Climbing safely & flexibly

The Goal

To deliver two of the development’s major projects despite challenging conditions
The Ayala Triangle Gardens Diamond development is a massive 126,500m² scheme located in the heart of Makati, a densely populated urban district of Manila. The 25-floor five-star hotel and 194m tall, 41-floor office building are two of the major projects on the site, featuring an unusual curved shape. To build the building cores would require one of the biggest continuous concreting operations in the company’s history, delivered during the peak of typhoon season.

The Project

Summary:
The MAC climbing system was able to cast the curved building cores despite the complex geometry, challenging weather conditions, and demanding pour schedule.

Challenge:
The curved building geometry presented a safety concern, as the MGS-H screening system was primarily developed for orthogonal building footprints. Therefore, the anchoring of the system needed re-working in order to be safe. In addition, the site was located in an urban area and was severely constricted by two major traffic arteries on either side of the site. A further complication was the typhoon season in the region, which could drastically increase the wind loading and therefore compromise the safety of the climbing system.

The Solution

1. Engineering expertise for complicated situations
    
   a) Flexible designs for complex geometry
   The geometry of the building wall was the first issue to address. As the building had curved sides and sharply rounded ends, the design of the MAC climbing system was not straightforward and required careful planning. MEVA collaborated with MDBI in devising a safe and flexible anchorage solution for the curved building front. This allowed advance provision to be made for all the anchors needed to secure the 47 MGS rail-guided screening units.

   b) Strong technical knowledge for enhanced safety
   The MGS units are 6.5m wide and include multi-level working platforms for post-tensioning and other works. They play an important role in ensuring worker safety on the MAC automated climbing system. Another factor that needed to be taken into consideration on this project was the weather conditions. When the MEVA engineers examined the reference data for storm events in the Manila region, they knew that a perforated external cladding was an absolute necessity for resisting the high wind loads. 

   
    

2. Flexible assembly and on-site adjustment
   The delivery and assembly of the MEVA systems also required extreme precision due to the restricted access to site. Meticulous advance planning allowed the complex geometries and spatial constraints to be factored into the on-site assembly process. This way, the system could be assembled within the available space and without affecting other construction activities on site.
    
3. Robust products for demanding applications
   The building cores required a continuous concrete pour in order to achieve the ambitious timescales. This necessitated a 52-hour concreting marathon on site, during which over 9,727m³ of concrete was placed. Whilst this was a challenge in itself, the working conditions were worsened by Typhoon Karen, which swept across the city during the works. However, the MEVA systems performed as planned, providing a reliable, flexible, and safe operation.

The Outcome

Despite the extreme conditions encountered on site, the building cores were able to be placed safely. In fact, as the core climbed ahead, the project team had to slow down the core wall works to give the rest of the structure time to catch up with the rapid pace set by the MAC system. In the end, the MEVA system was on site until May 2019, and the development opened in January 2020 as planned.

Featured Products

• Wall formwork Mammut
• MAC Automated climbing system
• MGS guided screen system

Client:
MDBI Construction Corporation (MDC and BBI Joint Venture)

Project:
Ayala Triangle Gardens Diamond Development

Location:
Makati, Manila, Philippines

Principal:
Ayala Land Inc.

Engineering & Support:
MEVA Schalungs-Systeme Haiterbach, Asia Pacific Far East