Housing in Southern Africa December 2015

Industry Buzz Events & Products

Silver Award winners left to right: Fanie Calitz (Venture SA) Hilton Cowie (Aruba) Craig Reilly (USABCO) Hein Keynhans (Afripak) and Colleen Deetlefs (Ningizimu).

Aruba wins energy award Aruba Eco Building Systems energy efficient walling received a Silver Award at the prestigious South African Plastics RecyclingOrganisation (SAPRO) Recycled Product of the Year awards held in Stellenbosch.

A ruba took the Silver Award in the Mixed Materials category for its Greenlite (Insulated Concrete FormConstruction) system. Greenlite uses recycled expanded polystyrene coated with a special cement mixture to produce a light- weight, strong and versatile product suitable for different building ap- plications. This fast, cost-effective build- ing system is ideally suited to meet construction needs on the African continent, diverting more than 950 tons of polystyrene from landfills during 2014. “We started using this method in our building projects about 18 months ago, after tests showed that the recycled material outperformed the virgin material. Not only was it readily available and cheap, but the structure and size ensured that the concrete mixture adhered better without compromising on any of the properties. This makes polystyrene ideal for use in construction projects,” says Hilton Cowie of Aruba. The polystyrene is collected from recyclers operating around Cape Town, with the help of the Polysty- rene Packaging Council (PSPC). After being shred and pelletised, the poly- styrene beads are coatedwith special additives, which allow the beads to mix correctly with cement and water without separating. The coated, treated beads are packaged in 250 litre bags for use on

site as the aggregate for light weight insulated concrete. Cowie adds, “We offer an environ- mentally safe, green building initia- tive that is rapidly increasing in popu- larity and gaining acceptance from architects and building contractors. The product complies with all statu- tory requirements and facilitates the use of unskilled labour. The product has the approval of the South African Bureau of Stan- dards as it contains no chlorofluro- carbon, it is decay and vermin proof and has very low water absorption properties. It is also flame retardant and has the advantage of excellent thermal insulation and acoustic properties. The compositewall panel has a fire resistance of 140 minutes when test- ed in accordance with SANS 10177:2 (2005). Aruba insulated concrete form construction is currently being used by Motheo Construction for the Sandton Gautrain Station to fill voids, insulate and raise floor levels in all the new vendor shops at the station. Polystyrene Packaging Director Adri Spangenberg says that the mar- ket for products made from recycled polystyrene continues to grow each year. “It is exciting to see so many new and practical applications be- ing developed in South Africa. The panel of independent judges were impressed with Greenlite’s insulated concrete’s values on water vapour

permeability, thermal conductivity, as well as the thermal resistance and thermal transmittance coefficients.” Cowie concluded: “We are thankful to the industry associations such as the Polystyrene Packaging Council and SAPRO, who have shown an un- wavering belief in our products. This has helped us get consistent, reliable access to recycled materials for our projects, in order to meet supply and deadlines. The faith and support that the plastics industry and related as- sociations show in initiatives such as ours, helps to raise the profile of our product and bring it to the attention of a greater market.” ■

December 2015