Aconex , a leading global provider of IT to the construction industry, will facilitate two landmark hotel developments in the United Arab Emirates - the US$410 million Ritz Carlton Hotel in Dubai and the US$218 million Between the Bridges resort complex in Abu Dhabi.
Aconex has secured contracts with Ritz Carlton project manager Edara APP and Between the Bridges developer Al Jaber Grineker LTA (a joint venture between Grineker LTA of South Africa and Al Jaber Group of Abu Dhabi) to provide its online information management service for the duration of both projects.
On each development, the Aconex solution will replace the use of paper documents by storing all project information - such as drawings, building plans, emails and faxes - online in one central site.
The result is that users will be able to distribute, track, search and archive their documentation online from any location, at any time. This increases management control and staff productivity, and reduces contractors’ administrative costs and exposure to risk.
Aconex Managing Director Leigh Jasper said: “We are delighted to have secured these major contracts, which further strengthen our position as the leading provider of online information management solutions in the Middle-East. The uptake of Aconex is rapidly increasing across the region with hundreds of construction companies now using the system.”
“The Ritz-Carlton and Between the Bridges projects build on the trend of Aconex being deployed for international hotel developments. The Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong, The Hyatt Regency Churchill London and the InterContinental Hanoi are all using Aconex to meet the demands of information flow on complex developments.”
Jasper added: “We believe that, within a few years, the majority of major construction developments in the UAE will use an online information management system such as Aconex due to the cost-savings, control and risk management benefits.”
Due for completion in 2008, The Ritz-Carlton Dubai will be situated on Sheikh Zayed Road and feature 15-storey contemporary design. The development will include 340 hotel rooms and 323 apartments; it will be the second Ritz-Carlton hotel in Dubai, and the fifth in the Middle-East.
Between the Bridges Abu Dhabi is a resort complex, comprising a Five Star hotel, luxury villas, executive apartments and retail and leisure facilities. The first phase is due for completion in early 2007.
