6.5 million people currently live in Riyadh, the capital of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, with a high influx of new inhabitants moving to the metropolis. A new metro system is being constructed between 2014 and 2021 to keep pace with urbanisation, transferring traffic from the congested streets onto the rails to provide fast and environmentally friendly transportation.

With six metro lines spanning a total length of 176 kilometres it will be one of the world’s largest metro systems. Together with integrated solutions such as a multi-line bus network and sufficient parking spaces, the public transport system will cover the majority of the city. 85 new stations and an individual colour for each metro line will be giving Riyadh a new look alongside vast green spaces around the stations and routes.

fischer fixing solutions were used for multiple applications, particularly for the interior fittings. Approximately seven million quantities of more than 900 various steel anchors, plastic plugs, chemical fixing systems, facade and installation systems as well as FireStop solutions have already been used in the stations, tunnels and railway yards. The products allowed the safe, simple and fast installation of interior fittings, media lines and wall claddings in supporting structures made of concrete and hollow blocks as well as in steel constructions.

“We convinced the client with our ability to offer economic fixing solutions for any application from a single source”, says Christian Knoll, Managing Director of fischer SystemTec. “Our products fulfil high quality standards and guarantee safety while meeting the project’s specifications and standards”. The company also supported the construction project with a wide range of services. “The support we provided ranged for consultations and technical presentations to planning, pull-out tests, assessments and installation support on the construction site”, Christian Knoll adds. “We provided fast-paced support by delivering technical calculations within less than 48 hours in addition to many other services”.

900 products from fischer’s range of fixings 
Products from fischer’s steel range that were used on the project included the fischer bolt anchors FAZ II and FBN II. The efficient and easy to install anchor solutions meet high load requirements in concrete, even under extreme conditions such as seismic loads. The hammerset anchor EA II was also among the products used. With its approval for multiple fixings of non-load bearing systems, it is ideal for the installation of media lines, for instance. As a chemical fixing system, the fischer injection mortar FIS EM Plus guarantees highest load-bearing capacity in concrete as well as for seismic applications. Additional products used for the project included the fischer Highbond System FHB II, a torque-controlled bonded expansion anchor that achieves the highest load values in concrete. The versatile fischer injection mortar FIS V furthermore allowed the components to be permanently and securely anchored in the hollow blocks. With its multiple system approvals, the bonded anchor enables high load-bearing capacity in all construction materials, including concrete as well as solid and perforated brick masonry. Products from the plastic range included the fischer frame fixings SXR, which allowed the facade substructure to be installed directly in the anchor base due to the fixing’s long shaft. The fixings consist of special screws and high-performance nylon sleeves that feature various expansion elements which adapt to solid and perforated construction materials.

fischer facade systems such as the Zykon panel anchors FZP II were also used for the form-fit and expansion-free installation of the wall cladding in the conical undercut drill hole. Further components of the integrated system included the undercut drilling equipment BSN. The Zykon panel anchors FZP II achieve lower plane bending moments and higher load-bearing capacity than edge fastenings. This allowed the thin natural stone panels with a thickness of two centimetres and low density to be firmly and securely anchored without being visible from the exterior. The fischer installation systems thereby enabled the reliable, efficient and simple installation of the supply and disposal lines. The fischer universal channel system FUS was a suitable option for heavy loads such as these. The components required were tailored depending on the situation and circumference of the line before being assembled as a modular setup. Products from fischer’s FireStop range for passive fire protection provide added protection of human lives and infrastructure in case of fire.