“Shapoorji Pallonji & Co Ltd”, is one of the largest, oldest and MOST TRUSTED Indian construction companies and is the part of SP Group; has legacy of around 145 years though in many businesses but primarily into construction (residential, commercial, institutional, industrial, infrastructure etc).

1. OCTOBER - DECEMBER 2010 VOLUME - 12, ISSUE 4
We@Shapoorji Pallonji Corporate Magazine
Head Office Annual Day Celebrations
International Strategy Conclave at Dubai
An Overview of Damac Park Towers
European Holiday Travel Log
Happy
New Year
2011

2. Editorial
Hello, Regional Safety Conferences and an informative article on
As you are reading this, we have entered another New managing noise pollution.
Year. We hope you are sticking to your New Year Another new initiative we have covered is the first Vendors
resolutions. The editorial team wishes you and your family a Meet at Bengaluru. We hope to cover more such meets in
very happy and prosperous new year. Be happy. Keep fit. the future. You will also find a report on the 3rd Group
Do good. Be generous. Donate your PL to a needy Practice Sharing Forum which discussed practices in
colleague (read about the Vacation Donation Program in this operations, functional expertise and technology.
issue). Its official. The best project of 2009-10 was DLF 10,
The previous year did not conclude on a happy note for Gurgaon. Kudos to the Project Team and Delhi Region. The
India. The nation is beset by scams and scandals on every team received the award in the biggest event of the social
front. Our own sector is facing mounting problems the calendar - our Annual Day. Read about the function which
paramount of which is the shortage of skilled labour. The was special because of the presence of our Chairman,
entire construction industry is furiously debating the solution. Mr. Pallonji Mistry. We will cover the Annual Day functions in
The answer is skill development. We have taken the first our regions in the next issue. Our regions have been busy
step by training unskilled workers as Carpenters in our sites with social, health and sporting initiatives. There is a lot
at Delhi, Pune and Hyderabad. Other regions will follow. happening in our “Happenings” section.
However, problems have not deterred our Regions from We haven’t forgotten to inform you on what is happening
taking on challenges like constructing South India’s tallest on our projects. Read about an IT park (SP Infocity),
residential tower - Mantri Pinnacle - in Bengaluru and Premium Residential Development (DAMAC Park Towers,
` 450 crore office towers project for Phoenix at Hyderabad. Dubai) and a Thermal Power Plant (Chhabra, Rajasthan).
In the International arena, we have entered Kenya and Saudi We have also covered two major road interchanges
Arabia. The details are given below. The recently concluded constructed in Delhi by our Group Company, AFCONS.
International Strategy Conclave, featured in this issue, will On the lighter side, if you are planning a holiday abroad,
give a further thrust to our International operations. read what Mukesh Rao had to say about his recent trip to
Safety is first in our company and it was with immense pride Europe. You are advised not to go in for a Netbook or iPad
that we accepted the Golden Safety Award - the nation’s without reading Saurabh’s expert comments. ‘Your Space’ is
top accolade - from National Safety Council of India (NSCI) meant to be just that - your space. Please send in your
for our General Motors Project, Pune. Our congratulations articles. Share your experience with the SP Family.
to the Project Team and Safety Department. Read about it in Happy reading and send us your bouquets (and brickbats).
this issue. Our Corporate Safety head, Mr. Alok Shrivastava,
has also written about his new initiative - National and - The Editorial Team
New Projects
• Turnkey Construction of Serviced Apartments and Mall for • Construction of Shell & Core for Proposed Township for
Riverside Ten Ltd. in Nairobi, Kenya. Vadinar Properties Ltd. at Vadinar, Jamnagar, Gujarat.
• Civil and Structural work for Water Treatment Plant for • Civil, Architectural and Structural Steel work for Carbon
Thermax Ltd. at Raigarh. Plant at Aditya Aluminium Smelter Project for Hindalco
Industries Ltd. at Lapanga, Sambalpur, Orissa.
• Development and Construction of Residential Units for
Peninsula Land Ltd. at Ashok Ayatan, Nashik. • Construction of Office Space at Notified IT / ITES SEZ
Project - HITEC-CITY – 2 for Phoenix Infocity Pvt. Ltd. at
• Construction of proposed Formulation Facility for
Gachibowli, Hyderabad.
Flamingo Pharmaceuticals Ltd. at Nanded.
• Civil and Structural works for project IRIS for Tata Motors
• Construction of King Abdullah Financial District for Saudi
Ltd. at Belur Industrial Area, Dharwad.
Binladin Group at Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
• Main Contract Works for Mantri Pinnacle - Premium High
• Construction of Office Building at R&D plot for Reliance Rise Residential Development for Mantri Dwellings Pvt.
Infrastructure Ltd. at Santacruz, Mumbai. Ltd. at Bannerghatta Road, Bengaluru.
• General Civil work for Tractors India Ltd. at TIL, • Civil and Structural Works for Tata Aerostructure Ltd's.
Kharagpur. Facility at Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh.
01 • Construction of Administration and R&D Protoshop
Building for Diamler India Commercial Vehicles Pvt. Ltd. at
Oragadam, Sriperumbudur.
• Design and Construction of residential development of
Godrej Frontier for Godrej Properties Ltd. at Gurgaon.

3. Main Feature
Damac Park Towers, Dubai
swimming pool, health club and gymnasium, a spacious
steam and sauna room, jacuzzi, tennis court and barbecue
area.
Business facilities include a concierge desk offering 24 hour
service, an elevated coffee lounge providing dazzling views
of the Financial Centre, a business centre with all facilities
including a round-the-clock manned help desk. A banquet
hall and meeting room have also been provided for private
parties and business meetings.
Work on the project commenced in February 2007. The
major challenge was the unique shape of the building which
was varying in shape and area - horizontally and vertically.
Co-ordination with the specialist subcontractors in MEP Post,
Tensioning and Glazing works was challenging as the layout
changed on every floor. Despite this, SPML completed the
41 upper floors in 10 months time with a minimum cycle
time of 4 days in some floors. The structure was completed
View of the towers from Sheikh Zayed Road
in November 2009. The formwork system for the core was
Damac Park Towers is a two-tower commercial / residential PERI’s auto climbing system while RMD table form was used
project on the prestigious Sheikh Zayed Road in the heart of in slab decking. The short cycle time was achieved by
Dubai’s financial district, a stone’s throw away from the working on all parallel fronts. Block work and plastering is
world’s tallest building - Burj Khalifa, the world’s largest mall- almost complete while MEP works, tiling, lifts and glazing are
Dubai Mall and the world’s largest fountain situated between in progress.
the two. The developer - DAMAC Properties, is a leading The unique façade system in this project is unitized panel
residential, leisure and commercial developer in Dubai who glazing - the first of its kind in the region. It comprises 6323
has expanded rapidly into North Africa, Jordan, Lebanon, triangular panels - each averaging 2.5 SM in size. It was a big
Qatar and Saudi Arabia. To date they have delivered more challenge managing the huge number of panels, each panel
than 3029 units in projects at IMPZ (The Crescent), of an unique size, fabricating and erecting them especially
TECOM (Executive Heights), JLT (Lake View and Lake due to the obstructions created by the temporary vertical
Terrace) and The Marina (The Waves and Marina Terrace). access to the building in the form of tower cranes and
Shapoorji Pallonji Mideast LLC (SPML) are the main builder hoists.
contractors and the value of the contract is AED 500 Million The 15 elevators in the building have a speed of 4 m/s and
The other stakeholders are: capacity of 1050 kgs. The installation was done in two
Concept Designer : Gensler phases by closing the core at 22nd floor. Two window
Engineering Designer : Engineering Consulting Group cleaning cradles have been installed at the top of each tower.
MEP Consultant : Ian Banham Associates (IBA) The telescopic jib of 32 m - one of the longest in the Middle
Aluminium Glazing : Arabian Aluminium East- permits access to every external corner. Restraint
Lifts : Thyssen Krupp sockets have been provided to hold the 250 kg capacity
cradle in any position.
MEP Contractor : OMEGA
SPML can be proud that they achieved 10 million safe man
The complex with a total built up area of 17.3 lakh sq.ft., hours in this project.
comprises 3 basements, 7 podiums and 41 floor twin
towers. The basements are for parking 1059 cars. The Major Items:
podiums house 108 retail outlets and 120 offices while the 1. Concrete : 83,253 CM
twin towers contain 530 one, two and three bedroom 2. Steel : 7,735 MT
apartments. The height of the buildings is 182 m (600 feet). 3. Masonry : 1,20,618 SM
Recreational facilities include a temperature controlled 4. Flooring : 80,629 SM - Anjani Pathak, SPINT, Dubai
SP Infocity, Chennai
A breathtaking challenge taken with pride by SP Real Estate
in Chennai, SP Infocity stands out among the many IT parks
in Chennai. An iconic design by the renowned architect,
Hafeez Contractor, the fourteen storey structure is the
tallest structure in its vicinity.
The structure is also a “Gold Rated Green Building.”
The major quantities were:
1. Concrete : 95,300 CM
2. Reinforcement : 12,400 MT
3. Formwork : 3,17,000 SM
4. Blockwork : 46,000 SM
Artist's Impression
5. Plastering
6. Granite
: 73,000 SM
: 9800 SM 02

