Republic of the Philippines

CAVITE STATE UNIVERSITY

Don Severino de las Alas Campus
Indang, Cavite

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING
First Semester 2023-2024

ARCH 210
BUILDING TECHNOLOGY V

ACTIVITY NO. 1

CONSTRUCTION METHODS

SUBMITTED BY:
ELIJAH JIRAH J. BINADAY
201911306
BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN ARCHITECTURE 5-1

SUBMITTED TO:
AR. MON JEKRIS SERVIÑO, UAP
INSTRUCTOR

OCTOBER 9, 2023
 MERDEKA 118

I. Introduction

The Merdeka 118 Tower, formerly referred to as "KL 118," is an iconic landmark
with its futuristic and meaningful design embracing the various culture and the heritage
of Malaysia liberty. It stands tall and rises over the historical site of Malaysia's
independence. The unique design complements nearby historic structures like
Stadium Merdeka and Stadium Negara, acting as a major impetus for the revitalization
of the neighborhood into a landmark that blends seamlessly into the Kuala Lumpur
skyline.

A traditional Malay songket pattern was used to inspire the design of this
famous tower, which celebrates Malaysia's rich cultural variety and architectural
heritage. The tower's spire's profile represents the enduring representation of
Almarhum Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj, Malaysia's first prime minister, raising
his hand in celebration of the country's independence at Stadium Merdeka in 1957.

Five basements and 118 stories make up the superstructure known as the
Merdeka 118 Tower. With 83 floors of office space, 17 floors of a five-star hotel run by
the Hyatt Group, floors for retail, an observation deck, and a spire rising to more than
160 meters, Merdeka 118 claims to be the tallest building in Malaysia and the second-
tallest building in the world. It is housed within 292,000m2 of GFA.

II. Construction Methods

A. Foundation Systems
• Pile Supported Raft System

They began by digging the ground, then used trench cutters to

carve 3-foot channels to construct a circle that was 260 feet in
diameter. Concrete will then be poured inside to construct a
containment wall. Then, in order to strengthen it 200 feet below the
surface, they will bury 138 concrete columns or piles. They reinforce
it with 300 miles of steel rebar and 45 000 cubic yards of concrete.
Then capping 12-foot-thick concrete raft to support tower. This is
procedures is needed to be done as the bedrock is inaccessible
300 feet below, and ground is a soft sediment.

Foundation 138 Bored Pile

4M Height Raft
8 2.5M Thick Fin Wall
Mega Column 8 Mega Column
Core Wall Max. 7.4Mx4.35M Hammer
Head
550 – 1700 MM Thick RC Wall
Belt Truss Steel Truss among Mega
Columns
Outrigger 3 Stories Steel Truss
Spire 126M Height, 855 Ton, 6 Tiers
 Rebar 50, 200 Ton
Total Quantity Concrete 177, 600 M3
Steel 35, 835 Ton

B. Wall Systems
• High Performance Concrete (HPC C95 / 105)

High-performance concrete (HPC) is concrete that has been

designed to be more durable and, if necessary, stronger than
conventional concrete. HPC mixtures are composed of essentially
the same materials as conventional concrete mixtures, but the
proportions are designed, or engineered, to provide the strength and
durability needed for the structural and environmental requirements
of the project. High-strength concrete is defined as having a specified
compressive strength of 8000 psi (55 MPa) or greater. The value of
8000 psi (55 MPa) was selected because it represented a strength
level at which special care is required for production and testing of
the concrete and at which special structural design requirements may
be needed.

Traditionally, the construction should be a mold base one at a

time, but given that it will make the construction a year longer, the
team use the hydraulic molding that uses only one mold that being
adjusted one at a time instead of using multiple molds as the
traditional way. This mold or cast will be supported with 8 super thick
concrete support columns or the mega column, which is being lock
together by using huge steel arms. In this way, the construction
time was being maximized for 3 days per floor level.

C. Floor Systems
• Outrigger & Belt Transfer Trusses

As they progress to the 40th Floor, they use the outrigger to

connect the central core to the mega columns to make it sturdy as
the wind bends the tower. They doing it with much more effort as it
will be the heart of the construction above this floor.

In terms of progressing in every level, they use also a hydraulic

system in the crane so that it will progress as same as the floor.

The table below shows the floor plan of the Merdeka 118:
III. Conclusion

Merdeka 118 is truly a wonderful architecture; it showcases the perseverance

and love of the people in every progress they made. I see here very different and
complex system from foundation, to wall, to floor compared to the traditional way. They
show us that in every problem, there is also a solution. From the weather, earth,
temperature, handling of people, and even the steel works, only the imagination is the
limit.
In a nutshell, the one who was behind the Merdeka 118 are all genius. From
the head of construction, architect, and up to the workers. They have one goal, to finish
what they started. The procedures they made is no easy task, they succeeded
because they are a master of their individual craft and they want to show the world
what the Merdeka 118 really all about.

