Zavanti feature at iTSHOWCASELIVE

Zavanti were pleased to be a part of the recent iTSHOWCASELIVE exhibition, at The Old Trafford Football Stadium in Manchester on December 3rd.

Zavanti featured along side some of the UK's leading software specialists for accounting software, CRM, ERP software, construction management, job costing, estimating software, manufacturing management, retail and hospitality systems, at the one day event.

Despite the recent down turn in the economy, with the construction and property market been one of the sectors hardest hit, the industry is still keen to move forward and implement systems that enable them to manage their projects more efficiently and effectively.

We hope to feature at the next iTSHOWCASE event in the New Year - visit iTSHOWCASE online for more information.

Inaugural Gulf States Building Awards

Organised by Building magazine and endorsed by the Emirates Green Building Council, the inaugural Gulf States Building Awards were held in Dubai on November 13. The awards highlighted the most exceptional projects across the six member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council (Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates).

Atkins was named Engineering Consultant of the Year following its work on projects such as the Bahrain World Trade Centre, while EC Harris, beat Davis Langdon and Mace to win the Construction Consultant of the Year Award.
The hotel project of the year went to Shangri La Qaryat Al Beri Hotel in Abu Dhabi, while the the infrastructure project of the year award was won by the Al Garhoud Bridge, a 14-lane road bridge in Dubai. Downtown Burj Dubai won the BIW Technologies sponsored award for best mixed-use project of the year for boasting the world’s tallest tower and world’s largest shopping centre.

For the event sponsors, such as Davis Langdon, Mace, and Leighton, the awards provided an opportunity to raise their profiles in the eyes of many of the Gulf region’s major contractors and consultants. BIW Technologies' General Manager Middle East, Asif Sharif said, "BIW's sophisticated project control platform is already widely used on major mixed use developments in Dubai. This sponsorship will have boosted recognition of the BIW brand across the Middle East region."

A full list of category winners, sponsors, and photos from the night are available from the Building website

Retirement Villages the next Construction Boom

At the Property Council of Australia's recent Ageing of Aquarius II Conference, Peter McMullen, National Director for Health and Aged Care Services for Jones Lang LaSalle, presented his research paper, "Is Supply Meeting Demand or Missing the Mark?"

McMullen says that Australia's rapidly ageing population has resulted in an abundance of retirement village development opportunities across the nation. "To meet this surge in demand, it is predicted that up to 140,000 new dwellings in retirement villages are needed over the next 15 years, equating to an investment of about $42 billion (in 2008 dollars) in new construction,"
he says.

He also found that Retirement Village living is also becoming more accepted as participation rates are continuing to increase. "At present, approximately 5.25 percent of the over-65 population live in retirement villages, a significant increase from the 3 to 3.5 percent benchmark from only eight or nine years ago."

At present, there are more than 500 new villages with more than 51,000 new units either proposed, approved or under construction. In existing villages, another 20,7000 new units are either proposed, approved or under construction.

McMullen believes that, "despite the current softening in market sentiment in all property classes, the long-term future of the Retirement Village industry is secure with significant opportunity for investment."

For more information, see the full article in the November Edition of "Property Australia".

More information on the Ageing of Aquarius Conference is also available via the Property Council's website - http://www.propertycouncil.com.au/retirement/