The initial contract is for a 3-year period, and includes full hard, soft and civil facility management services including operations and maintenance of electrical systems, HVAC and ventilation systems, potable water, fire detection systems, life-safety critical systems, elevators, BMS, low voltage systems and civil infrastructure work. Cooling of the buildings is provided via an energy efficient district cooling plant located within the confines of the site to assist natural cooling elements of the building design.

“Energy Management plays a key role in the scope of work, and we will be introducing several innovative forms of technology and ideas to continually improve our efficiency and service delivery,” explained Ian Harfield, CEO of Cofely Besix Facility Management. “It is very important for us to be part of the evolution of the Masdar project, especially now as it starts to mature as a concept. For Cofely Besix Facility Management to be aligned with a customer that is dedicated to the making the principals of energy efficiency in a living city environment, really applies a test to our operations and maintenance teams to ensure that it all works towards a common goal, and the results merely reinforce the sustainable vision set by Masdar.” 

In addition to the Masdar City contract, Cofely Besix has recently booked two further successes in the Middle East: the extension of its Facility Management contract of the world’s biggest shopping mall (Dubai Mall) for another 3 years; and a major Facility Management contract in Qatar.

What is Masdar City ?

Masdar City is a planned city project constructed 17 km from Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. Constructions began in 2008 and the first six buildings of the city were completed and occupied end 2010. Its first tenant was the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology.

Powered by renewable energy, Masdar City combines sustainable design principles to showcase how an urban environment can accommodate denser populations with fewer resources even in a dry, arid climate. Designed as a clean technology cluster with special economic incentives, the city attracts companies to commercialise and deploy new energy technologies in the Middle East. The community is currently home to 198 companies, including the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), Siemens’ regional headquarters, among others.

Our Group in Masdar City

Cofely Besix is not the only Group entity to be present in Masdar City. Early 2015, ENGIE Labs opened an office in the city to channel our R&D activities towards local needs and support regional economic growth. At the occasion of the World Future Energy Summit in Abu Dhabi in January 2015, ENGIE Labs, together with SUEZ, signed a research contract with the Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company and the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology to study seawater desalination using solar power. The contract provides for a study of possible use of 100% solar power to desalinate seawater, a feat that would be a world premiere.

About Cofely Besix Facility Management

Cofely Besix Facility Management LLC is a joint-venture established in 2008 by Cofely and the BESIX Group, to provide first-class integrated facility management services in the Middle East. The company employs 650 staff members in the UAE and 800 in Qatar.

Cofely Besix Facility Management delivers an Integrated Facility Management Model which provides the ability to offer multiple services on multiple sites, all through a single point of contact. That means that we offer a complete range of maintenance, cleaning, management solutions and essential multi-disciplinary trades, supported via a 24/7 call centre, to every industry sector, from residential and commercial to educational and airports.

Clients include The Emirates Group, Dubai Mall and the Dubai Fountains, Emirates Real Estate Corporation, Yas Island and Adar Headquarters in Abu Dhabi, to name a few.