4. 7. False Ceiling : 3,000 SM provided by 14 Mitsubishi elevators with a speed of 2.5
8. POP Work : 2,700 SM m/sec. For air conditioning the building, chillers weighing up
9. Internal Painting : 17,200 SM to 5 tonnes were lifted 65m above the ground. NANO
10. External Texture films with U/V reflectors reduced the effect of Chennai heat
Painting : 20,200 SM inside the building. Refuge areas were provided in every
11. Structural Steel : 321 MT module to give a common space to occupants. Accentuated
Construction commenced in September 2006 with mass by curved beams on the elevation, the refuge areas provide
excavation. The schedule was in 3 phases with basements of all an aesthetic detailing for the whole building.
the phases taken up at one stretch. All major works of the first The architects took Mr. Frank Lloyd Wright’s dictum “The
phase in Block A were finished by early August 2009. space within becomes the reality of the building” when it
Mr. A. Balaji (AGM, Projects) was the Project-in-charge and was came to designing the internal spaces. The granite finished
guided by Mr. Anand Rao (AVP SPRE), Mr. D. Santhosh (DGM,
, common areas lend elegance to the interiors and are eye
SPCL) and Mr. Tarapore (GM, SPCL HO) The staff strength at catching.
the peak - August to November 2008 - touched 230. A major part of the building has been handed over to the
The project presented several challenges. The multi level clients and the project has vastly augmented SPCL’s
car park was provided under the building by excavating 0.35 capability of building international class IT parks.
million CM of rock filled earth. Vertical transportation was - Adeep Jecob, Chennai
CTPP, Chhabra, Rajasthan
Construction of both these facilities is under the scope of
SPCL.
SPCL has complete civil construction under its scope. The
structures included are power house building, coal handling
plant, boiler foundation, ESP foundation & control room,
clarified water channels, fore bay, pump house, de-
mineralization plant, switchyard, transformer yard and turbo
generator foundation, columns, deck slab etc. Here, it is
imperative to mention a couple of challenges the team faced
during the course of construction in wagon tippler area and
turbo generator area.
The earth in general around this area consists of various
strata of soft and hard rock beneath the initial thin layer of
Black Cotton soil. So, for the construction of any foundation,
controlled blasting was required. Setting off charges at 2m
intervals, the team had to blast the way down to 20 meters
Bird's eye view of the construction site depth to achieve the desired level in wagon tippler area.
Around 2,50,000 cum of blasting has been done already. In
Chhabra Thermal Power Plant (CTPP) is being constructed view of the fact that blasting work gets frequently interrupted
to meet the growing energy demand of Rajasthan. The by continuous seepage, two operations-blasting and round
client-Rajasthan Rajya Vidyut Utpadan Nigam Limited the clock dewatering are being done simultaneously.
(RRVUNL), has engaged Indure Private Limited (IPL) as their Another challenging area was the construction of Turbo
EPC contractor and Tata Consulting Engineers (TCE) as their Generator raft, columns and deck slab. All three structures
consultant on this project. i.e. raft, columns and deck slab have temperature controlled
CTPP is a coal fired, sub critical plant situated on the border concreting. SPCL is casting 28 nos. 14 meters high columns
of Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, 150 kms from Kota in in one pour. The temperature of the concrete is maintained
Rajasthan and 250 kms from Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh. It is strictly at 23°C by mixing 250 kgs ice in water for every cum
situated in a remote area of the state and temperature here of concrete. This cold water is continuously sprinkled over
ranges between 50 and 5 degree Celsius. The plant has aggregates and then mixed with cement, sand and pre
been constructed near the bank of Parvati River, which is the cooled aggregate to get the required temperature. It is not
feeding source of water for the plant. Two units of 250 MW the normal activity which takes place every day on a
are already in operation and the construction of next two construction site, with three-tier stringent inspection by the
units of 250 MW each is in progress. It is a zero discharge clients.
plant. The water from Parvati River is used for generating Salient features of the project
power, after which it gets treated in the effluent treatment Project Cost : ` 80 Crore
plant system and is ultimately reused for irrigation. Another
Concrete : 1,40,000 Cum
unique feature of the plant is that it is environment friendly
and 99.9% of ash is absorbed by electrostatic precipitator, Reinforcement Steel : 14,000 MT
03 keeping the surrounding area clean and healthy. Blasting : 2,50,000 Cum
- Alok Rajan, Ahmedabad

