Advanced Construction Technology Services (ACTS), a consulting organization in the field of construction materials and geotechnical engineering, continues its conduct of a special series of seminars designed to enhance the competitiveness and innovative capacity of the construction industry, this especially in light of long-term growth prospects from record levels of construction activity planned over the next decade in the region. ACTS, in cooperation with the American Concrete Institute (ACI), has announced the Saudi Arabia staging of “Anchorage to Concrete” seminar on Feb. 13 in Riyadh. “Construction activities across the Middle East continue to grow. This is particularly true for GCC countries, which have several large infrastructure projects being implemented in response to national development plans and upcoming major global events. Massive infrastructure projects like these require top-of-the-line labour and material resource to successfully deliver on their commitments, and this is when the value of training and capacity building cannot be underestimated. Construction professionals who are up-dated on concrete technology are pivotal contributors to this robust industry,” said Engr. Khaled Awad, Chairman of ACTS. Across the GCC region, there are over 100 major construction programs – which are mega projects that cost more than $1 billion and need to be delivered in a relatively short period of time – that are planned for completion by 2030. Analysts projected that annual construction spend due to major programs alone (excluding projects under $1 billion in value) could reach $50 billion per annum. As of November last year, overall construction expenditure by Saudi Arabia on ongoing projects would reach $1.02 trillion until 2025. Since its establishment in 1996, ACTS has become a regional reference in construction consultancy services and a pioneer in achieving technological advancements in the materials and geo-engineering fields. – SG
