many rightfully argue that it has now lost its luster, it remains however a sign of the times, for openness to new possibilities, flexible job descriptions, and work community. Affordable green? Global design and close communication A massive global design effort by Dar Group members, Dar Al-Handasah and Perkins+Will, is currently taking place to ensure on-time deliverables to contractors already on the ground for the Princess Nora Bint Abdulrahman University for Women in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Will “building green” be a casualty of global economic recession? As construction schedules are trimmed, any perceived cost of long-term benefits to the environment at the expense of short-term profit is a soft target, the consequences of which can be addressed when and if everything returns to “normal”. Until then, we will continue to suffer the cost of excessive energy consumption, profligate use of ever-decreasing water supplies, health problems associated with poor indoor air quality, and carry on emitting greenhouse gases, warming our climate and watching our coastlines migrate inland. For green builders, once considered out-ofstep with reality tree-huggers their time has come. A commitment to green is all existing in the US and Europe, and now in many new developments in the Middle East, Africa and Asia. Green construction could be a major fillip to economic recovery and environmental sustainability. processes. A firm’s future depends on how well investment in non-billable time is utilized and ultimately capitalized. Undoubtedly, Dar is no exception.” Number one in airports Airport development estimates for the Middle East, Africa and the Asian subcontinent in 2008 reached US$ 60 Bn in planned and ongoing projects. The region has become the fastest growing aviation market fuelled by a strong economic outlook and passenger growth. Dar has ranked number one in airports according to ENR’s Top International Design teams in Dar Cairo, Beirut and Pune and Perkins+Will’s San Francisco, Miami, Atlanta, Minnesota, and Chicago offices are working together and coordinating with all Dar departments for foundation, civil, structural, transportation, electrical, mechanical, safety, water works, waste management, and landscaping design. Led by Dar Riyadh who, in addition to being in direct and constant contact with the client and site contractors, directs a slew of specialty consultants including lighting, library space planning, clinical simulation, food services, skin, and audio-visual design. The feasibility of “building green” is well proven. Repeated studies have shown “green” to cost no more than “non-green”, and the savings in operational expenditure, which frequently offset any up-front cost increase within just one to three years, will only increase as the planet warms and conventional power becomes prohibitively expensive. So when a client asks, How can I afford to build green? perhaps the answer ought to be... Can you afford not to? The value of non-billable time “What you do with your billable time determines your current income, but what you do with your non-billable time determines your future”, is a famous quote by former Harvard Business School Professor and Management Consultant David Maister. “Considering the prevailing myth in our consultancy industry that billable time (time charged to projects) is associated to revenue, while non-billable time is associated to cost, most firms try to minimize non-billable hours as much as possible”, says Beshara Wakim, Dar Director of Operations in Kuwait. “At Dar, we believe that if properly managed and monitored at all levels, non-billable hours can be the source of valuable investment opportunities that will potentially enhance the firm’s future position in business development, new value-adding services, innovation, productivity, and quality that will improve project delivery Starting with safety and working our way backwards in the structural department Safety is the be-all end-all guiding the work and stamped on every drawing issued by Dar’s Structural Department. How do we do it? Consistency no matter how big or small the project, it will receive the same scrutiny until we are 100% satisfied and ready to issue always on time and on target; experience - a rich exposure, diverse technical backgrounds and complementing engineering expertise are at the base of our work; knowledge - the latest International Standards and Codes, software, books, and resources are available to every structural engineer on-site and in all design offices. Design Firms surveys for the last four consecutive years. We are involved in most major on-going projects in the Middle East including Bahrain International Airport’s $ 755 M expansion; Dubai’s new $ 2 Bn Al Maktoum International Airport; King Abdul Aziz International Airport redevelopment and upgrade; Amman’s Queen Alia International new expansion; and Kuwait International’s rehabilitation and expansion. We are also present in airport projects in Africa including Luanda’s Quatro de Fevereiro International Airport in Angola, Blaise Diagne International Airport in Dakar, Senegal, and Ogun State AgroCargo Airport in Nigeria. 03