MEP design and build in University City (Sharjah) 

MEP design and build in University City (Sharjah): local context

University City is Sharjah's academic district, home to the American University of Sharjah, the University of Sharjah and several colleges, research centres and medical facilities set across a large planned campus area. Buildings are institutional, often large-span and heavily serviced. Manolia completed MEP works for the AUS library, HVAC and BMS works on the campus, and MEP for the G+4 Bowling City leisure building.

• Campus buildings need large central chilled-water systems, AHUs with fresh-air treatment and BMS integration so facilities teams can schedule cooling around semesters and events.
• Work often takes place on occupied campuses, so noise, dust, access and shutdowns are coordinated with university facilities management and academic calendars.
• Leisure buildings such as bowling and entertainment venues combine high occupancy, kitchen extract and variable loads.

Building types we serve in University City (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

• Cooling and heating load calculations, ventilation rates, electrical load schedules, water demand and drainage fixture-unit calculations for authority and utility submission.
• Development of detailed design into coordinated shop drawings, with clash detection between ducts, pipes, cable trays and structure before procurement.
• Procurement of equipment against the design intent, with submittals that keep selections inside the calculated duties rather than swapping in undersized alternatives.
• 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.
• Ventilation, kitchen and car park extract, smoke management and stair pressurisation systems.

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.
• 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.
• 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

HVAC & BMS

AUS main & language buildings HVAC/BMS

University City (Sharjah) · HVAC & BMS · Completed

Design & build of HVAC and BMS renovation.

AUS Bowling City, Sharjah

University City (Sharjah) · MEP · Completed

MEP design & build plus decoration for a G+4 leisure building.

Frequently asked questions