China-Pakistan Superhighway worth $46 Billion Gets Go Ahead
China and Pakistan have launched a plan worth $46 billion to link their economies by forging “Silk Road” land and sea ties to allow for better reach to the Middle East and Europe. With growth in key industry areas such as energy and infrastructure becoming vital to future development and international relations, the two countries’ economic ambitions will serve to meet growing demand for trade. China’s President Xi Jinping signed the agreement for a China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) on the 20th April, which includes a network of roads, railways and pipelines between the long-term allies in the next 15 years. They will span 1,865 miles from Gwadar, Pakistan, to China’s western Xinjiang region, giving China direct access to the Indian Ocean and beyond. The $46 billion figure is around 20 percent of Pakistan’s own GDP, and is more than the GDP of 106 countries worldwide. “The aim of the project is simple: to create a trade route, or ‘superhighway’, from the western Chinese city of Kashgar to the southern Pakistani port of Gwadar,” says news platform Desiblitz. Pakistan and China have held close diplomatic military and economic ties for decades. Under the CPEC development, the Chinese government and banks will lend to Chinese companies to allow them to invest in projects as commercial ventures. Moreover the new routes will provide China with cheaper market access to the Middle East by providing an alternative trade route, rather than using its current ports on the eastern and southern coasts; these areas are vital for the country’s oil imports. “The Chinese are stepping…
HWA Seng Builder
Unwavering Commitment to World-Class StandardsWith a long-term goal to become more involved in some of Singapore’s major infrastructure projects, Hwa Seng Builder strives to emerge as a leader in civil engineering Writer: Emily JarvisProject Manager: Arron RamplingAlthough a relatively young company, Singapore-based Hwa Seng Builder Pte Ltd (HSB) has already made a name for itself as a leading, award-winning provider of civil engineering and construction in Singapore; and is eager to become more competitive this year in order to win new projects.According to Thomas Ng, HSB Managing Director, in the years since its founding in 1992, the Group has grown to become a force to be reckoned with in a number of fields across its three subsidiaries; Hwa Seng Builder Pte Ltd, Hwa Seng Investment Pte Ltd and CNH Investment Pte Ltd.“We work on a wide range of infrastructure projects such as building expressways, runways, bridges, road and drainage systems; golf courses and all other works and general building construction. We also have subsidiaries which deal with property development, particularly private apartments,” Ng said.HSB was originally established as a way of tapping into local technical know-how, expertise and resources. Now, the company has become a go-to provider for the region thanks to the consistent high level of quality it is able to provide.“We have two decades of experience working in Singapore,” Ng said, demonstrating a clear understanding of the ingredients needed to see the company succeed. “We have wide ranging experience in the field and a team of expert professionals and management who are committed to their tasks…
Ranchan Group
Bringing International Thinking to MalaysiaRanchan Group delivers cutting-edge technology to the ports of Southeast Asia and the Middle East while forging ahead with a globalisation strategy for ports around the world Writer: Emily JarvisProject Manager: Ben WiggerThe former Prime Minister, Tun Mahathir once said that Malaysia would one day be recognised as a maritime nation. Today, Ranchan Group firmly believes this dream can be realised, through direct empowerment of Malaysian maritime industry players; using the latest technological advancements accompanied by strong government support. Moreover, the company is evolving beyond the country’s borders and looking closely at international business opportunities that will set Ranchan further apart from the competition. “A considerable number of Malaysian companies are dependent on government projects. However, given that Malaysia is surrounded by water, there are tremendous opportunities for the company internationally and Ranchan Group has the experience to go out and pitch development ideas via new business opportunities,” says Group Managing Director, Mr Chandrasegaran Uthamaseelan, who hopes to list the heavy engineering and maritime divisions of Ranchan on the Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange by 2020.As a relatively young contender in the maritime, heavy engineering and technology sectors, Ranchan was first incorporated in 2006 and comprised just three team members with an initial focus in heavy engineering. Setting its sights on becoming an end-to-end marine transportation provider for the port industry, Ranchan also created a range of services to support major shipping lines by providing container feeder services to and from Malaysia and Indonesia. “Now with more than 50 members of staff across various…
