Safety in numbers

Even if one is as rich as Bill Gates or as handsome as Brad Pitt, he can never be really happy if he does not feel safe in his own home. A home must be a person’s haven and refuge, a sanctuary that offers him peace and security.

With this in mind, the builders of the country’s tallest residential building, 1322 Roxas Blvd, did not spare any expense and effort to guarantee a home that is synonymous to safety. A magnificent 57-story building that boasts of having not only the most luxurious homes by the Bay, but also of being one of the country’s safest edifice.

The builders of 1322 definitely had safety in mind during the planning and construction of this landmark building. Hand in hand with the world’s top designers and consultants in the field of construction and architecture, 1322 is definitely one of the safest buildings in the country.

When Moldex Land decided to erect a 57-story, luxurious building facing the Manila Bay, they began their first steps in ensuring the safety of their future tenants by conducting a soil testing program. Dr. Salvador Reyes, the country’s best foundation specialist, and PhilGeo Analytics worked hand in hand to determine the bearing capacity of the soil and the depth of the piles needed to be installed.

Moldex then commissioned the country’s most expert foundation designer to design the foundation, Aromin & Sy Associates. Then, the design was carried out by DM Consunji Inc. together with Bachy Soletanche, a French company based in Hong Kong, who is an expert builder of buildings by the sea. Barette piles (rectangular shaped) were used instead of the usual spiral piles in order to provide a stronger foundation. The design called for 133 units of these piles, which were to be positioned at a depth of 65 meters from ground level. This was equal to 20 floors down from the ground.

Since 1322 is near the bay, the builders had to go through tremendous efforts to make sure that the foundation is well-built. An eight-meter thick diaphragm wall was constructed around the piles to protect perimeter buildings and roads as well as to make the building foundation water-tight. Hot tip galvanized steel was used as anchorage system because of the salt water surrounding the area. Anabolic or powder coated steel is normally used as anchorage system but 1322 used fluorocarbon, which had higher properties to resist rust.

To make sure the piles were cast right, ultrasonic pipes were put in which determined if the concrete is structurally sound.

A computer-based device called the Inclinometer, which is not available locally, was imported to detect even the slightest tilt or movement of the wall to determine the soundness of the foundation. This became the builders’ weekly guide to determine if they had to adjust anything in the construction.