In this three page special, Roxane McMeeken uncovers the myths that surround moving to Dubai, the challenges Mace and Davis Langdon faced when building a ski centre, plus EC Harris' Mark Prior looks at the city's building frenzy

Speak to people in Dubai about moving there and two words crop up repeatedly: tax free. But before you pack your bags, you should weigh up a few other factors.

True, paying no income tax is a big plus. Salaries for QSs and project managers in Dubai match those in the UK. Wages start at £20,000 for junior staff, between £38,000 and £45,000 for senior staff, and £70,000 and above for partners or directors. So what you save on tax could add up to 40% to your take home pay. VAT of a mere 10% isn't bad either.

But this must be balanced against living costs. Rents are rising sharply. Inflation for the past two years has caused rents to go up 10% year on year. With 250 families a week

moving to Dubai, propety is in demand.

Although companies tend to pay accommodation allowances they usually only cover part of the cost. The lowest rent you can expect to pay is a hefty £18,500 (120,000 Dh) a year, according to Neil Morris, director of human resources consultancy Digby Morris. But employers tend to pay around Dh80,000 - Dh100,000 a year towards your digs.

"It hacks into your tax savings," Morris warns.

Plus there are other expenses you might not face in the UK. While companies in Dubai usually pay medical bills, school fees are high and competition for the best schools is intense.

Jonathan Toms, Mace Dubai's associate director, says: "Living conditions are good but it's becoming quite expensive. People come out here from the UK on what they think is a reasonable package but they find they have to pay Dh30,000 - 35,000 a year in school fees. That's £6,000 a year per child and you can't always find the school places that you want. That often catches people out."

Morris says that some firms will at least pay a few handy extras, such as your relocation and repatriation flights, one or two excursion flights a year and car allowances. But he highlights differences between packages.

If you were to move here, you’ll find there’s little you can’t get: Marmite, HP Sauce, BHS, Top Shop, we’ve even got Ikea and Harvey Nichols now

Jonathan Toms, associate director, Mace, Dubai

Local companies and UK firms that have been established in Dubai for longer tend to offer the best deals since they have the connections to set up preferential rates.

Toms warns that there is a "cultural change to deal with" - for both you and your family. "You are in someone else's community and you have to tolerate it." He explains a typical Dubai quirk: the traditional weekend is Thursday and Friday, but some companies open on those days because the rest of the world is working. Many government departments take Friday and Saturday off, or Thursday afternoon to Saturday morning. "Basically you only get everybody at work for three days a week."

Then there is the weather to grapple with. From April to September Dubai sweats in heat of around 48C with 95% humidity and the temperature only drops to about 38C at night. "It's hard for families. In the summer kids can't play in the garden in the heat," says Toms.

Yet for some the hot weather is an attraction. And the cultural gap between Dubai and the UK is not as big as you might think. Toms says: "If you were to move here, you'll find there's little you can't get: Marmite, HP Sauce, BHS, Top Shop, we've even got Ikea and Harvey Nichols now."

Perhaps the biggest pull is the scale and sheer outlandishness of the work you can get involved in, from underwater hotels to a Jurassic theme park rumoured to feature walking, roaring dinosaurs. The faster pace of construction - about three times quicker than the UK - is also a bonus. "You'll work on exciting projects on a bigger scale and it means you progress through companies more quickly," says Morris.

You might also find the way of life is for you. Toms says the restaurants are "fabulous". Instead of going to the pub you'll drink in expensive hotels, the beach is never far away and neither is a dazzling array of shops.

The appeal of all this is no doubt why moving to Dubai is not about money. "If you want to cash in, you need to take up a hardship post like Saudi Arabia. People go to Dubai as a lifestyle option rather than to make loads of money," says Morris.

Ski Dubai’s seven procurement challenges - you could face projects like this if you made the move

Even if you work in Dubai, where the wackier the project the better, it’s not every day you’re asked to build a ski slope. Inside a giant shopping mall. In the desert.

The construction of Ski Dubai posed a slalom of challenges for QS Davis Langdon and project manager Mace.

Mace got involved in the project to build Mall of the Emirates, including snow centre, in 2002 when the project had a budget of £96m and a design and construction programme of 36 months.

Six months in, developer Majid Al Futtaim stepped up the scale of the project massively, increasing the budget by 250%. But the sting was that the original timescale remained unchanged.

Despite this the project, which includes a 5-star hotel, external roads and a 6,000 space car park, was successfully built in just two years, opening to shoppers and skiers alike in September 2005.

Mace faced a series of procurement challenges, requiring innovative solutions.

Challenge 1

Procuring the design and build contract for the central galleria atrium roof.

Solution
Mace drafted in atrium experts Wagner Biro from Austria to design a 40m wide, 80m long and 40m high barrel vaulted skylight. It was fabricated and installed by Al Abbar Aluminium, a Dubai-based firm that has worked on high profile projects, such as the Dubai Tower.

Challenge 2

The direct procurement of 46,000 sq m of high quality Brazilian granite flooring.

Solution
Equidif, a Monaco-based independent stone consultant, was brought in to advise. The stone was quarried in Brazil, shipped to Portugal for slabbing and cutting to size and then delivered to Dubai to be laid by a local installer.

Challenge 3

The main contract was a £90m civil engineering deal, including a 23-month construction programme featuring unusual elements, not least the ski centre.

Solution
The deal was awarded to Khansaheb Civil Engineering in October 2003, a UAE company that has worked on some of the most prestigious projects in Dubai including Jumeirah Beach Resort, Wafi Shopping Mall Deira City Centre.

Challenge 4

Assessing the technical and commercial feasibility of different lengths of ski slope, from 200m to 650m.

Solution
A length of 400m was decided upon and Birmingham-based snow making technology provider Acer Snowmec was hired.

Challenge 5

Keeping the snow centre’s temperature at sub zero levels whilst the outside temperature soars to up to 48C.

Solution
A two-layer cladding system accommodates a potential difference in temperatures of minus 3C inside to surface temperatures of 70C. It includes thick insulation, an outer skin and an inner liner.

Challenge 6

Procuring the design and build contract for the central galleria atrium roof.

Solution
Mace drafted in atrium experts Wagner Biro from Austria to design a 40m wide, 80m long and 40m high barrel vaulted skylight. It was fabricated and installed by Dubai’s Al Abbar Aluminium.

Challenge 7

Creating an iconic design for the uppermost 120m of the ski slope and putting it in position, high above ground.

Solution
A 100m long (clear span) and 60m wide structure weighing a massive 4,000 tonnes was hoisted into place using strand jacking technology, over three days (see over page). The best part of the structure was assembled on the ground, put into the required sloped position and then “mega lifted” into place. Before going ahead, Mace undertook a series of buildability workshops to assess the feasibility of this solution and drew on the expertise of several local companies.

Checklist: Before moving to Dubai...

  • Work out a long-term career plan: are you going to stay in Dubai for 10 years and establish yourself,
    or two years to work on a single big project?

  • Don’t expect to be better off financially. Dubai salaries match those of the UK but while you won’t pay income tax, you might spend more on accommodation and other living expenses

  • Plan a trip to Dubai to get a feel for it before committing to moving there

  • Ask your husband or wife whether they are ready to relocate before you start looking for work in Dubai

  • Apply for your working visa at least a month before you fly out

  • Check exactly what a potential employer is offering, for instance, will your final flight home be paid for?

Source

QS News