drymix.info News 130/2013

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drymix.info Newsletter 130/2013; ISSN Number 1613-0111; 02. January 2013

1. Casual drymix.info Evening during BAU 2013 in Munich: 16. January 2013
2. Advanced Building Materials Middle East, Dubai, 6.2.2013: Sponsors & Programme
3. Schwenk Gruppe Spins off yet another Thermal Insulation Panels Business
4. Saint-Gobain Buys 25,1% of ZAO Isoroc
5. Sika Acquires Inatec in Paraguay
6. Saudi Government Spends 302 mio Euro on Housing near Jeddah
7. Republic of Iraq and Hanwha (S. Korea) Sign 5.900 mio Euro Housing Development Contract

Happy New Year to Everybody!

1. Casual drymix.info Evening during BAU 2013 in Munich: 16. January 2013

Our traditional casual evening during BAU 2013 takes place on 16.1.2013 in Munich, Germany. We meet at  19:00 for this no-ties, no-agenda event at Hofbräukeller (Subway Max Weber Platz; U5 or U4). You just have to come and we guarantee you a genuine Bavarian atmosphere. Calucem, Evonik, Rotec and Wacker have confirmed their support we thank them for the drinks & food! The event is free of charge, however seating is limited and advance registration is mandatory by e-mail to info@drymix.info.

2. Advanced Building Materials Middle East, Dubai, 6.2.2013: Sponsors & Programme

On 06 and 07 February 2013, Advanced Building Materials Middle East takes place at Burj Khalifa, Dubai, UAE (Armani Hotel). This conference is the follow-up of the successful Middle East Conference on Sustainable Construction, held there in February of 2011. Dubai Municipality, Dubai Central Laboratories (DCL) and MEDMA are inviting to this major conference, and Sharjah Research Academy, The Emirates Green Building Council (EGBC), The United Arab Emirates Society of Engineers (UAESOE) and American Institute of Architects (AIA Middle East) are endorsing it. The conference is organized by Sesam Business Consultants and drymix.info. The Technical Committee is being led by Prof. Dr. Mufid Samarai and Mr. Mohammed Sanaobar (Technical Chairman of MEDMA).

Platinum Sponsor is Knauf. Gold Sponsor is Wacker. Silver Sponsors are Ashland and Dow. BASF, Caparol, Henkel Polybit, Gulf Perlite, Mapei and Rotec support Advanced Building Materials Middle East as exhibitors.

Here is a glimpse at the preliminary programme on Wednesday, 06. February 2013 (in actual sequence, programme subject to change without notice):
Welcome Addresses by Hon. Hawa Abdullah Bastaki (Director of DCL), Eng. Essa Al Maidoor (DM; President of UAESOE), Laith Haboubi (President of MEDMA), Prof. Dr. Samarai (Technical Chairman of the conference) and (tbd.) of EGBC.
Knauf, (speaker tbd.): Application of ASTM Standards in the Specification Process of Dry Wall Construction.
DCL, Henkel Polybit, Eng A.A. Elian, Thorsten Schneider: Thermal retrofitting of Existing Buildings
BASF, Karl-Heinz Schmitz: The Use of Thermal Insulation Media in Modern Construction: Sustainable and Economical Solutions
Wacker Chemie, Mohammed Sanaobar: Repair Mortars and Concrete Rehabilitation Systems
King Saud University, Sami A. Al-Sanea and Mohamed F. Zedan: Overlooked Weaknesses in Design of Thermally-Insulated Building Envelopes: Thermal Bridges and Insulation Location
Dow Construction Chemicals, Brwon Joseph: Reliably Protecting Building Structures by Flexible Cementitious Waterproofing Membranes: Review of Critical Performance Requirements as a Function of Polymer
AECOM Abu Dhabi, HE Dr. Omar al-Farouk Salem al-Damluji: Designing for Durable Structural Frames
Sharjah Municipality, Sheika Dr. Rasha Al Qasimi and End. Adil Mohammad Al Zaini: Quality Management and Accreditation Activities of Sharjah Municipality: An Overview
IBS Mapei, Stefano Carrà: Prescriptions for a Durable Tile and Natural stone Installation in Internal and External Applications.
Skidmore, Owens & Merrill LLP (SOM Architects), tbd. (Eric Tomich): Inside Burj Khalifa: Static and Architectural Considerations for the Design of Tall Structures

Field Trip on Thursday, 07. February 2013:
Skidmore, Owens & Merrill LLP (SOM Architects), tbd. (Eric Tomich): Inside Burj Khalifa: Guided Tour Showcasing Tower Infrastructure, Residential Lobby, Residential Spa, Residential Apartment and/or office Samples

Delegate admission is 1.250 AED (257 Euro), a reduced admission for architects and consultants (members of UAESOE, AIA or EGBC) is 650 AED (134 Euro). The registration process has already started (40 registrations so far) and is available for credit card payments (Visa and Mastercard accepted) under www.drymix.info.

