Amr Atiah

Leading the design and construction of the largest Coral Nursery worldwide located at NEOM.

Major responsibilities:
- Site Selection
- Site Master Planning
- Pre-Project Planning (PPP) - Functional Requirements
- Conceptual Design
- Detailed Design
- Commissioning & Handover
- Operations & Maintenance Strategy
- Procurement & Bidding Strategy

Overview:
The Coral Nursery is an essential building to accelerate the growing of corals to create the world’s largest coral garden. The 100-hectare Shushah Island Coral Reefscape will showcase reef restoration innovations and accelerate solutions for conserving coral reefs in a changing climate. The investment is a centerpiece of NEOM’s vision for developing “in harmony with nature” and accelerating the transition to a more sustainable relationship between people and planet. This is part of the overall masterplan of the island to have it as tourists attraction and a research hub.

KAUST will enhance the coral reefscape around Shushah Island in the Red Sea, home of over 300 native coral and 1, 000 fish species. Once completed, the coral reefscape will present a unique opportunity for coral preservation and for research and development of environmental sustainability measures. The nursery facility and the reefscape itself will also attract international scientists, researchers and eco-conscious travelers once established.

The Nursery includes state of art Life Support System (LSS), Jetty, Corals Production Tanks, Offices & other Amenities, Renewable Energy, a Visitors Center and a Dive Center.

24/7 Operations & Maintenance of:
- Academic Buildings/Laboratories
- Research & Technology Park Buildings
- Residential Buildings & Houses
- Data Centers
- Recreation Facilities
- Schools & Medical Center
- Medical Facility
- Retail Shops

- Customer Service
- Projects Design Review
- Projects Handover
- Control Systems Operations (BMS)
- Custodial & Janitorial Services
- Office Services
- Space Planning
- Events Management

Team leadership
Budget Control
Master Planning updates
Facilities Maintenance
Facilities Operations
Janitorial
Office Services
Utilities
Events Management
Tenants Management

Drive successful campus operations and spearhead the sustainability program, leading to significant improvements. Direct operations team of 35 individuals, offering guidance on facility management and ensuring all buildings are secure, and operate in an efficient manner with minimal disruption. Interact with campus faculty and students from more than 102 nationalities to ensure their labs and facilities are operated in a safe manner.

Selected Contributions:

• Successfully reduced energy consumption on campus by 16% in one year from 18 MWh to 15 MWh, resulting in an annual cost savings of $1.5M; subsequently reduced water and chilled-water consumption.

• Boosted engagement in sustainability program by launching virtual energy billing for 120 labs on campus, propelling energy conservation efforts.

• Ensured the safety, security, and functionality of buildings by leading inspections, performance enhancements, coordinating all work permits and projects, and monitoring all control systems.

• Cut labor costs by re-organizing the operations division through in-sourcing and reducing staff from 76 to 23 personnel.

Steered campus services department comprised of four divisions and held four direct report managers for each division. Defined strategy and goals, oversaw operations, and led maintenance efforts and projects. Indirectly oversaw 1, 200 employees including service providers to ensure seamless operations across divisions.

Selected Contributions:

• Influenced strategic decisions by interacting with senior leadership of the university.

• Increased number of services provided, improved performance KPIs, and generated a price reduction of $2.3M by participating in KAUST-wide contract renewal strategy.

• Maximized office efficiency and employee productivity by leading migration of office space into open concept plan to produce 120 more spaces.

Provided strategic direction to a team of up to 25 individuals, effectively enhancing operations and sustainability initiatives across campus. Oversaw campus horticulture and pest control services and waste management including chemical, bio-hazardous and municipal waste.

Selected Contributions:

• Triggered improvements by establishing KAUST-wide sustainability committee, developing committee charter, selecting members, and defining goals and objectives.

• Slashed costs by managing and negotiating contracts for services.

• Piloted energy audit across nine campus buildings, quickly identifying energy saving opportunities with calculated annual savings of 39 GWh valued at $3.5M.

Led electrical and control systems commissioning teams of university laboratories. Interacted with project management team on both ends to ensure all research and facility requirements were met. Performed design reviews and commissioning of electrical and control systems.

Internship sponsored by Saudi Aramco:

Performed as an application and design engineer for various manufacturers including Bettis Actuators, EIM Actuators, Shafer Actuators, Daniel Flowmeters, Rosemount Analyzers, Fisher Control Valves & Regulators.

Ras Tanura Refinery:

Moved up through various positions and made meaningful contributions in the areas of instrumentation and process control design; failures and troubleshooting; project management and execution. Demonstrated skills in issue resolution to overcome chronic problem of leaking hydrogen plant sequencing valves resulting in purity increase of hydrogen production by 15% and reduction of tail gas leakage flare by 15%. Piloted first asset management system for control valves as a predictive maintenance tool in refinery, connecting nearly 200 control valves. Reduced predictive maintenance costs by 80%.