Speciality chemicals manufacturer a.b.e. Construction Chemicals continues to provide large volumes of polyurea coating for the waterproofing of an expansive roof of one of the Innovation Hub campus’ new buildings in Gaborone, Botswana. The project is expected to be completed by the end of the year, says a.b.e. Voelkel Industrie Produkte (VIP) high performance coatings national sales manager Noel Abendroth.
The Botswana Innovation Hub is a science and technology park which aims to create an environment that supports start-ups and existing local companies, as well as attract international companies and institutions to develop and grow competitive technology- driven and knowledge-based businesses.

a.b.e. – which is part of cementitious product manufacturer Chryso Southern Africa Group – is the licensed South African distributor of the VIP range of protective coatings and joint fillers.

Abendroth notes that the VIP QuickSeal PP 350 – a pure polyurea that offers exceptionally high tensile strength – was applied on the 26 000 m2 roof of one of the campus buildings. Although there is still “a few thousand square meters to be done”, the project is about 90% complete.

The VIP QuickSeal PP 350 is a spray- applied, instant curing flexible membrane that can be built to any thickness in one application in various environmental conditions. Significantly cold, hot or even humid environments do not affect curing time or the physical performance of the product.

He adds that a.b.e. uses only approved applicators to apply its polyurea systems.

Other Projects
The company recently supplied VIP QuickSeal Reflect-Silver for the waterproofing of two of the roofs of the Standard Bank Art Gallery, in the Johannesburg central business district. Abendroth comments that a.b.e. will supply polyurea systems for other applications at the Standard Bank head office, in Johannesburg.

Moreover, a.b.e. started spray work this month on a new building for the Namibian Ministry of Home Affairs in Windhoek, which will be completed in two months.

Other upcoming projects include a shopping centre in Pretoria, a butchery in Johannesburg, and a warehouse for a pharmaceuticals company in Port Elizabeth.

Constant Development
Abendroth notes that polyurea has been used in South Africa since 2006, and that it is a relatively recent addition to the South African market.

a.b.e. launched the VIP QuickSeal Reflect-Silver in April last year. The product has a unique reflective, cooling chemistry and provides all the benefits of VIP’s spray-applied, instant curing, seamless membranes, but with the added advantage of reflecting the sun’s heat and ultraviolet rays.

The product was applied to the dome of the structure housing the Southern African Large Telescope, in the Northern Cape. It sealed about 1 100 m2 of the rotating dome’s surface area to replace old aluminium panels, which had started to develop leaks and would have posed threats to the operations of the telescope housed inside the dome.

“The dome needs to be thermally insulated to help control the temperature inside the telescope chamber. “The VIP QuickSeal Reflect-Silver will prevent excessive heat build-up in the area where the telescope is housed,” Abendroth explains.

The first phase of the project was completed last year, and the second phase of the project will start this month. The second phase will involve the coating of other, smaller telescopes in areas still to be confirmed.

“VIP QuickSeal Reflect-Silver is an extremely high-technology and revolutionary product and a.b.e. is the sole distributor thereof in Africa,” he concludes.