JEDDAH — MEED has announced this year's winners of the MEED Quality Awards for Projects 2014, in association with Mashreq, the only awards program to recognize completed projects in the Gulf region. Saudi Arabia took the spotlight three times, winning awards in as many categories. King Fahad National Library's King Fahad National Library Project, nominated by Saudi Binladin Group & Gerber Architekten, scooped the Social Project of the Year award, while the National Water Company's Riyadh Water Supply Project won in the Water & Water Reuse Project of the Year category. MARS Inc.'s MARS Chocolate Factory Project, nominated by Hyder Consulting Middle East Ltd, won the Small Project of the Year award. With its three awards, Saudi Arabia tied with Bahrain for the second most number of trophies won, just one behind the United Arab Emirates. Oman and Qatar had one award-winning project each. “We received a record number of entrants this year, and expected a stiffer competition from completed projects across the GCC. This is a clear affirmation that the projects industry throughout the region has regained its robustness, completing projects at a much faster pace following the slowdown in recent years. We congratulate the winners for delivering their projects to the highest quality standards and contributing to the socio-economic development of the region,” said Edmund O' Sullivan, Chairman, MEED, organizers of the MEED Quality Awards for Projects, in association with Mashreq. Bahrain Petroleum Company's (BAPCO) Install Refinery Wastewater Treatment Plant Project received the evening's highest honor, the MEED Quality Project of the Year, in association with Mashreq award; and the Sustainable Project of the Year trophy. The Ministry of Works' North Manama Causeway Project, nominated by Hyder Consulting Middle East Ltd, won the CH2M HILL Transport Project of the Year award. UAE-based projects emerged triumphant in four categories, with Abu Dhabi National Oil Company's (ADNOC) Industrial Gas Development Project, nominated by Abu Dhabi Gas Industries Ltd. (GASCO), winning Industrial Project of the Year; and Dubai Electricity and Water Authority's (DEWA) Mohammed Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum Solar Park Phase 1 Project, nominated by First Solar Middle East, taking home the Power Project of the Year trophy. Cayan Group Real Estate Investment & Development's Cayan Tower Project scooped the Louis Berger Building Project of the Year, while Ruwais Fertilizer Industries' Fertil-2 Ammonia & Urea Expansion Project, nominated by Samsung Engineering, received the HLG Oil & Gas Project of the Year award. The Leisure and Tourism Project of the Year category was won by United Real Estate Company's Salalah Gardens Mall and Residences Project in Oman; while Qatar's Baytna — Qatar's First Passivhaus Project, jointly owned by Qatar Green Building Council (QGBC), Barwa Real Estate Group (BRE) and Qatar General Electricity & Water Corporation (Kahramaa), and nominated by ETA Star Engineering & Contracting, received the Award for Innovation, a category introduced only this year. Julio Armando De Quesada, Head of Corporate and Investment Banking Group, Mashreq, headline sponsor of the awards, congratulated the winners and praised their commitment to executing their projects to the highest standards of quality and project excellence. “We salute the winners for their unwavering commitment to delivering their projects according to the industry's recognized quality benchmarks and hope that others will follow their commendable example. The excellent execution of these projects ensures their intended business objectives as well as the invariable socio-economic and environmental impact that they have are optimized. We are delighted to be a part of this recognition program that we believe will not only benefit the projects sector, but also contribute to the progress of the GCC in the years ahead,” De Quesada added. In another major highlight of the awards ceremony, MEED handed out special citations to two distinguished organizations for their contributions to the projects sector in the region. Qatar Foundation received the MEED Editor's Award, an honor given each year to a person or organization that stands out not only for specific achievements, but also for what it represents in terms of leadership and vision, in being a role model for the region. The other special award, the Angus Hindley Award for Project Excellence 2014, was given to ACWA Power from Saudi Arabia for its excellent track record and outstanding achievements in the delivery of electricity and desalinated water projects throughout the world. – SG
