In the Persian Gulf, Kuwait City stands out with its majestic skyline. Surrounded by skyscrapers and futuristic architecture, it combines the modernity of the Arab world with the fascinating tradition of the Orient. An impressive mix that can also be found in the architecture of many buildings. One of them is the 7,100 square-metre Indoor Tennis Center, which was built as part of the new university campus in Kuwait City.
The special feature of the tennis hall? Its fascinating dome roof, inspired by Islamic architecture, provides unique lighting with sporadic small, round glass openings. Due to the high temperatures in summer, the architects were keen to design a weather-independent tennis hall that would be protected from the heat, the wind, and the rain.
From the rules of the game to the serve: our engineers in action
Just as in tennis, there were rules for the dome roof. "The 28-metre-high Tennis Centre was to be built within 12 months. We had to understand the client's requirements and worked with the construction company to develop a suitable offer that was tailored exactly to the needs," says David Dittmann, Senior Project Engineer. In 2008, he started his journey in the technical office at PERI. He now leads project-related teams that take care of the planning of special formwork. Complex and architecturally special buildings such as the Indoor Tennis Center are his specialty.
David's input was therefore essential for a building like this. His experience and expertise were already in demand in the bidding phase. In addition, there were about ten other engineers – both from his department and from other departments, such as support structures and structural engineering. Most of them in Weissenhorn, Germany, and another engineer from Kuwait. Together, they had the task of developing a formwork concept for the complex dome roof that takes into account the concrete girders. The beams are an important part of construction as they give the dome its load-bearing capacity. "They cross several times and get narrower towards the top. This made the concept of the formwork solution even more complicated," says David.
What’s the best way to integrate the beams into the building? Our client SEG Qatar already had a clear idea in mind. First, the beams should be completely concreted and then the casing should follow. “After careful examination, we discovered that this wish could only be realised with the use of extreme amounts of supporting scaffolding. The joists alone would not have been able to fully absorb or withstand the forces generated during the construction phase,” says David.
However, our engineering team found another creative solution: “We divided the building into eight horizontal concrete sections and gradually raised the joists. With this tactic, we were finally awarded the contract for the project," says David. And then the decisive phase began, the first serve
The ace up our sleeve: tailor-made 3D special formwork
For each construction phase, our engineers designed 3D formwork that was specially adapted to the changing geometry of the building. It was a prerequisite for developing an efficient solution for the structural radii of the reinforced concrete walls, including the changing thickness of the beams. The result was different, customised 3D special formwork elements based on the VARIO GT 24 girder wall formwork. This made it possible to connect both the curved walls and the beams in parallel.
From the second section, the formwork systems were supplemented by components of the PERI UP scaffolding kit. Since our formwork and scaffolding can be seamlessly combined, it was easier to develop a formwork concept in an efficient way. The symmetry of the structure made the planning even more efficient, as we could use the concept for the entire round. "Thanks to this approach, we have also been able to greatly reduce construction costs and planning time," says David.
One step closer to the goal with every challenge
As in the tennis world, construction was characterised by inevitable challenges. One of them was the CNC-controlled milling of the formwork panels. However, since the right equipment was not available in Kuwait, a local furniture manufacturer had to be found as quickly as possible who could mill quantities precisely. "Fortunately, through our contacts, we found a company in a timely manner," reports David.
Another challenge was the stands, which were to be lifted as finished parts into the Tennis Center with a mobile crane before the roof was completed. For our engineers, this meant changing tactics and replanning. “We had to adapt the offer and integrate the changes into our formwork system. Since the building still had to be accessible from above while the prefabricated parts were being placed, we planned the stands from the fourth construction phase onwards,” says David.
Now a solution was needed to steer the additional complexity back into a direction suitable for the construction site. Thanks to the built-in PERI UP work platform, which spanned the entire area of the grandstand, the construction workers were able to work safely even at dizzying heights and continue to form the dome roof. For this step, around 2,500 PERI UP supports were placed on the stands, which distributed the point loads to a level of individual loads that the stands could handle. Next milestone achieved!
Match point: our on-site project support
Thanks to 5,500 hours of engineering work and 370 special formwork elements, the special architectural requirements could be implemented, and the dome roof was completed. A decisive advantage was the project support on the construction site by a PERI supervisor. He kept an eye on the work processes and showed the construction workers how to work particularly efficiently and safely with our PERI products.
Game, set and match – project successfully completed
Despite many challenges over the course of the project, the roof was completed in just sixteen months. Completely to the satisfaction of our client. "The combination of different PERI formwork and scaffolding systems as well as the support in 3D model planning were crucial for the realisation of the complex dome shape," Robert Bou Chedid of SEG Qatar tells us. Unlike in tennis, we were all winners in the end. Perfect match!
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