PASCHAL Werk G Maier is forging ahead in the Middle East with its modular formwork helping contractors to tackle some of the most challenging projects in the region.

One such project in Bahrain that is using its formwork is United Tower, a new landmark building set to take shape at Bahrain Bay. The 49-storey tower has four basement levels requiring a 17-m-deep excavation and is being built by Ahmed Qaed Contractors.

“For the first time in Bahrain, Paschal has supplied its single-side modular formwork with special supporting jacks for casting a 4-m-deep lift pit and a 260-m single-side retaining wall for each basement,” says Amir Delghandi, general director of Bahrain-based Paschal Concrete Forms, the regional office for Paschal.

In addition, the contractor will use the formwork for the columns, 17 lift shafts, the shear wall and the ramp of the 200-m tower.

Work on the project started some two months ago and the fourth basement slab has just been completed. “The contractor spent only 10 days for raising the vertical structures,” he says.

Another major development in Bahrain that is utilising Paschal’s modular formwork is the Lagoona Beach resort, a 20-storey leisure resort in Budaiya, where the system is being used in the construction of the columns and the shear wall.

One of the leading formwork manufacturers in the world, Paschal offers cost-effective and environment-friendly formwork systems that have become popular among contractors in the region who are aware of their advantages, says Delghandi. “Our systems are based on various panel sizes. The panels are strong and durable being manufactured using 6 mm-thick frames of very special steel, which do not corrode.

Paschal’s new facility in Hidd.

“The surface of the panels is covered by high-quality birch plywood (density 780 kg/ cu m) with a phenolic coating of 220 gm/sq m. The edges of the plywood are protected by steel frame and the gap between them is filled with a special sealant. Hence, the panel’s plywood can be re-used up to 250 times and the steel frame has a life span of more than 20 years,” he says.

This apart, the system also offers advantages through its ease of use. “Due to easy erection and dismantling, with or without the use of a crane, contractors can save up to 30 per cent of their superstructure cost through savings on labour, material and time. Being modular, the formwork system offers contractors versatility, flexibility and durability, among other benefits,” he says.

In addition to the economic advantages, contractors also enjoy the environment-friendly properties of Paschal products. According to Delghandi, the experience of many contractors in the region has shown that, through its reuse, 1 sq m of Paschal formwork offers the equivalent performance of 100 sq m plywood and 5 cu m of timber, thus saving forest and wood resources for the next generation.

With more than 46 successful years in the formwork industry behind it, Paschal of Germany continues to serve the Middle East market by providing complete solutions and competent services that have proved to be user-friendly at concrete construction sites, says Delghandi.

“Our consistency in quality is reflected in the DIN EN ISO 9001 certification. In addition, Paschal’s service professionals are ready to act as consultants and find optimum solutions for specific applications.”

Paschal supplied formwork for a dam project in Saudi Arabia in the early 70s, marking its foray into the Middle Eastern market. This was followed by supplies to civil projects in Kuwait and Bahrain. During this period, all supplies and after-sales services were provided from the main office in Germany.

The company decided to open a Middle East office in 1998 in Bahrain in order to provide better services and grow its business relations with the Middle East.

To meet with the increasing demand and enhance its services to clients, Paschal has now built a purpose-built 3,200-sq-m facility over a 5,600-sq-m site in Salman Industrial City (BIIP) in Hidd and has been operating from these new offices since last June.

Paschal’s contribution to recent developments in Bahrain include: Amwaj Islands, Riffa Views, Royal Pavilion at Sakhir airbase, new German Embassy building, a shopping mall at Saar, new Honda workshop at Sehla, a water transmission facility for Bahrain Financial Harbour, a sewage treatment plant at Bapco, Survey and Land Registration Bureau headquarters in Sanabis, a training centre at Alba, a water tank in Hamad Town and several residential and commercial towers in Seef, Juffair, Hoora, Diplomatic Area.

Other landmark projects include Citibank headquarters, Seef Residence, Sail Tower, Taib Bank, Arab Bank, Dana Mall, Sitra Mall, Seef Mall, Trust Insurance building, VIP tower at Bahrain International Circuit (BIC), Khalifa Bin Salman Port in Hidd, the Asry project, many developments in Amway Islands, Durrat Al Bahrain and Riffa Views, Sheikh Khalifa Sports City, Gulf University complex, RUF car assembly plant in Sakhir, the control tower at Bahrain International Airport and Hidd Power Plant (Phases One, Two and Three).