PASCHAL Emirates, the Abu Dhabi branch of global formwork specialist Paschal-Werk G Maier, says the Abu Dhabi market has been highly receptive to its formwork systems thanks to the flexibility they afford in diverse projects currently under way ranging from airports to waste treatment plants and from schools to residential apartments.

Its latest successes in the market include two prestigious residential projects in the emirate, which confirm the strong appeal of its products in large-scale developments.

These include the $1.4-billion Jebel Hafeet Emirati Housing project and the striking Najmat Residential Tower.

The Jebel Hafeet Emirati Housing scheme offers 3,000 villas with a wide array of amenities such as schools, health and recreational facilities, and mosques. Located 13 km south of Al Ain City Centre, the project spreads across an area of 4.4 million sq m on the western base of Jebel Hafeet.

Trojan General Contracting, the main contractor, is relying on the flexibility and accuracy of Paschal formwork systems in building the plinth walls of the villas within this multi-million-dollar project.

“The contractor is currently using 15 sets of our plinth wall materials which involves a plinth area of 244.67 sq m per set,” says Mark Romero, sales and technical engineer at Paschal Emirates.

The Jebel Hafeet Emirati Housing development is being developed by Tamouh Investments for the Abu Dhabi Urban Planning Council. The project manager on this massive development is Royal Architect while Dorch Gruppe DC is the consultant. The project will take five years to complete.

Paschal’s formwork systems are also facilitating the construction of the high-profile Najmat Residential Towers designed by Foster & Partners, also the principal consultant. The development, which is taking shape on Reem Island, comprises two towers (C1 and C4) with three basement levels, ground floor, two podium levels, 23 floors and a penthouse.

“The flexibility of Paschal formwork materials is a key aspect in managing the radius of the curved ramp of the two towers in this project,” Romero points out.

Najmat Residential Tower is being developed by Reem Developers for Al Wifaq Finance Company/Union National Bank. Fibrex Construction Group is the main contractor, while Northcroft Middle East is the project manager, and Architect Consulting Group the local consultant.

Najmat Residential Towers ... Paschal formwork used to manage the radius of the curved ramp.

Among other developments in the emirate, Paschal Concrete Forms, the German formwork specialist’s regional office in Bahrain, is working alongside its Dubai and Abu Dhabi operations to meet the requirements of a massive Ministry of Housing project involving the construction of some 5,000 villas in Al Ain. The contractor on the project is National Projects and Contracting.

Also in Abu Dhabi, following the completion of the pile caps at Abu Dhabi International Airport’s prestigious Midfield Terminal Complex, some 2,000 sq m of Paschal formwork are being used for the base slabs on the pile caps, the raft foundation and the lift pits and other elements.

Paschal formwork was also used for Package Two of Phase Three of the Abu Dhabi Educational Council (Adec) Future School Programme in Baniyas. Other Paschal projects include a military training school in Shahama, Abu Dhabi, and a wastewater treatment plant for Metito at Khalifa Industrial Zone Abu Dhabi (Kizad).

Another contractor that is deriving benefits of the flexibility afforded by Paschal formwork is Al Hassan Engineering, which is using the system in the construction of the columns associated with the new 400/220/33 kV Transco grid station at Bab (Bab-2) located in western region of Abu Dhabi. Work on the Dh63.9 million ($17.4 million) project which was launched last November under a subcontract from Alstom, is due for completion in the first quarter of 2014.

In the neighbouring emirate of Dubai, Paschal has seen an increase in demand for its services, particularly in terms of technical support.

Amir Delghandi, general director of Paschal Concrete Forms, says many projects are turning to the formwork specialist to provide technical site support and shop drawings – a service it offers free of charge to its clients.

The company’s formwork systems are being employed in a number of projects including the Al Fattan Crystal Towers, and two towers for real estate developer Damac in the Burj Khalifa District: the Burjside View Tower, which boasts a ground floor, five podium levels and 45 upper levels, and the Burjside Terrace, which comprises a ground level, five podium levels and a 37-storey tower.

Meanwhile, Emirates Sand Contracting has just started work using Paschal’s modular formwork for the construction of a commercial building at Wadi Al Safa (formerly Al Majan District), a community being developed along the stretch of Mohammad Bin Zayed Road.

“Due to the tight and reduced working schedule this summer, Emirates Sand has again called upon the services of Paschal for its single-sided retaining wall, ramp wall and water tank wall – which comprises a combination of single and double-sided walls,” he says. “Here again the convenience and speedy erection of the modular panel has proved its worth.”

Paschal’s formwork is currently being used in the construction of a 132/33 kVA substation at Business Bay (along Doha Road), by the civil contractor Lootah Building and Contracting under a subcontract from main contractor ABB. The project for Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa) is now in the superstructure stage.

“As with previous substation projects done by Lootah Building and Contracting, there is only one shuttering materials that fits their vertical requirements: the Paschal modular panels, which are being used to cast all columns and will also be used to cast foundations and double-sided walls shortly,” says Delghandi.

Paschal formwork is being used on two 132/33 kVA substations by Lootah Building and Contracting – one in Mushrif and the other at The Pearl Jumeirah under subcontracts from Siemens and ABB respectively.

Another noteworthy project is the Terminal Building Package (T3 Q10) of Dubai Port World’s Jebel Ali Port, being implemented by Gulf Technical Contracting.

Paschal-Werk G Maier, founded in 1964, is represented in more than 60 countries where it provides comprehensive services in the field of concrete building, from development to production of rugged, heavy-duty shuttering and reinforcement solutions including global marketing and dependable customer service.

Paschal’s product range comprises systems for modern wall and ceiling formwork, special shuttering, climbing system, single-side walls, wall formwork, and trapezoidal formwork system for any type of circular structures especially tanks for sewage treatment plant (STP) projects.

Since the inception of its regional office in Bahrain in January 1998, Paschal has emerged as a leading supplier of modern formwork solutions to the region’s contractors. Paschal opened its office in Dubai in 2004 and its Abu Dhabi branch in 2009.