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Gulf BID Newsletter
Article: IT’S BUILDING UP NICELY In their effort to provide the latest and best construction technology available, Al Hayat Group has partnered with US-based BuildBlock Building Systems LLC to establish BuildBlock MidEast. The strategic joint venture will manufacture and distribute BuildBlock insulating concrete forms (ICF’s) to the Middle East market. “We have successfully completed several ICF projects across the Middle East and now homeowners, builders, and government agencies are recognizing the superior features of ICF structures,” says Hadi Al Alawi, Chairman of Al Hayat Group. “Unparalleled comfort, energy efficiency, safety ratings, and speed of construction are the main advantages.” A BuildBlock ICF consist of two panels of EPS (expanded polystyrene), which are connected by eight high-density plastic webs. ICF’s are staked to create the walls of a structure. Interlocking connectors on the tops and bottoms of the ICF’s lock them securely together. Steel rebar is snapped into the “fingers” of the plastic webs and concrete is poured into the void, resulting in a solid, monolithic concrete wall. The insulating properties of the stay-in-place EPS panels significantly reduce the energy cost and HVAC (heating/ventilation. air conditioning) requirements of the structure. BuildBlock Building Systems CEO Mike Garrett points out that reduced construction time makes ICF technology ideal for the region. “An ICF structure can be completed in much less time than the post-and-beam method. That’s a tremendous advantage in terms of saving money and in meeting the construction needs of the area.” Garrett goes on to say that BuildBlock ICF’s have a number of unique features that make it even faster and easier to install than other ICF’s. “BuildBlock forms are usually reversible while the vast majority of other ICF’s are non-reversible or only partly reversible. The face of our ICF’s have numbered and marked cut lines, like a built-in measuring tape. Our corner forms are six inches longer on each leg than the industry standard and contain a moulded-in corner tie. This virtually eliminates the need for strapping and extra-corner bracing. Each of these factors saves installation time and we know that time is money.” Al Alawi sites the superiority of the BuildBlock ICF design as the reason Al Hayat chose BuildBlock as its partner in this endeavor. “The BuildBlock ICF is very strong. This is due in large part to patented web design and the fact that each form contains more webs than most other ICF’s we’ve seen. Most other ICF’s don’t have corner webs at all. The built-in strength of BuildBlock ICF’s coupled with their interlocking horizontal connections distinguishes them from the competition.” Al Hayat is a well-established diversified conglomerate, ranking among the largest privately held companies in the Middle East. “We are proud to be the first company to introduce insulated concrete forms to the Middle Eastern market,” Says Al Alawi. “ICF’s are revolutionizing the global building industry for homes and multi-family dwellings as well as commercial, institutional, and industrial developments.” BuildBlock Building Systems LLC is headquartered in Oklahoma City, US and distributes its ICF products throughout the US and Canada. The company is dedicated to making ICF technology available and affordable worldwide through its 10 US manufacturing facilities as well as its foreign licensing programme and partnership such as BuildBlock MidEast. Gulf Daily News Article: Date posted: Industry and Commerce Minister Dr.Hassan Fakhro yesterday received Al Hayat Group Chief Executive, Hadi Al Alawi, American Building Block company Chairman Pat Garrett and Chief Executive Mike Garrett and reiterated Bahrain’s drive to woo investors and international firms wishing to set up ventures. Gulf BID Shownews Article: ICF Technology on show Date posted: Buildblock MidEast, a subsidiary of Bahrain’s Hayat Group formed in collaboration with the US-based Buildblock Building Systems, is promoting its range of insulating concrete forms (ICF) at the gulf BID 2006. According to the company, the products that are being introduced for the first time in the region have been well received by the various ministers, both in Bahrain and the UAE.”There is much scope for the technology in the region as it offers enormous savings in terms of energy and construction cost,” says company Chairman Hadi Al Alawi. “The concept has been well-received by the various ministries in Bahrain who have asked us to undertake a sample project that will allow us to explain the benefits of the system better”. Buoyed by the response from the ministries, BuildBlock MidEast says that plans to set up a manufacturing facility in the kingdom are at an advanced stage and that the facility should be up and running in a couple of months from now. To be situated in the industrial area of Bahrain, the facility will include a 10,000 sq ft storage area and a 2,000 sq ft of area to house the presses. Initially, the facility will be equipped to manufacture 400,000 to 50,000 forms annually, but it could be scaled up to produce 8 to 10 million forms or more as and when the demand arises, say Mike Garrett, CEO and president of BuildBlock. The company, which is at Stand 1E51, says that its ICF solutions can help save cost in terms of labour, energy savings and also time. The company’s ICF wall system comprises hollow foam blocks which are stacked into the shape of the exterior walls of a building, and is a combination of one of the finest insulating materials, steel reinforced concrete. “The result is a protective wall of unmatched comfort, energy efficiency, strength, and noise reduction. Also, when combined with green building techniques, ICF walls contribute to LEED certification,” says Garrett. Elaborating further Garrett says, “The ICF walls offer energy efficiency of 60 to 70 per cent and has R value of 35, which eliminates any drop in energy. Since they are easy to stack, the walls can be formed quite quickly with less labour. ICF also requires less shoring and bracing than conventional wall systems, which allows builders to cut the erection of walls