Planting the future.

John Bambridge assesses the state of the landscaping sector and meets some of the contractors that have laid their roots in the region and are now tapping into the growing market

For specialist landscaping contractors, paricularly in the UAE, the maturing of the residential market is causing a sudden growth spurt in projects in the sector. The growing greenery of many new developments is also providing a strong economic incentive for landowners to gentrify their existing properties to match.

This follows a broader shift in the market, not away from construction, but for the first time towards renovation.

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This also holds true for landscaping, from the scale of individual villas through to large communal spaces. Either way, the decision reflects an urban ideal, perhaps lost amid the chaos of the global economic crisis, but which is now returning like a drawn out tide.

The revival of plans for Mohammed Bin Rashid City, which is set to include a park three times the size of Hyde Park in London, and the opening of the Miracle Garden in Dubailand by the Dubai Properties Group both reinforce the strong perception of the function of landscaped space in the city.

Akar Landscaping & Agriculture Co developed the latter Miracle Garden as a 67,000m2 horticultural attraction containing more than 45 million flowers, including an 800m-long flower wall and a huge pyramid of flowers with a base area of 144m and a height of 10m.

Apart from these feats Eng Abdel Nasser Rahhal, GM of Akar, noted: "In addition to the environmental benefits associated with this project, the Miracle Garden will provide visitors with ample outdoor recreational space."

In general too, the somewhat cynical climate-oriented preference for development of the interior over the exterior seems to be challenged by new communities that recognise the importance of such space beyond the immediate lease value.

The Dubai Properties Group recently appointed Shapoorji Pallonji Mideast as principal contractor for the restart of its Mudon residential community, explicitly emphasising the parks and greenery of the master plan.

The 348 townhouses on the project, which will begin delivery from mid-2014, have been alloted plots of between 300m2 and 750m 2 - potentially ample space for greenery around the 350m2 four-bedroom units, each of which will also feature a courtyard garden.

The recent award by Dubai Multi Commodities Centre (DMCC) of the contract for the conversion of one of the water bodies at the Jumeirah Lakes Towers (JLT) in Dubai into a community park is a prime example of a large recent project for a contractor.

Al Bayader Irrigation and Contracting, the company that won the contract for the conversion of 'Lake C' at the JLT is now busily reworking the 55,000m 2 plot, scheduled for completion by the end of 2013.

While there are no plans to convert any of the remaining lakes, Matthew Lomax, DMCC property director, told CW: "We have laid 320,000m2 of landscaping throughout the development, and the green spaces have been really well-received."

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Lomax also noted that while Al Bayader was the original landscape contractor for JLT, its return was based, "solely on merit and not because they had done work for us before. We needed a reputable contractor and Al Badayer is one of the best we have had on the master development thus far."

However, it is important to avoid the trap of focusing solely on high profile larger projects as much of the work in the landscaping sector involve work on privately-owned villa projects.

Two local contractors that have built their businesses almost solely on the back of this behind the scenes custom are Terre Verde and Toscana Landscaping, established in 2004 and 2008 respectively.

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Since inception both firms have developed landscaping capabilities that allow them to offer fully integrated services where they design, supply, build and optionally maintain their own projects.

Nehme Moujaess, managing director of Terra Verde, which has also landscaped palaces and projects too sensitive to disclose, highlights in particular the promise of maintenance is a key driver of a quality construction.

He explains: "If you want to do the facility management, first you have to start with something that is built properly. This is why we only maintain projects that we have built, because we know the material codes and the quality of the work, and you have no excuses.

"It is the quality that keeps you on good terms with the client. Our way it is a long term project that needs maintenance, but we perform a minimal maintenance on it, rather than changing the whole irrigation system than every two years because somebody else has done a bad job."

In the absence of the guarantee provided by a maintenance contract, the sector is open to landscapers rushing project and leaving it to facility management firms to pick up the pieces.

For Terra Verde's own projects by contrast Moujaess says: "The client is happy to have the same contact, the same people running around. We maintain all of the projects that we do, everyone stays, and we have never skipped a job.

If anything that goes wrong for the client then has our full support. Say one tile is broken, he doesn't have to worry about it because we go and change this tile for him, eternally."

