Robin Bartram Brown, managing director of MMY Global and Dr. Anas Bataw, managing director for Heriot Watt University’s Centre for Excellence in Smart Construction, discuss the growth of the Middle Eastern modular construction market
Robin and Anas also delve into further development and manufacturing opportunities for the Middle Eastern modular construction market, prompted by Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030.
Robin and Anas originally met in numerous projects across Saudi Arabia.
The country has seen a lot of construction growth, and there is a lot of requirements when it comes to offsite manufacturing and modular.
How would you describe the demand differences between the US, Europe, and Middle East?
Robin: “The UK is flying at the moment with modular, so there’s a lot of buy-to-own high-rise projects that are becoming extremely successful.
“In the States, it’s predominantly been hospitality and that’s performed very well. I think now the industry is advanced, and it’s starting to get to cost parity against traditional construction. I think you’re going to see a push towards affordable housing now.
“In the Middle East, it’s very new. I think predominantly; there certainly won’t be any timber because, culturally, timber is just not used in the Middle East.
“They’ve used precast for a lot of years, and they’ve got an established ecosystem for that type of material.”
What rules do modular construction companies in Saudi Arabia in the Middle East have to follow?
Dr. Anas Bataw: “When it comes to modular there isn’t. Especially within Saudi Arabia, there isn’t anything in terms of building regulations that specifically has anything to do with modular.
“In some cases, it could be a little bit against it because of the requirements. Especially the manufacturing of steel modules, due to the fire-resistant requirement and soundproofing.
“With that said, there is a lot of work that’s happening. I know a lot of ex-colleagues that are working towards enhancing the building regulations and building requirements.
“This is happening from a ministerial level and happening from the private sector as well, there’s a lot of push towards that.
“I think it’s just a matter of getting things up and running. It’s not the issue that we have in the US. We’re not going to end up with 50 different regulations.”
What are some of the initiatives that are happening in the Middle East region to promote sustainable construction? How does modular construction contribute to those goals?
“When it comes to sustainability, we’ve had a lot of improvements in the past 10-15 years in the Middle East. COP28 being hosted in UAE this year helps a lot. Maybe the 2030 vision of Saudi Arabia and the green Saudi initiatives helps with that as well.
“There’s a lot to be done especially when it comes to construction. But we are ticking all the right boxes now when it comes to waste management, and carbon emissions during construction.
“There’s a huge manufacturing base here in the region. I’m talking about manufacturing in general, obviously, oil and gas being one of them.
“So, there is a lot of push for the industrial side of things to be a lot more sustainable. That would help modular construction once this picks up. There are a lot of developments when it comes to sustainability, but also there’s a lot of room for improvement.”
To listen to the full episode and to view more content, click here.
