The Middle East office of Hyder Consulting, a leading advisory and design consultancy organisation, has added another landmark project to its impressive portfolio through its association with the Riffa Views project.

At the development, which is set to redefine luxury living, the company was involved in the detailed design and is currently undertaking supervision of its primary infrastructure that encompasses road works, streetlighting, drainage works, and potable water and power supply.
In addition, the organisation is also involved with the design of the water features at the project that include three large lakes and a host of smaller lakes, which will not only serve as water hazards on the golf course but also as water reservoirs for irrigation in the project’s largest component – The Lagoons Estate.
The lakes, which were designed by Watson Khonji as the subconsultant, are currently being lined with geotextile membranes to prevent water loss due to seepage.
Following the award of the enabling works contract for the project in early 2006, the organisation was one of the first to be on site, supervising site preparation works that involved rationalising the existing utilities as well as commissioning newer ones to facilitate a host of other contractors to start work on their contracts.
Since then, the company has been associated with all the infrastructure works on the three main components of the project that comprise The Oasis, Lagoons and Park estates.
Hyder Consulting has been supervising the laying of the power and water utilities across the project and expects the task to be completed by early next year. The road works have progressed to formation level with asphalting to be undertaken once the project nears completion, in mid-2009.
Another task in its scope of works is the supervision of the installation of a security management system at the four gated entrances to the development and the design of the utilities and access roads leading to the Riffa Views International School, which is scheduled for a September opening.
Hyder Consulting has also been responsible for designing the sewage network leading to a sewage treatment plant, which will have a capacity to treat up to 4,000 cu m of waste water a day. The resulting treated sewage effluent (TSE) will cater for the irrigation requirements of the project.
A reverse osmosis (RO) plant has also been commissioned at Riffa Views development to ensure the supply of water for domestic consumption as well as to meet the irrigation requirements of the golf course.
Commenting on the various challenges that the firm has encountered on the 270-hectare development, Iwan Griffith, infrastructure function group head at Hyder Consulting, says: “The uneven terrain posed one of the main challenges, which was to balance the earthworks operations across the site to provide the project with the desired contours and dimensions. Other challenges have included a shortage of materials and the escalating costs, which is a common challenge for all contractors in the region. The project also had a unique problem, in that it had several oil and gas facilities that had to be relocated safely.”
Coordinating with the various contractors and consultants on the site has also been a challenge, says Griffith. “Since work was progressing simultaneously on all the components of the project, we were involved with constant interfacing with the various stakeholders, ranging from the villa and golf course consultants and contractors to the masterplanners, the landscapers and the government agencies. For instance, one particular element of works that required the co-ordination with the government agencies was when we had to extend the infrastructure networks to The Park Estate, which lay across the public highway. This meant that we had to excavate the live road to enable the road crossings of the required utilities, such as the power and water with close co-ordination with the governmental bodies. Restrictions such as services clearances and road closure requirements were adhered to.”
Elaborating on one of the unique features of the project, Griffith says: “Riffa Views is the first project in the kingdom that is using a pressurised water supply system instead of the usual system of elevated reservoirs which work on the principle of gravity.”
Apart from Riffa Views project, the organisation has also been associated with other major developments in Bahrain. One of the largest projects that Hyder Consulting is currently working on is Diyaar Al Muharraq where it is undertaking the infrastructure and associated landscape design. The 500-hectare development, which is set to take shape off the east coast of Muharraq, will include the construction of five bridges that will link the islands to the mainland.
Another mega project that the organisation is currently engaged in is the Al Areen Desert Spa and Resort in Bahrain. “Utilising our experience and applying the lessons learned from other large-scale multi-use developments around the region, Hyder has provided full infrastructure design and supervision services to the Al Areen Desert Spa and Resort, including substantial upgrading of the surrounding public road network,” says a spokesman for the firm.
In addition to the general infrastructure networks, Hyder has prepared performance specifications for a project-dedicated sewage treatment plant and RO plant at the 2 million sq m development.
“Treated sewage effluent will be distributed throughout the development for irrigation purposes. Ground water treated in the RO plant will supply the initial stages of the development with treated water until the government water supply network is in place,” says the spokesman.
The organisation is also undertaking the design and supervision of the infrastructure facilities at the Bahrain Investment Wharf development.
Some of the other major projects that the company has been involved with in the region, include the Burj Dubai tower and the Ski Dome Dubai.
Backed by more than 150 years of experience, Hyder is an international advisory and design consultancy with a focus on property, transport, water and the environment. The organisation, which is also one of the most established international consultants in the Middle East, has offices in the UAE, Bahrain, Qatar and Oman. Its regional team comprises more than 1,200 highly-qualified employees whose understanding and advocacy of regional issues, such as the trends towards more sustainable development, is supported by world-class expertise from the entire group in sectors such as tall buildings, amongst others.