|
Nass Landscapes has taken on the challenge of creating stunning landscapes in the Middle East, reports LIZ O’REILLY
Bahrain is a small island with big ideas, currently undergoing its own building boom with ambitious residential and commercial projects still underway despite the downturn. Many of these feature extensive landscaping, much of it in the hands of landscape contractor Nass Landscapes. Established 13 years ago, the company is part of the Nass Group and employs more than 400 people.
Nass Landscapes general manager Mike O’Brien spoke to MEI about the company’s projects and the peculiarities of creating landscapes in arid regions.
Does Nass only handle large-scale projects or are you also involved with individual commissions?
Nass Landscapes (NL) executes projects of all sizes but the bulk of our turnover comes from large contracts. For example, we are currently working on landscape and irrigation installation works at Riffa Views (probably the largest landscape contract ever awarded in Bahrain) and on dozens of individual villa gardens at Durrat al Bahrain. We have completed: Riffa Golf Club, Ritz Carlton VIP Villas, various Royal Court and ministry projects, Arad Bay, Durrat Al Bahrain Mainland A, Royal Golf Club and many more. Currently we are working on King Hamad General Hospital, Riffa Views, Bahrain Map Junction and numerous private villas.
 |
|
Living landscapes: Plants come
from all over the world | Are there any particular challenges in creating projects in this part of the world and how are these addressed?
The main challenges in creating and sustaining landscapes in the Gulf region are the lack of natural soil and shortage of water. Landscape consultants and contractors have plenty of experience of creating effective planting media from good quality sand and organic and inorganic amendments. In Bahrain it is becoming more difficult to source sand of the quality demanded by consultants and this is likely to continue unless the import of sand from Saudi Arabia is again allowed.
The rapid increase in population and landscaped areas is increasing the demand on the limited water resource. The increased use of treated sewage effluent (TSE) for irrigation purposes is helping but the quantity and quality of ground water supplies continues to decline because of the levels of usage.
Landscape architects are beginning to respond to this challenge by specifying more drought-resistant plants and incorporating more hardworks into designs such as ornamental gravels. The introduction of effective water-saving soil amendments also has the potential to relieve a great deal of the pressure on the dwindling water supply.
What are the most popular trends you have seen emerging and what’s in store for the future?
Following on from my comments on water resource, we have noticed a growing interest in artificial turf – from our villa-owning clients in particular. The latest generation of artificial landscaping turf is, in appearance, a great improvement on what was available even a couple of years ago. Grass is often the biggest user of irrigation water in a garden so installing artificial grass has an enormous impact in terms of water saving. The initial cost of installation is significantly higher than natural turf but there are immediate and continuing savings in maintenance and water costs. There is no limit on usage of artificial turf areas compared with natural grass which is of course vulnerable to wear if heavily used.
Another major saving in irrigation water comes from the incorporation of water saving amendments into planting media mixes. There was very much a false start in using products that claimed to reduce the amount of irrigation water required and materials such as artificial polymer gels and some mineral additives have now been discredited as completely ineffective. However, there are amendments now available that not only deliver the water saving but show significant benefits in terms of plant establishment and development.
By specifying artificial turf and effective water saving amendments that can reduce irrigation rates by 50 per cent, landscape architects can produce much more landscape for the litre of water than they could in the past.
Who are the main landscape designers you work with?
The largest projects are designed by international firms of architects such as WS Atkins and EDAW. Medium sized projects (eg Arad Bay, King Hamad General Hospital) are usually designed by locally-based specialists such as John Davies Landscape Consultants, Landscape Solutions Consultancy and MSCEB. Private villa jobs are designed either by these locally based firms or in some cases by ourselves.
Can you outline the design process?
a) Initial meeting with client to discuss basic requirements;
b) Preparation of initial concept design and budget estimate;
c) Amendment of concept design after review with client;
d) Submission of final detailed design and quotation; and
e) After approval by client installation is commenced.
We use subcontractors for pools, water features, play equipment and such outdoor living areas. We use Nass Electrical, another member of the Nass Group, for landscape lighting.
What are the main products and plantings used in your projects and where are these sourced from?
We source plants from all over the world through our specialist suppliers. Currently we are bringing large quantities of trees and other plants from Thailand, South Africa, Malaysia and Italy for example. Other materials are also sourced from around the world – from America, Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia.
Who are the leading companies you work with?
We use a wide variety of suppliers and subcontractors. We invariably use other Nass Group companies where appropriate – Nass Contracting – civil works, Nass Asphalt – roads and paths, Delmon Precast, Delmon Readymix, Nass Scafform, Bahrain Organic Products – planting media and organic fertilizers, NOP-Nass – water saving amendments, Nass Sand Processing – washed sand, Nass Ice Plant – potable water for irrigation, Nass Electrical – landscape lighting. A major strength of Nass Landscapes is that we can take advantage of a wide range of resources and expertise within the Nass Group.
What would be the cost of a major project like Riffa Views and what is the scale of this in terms of man hours?
The largest landscape projects in Bahrain can be worth up to BD10 million ($26.5 million) and require a labour force of hundreds for one or two years.
In some circumstance we will undertake jobs worth less than BD10,000 that may take just two or three weeks. There is really no limit on the smaller side.
What happens once the project is finished?
Landscape is a living organism and, as such, continuous high-quality maintenance is crucial. We have a large and very successful maintenance department which looks after many high-profile landscape installations such as the gardens of some of Bahrain’s leading hotels and resorts, the National Stadium and other major sports facilities as well as private gardens. |
RSS Feeds:
