|
|
|
There have been many signs of the regional construction slowdown, not least the lists of projects either placed on hold or cancelled, few of which appear to agree with each other. You would be forgiven for assuming that now was not the best time to be in the construction chemicals industry. Not everybody would agree however.
Green shoots
There has been much talk over the past month of the ‘green shoots’ of recovery. Sure-fire, material signs that an economic recovery may be on its way, though leaders the world over have been cautious about using the term. These green shoots may be represented by a bottoming-out of house prices, or a stabilisation in steel or cement prices, or news that a company is hiring significant numbers of staff .
But in the construction chemicals industry, these are some rather appropriate ‘green shoots’ that never really went away. These take the form of the green construction agenda and the regional shift towards regulatory frameworks, as opposed to guidelines. Many in the chemicals industry believe this may be the shot in the arm that pulls the sector back into prosperous times, regardless of the financial climate.
Story continues below 
Sober view
However, talk of recoveries and expanding staff numbers have to be put in context. First it is necessary to consolidate the position of your company now, so that you may be first out of the blocks when the signs of recovery are stronger.
“What we’re trying to do now is to understand what the exact changes are in the market,” says Mapei business development manager Laith Haboubi.
Construction chemical giant Mapei, founded in Milan, Italy, in 1937, is now made up of 51 associated companies which includes 47 production facilities spread across five continents and 23 countries. If a firm with the global reach of Mapei is taking a sober view of the market, other firms may be well advised to do the same.
“There are many changes that we have tried to track, some of which are reported and some of which are not,” Haboubi says. “It’s important for us to understand how these changes do affect us.”
Haboubi singles out the green agenda as one such area, though to date, the changes he identifies have been less than positive.
“Last year it was top of everyone’s agenda – ‘your building shall be green’,” he says. “But now that is not so much the case. It’s a shame because there were some really positive initiatives.” Despite the lull in the voluntary green agenda, Haboubi confirms that not all developers have let environmental initiatives fall by the wayside.
“There are several projects such as Masdar where it is still being implemented very strongly,“ he says, “and we are supplying to Masdar on the basis of green products.”
Salt of the earth
Green agenda aside, there are other reasons why the chemicals industry should be feeling more optimistic than others construction sectors. As GHD materials technology manager Mohamad Nagi explains, one of them is in the very ground we walk on.
Continued on page 2
[[page-breal]]
“The environment of the region is very harsh,” Nagi says. “If you are [developing] a building in the middle of the desert in Arizona, it’s dry, and there is no chloride. But here there is a severe environment.”
As Nagi explains, some of the buildings erected in the 60s and 70s in the Gulf region lasted only 20 years. This was not purely due to build quality, or lack of, but the severity of the environment. MC Building Chemicals general manager for the Middle East Barry Jackson explains.
“The chloride content is very high in the ground and in the air,“ he says. “The problem occurs all over the world, but is exacerbated here in the Gulf because you have very high levels of chloride coupled with high temperatures. As with any chemical reaction, the higher the temperature, the faster the reaction.”
Chemical advances
Advances in construction chemical technology have allowed the expected service life of a concrete structure to reach the 100 year mark – longer in some cases. And computer models now exist that can predict the service life of a structure from the design stage.
| FEATURED COMMENTPlease click here to comment on this article |
According to Mohamed Nagi, the most famous of them all – the Burj Dubai – has an expected service life of 100 years. This is when the probability of cracking starting to occur is likely. “At that time you have to begin repairs and maintenance to your structure, so it will be serviceable way beyond the service life,” Nagi says.
The advances that have allowed such leaps and bounds lie in the improved durability of concrete. “We use what we call supplementary service materials,” Nagi says. “Materials other than cement, such as fly-ash, slag, silica fume, that help improve the durability.”
These materials are by-products, so using them is akin to recycling, and make for a positive step in the right environmental direction. Not only do they serve to extend the service life of major concrete structures, despite the harsh environment, they also mean the impact on the environment is also far less harsh.
Trends
Talking of good news, there may be other green shoots in the industry away from the environmental issue.
“One of the biggest criteria for choosing our products has been our ability to accelerate project time,” Mapei’s Laith Haboubi says.
He singles out Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, Dubai Metro, and parts of Meydan in Dubai as projects that are working to a strict, set-in-stone deadline. “We are involved in supplying all of those jobs,” he says.
Further, Haboubi sees a shift towards the refurbishment of existing buildings, as opposed to construction of new structures. This ties in with the need to position businesses to make the most of today, so they can be first out of the blocks tomorrow.
“It is almost a natural cycle that you see in other parts of the world,” Haboubi says. “As new construction falls away, more money is spent on refurbishment and maintenance.”
All of which could be good news for the construction chemicals sector. Green regulations may well force sustainable construction back on track.
The harsh environment is something that the chemicals sector will be fighting ,as long as buildings are being developed in the region.
And in the mean time, as long as you are able to make the most of these trying times, by understanding the changes in the market, the green shoots of today could become the money trees of tomorrow.
| Articles | |
| Companies | |
 |
Site Map
 |
 |
 |
 |
|  |
\
FEATURED COMMENT
Please click here to comment on this article