RIYADH: An environment-friendly sound proof material is to revolutionize the Saudi building industry following the signing of an agreement between the American company, Acoustiblok Inc. and Arabian Plastic Compounds Co. (APC) here recently.
The material, called Acoustiblok, now widely used in the US, has been hailed as a major step in noise control and considered best-suited for the construction of walls, panels, roofs etc.
“Acoustiblok, which can be applied to existing buildings as well as new projects all over the Kingdom, has been judged best for its feasibility and environmental impact especially for arid countries like the Kingdom,” said Lahnie Johnson, visiting president and founder of Acoustiblok Inc., here on Thursday.
The press briefing was attended by Fawaz Z. Al-Kaaki, APC’s president and managing director, Shawn Saathoff, Acoustiblok’s executive vice president, and Jamil Fanous, vice president of the Saudi Plastic Factory.
Spelling out the features of the agreement, Johnson said, “The two companies have signed the accord for 50 years ... As per the agreement, a manufacturing facility will be initially set up to produce Acoustibloks in Riyadh within the next eight months.”
The total cost component for setting up the production unit will be in the region of SR100 million, said Al-Kaaki. Materials produced locally would cut down sounds by 90 percent compared to the concrete blocks conventionally used here.
“I believe it could make an important contribution to controlling noise and, in so doing, improving life for many people,” said Johnson, who recently briefed officials from the Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority (SAGIA) about the blocks.
He pointed out that Acoustiblok and APC would jointly target projects like the mega economic cities to supply these materials. “What makes Acoustiblok stand alone from other sound reduction materials is that it has such tremendous density and mass, and yet takes up such minimal space —- a crucial factor in the design and construction industry,” he said.
Acoustiblok is made from reinforced, flexible mineral-filled material that has a density and mass of one pound per square foot, said Saathoff. Referring to another innovative product called “Aerogel” that has been launched by Acoustiblok, Saathoff said that this is the highest insulating material in existence in the world and is now available to the building industry.
“While sounding too good to be true, for something so simple to produce such incredible results, the claims and figures about Aerogel have been substantiated by the US Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge Laboratory and J.M. Laboratory,” he added.
