DRFCO highlights role of insulation in high-rises
01 December 2007
High-rise construction in the UAE has brought with it a heightened demand for accuracy in the selection and installation of insulation products, says the Dubai-based Desert Roofing and Flooring (DRFCO).
High-rise buildings require greater use of heat insulation on roofs and walls, where the insulation materials are placed between block walls to reduce transfer of heat from the outside the structure.
“Over the years, the demand for insulation has increased alongside the pace of the booming construction activity in the UAE and throughout the Middle East. We have to keep pace with it, especially given the great number of high-rise buildings where the heights make it necessary for the insulation to be perfect to avoid any problems later on,” says Pradeep Sudarsanan, project coordinator for the company.
“Insulation is used in the construction industry in a variety of ways including: reducing transfer of heat, acoustic (sound-proofing) and fire-proofing, besides waterproofing,” he adds.
Desert Roofing and Flooring provides solutions for all requirements in the insulation field. “For areas that require waterproofing, we use polystyrene insulation which comes in the form of boards that are laid on top of the space to be covered,” says Sudarsanan. “The polystyrene material is mainly purchased from Saudi Arabia, in addition to local supplies to meet the needs of the construction industry here.”
Extruded polystyrene differs from the expanded one in its process of manufacture and class of thermal conductivity and fire-proof grading.
Sudarsanan says the company uses more than 200,000 sq m of extruded polystyrene annually to meet the requirements of its customers in the construction industry in the UAE. “This figure will continue to increase over the years as long as the construction boom continues,” he adds.
Among the main problems with insulation are encountered in roofs due to warping of the material where its twin layers curve outwards due to manufacturing defects or beyond-its-life – above 10 to 15 years – exposure to sunlight. Such problems are treated by replacing the material that has been in use for 10 to 15 years as it looses its elasticity over this time span.
Desert Roofing and Flooring, which was established in 1978, now enfolds a number of companies under the DRFCO Group of Companies umbrella. These include Pearl Insulation, which was set up in 1988 as a systems house to formulate and produce rigid polyurethane chemicals. It supplies chemicals and machinery for various insulation applications ranging from panel and board manufacturing, pipe injection, refrigeration, block production and numerous other insulation applications.
Other group companies include Alpha Security and Allied Systems and DRFCO Interiors.
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