The development of the dry port in Saudi Arabia’s King Salman Energy Park (SPARK) is set to revolutionize the logistics landscape in the Eastern Province. This ambitious project, which serves as a vital link between Dammam and al-Hasa, is poised to significantly improve customs services while supporting economic growth objectives and Aramco’s initiatives within the SPARK industrial complex.

A noteworthy aspect of this groundbreaking venture is the extensive use of Dextra’s 2.4 million linear meters of Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer (GFRP) rebar for slab-on-grade applications in areas subject to heavy loads.

GFRP rebar is a composite material made by reinforcing a polymer matrix with high-strength glass fibers. Unlike conventional steel rebar, which is susceptible to corrosion when exposed to moisture and aggressive chemicals, GFRP rebar is inherently corrosion resistant. This key attribute makes it an ideal choice for a wide range of construction applications, especially in harsh environments where traditional steel rebar would quickly deteriorate.

Penny’s Bay and Kai Tak Community Isolation Facility (CIF) are quarantine units managed by the Hong Kong government’s Security Bureau (SB) Anti-Epidemic Task Force in response to the surge in COVID-19 cases in 2022.

The quarantine units consist of four-story buildings made of containers, with Fortec+ couplers used for each module connection. These facilities were designed for temporary use and will be dismantled once the COVID-19 situation improves.

Fortec+ – BD-Approved Mechanical Splicing System

Fortec+ is a parallel-threaded mechanical splicing system that includes a set of four bar-end preparation machines: cutting, cold forging, threading, and thread quality testing.

Fortec+ is an approved system by the Hong Kong Buildings Department (BD), ensuring compliance with local construction standards. Read more about the approval

The International Commerce Centre (ICC) is a landmark skyscraper in Hong Kong, located in West Kowloon. This commercial building stands 484 meters high and features 108 floors. To this day, it remains the tallest building in Hong Kong and is the 13th tallest building in the world.

Dextra’s Contribution

Vertical reinforcement is a crucial factor for skyscrapers of this height. Consultant ARUP and contractor Sanfield selected Dextra for the splicing of reinforcement throughout the structure. Notably, both stakeholders had previously worked with Dextra on the Two IFC project, another iconic 400m+ skyscraper completed a few years earlier.

For this project, Dextra supplied more than 800,000 Fortec rebar couplers, which were used primarily for vertical connections, especially in columns.

Additionally, rebar couplers provided connection points for second-phase rebar reconnection, typically between:

• Columns and slabs
• Columns and beams

In these applications, rebar couplers were aligned horizontally and cast in concrete. The reconnection process was performed later by simply screwing in second-stage rebar.

Preferred Splicing Solution in Hong Kong

Fortec is the preferred reinforcement splicing solution among contractors in Hong Kong, as it is officially recommended in the Hong Kong Building Material List.

Dextra also operates its own rebar threading workshop in Hong Kong, providing rebar preparation services to its customers.

With a total height of 829.8 m and a roof height of 828 m, Burj Khalifa is currently the tallest building in the world, holding this record since its topping out in 2009.

Originally named Burj Dubai, the tower was renamed in honor of Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the ruler of Abu Dhabi and president of the United Arab Emirates.

This iconic skyscraper quickly became a symbol of Dubai’s ambition to transform into a global tourist hub and gain international recognition.

Structural System

The tower’s structure consists of reinforced concrete construction from the foundation up to Level 156. Above Level 156, the structure transitions into a steel-braced spire. The construction required 330,000 m³ of concrete and 55,000 tons of steel rebar.

The foundation system is a piled raft, consisting of a 3.7 m thick raft supported by 1.5 m diameter bored piles, each extending 50 m below the raft base.

Dextra’s Contribution

Extensive pile load tests were conducted on the tower’s foundation. Additionally, Crosshole Sonic Logging (CSL) testing was performed to ensure the integrity of the concrete foundation, using 20 km of Dextra Sonitec tubes.

Sonitec is a fast, simple, and reliable solution for CSL testing, compliant with ASTM D6760, the standard for ultrasonic cross-hole integrity testing.

Moreover, more than 100,000 Bartec couplers were supplied for the piled-raft extension and reinforcement.

