MEP design and build in Al Reem Island 

MEP design and build in Al Reem Island: local context

Al Reem Island lies just off the north-east shore of Abu Dhabi island and has been developed since the late 2000s into one of the capital's densest high-rise districts. Residential towers, hotels, office blocks, a major hospital and shopping malls sit on reclaimed plots linked by bridges to the city. Many towers are now occupied, while remaining plots continue to be built.

• Tabreed district cooling serves parts of the island, so many towers take chilled water through energy transfer stations; the in-building scope then centres on heat exchangers, secondary pumping and holding design delta-T.
• Being surrounded by water, roof plant, cooling towers, fixings and exposed cable trays face constant salt and humidity, which drives coating specifications and inspection intervals.
• New towers must meet Estidama Pearl requirements, affecting fresh-air energy recovery, lighting controls, water-efficient fixtures and sub-metering strategies.

Building types we serve in Al Reem Island

For malls and retail centres, the work concentrates on large-volume air handling, tenant-ready chilled water or refrigerant capacity, smoke extraction for atriums and car parks and food-court exhaust.

Scope of work

• Concept review of the architectural design to locate plant rooms, risers, shafts and roof space early, before floor plates and ceiling heights are frozen.
• Selection of the HVAC approach, whether district cooling connection, central chilled water, VRF or packaged units, based on loads, plot constraints and lifecycle cost.
• Development of detailed design into coordinated shop drawings, with clash detection between ducts, pipes, cable trays and structure before procurement.
• Installation, testing, commissioning and handover by the same organisation, closing the loop between design assumptions and measured performance.

Systems we install

• HVAC plant: chillers, district cooling energy transfer stations, AHUs, FCUs and fresh-air units.
• Building management system, metering and controls integration across all mechanical and electrical plant.

UAE site and climate challenges

• Air-cooled equipment loses capacity as condenser inlet air gets hotter, and roof plant often sees air several degrees above ambient. We derate selections for real roof conditions and space units to avoid hot-air recirculation.
• Water supply in many areas relies on storage tanks that heat up in summer. We design tank locations, insulation and circulation to manage stored-water temperature and Legionella risk, and size cold-water storage to authority requirements.
• Design-and-build versus traditional consultant design: design-and-build shortens the programme and removes design-to-contractor gaps, but the client should keep an independent reviewer to check value and quality level.

Relevant Manolia projects

Frequently asked questions