DM and GHD join forces to raise industry awareness

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MOHAMAD NAGI: We build landmarks here – unique structures.

Dubai Municipality (DM) has hosted a seminar presented by Australia-based concrete giant GHD to raise awareness surrounding the issue of high-performance concrete (HPC).

The seminar, hosted by GHD materials technology manager Mohamad Nagi and concrete specialist James Aldred, was attended predominantly by engineers and consultants from both the public and private sectors.

"The message we deliver has to do with the service life of structures," Nagi said. "The current concrete technology that we have available to us in the region enables us to build structures with further extended service life than we are familiar with."

According to Nagi and Aldred, the service life of a concrete structure should be in the region of 75 to 100 years.

Service life is defined as the amount of time that a concrete structure will maintain its condition until cracking starts to appear that needs to be repaired.

"We build landmarks here," Nagi explained. "Unique structures, and tonnes of money is spent. If you tell the asset manager that they can achieve 100 years service life with minimal maintenance and minimum life cycle cost, it is very attractive to them."

The region-wide shift towards the introduction of green regulations will also provide a boost to HPC manufacturers.

"High performance concrete means durable concrete. It is not necessarily of a higher strength," Nagi said.

"Cement is not environmentally friendly. But if you replace 40% to 50% of it with fly-ash or slag, it is more in line with sustainable principles, and is also more durable. HPC allows you to feed into green issues."

Nagi went on to explain that such materials are by-products.

Chemically-enhanced protective coatings also help to protect concrete in the harsh Middle East environment.

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