Hoarding assets

In the Middle East, if a bare patch of land doesn’t suggest that building is about to take shape, site hoardings certainly give the game away. In what is a relatively niche, and new, market with a handful of players, companies are sensing an opportunity and bringing with them innovative solutions.

Until three years ago, the material of choice for site and fence hoardings was timber. This changed when UK-based S&B entered the market, bringing with it steel hoardings which were stronger, cheaper and easier to assemble.

Logical Fencing has established itself over the past year, by offering not only a range of steel fencing, but also more innovative solutions. Al Ghattaura, group sales director, claims that the company recognised that the scope of options for site fencing in Dubai was not extensive and, therefore, saw an opportunity.

The conventional hoarding material is steel sheeting, which is effective as they overlap around a site, but their use can be limited. Consequently, Logical Fencing is pioneering an altogether new concept, recycled material, and the firm is not simply looking at Dubai.

“We are the sole distributor to the UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia of recycled plastic hoarding, which is 100% ecological,” explains Ghattaura. “We’ve been pushing RPP for 2 years and, recently, it has overtaken steel hoarding as far as temporary solutions go, with 12kms going up last month.”

Recyclable plastic panels offer many advantages over steel hoardings, not the least of which is their recyclability. The recovery and re-use rate of steel fences is only around 30%, as the structure can be damaged from external impact or rusting due to exposure to salts.

There is also a case that steel structures can be susceptible to strong winds, which may push them over.

From an economical point of view, steel fencing requires the attachment of a separate frame to their surfaces for advertising, which is impossible to repair.

“RPPs are competitively priced and are supplied with a five-year warranty,” continues Ghattaura. “A real advantage for developers looking to use their hoarding as advertising space is that we can print straight on to the plastic, which is cheaper than flex-wrap or vinyl; it’s better too. We begin production of these in January.”

Aesthetically, the plastic hoarding certainly looks tidier and it also offers sound-proofing technology that can reduce the noise of construction sites by over 500hz to 25db. Impervious to corrosive exposure from salt and moisture while also being easy to fix, it also affords environmental advantages, as it can easily be re-used in the event of a breakage or the need for replacement.Paul Grundy, director of S&B, insists that steel fencing still has plenty to offer and is durable enough to withstand the harsh Gulf climate with its sunlight, high winds and humidity.

Even if it has been attacked by the elements, fencing must be expected to endure a number of years. If its coating has been eroded away, it can be recoated and re-furbished at minimal cost unlike timber which could need replacing a number of times during a project,” he comments.

S&B, which is based in Dubai, is supplying fencing to a number of high-profile projects including the Burj Dubai, Dubai Metro, Palm Jumeirah, Dubailand and Business Bay.

One of the company’s largest contracts to date is Aldar Properties’ Al Raha Beach development in Abu Dhabi, which saw S&B employ 200 labourers to erect 8kms of fencing in just 30 days.

Grundy adds that while site hoardings are plentiful in the emirate, due to the expensive nature of advertising hoardings and the need for engineering tests and wind-load factors, the company is also developing business interests elsewhere.

To that end, Grundy says he is looking more at edge protection, which has applications in the high-rise market where mesh fencing is applied to the side of buildings to intercept falling objects.

Cost is inevitably a key part of the industry, and while Grundy advocates steel, fluctuating market prices in the region are hampering contractors, which is where, says Ghattaura, the cheaper recycled plastic technology offered by Logical Fencing holds the edge over its competitors.

That isn’t to say Logical Fencing is ignoring the potential offered by steel, especially as alternative products such as timber hoarding come with high maintenance costs and are time-consuming and costly to install. This approach also means the construction site looks untidy, which reflects poorly on the contractor and developer.

While the global slow down is affecting other industries based around development and construction, Ghattaura doesn’t think that the crisis will impact much upon the fencing and hoarding industry. “We’re UAE and Middle East-based. Even if a project is delayed, the site still needs to be enclosed in order to maintain its tidiness and safety.”

Although they may be competitors in a young industry, both Logical Fencing and S&B have the same message for developers considering their hoarding options.

“There are only two real players in the fencing and hoarding industry here and they’re us and S&B,” explains Ghattaura. “Other products might look the same but they give the industry a bad name by cutting corners. What we do is the real McCoy; we provide design services, full structural drawings, risk assessment, health and safety checks – everything to construct hoarding carefully and securely. Developers shouldn’t accept anything less.

With more projects being unveiled on an almost daily basis, it is clear that there is only going to be greater scope for companies to implement innovative alternatives, solutions and technologies to every facet of the construction process and it will be surprising if the next 12 months doesn’t see more companies looking to make an impact on this understated, yet essential, part of any development.