BPC’s latest landmark on Exhibitions Avenue.
BPC continues to create landmarks
Innovation, strength and architectural appeal are some of the strengths Bahrain Precast Concrete’s boasts of for its products as it continues to add numerous landmarks to its impressive project porfolio.
01 October 2005
Landmark sculptures, commercial and institutional buildings, fountains and boundary walls are just a selection of some of the major projects that are keeping Bahrain’s leading precast specialist Bahrain Precast Concrete Company (BPC) busy in its bid to meet the demanding requirements of the construction industry.
General manager Goran Hogberg, who took over the reins of company just a year ago, is happy with the performance of the precast industry in general and BPC in particular.
“The design of buildings in Bahrain is becoming architecturally quite innovative and complex and Bahrain Precast prides in having participated in the construction of high-profile precast buildings on the island such as the Zamil Centre on Government Avenue and the Citibank headquarters in Seef, where the precast elements are curved and the buildings slope outwards,” Hogberg says.
BPC has now added another striking project to its portfolio with a new building that is receiving its finishing touches at the junction of Exhibitions and Al Zubara avenues. The project called for the installation of pigmented 250-mm-thick insulated curved panels that give an elegant appearance to the building.
The company’s current order book includes a number of prestigious projects both for the public and the private sectors. These include:
• Computer labs for the Ministry of Education, which is constructing a number of such facilities to enhance computer literacy levels in the country. “For this project, we have to cast and erect 480 panels by March 2006. The labs will comprise a precast building system consisting of load-bearing, insulated panels and hollowcore slabs. All the services will be embedded in precast panels,” explains Hogberg.
• University of Bahrain: Following the successful completion of IT and Science building at the UoB – which involved the design, production and erection of 1,939 panels – BPC has been awarded further contracts at the university. The contract involves erection of panels for a double-storey library, a food court and a lecture hall – work on which is currently in progress. “The design of library building is unique: it involves 12-m-high panels without any intermediate support and inclined in both directions, to allow natural light to filter through,” he elaborates.
• Riffa sculpture: This circular-shaped sculpture coming up at a road junction in Riffa features traditional Arabic architecture with a sail design. Rising 9 m above ground, the sculpture is being constructed from 300-mm-thick load-bearing panels in coloured concrete as well as 250-mm-thick panels with embedded Arabic design screen, in two different colours.
• Bab Al Bahrain fountains: This new landmark precast structure set in landscaping will have a fountain in two tiers. The precast elements are 120-mm thick and are being made in colour concrete with polished finishes. BPC has designed and fabricated a special polishing machine for this purpose.
• BCCI headquarters: A solid 80-mm skin with 150 by 150 frame all around will replace the traditional beam/block wall around the periphery of this 20-storey headquarters for Bahrain Chamber of Commerce in Seef. BPC is currently designing the precast solution, where the elements will be curved and supported on a steel structure.
• Boundary wall: BPC is now producing and erecting a 3.6 km-long boundary wall in the Durrat Al Bahrain area. About 50 per cent of the wall – which comprises 100-mm-thick pigmented solid panels – has been finished in time for a year-end completion.
Citing an example of how the modularity – among the numerous advantages of precast concrete – has benefited a client, Hogberg says: “Precast panels at the Endurance Village proved their benefits four years after they were erected. The owner wanted the structure to be moved 100 m away from its original location. Thanks to the modularity of the panels, BPC was able to disconnect the structure from its base, move it and re-erect it at the new location without any problem.”
New products
In line with its reputation of being a pioneer in the manufacture of precast prestressed hollowcore slabs, BPC continues to innovate and launch new products based on market demands.
The company has recently introduced 320-mm-thick slabs with provisions made to offer 500-mm thick, if required.
“These slabs will, in effect, replace double TT slab and provide even further cost savings to the construction sector. Building with precast also saves time, reduces future maintenance costs and enhances durability of a structure,” Hogberg concludes.
