Background
When it comes to the world of luxury accommodation, Dubai always manages to produce exceptional architectural masterpieces. Luxury hospitality developer, Seven Tides, opened the first resort on The World Islands in Dubai, in December 2021. Situated on Clarence Island, the 5-star Anantara World Islands Dubai Resort features its own 2,000-meter-squared private beach. The resort’s 142,000m2 host island is located within the South American continent of the World Islands development, just four kilometers from the coast of Dubai.
Seven tides awarded part of their project to Speedhouse Group to deliver fast, cost-effective, lightweight, and a durable turnkey building solution for their private beachfront townhouses. Speedhouse Group has been a key customer of FRAMECAD since 2010, operating from Ajman, their operating plant consists of 6 FRAMECAD systems (x5 F325iT and x1 TF550H), ranging in profiles from 63mm to 150mm and gauges from 0.55 to 2.0mm. They are regarded as one of the largest production capacities of steel framing in the Middle East, and capable of covering almost all applications of steel framing such as modular units, luxury villas, labor accommodation, pods, façade, large span trusses, and much more.
Construction of this luxury residential project is in a location where cranes and machinery are extremely difficult to transport by boat. FRAMECAD’s cold formed steel technology made an ideal solution to create the structural elements for this project. Adding to the logistics and lightweight advantages, the capability of FRAMECAD Structure to stack & zone frames, value engineering, design flexibility, and integration with BIM platforms, all made it much more appealing over the conventional concrete build that is frequently used in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Local Compliance & Fabrication
Every residential structure in Dubai must obtain local authority building consent. Since the hotel is a private development, it falls under the local authority Tarakhees (permits). This is obtained using an online application, submitting all the relevant FRAMECAD certification and compliance reports, calculations, and structural drawings. Following confirmation of the final design by an external consultant, the final drawings were submitted to Dubai Municipality using an online portal. With only a few comments on the lateral integrity of the structure, the design team at Speedhouse Group exported and uploaded the lateral bracing reports exported directly from FRAMECAD Structure. Following the submission of the required information, the permit was granted, and all the drawings were stamped. In the UAE, projects of FRAMECAD’s technology acquired building authority permits with municipalities in, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Al Ain, Sharjah, Ajman and Tarakhees.
The team at Speedhouse Group began constructing the cold formed steel (CFS) frames using the directly exported production files from FRAMECAD Detailer. With a production speed of over 600m/hr including all the punches, service holes, and other tools, production of the 1000m2 townhouses took just 3 days across 8-hour shifts. The frames were assembled in the factory and transported to site via boats from mainland Dubai. All frames were built on site in a record 10 days.
Mr Michel Hanna, director, and CEO at Speedhouse Group stated: “The townhouses at Anantara the World Islands were 100% Cold Formed Steel with the exception of the canopy frames, making it an attractive solution due to ease of logistics, lightweight foundations, and speed of installation. Customers always ask about the cost per square meter, forgetting the overall cycle of the project. These townhouses were completed in a record 4 months from the time when we were awarded the project until the keys were handed over, generating rental income for our customer within record time. This type of project in this location would have taken a minimum of 12-14 months if it was done in conventional reinforced concrete”.
The project’s summary:
- Size: 1000m2 x2 townhouses
- Profile: FRAMECAD’s steel 89mm (1.15mm and 0.95mm) G550
- Construction time: 10 days
- Total time for the project: 4 months
- Building permit authority: Tarakhees
The FRAMECAD Experience
With 6 FRAMECAD systems and a fantastic customer relationship, Speedhouse Group has been a key customer since 2010 when FRAMECAD’s team and Michel met at the Big5 show in Dubai. “From the first meeting with FRAMECAD, I thought the offering wasn’t only a roll-forming machine, but a complete building solution, and that’s exactly what our business needed at the time. Just like in the car industry, and I like to give other industries as an example, the relationship starts after you buy the car. The real customer experience with FRAMECAD started after the machines were deployed. 12 years on, we are still getting the support no matter how small or big the question is. The technology has given Speedhouse Group the opportunity to become a specialized offshore modular contractor, shipping elements as modular, semi-modular, or frame bundles to every continent in the world”, Mr Hanna added.
