Al Shafar General Contracting has said that its Windsor Manor residential project located at the Business Bay is progressing on schedule for completion by mid-2009. The company told Emirates Business yesterday that it has been able to make major savings by using pre-cast concrete in the project.
The savings amount to 30 per cent in terms of structural material costs and 20 per cent in time.
The use of pre-cast concrete beams and slabs at the 29-storey residential building also resulted in minimising manpower requirements. "We are saving on 40 per cent of the planned carpenters and steel fitters needed for the project," said Amgad Bebawy, project manager of Windsor Manor, Al Shafar General Contracting.
"We are certainly pleased with the pace of construction at the project. The use of precast beams, slabs and staircases has meant that we were able to efficiently overcome industry challenges such as shortage of labour, while also being able to bring down construction costs with the best quality," said Bebawy.
The use of precast concrete in construction is widely regarded as an economic, durable, structurally sound and architecturally versatile form of construction. It ensures optimum use of materials, reusage of moulds, less wastage of material and ensures shorter construction time.