Gulf Construction Online - Buildking offers an instant fix

Insulation

New on the market .. Buildking.

Buildking offers an instant fix

01 December 2002

A UAE manufacturer of insulated building materials extends its range of products with a new system which is said to be economical, lightweight and easy to install.

National Polystyrene Packaging Factory (NPPF), which specialises in the production of building materials for insulation and civil works as well as packaging products, recently launched an instant building system known as Buildking.

"The product is suitable for constructing villas and low-cost houses, says Muhammad Bajamal, general manager of the Dubai-based company.

He continues: "Buildking is similar to insulated concrete form blocks used in western countries. It is light in weight and ensures faster construction. The product also offers double insulation and would help save 30 to 40 per cent on electricity bills. It is also earthquake-proof and significantly reduces noise.

"Like other NPPF products, it has a long life-span of more than 30 years. The product is the result of four years of study. We are now trying to market it in the UAE and are currently negotiating on some projects which intend to use Buildking.

Externally, the product can support different kinds of finishes including paint, gypsum board, marble, ceramic and plywood, he adds.

NPPF manufactures various types of products using expanded polystyrene. It supplies products for building and construction, insulation and waterproofing, engineering and civil works (bridges, underground drainage and water projects), and decoration for interiors and exteriors (brackets, arches, pillars and columns).

The company recently completed two expansion phases which increased its capacity for building and insulation products as well as packaging material.

Some of the other products manufactured by the company includes Roofking, which are high-density injection moulding panels, Styroking expanded polystyrene sheets and Insertking concrete block inserts, as well as hourdi, special moulded blocks for walls and special shapes for building.

It also undertakes engineering and civil works, packaging for food, packaging for industry and decorative items.

Roofking is closed-cell polystyrene made using the injection moulding process with density varying from 25 to 40 kg/cu m. The panel is available in blue and pink colours and in two sizes - 1,250 by 620 mm and in the standard size of 1,000 by 500 by 50 mm.

"Roofking features excellent thermal insulation properties together with high compressive and flexural strength. It has low water absorption, is resistant to most chemicals, immune to aqueous solution of salts, acids and alkalis," he says.

Styroking is made from expanded polystyrene (EPS). It has enhanced insulation properties and good mechanical strength, Bajamal adds.

NPPF is ISO 9002:1994 certified company. It was established in 1994 and within a short span has seen its turnover increase from nearly Dh5 million ($1.36 million) to over Dh11 million by the end of 2002.

This year, the company's turnover increased by nearly 40 per cent over 2001.

Local projects account for as much as 98 to 99 per cent of the turnover in 2001, says Bajamal adding that the high volume of the product and consequently high transportation costs does not facilitate substantial exports. Whatever was exported went to Qatar, Yemen, Oman and the African market. The company expects to send consignments in the near future to Saudi Arabia and Bahrain.

Recent projects that the company has been involved with include the Deira City Centre, the Theatre Complex, Shaikh Marwan Palace, Tower No 1, Emirates Tower, Sharjah American University and the National Paints Factory.

Other projects were the Juma Al Majid Residential Complex, the Taj Hotel Dubai, JW Marriott Hotel, a residential complex in Bur Dubai, Iran Cold Storage, Galadari Cold Storage and Sahara Shopping Mall.

Bajamal sees better prospects in the domestic market.

"The polystyrene market in the UAE is going to increase rapidly because of the government's development programme. The UAE is very dynamic and intends to develop in the best possible way and through the use of good building systems, where it would be cost-effective to use expanded polystyrene as building insulation," he says

The official also stresses that Dubai has made it mandatory to have insulation in buildings in accordance with regulations laid down by Dubai Municipality.