Products supplied by A.b.e. Construction Chemicals were selected for major hospital construction projects in both the Eastern and Western Cape. A.b.e. is part of the Chryso Southern Africa Group.
Nick Pike, Technical Sales Consultant for a.b.e. in East London, says for the extensions and renovations of the Frontier Hospital in Queenstown, a.b.e. supplied the main contractor, RWC Infra, with durarep FC fairing compound, as well as a.b.e.’s Unigum waterproofing membrane.
“Durarep FC was extensively used on the new interior walls of the Frontier Hospital. This is a single component, polymer-modified cementitious fairing coating that provides an attractive smooth finish to concrete and masonry. It is generally used either for fairing or to close blowholes prior to applying protective coatings. It can be applied from a featheredge to a 3mm thickness,” Pike stated.
“The compound bonds extremely well with concrete and masonry and is easy to use, requiring just clean water for mixing. It contains no chlorides and can be used on both vertical and horizontal applications and will overcoat surface undulations and concrete irregularities such as honeycombing,” he added.
A.b.e.’s Unigum was used to waterproof about 650m2 of the concrete surface of the Frontier Hospital’s raised helicopter landing pad. Unigum is one of the wide range of waterproofing membranes manufactured by the major Italian producer, Index , for which A.b.e. has been the South African distributor for 50 years. Unigum is a reinforced polymer-bitumen waterproofing membrane ideal for waterproofing flat concrete decks in hot climatic conditions and is also suitable for sealing tanks, tunnels and dams.
“For the helipad, A.b.e. Unigum was applied with an underlay of 3mm followed by an overlay of 4mm. The product’s plain format was selected for this project but the membrane is also available in a mineral slate version with maximum UV-resistance,” Pike added.
A.b.e. also provided Index waterproofing membranes for the sealing of the roof parking deck of the Administration and Logistics building at 2 Military Hospital in Wynberg, Cape Town. Glenn Bouwer, Western & Eastern Cape Regional Manager for a.b.e., says the main contractor, Superway Construction, applied a double-layered waterproofing system to the 9000m2 concrete surface of the parking area. “First, a 4mm coating of Index VIS P waterproofing membrane was applied, followed by a 4mm protective layer of Index Fidia. Then, prior to the concrete surface being paved, a.b.e.’s abedrain was used as insulation material below the sand bed and interlocking pavers.
“Index VIS P is a polyester membrane with high elongation and stability across a wide temperature range. The upper face of the membrane is coated with a fine talc – a patented treatment which allows the membrane to be unrolled easily during application. The underside of the membrane is lined with Flamina, a sacrificial polyethylene film with embossed small squares that is burned off to indicate the correct melting point for the membrane’s adhesion to the substrate,” Bouwer explained.
“Index Fidia, which formed the second layer of the parking deck’s waterproofing, is a reinforced, spun-bound membrane made from a compound of distilled bitumen and polymers with similar talc and sacrificial film as in Index VIS P. Finally, a.b.e.’s abedrain high-density polyethylene protective membrane, which was used under the paving, offers high resistance to all chemical agents usually found in soil and groundwater. It is commonly used to protect bituminous membranes in flat roofs, walls, basements, foundations, roof gardens and tanking,” Bouwer added.