Fugro completes foundation testing on Dubai Creek Tower
Dutch firm provided geotechnical investigations and tested in-situ performance of proposed foundations
Fugro, the Dutch-multinational provider of geo-intelligence and asset integrity solutions, has successfully completed the deep foundation testing for Emaar Properties’ Dubai Creek Tower, it has announced.
In a statement, the company said that it was appointed to provide data collection and interpretation that could be relied upon by the construction contractor leading the foundation design and engineering. The testing and monitoring project ran from June 2016 to August 2017.
Fugro played a key role in the ground engineering of the Dubai Creek Tower – a structure that is expected to be at least 928m high, and will comprise of a central concrete column supported by a network of steel cable stays.
Due to its significant height and design, the ground engineering is critical to the programmed schedule and foundation design. Utilising the most advanced mathematics, engineering and physics known currently, the Dubai Creek Tower is expected to be one of the most significant structures ever created, Fugro claimed in its statement.
“Fugro carried out one of the most comprehensive geotechnical investigations in the region. We then tested the in-situ performance of the proposed foundations in order to optimise the final design of the core and the cable anchorage foundation design,” remarked Joyshwin Sumputh, the service line manager for Fugro.
Emaar awarded the contract for the foundation design and construction of Dubai Creek Tower to Soletanche Bachy in June 2017.
“This is probably one of the most challenging and demanding buildings under construction in the world,” said Vincent Leblois, DCH Tower project manager for Soletanche Bachy.
He explained that the first step was a campaign of preliminary load testing to ascertain the ground geotechnical characteristics and finalise the detailed design of the deep foundations.
Soletanche Bachy needed a partnering team that would enable its success from the outset, he added.
“Based on previous experience in Dubai, we knew that Fugro would be the only company capable of mobilising the necessary resources and completing these tests in line with our tight schedule.”
The project specifications also called for a state-of-the-art, robust system including the use of fibre optics to carry out the intense static load test programme using Fugro’s Osterberg Cells (O-cells).
Close collaboration, as well as Fugro’s worldwide network and engineering capabilities, allowed the team to successfully complete the preliminary testing scope of works in due time and set the right pace for the project, he said.
Construction of the Dubai Creek Tower is expected to be completed by 2020.