For the business of landscaping contractors that wish to keep their profile, such as Terra Verde and Toscana, at least then the guarantee of the long term sustainability is of some importance.

Diego Alvarez, marketing director at Toscana, affirms: "Green and environmentally sustainable material is always included in our proposals. Composite wooden deck for example can be used around the pool as well as other areas around the garden. Toscana is bringing this material to the market from Spain."

This is significant because wood in its commercial form, is neither local nor easy to maintain in the region. New composites on the other hand can mimic the textures and colours of wood at a lower cost to both the project and the environment.

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Alvarez says that the rate of adoption of composite wood decking is remarkable, and that: "Even now some clients have already signed with us then they have come to us with an idea for wood-coloured composite deck around the pool. We have old-fashioned things, but at the same time we can provide new options and innovations."

One example of a developer of such alternatives, Dura Composites, says the UAE market for such materials is worth more than $100m annually, and traditional hard-wood and soft-wood outdoor decking and cladding has now been outmoded by its 87%-recyclable composites.

Paul Fletcher, Middle East manager for Dura, notes: "These products look and feel like natural wood, and provide lightweight yet durable cladding or decking that will not splinter, warp, rot or fade across a 25 years life expectancy."

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The UK firm gas confirmed that comparing overall life cycle costs a square metre of Dura Decking is $215 cheaper than soft-wood and $600 cheaper than hard-wood. Fletcher adds: "The UAE is a relatively untapped market that needs to be developed and it's a matter of keeping contractors well informed about the long-term benefits."

Another important point to bear in mind is that while there is soft landscaping, there is also hard landscaping, and features such as terraced embankments can require deep foundations, and enclosed outdoor areas and swimming pools still require quite an array of specialist expertise.

Terra Verde's wide ranging capacities for one did not by any means materialise overnight.

"We started in 2004 and gradually expanded the lines of business and the company. We now have our own teams for all hardscape, all softscape, irrigation, swimming pools, pergolas and gazebos," Moujaess lists. "The carpentry and manufacturing is also done in-house, and this is why we are able to commit in terms of quality and timeframe."

One element of landscaping projects that even the most contractor still tend to source externally are the plants themselves, which are best acquired from specialist providers.

An example is Greenworks at Al Barari, founded in 2002 by the local Zl family as the region's largest privately owned plant nursery. Testament to the building momentum of the industry in the region Al Barari's original 120 species collection has today burgeoned to over 700 cultivated plant species through trials on more than 1,800 varieties over the last five years.

Also indispensable are specialised irrigation systems, particularly on larger projects. Jim Hynes, general manager of Fitco Industries, notes that at peak performance the firm's systems can reduce water use by up to 60%,.The installations intelligently monitor soil moisture and relay the results by satellite to ensure the correct watering is applied.

Past Fitco projects include both the Madinat Jumeirah and the Wafi Mall complex in Dubai, and there is still plenty of room for growth in the market, says Hynes, with irrigation still a neglected element.

Toscana has also built its business up rapidly, from nothing five years ago to a level of capability similar to Terra Verde. Alvarez notes: "2008 was a very tough time to start, but crises times are always full of opportunities. Because those times were tough we had to work very hard we are now consolidating the company in the market.

"We have been focused on private villas with 120 projects done, and maybe 25 ongoing projects, but we are now developing a new division for larger projects. Our challenge in the coming months is to develop a strategy for hotels, as there are a lot coming in Dubai and in Qatar. We need to show the big contractors and consultants what we can do."

Overall, it seems that for the contractors that stuck it out in the landscaping market, things are looking up. While new developments increasingly incorporate green space, landscaping is also benefitting from a maturing residential market and ongoing innovation in its construction materials.

Moujaess sums: "People used to use a lot of sandstone, but now the trend is to use travertine marble, so people are upgrading because they are also looking for the quality, new materials and new features. Things evolve with time, even with gardens."

2013 ITP Business Publishing Ltd. All Rights Reserved.

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Article Details

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Publication:	Construction Week
Geographic Code:	7UNIT
Date:	Mar 24, 2013
Words:	1720
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Topics:	Contractors