Barjeel Tower

Construction of developer Al Fardan Real Estate’s 60 storey Barjeel Tower, required excavation works to a depth of 10 m. Senthil Nagarajah, Hyder Consulting’s principal structural engineer, told iC that Swissboring then installed 136 piles from 1 to 1.5 m diameter to a maximum depth of 25 m. The core of the building is 20 x 20 m with wall thicknesses of 400 to 500 mm.

Construction is by CDG (Construction Development Company), Al Fardan’s in-house contractors. “There is a distinct shortage of good contractors at the moment,” said Mulhibullah Mani, senior vice president and chief operating officer, Al Fardan. “CDC are ‘Grade A’ contractors, but it doesn’t mean they get all our work, they still have to be competitive.” Mr Mani told iC shortages of cement, steel, rebar and aggregates have all affected construction schedules in recent months. “All went to projects on the Asian Games,” said Mr Mani, “but it was the same for everyone.”

Hyder provided the site investigation and carried out a detailed geotechnical foundation analysis, as well as the building’s structural design, while Arab Engineering Bureau is the project architects.