Right now, in Dubai, there is a structure that is supporting thousands of tonnes of vehicles, people, and equipment. It was put together in a few months, and, more importantly, the beams which make up its frame were fabricated in a factory before the project’s ground was even broken. That’s precast concrete beams, doing what they were designed to do – and in the UAE, they are all around us.
Whether you are a developer, contractor or engineer looking to find out what precast concrete beams are available, what the standard sizes are, who produces them and how they can be approved by the DM, this guide has you covered from the factory floor to the building permit.
What is a Precast Concrete Beam?
Precast Concrete beam is a horizontal structural member produced in a factory under control and transported to the building site to be assembled as a structural component. It is an element connecting two columns or two walls, it is able to carry floor and roof loads, and it is the main horizontal load transfer system in a precast frame building.
This is an important difference to the cast-in-situ. The conventional site involves placing formwork on site, attaching steel, pouring concrete, curing and removing formwork. That is a slow and variable sequence. Precast eliminates this altogether from the critical path.
One of the UAE’s established precast manufacturers, Dubai Precast, notes that precast columns and beams eliminate curing time as there is no curing required on site, and column connections are efficiently formed using either grouted sleeves or bolted connections or a combination of both, depending on the project needs. This level of speed isn’t just a nice to have in a UAE project environment. It is often the reason for the specification going to precast.
Advantages of Using Precast Beams for UAE Projects
Why Precast Beams are Used for UAE Projects?
The story is about speed. It’s NOT just because.
Consistency is as important. Gulf Precast is a company with more than 40 years experience employing over 3500 highly trained employees including 100+ engineers to make their beams the slendest and most economical. Where possible, the beam is treated as a composite beam, considering the concrete topping/screed on top of the beam which decreases the thickness of the beam and increases the efficiency of the structure. It’s a level of engineering refinement that can only happen in a controlled environment where everything is done the same, instead of on a live construction site in summer, with temperatures in the mid-40s.
Abu Dhabi Precast reports that precast beams and columns are manufactured inside using high strength concrete, resulting in a high quality, secure and long-lasting product that doesn’t require additional fireproofing and enables a complete precast application with a clean and finished structural appearance.
No extra fireproofing. It’s a time, materials and programme saving, and it’s very relevant in projects in the UAE where fire safety compliance is key in the regulatory requirements.
In the UAE, Precast Concrete Beams are Used in Various Ways
There are several types of precast concrete beams that are used in the UAE.
There are a variety of beams, each with its own structure and application, that are utilized in the UAE market. The primary types used in practice include rectangular beams, inverted tee-beams, L-beams and standard tee-beams based on the flooring system, span requirements, connection designs, etc., says the National Precast Concrete Association.
Rectangular Beams
The simplest form is Rectangular Beams, which have a simple rectangular cross section that is reinforced or prestressed. Clear spans and spans that span over a broad range of loading and applications are rendered with rectangular beams. The UAE is home to these, which are used in warehouse frames, industrial buildings and projects where architectural simplicity and structural directness are both appreciated.
IT Beams (Inverted Tee-Beams)
IT Beams (Inverted Tee-Beams) are likely the most prevalent in the UAE multi-storey building arena. The upside-down T figure looks just like the cross-sectional.The cross-sectional is the same shape as the word it is called. A ledge is formed on the bottom flange for the installation of hollow core slabs or solid slabs.
Inverted tee-beams are highly versatile, are a preferred option for parking structure designs, are reliable for roof and floor systems and can have typical long spans of up to 15 metres. These connections are provided with optimum flexibility, depending on the structural system, as hinged connections, semi-rigid connections or rigid connections.
If you are in a UAE car park or a warehouse, you are almost certain to encounter inverted tee-beam columns, and hollow core slabs perched on their ledges.
L Beams
L Beams are used for the outside of a building. L-shaped, they are typically used to span between the clear sections and to form a “ledge” on which precast flooring units rest, as well as to provide support for the edge beam of the floor system.
