CORE Engineering

Every floor turns. The structure has to follow.

An office tower in Riyadh, structurally designed by Core Engineering, is now nearing completion.

21 floors above ground and 6 basements below. Each floor is rotated from the one beneath it.

Architecturally, that creates the tower's form. Structurally, it means nothing simply stacks. Slab edges shift at every level, and the load path from the top of the tower to the foundation has to be traced floor by floor.

From the street, it is a twisting tower. On the drawings, it is 21 different floor plates that all had to work together.

Deep excavation next to existing buildings is one of the least forgiving problems in structural engineering.

Clients come to CORE with the same concerns: Can we excavate several basement levels beside an existing building without moving it? What happens to the retaining system if groundwater rises? How do we keep settlement of neighbouring structures within safe limits?

The answer begins not with thicker concrete, but with soil-structure interaction analysis. How does earth pressure change as the excavation deepens? How do the retaining elements deflect and transfer load back into the ground? What anchor or strut forces develop if the soil behaves differently than assumed?

Only after modelling these stages do we design the shoring system. And the approach depends on the ground and the constraints:

Staged excavation analysis — checking wall deflection at each level so the shoring stays in equilibrium and ground movement is controlled before it reaches adjacent structures.

Tieback and strut systems — pre-tensioned ground anchors, waler beams, and corner bracing — to hold the retaining line and distribute lateral earth pressure.

Secant pile or diaphragm walls where stiffness and low permeability are needed to resist high lateral pressure and limit groundwater ingress.

The value is not in calculating standard earth pressures. It is in anticipating how a specific site will actually behave — and controlling settlement of what is already standing next door.

Good geotechnical engineering is not about over-designing the shoring. It is about making the ground and the structure work together from the first day of excavation.

Not every existing building needs to be demolished to do more.

Clients come to CORE with the same three questions: Can this building take another floor? Can it change function — from offices to a hotel, from residential to commercial? Can it carry heavier loads than it was designed for?

The answer always starts the same way — not with a solution, but with an assessment. What was the building originally designed for? What is the real condition of the concrete today? What capacity is already there, unused?

Only after that do we choose the method. And the method depends on the demand:

Carbon fiber (CFRP) for targeted increases in flexural or shear capacity — thin, light, and fast, where the gap is moderate.

Concrete or steel section enlargement where the added demand is significant and the load path needs real material.

New structural elements — added columns, walls, or foundations — when the change in use or added floors goes beyond what the existing frame can carry.

The value is not only in knowing these techniques. It is in knowing which one the building actually needs — and not over-engineering a solution the structure did not ask for.

An existing building is often a bigger asset than its owner realises. Our role is to unlock it safely.

The thermal behavior of long-span concrete structures requires a rigorous approach to restraint and strain mitigation. Across the MENA region, ambient temperature fluctuations can exceed 30°C seasonally, compounded by direct solar radiation and differential thermal gradients. When calculating thermal expansion alongside long-term drying shrinkage strain, rigid boundary restraints generate substantial axial forces and secondary bending moments. Over-specifying movement joints to manage these forces often compromises structural continuity, slab diaphragm stiffness, and waterproofing integrity.

At Core Engineering, optimizing movement joint layouts demands precise finite element simulation of thermal stress distribution. By accurately modeling column/wall stiffness, foundation boundary conditions, and concrete creep relaxation over time, our analysis identifies zones of high stress concentration versus areas capable of self-relieving through micro-cracking. Advanced structural modeling allows us to strategically size and locate pour strips and movement joints, maximizing joint spacing without exceeding serviceability limit states for crack width control.

Mastering this force-displacement equilibrium ensures robust, durable long-span podium slabs that resist thermal cycling while maintaining architectural flexibility and seamless structural performance.

Designing large-footprint podiums? Let’s optimize your joint layout.

كل عام وانتم بخير بمناسبة المولد النبوي الشريف.

Traditional foundation design often relies on rigid base assumptions or uniform subgrade reaction moduli, a simplification that overlooks how structural loads redistribute across real-world soils. At Core Engineering, we implement advanced Soil-Structure Interaction (SSI) modeling for heavy mat and raft foundations to capture the complex interplay between soil flexibility and structural stiffness. Moving beyond simplistic rigid assumptions provides a realistic representation of structural response under high-load conditions.

Accounting for spatial variations in soil spring stiffness across the raft geometry reflects the true settlement profile formed beneath the foundation. A uniform Winkler spring model frequently underestimates bending moments near mat centers and miscalculates edge-to-center differential settlements. By incorporating non-linear, spatially variable subgrade reaction moduli, structural engineers can precisely identify critical flexural demands and punching shear concentrations, ensuring both structural integrity and long-term serviceability.

Integrating full Soil-Structure Interaction into foundation analysis bridges the gap between geotechnical parameters and structural behavior, yielding safer and more material-efficient raft designs. At Core Engineering, our advanced analytical models transform site-specific geotechnical data into dependable foundation performance. Refining your foundation design? Let's analyze together.

Currently under construction in Riyadh: the Asas Makeen Hotel Tower, with structural engineering by Core Engineering.

32 storeys above ground. Four basement levels.

The tower is founded on competent rock, with a raft bearing directly on the rock strata — avoiding the need for piled or anchored retaining systems.

Above ground, post-tensioned flat slabs reduce structural depth, maximise ceiling heights, and support efficient floor layouts throughout the tower.

Good engineering isn't always about adding more. It is about understanding the ground, selecting the right structural system, and avoiding what the project does not need.

We are proud to see the tower taking shape.

When architectural vision creates shifted column grids, the engineering challenge is safely transferring massive, discontinuous loads down to the foundation.

At Core Engineering, we utilize advanced Strut-and-Tie Modeling (STM) to visualize internal stress paths, transforming complex force flows into precise, buildable reinforcement layouts.

This behind-the-scenes look at a vital transfer element demonstrates how we manage high-risk discontinuities with unwavering precision.

Shorter floor cycles, longer spans: The PT Advantage.

At Core Engineering, we partner with developers and main contractors to balance ambitious architectural visions with rigorous structural economy. When designing large open floor plates, Post-Tensioned (PT) slab systems provide a high-performance alternative to traditional Reinforced Concrete (RC)—allowing you to optimize spans without inflating project budgets.

Here is how Core Engineering leverages PT systems to deliver clear commercial value:

Slab Thickness Reduction: Decreased floor-to-floor heights lead to overall building mass reductions and significant savings on facade cladding and vertical MEP runs.

Decreased Foundation Dead Loads: Thinner, lighter slabs reduce the total structural dead load transferred to the substructure, lowering foundation requirements and substructure costs.

Faster Formwork Turnover: High early-strength concrete combined with early post-tensioning enables earlier formwork stripping, accelerating cycle times per floor.

Partner with Core Engineering to optimize your next project's structural performance and timeline.

In high-rise and slender structures, standard linear elastic analysis is often insufficient to capture real-world behavior. At Core Engineering, our structural teams perform rigorous second-order analysis (P-\Delta effects) to account for geometric non-linearities under combined gravity and lateral loads.

By evaluating how initial deflections create secondary moments, we ensure that structural performance reflects the true non-linear demands placed on tall column elements.Evaluating P-\Delta effects accurately is vital to preventing unexpected structural behavior such as unpredicted lateral sway, stiffness degradation, or localized capacity reduction in tall or irregular frameworks.

Ignoring these secondary moments can lead to under-designed vertical elements and compromised lateral stability.

Through advanced non-linear modeling, Core Engineering identifies critical load paths early, enabling optimal section sizing without sacrificing structural safety or performance.

Balancing stability and structural efficiency? Let's talk.