The Design of Sustainable Deep Foundation Systems in Dubai Sedimentary Rock – Ep 055

In this episode, we talk to Dr. Marwan Alzaylaie about the design of sustainable deep foundation systems and some of the challenges he has experienced with designing in Dubai sedimentary rock. Engineering Quotes: Here Are Some of the Questions We Ask Marwan: What is a deep foundation system? What types of deep foundation systems do you work with? What are the design considerations of a good foundation? What are the advantages of a deep foundation? What are some of the challenges you have experienced with designing in Dubai sedimentary rock? What is it like being a part-time lecturer at Heriot-Watt University Dubai and Abu Dhabi University, and how did it benefit your engineering career? What advice would you like to give to our young engineers? Here Are Some of the Key Points Discussed About the Design of Sustainable Deep Foundation Systems in Dubai Sedimentary Rock: Deep foundation systems, consisting of piles or pile rafts, are used when structures have large loads and the ground cannot support the structures using conventional foundations. Piles are the most widely used deep foundation system in the United Arab Emirates because of all the high-rise buildings. The piles are usually between 50 and 60 meters long, but can reach 70 meters in special cases. The diameter of the piles ranges from 1.2 meters up to 1.5 meters. Many people underestimate the stiffness and strength of the Dubai sedimentary rock which causes them to oversize the piles in deep foundations. When conducting static load tests, the calculated settlement in an empirical approach reads vastly less than what is in the designs. Geotechnical engineers need to convince consultants and developers to invest in their geotechnical investigation report. Geotechnical engineers must tell them that they will get good parameters in their geotechnical investigation report, that the foundation will be designed to be optimized, and it can therefore save them a lot of money. The deep foundation solutions that geotechnical engineers provide will positively impact how your city looks and how the projects will change for the better. There can be potential savings in the costs of projects due to the correct data captured. Without deep foundation systems, many of the landmark high-rise buildings around the world would not exist today. Designing in Dubai sedimentary rock poses many challenges. General techniques to obtain data will produce low-value parameters to work with. Many people will think they are working with compacted or cemented sand because of the low parameters they get. It makes it more challenging to convince other designers of the design ideas you have. All geotechnical investigations done in Dubai sedimentary rock must be conducted carefully because of the nature of the material. There is a gap between the universities and the industrial side in the UAE. Bridging the gap between them is something that must be worked on and is one of the reasons why Marwan started teaching at the universities. He likes to give the students real data to work with that is collected from engineering projects. It has resulted in improved techniques that are now used in the engineering industry. Young engineers must do site visits and learn how the designs connect to the work done on the site. Always continue learning and bettering yourself throughout your career. Stay up to date on all the new methodologies that become available. Companies should provide opportunities for young engineers to grow because they will positively impact their companies as they grow. More Details in This Episode… About the Guest: Dr. Marwan Alzaylaie Dr. Marwan Alzaylaie has been working at Dubai Development Authority (DDA) as Senior Manage...