Gulf Construction Online - College extension on track

Kuwait

College extension on track

01 December 2001

Work is progressing on schedule on the extension to the College of Technological Studies project in Shuwaikh, Kuwait, which is expected to be completed in July 2002.

Doka's formwork systems and expertise, especially in formwork and sequence scheduling, are said to be making a complex job easier to handle and faster to construct.

The $60 million extension complex as a whole comprises eight separate structures, all of which are being built by the main contractor Al Ghanim International.

Work on the project got under way in early 2000, starting with the project's central plant and cooling towers and the College of Services. Work started simultaneously on the service tunnels, which will make it possible to link the existing buildings with the new central plant.

An underground carpark, covering an area of approximately 40,000 sq m, involves extensive insitu casting work. It accounts for around 60 per cent of the total volume of concrete needed for the entire complex - over 50,000 cu m of concrete, all of it brought into its final shape by Top 50 formworks for the walls and columns, and by Dokaflex for the floor slabs.

''The floor slabs are being cast in a total of 22 sections of 1,800 sq m each, using an exceedingly efficient formwork sequence,'' says a spokesman for the company. ''Doka's recommendation that the floor slabs should have their formwork removed ahead of time, and then be repropped, has made it possible to minimise the quantities of equipment required, and thus the equipment costs, while speeding up the progress of the forming and construction operations.''

At peak times, site crews totalling around 1,100 men have to be coordinated - no small task for project manager Khaled Eissa, who particularly appreciates the advisory and planning support provided by Doka Kuwait.

Above all, the fact that Doka can come to the site at short notice to help and advise in the event of any unforeseen changes of plan has proved to be extremely valuable, according to Eissa.

''Also, the tremendous adaptability of the Doka formwork systems has been - and still is - especially useful on this project, because it means that as work progresses on each of the buildings of the project, it becomes possible to interchange the Doka equipment in use there,'' the spokesman says. ''In this way, the total commissioning quantity of formwork needed onsite can be kept relatively small, helping to keep the costs under control.''

Most of the total concrete cubage computed for the project as a whole has already been placed. The central plant and cooling towers, Building D and the service tunnels are all completed.

The central plant will house tanks for fresh, waste and extinguishant water in case of fire and all necessary electrical installations for the entire complex.

The cooling tower will house the central installations for the airconditioning system. A special process is said to be employed for cooling the water that is needed for airconditioning.

Other buildings, too, are now also approaching completion.

''Work is proceeding at top speed on the floor slabs of the 40,000 sq m underground car-park. In order to further accelerate operations on areas still under construction, formwork equipment is being transferred to the carpark from the alreadycompleted buildings,'' he says.

The whole complex is expected to be structurally complete this month. The final forming operations are being under way.

The July 2002 completion deadline now looks certain to be met, according to the spokesman.