Rock socket piles at Mall of the Emirates, Dubai

The first snow centre in the Middle East, Ski Dubai, was constructed as part of the Mall of the Emirates retail and leisure complex in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Opened in December 2005, the project comprises an 80 m high indoor ski slope and associated structures. The higher end of the slope spans over a three-level car park. The site is underlain by a variable sequence of very loose/loose silty sands, which in turn overlie solid geology comprising very weak/weak carbonate sandstone. It has been considered that the most appropriate foundation option to support the structure safely is a piled foundation. Bored and cast-in-place piles socketed into the rock were proposed. Detailed analyses of single piles and pile groups under axial and lateral loading conditions were undertaken. The seismicity and liquefaction potential were considered in the design in accordance with the requirements of Dubai Municipality. The preliminary test piles, which were carried out prior to the installation of the working piles, checked the pile capacity and load–settlement behaviour, confirmed the effectiveness of the piling technique used, and provided greater assurance of the satisfactory performance of the foundations. The results of the preliminary pile-testing programme were compared with those obtained from theoretical predictions based on the empirical relationships between pile capacity and the unconfined compressive strength. On the basis of this review, a guide for the design of rock socket piles in weak carbonate rocks suitable for use in Dubai is proposed.