A NUMBER of highly precise innovations for the formwork sector, which were unveiled by Doka earlier this year at bauma – a leading trade fair for construction and building machinery, vehicles and equipment held in Germany – are now available to the Middle East market.

SKE Plus

In the high-rise sector, the European formwork technology specialist has dominated hundreds of projects in the region with its highly acclaimed push-of-a-button automatic climbing formwork system. Now, with precise fine-tuning and upgrades to an already proven system, Doka’s new crane-independent systems SKE 50 Plus and SKE 100 Plus further empower contractors to create safe and controlled climbing environments. Boasting load capacities ranging between five and 10 tonnes per climbing unit, the system can be used in a wide range of applications.

The advanced but simple-to-use technology covers applications ranging from cores of high-rises to industrial structures, bridge piers and pylons. It can also be used for cost-saving forming of exterior columns and additionally as a support system for installation of façade elements.

Concremote ... measuring concrete strength development in real-time.

“Buildings with ever-changing geometries and complexities have met their match as the system is especially designed for structures of any shape and height,” says a spokesman for Doka. “This is because of a modular design concept. Safety is taken to the next level with an all-round enclosure and weather protection at any height.”

Large numbers of multiple climbing units can be repositioned at the same time due to all hydraulic and remote-controlled technology from Doka.

For even higher performance on forming corewall shafts, the new SKE Plus offers different shaft solutions for all shaft sizes. Enhanced workspace, accessibility for reinforcement work, and quicker climbing operations are just a few of the main features of the system for shaft corewall applications.

Concremote

Doka has also introduced a new high-tech device, known as Concremote, to the Middle East market. This device lets users measure the early strength development of concrete on the site in real-time, making targeted management of the forming and concreting operations much simpler.

Concremote measures the concrete strength by way of sensors inserted in the concrete during pouring, without anyone needing to be physically present on the site to read out and record the measured data. These sensors regularly measure the temperature development of the fresh concrete and transmit the data to the Concremote computing centre. The ‘de Vree’ weighted maturity method is used as the basis for calculating and providing reliable, standards-compliant information, in real-time, on the strength development of the concrete.

Dokadek 30 ... safe installation and dismantling.

The device uses two types of sensors for both wall and floor-slab applications.

Wireless transmission of the non-destructively measured values starts automatically. The system’s long-life batteries, sturdy sensors and cable-free data transmission are user-friendly. The results can be accessed at any time on a secure web portal and users can be alerted by e-mail or text-message as soon as the specified early strength has been reached.

Concremote offers wide-ranging possibilities for optimising the construction process. If a customer has entered a specific target value for a site, the strength values enable him to make precise recommendations regarding aspects such as the earliest times for stripping the formwork, climbing and pre-stressing, and for the end of curing. The real-time measured data can also be taken into consideration for optimising the concrete formulation.

Dokadek 30

Meanwhile, Dokadek 30, a beamless handset system for speed and safety onsite, is fast gaining popularity in the Middle East. Its lightweight steel construction with galvanised and powder-coated frames and proven Xlife sheet with built-in plywood, ensure ease of handling and high speed onsite, while providing outstanding safety standards.

Spacious 3 sq m panels are ideally sized for forming large areas fast while significantly reducing the number of separate parts that need to be shifted. This speeds up the entire forming operation for contractors, also due to the fact that no crane is needed during set-up.

With the suspension clamp, infill zones can be formed quickly as Dokadek 30 merges seamlessly with the adaptable floor-slab system Dokaflex. Safety is intrinsic in the workflow as Dokadek 30 is deployed from the floor level and erected from below without requiring anyone to step onto the slab formwork itself.

Doka Group

Doka Group, part of the Umdasch Group, is a world leader in developing, manufacturing and distributing formwork technology for use in all fields of the construction sector. With more than 160 sales and logistics facilities in over 70 countries, the group has a highly efficient distribution network which ensures that equipment and technical support are provided swiftly and professionally.

Doka has been in the Middle East since the 1970s and is a leading full-line formwork technology partner to the region. Today, Doka Middle East has 12 subsidiaries across the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain, Lebanon and Jordan. Its engagement with customers initiates from the earliest design stage of a project through to its shell completion. With each project requirement, customers receive added value services from their local Doka branch offices including consulting, engineering, onsite and classroom training by Doka formwork instructors, sales and rental, material inspection, reconditioning and return. The region’s logistics are supported with stockyards in each country, as well as a 50,000-sq-m regional hub in the Jebel Ali Free Zone in Dubai, UAE.