Dr. Kribanandan Gurusamy Naidu addresses professionals of the construction industry on the advances in Waterproofing Materials and technologies to be adopted in India
Dr. Fixit Institute of Structural Protection and Rehabilitation (DFI-SPR) today conducted an informative session on the latest advances in waterproofing materials and technologies to help the Indian architects & engineers adapt the changing dynamics of the construction industry. The lecture took place at Hotel Ambassador in Mumbai.
Mumbai city has been known to receive heavy rainfall during the monsoons. Being a coastal city, Mumbai needs to understand the requirement for costal construction and heavy rainfall. More than 80% of the pre-1990s construction is in distress because of poor quality material and harshness of environment. Despite all this, Mumbai was one of the last cities to take up blended cement that helps fight problems related to waterproofing. To increase the life of these structures, there is a need to address waterproofing seriously. Besides this, Mumbai is talking about world class structures, be it sea link or the metro. There is a huge shift towards high rise buildings now, making it all the more important to create awareness of waterproofing & its implications is a must consideration for both the common people as well as the engineers concerned to build up durable structures.
The money spent last year is around Rs 4000cr on cement and concrete on repair and maintenance for waterproofing and leakages which could alternatively be used in creating infrastructure across the state of Maharashtra. While 70% of this is centered on major cities like Mumbai and Nagpur, 30% is spread across the state. The sanctioned budget for such jobs by the Government will be fruitless if the modern scientific methods and the techniques are not used to safe guard the durability of these projects. Hence an interdisciplinary approach between structural engineer and waterproofing consultants is required.
The advancements in waterproofing materials and technologies have revolutionized the modern construction industry, not only with their ease of applications but also longer durability and less maintenance aspects. At the same time, damages to the concrete structures also result in high cost of repair and maintenance and sometimes much more than the cost of the building or structure itself.
Dr. Kribanandan Gurusamy Naidu, Managing Director JTK Consult Sdn. Bhd., Malaysia, a renowned Construction & maintenance management expert, interacted with the leading architects and engineers of Mumbai. The session elaborated on the latest development and methods practiced across the globe to counter the threat created by the climatic conditions to constructed structures. He also spoke about preventive measures that should be undertaken to prevent regular repair and maintenance work on structures and emphasized on the importance of waterproofing & its implications to enhance the stability and durability of constructed structures.
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Dr. A. K. Chatterjee, Director of DFI-SPR, well know structural expert highlighted the architectural heritage of Mumbai and the threat to theses structures due to extreme climatic conditions. The session also discussed on the latest advances in material & technology that can substitute the massive financial outlays required to maintain them.
According to Dr. Naidu, “There are a number of structures across Mumbai that require restoration on a regular basis due to the unpredictable climatic changes which have an adverse effect on them. Research and development has helped us evolve material and techniques that have been adapted globally to restore such structures”.
Dr. A.K. Chatterjee, Director of DFI-SPR, said, “The vision of Dr. Fixit Institute is to ensure that correct construction practices are used in India. This time the focus is on advances in Waterproofing techniques to help improve construction and renovation of old structures. Through the Healthy Construction Lecture Series, we bring international experts in the field of Waterproofing and Building Repairs, to share their expertise with the leading lights of Indian construction industry, thereby enabling the Indian architects and engineers to be more enabled, in a bid to promote Global Best Practices.”
Also present on the occasion, Mr. Sanjay Bahadur, CEO – Construction Chemicals, Pidilite Industries Ltd, said, “We are proud to sponsor such an event as it propagates the message of Healthy Construction. We will continue our endeavor to create awareness across the construction fraternity.”
Similar lectures were conducted in Bangalore, Kolkata, Delhi, Chennai and Ahmedabad in the past years where the crème-d la crème of the construction world were present. The success of these past lectures has encouraged the Institute to conduct lectures in other metros of the country. These lectures provided invaluable information on construction materials' properties, Concrete & Structural Repairs, Sustainable Construction & Green Building, Self healing concrete as repair material in concrete structures, diagnostics, specifications and other technicalities involved in masonry repairs of heritage buildings.
About Dr. Fixit Institute of Structural Protection and Rehabilitation:
Dr. Fixit Institute of Structural Protection and Rehabilitation (DFI-SPR) is a standalone not-for- profit Company with a vision to become a premier national knowledge and skill development center in waterproofing and other areas of renewal engineering. The institute is promoted by Pidilite Industries Ltd.
The endeavor of DFI-SPR is to enhance the service life of Built Environment through global sharing knowledge & best practices in the field of Waterproofing, Structural Protection, Repair and Rehabilitation.
About Pidilite and Dr. Fixit
Since its inception in 1959, Pidilite has been a pioneer and market leader in craftsmen products, DIY (Do-it-Yourself) products and industrial specialty chemicals. Its Construction Chemicals Division primarily offers a wide range of solutions for Waterproofing and Building Repair Solutions under the Dr. Fixit brand.Dr. Fixit has made paradigm shift in Construction Chemical Industry by adopting two-pronged approach of distribution - a mass distribution channel the common man and a separate channel for large projects. This has ensured that Dr. Fixit is available across nook and corner of India making it the Market Leader in Retail Segment.
Today, Dr. Fixit is exported 20 countries and has been launched in Thailand, UAE & Singapore through Pidilite’s wholly owned subsidiaries. The company has invested in R&D centers in India and Singapore. Based on the guiding philosophy of “Healthy Construction”, Dr. Fixit has undertaken and successfully completed many prestigious projects in India and across the globe –
1. Jawaharlal Nehru Sports Complex (CWG) - Delhi
2. Radisson Hotel, Delhi
3. ABP office, Kolkata
4. World Trade Center, Dubai
5. Reserve Bank of India, Mumbai
6. Microsoft Office, Hyderabad
7. Toyota Plant, Thailand
8. Thiruvallur statue, Kanyakumari