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Dar Al Omran reveal “obstacles” in Khorfakkan Amphitheatre project

EXCLUSIVE: The Jordan-based consultancy shares details on the tech, safety and sustainability elements of the project.

February 16, 2021

Following construction completion in December 2020 on the Khorfakkan Amphitheatre – which is the largest development project in the city, Construction Week gained insight from a spokesperson at Jordan-based Dar Al Omran.

Dar Al Omran led the architecture, MEP and landscape design services on the design-and-build project.

Speaking with Construction Week, a Dar Al Omran spokesperson said: “Dar Al Omran provided full architectural and landscape design in addition to site support and shop drawings review, MEP, structure of the project, concept design as well as reviewing and monitoring of construction stages.”

The amphitheatre was built on a total area of 17,652m2, taking into consideration the needs for the latest technology in lighting and acoustics.

Commenting on this, the spokesperson said: “By design, and historically, Roman amphitheatres were built based on the use of acoustical characteristic of shapes and materials. At the early stage of this project, Dar Al Omran closely studied the Roman methodology and shaped the structure in a modern form. Key characteristics include round seating arrangement, stage size and its relation with seating, and the links between lines of site.

In addition, infrastructure for audio and visual systems was implemented in a comprehensive manner, ensuring the adoption of latest technologies. For this, Dar Al Omran coordinated with a specialised consultant and technology provider to achieve best results.”

Design for the project was “smooth” as it was completed before the impact of the ongoing pandemic trickled onto the project. However, during construction, the company faced several “obstacles” in terms of “work flow, manpower, procurements,”, with the effects spilling over to the sub-contractor’s scope of work, the spokesperson told Construction Week.

“The amphitheatre design took into consideration local regulation and codes to ensure safety and accessibility for all users. Moreover, Dar Al Omran studied general sustainability principles and incorporated in all design services,” the spokesperson said about the safety and sustainability elements associated with the project.

Inarguably, supply has suffered across projects in the region leading to delays, potential stoppages or alterations in timelines. Dar Al Omran confirmed that due to similar disruptions in supply and with inactivity from suppliers, owing to COVID-19, it was “forced to change suppliers” and chalk out alternative solutions to meet prescribed deadlines for the grand opening.

Jordan’s Dar Al Omran Planning, Architecture, Engineering are currently working on several “important projects” in the GCC, with a specific focus on the UAE and Saudi Arabia, of which some are already under-construction.