It has been a while since the last update for the projects at King Khalid University at Al Faraa, Abha, for construction supervision of the competition-winning design by ZFP which is nestled amongst the mountains 35 km outside of Abha.
Construction work is continuing apace with ZFP extending their existing supervision contracts for the Phase 1 Male and Phase 2 Medical campuses to the new Phase 3 contract (General Administration, Ceremonial, Computing and Research buildings) plus Nursing Housing and Car Parking, taking our total supervision to 34 buildings and more than 1,000,000 m² floor area.
The ZFP team at site numbers almost 160, with the aim of increasing this to 200 during early 2014, working in the remote and often-harsh Aseer conditions. At this time of year we see temperatures approaching freezing and regular hail showers which throw down ice balls up to one inch in diameter! Not to mention the daily morning fog and frequent lightening storms. Hazardous work indeed, but when the sun is out the beauty of the region shines through.
The first buildings for the Phase 1 Male Academic Campus project are approaching preliminary handover, and during the recent site visit of Amir Faisal bin Khalid the new KKU Chancellor promised that many more buildings will be completed this year, insha Allah.
Phase 2 contains the largest building of the entire project, the 800 bed Teaching Hospital for which MEP and finishing work is well underway. The College of Dentistry is already being prepared for preliminary handover and the college of Pharmacy is close behind.
Phase 3 contains the iconic ceremonial area, including the 14 fl oor General Administration building which is a masterpiece of traditional Aseer architecture designed for the modern era. The building was topped-out during 2013 and cladding work is underway in preparation for it being fi nished with a striking bronze re ective glass upper facade.
The Nursing Housing and Parking buildings are in their early stages, with excavation in the local granite having to be done by explosives, the same method as we already used for the buildings of Phase 1, 2 and 3.
ZFP is maintaining its reputation for strict quality management, having developed a number of new and/or enhanced procedures, for example to ensure that review of materials/equipment submittals are comprehensive and fair and that subsequent deliveries, storage and installation are all according to the approvals, specifi c procedures to maintain a good standard of health, safety and environment for the projects, and procedures for contractual delay noti cation, review of method statements and inspection and test plans, amongst others.
The project has not escaped the watchful eye of the Government's Anti-Corruption Committee, and has been thoroughly investigated and given a clean bill of health. This is a testament to the efforts of ZFP Management and staff to ensure that all work is carried out with complete honesty and integrity. The team will not tolerate any corruption and this attitude only adds to the strong reputation of our company in the project.
The team is looking forward to a challenging and productive 2014. There is a lot to achieve, and we are having to work very hard for contractual issues as well as technical, but with the determination of every ZFP staff member, and the ongoing strong support from Head Of fice, it is expected that 2014 will be another year of great achievement for ZFP at King Khalid University.