ARCADIS and UN-Habitat Celebrate Five Years of the Shelter Programme
ARCADIS, the leading global natural and built asset design and consultancy firm, and UN-Habitat, the United Nations Agency for Human Settlements, have celebrated the fifth anniversary of Shelter, their partnership aimed at improving the quality of life in rapidly growing cities around the world. Through the programme, which was first established in March 2010, ARCADIS provides pro-bono expertise for UN-Habitat’s humanitarian projects, contributing to key activities of UN-Habitat. During these first five years, more than 50 missions, training events and other Shelter activities have been organized in Asia, Africa and Central America. These events have seen more than 500 ARCADIS experts share their expertise and skills to help move forward the UN-Habitat mission. Shelter missions have included support after the earthquake in Haiti, master planning for secondary cities in Rwanda, a master plan for the redevelopment of Tacloban in the Philippines after the devastating typhoon, coastal management in Sri Lanka, Senegal and Costa Rica and climate change adaption in Mongolia and Mozambique. Neil McArthur, Chief Executive, ARCADIS said: “We are very pleased to celebrate five years of the Shelter programme. Many communities around the globe have benefited from the expertise that the programme has given them access to. Moreover, it is very popular with our people who enjoy the opportunity to use their skills to make a difference in developing countries facing real, tangible problems.” UN Under-Secretary-General and UN-Habitat Executive Director, Dr Joan Clos, said: “The private sector can play a key role in meeting urban challenges. Staff at ARCADIS have shown commitment and dedication to the Shelter programme which…
EC Harris Announces Work on World’s Largest Airport Terminal in Beijing
EC Harris, an Arcadis company, is working with Beijing New Airport Headquarters (BNAH) on the new Beijing Capital Airport project, which, when completed, will be one of the world’s largest airport terminal. EC Harris is part of a joint design team which also includes ADP Ingénierie(ADPI), Zaha Hadid Architects(ZHA), Buro Happold(BH) and Mott MacDonald(MM) appointed by BNAH. The $14bn project integrates ADP Ingénierie’s winning concept principles with Zaha Hadid Consortium Group (ZHA, EC Harris, BH, MM and Pascall+Watson)’s approach. EC Harris is involved in several areas of the project including traffic forecast, capacity assessments, design inputs and reviews, cost, commercial and operational planning, and environmental and sustainable development principles. Caspar Baum, Head of Aviation, Asia-Pacific at Arcadis said: “We are very excited and incredibly honoured to be involved in this milestone project. Our long standing working relationships with Beijing Capital Airport and in depth knowledge of the global and China’s aviation industry have contributed to Zaha Hadid Consortium Group’s shortlist on this project.” The building will have an initial capacity of 45 million passengers a year when completed in 2018. It could subsequently be upgraded to more than 100 million passengers.Following the completion of the concept design stage, the project is now being led by the Local Design Institute team under the BNAH leadership.
Hong Kong Tops Table as Asia’s Most Expensive Market for Construction
Hong Kong is the most expensive market in Asia for construction while Japan, Macau and Singapore have seen significant relative cost reductions over the last year. However, Switzerland and Denmark overtook Hong Kong to become the top 2 most expensive markets in the world, according to the International Construction Costs Report released today by Arcadis. The annual study, which benchmarks building costs in 43 markets across the globe, found that relative construction costs have been affected by currency fluctuations, commodity prices and increasing demand for development in some recovering economies. These changes have seen the relative cost of building in Asia markets decrease significantly compared to markets in other regions. In contrast to last year’s index, European countries dominate the top ten. This is due, in part, to the ongoing economic recovery in the likes of Germany and France which is gradually translating into contractors demanding more for their services. Meanwhile, currency devaluation in many emerging markets like India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam has caused the relative costs to drop considerably. Hong Kong and Singapore saw strong growth throughout the year, driven by a combination of robust housing markets and high levels of infrastructure spend. In China, the gradual shift to a consumption-based economy means that the huge growth in construction that we have witnessed over the last ten years is unlikely to continue in the long term. Elsewhere in Asia, construction markets had another strong year, particularly in Japan, where the stimulus associated with one of the three ‘arrows’ of Abenomics has had a significant impact.
