PT design review, optimisation and full PT packages in Jeddah and the Western Region

Jeddah's coastal sites, and the dense hotel and residential buildings of Makkah and Madinah, use post-tensioned slabs for long spans and shallow floors. Near the Red Sea, chloride exposure, high humidity and sabkha ground make durability the first design question: concrete cover, crack control, the choice between bonded and unbonded tendons, encapsulated anchorages and grouting are set at scheme stage. See bonded vs unbonded post-tensioning.

Services

• PT design review of a scheme by a PT specialist contractor or another designer, checked against SBC 304.
• PT design optimisation of slab thickness, prestress and reinforcement.
• Preliminary design support for concept and tender.
• Full design package: calculation report, tendon layouts, profiles and stressing schedules for the local office's review and stamp.
• Stressing support: stressing sequence, calculated elongations and record review, remote or on site by arrangement.

Saudi Building Code basis

• SBC 304 (concrete structures) for the PT slab design, which follows the ACI 318 family with Saudi modifications.
• SBC 301 for loads, including wind and earthquake, and the seismic design category of the site.
• SBC 303 (soils and foundations) where PT rafts or ground-bearing slabs are involved.
• PTI guidance for tendon detailing, stressing and records.

The edition in force is confirmed at kick-off, together with the consultant's specification and the requirements of the stamping engineering office.

How the work is delivered

Design is delivered remotely, as the PT design partner to a Saudi consultant of record, engineering office or PT specialist contractor. Building permits go through the municipal process (Balady), with documents submitted and stamped by a locally registered engineering office. We prepare the PT design for that office and support it through comments.

Who does the work: our engineering team, led by our Lead Engineer, brings 15+ years of post-tension design and site experience across the GCC, including previous experience in Saudi Arabia. We work to Dubai Municipality and the other UAE authorities' PT design and submission criteria, our lead engineer is registered with the Saudi Council of Engineers (SCE), and PT slabs are analysed and designed in RAM Concept. Iron Axis provides design and engineering only; PT materials and site works stay with the PT specialist contractor appointed for the project.