5. Safety
Managing Noise Pollution: A definite need
Noise can be defined as unwanted or undesired sound. • Work scheduling: Give breaks in noisy activities to
Usually 80 decibel is the level at which sound becomes avoid continuous exposure.
physically painful and can be termed as noise. Humans, • Identify high noise areas & display signs to wear PPE’s
animals, plants and even inert objects like buildings and like ear muffs / plugs.
bridges have been victims of the increasing noise pollution Statute on Noise:
caused in the world. Be it human or machine-created, noise At Workplace: As per Schedule VI of Rule 34 of “The
disrupts the activity and balance of life. Its effects on our Building and Other Construction Workers’ (Regulation of
health are elucidated below:- Employment and Conditions of Service) Central Rules,
- Continuous exposure to noise in the range of 90 to 140 1998” pertaining to the “Building and Other Construction
dB is harmful which, in the construction activities, is Workers’ Act, 1996”.
caused by drilling, grinding, fabrication and erection, Permissible Total Time of Exposure and Corresponding
compressors, generators, winches, heavy vehicles, Sound Pressure Level
concrete pumps, batching plants, cranes and material
handling. It may result in: Sound pressure Total Time of Exposure (Continuous
• Auditory Effects: Rupture of drum, auditory fatigue, level in dB(A) or a number of short term
hearing loss. exposure) per day in hours
• Non-Auditory Effects: Annoyance, irritability, 90 8
interference in speech, difficulty in communication, 100 2
low night vision, difficult colour perception, vague
110 0.5
muscular pains, lack of sleep, indigestion, heartburn,
high blood pressure, ulcers and heart disease. 115 0.25
- Effects of noise are gradual and often painless, person For Outside Environment: As per “The Noise Pollution
often fail to recognize these. (Regulation & Control) Rules, 2000”.
- Hearing loss may also occur immediately on exposure to Ambient Air Standards in Respect of Noise
sudden intense form of noise energy. Category of Limits in dB Limits in dB
- Hearing loss is attributable to destruction of cells in inner Area / Zone (A) Leq* Day (A) Leq* Night Time
ear. These cells are neither repaired nor replaced by Time (600 -2200 (2200- 600 Hrs.)
b o d y a n d t h e r e f o r e t h e H E A R I N G LO S S I S Hrs.)
PERMANENT.
Action by sites to reduce the noise pollution: Industrial 75 70
- Controlling air borne / structure borne sound by; Commercial 65 55
• Regular servicing and maintenance, enclosing entire Residential 55 45
machine / parts, reducing the vibrations in *Silence Zone 50 40
components, replacing metal parts with sound Note:
absorbing materials. Silence Zone is defined as an area comprising not less than
• Fitting muffler of the exhaust, changing type of 100 meters around hospitals, educational institutions and
pneumatic equipment to reduce high frequency courts. The silence zones are zones which are declared as
components, proper fastening of parts, isolating the such by the competent authority.
workplace containing noisy equipment. 1. Mixed categories of areas may be declared as one of the
• Avoiding banging / knocking of materials, reducing four above mentioned categories by the competent
height of fall in bins or yard, reducing sharp blows by authority.
using rubber / plastic covering, reducing speed of
conveyor belts / motors and other moving parts, if 2. *dB(A) Leq denotes the time weighted average of the
possible. level of sound in decibels on scale A which is relatable to
• Covering walls / ceilings with sound absorbing porous human hearing.
materials, using sound absorbing screens, building 3. A "decibel" is a unit in which noise is measured.
sound proof control areas / rest rooms. 4. "A", in dB (A) Leq, denotes the frequency weighting in the
• Providing sound barriers / curtains around high noise measurement of noise and corresponds to frequency
areas like cutting, grinding and drilling etc. response characteristics of the human ear.
- Avoiding continuous exposure to noise by: 5. Leq: It is an energy mean of the noise level, over a
• Job rotation: Change the tasks performed by specified period.
employees. - Alok Shrivastava, SP HO
Outdoor noise control - Barriers. Indoor noise control - Curtains.
04

6. Happenings
SPCL Head Office celebrates Annual Day
Mr. Pallonji Mistry lighting the inaugural lamp. SP Agri business), spoke on the projects and future plans of
November 12, 2010. SPCL Head Office’s Annual Day was their business.
celebrated at the JK Banquets. It was a remarkable evening On the occasion, Mr. Cyrus Mistry gave the 10 year long
as the chairman, Mr. Pallonji Mistry walked in amidst a warm service awards and Mr. Shapoor Mistry the awards for 25
cheerful welcome, followed by the Managing Directors - years service. Mr. Saini, CEO of SPCL, was a distinguished
Mr. Shapoor Mistry and Mr. Cyrus Mistry. The inaugural recipient of the 25 years service award (see above)
lamp was lit by them. Mr. Varghese Mathew, Chief People Mr. Pallonji Mistry felicitated employees who completed 35
Officer, gave a welcome address to start the evening years of service. Mr. Hiloo, (DGM, Accounts) was one of
proceedings. the proud recipients (see below).
Mr. Pallonji Mistry addressed the gathering, recounting
the growth of the company over the years and the role of
the management and employees in taking the company to
new heights. He looked forward to continued efforts from
the employees in meeting the ambitious targets set for
the company’s 150th anniversary in 2015.
The ‘Best Project’ Award was given to DLF-10 Project,
Delhi Region. Mr. P Rakheja (Director, Operations),
.K.
Mr.Shammi Khurana (Additional GM, Projects, Delhi) and
Mr. Anil Kumar Tomar (Project Manager) collected the
award.
The event came alive with music performed by ‘90 Degree’
The staff of SPCL took to the dance floor and enjoyed
Mr. Pallonji Mistry addressing the gathering themselves. Besides song and dance, people relished a
variety of cuisines. Amidst all fun and entertainment,
The heads of various business units - Mr. Kekoo Colah (SP employees got the opportunity to bond well with one
Real Estate), Mr. Mukundan (SP Infra), Mr. Kannan (EPC another.
division) and Dr. A.K. Gupta (on behalf of Mr. N. Dharmaraj, - Shikha Banerjee, SPRE HO
05 Having a good time!

7. Long Service Awards
35 YEARS
Mr. Hanumanta Jamlaiya Dasari: Mumbai - RO
Mr. Faroakh Jehangirji Hilloo : SP Centre - HO
Mr. Kishor Vasudeo Sharma : Ahemdabad/Surat - RO
Mr. Viraf Jamshed Dastoor: SP Centre - HO
25 YEARS
Mr. Dominic Barthol Kadam: Pune - RO
Mr. Deepak Dhondu Keshe: Nasik - RO
Mr. Sarad Datatre Lad: SP Centre - HO
Mr. Munir Dadesaheb Ismailmagdum: Pune - RO
Mr. Mohan Dass Saini: SP Centre - HO
Mr. Sherbahadur Kumarsingh Lama: SP Centre - HO
Mr. Pradeep Raghunath Poipkar: SP Centre - HO
Mr. Eknath Abaji Gangurde: Nasik - RO
Mr. Shankar Shivaji Rathod: Mumbai - RO
Mr. Ramdas Bapurao Ghumre: Mumbai - RO
10 YEARS
Mr. Srinivasa Vijay Kumar: Bengaluru - RO
Mr. Qutubuddin Khan: Mumbai - RO
Mr. Lakshmi Narayanan: Chennai - RO
Mr. Md Sahidul Islam: Kolkata - RO
Mr. Madanlal Rampyare Jaiswar: SP Centre - HO
Ms. Vijaya Lakshmi B.c.: Chennai - RO
Mr. Subhashchandra N Shetty: Pune - RO
Mr. Narendra Prabhakar Pathade: Nagpur - RO
Mr. Atul Bhatnagar: Delhi - RO
Mr. Ravindra Bipinkumar Shah: SP Centre - HO
Mr. Aravamudhan Balaji: Chennai - RO
Ms. Kavita Ajay Gujar: Pune - RO
Mr. U Mukesh Rao: SP Centre - HO
Mr. Sanjay Chandrapal Lanjile: Pune - RO
Ms. Preejy Lonappan: Real Estate - Mumbai
Mr. Martin Luke: Bengaluru - RO
Mr. Avay Kumar Verma: Hyderabad - RO
Mr. Prabhat K. Rakheja: Delhi - RO
Mr. Sukomol Sen: Kolkata - RO
Mr. Chandan Sarkar: Kolkata - RO
Mr. Natwar Samal: Hyderabad - RO
Mr. Rakesh Kumar Singh: Kolkata - RO
Ms. Regina Arjya Kumar Patro: Pune - RO
Mr. Sandeep Bolke: Manjri Horse Breeders Farm Pvt. Ltd.
Mr. Rupesh Khedekar: Magpie Finance Pvt. Ltd.
DLF 10 bags the ‘Best Project Award’ for FY 09-10
achievements by the project team was clocking 5 million
safe man hours.
This is an initiative to recognize the best projects selected
from the Regions based on their performance against the
following parameters: sales, profit, wastage, cost of quality,
client satisfaction, safety, receivables, productivity, delivery
time and leadership training/ organisation building initiatives.
Projects completed in FY 09-10 were eligible for the
reckoning. The Evaluation Committee compared the
performance of the nominated projects on aforementioned
parameters and was particularly stringent on the safety and
quality issues.
Mr. Cyrus Mistry presented the ‘Best Project’ trophy to
Mr. Shammi Khurana - Project Co-ordinator and Mr. Anil
The DLF, Delhi team receiving the award Kumar Tomar – Project Manager at the HO Annual Day
‘DLF 10’ project, executed by Delhi RO, bagged the ‘Best function held on 12th November, 2010. Mr. P K. Rakheja,
.
Project Award’ for the FY 09-10. The scope of work
involved construction of a commercial building with a total
built-up area of 3.7 million sq. ft. One of the most notable
Head - Delhi Region was also present during the award
ceremony.
- Sohan Mohanty, SP HO
06

