Innovative building system.

(From Gulf Construction)

The newly-formed Plastbau Arabia Limited (PAL) is looking forward to launching operations of its manufacturing facility in Saudi Arabia which would provide an innovative building system that would offer the benefits of speed, quality and cost-efficient construction

The new SR38 million ($10 million) Plastbau manufacturing plant is being set up in Dammam and will meet the demand for the innovative building system - Plastbau - in the kingdom and beyond. The plant, targeted for completion by the year end, is expected to start production by early 2006

The facility is being established by PAL, under the Saudi Economic Offset Program. PAL is a joint venture between Advanced Projects and Building Systems Limited (APBSL) - a closely held Saudi Arabian company led by Tarek Al Kasabi - Plastbau Holdings, and the Saudi Offset Limited Partnership (SOLP). The new venture will manufacture and market polystyrene building forms constructed using Plastedil technology in Saudi Arabia. SOLP is a direct equity, venture development limited partnership designed to invest offset funds in effective commercial ventures in Saudi Arabia. Its founding partners are Raytheon Company (71 per cent) and Thales (29 per cent) with DevCorp International as the general partner. "PAL will seek to introduce Plastbau building technology, which integrates sound and thermal insulation into the construction process, in the kingdom," says Al Kasabi. "The Dammam plant will produce Plastbau floor/roof and wall shuttering elements. The system is essentially based on the use of steel and polystyrene, thus benefiting the national economy by adding value to locally-produced products, while simultaneously reducing the need for imported wooden shuttering material," he explains. The technology improves the traditional poured concrete system of construction by incorporating thermal and sound insulation through the use of the polystyrene forms. This advanced insulated concrete form (ICF) system enhances the usual poured cement method of construction and can cut time and costs by 30 per cent over conventional building techniques. These forms do not have to be removed, as with wood shuttering, thus affording cost savings as well as a higher quality of construction to the building contractor, Al Kasabi comments

The unique feature of the Plastbau system is that it uses polystyrene blocks as formwork during the construction stage. These same blocks stay on during the life of the building providing excellent thermal insulation. Due to the modular construction technique and very light weight of the panels, the total time taken for construction comes down drastically and makes a very low requirement on manpower. "In the construction of a 2,400 sq m model building in Dhahran - specifically constructed to establish the local adaptability of the Plastbau system - evaluators found that time and costs were cut by over 30 per cent compared to conventional building construction methods," he points out. "Moreover, since the basic method is still in-situ poured concrete, with which local contractors are very familiar, the transition to the new technology is easily facilitated. "Time and expense of construction are also reduced because the lightness of the polystyrene forms, reinforced by pre-engineered and factory-installed steel cages eliminates the need for heavy lift cranes at the site. Furthermore, the final quality of the building is exceptional as the polystyrene allows the concrete to retain its water content and therefore cure faster, to achieve the rated strength. The monolithic concrete structure resulting from the use of the Plastbau building system enhances earthquake resistance. Blast-proof buildings with double wall designs can also be built with minimal changes in the construction practices." Wall and roof panels The Plastbau building system initially being introduced in the region includes two products: wall panels and metal floor/roof panels. The Plastbau metal floor/roof is an ICF system that produces a one-way joist slab. "A major breakthrough in this system is the ability to produce a composite forming section made out of polystyrene and steel. ...