PT design review, optimisation and full PT packages in Sharjah and the Northern Emirates

Residential towers in Sharjah and Ajman, mixed-use podiums, car parks and coastal hotels in Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah all use post-tensioned slabs to save depth and columns. Iron Axis is based in Al Warqa, Dubai, a short drive from Sharjah and Ajman, and works on projects across the Northern Emirates.

Services across the Northern Emirates

• PT design review of a scheme prepared by the PT specialist contractor or another designer.
• PT design optimisation of slab thickness, prestress level and reinforcement.
• Preliminary design support for concept and tender.
• Full design package with PT shop drawings and stressing schedules.
• Site supervision and elongation record review.

Coastal exposure

Many Northern Emirates sites are close to the sea. That puts more weight on concrete cover, crack control, the choice between bonded and unbonded tendons and the protection of anchorages. These are checked as part of every design and review; see bonded vs unbonded post-tensioning.

Authorities

Each emirate has its own municipality and building permit process, and submissions normally go through the consultant of record. We confirm the code basis and submission format at kick-off and prepare the calculation report and comment responses to suit.

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. 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.

Every emirate, and some master developers and free zones, has its own authority with its own way of receiving structural and post-tension submissions. The engineering principles do not change, but the code edition, the format of the calculation report, the drawing requirements and how comments are raised do. Our engineers have worked with these requirements over 15+ years in the UAE and the wider GCC, so a PT design or review from Iron Axis is prepared to the criteria of the authority that will check it.

At kick-off we confirm which authority has jurisdiction over the plot, the governing code and edition, and the consultant's specification. The calculation report, tendon drawings and comment responses are then prepared in the format that authority expects. Submissions themselves are made through the consultant of record.