Kitchen extract systems in Dubai 

Kitchen extract systems in Dubai: local context

Dubai's building stock runs from the 1970s–90s low- and mid-rise blocks of Deira and Bur Dubai to the master-planned tower districts of Business Bay, Dubai Marina and JLT, with villa communities, logistics parks and free zones filling the corridor towards Jebel Ali and Dubai South. Almost every typology is built here at once: residential towers, hotels, clinics, schools, factories, cold stores and staff accommodation. What sets MEP apart in Dubai is the number of approval channels that sit side by side (Dubai Municipality, Trakhees, free-zone authorities and master developers) and the density of district cooling in the newer districts. Manolia has been headquartered here since 2001, so Dubai is where most of its track record sits.

MEP approvals typically start with the master developer or free-zone NOC where one applies, followed by building permit drawings through Dubai Municipality or the relevant zone authority (Trakhees, DDA, DMCC, DSOA, Dubai South). Fire and life safety drawings go to Dubai Civil Defence for approval and later inspection, while DEWA handles load approval, connection and metering; district cooling connections, where available, are agreed separately with the provider. The exact sequence varies by plot and authority, so it is confirmed per project.

• DEWA governs power and water connections: load applications, substation or RMU space in the building, metering arrangements and water connection sizing all need to be resolved early, because late changes to the electrical load schedule can ripple back into the substation room design.
• Being Dubai-based, Manolia can move labour, materials and testing teams to any site in the emirate within the working day, which matters during tower commissioning and occupied-building works where shutdown windows are short.

Building types we serve in Dubai

For hotels and serviced apartments, the work concentrates on quiet guestroom fan coils, kitchen and laundry extract, hot-water generation at scale, BMS supervision and phased handover to the operator.

For clinics and healthcare facilities, the work concentrates on pressure regimes between rooms, high-grade filtration, essential power with UPS back-up and infection control while works are under way.

District cooling in Dubai is supplied by providers such as Empower and Emicool, so many projects connect through an energy transfer station rather than building a chiller plant.

Scope of work

• Review of the kitchen equipment layout and cooking types to confirm hood sizes, extract volumes and make-up air requirements.
• Installation of welded or sealed grease ductwork with falls to drain points, access doors for cleaning and fire-rated enclosure where required.
• Kitchen hoods with baffle filters, and where specified, UV or electrostatic treatment to reduce grease and odour at discharge.
• Make-up air units supplying tempered fresh air so the kitchen remains slightly negative without starving burners or slamming doors.
• Separate extract for dishwash areas and cold rooms where steam and heat need removing without loading the grease system.

Systems we install

• Kitchen exhaust fans for grease-laden air
• Make-up air units with cooling coils
• UV or electrostatic odour control units

UAE site and climate challenges

• Make-up air drawn from outside is very hot and humid in summer, so it is cooled or partially treated to keep kitchen staff comfortable without overloading the main HVAC system.
• Sand and dust collect in exhaust discharge cowls, make-up air filters and fan housings, so access panels and cleaning routines are part of the maintenance plan from handover.

Decisions to make early

• Make-up air treatment: cooled make-up air improves comfort and staff retention in hot kitchens, but increases cooling load, equipment cost and plant space requirements.
• Ductwork routing and enclosure, where shorter routes reduce fire risk and cleaning effort but may conflict with architectural layouts, structural beams and shaft availability.

Relevant Manolia projects

Time Asma Hotel, Dubai

Dubai · Building · Completed

Mid-rise hotel with restaurant level and rooftop pool.

Ramla Mall, Dubai

Dubai · Building · Completed

Two-storey retail mall.

G+3

Multi-storey parking & retail centre, DSO

Dubai Silicon Oasis (DSO) · MEP · In progress

G+3 parking and retail centre — MEP works in progress.

6 buildings G+2

Driving centre (6 buildings), DIP

Dubai Investments Park (DIP) · HVAC · Completed

HVAC on district cooling with an underground chilled-water network.

Frequently asked questions