REGIONAL REPORT DFI Middle East Emad Sharif, Chair DFI Middle East The Middle East region has sustained remarkable develop- ment and growth in the deep foundations industry due to megaprojects in the Gulf countries and in Egypt. Some of these megaprojects include the soon-to- be world's tallest tower under construction in Dubai, new metro lines and port facilities in Saudi Arabia, preparations for FIFA 2022 World Cup in Qatar, Port of DUQM and DUQM refinery in Oman, several new artificial islands in the Arabian Gulf, and new tunnels and industrial projects along the Suez Canal in Egypt. As projects are becoming more complex in scope and deeper into the ground, the challenges are also increasing for designers and contractors. Some of the geotechnical challenges include dewatering in urban areas for deep excavations to depths in excess of 20 m (66 ft) for many basement levels, ground improvement to depths up to about 24 m (80 ft) of hydraulically-filled lands with calcareous fine silty sands, and problematic soil and rock conditions, including solution cavities and very soft Sabka soils. There has been an increased focus and use of detailed site characterization, monitoring and instrumentation on projects in the region, especially on megaprojects. The site characterization program has included a variety of in-situ and laboratory tests, which are now very common on large projects. In addition to deep cored boreholes, the in-situ testing performed includes penetration tests, pressuremeter (mainly high-pressure dilatometer) tests, seismic logging and other geophysical surveys. Laboratory tests have ranged from classification tests to sophisticated stress path and cyclic tri-axial tests. Instrumentation and monitoring has become essential and even mandatory on many projects, and the increase in the number of projects implementing comprehensive instrumentation and monitoring systems is clearly observed. Instrumentation systems The Big 5 Heavy exhibition gathered 300+ companies from over 30 countries have been used to monitor groundwater variations, deformations of shoring walls and foundations, anchor forces, strains in structures and pipe struts, surface movements, and tilting of metro tracks. The importance of instrumentation can be understood through its incorporation into regional conferences and codes and specifications. The most recent regional geotechnical conference included a special focus on monitoring applications and the value of instrumentation. In addition, the Dubai Roads & Transport Authority (RTA) issued a new revision of its Metro Protection Code, which now includes guidelines on requirements of soil–structure interaction studies and instrumentation for projects within vicinity of RTA facilities. Events and Activities The chapter has participated in and is planning several other events and outreach activities for 2018. In February, there was a training workshop at the American University in Dubai (AUD) on the testing of bored and driven piles, which was conducted by DFI member Pile Dynamics. The chapter participated in an international conference in February on the “Reconstruction of Iraq.” We participated in the Geotechnical & Foundations Engineering Summit at the Big 5 Heavy expo from March 26-28 at the Dubai World Trade Center. The event is the largest exhibition dedicated to the infrastructure and heavy construction industry in the Middle East, where hundreds of local and international companies showcased their products, solutions and services. After I delivered a presentation about DFI's international activities and membership benefits, six topics were presented and discussed during the Summit on March 27: Practical Problems in Shoring and Piling; Optimization of Offshore Pile Foundations using Pile Dynamic Monitoring Systems; Why Trenchless Technology?; Quality Assurance and Quality Control for Deep Foundations (low strain integrity testing, crosshole sonic logging, and thermal integrity profiling); Earth Dams & Cut-off Walls; and Monitoring Heavy Metal Contamination in Soil Water Systems. We extend special thanks to the speakers for their contribution and efforts, and especially to Dr. Salah Dilimi of RTA in Dubai and vice chair of DFI Middle East chapter and Rany Zein of Total Foundation Solutions for organizing, managing and chairing this event. th We are currently planning the 5 Conference on Deep Foun- dations for December 2018 in Dubai. The theme of the conference will be on The Role of Geotechnical Engineering in Challenging Projects, and is expected to present recent and challenging case studies and experiences from the area and abroad. Exhibit space and sponsorship opportunities will be made available as well. Other plans for 2018 include networking events every quarter, which will feature a couple of presentations followed by meet-and- greet activities. We encourage all industry members in the Middle East region to contact us to participate in these activities and to join DFI at www.dfi.org . DEEP FOUNDATIONS • MAY/JUNE 2018 •75
