Renovation and retrofit MEP in Al Hamra 

Renovation and retrofit MEP in Al Hamra: local context

Al Hamra Village is a coastal resort community in Ras Al Khaimah with villas, townhouses, apartments, a golf course, marina and hotels, developed since the mid-2000s. Its building stock includes golf-side villas, waterfront townhouses, mid-rise apartment buildings and resort hotels set along the beach and marina. Many villas are now 10–15 years old and their original systems are reaching the end of their service life, which drives a steady stream of replacement and upgrade work.

• Golf-side and beachfront villas sit in humid, salt-laden air, so replacement outdoor units should have coated coils, stainless fixings and condensate drainage routed away from facades and landscaping.
• Resort hotels need fresh-air dehumidification to keep guestrooms free of mould, plus central hot water with temperature control and flushing regimes that manage Legionella risk in lightly used rooms.
• Approvals typically involve the master developer before municipality, Civil Defence and Etihad WE submissions.

Building types we serve in Al Hamra

For villas and townhouses, the work concentrates on ducted split or VRF systems, roof tanks and booster pumps, hot water, pool plant and clean concealed routing that respects architectural finishes.

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

• Corroded pipework and equipment in coastal buildings may leak when isolated and disturbed. Surveys identify high-risk areas, and replacement plans add new isolation valves, drain points and protection of finishes and tenants' goods below.
• 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.
• Reusing existing distribution versus full replacement: reusing ducts and pipes saves cost and disruption, but may limit airflow, pressure and future capacity if they were undersized or corroded.

Relevant Manolia projects

Frequently asked questions