Their plan shape is more practical, similar to that of the rectangular beam, but one side is flush to the building face, and the other provides seating for the slab. They are frequent at the periphery of precast frame buildings all over the UAE.
Spandrel Beams
Spandrel Beams are found at the outside of the building, at each story level and are frequently used as architectural edge members. They are used for transferring the load from the floor to the structure, establish the facade line and in many commercial projects, such as those in the UAE, they also form the exterior appearance of the building.
According to the architectural intent, the spandrel beam can be flat, curved or profiled.
Bridge and Infrastructure Beams
There are also Road, Flyover and Major Infrastructure Bridge Beams and Infrastructure Beams.
Dubai Precast’s bridge beams can span longer distances with a maximum of 45 metres for spans, depending on load, and can be utilized in fly-over bridges on motorways, pedestrian bridges, commercial structures, marine jetties and any other applications.
The UAE is building roads, bridges and transit links, which means that demand for this type of beam will always be high.
In the UAE Precast Concrete Beams Come in Standard Sizes
Structural calculations determine the size of the beams: span, load, connection type all influence beam size. However, there is a general range of dimensions that the market is defined by and early stage planning can be done within.
Normal dimensions for inverted tee-beams are width between 450 mm and 900 mm (18–36 inches) and length between 12 metres and 30 metres (40–120 feet).
In the UAE car park market, spans of 14–18 metres are typical, which enables column-free parking bays with a maximum utilisation of the usable floor area.
In rectangler beams, widths are usually between 300 mm to 600 mm and its depths are usually between 400 mm to 800 mm which depend on the load and span.
Beams of this type have the ability to span longer than beams of the same strength when reinforced, at shallower depths, which is a significant factor if floor-to-floor height is minimised.
Spans are much greater for bridge and infrastructure beams. Dubai Precast quotes spans up to 45 metres for appropriate loads on a bridge beam. High strength concrete units with carefully engineered strand profiles are these.
The final dimensions are affected by beam depth-to-span ratios, concrete grade, prestressing strand layout and composite action with the in-situ topping. No responsible manufacturer would make one package of one size table and say, “there you have it! — the actual size for your project is determined through engineering. However, these ranges provide a realistic planning guideline.
In Dubai, Precast Beams are Proving Their Worth for Real Projects
But theory is one thing, and practice is another. Authentic UAE projects are convincing.
Nakheel Harbour Metro Station car park is one of the biggest car parking facilities in Dubai, which is situated directly off of Sheikh Zayed Road near Ibn Battuta Mall.
It is 100% precast, long span hollow core slabs, beams, columns, shear walls and stairs are all pre-cast. At present, the superstructure construction period of precast is about six months.
A large multistorey car park for six months. That is not something that is easy to dispute.
The Dragon Mart extension features the following multi-story car park which has been constructed entirely from precast elements: beams, columns, hollow core slabs, and parapet walls.
In addition to car parks, Dubai Precast says that, in the UAE, more and more high-rise towers are incorporating precast beams and hollow core slabs for their horizontal applications, and speed and quality are the reasons for increased precast content in tall buildings.
Other structures mentioned are schools, universities and stadiums where precast beams provide structurally where large spans and heavy loads are demanded.
Requirements for Precast Beam Manufacturers to Obtain DM Approval
Dubai Municipality has specific and well-defined requirements and standards for precast concrete manufacturers, which are strict, monitored and enforced.
Let’s have a look at the compliance pathway.
Mandatory Factory Certification
DM published Administrative Decision No. (316) of 2012 on the Control of Ready Mix Concrete Plants (RMCPs), Precast Concrete Factories (PCFs) and Cental Batching Units (CBUs).
In this decision, it was decided that all precast concrete factories must be issued with a Certificate or Conformity Mark by the Dubai Central Laboratory – Certification and Quality Control of Products Section (DCLD-CQPS) according to the Dubai Technical Guide TG-02 for the Precast Concrete Factories, which sets the criteria for operating precast factories and rules of certification.
