Qatar 2014
From January 5 to 9, 2014, the GLCM team went to Qatar to explore the booming local construction market. The group of 10 master students, Professor Ibrahim Odeh, and Professor Feniosky Pena-Mora met with leading engineering, infrastructure, and construction firms and local agencies.
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The team began their meetings in Doha by attending a presentation at AECOM's Headquarters, where AECOM senior leadership gave a presentation regarding their projects in Qatar and their outlook on the local construction market. After the meeting, facilitated by Turner, the team made its first construction site visit in Qatar to the Time Convention Center and Tower. In the afternoon, the team met with the Qatari 2022 FIFA World Cup Committee to discuss the project's upcoming milestone and its impact on the construction market.
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GLCM Team in AECOM Qatar
GLCM vist to Time Convention Center & Tower
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The next day, the team paid a visit to headquarter of Parsons Brinckerhoff (now WSP) to learn about their projects in Qatar. They met with Anas Kassem, Director of Transport and Infrastructure, who explained the business model the company is using in Qatar. After the meeting, the team and PB’s employees went on a site visit to the $1.5 billion Local Roads and Drainage Program. Later that afternoon, TAV, one of the largest airport contractors in the world, welcomed the team to Hamad International Airport, which at the time was still under construction.
GLCM Team with Parsons Brinckerhoff
On the 7th of January, the GLCM team was invited to meet with the president of the Qatari Public Works Authority (Ashgal). His Excellency spoke about preparation for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, explained the Qatar Vision 2030, and discussed the future of Qatar’s construction market. That afternoon, the team went on a GLCM Cultural Visit to Qatar’s historical market, Souk Waqif. They also visited The Pearl which is an artificial island spanning nearly 1,000 acres.
Qatari Public Works Authority
GLCM Culture Visit
On Jan 8th, the team met with Beton, a leading Qatar-based company specializing in ready-mix concrete. The CEO, Robert Tarazi, gave a presentation on the company’s history, showed the team around the concrete batching plant and answered their questions regarding the intricate relation between construction materials and the construction market in Qatar.
GLCM with Beton
In the afternoon, the GLCM team was invited to a site visit of the Msheireb Downtown, the world’s first sustainable downtown regeneration project. It is a revitalized old commercial district with a new architectural language that is modern, yet inspired by traditional Qatari heritage and architecture.
The team started their last day by visiting the Lusail Multipurpose Hall and the Lusail Football Stadium, which are to be completed for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. The last site visit for the trip was to the $ 7.4 billion New Doha Port which is vital to the nation’s economic development.