Doka’s formwork has been put to use to shape up the new 93.6 m Al Zamil two-tower complex that is nearing completion in the heart of Manama.

The towers straddle a street with a ‘gateway’ arch, which provides a focal point for the redevelopment of the traditional suq area of Manama.
“Throughout construction of the project’s tallest tower, Doka formwork systems ensured that main contractor Charilaos A Postolides (Chapo) maintained a schedule of a six-day floor cycle,” says a spokesman for Doka.
The taller of the two towers – the 22-storey tower – borders the busy Government Avenue. The second tower, overlooking Al Khalifa Avenue, features a basement, ground, mezzanine and 10 upper storeys, and also includes seven levels of parking – one underground and six above ground – to provide spaces for 155 cars. Both towers will be linked across Al Khalifa Avenue by a 30 m-long bridge at the fourth floor level to the top of the second tower.
The project, sitting on a footprint of 722 sq m (615 sq m and 105 sq m), originates from the design boards of Gulf House Engineering for the developer, the Al Zamil Group.
In designing the building, the architect has utilised a theme, which aims at blending the new with the old.
Conveying this theme, the towers feature granite skirting at the base, blending into natural stone cladding at the lower levels, which incorporate elements of Islamic architecture. This transcends into modern precast, aluminium and curtain walling.
The challenging aspect of the project is that the 22-storey tower ‘flares’ outwards from the 12th storey to the top of the concave-sloped building at an angle of 1.6 degrees to 13.8 degrees.
“It was for this reason that Chapo, as main contractor, approached the nearby Dammam, Saudi Arabia office of Doka to propose a formwork system,” says the spokesman.
To provide a fast but simple system, Doka’s engineers have opted for a combination of its 150F climbing system and folding K brackets for the concave columns. These, together with Doka’s D15/3 type brackets, which ensure a wider working space and larger loadings, offered a cost-effective solution, says the spokesman.
The use of the Doka 150F climbing formwork system guarantees a clean finish and tight fitting joints, he says. The formwork system also allowed the contractor to complete a floor every six days.
Featuring a wall height of 4 m and wall thickness varying between 25 cm to 87 cm, Doka supplied a total of 1,050 sq m of formwork systems for the hi-rise towers construction. The contractor intends to use a high standard of internal finishes with a combination of cherrywood cladding and glazing throughout the entrance areas and lobbies, together with marble and natural stone flooring – on completion of construction.
The office areas will be open plan, allowing tenants total flexibility. They will feature full height glazing, he concludes.