8. International Strategy Conclave - 2010
Mr. Cyrus Mistry & Mr. Saini with the participants at the conclave.
Dubai was the venue for the International Strategy Conclave organizing this event. The meet focused on identifying the
- 2010 for SPCL’s International Operations and was hosted company’s prospective clientele, countries and business
by SP International FTZ (SPINT) on the 7 th and 8 th segments, services and products to be offered. The
December’10. company’s strategies for strengthening the resources to
This conclave was chaired by Mr. Cyrus P Mistry &
. meet clients’ expectations were also discussed in the
Mr. M.D. Saini and was anchored by Mr. Prabal Kansal, conclave.
Strategy Department, SPCL. The broad agenda of the Mr. Cyrus P Mistry welcomed all the participants and shared
.
conclave was to brainstorm on “The Way Forward” i.e. the vision for SPCL & SP International for the next 5 years.
brainstorming the future strategic action plans with senior During the two-day conclave, country heads from UAE, Sri
management of the company for all countries where SPINT Lanka, Libya, Sudan, Nigeria, Qatar, Ghana, Algeria, Sub
already has a presence and also the countries of interest in Saharan Countries, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia (KSA) apprised
the future. everyone present of their business plans. Brand building and
The participants for the conclave included all country heads, international human resource practices were also discussed
respective department heads and senior officials at SP at length in the conclave. The conclave concluded with a
International. The meeting commenced with Mr. M.D. Saini vote of thanks to all participants.
welcoming all the participants and sharing the purpose of - Prabal Kansal, SP HO
Group Practice Sharing Forum III
The 3rd practice sharing forum of the Shapoorji Pallonji AFCONS at Tender Stage’ by Mr. Giridhar Rajagopalan
Group was held on 11th November, 2010, at Sunville (Technical Director), ‘Contract Management and
Banquets, Worli, Mumbai. Administration’ by Mr. S. Sankar (Executive Vice-President,
The theme for the third quarter was “Operations, Functional Contract), and ‘Excellence through Execution’ by
Expertise and Technology”. Presentations were made by Mr. V. Manivannan (Vice-President, CPE). Mr. Giridhar
t e a m s f r o m Fo r b e s Te c h n o s y s ( F T L ) , A F C O N S shared the innovative approach adopted in the Chennai
Infrastructure, Forbes-Engineering Division, SPCL and Central station project especially in rock excavation which
Sterling and Wilson. was done without using Nxburst chemicals and without
disrupting the smooth running of traffic in the crowded
Mr. Sandeep Bhatia unfolded the FTL success story in metro. Mr. Shankar brought out the ethos of managing
deploying 500 kiosks for SBI, India’s largest bank. The kiosks contracts and also building deeper relationships and
were a result of an increasing need to have an alternate understanding customers’ needs and situations. He used the
delivery channel to ATMs and branch banking. The Seven Habits Framework (Stephen Covey) to brilliantly
implementation and operational challenges included highlight contract management. Mr. Manivannan shared 5
conceptualizing, identifying kiosk models, selection of case studies highlighting execution excellence.
vendors for each stage in the process, carrying out user
acceptance tests; all of this not withstanding their T h e Fo r b e s E n g i n e e r i n g t u r n a r o u n d s t o r y u s i n g
inexperience in projects of this scale in the past and limited differentiations such as service and cost leadership was
manufacturing capacity (for kiosks). He also elaborated the interesting as was the energy vertical narration on the
post bid activities to ramp up their capabilities by deploying strategic shift to small power turbine requirements, the key
SAP deploying account managers, getting the software and
, success factors being acquiring Technology for Assembly/
the engineers ready to deliver. Creation of multi functional Manufacturing of Turbines, providing full-fledged
task force was the key element in the successful delivery of Refurbishing/ Service Activities on demand, building Team
this project. for Sales and execution of O&M/ EPC Contracts and setting
up Power Projects in 15-30 MW range using BOOT model.
07
The second session had three presentations from the
AFCONS team viz, ‘Culture of Collaborative Effort in Sterling and Wilson shared their success stories in Nokia
Siemens and ISTA hotels amongst others and highlighted the

9. operations management in these projects using technology.
Mr. Nozer Tarapore and Mr. Sagar Gandhi shared the Virtual
Design & Construction tool that would help SPCL in
planning, visualization, execution and is being tried out on a
pilot basis.
The success of this forum is around the implementation of
the ideas that have worked in one business in other
businesses. No doubt they will have to be modified to the
needs and the context of the business, but they can certainly
be implemented.
- Vasant Sanzgiri, SP Group Centre
Mr. Cyrus Mistry with the SPCL team.
Vendors Meet 2010, Bengaluru
As part of SPCL’s corporate strategy, several key initiatives
were undertaken to achieve the company’s vision and
mission. One of the initiatives under “Vendor Development
and Management” was undertaken by the Bengaluru Region
which organized the first “Vendor Meet”. The meet, under
the guidance of Mr. N. D. Sadri, was held on 9th October,
2010 at Hotel Mathan, Bengaluru.
The meet was targeted at 15 specific product categories and
brought together more than 75 participants from 50
companies. Mr. Prashant Mahajan (Additional GM, BD,
Bengaluru) welcomed the gathering and briefed them on
the importance of organizing such events in the construction
industry. He also took the opportunity to apprise everyone
about the current status of projects in the Bengaluru Region. Inauguration by Mr. T Mallikarjuna. Towards left are Mr. Mitra,
The meet was formally inaugurated by Mr. T. Mallikarjuna Mr. Tribhuvan, Mr. Sadri & Mr. Shivkumar.
(VP Bengaluru region) who lit the inaugural lamp along with
, Outlining the purpose of the meet, he urged the vendors to
Mr. Debasis Mitra (Director, Operations), Mr. N.D. Sadri collaborate with SPCL in discussing and resolving technical
(Addl GM, Materials & QM), Mr.Sarang Tribhuvan (GM, and commercial issues, improvisation of delivery mechanism
Commercial) and Mr. Shiva Kumar (DGM, Purchase, and facilitate smooth exchange if ideas to pave the way for
Bengaluru). innovation and accelerate the growth momentum. The
Mr. Mallikarjuna highlighted the status of SPCL in the vendors were felicitated and awarded certificates of
construction industry and drew attention to its rapid growth. appreciation based on their performance. This was followed
Mr. Mitra delivered the key note address delineating the by a cultural event on the theme of collaboration.
policies of SPCL and its growth in recent years. The meet concluded with a vote of thanks by
Mr. Sadri announced the theme for the meet “Lets Mr. Shivakumar followed by cocktails and dinner.
collaborate and together multiply the success in future”.
- Nozer Sadri, SP HO
NICMAR E-PGPM Batch 6
Every year SPCL sponsors a few deserving employees to 1 Ms. Doris Mukesh Mehta HO
the exclusive Executive Post Graduate Program in 2 Mr. Nitin Ramesh Mohorikar Bengaluru – RO
Management at NICMAR, Pune. This 16 month contact- 4 Mr. Ashish Kumar Gupta Delhi - RO
based program, exclusively conceptualized and developed 5 Mr. Uttam Kumar Pal Delhi - RO
for SPCL, aims at developing professional project engineers 6 Mr. Puranam Virupakshaiah Hyderabad - RO
/ managers with the skills to handle Construction Project 7 Mr. Siddhartha Nath Kolkata - RO
Management problems. Participants are carefully chosen 8 Mr. Saugata Mazumder Kolkata - RO
based on their past performance and leadership potential 9 Mr. Vinod Ramrao Surve Nasik - RO
exhibited in their current roles. 10 Mr. Tushar M. Hire Nagpur - RO
Participants spend ten weeks on the Pune campus, three 11 Mr. Pravin Lanjewar Pune - RO
weeks every term and one week at the end of the course 12 Mr. Rajesh Sharma Real Estate-Delhi
for the final exam and viva voce. SPCL bears the entire 13 Mr. Sumit Goswami EPC - Kolkata
course fee, lodging and boarding expense incurred for the 14 Mr. Goutam Nandi EPC - Kolkata
program. 15 Mr. Sudip Mitra EPC - Kolkata
NICMAR has recently announced the results of the 6th 16 Mr. Vishal P Borude Mumbai - RO
Batch of E-PGPM course. We congratulate the following 17 Mr. Balbir Bisht Delhi - RO
successful participants of the 6th Batch 18 Mr. Murali Krishna Hyderabad - RO
- Sohan Mohanty, SP HO
08