The i-Towers are a three-building mixed-use estate project located in the heart of the new Central Business District of Gaborone, the capital city of Botswana.

The project was designed and built by Murray & Roberts Botswana and features a 21-story residential tower, a 14-story office tower, a commercial building, and parking spaces.

For this new Gaborone landmark, Dextra supplied its Bartec rebar coupler solutions, the leading rebar splicing solution used in Botswana and South Africa.

Bartec is often the preferred solution for high-rise projects due to the reliability of its rebar preparation process, its high-performance level, and the productivity gains it offers during reinforcement installation.

In total, more than 20,000 Bartec rebar couplers were used for columns and slabs in the two i-Towers.

For more information about coupler products and equipment availability in Botswana and South Africa, please contact our Paris office.

Sobha Dream Acres is a large residential complex spanning 81 acres, located east of Bangalore, India. This ambitious real estate project features 13 towers of 14 floors, built in record time thanks to the use of precast construction methods, supported by a purpose-built factory equipped with Vollert machinery.

For this project, Dextra provided the owner and contractor, Sobha, with two distinct coupler solutions, supported by threading services.

At Sobha Dream Acres, the Groutec precast solution was used for the swift connection of precast elements, either to a footing or directly to another precast element. This ensured a high-performance connection and significantly sped up installation compared to traditional wet in-situ joint methods.

After casting on the production line, the panel was transported to its final location for straightening and bracing installation. Locally sourced non-shrink grout was then injected into the cavity. After injection, the bracing around the precast panel could be removed after just three days.

Dextra does not supply the grout, as Groutec is designed to be compatible with multiple non-shrink grout brands that can be sourced locally, reducing costs and simplifying logistics.

To complement the precast solution, Dextra also supplied its Bartec solution. Bartec was used throughout Dream Acres to splice reinforcement for both cast-in-place and precast applications, allowing for extended precast element lengths.

To support both solutions, Dextra India managed the rebar preparation operations. Rebars with Bartec-threaded ends were delivered directly to Sobha according to their production schedule. The same threaded bars could be used interchangeably with both Bartec and Groutec couplers, as both solutions utilize the same threading system.

Adjacent to the Geomatikum building, home to various departments and research centers of the University of Hamburg, the new “House of the Earth” is taking shape. Spanning over 21,000 square meters, this state-of-the-art facility will serve as a hub for geoscience and climate research. Beginning in 2018, all units of the CliSAP (Integrated Climate System Analysis and Prediction) excellence cluster will operate from this location, fostering close collaboration with the Max Planck Institute for Meteorology.

During 2016 and 2017, Dextra supplied its Griptec system for the splicing of cast-in-place reinforcement across various sections of the building. Griptec couplers, fully approved by DIBt (Deutsches Institut für Bautechnik) for the German construction market, are available throughout Germany via our extensive distributor network.

For more details on Griptec availability in Germany, please contact Dextra Europe.

SOCAR Tower is an office tower located on the way to the city center of Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan. It is the tallest building in Azerbaijan and the entire Caucasus region. The building serves as the headquarters of the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan Republic (SOCAR).

The tower features 42 floors and reaches a height of 202 meters. Completed in 2016, it is now one of the most recognizable landmarks in Baku.

For this project, Dextra was involved in the concrete works between 2011 and 2014, supplying the Bartec rebar coupler solution for all rebar connections. The project was supported by Bartec bar-end preparation equipment sets, installed directly on-site and maintained by Dextra’s European after-sales team.

Dextra rebar couplers were supplied to contractor Tekfen for:

• Vertical bar-to-bar connections in columns.
• Horizontal rebar connections in slabs.
• Wall-to-beam connections, where the coupler was cast flush with the formwork in the first phase of concreting. After formwork removal, the connecting rebar was simply screwed into the Bartec coupler.

To enable splicing at locations where rebar had not been prepared with a thread, RepairGrip sleeves and hydraulic equipment were also supplied for precise applications. RepairGrip allows for the convenient splicing of rebar where the protruding length is insufficient for a safe overlap.

For more information about the availability of precast solutions in the Middle East, please contact our Dubai office.