The pour follows a deep excavation of over 30m and bolstered by more than 4,000 tonnes of steel reinforcements.
The CMA tower is the tallest tower in Saudi Arabia currently under construction and this was the single largest concrete pour recorded in the history of the Kingdom to date.
Working under the direction of Cyril Sweett, the pour was executed by the Saudi Bin Laden Group.
One and half consecutive days of concrete were pumped into the raft foundation with 13,000 cubic metres of concrete mix used to complete the 4.5m high foundation.
“The concrete pour was scheduled to last 42 hours but was successfully completed within 36 hours,” commented Des Pike, project director of Cyril Sweet. “Throughout the operation, mobile truck mixers were arriving on site at an average of one every 90 seconds, a significant logistical feat in itself. This is a great achievement for all parties involved who worked continuously around the clock to ensure its success.”
Dr Said Rabiah, CMA project department manager, said: “We are delighted to see the foundations of the CMA Tower have been completed on schedule. The success of this massive undertaking was the result of the remarkable efforts and collaboration of all parties involved. This could not have been achieved without the strong leadership of Cyril Sweett’s project management team. I would like to thank the entire project team for achieving this monumental task and very significant milestone.”