Cheaper, greener, faster, stronger

Can you build a villa superstructure in 24 hours? Apparently it’s not that difficult. This week, CW looks at some of the innovative wall construction systems being touted as cheaper, greener, stronger and faster than conventional techniques.

A positive spin-off of any recession is that innovation is often brought to the fore, and this is already starting to show in the Gulf’s construction industry.

Consultants are now searching for cheaper and more efficient methods of construction, which might otherwise have been overlooked in the boom times.

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As such, some of the most innovative companies in wall construction say fresh contracts and inquires are growing at unprecedented rates despite the downturn.

Green Precast
After starting operations in the UAE six months ago, Australian company Green Precast has already secured a number of sizeable projects including a US $109 million (AED 400 million) contract to build villas in Abu Dhabi.

CEO Salvatore Saker says the firm has also received more than 50 invitations to work in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait, a staggering figure considering the lack of new contracts being signed at the moment.

The secret to the company’s success is its precast concrete building system, which uses computerized hydraulic moulds to produce 3D monolithic structures at the site of the project.

The system operates like an onsite production line and as such is ideally suited to large scale villa projects that require a fair amount of repetition.

Saker explains the production process: “First is the fabrication of the steel element. Steel cages are produced every six hours and then go inside a mould. You then fit all the MEP, which also goes inside the mould. Then you pour the concrete.

After nine-twelve hours you can lift the module out of the mould. Installation takes between 2-2½ hours to put together a 500m² villa by dropping the modules into place.

“So basically in 24 hours you have a cycle that produces anything from one to ten villas depending on the number of moulds committed to the project.”