MEP design and build in Al Nahda (Sharjah) 

MEP design and build in Al Nahda (Sharjah): local context

Al Nahda in Sharjah is a dense residential district right on the Dubai border, lined with 20–30 storey apartment towers on podium car parks, hotel apartments and street-level retail, mostly built from the 2000s onward. It is one of the main commuter neighbourhoods for people working in Dubai. Manolia completed the MEP works for two residential towers (G+5P+23/24) and for a hotel apartment building here.

• Twin-tower and podium projects need car park ventilation across several podium levels, smoke clearance and sprinkler coverage coordinated with ramps, transfer slabs and tight floor-to-floor heights.
• SEWA governs power and water connections, so substation rooms, water tanks and metering follow SEWA requirements, which differ from DEWA practice just across the border.
• Peak-hour congestion at the Dubai–Sharjah crossings is heavy, so deliveries and manpower movements are planned around rush hours.

Building types we serve in Al Nahda (Sharjah)

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.
• Cooling and heating load calculations, ventilation rates, electrical load schedules, water demand and drainage fixture-unit calculations for authority and utility submission.
• Selection of the HVAC approach, whether district cooling connection, central chilled water, VRF or packaged units, based on loads, plot constraints and lifecycle cost.
• Preparation of authority drawings for Civil Defence, DEWA, SEWA, ADDC or the relevant utility, and green-building compliance under Al Sa'fat or Estidama where applicable.

Systems we install

• Water supply, booster pumping, hot water, drainage and rainwater systems sized from fixture-unit calculations.
• Building management system, metering and controls integration across all mechanical and electrical plant.

UAE site and climate challenges

• UAE design ambient temperatures around 46°C dry bulb with high coastal humidity drive both sensible and latent loads. We design fresh-air systems to dehumidify outdoor air properly, because under-dehumidified ventilation is the main cause of mould and sweating ducts in UAE buildings.
• 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.
• District cooling versus own chiller plant: district cooling removes plant space and maintenance but involves connection and capacity charges, while own plant gives control but needs roof or basement space and an operations team.

Relevant Manolia projects

2B+G+11+Gym

2B+G+11 building, Al Nahda Dubai

Al Nahda (Dubai) · MEP · Completed

Complete MEP works for a residential building with basements and gym.

Al Mazroaa Tower, Sharjah

Sharjah · HVAC · Completed

HVAC for a 43-typical-floor tower with health club.

Frequently asked questions