Introduction

Reinforced concrete is the most popular

construction material in Saudi Arabia. Generally, its use is confined to structu

res with a maximum of 15 floors. The recent pioneering work on reinforced concre
te high-rise towers in Riyadh, the capital, has necessitated the rapid assimilat
ion of new knowledge and construction methods by the local Saudi contractors. Th
e first of the Riyadh high-rise developments to be completed was the Al Faisalia
h Centre, designed by Foster & Partners and Buro Happold Consulting Engineers.
Design and engineering
This landmark development of the King Faisal Foundation includes a signature 267
m-high office tower, a 224-bedroom five-star hotel, banqueting and conference fa
cilities, a residential apartment building, and a retail mall, all around an urb
an public plaza. The office tower is 47 x 47m in plan at its base, soaring to a
tapering point in a smooth giant arc. The floor area decreases from 1500m^sup 2^
at the base to 500m^sup 2^ at the top, providing a total floor area of 56,600m^
sup 2^. The lower two-thirds of the tower is of reinforced concrete, clad with s
ilver-anodised aluminium and glass. The top 90m is made from partially clad open
structural steelwork intended to carry telecommunications dishes. At the transi
tion of the two is a 24m diameter glass-clad geodesic sphere in structural alumi
nium. This encloses three floors of exclusive dining above an external observati
on platform.
With little local experience of structural steelwork fabrication and constructio
n and structural steelwork expensive to import, Buro Happold selected concrete a
s the most cost-effective structural material for the tower. A `high-tech' concr
ete solution was developed, embodying state-of-the-art prestressing techniques.
These contributed considerably to the visual appearance and success of the devel
opment.
To minimise the depth and weight, floors are constructed as post-tensioned ribbe
d slabs spanning between a central core and the perimeter elevation. The central
core provides virtually all the horizontal wind stability and carries 65% of th
e vertical load. It also houses the lifts and escape stairs. Foster & Partners w
as keen to maximise the visual transparency of the elevations. To achieve this,
the tower is arranged as three buildings of nine-, ten- and eleven-storeys place
d above each other and separated by K-braced technical floors. The K-braces tran
sfer the vertical loads from the perimeter columns of the block above to the mas
sive corner columns. In this way, the perimeter columns are kept exceptionally l
ight for a tower of this height, at 450 to 600mm diameter. The horizontal thrust
s induced by the K-brace compressions are resisted by large tension forces (25,0
00kN) within the tie beams that girdle the tower at the base of the K-braces. Th
ese tension forces are provided by prestressing bars, stressed in stages as the
block above is constructed.
One problem that had to be overcome was the differential axial shortening of the
corner and perimeter columns relative to the central core. The combined effect
of elastic shortening and time-dependent shrinkage and creep for the highly stre
ssed slim perimeter and corner columns had to be estimated and compared with tha
t of the moderately stressed, relatively stiff central core walls. The largest v
ertical deflection due to these factors was estimated as 135mm in the corner col
umns during the life of the building. The largest core deflection was estimated
at only 85mm. Physical height compensations were then made during construction.
For example, the floor slabs at each level would be approximately horizontal bot
h immediately after completion of construction and remain within an acceptable l
imit until demolition of the structure.
The design of the top of the tower was changed during construction, as a 24m dia
meter sphere was introduced at the base of the top steelwork section. The centra
l concrete core was transformed into a reduced circular section that extended ve
rtically through the sphere to provide horizontal stability. It also operates as
the vertical support for the three levels of cantilevered concrete floors withi
n, while the core acts as a vertical support to the central steelwork mast above
. The spherical structure thus derives horizontal restraint from the concrete co
re at both its top and base and is reduced to a light aluminium geodesic structu
re giving maximum visibility over the city below. The hotel, shopping mall and a
partment building are of conventional reinforced concrete construction. They hav
e prestressed elements, both for larger spans and to create the transfer structu
res and cantilever canopies.
IMAGE PHOTOGRAPH 11
Figure 1:
IMAGE PHOTOGRAPH 12
Figure 2:
Banqueting hall
Beneath the public plaza in front of the tower lies a spectacular banqueting hal
l. Designed to accommodate 2000 diners under a clear spanning concrete arch-supp
orted roof, the interior measures 57 x 92m with no internal columns. The banquet
hall is a multifunctional space and can be divided into numerous configurations
by movable walls. When configured as a single conference space, it can seat 450
0 delegates. The concrete slab roof is carried by eight pairs of inclined arches
, whose feet are tied together by multi-strand prestressing tendons within the f
loor slab and resisting lateral thrusts.
Construction
Construction of the Al Faisaliah Centre started in April 1997 when the Saudi Bin
ladin Group (SBG) took over the completion of the bulk site excavation from the
demolition, site clearance and enabling works contractor. The central core and c
