AUS alumnus lead construction of sustainability icon, Bee’ah Headquarters

Making a difference in the world has been a goal AUS alumnus Jad Louis was hoping to achieve in his career. This goal was realized when he became Project Lead on the construction of Bee’ah Headquarters in Sharjah, a net-zero icon for sustainability in the UAE.  

Having graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from AUS in 2013, Louis joined an international engineering consulting company, Buro Happold, which was commissioned to transform Zaha Hadid’s indelible design of Bee’ah Headquarters into reality. As Project Lead, Louis supervised a team of site engineers and inspectors, contract administration specialists, design support engineers, document controllers and many others to see the project through.

“The work was less about how much time we spent on the work and more about ensuring that all necessary aspects of the design were tackled and successfully completed. This is something that I want to stress, particularly to young professionals joining the field: staying accountable and ‘on top’ of your responsibilities is a key differentiator amongst practicing professionals and it certainly plays a major part in shaping careers,” said Louis.

With Zaha Hadid’s designs being known for their intense futuristic nature and difficulty in construction, Louis said that construction challenges come from the notion of pushing boundaries rather than the “impossibility” of construction.

“While Buro Happold was involved in this project from the onset, I got involved during the construction of this masterpiece. I found it both demanding and fulfilling and if I was to choose one aspect that I am proud we achieved, I would say the geometrical complexity of the structure, combined with Bee’ah’s ambitious take on technology integration,” explained Louis.

He added: “One lesson I took away from this experience is the absolute importance of working in a team. It is something we all probably know and hear a lot about, but I have witnessed first-hand how vital it is for the success of any project. It is always about the people you work with and ensuring that you have the right team with the right attitude and skill set. This guarantees the success of any endeavor including design and construction projects.”

Bee’ah Headquarters displays several construction innovations, which Louis oversaw during the construction of the project. Two aspects Louis highlighted were the central dome, which is the most interesting feature of the structure. With a span of 23 meters and 16 meters in height, the dome was envisioned with a fair-faced concrete finish. Louis also oversaw the work on 2,800 external glass fiber-reinforced concrete panels weighing in some instances more than 400 kilograms per panel, which clad the external envelope of the structure. Unique in dimension, each panel was modeled accurately and installed on a nonconventional curving surface, which required close coordination and collaboration between all teams involved. The building has Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum certification, which is the highest level on the most widely used green building rating system in the world.

“This was obviously a challenge and we achieved it by implementing several measures including an on-site Photovoltaic Farm with any residual power being stored on-site using Tesla storage batteries, in addition to several other operational measures required to achieve the LEED Platinum points. The design also allows for the imminent integration of complete solar power from a large solar farm being developed by Bee’ah across the road from the HQ. Once complete, this will allow the target of net-zero energy to be achieved,” said Louis.

Reflecting on his AUS university experience and the many aspects that have influenced his career path and his current work, Louis said: “AUS provided me with an excellent foundation to begin my journey in engineering. It is truly a great place to be for the wealth of knowledge it offers, the exceptional people on its campus and the way it shapes the mindset of its alumni. The way courses are delivered, standard of papers expected from students, and the overall demeanor of professors and staff instill a level of professionalism that we expect of ourselves post-graduation. I would say my years at CEN have certainly helped me better understand how to cope with stress and tight schedules, which is a skill that most of us never master but rather continue to develop.”

With the world population increasingly opting to live in cities, the impact of today’s urban areas will have on the people and planet of tomorrow is greater than in all of history, making the work of civil engineers more important. Engineering solutions for a civilization that is changing rapidly takes knowledge and experience. At AUS, civil engineering students are intimately involved in innovation that will usher the world’s cities into the future.

The Department of Civil Engineering at the College of Engineering at AUS offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in civil engineering.

A recent QS World University Subject Rankings (2022) has ranked AUS number one in the UAE and among the top ​150 universities globally for civil and structural engineering. AUS engineering graduates have also been ranked as the top choice for employers in the UAE, according to QS World University Subject Rankings (2022).  

For more information about the opportunities offered by the Department of Civil Engineering, visit www.aus.edu/cen/department-of-civil-engineering.