RMD Kwikform has designed and supplied in excess of 15,000 tonnes of formwork and shoring solutions to main contractor Saudi Binladin Group (SBG) for the expansion of the landmark Grand Mosque in Saudi Arabia – the largest project it has ever undertaken in the region to date.

The Shamiyah Holy Haram Expansion 3 project, as it is officially called, is situated adjacent to the Al Masjid Al Haram mosque in Makkah. The project, which will provide additional facilities for 2.5 million people during their Hajj pilgrimage, features 250,000 sq m of ornate prayer halls, ceremonial halls and courtyards.

“Having delivered the first RMD Kwikform equipment to site in July 2010, SBG has expressed its total satisfaction with the designs, solutions and industry-leading support supplied throughout such a fast-paced and highly technical project,” said a spokesman for RMD Kwikform.

The overall scope for equipment designed and supplied by RMD Kwikform covers four main areas of construction throughout the site, the first of which is the centrepiece of the overall design, the 5,000-sq-m central ceremonial area.

Elaborating on these areas, the spokesman said: “The ceremonial area contains a number of impressive in-situ concrete engineering features including the multi-arched north and south entrance gates and the magnificent 14-m-high grand arches supporting the mosque’s 60-m-high central dome.  Equipment supplied for the construction of the ceremonial area included configurations assembled from heavy-duty Megashor towers, R700 trusses, Superslim, Albeam, Rapidshor, Maxima panels and a specially made 25-tonne-arch support former for the south main entrance.

“Complementing the central ceremonial area are seventy-four, 400-sq-m prayer halls spread across three floors, for which RMD Kwikform supplied 100 tonnes of formwork and falsework to support a staggering 1,600 tonnes of concrete structural frame.

“Configurations formed from Alshor Plus, Alform beams, and purpose-designed and fabricated negative arch supports were designed and supplied by RMD Kwikform for the construction of supporting columns, beams and the support of precast artificial stone soffits.  The remaining areas involved supplying solutions for the construction of perimeter elevations, atriums and the erection of impressive 140-m-high artificial stone minarets that stand on either side of the main north entrance gate.

RMD Kwikform Saudi Arabia’s regional director James Dewar commented on the success of this project and the sheer scale of the task at hand: “The RMD Kwikform team has taken on a massive undertaking with the Shamiyah Holy Haram Expansion 3 project. From the initial preparation in tendering for this project to the complex formwork and shoring designs that have made this project possible, the team has acquitted itself admirably; this is a real benchmark project that showcases the level of expertise and support RMD Kwikform has at its disposal.”

RMD Kwikform is not only supporting the construction of the Makkah mosque project but also the training and development of SBG staff in the effective and safe use of RMD Kwikform equipment on site.

To date, RMD Kwikform has conducted in excess of 2,000 staff training sessions on the project. 

“The level of support supplied by our team on this project is unsurpassed in this market; it shows real commitment to our customers and proves without a doubt that we go beyond what is traditionally expected of a supplier in this industry and that we are experts and leaders in our field,” he concluded.