Construction World August 2015

PRECAST CONCRETE PRODUCTS

COLOURFUL and FUNCTIONAL architectural finishes Colour pigments are becoming increasingly popular across a broad spectrum of

in buildings and infrastructure. “Coloured concrete products have, in fact, been available for several decades. Simply consider the use of coloured roof tiles and concrete paving blocks. It’s the way that colour is used that is significant. Notably, South Africa at present echoes the trend towards black, variations of black shades and red that is so apparent in countries like Germany,” Pfeiffer points out. An in-depth understanding of the application of pigments with chemical solutions is important to achieve the desire effect. Ideally, communications with a company such as Chryso Southern Africa should begin at the initial design stage and should direct the advantages and options of pigment usage to architects, engineers and developers. The starting point is generally where the architect chooses a specific colour to express something in particular. Pfeiffer cites a number of examples, including the Soccer City Stadium in Johan- nesburg where earthy tones were chosen to connect to local history. Another interesting example is the red used for the hotel situated in the desert in Chile (seen in a James Bond movie). Local expertise When using pigments to enhance buildings and infrastructural features, it is important to devise a customised solution that will allow the blend to be optimised. Chryso Southern Africa conducts trials in its labora- tories to ensure the quality and the consistency of a blend across the project’s duration. “It is critical to optimise the dosages and to ensure that the colour pigment is dispersed correctly in the concrete matrix, to provide enhanced colour brightness. Being an admixture and concrete additive OEM provides Chryso with the ability to maximise the use of pigments.

“More architects around the world have lost their fear of coloured concrete and there is a definite local trend towards greater acceptance of coloured concrete. Interestingly, the use of pigment always has a correlation to the develop- mental stage of a particular country. We have observed that when people reach a certain income status, they seek out beauty in addition to functionality. This often takes the form of using appealing and consistently high quality colours,” says Thomas Pfeiffer, vice president marketing and sales EMEA Lanxess Inorganic Pigments, on a recent visit to South Africa. As the distributor for the past eight years of Lanxess pigments for the construction industry in South Africa, Chryso Southern Africa is geared up to accommodate the growing trend towards colour adoption > appeal. Applications are diverse and include the precast industry, roof tile manufacturers, civils contractors and construction companies. products in the built environment where colour is required for enhanced aesthetic

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The in-depth technical understanding resident in Chryso means that expertise and knowledge can be readily translated into customer application requirements,” says Pfeiffer. Quality manufacture The use of a quality pigment is essential and the determining factor for specifiers would therefore be the high colour consistency and colour strength attributed to reputed prod- ucts such as Lanxess’ Bayferrox® pigments, which makes colour matching much easier. Extensive research led to the development of these inorganic iron oxide pigments, which have demonstrated that they have superior light-fastness properties when exposed to different climatic elements over extended periods of time. Pfeiffer says that if pigments are manu- factured incorrectly they can negatively impact the surrounding environment. “Bayferrox ® enjoys strong brand recognition as a superior quality product and it is important that this reputation is maintained through the local representation. We anticipate a brighter and more colourful future for building structures throughout Southern Africa through the adoption of colour pigments. We are currently investing in capacity expansion to ensure that market demands can be met,” Pfeiffer concludes.

Thomas Pfeiffer, vice president marketing and sales EMEA Lanxess Inorganic Pigments.

Lanxess Inorganic Pigments were used to achieve an earthy tone for concrete at the Soccer City Stadium in Johannesburg.

A red exterior was achieved on this hotel in the desert in Chile using Lanxess Inorganic Pigments.

CONSTRUCTION WORLD AUGUST 2015

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