orner columns of the tower are supported on a contiguous raft foundation. The ce
ntral portion under the core is 4m deep and 31m^sup 2^ in area and under each co
rner column 3m deep and 10m^sup 2^. The raft foundation for the tower is believe
d to be the largest continuous concrete pour to have been placed in Saudi Arabia
. Over 6000m^sup 3^ of concrete were placed in 17 hours.
Care was taken so the temperature build-up - due to hydration heat from the larg
e volume of concrete did not generate temperature differentials within the raft
that would compromise the concrete strength. Following studies carried out on si
milar pours at such developments as Petronas Towers, Kuala Lumpur, a target maxi
mum temperature differential of 30degC between the core of the raft and base or
surface was considered acceptable.
IMAGE PHOTOGRAPH 24
Figure 3:
IMAGE PHOTOGRAPH 25
Figure 4:
The 28-day cube strength for the raft was specified at 40N/mm^sup 2^, with a min
imum cement content of 370kg/m^sup 3^ of sulfate-resisting cement and a maximum
water/cement ratio of 0.45. Local limestone coarse (maximum 20mm) and fine aggre
gates were used, together with a water-- reducing/retarding admixture and superp
lasticiser. To minimise the temperature of the fresh concrete, SBG stipulated th
at the ready-mix suppliers should use cement that had been stored for at least 3
0 days to dissipate its heat of manufacture. The usual precautions of using crus
hed ice in the mix water and evaporative cooling of the aggregate stockpile were
also taken. With the daily ambient shade temperature 30-40degC, the temperature
of the concrete, as delivered to site, varied between 31deg and 27degC during t
he night. Nine sets of three thermocouples were cast into the raft to monitor co
ncrete temperatures in the base, centre and top layer. The concrete at the centr
e of the raft peaked at 79degC after seven days and remained above 70degC for ov
er 15 days. Curing was achieved using a curing compound and a polythene sheet. T
he temperature of the top surface was further controlled by covering the surface
and any exposed sides with 50mm thick insulation boards during the cool nights.
These were removed during the day to allow heat to escape without exceeding the
permitted temperature differentials. After 25 days, the centre was still at 62d
egC and cooling at a rate of about 1degC per day. The maximum recorded temperatu
re differential was 21degC between the centre and the base of the raft.
Another first for Saudi Arabia was the use of self-climbing formwork for the cen
tral core and corner columns. The core was cast in lifts 4m high and was advance
d three levels ahead of the typical floor, with corner columns proceeding one le
vel ahead of the typical floor. Table formwork was used for the 350mmthick post-
tensioned floor slab. SBG worked on four levels at a time, the upper level being
prepared for pouring while the level below was curing and the two levels below
that being used for propping. A casting cycle of four to five days per level was
achieved. Post-tensioning was by strands in the form of sheathed cable anchored
with a dead anchor in the slab adjacent to the core wall and stressed from the
perimeter spandrel beam.
K-braces were constructed from reinforced concrete at the lowest level and from
welded-plate steel box sections in the upper two levels. These were connected to
the lower tie beams by fabricated steelwork thrust blocks. Bearing plates were
welded to the apex of the struts and cast into the concrete transfer beams above
. Tie beams were stressed by high-tensile steel bars to counter the thrust from
the K-braces. SBG used a combination of mobile and static concrete pumps, workin
g in tandem, to deliver the concrete to a maximum height of 200m above street le
vel. A traditional concrete skip suspended from a tower crane was also deployed
on occasions, and was available as an emergency backup.
Construction of the concrete arches for the banquet hall presented interesting c
hallenges. To keep the level of the finished plaza slab at a reasonably accessib
le height above existing street level, banquet hall arches had to be shallow. Th
is resulted in particularly concentrated reinforcement, requiring SOmm mechanica
lly coupled splices in many locations. The cross-sections of the leaning arches
varied from 750 x 1500mm in depth at the centre point to a combined section of 1
300mm^sup 2^ at the springing points. The upper and lower curves of the arch fol
low slightly differing radii. The two sides of the arch also follow different cu
rves, providing a rectangular section that smoothly varies, both in height and b
readth, while maintaining a cross-sectional area of about 1.25 m^sup 2^. The mai
n arch sections were constructed from 45N/mm^sup 2^ concrete, with 60N/mm^sup 2^
concrete for the buttress sections. Superplasticising admixture minimised shrin
kage in the arches and resulted in concrete that was virtually self-compacting a
nd could be placed through the dense reinforcement.
Concrete was also used as the main cladding material for the lowrise buildings.
The hotel, apartment building and shopping mall are all clad in Riyadh stone-col
oured acid-- etched precast panels. To achieve the required fine surface flatnes
s tolerance, SBG cast the panels on a form faced with float glass.
Construction was supervised by a Buro Happold/Foster & Partners site team of eng
ineers, architects and inspectors directed by the author. The result is a standa
rd of construction that would be commended anywhere in the world.
IMAGE PHOTOGRAPH 37
Figure 5:
IMAGE PHOTOGRAPH 38
Figure 6:
AUTHOR_AFFILIATION
Eddie Pugh, Buro Happold