MEP design and build in Sharjah Industrial Area 

MEP design and build in Sharjah Industrial Area: local context

Sharjah's industrial areas, numbered from Industrial Area 1 to 18 between the city and the Dubai border, form one of the UAE's largest concentrations of workshops, factories, warehouses and staff accommodation. Much of the stock is older steel-frame and block construction from the 1980s–2000s. Work here mixes new industrial buildings with upgrades to existing ones. The areas border Al Qusais in Dubai, making them easy to reach from Manolia's base.

• Factories and workshops need heavy electrical supplies, motor control centres and process ventilation, coordinated with SEWA for load approval and metering.
• Staff accommodation buildings need robust water, hot water, drainage and fire alarm systems for high occupancy.
• Older buildings frequently need fire protection upgrades to satisfy Sharjah Civil Defence during change of use or renewal.

Building types we serve in Sharjah Industrial Area

For warehouses and logistics buildings, the work concentrates on high-bay sprinklers or in-rack protection, smoke venting, dock and office HVAC, and LV for racking, lighting and material handling.

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

• Solar gain through glazing on west and south facades dominates perimeter loads. Our load models use the actual facade specification and orientation, and perimeter zones are separated so a sunlit side does not overcool the shaded interior.
• 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.
• VRF versus chilled water for mid-rise buildings: VRF suits phased occupancy and individual billing with no central plant, while chilled water scales better, runs quieter indoors and centralises maintenance in one plant room.

Relevant Manolia projects

Frequently asked questions