Premier Composite Technologies (PCT) has completed the roof installation of the Haramain Rail Madinah station.

The 450-km Haramain High Speed Railway project links the holy cities of Makkah and Madinah via Jeddah and King Abdullah Economic City.

PCT was awarded the contract to build the concourse roof at the Madinah station in February 2012. The scope of work included all elements of design engineering, manufacturing, delivery and installation of the advanced composite cladding for the concourse roof. Installation work started in October 2013, a statement said.

With a built up area of 172,000 sq m, the Madinah station contains facilities and services for passengers designed in accordance with the best international standards of high speed train stations. The facilities include a main building of the station which houses the arrival and departure concourses, a mosque with a capacity of 600 worshipers, a centre for civil defence, helipad, pavements for trains, car parking with a capacity of 1,000 spaces and VIP lounges.

The station has also been linked with the Public Transportation System through the provision of appropriate parking area for buses, and linking the station via pedestrian pathway with the Light Train Station which is planned to be implemented on King Abdul-Aziz Road.

Designed in a JV between Foster+Partner and Buro Happold, the Madinah Station is built in a unique design of umbrellas with green tiling giving it a remarkable and eye-catching appearance.

The concourse roof design consists of a highly repetitive pattern that is made up of 41 panels that fit together to make one large square module of 27 x 27 metres. Each panel required to be structurally lightweight, fire resistant, immune to extreme temperatures and weather conditions, and easy to install, said the statement.

Working alongside Foster + Partners and Buro Happold, PCT developed an advanced composite solution that would meet all requirements, it said.

The roof is structurally built using a fire resistant composite of glass fibre and epoxy resin combined with lightweight foam core and is finished with glass mosaic coloured tiles. PCT produced 1,312 of these panels to complete the 26,400 sq m surface area of the station roof.

The structure has been designed to use as much natural light as possible. For this purpose the roof panels have unique diamond shaped skylights incorporated into the design. The composite roof has a suspended inner ceiling made of green anodized aluminium segments with a special embossed perforated pattern and fixed anti-glare lamellas to help achieve high reflectivity (a minimum of 95pc). The glass skylights are dropped into the moulded recess after the roof is assembled and are equipped with anti-glare system to enhance the light distribution inside the station, said the statement.

A modular approach to the design with a high degree of prefabrication meant that all FRP parts were produced at the PCT facilities in Dubai Investment Park. Installation and final sealing operations were done on site, the company said. - TradeArabia News Service