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Waterproofing firm sees ‘huge potential’ for product in Brunei

A COMPANY that specialises in concrete waterproofing technology sees “huge potential” in Brunei mainly because of the demand for repair and maintenance works in the sultanate.

On the sidelines of yesterday’s seminar titled ‘The Path to Sustainability A Seminar on Concrete Waterproofing and Self-Healing Concrete Structures’ held at the Radisson Hotel, Chris Yong, general manager of BUE Enterprise, said that company is currently doing a number of projects with designers who were concerned about the durability of concrete used in the buildings.

Noting that Brunei has a high standard of concrete mix design, Yong said structures in Brunei would regularly need repair and maintenance because of erroneous concrete placement and the lack of quality in the curing process, among others.

He said that concrete mixture is a specific process, and in Brunei there are a lot of structures that get leaks and cracks.

During the seminar, which was organised by BUE, Alireza Biparva, research and development manager at Kryton International Inc, talked about the science of concrete as well as the benefits of waterproofing concrete.

He said there are two options of waterproofing concrete: to create a barrier against the concrete to block water from seeping in, and Kryton’s technology, which is to turn the concrete into the waterproofing barrier.

He said that this technology is environmentally friendly and was designed to take into account the sustainability of resources globally.

Alireza noted that traditionally companies would build structures such as bridges, and projects like this would use up natural resources. After 10 to 15 years, the structure’s service life would have deteriorated and would need repairs and maintenance, which uses more resources, he added. “My main message is that even if you have to make a structure you have to use resources wisely,” he said, adding that by implementing something like waterproofing concrete, it increases the service life of a structure making it more durable, leading to less resources needing to be used in sustaining it.

Asked about what contributes to the shortening of a structure’s service life, Alireza said that there are a number of elements that contribute to how long a structure’s service life is.

“For example, it depends on the condition of the environment, and the service life will be changed also depending on the quality of the soil and where the structure is located,” he said, adding that if a structure is located close to the ocean it would lead to a shorter service life. However, if a structure is located where there is less water and moisture, and if there is less hydrostatic pressure in the environment, then the structure would have a longer service life.

The seminar was attended by contractors in the construction industry, and Marcel Gaumond, the Canadian High Commissioner to Brunei. Yong said that this seminar is part of BUE’s mission to educate local contractors and making them more aware of creating “durable concrete”. The Brunei Times

Source: The Brunei Times