Emirates Building Systems (EBS), a subsidiary of Dubai Investments, has launched the first-of-its-kind steel brace system in the region that offers buildings resistance against seismic risks and other demanding loads.
 
The Buckling-Restrained Braces (BRB) are produced by CoreBrace, EBS’ associates in the US and one of the leading names in the braces sector.

EBS, a regional pioneer in design, fabrication and construction of steel structures, recently signed an MoU with CoreBrace to formalise the cooperation on testing and installation of BRBs across the region, a statement said.

The BRBs are steel braces that consist of an outer steel casing, an inner steel core and intermediate concrete matrix – the inner steel core resists against tensile and compressive axial loads and is restrained from buckling by the concrete in the outer steel casing. The EBS-CoreBrace BRBs cover all ranges to resist loads of all magnitudes.

According to market estimates, the demand for this technology is expected to exceed Dh20 million in the first year itself, and this is expected to grow 50 per cent year-on-year over the next five years. The braces, to be initially sourced from CoreBrace facility in the US, will be produced at EBS’ state-of-the-art manufacturing unit in Dubai Investments Park (DIP)  effective second quarter of 2015.

The new steel braces technology will go a long way in further elevating the safety guidelines in buildings, both new and existing, across the region. According to Meed, almost $2.5 trillion worth of contracts are planned or under way in the GCC. A further $500 billion worth of projects are at a similar stage in Iraq. For Mena region as a whole, more than $4 trillion worth of projects are planned or under way, the statement said.

Abdulaziz bin Yagub Al Serkal, general manager of Dubai Investments, said: “Since its inception, Emirates Building Systems has always set new standards in innovation and excellence with its steel structures and engineering design projects across the region. With our MoU with CoreBrace, we have taken innovation to new levels by bringing this world-class technology to the Middle East for the first time.”
 
Samir Akra, general manager of EBS, said: “The new technology opens the doors for shifts in the architecture of buildings, creating new opportunities for never-before-seen structures – and we are among the first to use in structural engineering in the region. We see a huge potential for growth, especially given the regional’s adherence to safety and quality parameters. The highly ductile BRBs have been implemented in hundreds of buildings for seismic risk mitigation in the US and across the globe.”

Dieter Klohn, president of CoreBrace, said: “We are thrilled to partner with EBS across the Middle East – the fastest growing region in the construction sector. Our BRBs offer new standards in design and safety and we see huge potential in this region. With EBS, we will work closely with owners, architects, engineers, fabricators, and erectors to meet specific design and construction requirements here.”

With CoreBrace knowhow, EBS targets to take the steel brace technology across the Gulf, the Middle East, Africa, Central Asia and the Indian Subcontinent. The company has already supplied a major order using the new technology for the Folkart Towers in Izmir, Turkey.

Among other projects, the CoreBrace technology has been used in strategic projects across the United States, Haiti, New Zealand, Guam, Turkey, Mexico and Chile. - TradeArabia News Service