Gulf Construction Online - Meva in fine form for world’s largest reservoir

UAE Focus

Versatile formwork ... Mammut 350 helps build the reservoir project.

Meva in fine form for world’s largest reservoir

01 January 2009

Construction has begun in Dubai on what will become the world’s largest water reservoir built in pre-stressed concrete, using the world’s largest and most powerful wall formwork system supplied by Meva Formwork Systems.

The three giant rectangular reservoirs, each with a capacity of 272 million litres per day are being built in the Mushrif area of the city by the Mammut Group in a joint venture with the Max Boegel Group of Germany, and with the support of Meva Formwork Systems in Dubai.
After completion, the reservoirs will hold more than 800 million litres of drinking water and mark a major milestone in Dubai’s extension of its utility infrastructure. They will also replace the Earl Thomas Reservoir in San Diego, US – with a capacity of 160 million litres – as the world’s largest reservoir.
The formwork, with a higher load capacity, is more efficient than panellised wall systems, says a spokesperson from Meva Formwork Systems.
He explains: “The Mammut 350 formwork has a load capacity of 100 kN/sq m, enabling it to take faster, higher pours than panellised wall systems.”
Also, the fact that the contractor and formwork share the same name, is purely coincidental, he points out.
The reservoirs cover an area of approximately 165,000 sq m. The reservoirs themselves span a length of 372 m, a width of 169 m and a depth of 5.6 m. Some 270,000 cu m of concrete will be poured on the site, consuming some 27,000 tonnes of reinforcing steel.
Formwork engineering for the project included training of the staff on-site, supervising building operations and ensuring that strict quality and safety standards are complied with, says the spokesperson.
Elaborating on the versatile qualities and durability of the formwork used, he says: “Working in the extreme climatic conditions, the formwork’s all-plastic facing proved its worth, since it is immune to weather influences and impervious to ultraviolet rays. Importantly, the facing doesn’t lose its structural rigidity, which is typical of formwork with coated plywood. Moreover, the plastic facing is easy and fast to clean on site. The facing can be repaired using an identical material and is 100 per cent recyclable. No dangerous, expensive wastes occur. Finally, the concrete finish is consistently of high optical and structural quality.”
The reservoirs will help meet the growing demand spurred by the boom in residential developments in the area. It is part of a package of infrastructure initiatives unveiled by the Dubai Water and Electricity Authority (Dewa) designed to meet the water and power demands of all existing and planned projects in the emirate.