While an investigation into the extent of the damage is ongoing, Saipem said the hack caused an undisclosed amount of data to be deleted, forcing the company to partially shut down operations as it dealt with the ramifications of the breach.

A cyberattack on Italian contractor Saipem's servers in the Middle East has raised an important question: is digital infrastructure more vulnerable than ever before?

The Italian oil and gas contractor was hit by the Shamoon disk-wrecking virus, the same malware that struck Saudi Aramco in 2012. While an investigation into the extent of the damage is ongoing, Saipem said the hack caused an undisclosed amount of data to be deleted, forcing the company to partially shut down operations as it dealt with the ramifications of the breach.

Nikhil Pereira, editor of Construction Week's sister title facilities management Middle East, joins as a special guest to discuss the risers and fallers in the 2018 fmME Power 50 list of the top industry leaders.

Nikhil Pereira, editor of Construction Week's sister title facilities management Middle East, joins as a special guest to discuss the risers and fallers in the 2018 fmME Power 50 list of the top industry leaders.