IV. References

American Concrete Institute. (2023). High Performance Concrete. Retrieved from

https://www.concrete.org/topicsinconcrete/topicdetail/High%20Performance%20Con
crete?search=High%20Performance%20Concrete

ART IN CONTEXT. (2023). Merdeka 118 – Redefining the Kuala Lumpur Skyline.
Retrieved from https://artincontext.org/merdeka-118/

ARUP. (2023). Set to be one of the world’s tallest buildings. Retrieved from
https://www.arup.com/projects/merdeka-118

CTBUH. (2023). Merdeka 118. Retrieved from

https://www.skyscrapercenter.com/building/merdeka-118/10115

Institution of Civil Engineers. (2023). Design and Construction of Merdeka 118 Tower.
Retrieved from https://www.ice.org.uk/events/past-events-and-recordings/recorded-
lectures/design-and-construction-of-merdeka-118-tower

Skyscrapers MY. (2020). Building the World's Tallest Skyscraper after Burj Khalifa
[FULL DOCUMENTARY]. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2irptBxO34

The Tower Info. (2023). Merdeka PNB 118 (KL 118) Facts and Information. Retrieved
from https://thetowerinfo.com/buildings-list/merdeka-pnb-118/

We Build Value Digital Magazine. (2023). Merdeka 118: the second tallest skyscraper
in the world, located in Malaysia. Retrieved from
https://www.webuildvalue.com/en/infrastructure-news/merdeka-118.html
 BURJ KHALIFA

I. Introduction

According to all three of the primary criteria used to evaluate such structures,
the Burj Khalifa, also known as Khalifa or Khalfah, a mixed-use skyscraper in
Dubai, United Arab Emirates, is the highest building in the world (see Researcher's
Note: Heights of Buildings). Sheikh Khalifa ibn Zayed Al Nahyan, the ruler of the
neighboring emirate of Abu Dhabi, is recognized as the official name of the Burj
Khalifa ("Khalifa Tower"), which was once known as Burj Dubai during construction.
The interior of the skyscraper was not entirely finished when it was officially
launched on January 4, 2010, despite that. With 163 floors and a height of 2,717
feet (828 meters), the tower—whose original height was kept hidden from the
public during its construction—was built to contain a range of commercial,
residential, and hospitality businesses. It was created by the Skidmore, Owings &
Merrill architectural company, which has its headquarters in Chicago. The
structural engineer was William F. Baker, and Adrian Smith was the architect.

II. Construction Methods

A. Foundation Systems
• Friction Piles

Friction piles work more like a wedge in the soil. These piles, also
called floating piles, earn most of their bearing capacity by shear
stresses along the sides of the pile, and they are best used in
instances where the hard underlayers of soil are too deep to
efficiently reach. Friction piles transmit the load from the loose topsoil
above to the soil below by adhesion or friction between the surface
of the pile and the soil. In other words, the friction of the soil around
the pile is what holds the steel pile in place.

Burj Khalifa's superstructure is supported over a large raft of

reinforced concrete. In turn, drilled reinforced concrete piles
support this raft. The 3.7m-thick raft was built over the course of four
successive pours. Concrete rafts are self-consolidating concrete,
grade C50. The raft has 12,500-meter cubes of concrete. There were
194 heaps utilized. The piles have a 43-meter length and a 1.5-meter
diameter. A total of 3000 tons may fit in each pile. C60 SCC concrete,
installed using the tremie technique, was the concrete grade utilized
in the piles. To carry out the technique, polymer slurry was used.
Cathodic shielding was offered under the raft to lessen the harmful
effects of pollutants.

Additionally, they use Global Positioning System (GPS) to find

the right center of the tower for pouring concrete, and diminish error
for the molding or casting of slabs. In the last stage, a 300-foot pipe
was chopped into 25 sections and hauled one by one to the top. The
steelwork for the tower was manufactured on site rather than being
lifted up.
 The structural elements used and their amount is mentioned below:

1. Concrete Used = 250000 cubic meters

2. Curtain Walls = 83,600sq.m of glass and 27,900 sq.m of
metal
3. Steel Rebars Used = 39,000 tones
4. Man-Hours = 22million man-hours

B. Wall Systems
• Shape of the Tower | Hymenocallis flower

Khalifa was created by Adrian Smith. The fundamental

construction consists of a central hexagonal core and three wings
that are arranged in a cluster around it. One wing is set back at each
tier as one climbs the tower. As you move up, this results in a
diminishing cross section. The building has 26 terraces in all.

