Madinat Salman housing project, Bahrain
Bahrain, a small enclave of around 750 km2 and around 1.8 million inhabitants, is one of the richest countries in the world. For years, Bahrain has been developing into a center of international financial activity. The first oil field was tapped in 1932, but tourism, especially from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, is now the small state's main source of income.
Making housing available to the population is a major priority for King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa. For this reason, the MoH has started to develop the man-made island "Madinat Salman". A total of 22 plots are to be built on. AMAS 3&4 was the kick-off for these activities in 2021.
The 22-story building is being built on an innovative KPP (combined pile and slab) foundation. This KPP is the first in the region as well as the largest of its kind in the world.
Gulf House Engineering worked together with our partner Strongforce MGC to implement this innovative foundation.
The decisive factor for the choice of the system was the framework condition that the freshwater reservoir should not be penetrated under any circumstances. During the construction of the King Fahd Causeway, the connection between Bahrain and KSA, which was built between 1981 and 1986, the freshwater stream was breached. According to unofficial estimates, up to 10% of the freshwater (freshwater flow coming from KSA to Bahrain) was rendered permanently unusable.
These mistakes needed to be avoided, therefore a KPP with TRM pile system was chosen. The TRM piles act as a load transfer as well as a stiffening element of the slab.
Extensive test loads were necessary before construction began in order to define the settlement behavior under load and the group effect of the piles.
The completion and handover of 400 apartments is planned for the end of 2024.
Fast. Simple. Safe.
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