»Golden Mile« - The Foundation of the »Palm Jumeirah«

PASCHAL delivers formwork for one of the most famous construction sites in the world

Seven years of construction, 200 million cubic metres of sand moved, seven million tons of rock, an extension of the coastline by 100 kilometres, ... »Palm Jumeirah« is located in the Persian Gulf, and, as the name so aptly explains, is shaped like a palm tree, with trunk, fronds, and a border. It is a world-first in terms of a man-made island of such colossal dimension to be used for residential purposes. For many years, this project has been among the most spectacular, and with its ten-digit building costs, also among the most expensive construction sites in the world. It made the news in practically all the media around the world. The official inauguration took place at the end of 2008.

Dubai (Emirate of Dubai, United Arabic Emirates, UAE): The construction of the ground floor level has begun at this stage. The MODULAR universal formwork by PASCHAL is one of the most used types of concrete formwork systems worldwide.

The Trunk of the Palm Tree

Four kilometres of this artificial structure, which is even visible from space, make up the trunk of the palm tree, the largest of all areas of the island. There are no villas in this area, as they are located on the fronds - the trunk is populated with apartment and commercial blocks. They round off the palm tree with all necessary amenities to provide complete autonomy for the area.

While the palm tree as a whole has been publicized as the »Eighth Wonder of the World«, the trunk has become known as the »Golden Mile«.

PASCHAL at the Gulf

PASCHAL-Werk G. Maier GmbH, with its main factory located in Steinach (Baden) has been working successfully on the Persian Gulf for many years. In 1997, the company founded a subsidiary, PASCHAL Concrete Forms Co. W.L.L. Bahrain in the kingdom’s capital Manama.

Then, in October 2004, a joint venture between this subsidiary and a company in the region formed PASCHAL Emirates LLC Dubai. The two companies are located less than 500 kilometres apart.

The Site

PASCHAL Emirates received an order from Al Shafar General Contracting Co to provide formwork material for the construction of a large, one mile (1.6km) long complex, consisting of ten-storey buildings featuring luxury apartments, while the complex’s lobby was to house a variety of shops. The projected duration was set at 30 months. The entire project was to cost 1 billion dirhams (approx. 200 million euros).

Foundations, walls, lift shafts, and the load-bearing rectangular pillars were produced with Raster universal formwork, which proved to be the ideal choice for the task. The buildings themselves were then constructed as skeleton structures. That means that on top of the foundations (see site image), one or more cellar or basement floors with interior and exterior concrete walls were erected. A robust interior core of the building would be the site for the electric systems (lifts, electric and water supply) as well as the stairwell. The inner core is surrounded by concrete pillars, and some few load bearing walls to carry the weight of the ceilings. All other interior and exterior walls are built with bricks.

Outlook

Construction of the »Golden Mile«, the first giant project of its kind, has been finished, and tenants are already moving in.

However, global recession has also hit the UAE. Prices for land and apartments have suffered severely.

But not all economic news is bad. The general investment climate will ultimately benefit from lower prices.

Underground car parks and cellars in the 1.6km long complex. Walls, lift shafts, and pillars were produced with premium quality concrete and the MODULAR universal formwork by PASCHAL.