Alhosn University, a leading Abu Dhabi-based university dedicated to high-quality, value-based education, hosted Wednesday a “Seminar on Construction of Tall Buildings” by the UAE Chapter of the American Concrete Institute (ACI), one of the world's leading authorities on concrete technology. Alhosn and the non-profit ACI-UAE Chapter hope that the community-oriented event will raise more professional and public awareness on the proper construction of high-rises. “Development must go hand-in-hand with responsibility, which is a guiding principle for our seminars. Areas such as Abu Dhabi, where property projects are proceeding at a rapid pace need to be more knowledgeable and concerned on the structural, technological and environmental aspects of developments such as tall building construction. Through our technical seminars, we hope to promote world-class concrete technologies and construction techniques in the emirate and throughout the country,” said Prof. Abdul Rahim Sabouni, Fellow of the ACI and president of the ACI-UAE Chapter. “It's very important for engineers to learn and apply better processes and technologies. From a professional perspective, this facilitates technical advancement, while from the public point of view this translates to greater safety. Adopting industry-leading practices also provides a significant edge in today's tight property markets,” said Elias Boutros Sayah, president, Sayah Engineering Consulting Bureau, and president of ASCE-UAE section, part of the American Society of Civil Engineering. “The ACI seminar embodies our slogan of ‘Global knowledge with local vision.' While we constantly strive to adopt the best global practices in activities such as high-rise concrete construction, we must also remember how these complement domestic development. We also believe that the public should be more aware of these issues as stakeholders in national growth,” saidDr. Ammar Yahia, ACI member and the chair of Civil Engineering Department at Alhosn University. Alhosn University is renowned for its leading engineering academic programs including civil engineering, architectural engineering, industrial engineering, software engineering, and urban planning academic programs and its encouragement of the entry of more women into the engineering field. ACI-UAE Chapter presently includes 130 ACI International members living in the UAE. Organized in 1904, ACI has been delivering quality educational programs in the concrete field and supporting industry with educational seminars internationally since 1969. Among the industry luminaries who presented lectures in the event weere Eng. James Aldred, Burj Dubai, Independent Verification of Testing Agency manager, GHD; Dr. Sami W. Tabsh, P.E., Technical director - Structures, OTAK International; Eng. Mamdouh G. Hamouda, MACI, Engineering manager, Al Habtoor Leighton Group; Dr. Ammar Yahia, PEng, MACI, chair of Civil Engineering Department, Alhosn University; and Christopher Stanley, Technical director, Unibeton Ready Mix. __
