ISG announced the completion of phase one of University of Wollongong Dubai’s new campus at Dubai Knowledge Park.

The first phase of the new high specification 200,000sqft, seven floor campus development, has seen ISG hand over levels one, three, four, and six to the university. These key areas house UOWD’s renowned English Language Testing System (IELTS) Centre, alongside students’ lounges, laboratories and lecture theatres, and the university’s leadership, management, and administration offices.

Commencing on site in November 2019, this first phase handover is fully aligned with the fast-track programme, that will see ISG deliver the new campus, ahead of the start of the new academic year in September.

With an absolute focus on the health, safety, and well-being of every operative across its sites, and strict compliance with UAE Government’s health and safety guidelines, ISG worked diligently to successfully mitigate the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on productivity. Comprehensive measures have included the review of safe travel to and from site, one-way site route planning, agile shift patterns and flexing the number of operatives on site to conform with strict social distancing regulations. ISG has also recruited dedicated occupational health first responders and introduced daily temperature checking of operatives, as part of a robust package of measures to maintain consistently high productivity rates.

Scott McCulloch, general manager, Middle East, ISG, said: “Celebrating this key programme milestone for the UOWD has extra resonance during this unprecedented global crisis. By adopting a smart, agile and above all a robustly safe approach, and working in full collaboration with every project stakeholder, we have collectively risen to the challenge of operating in this ‘new normal’ and achieved an outstanding result.”

“Technology has certainly played an important role in maintaining our productivity rates on site, and our strong tech-led credentials have helped us to deploy smart innovations quickly to generate immediate efficiency benefits. I would like to thank our outstanding project team for demonstrating the creativity, drive, and professionalism to operate under the most demanding of circumstances. And our client UOWD, Woods Bagot, Cundall, C&B, other project consultants and our valued supply chain partners, who have supported us tremendously, in our strive to deliver this project safely,” further added McCulloch.