Piling pressure

Piling contractors report a market that has not improved since the downturn began.
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Piling and foundation contractors in the region are waiting for the market to start looking up. CW chats to a couple of piling experts to get their thoughts on the matter.

Talk to anyone in the construction industry and they’ll tell you that ground works, including piling and foundation, is probably the most important task in building the average tower.

And as various sectors within the construction industry struggle to climb out of one of the worst economic downturns in recent history, piling and foundation contractors too, have not been spared and are hoping for a change to come along.

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But with numerous contracts having recently been awarded in Abu Dhabi and Saudi Arabia, it appears that the situation could be improving gradually. One piling contractor thinks not.

“The market for piling and foundations has not improved at all since the middle of 2008,” complains Ras Al Khaimah-based Al Nuaimi Foundations & Concrete division manager Kochummini Mukundan. “And that is why we’re waiting in hope for the time when the market gets better.”

Shad Asif Khan, general manager for piling contractor Keller Grundbau, agrees with Mukundan over the current market situation and backs up his opinion with a simple fact.

“The number of piling rigs available in the market is still much more than the demand for them, because construction activity is still not as much as it was back in 2008,” he says.

So what can bring about this change? With the region now focusing heavily on sustainable construction and cheaper costs, could a change in techniques bring down the overheads?

An independent sustainability expert suggested a shift from concrete foundations to steel foundations could result in better Leed ratings, but it is still being researched.
 

“Concrete pile foundations are quite popular here in the market and we have enough additives to extend the life of the concrete,” says Mukundan.

He adds that in his 47 years of experience in construction, he has never known steel piles to be ‘that popular’ in the region.