Project Background
We worked on an artificial lake in Dubai, about 180,000 m² in surface area. The subgrade was mostly fine sand and silt — highly permeable. Add to that the extreme local climate — summer peaks near 49°C, very strong UV, high evaporation. Without a proper liner system, the client would have faced huge annual water losses and high O&M costs.
Our Approach
For this case, we recommended a composite liner system:
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2.0 mm HDPE geomembrane with UV stabilization as the main barrier.
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400 g/m² nonwoven geotextile as a cushion layer to protect the liner.
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0.6 m × 0.6 m anchor trench along the lake banks to secure the edges.
We used dual-track hot wedge welding, seam width around 12 cm. Every seam was tested by vacuum box and air pressure methods to make sure there was no leakage risk.
Outcome & Lessons Learned
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Daily installation rate reached 15,000–18,000 m², with total construction finished in about 70 days.
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Achieved permeability of 1.0 × 10⁻¹⁵ cm/s, seam strength ≥ 90% of base material.
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After commissioning, the lake showed stable water levels and reduced replenishment needs, cutting O&M costs significantly.