Gulf Construction Online - Al Kharafi putting final touches to projects

Kuwait

Work progresses on an administration building at the Kuwait International Airport.

Al Kharafi putting final touches to projects

01 December 2016

Four key projects being built by leading Kuwait-based contractor Mohammed Abdulmohsin Al Kharafi and Sons Company are now in their final stages of completion.

These include the highly prestigious Central Bank headquarters building, Jahra Court Complex, the Ministry of Education headquarters and the new administration building, fire station and car-park at the Kuwait International Airport.

Central Bank HQ

The Central Bank headquarters building project involves the construction, commissioning and maintenance of an iconic 40-storey office tower with a unique four-storey cantilevered podium.

The building, with a gross area of 163,500 sq m, will have a 1,300-slot car-parking area and a fully landscaped site with a variety of water features and plants complementing its impressive structure. It has three basement levels for car parking, a C4 shelter, mechanical plantroom and all connected banking services.

The main building has a ‘glazed’ northern front façade with exposed structural steel diagrid, while the remaining façades are clad with high quality limestone. The whole site has a secured perimeter fencing and wall.

The structural works include structural steel and architectural steel, external finishes, interior finishes, MEP (mechanical, electrical and plumbing) services, conveying systems, infrastructure, landscape and irrigation, electro-mechanical works and electronic and security systems and facilities.

The construction of this striking building has required huge quantities of materials including 140,000 cu m of concrete, 36,000 tonnes of steel reinforcement, 11,000 tonnes of structural steel (steel diagrids and girders for floor slabs and steel decking), 130,000 sq m of stone and marble and 20,000 sq m of aluminium curtain-walling.

The Jahra Court Complex ... features an automated car park.

Jahra Court Complex

The Jahra Court Complex building with the first-of-its-kind automated car-parking structure, occupies a 10,000-sq-m site and has a total built-up area of 95,026 sq m.

“This state-of-the-art building consists of three basement levels, a ground floor and 16 upper floors; and will house the Supreme Court, administration, criminal and general prosecution with,” a spokesman for Mohammed Abdulmohsin Al Kharafi and Sons Company tells Gulf Construction.

Some of the statistics drawn up by the contractor in the construction of the complex include 38,836 cu m of reinforced cast-in-situ concrete, 79,367 sq m of reinforced concrete suspended slabs, 25,092 sq m of concrete topping, 78,031 sq m of blockwork, 27,994 sq m of stone flooring, 34,489 sq m of terrazzo flooring, and 32,784 sq m of carpeted flooring.

External cladding works include 10,562 sq m of stone and 6,438 sq m of terracotta tiles. Internal building finishes required 49,466 sq m of cement plastering, 18,568 sq m of gypsum board partitions, 8,128 sq m of wooden cladding, 22,676 sq m of stone cladding, 25,529 sq m of acoustic ceiling tiles, 12,976 sq m of metal ceilings and 10,687 sq m of acoustic wall panels.

Commenting on the unique car-parking system, the spokesman says: “The car-park building has an automated system allowing drivers to retrieve their vehicles quickly, thus minimising their waiting time. This building covers a land area of 5,000 sq m and has a total built-up area of 104,869 sq m with three basement levels and first five upper floors for conventional parking, while the remaining five floors are for the automated parking system offering a total of 2,926 parking spaces.”

Ministry of Education

Another building that is now a striking addition to Kuwait’s skyline is the new headquarters for the Ministry of Education. Kharafi’s scope of works involves construction, completion, furnishing and maintenance of the 12-storey building that covers a total site area of 40,000 sq m. The 264,930-sq-m building features three basement levels, a shelter for 100 people, and hard and soft landscaping including 5,895 sq m of asphalt works for roads.

According to the spokesman, the contract called for 53,870 sq m of external works, 435,000 cu m of excavation, and 12,000 sq m of shoring, underground drainage fencing and external cladding.

Administration building

Mohammed Abdulmohsin Al Kharafi is also completing works on the new administration building, fire station and car park at the Kuwait International Airport. The project, which offers a built-up area of 71,971 sq m, features a 242-seat auditorium, a fire station that covers 9,710 sq m, and a car-park over 79,182 sq m.

In addition, landscaping covers 77,299 sq m. Some 4,720 tonnes of steel will be used and 100,592 cu m of concrete.