UAE, Dubai, June 17th 2010: New Zealand Trade and Enterprise’s Dubai-based Trade Commissioner, Wayne Mikkelsen, gives a delegation of leading Indian architects a tour of the unique over-water restaurant, Ruby’s in Al Raha Beach which has been built using sustainable New Zealand pine.
The delegation, which includes architects from leading firms Hiranandani Constructions Pvt Ltd., C R Narayana Rao, Somaya and Kalappa Consultants Pvt Ltd, Kadri Consultants Pvt Ltd, Babbar & Babbar Architects and Narender Gupta, are being hosted in the UAE by New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NZTE) to learn more about how New Zealand timber solutions can meet the challenges of modern architectural design.
The group is visiting the Middle East to witness the engineering marvels undertaken with New Zealand timber and products such as glulam (glued laminated timber manufactured to engineered standards) in this region. In India, where concrete and steel are the dominant building materials, the delegation hopes to learn about the applications and benefits of engineered wood products like glulam and LVL (laminated veneer lumber), and how they can withstand harsh climatic conditions.
There are a number of applications of New Zealand pine being used in the UAE including the iconic Ruby’s restaurant in Abu Dhabi, The Grand Hyatt Hotel, Marina Yacht Club and the Jebel Ali Hotel to name a few.