10. Vacation Donation Programme
As you may be aware, SPCL HR Department introduced six who had a fall and required full time care. Having recently
policies in October aimed at motivating and rewarding joined the company, she had no leave to her credit and was
meritorious performances of employees and their children on leave without pay during this emergency. Then, a
and increasing the bonding among the employees.
benefactor (who wishes not to be named) donated 6 days
One such policy was the Vacation Donation Programme. Privilege Leave. This unexpected act of generosity touched
Sometimes, circumstances compel an employee to take Shraddha. She said: “I felt good. His act helped a lot and I
more leave than is available to him/her. The policy was thrilled. I had read about the policy but never thought
encourages ‘caring’ employees to come to the aid of his/her that I could benefit from it. I am so glad that our company is
colleague by donating PL from his/her account to the
colleague without any expectation on his/her part. different from others. We are the only one to have this
policy.”
One such employee, Ms Shraddha Trasi of Corporate HR
who was a beneficiary under this scheme. Shraddha was Let us all take a pledge that in the New Year we will reach
away from office for 4 weeks to take care of her mother out and help our colleagues in need.
- Mukesh Rao, SP HO
ELP Training, Hyderabad
The session in progress
‘Empowered Leadership Development’ program was held for
the managerial cadres at Hyderabad region from the
9th to 11th December, 2010. Twenty nine staff members from program. I think every body should try to follow as much as
Planning, QS, Execution, MEP Tender & QA/QC depts.
, possible from this program. It will certainly improve our
attended the program. This was a residential program leadership quality with values & self esteem. I am sure that
organized in a serene environment at a resort. Feedback from through this light of knowledge every body will prosper in
a few participants is given below: life with a specific goal.”
1. Mr. Govind Sharma, Manager (Construction), EMAAR 4. Mr. P.G.C. Santosh, Manager (Planning), EMAAR MGF Site
MGF Site says, “I feel that this program may be conducted said,“The key learnings from the program are
at other regions also as this program has given a different a. Listen to anyone without a burden to agree.
thought process and lateral thinking. This will help the
b. No break through happens inside comfort zone.
individual to identify their red and green behaviors which
they are not aware of. This program has given a different c. Win and keep winning, but not by making others lose.
view to think about your own strengths which you can 5. Mr G.Chakravarthy, Senior Manager (Planning) from AKES
utilize for achieving your goals in life effectively.” Site said “The ELP work shop has made a transformation in
2. Mr. Y. Babji, Dy. Manager (QS & Planning), ITC my life. It really touched my emotions and fuelled my
Bhadrachalam says, “This type of program may not give an passion for doing something extraordinary not only for
instant result but constant application will show good result organizational growth but also for entire human kind. I am
both for the participant and the organization. It has the thankful to the entire faculty who showed us our destiny.
potential to make a change in behavioral skills, goal setting, Now this group is called HYDERBAD GOLDEN EAGLES
and conflict resolution.” and this team will develop more powerful teams in future.
I thank management for giving this wonderful opportunity
09
3. Mr. Tonmoy Mukherjee, Dy.Manager (Construction), to be a learner at ELP.”
HHIPL Site, Vizag says, “It was a wonderful program. Firstly
the venue selected was the correct place for such a - Aziz Tayyaba, Hyderabad

11. SPCL Site Bags the NSCI Safety Awards
CEO-SPCL, Mr. MD Saini receiving the NSCI Golden Award from Union NSCI Award ceremony photographs, 30th October, 2010, Manager-SPCL, Mr.
Labour Minister Mr. Mallikarjun Kharge on 30th October, 2010 accompanied by Rahul Mazumdar, DGM-SPCL, Mr. KU Ramu, and Regional Head HSE. Pune-
Head HSE-SPCL, Mr. Alok Shrivastava. Also seen in the picture are DG- NSCI, SPCL, Mr. Tushar Banekar- with the honorable minister.
Mr. VB Sant, Secretary-Ministry of labor, Mr. Anup Pandey and Vice Chairman-
NSCI, Mr. Galav.
The National Safety Council of India (NSCI) aimed at innovative and fresh concepts that were enforced in totality,
recognising and encouraging establishments for achieving there was hardly any probability of an unsafe practice during
“Excellence in Occupational Health and Safety Management the execution phase and this is what happened precisely.
System in Construction Projects” by initiating the “Safety First” is a mindset which each and every employee at
“Sarvshreshtha Surakhsha Puraskar Scheme” in 2005. SPCL’s SPCL believes in and given utmost importance by our MD,
General Motors project at Talegaon, Pune won this Mr. Cyrus Mistry. It was indeed a superlative achievement
prestigious NSCI Golden Safety Award (‘Sarvshreshtha that was contributed by:
Surakhsha Puraskar’) for the year 2009. • Sheer dedication and hard work put in by the site and
The robust “Health, Safety and Environment Management regional team
System” (HSEMS) of SPCL was in place right from day one
of the project. The concept of not giving a single day’s • Absolute support and commitment of the client
leeway and HSEMS rules and procedures proved very • Decisions and actions by top management to boost the
crucial in establishing the mind set of site team. Even the HSE movement
client, General Motors, reinforced the HSEMS of SPCL by Though continuously strengthening existing HSEMS systems
further infusing it with their relevant practices and played a complementary role, it is the inherent culture
procedures that are acknowledged worldwide. which contributed towards adding one more feather in our
With the, amalgamation of these two proven safety cultures crown.
and all necessary collaboration, coupled with various
- Alok Shrivastava, SP HO
Safety Conference
To bolster the safety culture across the Company, it was
mooted by the corporate HSE department (CHSED) to
hold one-day 'Safety Conferences', involving key senior
management representatives and safety personnel from
HO, ROs as well as from the project sites.
As a result, the first safety conference was held at SP Centre
having participation from the corporate team and regional
teams represented by the Regional Head (RH) and Regional
Safety Coordinator (RSC). All RHs had made presentations
for their respective regions in the prescribed format.
Subsequently, a conference was organised for each region Participants taking the safety oath
attended by the RH, Project Coordinators, Project
Managers, RSC and Safety Officers. CHSED was Total safety conferences : 9 (one at HO, 8 at RO's)
represented in each of the regional safety conferences and a Number of sites participated : 96
training session of two hours on 'Awareness, Principles and Participants : 245
Guidelines of Safety' was imparted to the participants.
To organise the Safety Conference on a regular basis was
Project Managers made presentations on the safety aspects
unanimously agreed by all the participants. Therefore, it is
of their sites in the prescribed format. Details of the
proposed to have annual HO conference and RO
conferences are as follows-
conferences twice in a year.
- Alok Shrivastava, SP HO
10