This is a factory level certification which is not project specific. Either a manufacturer has it or they don’t. If they do not, they don’t put their product when it is a project regulated by the Dubai Municipality.
Product Conformity
Gulf Precast is certified under this. Gulf Precast Concrete Co. LLC Plant #2 has a Certificate of Product Conformity issued in accordance with DM Standard Specifications DMS 026 and Administrative Decision (316) of 2012 which entitles the Company to use the DCL Conformity Mark.
It’s the normal level of documentation to ask a precast beam supplier in Dubai to provide you with.
Concrete Temperature Control
The temperature of the concrete is controlled. According to DM Standard Specifications DMS 026, concrete placed temperature shall not exceed 35°C, such as using flaked ice as a part of mixing water, chillers to help cool mixing water, painting the plant equipment with light colours to reduce heat absorption.
That’s not an administrative matter: It’s an actual engineering change that will have an impact on the quality of the concrete, given the temperatures in the country often exceed 45°C in the summer months.
Structural Design Approval
Structural design approval is independent. Manufacturer’s certification applies as a factory certification.
The project is in the process of being approved for structural design. Drawings must be designed by a qualified, licensed structural engineer in Dubai, submitted via Dubai Municipality portal and then DM’s Buildings Regulation and Permits Agency will review the drawings.
The structural review covers beam design, connection details and specification of reinforcement.
Public Access to Certified Products
The DM certified products list is open to the public. DM keeps a public list of certified products and certified clients’ conformity certificates are available upon request in the Dubai Central Laboratory Department under the factory assessment scheme.
This list can be used by contractors or consultants to help ensure that the manufacturer is already a known entity before the beam is even ordered for procurement, and not after it is sitting on the construction site waiting for approval which may not be offered.
Leading Precast Concrete Beam Manufacturers in the UAE
The UAE is an established and competitive precast industry.
The principal structural precast beams manufacturers are:
Gulf Precast Concrete Co. LLC
Gulf Precast Concrete Co. LLC, which has been operating for more than 35 years in the UAE with over 3,500 workers, including 100+ engineers, with five factories and six production facilities with a daily production capacity of 1,500 m³, is manufacturing precast beams of conventional and prestressed concrete for residential, commercial and infrastructure projects.
Dubai Precast LLC
Manufacturer of a complete precast building system of inverted tee-beams, rectangular beams, bridge beams, hollow core slabs, and columns, Dubai Precast LLC has a wide range of project experience in Dubai Metro car parks, schools, universities and buildings.
Abu Dhabi Precast
Abu Dhabi Precast — a specialist in pre-stressed beams and columns that can be designed, shaped and used in any application from design to total precast building systems throughout the UAE.
Beaver Gulf Precast
Beaver Gulf Precast, situated at National Industries Park Jebel Ali, Dubai with an annual production capacity of more than 2.5 million square metres of precast panels, is specialised in the production of pre-stressed beams, band beams and structural precast elements.
BPC Group
BPC Group, United Precast Concrete Dubai LLC, is an ISO 9001 certified company based in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, with production sites producing precast components such as beams, columns, hollow core slabs, wall panels, etc.
Don’t rush to the brochure when you’re comparing manufacturers. Ensure that they have a DM Conformity Mark, they are ISO 9001 certified, request project references at a similar scale, and validate their design & engineering, not only production capabilities.
Having a quick-pouring concrete factory that doesn’t have the structural design support is only half of the equation on a complex precast project.
Final Thoughts on
Amongst the most practical and proven structural solutions available in the construction toolbox of the UAE is precast concrete beams.
The technology is proven, manufacturers are known and the regulatory environment is well defined — albeit with a degree of attention and lead time.
The projects that do precast beams well share this common thread: They involve the manufacturer early in the process.
At the end of the day, decisions that keep precast projects on programme and on budget include design and manufacturing integration, early DM submission, and procurement that begins prior to project timeline demand.
The UAE construction industry will keep on valuing speed, quality and efficiency. Precast concrete beams provide all three.
