Borj Attijari shapes the skyline

MAC climbing system enables safe construction of an office tower in Casablanca

The project in Morocco‘s largest city is outstanding in the truest sense of the word: the entire complex with 99,000 m² of space consists of several interconnected buildings that offer attractive space for accomodation, offices and service providers. The ensemble with striking architectural bodies – the Borj, the Oasis and the Loop – will be positioned around a park and act like a green promenade in the middle of the metropolis on the Atlantic coast.

Gaining time with MAC

Always in view is the high-rise building, the core of which is being erected with the automatic climbing system MAC (MEVA Automatic Climbing). The climbing process is crane-independent, hydraulic and as a complete unit, with wall formwork and all-round enclosure. This compresses the construction process, reduces the time required and is significantly safer than systems with individually climbing platforms. The fully enclosed unit protects workers from the elements and provides comfortable working conditions. This has just as positive an effect on work efficiency and construction progress as the ability to work independently on walls and slabs. The upper surface can easily integrate concrete placing booms, provides ample storage space and minimises the risk of accidents.

Maximum precision is offered by the 3-way adjustment for the suspended formwork, which can be moved and adjusted manually in three directions and quickly and easily adapted to the geometry of the structure. This is also paying off in the Borj Attijari project. The team of SOGEA MAROC (a subsidiary of Vinci Construction) is moving entire wall panels over a large area in a single operation, and shuttering and striking are fast. The robust Mammut wall formwork with large panels complements MAC perfectly.

Performance proven many times over

The automatic climbing system has proven itself many times over and was a decisive factor in the successful construction of some of the tallest buildings in countries such as India, Australia or the Philippines. The 205-metre-high Roche Tower II in Basel, where the highest Swiss safety requirements applied, was even completed ahead of schedule. Now the technology is being applied on the African continent for the first time. Non-return valves on each of the 20-tonne cylinders secure the hydraulics, which overcomes heights of up to 4.5 m per climbing operation in about 60 minutes. Only a few SOGEA workers are required for this process.

Just one day needs to be scheduled for stripping, climbing and setting up the formwork. Depending on the duration of the boxout work, four days per cycle have already been achieved on numerous occasions. Large parts of the climbing system can be pre-assembled on request so that preparation on the construction site proceeds quickly. The bearing pockets can be dismantled from the trailing platforms and reused in the following climbing operation. So no lost installation parts remain in the concrete, which reduces material costs.

Featured Products

• Automatic climbing system MAC
• Wall formwork Mammut 350
• Wall formwork Mammut XT

Contractor:
SOGEA MAROC, Subsidiary of Vinci Construction, Casablanca, Morocco

Project:
Borj Attijari Office Tower, Casablanca, Morocco

Engineering and support:
MEVA Schalungs-Systeme GmbH, Haiterbach (Germany)