Renovation and retrofit MEP in Al Quoz 

Renovation and retrofit MEP in Al Quoz: local context

Al Quoz is a long-established industrial and commercial area between Sheikh Zayed Road and Al Khail Road, full of warehouses, workshops, showrooms and creative spaces, alongside staff accommodation. Much of the stock dates from the 1980s–2000s and is now being renovated or converted. Work here is often refurbishment of older buildings rather than new construction. Recent years have seen many units converted into galleries, studios, fitness venues and showrooms.

• Conversions to showrooms, galleries or offices require new HVAC systems, often ducted split or VRF, in buildings with limited roof capacity.
• Fire alarm and sprinkler systems in older buildings frequently need upgrading to meet current Civil Defence requirements during change of use.
• The area is central, so logistics are simple, but streets are busy with trucks and limited parking.

Building types we serve in Al Quoz

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

• Site survey of existing MEP systems, recording installed equipment, condition, nameplate capacities and every deviation from the old drawings, often with opening-up of ceilings at sample locations.
• Capacity checks on existing chilled water, electrical supply and water storage to confirm whether new tenants, kitchens or extra floors can be served without upgrades.
• Fit-out MEP for offices, shops, restaurants, clinics and apartments within existing buildings, connected to base-building systems according to landlord technical requirements.
• Testing, commissioning and as-built documentation of all new and modified systems, including re-balancing of the existing systems affected by the changes.

Systems we install

• New AHUs, fresh-air units and fan coil units in existing ceiling voids.
• Modified fire alarm devices, sprinkler heads and smoke control interfaces.

UAE site and climate challenges

• Dust from demolition inside an occupied building spreads through return-air systems and contaminates coils and filters. We seal work zones, isolate returns and replace filters after dusty works before returning systems to normal operation.
• Hot, humid roof voids above top-floor units in older buildings often contain poorly insulated ducts and pipes that sweat and drip. Retrofit packages replace damaged insulation and vapour barriers, and add roof insulation where the owner agrees, before re-balancing those floors.
• Keeping the old refrigerant or converting: older systems on phased-out refrigerants become expensive to recharge and repair, so converting to current refrigerants during a renovation often saves money over the remaining building life.

Relevant Manolia projects

Frequently asked questions