DIFC and Za'abeel concrete supplier for office and civic builds

Before the first truck: approvals

On these projects the consultant usually approves the mix design, sometimes after trial batches, before any concrete is placed. Send us the full concrete specification early: strength classes, exposure, maximum water/cement ratio, cementitious content, any requirement for GGBS, and the placing-temperature limit. We batch on OPC and GGBS and will design to what is written.

Also confirm the delivery route. Trucks come from Al Quoz, about 10 km away in a straight line, by Sheikh Zayed Road or Al Khail Road. The district authority or building operator may control access times; check with them.

Foundations on inland ground

DIFC and Za'abeel are inland, so the chloride-heavy groundwater of the coast is less of a factor, though the consultant still decides the exposure class. Blinding comes first, then pile caps or raft.

Estimating a raft: length x width x depth, then divide by 12 m3 per truck. A 35 x 35 m raft at 1.8 m is about 2,205 m3, or 184 truckloads. A pour that large needs agreed truck spacing, two pumps, a standby, and a contingency for a breakdown on Sheikh Zayed Road.

Slabs, transfer structures and screed

Civic and cultural buildings often have transfer slabs, long spans and exposed concrete finishes. These are superstructure pours where consistency between trucks matters, so agree the slump target and check it on arrival. Our booms reach 43 m to 57 m, and placing booms are available for higher floors.

Screed and fibre-reinforced toppings for plant rooms and car parks come late in the programme. They are easy to forget when planning truck access, because by then landscaping and paving may block the routes the trucks used before. Walk the route again before each late-stage order, and confirm where the pump can stand now that the ground floor is finished.

DIFC and Za'abeel is inside our readymix concrete Dubai delivery area, served straight from the Al Quoz plant.