12. Happening in Delhi Region TML thanked SPCL for support in achieving the milestone of
34,926 numbers of Vehicles Production in FY 2009 – 2010
and presented the trophy to SPCL.
Mr. Alok Saxena, Plant Head, TML, Lucknow and
Mr. Rajeev Kumar Gupta, AGM (Commercial) also
appreciated the TMLL team of SPCL and presented the
Gold Award in Project Services for 2009 – 2010 and the
Excellent Safety Performance Award – Plant Head Service
Provider Safety Trophy for 2009 – 2010.
SPCL in WODD Rally at India Gate
th
6 World Organ Donation Day
Staff of SPCL Delhi Region along with their families
participated in the Mass Awareness campaign on the
occasion of the 6th World Organ Donation Day held at India
Gate, New Delhi on 27th November, 2010. The event in
which SPCL raised the slogan “Organ Donation - A Gift for TMLL site team with the award.
Life”, was organised under the aegis of the Ministry of Mr. P K. Rakheja, Sr. V. P (North), Mr. Kalyan Kumar Kanji, G. M.
. .
Health and Family Welfare and World Health Organisation and Mr. Sandeep Kool, Project Manager, TMLL were present at
(WHO). Mrs. Sheila Dikshit, CM of Delhi and Mr. Ghulam the award ceremony held at Lucknow and accepted the trophy,
Nabi Azad, Union Minister for Health were present on the awards and recognition on behalf of TMLL site team.
occasion which also witnessed performances from Daler
Mehndi and Raju Srivastava. SPCL, Delhi Region regularly - Gautam Sarkar, Delhi
participates in other awareness campaigns too like World Free eye testing camp
AIDS Day and Food Safety Day. An eye camp was organized in association with Mahavir
International, a Delhi based Trust.
Airtel Delhi Half Marathon
The camp was organized at two of the company sites in
Eight staff members from Delhi also ran in the Airtel Delhi Greater Noida (GVM and CSCT).
Half Marathon on 21st November, 2010. Running under the
slogan - Safety First in Construction Industry - they all Preliminary vision testing was performed by the ophthalmic
improved on their previous timings. Delhi had also sent a team using vision charts and E type charts. Patients who had
representative to run in the Stanchart Mumbai Marathon problems with their vision were given glasses free of cost.
and its Cricket and Football teams regularly participate in Clinical conditions such as external eye infection and
tournaments held at Delhi, Haryana and Chandigarh. presence of cataract were also examined. Test findings were
evaluated and after examination, doctors made the final
TMLL Site bags Award diagnoses and prescribed necessary treatment.
TATA Motor Lucknow (TML) arranged the ‘Service Around 821 labourers benefited from the camp and 200
Providers Annual Meet 2010’ on 20th September, 2010. pairs of spectacles were distributed.
- Preeti Sehgal, Delhi
The iSpace Corporate Cricket Tourney 2010 This year the teams donned a full cricket uniform with each
team’s color, logo, names and numbers of individual players.
The prize money was also increased to ` 40,000 for the
winner and ` 25,000 for the runner up team. There were
also individual prizes for best bowler and best batsman of
the tourney.
The event was sponsored by Croma, Sanjay Maintenance
Services, Ansec Security Services, Rajeshwari Landscaping,
Om Enterprises, Wastu Painting Services, Unique Electricals,
Adventure Plus, Sodexo, Citrus Check Inns, Vedant Facility
Services, Sabcons & Balaji Caterers.
Each team was allowed to field 7 players. All had to bowl an
over in the innings and there were fun rules for scoring runs
& declaring a batsman out. The finalist were ‘Oceans IX’ and
‘ADP A’ with the latter successfully defending their total of 46
Mr. Shailesh Korgaokar with the winners. runs.
The second edition of the iSpace Corporate Cricket Tourney The ‘Best Batsman’ prize went to Aniket of ‘ADP A’ and Nithi
concluded at SP Infocity Pune on 17th November, 2010. of ‘Oceans IX’ was the ‘Best Bowler’. Nachiket of ‘SPCL
Encouraged by the success of the inaugural tourney in 2009, Fighters’ was recognized as the ‘Best Player’ of the tourney.
iSpace Club invited entries from various companies on Mr. Lalchand Rajput was the guest of honor for the event.
and gave away the prizes.
11 campus to participate this year as well. The response was
phenomenal with 40 teams registering as opposed to 24 last
year, inspite of the entry fees being higher.
- Shailesh Korgaokar, SP Infocity, Pune.

13. Happening in Kolkata Region
Mr. Kalpanath Banerjee and Mr. Pranob Roy with the budding footballers.
Team lead by Mr. Kalpanath Banerjee on the job
Kolkata Regions Football match for the underprivileged Pond Cleaning at Nayalanka Pond
children Forbes, a group concern of SP is involved in numerous
,
Kolkata Region conducted a friendly football match on
activities like water harvesting and cleaning of ponds. Our
14th August, 2010 for underprivileged children. The football
match was conducted in two parts. The first half was for MD. Mr. Cyrus Mistry, had expressed his desire that SPCL
underprivileged children from schools in the age group of should also be engaged in creating a better environment.
10 - 15 years. Six teams from various schools of Kolkata Motivated by his vision, the Recreation Club of SPCL,
participated in the match. Kolkata got involved in the cleaning of the 300 year old
The event started at 9.00 am at the Salt Lake GD Block Nayalanka Pond in Barasat.
football ground where members of the recreation club On the 15th of August, 2010, staff of the Recreation Club
along with staff of SPCL and the school teams gathered. The along with local residents got into action and conducted a
matches were conducted in knockout format and each half
‘Shramdan’ to clean the pond. The enthusiasm with which
was of 15 minutes with a break of 10 minutes.
Though a friendly event, the matches were played with the local residents engaged in this activity further motivated
great competitive spirit. Bidhannagar Municipality School the club members. Everyone has committed to continue
won the competition. Mr. Bhaskar Ganguly, renowned with the cleaning and beautification of the pond.
footballer of West Bengal, was the chief guest. He
congratulated the teams on their participation. Mr. Pranob - Usha Venkatesan, Kolkata
Roy, former member of Indian Cricket Test Team,
distributed the prizes. On behalf of club, Mrs Kalpanath
Banerjee presented a memento to Mr. Bhaskar Ganguly and
Health Camp, Guwahati
Mr. Pranob Roy.
In the second half a friendly match was played between KB-
XI and TSR-XI. It looked amazing when AGMs, DGMs and
VP along with engineers and officers ran after a football. At
the end KB-XI won 4-0.
Health camp for workers
A health checkup camp for workers was organized at Radisson
Hotel, Guwahati site, on 11th September, 2010.
Dr. Madhukar Choudhury (MD) of Mahendra Mohan
Choudhury Hospital, a premier govt. hospital at Guwahati,
Mr. and Mrs. Kalpanath Banerjee presenting memento conducted the checkup. He advised the workers to take
to Mr. Bhaskar Ganguly. necessary health measures and also spoke at length to them
The SP team members had also made provision for about general wellbeing.
breakfast and lunch which the children thoroughly enjoyed. - Abhilash Choudhury, Kolkata
It was overwhelming to see the joy on the faces of these
children. The memory of the sporting event will always stay
with the members of the Recreation Club.
- Usha Venkatesan, Kolkata
12

