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April 2008

New Abu Dhabi office supports urban growth

The opening of Halcrow's new flagship Middle East office in Abu Dhabi this month has been met with enthusiasm and support from the British Embassy and local industry.

The Al Batteen office was formally opened by British Ambassador to the UAE, Edward Oakden CMG, and hosted by Halcrow's chief executive, Peter Gammie, regional managing director, David Yaw, and Abu Dhabi regional director, Sami Al Qazzaz. Abu Dhabi's foremost industry leaders also came to see the plaque unveiled.

The Ambassador said; "There is no doubt about Abu Dhabi's determination and vision to become a world class city, and Halcrow's commitment and experience sets them apart to become a valued partner in delivering innovative and sustainable development solutions for the area." He also highlighted how British expertise had played a vital role in the spectacular growth of Abu Dhabi, adding: "Halcrow's name is synonymous with the British contribution to the region's development."

The new office accommodates some 200 planners, designers and other technical specialists, to support the 250 Halcrow employees working on construction supervision at local sites.

The government of Abu Dhabi has recently unveiled its Plan Abu Dhabi 2030, an urban structure framework plan for the development of the city, which will guide planning decisions for the next quarter of a century.

As David Yaw explained: "We want to signal our commitment to assisting the government realise its urban planning vision, set out in its recently published development plan for the year 2030. Halcrow has an office presence in all the major world business hubs - so it is entirely logical for us to have a major office in Abu Dhabi to provide a local and integrated service to key clients."

Across the Middle East, Halcrow employs some 1500 people in 11 countries - 1200 of which are based in the UAE.

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