Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research (KISR) developed a prototype for the state-of-the-art Structural health monitoring technology for tall buildings and implemented in the Kuwait’s tallest tower, the Al-Hamra tower. The technology was developed as part of research project funded by Kuwait Foundation of Advancement of Sciences. The project is an extension of previously funded project, which was also implemented by KISR and Kuwait University in collaboration with Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where Kuwaiti researchers gained extensive experience and knowledge during its implementation, enabling them to implement the current phase. The project included a high-accuracy computational model for the Tower, which was developed and utilized for continuous monitoring of it’s structural safety to detect any damages or changes that may arise in the building’s structural system.
Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences (KFAS) organized a seminar on “Structural Health Monitoring of Al-Hamra Business Tower” in cooperation with Al-Hamra Real Estate Company and the Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research.
The Seminar aimed at disseminating the results of a research project funded by KFAS entitled “Ground Motion Modeling and Structural Monitoring of high-rise Buildings” which was implemented at Al Hamra Business Tower by Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research. Sensors were installed in Al Hamra Tower to measure the building’s response to the dynamic loads that high-rise buildings are exposed to, due to wind speed and the effects of local and regional seismic activities.
The Seminar was attended by a number of researchers, academics, engineers and architects, and representatives and officials from several relevant entities and institutions, including Kuwait University, Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research, Municipal Council, Ministry of Public Works, Kuwait Municipality, Public Authority for Housing Welfare, Environment Public Authority, in addition to the private sector.
KISR Stated that the project is aligned with Kuwait’s Developmental Plan aimed at developing and enhancing the resilience of infrastructure projects. The project, was carried out in the Sustainability and Reliability of Infrastructure (SRI) Program under the Energy and Building Research Center at KISR. The research team developed innovative Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) technology, tailored specifically for infrastructure applications in Kuwait. This technology, successfully implemented in Kuwait’s tallest building, the Al-Hamra Business Tower. This is the first time such advanced monitoring technology has been applied in Kuwait, representing a significant step towards developing sustainable smart cities supported by advanced sensor technology and real data.
The technology was implemented in the Al Hamra Tower under the leadership of Eng Jamal Al-Qazweeni, Dr. Hasan Kamal, Dr. Shaikha AlSanad and Dr. Jafarali Parol. Earlier, a similar technology was implemented at Bridges in Kuwait under the leadership of an Indian Scientist, Dr. Jafarali Parol. Technology is providing accurate information about the safety of infrastructure and the areas most affected in emergency situations, thereby enabling more efficient and effective responses by government authorities. In this technology they have implemented machine learning based damage detection methods based on the vibration data. According to him the technology is just at the tip of the iceberg. Dr. Jafarali Parol mentioned that the similar technology was used in the aircraft structures for quite longtime. He has contributed to the development of Light combat aircraft (LCA) “TEJAS” for the Ministry of Defense in India.