14. Focus on group companies
Projects by AFCONS
Ghazipur Project
the prestigious Common Wealth Game projects to be
completed by AFCONS.
The project worth ` 183 Cr at completion was inaugurated
on schedule on 29th June, 2010 by the Chief Minister of
Delhi.
The scope of work included 770 m long main flyover with 8
lanes for vehicular traffic, 6630 m underpass with 4 lanes
plus 3 m carriageway on each side for non-motorized
vehicles, rotary of 80 m, surface level 8 numbers of slip road
each of 3500 m length and 11m width on either side of
flyover and underpass.
The construction of the PSC slab was done by using Balance
Cantilever Bridge Builder Technique. This technique has
been implemented for the first time in a Delhi flyover.
View of underpass and flyover The Maximum length of Single Span of Carriage way is 75 m
& width 15.2 m which is also a first in Delhi. The record
Construction of main flyover, underpass, slip roads, bridge
time cycle of 6 days was achieved with balance cantilever
widening over drain, footbridge, bus bays, cycle tracks,
bridge builder technique in the complete construction of
drainage, electrical, landscaping, and allied works at
segments of 3 mtrs. each.
Ghazipur crossing of NH – 24 and Road No. 56, is one of
Mukarba Chowk Project
• Four Slip Roads for left turns and Four Clover Leaves for
right turns with three lane carriageway (9.0 meter each)
on integrated and continuous Voided Slab avoiding
bearing usage and minimizing expansion joints / RCC
Box / Re-Wall / Embankments.
• 2950 meter long and 4 meter wide dedicated Cycle
Track / Footpath.
• Bus bays on Flyover and Ground Level below Flyover.
• Staircase and Ramps (For physically challenged and
senior citizens), Subway for crossing for both cyclists and
pedestrians and future provisions for Lifts and Escalators.
• Landscaping, Street Lighting etc.
View of main flyover from Rohini end
• Aesthetically pleasant Electric Poles on Slip Roads and
Construction of the Grade Separator at Mukarba Chowk at Cloverleaves providing better lux level on carriageway.
GT Karnal Road on Outer Ring Road junction, New Delhi,
was the first Common Wealth Game project to be • Extensive use of imported GOMACO Slip Form Paver
completed by AFCONS. It won the best project award for construction of RCC Crash Barriers.
from the Ministry of PWD. The completely Signal Free • Managing huge volume of traffic.
Junction comprised the Construction of Main Flyover Achievements:
including Loops, Slip Roads, Bridges, Subway, Cycle Tracks,
Drainage, Electrical, Landscaping and allied works. • Appreciation from Client for completing 1450 cum of
continuous concreting of voided slab in the loop of
The value of the project at completion was ` 173 crores and
4th quadrant in a record time of 24 hours.
it was inaugurated on 1st March, 2009.
• Appreciation from Client for completing 200 nos of
Mukarba Chowk Intersection on GT Karnal Road-Outer 1200 mm diameter piles in a month.
Ring Road in North Delhi is the gateway to five states of
India viz. Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh • Unique shape of piers, pier caps & voided slabs in
and Jammu & Kashmir and also to Delhi. It is one of the various loops, slip roads & main flyover.
busiest junctions of Delhi. Access to the capital city of India • Appreciation from Client for fabricating 2460 MT of Steel
through this constructed Grade Separator at the said Tub Girder at Ropar Workshop.
intersection provides a pleasing view, soothing effect and a
profound respite to the eyes and mind of the people. • Mobile Arrangement for Anti-Carbonation paint
application underneath the deck.
The project consisted of:
• Successful use of slip form pavers for construction of
• Completely Signal Free Junction RCC Crash Barrier-First time in Delhi.
13 • Flyover joining on Outer Ring Road with viaduct on RCC
piers over pile foundation and composite steel structure
of tub shape.
- Team AFCONS

15. ACP Cladding: the new trend in architecture
Introduction Disadvantages of ACP
Cladding in the context of building construction refers to the • Fire Hazard
application of one material over another to provide a skin or • Poor Impact Resistance
layer intended to control the infiltration of weather elements Preparation for Installation
or for aesthetic purposes. Prior to installing the ACP system, verify that the building is
properly protected with a weather resistant barrier (WRB).
Ventilation spaces should allow for uninhibited vertical
airflow. The design of the ACP rain screen system allows it
to be fastened directly to the wall framing or furring strips.
Achieving a ventilation compartment is accomplished by
spacing the system from the wall. Without this essential
spacing, the system will not breathe correctly and will likely
trap water, condensation, or other moisture.
High Level Steps
• The bracket layout is marked
• Brackets are fixed & aligned.
Aluminium Composite Panel (ACP) or Aluminium a) Position bracket
Composite Material (ACM) is a widely used term describing b) Fix Fasteners
flat panels that consist of a non-aluminium core bonded
c) Provide packing using Shims
between two aluminium sheets. Aluminium sheets can be
• The ACP Cladding panels shall be lifted up to respective
coated with PVDF or Polyester paint. ACPs are frequently
floors by using an internal material hoist and then
used for external cladding of buildings (building facades), for
distributed outside the building vide openings i.e.
insulation and for signage. ACP is very rigid and strong
windows.
despite its light weight. Aluminium can be painted in any kind
of colour and ACPs are produced in a wide range of metallic • Panel Installation
and non-metallic colours as well as patterns that imitate a) Fix grids
other materials, such as wood or marble. Applications of b) Position panels using plumb line to ensure alignment
ACPs are not limited to external building cladding, but can of panels
also be used in any form of cladding such as partitions, false c) Lock panels into the grid using locking arrangements
ceilings etc. The core is commonly low density Polyethylene Note: An electrical gondola / cradle shall be used for all the
or an insulating material. external façade.
History Design Loads
Cladding in construction has existed through the early times The ACP cladding is subjected to various loads, generated
when, in Norway, it was used on large barns to protect the by the environment and occupancy, including windloads, self
bare walls from the natural elements. However, more weight and impact loads. Inappropriate design can lead to
formal research into cladding and its use as a weather cladding collapsing or being torn from the structure.
elements excluder was a more recent process initiated in Excessive deformation may compromise the effectiveness of
the 1940’s. The Alcoa Building in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania weather seals. Wind flowing round a building causes
was one of the first very large buildings to utilise modern pressure and suction on the surfaces. The cladding should
rainscreen cladding. be designed to have adequate strength, both in the panels
In 1969, through a joint invention between Alusingen and and their connections to the structure.
BASF, the first ACP was introduced to the world. In spite of
the invention of the product in 1969, it was not until the mid
80s that mainstream architecture discovered the use of the
material. Since then the process of ACP cladding has
progressed in leaps and bounds and now along with
aluminium curtain-walls and glass, ACP materials dominate
the facade industry.
There are many modern cities that have been built with
these materials. The impressive Burj al Arab, symbol of the
city of Dubai is a prime example and a benchmark project
for ACP cladding.
Computer Associates, Hyderbad
Advantages of ACP
• Light weight and impressive strength-to-weight ratio Performance testing of cladding
• Material adaptability and flexibility In buildings where the cladding system is complex,
• Durability performance testing for weather tightness may be required
• Harmony with the environment as part of the contract conditions to demonstrate
• Variety of colours compliance with specified performance criteria. The testing
regime depends on the type of cladding system. 14