The Burj Khalifa employs a ‘Y’ shaped floor plan. This plan
provides higher performance and provides a full view of the Persian
Gulf. The shape and the upward setbacks help the structure to
reduce the wind forces that is acting on the structure. The shape
was finally fixed based on the series of wind tunnel tests. The
structural system employed for Burj Khalifa can be called as the
Buttressed Core System.

The whole system is constructed by using high performance

concrete wall (guarantee low permeability and higher durability.)
Each wing buttresses the other through a hexagonal central core.
The central core has a higher resistance towards the torsional
resistance. The structure is more designed for wind force and
related effects. There are corridor walls that extend from the central
core to the end of the wing. At the end, these walls are thickened by
means of hammer walls. These walls resist the wind shears and
moments by acting like the web and the flanges of the beams. There
are perimeter columns which are connected to the mechanical floors.
The connection between the perimeter columns and the mechanical
floors is provided by means of outrigger walls. This help to resists
higher wind loads laterally. The outrigger depth is three story heights.
There is periodic encounter of outrigger system through the height of
the tower.

C. Floor Systems
• Floor plan

The Armani Hotel Dubai will be located on levels 38 and 39 as

well as concourse level 1 to level 8. There will only be opulent one-
and two-bedroom Armani Residences on levels 9 to 16.
 Private ultra-luxury homes are located on floors 45 through 108.
The majority of the remaining floors are taken up by the Corporate
Suites, with the exception of levels 122 and 124, which are home to
At.mosphere and At the Top, Burj Khalifa, the tower's public
observatory.

The tower has been separated into parts for the convenience of
residents, and on Levels 43, 76, and 123, there are unique Sky
Lobbies with state-of-the-art exercise facilities, including Jacuzzis on
Levels 43 and 76. Both swimming pools are accessible to the
exterior, giving residents the choice of swimming from inside to the
outside balcony in the Sky Lobbies on 43 and 76, which also have
them. These amenities may be used for meetings and lifestyle
events.

A Residents' Library and Lafayette Gourmet, a gourmet convenience

shop and gathering spot for residents, are additional amenities for
residents. There is valet parking available for visitors and guests.

• The System

A succession of wings, each with a concrete core and perimeter

columns of its own, buttress a central core that is hexagonal in shape.
The wings step back in a spiral pattern as the tower rises, modifying
the contour of the building at each tier and lessening the impact of
the wind on the structure. The tower's summit is where the central
core first appears, and it is topped with a spire that rises more than
700 feet (200 meters). A hydraulic pump was used to lift the spire to
its final place once it had been built within the tower. The tower is
supported at its base by a reinforced concrete mat that is about 13
feet (4 meters) thick and is in turn supported by concrete piles that
are 5 feet (1.5 meters) in diameter. The skyscraper is supported by a
three-story platform, which alone, along with the two-story basement,
covers over 2,000,000 square feet (186,000 square meters).
Aluminum and stainless-steel panels, vertical stainless steel tube
fins, and more than 28,000 hand-cut glass panels make up the
tower's outer cladding. The 124th level is home to "At the Top," a
public observation deck.

III. Conclusion

From 2010 until now in the present, the Burj Khalifa still not disappoint
us on being the best tower in the world. The foundation itself is a very
complex idea but we can see it as just simple, without knowing the work
behind it. In terms of its shape, its unusual and rare to see a skyscraper that
is not geometric just like the traditional style, where we can see that the
Dubai is really a rich country who can manage to built a multi-billion
structure. The plan itself is superb, it is well managed and planned. We can
really say that only the best of the best does work in this kind of masterpiece,
that I could say will be standing with the longest time.
IV. References

Britannica. (2023). Burj Khalifa. Retrieved from

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Burj-Khalifa

BURJ KHALIFA. (2023). Building a Global Icon. Retrieved from

https://www.burjkhalifa.ae/en/the-tower/design-construction/

EIFFEL TRADING. (2021). What Are Friction Piles?. Retrieved from

https://www.eiffeltrading.com/blog/post/what-are-friction-piles
Free Documentary. (2021). World's Tallest Tower: Burj Khalifa - Dubai's
Vertical City | Free Documentary. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJI8mOv4VW4

Missouri University of Science and Technology. Foundation Design for the

Burj Dubai – the World’s Tallest Building. Retrieved from
https://scholarsmine.mst.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3303&context=ic
chge

THE CONSTRUCTOR. Structural Details of Burj Khalifa – Concrete Grade

and Foundations. Retrieved from
https://theconstructor.org/structures/structural-details-burj-khalifa-concrete-
grade-foundations/20512/