Austrian formwork specialist Doka says that with its d2 load-bearing towers and Top 50 column formworks, it is helping to make up or lost time in the construction of the Kingdom Center in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Following a tragic accident in February of last year, when the 29-m-high falsework under the atrium roof collapsed, work on the project was temporarily halted and operations were only resumed after the cause of the accident had been determined and the overloaded and damaged falsework had been removed and then replaced with reliable equipment.

''Doka was able to offer and supply the contractor El Seif Engineering Contracting with the very considerable quantity of 42,000 cu m of d2 towerframes at very short notice, as well as providing all required statistical proofs,'' a Doka spokesman says. ''It was thus possible for work to be resumed swiftly - and above all, safely - with the Doka floor-slab formwork system d2.

He continues: ''After being used for the 29-m-high shoring of the atrium, the falsework will then be used again in the higher storeys, together with 18 sets of Doka Top 50 column formwork, helping to ensure that all further forming operations proceed rapidly and that the lost time can be made good.''

The 30-storey skyscraper has a simple, dramatic design: a single tower sheathed in reflective silver glazing, branching into two separate steeples that connect at the top with a flat observation deck.

The 300-m-tall building will house Saudi Arabia's first Four Seasons Hotel, as well as luxury apartments, the headquarters of the United Saudi Bank and offices of the Kingdom Holding Company.

It will also incorporate a three-storey shopping centre, a 2000-seater wedding hall, conference and sports facilities, and restaurants. The project is scheduled for completion by 2001, with a total labour input of around 8.5 million man-hours.