REGIONAL REPORT DFI Middle East Emad Sharif, Chair DFI Middle East DFI Middle East’s Annual Con- ference was held in May 2016 at the American University of Dubai, with whom the regional chapter enjoys an ongoing cooperative agreement. This two- day conference was attended by more than 150 participants, and was a success in terms of the quality of the speakers, partici- pation and feedback. Since then, there has been a lot happening for DFI Middle East, and a lot more is planned. In the spirit of Finding Common Ground, DFI Middle East provided a technical article to DFI of India for inclusion in its electronic newsletter in June 2016. On December 15, 2016, a workshop on rock slope stability was held in Muscat, Oman, which attracted a wide range of contractors and engineers, as rock slope studies and problems prevail in Oman. The workshop provided an opportunity to promote and expand the geographic presence of DFI, to plan future events and to provide interaction among industry stakeholders. In March 2017, DFI Middle East, in conjunction with the Arabian Tunneling Conference in Dubai, is organizing a workshop on Instrumentation for Geotechnical Applications. In July 2017, DFI Middle East is participating in GeoMEast 2017 in Egypt to increase our involvement in the region and to provide support for industry activities. The conference showcases recent developments and advancements in design, construction and safety inspections of transportation infrastructures and offers a forum to discuss and debate future directions for the 21st century. We will have a booth at the conference, and will meet with the Egyptian geotechnical community and other deep foundation industry representatives. More information is available at www.geomeast2017.org. The organizational committee of DFI Middle East meets regularly every four to six weeks. The committee consists of the following members: Chair Emad Sharif of e.construct/GTC Lab, Vice Chair Salah Dilimi of Roads & Transportation Authority, Treasurer and Secretary Nick Chittenden of BASF, Marwan Alzaylaie of DCCA, Keith Bryan of Bauer International, Qaiser Hyatt of CH2M, Hesham Shazli of Abu Dhabi Municipality, Peter Sharp of Mott MacDonald and Alexandros Yiagos, Ph.D., of Langan. Rendering of The Tower (credit: Emaar Properties) Middle East Economic and Related Expectations The deep foundations industry in the Middle East has witnessed growth and is expected to attract large construction and engineering companies because of the many megaprojects in the different countries represented by the regional chapter. Dubai remains a major source of such megaprojects, including super tall Between October 2020 and April 2021, Dubai will host the next World Exposition, bringing together more than 180 nations and an international audience of 25 million visitors. In anticipation of EXPO 2020, construction work on the Dh10.6 billion (US$2.9 billion) Dubai Metro extension began in late 2016. DEEP FOUNDATIONS • JAN/FEB 2017 • 57 towers, man-made islands, and tunnel and transportation projects. Other countries in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and Middle East, however, are proposing large infrastructure projects and other developments. The GCC is a regional political organization comprising Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. In this region, the main components of the deep foundation systems include drilled piles, driven marine piles, diaphragm and cutoff walls, ground improvement for liquefaction mitigation, temporary shoring systems for excavations greater than 20 m (66 ft) within city centers and urban areas, challenging dewatering, and instrumentation and monitoring. Furthermore, long tunnels (lengths in excess of tens of kilometers) in rural and within urban areas are being required, which have attracted many international companies to the region and are expected to lead geotechnical engineering applications during the coming years. Planned and Ongoing Projects in the Region United Arab Emirates — Construction is currently underway for The Tower, which will surpass Dubai’s 2,716 ft (828 m) tall Burj Khalifa as the world’s tallest building. The Tower will form the centerpiece of the 3.7 sq mi (9.6 sq km) Dubai Creek redevelopment project. The Dh2.7 billion (about US$735 million) Dubai Water Canal project will create a 3.2 km (2 mi) long canal with a total of 6.4 km (4 mi) of waterfront. The canal, which varies in width between 80 and 120 m (260 and 395 ft), has five pedestrian bridges, three of which connect either side of the canal with unique aesthetic specifications that boast of iconic engineering design.
