Ajman Free Zone boosts India ties

AJMAN Free Zone Authority has forged an alliance with India-based Afza International, a company that will exclusively market and promote the zone, in its drive to expand its global reach.

In order to stay closer to potential overseas customers, Afza is entering into international partnerships as well as studying the options of opening its own offices in the key markets of the subcontinent, Africa and the UK.

Afza said opening these offices were in line with the free zone’s accelerated strategic campaign to attract global investors from across the world to its premises which now houses more than 7,000 companies.

Ajman Free Zone recently announced a slew of initiatives that would be of particular interest to small and medium enterprises. These initiatives include flexible investment plans to smart offices and smart warehouses which present unparalleled cost-effective solutions to investors wanting to operate from the free zone.

UAE tops ‘vainest skyscrapers’ list

THE UAE has the “vainest” skyscrapers in the world, a report measuring the extent of spires and other height-boosting additions to the top of buildings said.

 The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) said unusable space at the top of the UAE’s 19 tallest buildings was an average 19 per cent of their total height, a measure it called the “vanity height”.

The building with the largest vanity height is the 828-m Burj Khalifa in Dubai, of which 29 per cent or 244 m is unusable – which would rank on its own as the 11th tallest building in Europe, the CTBUH said.

 The top three was completed by the Zifeng Tower in Nanjing, China, and the Bank of America Tower in New York. China and the US were also second and third respectively for the average figure across all of their tall buildings.

Developers typically get higher rents on upper floors, but in developing economies where land and labour is cheaper they can more readily use tall buildings to spark nearby development and make wider schemes viable, said Steve Watts, a tall buildings expert at construction consultancy Alinea.

Spider Access wins Index Tower deal

SPIDER Access, a Gulf-based specialist building operator, said it has won a three-year contract to service Index Tower, an award-winning high-rise development in Dubai.

At 328 m tall, the 80-storey Index Tower located at Dubai International Finance Centre was one of the first high-rise developments in the region to be designed to work in synergy with its climatic surroundings. Index Tower’s height and environmental features pose specific maintenance challenges, which Spider Access will be addressing as a part of its customised service plan, said managing director Mazen Harake.

The Hub ... award winner.

The Hub of American hardwood

THE Hub, a stylish restaurant located in the Dubai International Airport – Terminal 3, has won the ‘Outstanding use of American Hardwood in the Middle East’ award at the Commercial Interior Design (CID) Awards 2013.

The award was presented last month by Roderick Wiles, AHEC (American Hardwood Export Council) director for Africa, Middle East, South Asia and Oceania to Cliff Caley, area general manager, AMBB Interiors, which was responsible for the complete joinery on the project. This is the third year running that the AHEC, the leading international trade association for the American hardwood industry, has supported the prestigious CID Awards.

The Hub was recognised for its simple use of American white oak, which flows seamlessly throughout the design from the floors, to the ceiling trellis, to the bars and furniture.

Echo Barrier signs deal with Moov

UK-BASED Echo Barrier has signed a contract with Dubai-based Moov, which will distribute its H series of barriers across Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Saudi Arabia.

The Echo Barrier ‘H’ series of products are easy to install, light and flexible noise reduction barriers which reduce the amount of unwanted and disruptive noise coming from building sites and events. They have been put to effective use in the UK on construction projects taking place in community areas such as town centres and railway stations.

Delta Faucet opens regional HQ

DELTA Faucet, one of the largest manufacturers of residential and commercial faucets, has opened its new regional headquarters in the UAE.

The headquarters is strategically located at the heart of the JLT Free Zone in Dubai.

The new multi-purpose operation will support the company’s continued growth in the region, serving as the sales and marketing hub, providing training facilities for design and construction professionals and operating as a corporate showroom showcasing innovative products from the Delta and Brizo brands.

Autodesk offers cost-effective options

AUTODESK customers, including engineers and designers, will now be able to pay as they go for all of the company’s latest design and creation suites, Autodesk 3ds Max, Autodesk Maya, and the new Autodesk Maya LT.

For the first time, customers can purchase access to a range of Autodesk desktop software on a monthly, quarterly or annual basis, in addition to traditional licences, broadly expanding choices in how to access and pay for Autodesk software.