16. Trends:
Self Cleaning Facades
Aluminium composite panel consists of two sheets of
aluminium bonding a layer of LDPE (low density
polyethylene) core in a continuous high pressure and
thermal compositing process. In self cleaning facades the
surface aluminium is roller-coated with quality NANO PVDF
lacquer with the back coated in anti-rust PET coating.
Surface plastic film for protecting surface of panels can be
peeled off.
- Team SPFAB
Mac Solutions, Hyderabad
In sealed systems (such as many forms of curtain walling) a
representative sample of the wall, a minimum of one bay of
the building, including all the details of the intended design is
constructed. The tests generally include:
Static pressure and water flow - A vacuum is applied to the
rear of the sample and water flow is directed using a series
of spray bar nozzles. The inside of the wall is then inspected
for water leakage.
Dynamic testing - The static test creates a positive pressure
across the cladding, the dynamic test endeavours to create
more realistic conditions by developing a turbulent pattern
of wind driven rain across the external face of the cladding.
In some test arrangements an aircraft engine is used to
provide a dynamic wind pattern.
Tishman, Hyderabad
SP Initiatives in Junagadh The power plant has already executed an agreement for
sale of 800 MW to Gujarat and active steps in
implementation of these projects are in progress. The plant
will have latest super critical technology boilers for power
generation together with use of low ash and low sulphur
coal and an extensive green belt with environment
conservation measures.
The land for these projects are being procured directly from
the land owners and inline with the philosophy of the SP
Group promoters, noteworthy efforts are being made to
ensure that these projects benefit the local communities.
The following initiatives, undertaken at the project location,
have received overwhelming response from the
villages/local communities:
1. A Mobile Dispensary with full time qualified doctor and
assisting staff is operational since November, 2010.
The mobile dispensary Medicines are distributed free of cost to those treated by
The Shapoorji Pallonji Group is investing over ` 100 billion, this primary care dispensary. A grand function was
one of its largest investments, in the development of an organized at Central Kodinar to inaugurate this van. As of
integrated port and power facility in Junagadh District of date, on average, over 90 persons are being treated
Gujarat. everyday as the dispensary travels to the four villages
covered by the projects.
SP Group has won a concession through competitive
bidding for setting up a deep draft, all weather, multi-user 2. SP Group have entered in a MOU with BAIF, a leading
and multi-cargo port at Chhara with an investment of NGO based on Gandhian Principles, for a period of
approximately ` 12 billion in the first phase. On completion, 5 years to take up activities for cattle breeding, cattle
it would be one of the few ports in India that can berth health camp, and training of locals in income generating
cape-size vessels, large container vessels apart from current schemes. Subsequently, a BAIF team is already operating
generation LNG carriers and liquid cargo. in the villages.
The Group is also implementing a coal based thermal SP Group, being a socially responsible corporate, will
15 power project with an initial capacity of 1,320 MW with
capacity to expand to 2,640 MW. The first phase is being
implemented at an investment of over ` 70 billion.
continuously endeavor to promote the welfare of local
communities through such activities.
- Bevin Mathews, SP Infra

17. Your Space
European Holiday (A travel log by Mukesh Rao, SP HO)
In mid September, my wife and I toured Europe. The 15
day package tour organised by a reputed travel company
covered 9 locations - Italy, Vatican City, Austria, Switzerland,
Germany, Belgium, The Netherlands, France and United
Kingdom. On completion of the tour, we extended our stay
in the United Kingdom by two weeks.
It would be a gross understatement to say that we enjoyed
the trip. We loved every minute of it and the memories will
stay with us throughout our life. I strongly urge you to make
the trip if you get an opportunity.
The tour started in Rome. In our three days in Italy, we also
covered Florence, Pisa and Venice. These places are noted
for their history and culture. The Colisseum in Rome may
not impress us Indians who are used to magnificent ruins,
but the paintings in the Sistine Chapel, Vatican as well as
interiors of the St. Peters Basilica will blow your mind away.
Mt Titlis, Switzerland
More magnificent renaissance art follows in Florence till the
richness of it all leaves you hoping for a change of scene.
Venice and its canals were unique though the water was Our next stop was Germany. We had a cruise down the
dirty. Rhine admiring the pretty houses and the odd castle on the
banks. We spent some time at the Black Forest - black
We were happy to see the rich greens of mountain because of the thick density of trees. German villages are
meadows, the quaint hillside houses and the bubbling picturesque. We saw the awesome cathedral at Cologne. A
streams as we climbed into Austria. We stayed in Innsbruck massive traffic pile up on the Autobahn reduced our stay at
which is a ‘hill station’. Wonderful old style buildings. Heidelberg Castle. German towns are clinical in their looks
Graceful people. It seemed a different world. Pity, we and architecture. Very modern and efficient.
stopped for just a day there. Austria is definitely worth
returning to and would compete with Switzerland for the We drove into the flat and tiny countries of Belgium and The
most enchanting scenery. Netherlands. We were now in Western Europe. The
weather is colder, the scenery is less wild. There are more
people and English is widely understood. At Brussels, we
saw the grand buildings lined along the aptly named ‘Grand
Place’ and enjoyed eating waffles. We cruised along the
canals in Amsterdam. As a Civil Engineer, I tend to enjoy
The River Inn in Inbnsbruck
The three days in Switzerland were the best. All lake and
mountain country. We took a train to the top of Europe-
Jungfraujoch - which, at 11,500 feet, has perennial snow
and ice. It felt great to play in and slide down the snow -
something that we would never experience here. The
scenery is breathtaking. We also got to see waterfalls inside a
mountain. The covered wooden bridge in Lucerne, Switzerland
these cruises more because of the architecture of the
buildings along the banks.
Our last stop in continental Europe was Paris in France - the
most visited nation on Earth. The Eiffel Tower did not
disappoint nor did the most famous road in Paris - Champs
d’Elysees. We warmed up to Paris as it reminded us of
Mumbai - full of life and variety. We took a cruise on the
Seine and wished we had more time at the Louvre, one of
the world’s greatest museums. Frankly, I felt Leonardo Da
Austria
Vinci’s “Mona Lisa” was over hyped.
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18. We then crossed under the tunnel in the “Eurostar” to 1) Vegetarian Indian breakfast, lunch and dinner throughout
London. We can’t feel the high speeds - 200 kmph, I guess. though we did sample local delicacies like apple strudel,
London is home for us Indians. The language is familiar, the potato rosti, etc.
culture and customs are not strange and Indians and their 2) Accommodation in good hotels.
restaurants are everywhere. After nearly 2 weeks, I got to
read English papers and scan the cricket scores. 3) No standing in queues anywhere. All entries were
arranged.
Here, my wife was thrilled to be photographed with Sachin
at Tussauds. We saw London from the giant wheel - London 4) No language problems as we had a tour manager.
Eye - and had a tour on the ground. Anyone who has 5) No time wasted in locating sights or restaurants.
played ‘Monopoly’ in his childhood will be thrilled at
discovering Trafalgar Square, Euston Road, Piccadilly, Bond 6) Discipline as we had to be off at 8 a.m. On solo trips,
Street etc. The we may have been lazy.
Tower of London
was a bit dull and
many in our group
were griping about
the ‘Kohinoor ’
being stolen from
our country. We
also saw the
ornately carved
Swaminarayan
temple in the
suburbs.
From hereon, we
stayed back in UK.
We were put up in
Eiffel Tower - Paris Reading, 64 kms
from London. The trains cover the distance in 25 mts. but Street View - Rome
the return fare is as much as a 2 tier AC train ticket from
Mumbai to Bengaluru. In our 14 days here, we explored Europe is beautiful and orderly. The roads are excellent.
scenic towns like Oxford, Bath and Salisbury; historic They go to great lengths to preserve their environment. It’s
Stonehenge; and the Thames at Henley. We saw more of not difficult to move on your own as signages, guide maps
London - its museums (British Museum, Greenwich), and public transport are excellent. I felt more at home in
gardens (Kew), Westminster Abbey and even a musical at a London than in Kolkata. The intricate underground ‘tube’ is
West End Theatre. But the highlight undoubtedly was a 2 easy to use. Language is not much of a problem except in
day trip to Scotland. We stayed in Edinburgh - the whole Paris. Seven of the nine countries share one currency -
city is a UNESCO heritage site - and took a tour to the wild Euro. After immigration in Rome, our only other border
highlands and Loch Ness. Remote and grim like our Ladakh, control (Passport Check) was at Paris as we boarded the
but ethereally beautiful. Eurostar. Infact, you can’t make out the border when you
cross from The Netherlands to Belgium. But Europe is also
We can’t recall a single bitter experience in our trip. We extremely expensive and you are likely to be shocked by the
never regretted taking a package tour despite the fact that prices.
we had no control over the itinerary. But the advantages are
many: But it’s all worth it. Go for it. It’s bound to be an experience
of a lifetime.
Prehistoric Stonehenge, England
Guild Halls, Brussels
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