TTM Post Tensioning (TTM) has completed its QAR 1.5mn ($410,000) contract for a mall project in Doha, Qatar ahead of schedule.
The K&H Al Mana development, a multiuse retail and hospitality venture with confirmed anchor tenants like Carrefour and various international F&B outlets, also includes an expansive cinema installation.
Awarded the post tensioning contract in February 2016 with the redesign commencing immediately thereafter, TTM has now completed its scope of work well within the expected client-specified timeline.
The initial mall designs used conventional RC slabs, which proved to be unsuitable for the cinemas requirements because the span was inadequate, said Sameel Hamza, chief operations officer of the firm which is part of KBW Investments.
TTM was engaged to convert the original proposed concrete slabs to PT slabs, leading to a significant 20 percent reduction of the overall structural cost.
All of the components, including the strands used in the K&H Al Mana project, were produced in the TTM factory in Milan, Italy, ensuring that only the best quality materials were sourced for this structure.
TTM allocated a total of five team members to K&H Al Mana mall development including a structural engineer, project managers, supervisors, and technicians, with the structural PT slab design executed in-house.
The original foundation plans, at a thickness of 1,200 mm, was significantly improved upon for a resulting thickness of 700 mm due to TTMs implementation of PT rafts across approximately 3,230 sq. m. of carpark, added Hamza.
This shift in design not only saved thickness, it allowed for a hefty cost reduction in materials like steel and concrete, together with a shorter turnaround time and required less onsite labour.
The mall, scheduled to be fully complete in approximately six months, consists of basement and ground floors, a mezzanine and skylight roof with a total built up area of 11,773 sq. m.
The PT slabs from ground to roof were designed using the PT band beam system, whereas the roof of the building is an innovative integration of post tension concrete slabs and central skylight area.