Bahrain Precast Concrete Company (BPC), which has traditionally held the distinction of creating most of the landmark sculptures that adorn the highways of Bahrain – right from the ‘Sails’ near the Diplomatic Area to the Pearl monument near the Central Market – has just added yet another feather to its cap with the completion of the Bab Al Bahrain fountains last month. 

This follows the successful installation of the Riffa sculpture earlier last year.
While these decorative sculptures add to the reputation of the company, BPC continues to hold sway in the construction of prominent buildings in Bahrain through the supply and erection of its high-quality precast concrete panels, hollowcore slabs and building systems.
Among the latest projects it is working on is the Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) headquarters in Sanabis.
“BPC is currently designing a precast solution for the BCCI headquarters, where the elements will be curved and supported on a steel structure,” says general manager Goran Hogberg.
Elaborating on the project, he says: “A solid 80-mm precast concrete skin with a 150 by 150 mm frame all around will replace the traditional beam/block walls of this 20-storey headquarters. Aluminium panels will be mounted on our panels and a layer of insulation will be sandwiched in between.”
The first four floors of the building will accommodate the BCCI offices, which will also include a training centre and lecture halls. The remaining 16 floors will be rented out as office space.
BPC is also involved in erecting a number of computer laboratories for the Ministry of Education. The laboratory structures comprise precast building systems consisting of load-bearing, insulated panels and hollowcore slabs.
“All the services will be embedded in precast panels for this project. Almost 50 per cent of the labs have already been constructed for the project which requires BPC to cast and erect 480 panels by March 2006,” he says.
The precast concrete manufacturer is also engaged in designing the facade for a new Toyota showroom.  The three-storey building will feature 120-mm-thick solid panels with a white exposed finish.
Other projects it is involved in include:
• Production and erection of a 3.6 km-long boundary wall in the Durrat Al Bahrain area. About 70 per cent of the wall – which comprises 100-mm-thick pigmented solid panels – has been finished
• Seef Mall extension, where it is supplying 20,432  sq m of 200 mm hollowcore slabs.
• A multistorey car-park in the Diplomatic Area (hollowcore slabs); and
• Awal Press’ new offices (beams and slabs).
Hogberg took over the reins of the company just a year ago, following the demise of his predecessor. It was a difficult time for BPC, as the company’s production manager had just been transferred to a new factory in Qatar, and the sales manager had left the firm. Hogberg has managed to steer the company through this crisis and put it well on course with a considerable boost in turnover.
“Business has improved considerably especially for hollowcore and panel systems,” he comments. “Our order book is filling up, thanks to the construction boom on the island.”
He continues: “BPC has done very well in the field of hollowcore slabs. We are casting more beds now than ever before and there is still scope to increase our daily production.
BPC has even been exporting hollowcore slabs to Saudi Arabia. The quality of BPC hollowcore slabs has always been the best on the island and that is why our slabs have managed to secure a niche in the competitive market of Saudi Arabia.”
Hogberg is concentrating on promoting greater awareness of the benefits of total precast buildings which are faster to erect, cheaper, look elegant and reduce future maintenance costs.
“We are the first in Bahrain to offer complete building systems for high-rise buildings, which gives us a competitive edge in the market,” he claims.
The company has recently completed a three-storey total precast building in Sanad, the walls of which are load bearing with the hollowcore slabs sitting directly on them, without columns and beams. The erection of the building just took over a month, says Hogberg. In addition to this building, the company is also negotiating for a multistorey building.
In line with its reputation of being a pioneer in the manufacture of precast prestressed hollowcore slabs, BPC continues to innovate and launch new products based on market demands. The company has recently introduced 320-mm-thick slabs and can also offer 500-mm thick units, if required.  These slabs will, in effect, replace double TT slab and provide even further cost savings to the construction sector, he adds.           
Elaborating on the sculptures that BPC has completed recently, he says: “The colourful fountains set in landscaping in front of the Bab Al Bahrain at Government Avenue are placed in two tiers. The precast elements including the flower pots are 120-mm thick and comprise coloured concrete with a polished finish. The design work was done in-house and special attention has been paid to ensure that the structures can withstand water pressure.”
The Riffa sculpture, a circular-shaped monument at a road junction in Riffa, features traditional Arabic architecture with a sail design. Rising 9 m above the ground, the sculpture has been constructed from 300-mm-thick load-bearing panels in coloured concrete as well as 250-mm-thick panels with an embedded Arabic design screen, in two different colours.
Over the past year, BPC has completed a number of prestigious projects including the University of Bahrain (UoB).
“This was a major project and our scope of work was expanded with the addition of a library building, food outlets and lecture halls.  For this project, BPC designed, produced and erected 2,357 panels covering a total area of 24,765 sq m,” he says.
BPC has also recently completed a five-storey commercial building at the junction of Exhibitions and Al Zubara avenues, which involved the installation of pigmented 250-mm-thick insulated curved panels that give an elegant appearance to the building.