"AS Georgia" Achieves High Seismic Resistance Through Tunnel Formwork Construction Method in Projects Dirsi" and "Park Boulevard"
"AS Georgia" is one of the largest investors and leading development companies in Georgia, having already invested over 200 million US dollars in the Georgian market.
The company has been operating in the Georgian development market since 2012 and has specialized in the construction of the largest residential complex, "Dirsi," using the tunnel mold method. According to Gvantsa Kirvalidze, the communications manager of "AS Georgia," this innovative construction method is designed for countries with the highest seismic activity. In a conversation with "Banks and Finances," Kirvalidze provided a detailed explanation of the construction method and highlighted that it starts with laying a solid concrete slab for the foundation.
Buildings constructed with tunnel formwork are entirely monolithic and differ from other monolithic buildings in terms of construction specifics. Instead of reinforced-concrete columns, special tunnel-like structures are erected, and the floors and partitions are concreted simultaneously, minimizing the number of construction links. For the high-rise multi-apartment buildings constructed by the company, 80% of the load-bearing internal walls are monolithic, which determines their high seismic resistance.
According to Gvantsa Kirvalidze, a representative of "AS Georgia," the tunnel mold method of construction has an undeniable advantage, as almost all high-rise buildings constructed using this method remained habitable and suffered minimal damage during the recent devastating earthquake in Turkey and Syria. The State Housing Department of Turkey reports that ten thousand such buildings were built in the affected provinces.
She explains that the mold used in this method of construction is a high-budget technology, and the initial large investment made by the holding company enabled them to use this innovative technology. The tunnel formwork method not only offers high seismic resistance but also allows for efficient use of construction time, with entire floors being built and dried within few days.
The company also highlights the importance of preserving the mold's integrity and unity by avoiding the use of basements when arranging underground floors. For their projects, the foundation is three floors deep, with the company cutting and excavating 8 to 11 meters of soil from the site to build the foundation on top of the bedrock. The decision to avoid basements was made to preserve load-bearing walls and increase the construction's strength.
The company's communications manager also mentioned the company's current and upcoming projects, with only a few apartments remaining in the large-scale "Dirsi" residential complex, which includes approximately 3,000 apartments. The company has started construction on a new project called "Park Boulevard," with two buildings and four blocks already built, and sales set to start in a month. The company is also investing in infrastructure development and constructing an 8-hectare recreational park in the same territory.
The company also expressed pride in the fact that many employees of the company, including the general director and management representatives, reside in their own project, "Dirsi."