Sunhuan Holdings 2014
From Humble Beginnings to Construction Prosperity Singapore-based construction contractor, Sunhuan has grown exponentially from an initial $4,000 investment, to become one of the industry’s leading lights Writer Chris Davies Project Manager Arron Rampling Founded in 1993, Sunhuan Holdings is a Singaporebased construction contractor that has completed almost 60 projects, built more than 6,000 homes and achieved a contract sum of over SGD $1 billion throughout its existence. Initially a sub-contractor, the company started off with just 15 members of staff, but today employs around 700 people.With a mission to “provide sustainable and cost-effective methods to all our projects and ensure customer satisfaction”, Sunhuan keeps the local community’s best interests at heart, but understands the importance of remaining competitive and profitable, which is backed up by its vision. “We pledge to provide quality construction services to our clients, and emerge as a reliable construction company,” notes Sunhuan. Visionary LeadershipSunhuan’s rise to construction prominence in Singapore would not have been possible without the visionary leadership of Sun Lai Fong. After leaving China to support his aging parents and five younger siblings, Sun soon found work at a construction company in Singapore aged 26. Earning just $13 a day or $400 a month, he gained invaluable industry experience and even attended night classes to improve his expertise. With his newly acquired knowledge and modest savings of around $4,000, Sun decided to start his own business, as Singapore’s construction industry was booming at the time. He was well aware of the risks, but started with small-scale projects to gain a solid reputation…
Chip Eng Seng
Making Dream Houses their Pride Chip Eng Seng has expanded its range of services and operational markets from the private sector to public housing, becoming one of Singapore’s leading construction companies in the process Writer Matthew StaffProject Manager Ben Wigger Chip Eng Seng believes that each small step helps build the foundation for a stronger tomorrow, following Confucius’ principle of “the man who moves a mountain begins by carrying away small stones”, and has stood by that belief over the past 50 years. Founded by Executive Chairman, Mr Lim Tiam Seng, the Group started as a humble subcontractor in the 1960s before evolving into the leading property and construction group it is today, with core businesses in areas of property developments, property investments, construction and hospitality across Singapore, Australia and Malaysia.Through competitive pricing and delivery of superior work quality, Chip Eng Seng scales new heights year-on-year, making its mark in the public housing market following its appointment as the main contractor for its first Housing and Development Board (“HDB”) project in 1982.With the expertise and ability to comply with the HDB’s stringent requirements, Chip Eng Seng has since completed many projects, including the award-winning iconic Pinnacle@ Duxton, and can be regarded as one of the leading public housing contractors in Singapore.In 1999, the Group reached yet another milestone by undergoing a successful listing on the Mainboard of the Singapore Exchange Securities Trading Limited (“SGX-ST”). Today, the Group has a market capitalisation in excess of $500 million, compared to $88 million as of listing date.Post-listing, the Group made…
China to Build $31 Billion Worth of New Infrastructure
China's economic planner has approved the construction of 192 billion yuan ($31 billion) of roads and an airport in the latest government effort to increase investment and support a slowing economy. Five roads will be built in the southern and central region and provinces of Guangxi, Guangdong and Sichuan, the National Development and Reform Commission said on its website. China's economic planner has approved the construction of 192 billion yuan ($31 billion) of roads and an airport in the latest government effort to increase investment and support a slowing economy. Five roads will be built in the southern and central region and provinces of Guangxi, Guangdong and Sichuan, the National Development and Reform Commission said on its website. It said that 80 billion yuan would be invested in Beijing to build a third airport in the capital city.Investment is a crucial driver of the world's second-largest economy, but it has slowed this year as authorities try to re-engineer the growth model by reducing inefficient state spending and encouraging domestic consumption. Official data showed investment, which accounted for nearly 42 percent of China's economic growth in the first nine months of this year, grew at its slowest pace in nearly 13 years between January and November at 15.8 percent. Listless growth in investment and a sagging housing market have led some analysts to predict that China may slip into its worst economic cool down in nearly a quarter of a century this year as annual growth hits a 24-year-low of 7.4 percent.SOURCE: http://www.cnbc.com/id/102270776
TG Development
Redefining Urban Luxury Housing in Singapore TG Development has completed an extensive amount of property projects as well as signing many lucrative joint ventures that have culminated distinct architectural masterpieces on the singapore landscape Writer Emily Jarvis Project Manager Ben Wigger TG Development develops premium residential properties in Singapore and is an integral player in shaping the country's exclusive housing landscape, contributing to its architectural and design achievements on the international stage. TG Development has completed an extensive amount of property projects as well as signing many lucrative joint ventures that have culminated distinct architectural masterpieces on the Singapore landscape. From terrace houses to semi-detached homes, good class bungalows to apartments and condominiums, the company has a wealth of expertise to support these quality development projects. TG Development is committed to delivering excellent spatial designs with trustworthy quality and services, by working closely with acclaimed architects and interior designers to bring about a unique architectural perspective that is both in harmony with the surroundings and is sensitive to the needs of discerning city dwellers. The end creation is an ideal home that marries exclusivity, luxury and modern comfort. Founded by Mr Ong Boon Chuan in 1987, with the ambition of developing luxurious residences reflecting exquisite taste and superior design, TG Development believe that the ownership of a house is symbolic of a commitment to the family and provides a sense of fulfilment. This drives the company to provide better quality living spaces, especially in the land-scarce Singapore, where they are important assets to own and serve…
