Customised slot drains used at the Central H2B Hotel project and (right) for a water fountain.
Al Semsam, ACO tackle challenges
Supported by its renowned international principals, Dubai-based Al Semsam Building Materials has been delivering customised drainage solutions for some of the landmark projects in the region.
01 March 2020
Al Semsam Building Materials, a leader in the supply of various internal and external drainage systems, continues to help tackle some of the challenges presented by the complex site and structural requirements posed by today’s projects in the region in collaboration with its principals such as ACO Germany, Brickhouse by Saint Gobain of the UK and RBA Ferro Industries of India.
ACO’s comprehensive range of solutions covers diverse drainage applications. For example, the company’s point drains and channels prove an effective solution for roads and yards and areas that must be dewatered due to structural or terrain-dependent conditions. Its manhole covers and point drainage top sections offer complete solutions for roads and site drainage.
The company, which specialises in the design, development and implementation of drainage systems, provides solutions that can be applied to public spaces, sports arenas, roof gardens, and for nature conservation and environmental protection.
According to Al Semsam, the ACO Group has a competitive edge in the market because of the comprehensive range of top-quality solutions it can offer for diverse applications. These include streets, roads and highways; pedestrian zones; heavily-trafficked areas; food processing industry; commercial kitchens; landscaping; water management; water separation; roofs, balconies and terraces; and bathrooms, spa and wellness areas.
Among such projects that are nearing completion is the Central H2B Hotel project in Dubai, UAE. The 434-room property at the Dubai World Trade Centre’s (DWTC) One Central development is scheduled to be launched this year.
“The project required a high level of customisation as per the architectural drawings; and the drainage solution offered was manufactured specifically for the order,” Ranjan Shivadey, division head at Al Semsam Building Materials, ACO Group’s partner in the UAE, tells Gulf Construction.
For the project, Al Semsam Building Materials is delivering ACO’s highly customised shower channel solutions based on the architectural design and client brief.
ACO was able to successfully address the challenges of the project by providing innovative solutions, he says.
For instance, for one of the applications, the company produced slot grates made of stainless steel which were arranged in two perfect concentric circles around a water feature (fountain). For this installation, the slot grates had to fit and match pre-cut granite, Shivadey adds.
Another interesting and challenging ongoing project is the Royal Atlantis in Dubai, for which ACO has produced custom-made stainless steel solutions for external and internal drains. These include industrial kitchen drains, balcony drainage, and shower drains – all customised as per architectural drawings and site requirements, according to Shivadey.
Al Semsam has also delivered ACO drainage solutions for the ICD Brookfield Place, comprising customised slot drains and drain access covers. Work on the 53-storey glass-clad office tower in Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) is now in the final stages.
Among its recently completed major projects is the Vida Creek Harbour Hotel at Dubai Creek Harbour, where customised slot drains solutions were supplied by the company. The 286-room facility was the first hotel to open in the new iconic Dubai Creek Harbour master development.
“The challenge on these projects was to match the depth of the slot drain to tile/paver block thickness, where the thickness of the tiles ranges from 2 mm to 10 mm and that of the paver blocks ranges from 6 cm to 8 cm,” says Shivadey.
As a global leader in the supply of various internal and external drainage solutions since 1946, ACO offers a wide range of standard or customised solutions designed to address the challenges posed by the region’s harsh conditions.
Headquartered in Germany where the majority of its solutions are designed, ACO has manufacturing facilities in various parts of the world. In the region, the company has a manufacturing facility, warehouse and office located in Dubai’s Jebel Ali Free Zone.
Al Semsam Building Materials, part of the Easa Saleh Al Gurg Group, has been supporting ACO’s growth in the UAE since 2007, providing channel management, project and installation advisory, and product knowledge to the site.
The Dubai-based company also offers drainage solutions from PAM Saint Gobain UK (PAM Brickhouse), part of Saint Gobain. The company manufactures ductile iron manhole covers and gratings, which conform to BSEN124. Among the major projects where these products have been installed are the Masdar headquarters and Adnoc premises in Abu Dhabi and Dubai Police headquarters.
Other drainage products offered by Al Semsam Building Materials include ductile iron manhole covers and gratings manufactured as per BSEN12 standard at RBA Ferro Industries’ state-of-the-art factory in India. These solutions have been provided for landmark developments such as the Expo 2020 site, Bluewaters development and Dubai Airport expansion in Dubai and Al Maraya Central in Abu Dhabi.
Al Semsam Building Materials, which this year marks its silver jubilee, is an industry expert, supplying the highest quality building products to the UAE.
“With over 25 years of experience in the construction industry, we work with leading providers to supply solutions for passive fire protection, warehouse shelving and racking systems, pipes and fittings, building infrastructure, and external and internal drainage and access,” says Shivadey.
Its passive fire protection range includes fire-rated glazing, boards and steel doors, fire stops and sprays, ventilated façade panels, smoke and fire curtains, and glass mat-based gypsum. Its pipes and fittings range includes copper and PEX pipes, PEX meters and smart water meters, while its building finishes include cork sheets, tile trims and fibre cement boards.
Al Semsam Building Materials has worked on numerous prestigious projects in the region, and has built long-standing relationships with its clients, thanks to its professionalism and efficiency. Working closely with its clients, the company supplies numerous products to the construction sector, ranging from internal/external drainage and access solutions, calcium silicate boards, cement fibre boards, glassfibre mesh, and shelving and racking to passive fire protection.
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