3. Schwenk Gruppe Spins off yet another Thermal Insulation Panels Business

Schwenk Gruppe, Ulm, Germany, formerly engaged with Schwenk Dämmtechnik in thermal, acoustic and fire Insulation will give up their entire thermal insulation business as already announced by the company in May 2012. As we reported earlier, Schwenk has sold its expanded polystyrene panels business (EPS) to Karl Bachl GmbH & Co. KG in Röhrnbach, Germany (near Passau). Now Schwenk will sell its insulation business together with the glass wool plant in Bernburg (Sachsen Anhalt) to Knauf Insulation, Garching, Germany (near Munich). The acquisition now needs to be approved by the antitrust authority. The tradename Climowool will continue to be used after the sale and will be transferred to an independent business unit within the Knauf Insulation Group.

4. Saint-Gobain Buys 25,1% of ZAO Isoroc in Russia

Saint-Gobain, La Défense, France, continues its expansion in Russia. The French company acquired a share of 25,1% of ZAO Isoroc, Tambov, Russia. ZAO Isoroc is a subsidiary of Isoroc Holding AG, Vienna, Austria. ZAO Isoroc supplies mineral wool insulation products to the central region of Russia. By this acquisition Isover, the isolation materials division of Saint-Gobain, located in Ludwigshafen, Germany is strengthening its market position in Russia. ZAO Isoroc reported revenues of 46 million euros in 2011.

5. Sika Acquires Inatec in Paraguay

Sika AG, headquartered in Baar, Switzerland has recently acquired Inatec Srl of Asunción, Paraguay. Since 1982, Inatec has supplied the Paraguayan market with specialty mortars, waterproofing materials and concrete admixtures. The annual turnover of the privately held company was 5,8 mio Euro in 2011, Inatec has 90 employees. With this acquisition Sika is improving its market presence in Latin America, the company had not been present before in Paraguay. Sika expects to profit from the sales network of Inatec and also deliver its own product range into the region.

6. Saudi Government Spends 302 mio Euro on Housing near Jeddah

The Goverment of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has recently announced the building of the first lot of the Salman Bay Housing Project near Jeddah. In this first stage 5.000 units (estimated investment is SR1.500 mio or 302 mio Euro) are expected to be completed within three years, the entire project calls for 25.000 units in 1.250 residential buildings, 14 schools, a hospital, 24 mosques and the usual adminstrative and commercial infrastructure. The project covers an area of 3 mio sq. m. and is being developed by Jeddah Development and Urban Regeneration Company (JDURC), owned by the Jeddah Municipality.
The ever- growing Saudi population (close to 37 mio, of which 5,5 mio are non-nationals) and the fact that over 50% are less than 25 years old forces the Saudi Government to develop such large scale residential areas at a fast pace. Planning and realization do not only take place in the metropolitan areas of Jeddah, Maccah, Riyadh and Al Khobar, but also in rural centres all over the country. The well educated young people moving into those homes have increased quality expectancies - thus the demand for state-of-the-art building materials such as factory-blended drymix mortar will increase. Needless to say, that the time efficiency offered by drymix mortar technology will speed up the construction process altogether.

7. Republic of Iraq and Hanwha (S. Korea) Sign 5.900 mio Euro Housing Development Contract

The Iraqi Government, led by the Iraqi Ministry of Housing Development has recently finalized a deal with South Korea’s Hanwha Engineering & Construction Company, Seoul. The project, which includes the establishment of 100,000 housing units - valued at around 5.900 mio Euro - is part of a proposal by Iraq’s National Investment Commission (NIC) to set up 1 mio new housing units for a total value of 37.000 mio Euro. It is the largest single deal any Korean construction company has ever made abroad.

Iraq (pop 31 mio, median age 21) shows an even more dynamic age pyramid than Saudi Arabia, but its population is less homogeneous (Arab of which two thirds are Shiites, 1/3 are Sunnites, Kurdish and Assyrian). The years of war and sanctions as well as the continuing terrorist attacks have created a severe backlog on housing space for lower to middle income families. An adviser to the NIC said Iraq is currently in talks with international companies to build infrastructure projects valued at a total of about 75.000 mio Euro; the commission has already awarded 24.000 mio Euro of infrastructure projects since 2008.

The drymix.info Newsletter is being sent exclusively to registered subscribers and all members of drymix.info. Editor-in-Chief: Ferdinand Leopolder. Back issues will be published on www.drymix.info.

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Sincerely Yours, Ferdinand Leopolder