by about 50 per cent. “Being monolithic pours, and being devoid of cold joints, ICF walls are typically stronger. Concrete placed using the ICF systems will normally achieve compressive strength that is 50 per cent greater than conventionally-placed concrete because of the temperature-controlled and moisture retaining environment of ICF systems. The Forms also allow for both horizontal and vertical rebar reinforcement as the walls are stacked to form a grid, thereby strengthening the walls system further. One of the outstanding features of a BuildBlock form is its completely symmetrical web design. This means two identical half-height forms are produced when the forms is cut in half horizontally. This feature is particularly useful for step footings-an elevation change at the footing level. Step footings can be planned in increments of one block height (16 inches) or half-block height (8 inches). This will ensure an easy transition and that the forms will line up properly,” Garrett adds. In addition, owing to the thickness of the forms, much of the electrical and plumbing connections can also be wired into the walls using just a hot knife, he adds. ICF’s are ideal for all kinds of construction that include: homes, schools, healthcare facilities, municipal buildings and multi family dwellings among other projects, he concludes. Gulf Daily News Article: Latest Technology is a top energy-saver! Date posted: A new building technology which offers enormous savings in terms of energy and construction costs was introduced for the first time in Bahrain at gulf BID yesterday. BulidBlock MidEast, a subsidiary of Bahrain’s Hayat Group formed in collaboration with us-based BuildBlock, is promoting its range of insulating concrete forms (ICF) at its stand. The products are being introduced for the first time in the region and have been well received by the various ministries, both in Bahrain and the UAE, said company chairman Hadi Al Alawi. “There is much scope for the technology in the region as it offers enormous savings in terms of energy and construction cost,” he told the GDN. “The concept has been well received by the various ministries of Bahrain who have asked us to explain the benefits of the system better. Buoyed by the response from the ministries, we are now setting up a manufacturing facility in the kingdom. The facility should be up and running in a couple of months from now. The facility will include a 10,000 sq.ft storage area and a couple of thousand square feet of area to house the presses. Initially, it will be equipped to manufacture 400,000 to 500,000 forms annually, but it could be scaled to produce eight to 10 million forms or more as when the demand arises, said company vice-chairman Mike Garrett. He added that the company’s ICF solutions could help save cost in terms of labour, energy savings and also time. The company’s ICF wall system is comprises hollow foam blocks which are stacked into the shape of the exterior walls of a building. They are a combination of one of the finest, insulating materials, expanded polystyrene (EPS), with one of the strongest structural building materials, steel reinforced concrete. The result is a protective wall of unmatched comfort, energy efficiency, strength and noise reduction,” said Mr. Garrett, who is also the chief executive officer and president of us-based BuildBlock Building Systems. “ICF requires less of shoring and bracing than conventional wall systems, which allows builders to cut the erection of walls by about 50per cent,” he said. “Concrete placed using the ICF system will normally achieve compressive strength 50 pc greater than conventionally placed concrete because of the temperature-controlled and moisture-retaining environment of ICF systems.” One of the outstanding features of a BuildBlock form is its completely symmetrical web design, said Mr. Garrett. “This means two identical half-height forms are produced when the form is cut in half horizontally,” he revealed. “In addition, owing to the thickness of the forms, much of the electrical and plumbing connections can also be wired into the walls using just a hot knife.” ICF’s are ideal for all kinds of construction that include: homes, schools, healthcare facilities, municipal buildings and multi-family dwellings among other projects, said Mr. Garrett. Economic Times - India Bahrain Group. Cochin Realty Co Ink $6 bn JV Date posted: The Al Hayat Group of Bahrain, a diversified conglomerate with interests in financial services o real estate, will enter into a 51:49 joint venture with Kunnel Engineering, a cochin-based real estate and civil construction company, later this week. The two partners are scheduled in the gulf and develop a string of residential real estate projects in the gulf country as part of an ambitious $6-bilion housing construction project, being taken up across four man made islands off the coast of Bahrain . “We have signed an MOU with Kunnel Engineering for a $6-billion project coming up in our country. There are few countries in the gulf region that can provide the kind of engineering and civil construction skill required in such a mega project”, Sayed Hadi al Alawi, Chairman & CEO of Al Hayat Group told ET on Thursday. Mr. Alawi is in the city to attend the CII Partnership Summit, which has seen a sizeable participation from the Arab countries this year. The Al Hayat-Kunnel deal, to be signed in Bangalore within the next couple of days, is expected to initiate the first major participation by an Indian construction company in Bahrain . “It will provide Kunnel a very strong foothold in the gulf region The company will set up a presence in Bahrain coming in the region,” Mr.Alawi added. Bahrain is in the midst of a massive real estate and construction drive and is scouting for partners in India. Gulf Daily News Industry Minister meets with Al Hayat Group Date posted: Industry and Commerce Minister Dr.Hassan Fakhro yesterday received Al Hayat Group Chief Executive Hadi Al Alawi, Innovative Company Managing Director Saravana Prasad and International Crystal Holding Company Executive Director Namboodiri and briefed them on incentives for foreign investors. |
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