Saadiyat Island is currently one of the biggest construction sites in the UAE, with 29 hotels, leisure, residential and cultural projects being planned. The Saadiyat Beach Golf Club is a key attraction of this development. The golf course, designed by nine-time Major winner Gary Player, is the first beach side golf course in the UAE. It was thus vital to not only ensure fine finishes on the exterior of Mediterranean-themed Golf Club Academy building, but provide adequate insulation to ensure guests remain comfortable in the hot climate. BASF’s Senergy Exterior Insulation and Finish System (EIFS) provided the ideal solution.
To replicate the texture and design features associated with the Mediterranean design theme, BASF Construction Chemicals specified the Senergy Classic PB System with a coarse finish.
The design featured arched window surrounds, corbels, window sills and other profiles, all of which were manufactured using Expanded Polystyrene and rendered in the Senergy system. In all, the Senergy solution was applied over an area of 1 200m2 of the building’s façade.
The basic components of the Senergy EIF System include expanded polystyrene insulation board, adhesive, reinforced base and finish coats. It is used for exterior walls in new and retrofit commercial and institutional construction. A key advantage of using this EIFS is that it features unlimited colours, textures and architectural details that support design freedom, allowing the creation of details that would be impossible or cost prohibitive with other claddings.
Its exterior insulation capabilities reduce energy costs, while reinforced base coats and 100% acrylic finish coats produce a weather resistant barrier, provide crack resistance and resist fading and abrasion.
Challenges included the fact that the project needed to be completed in a tight four to five month timeframe as golfing professionals had committed to attending the opening and this date was cast in stone. BASF approved applicator, CRL Emirates, was awarded the contract to supply and install the Senergy EIF System and met all client requirements in terms of cost and time savings, as well as expertise in application and delivery of a quality finish. BASF assisted with consultation and ongoing service throughout the project.
The golf course was opened by Gary Player and a number of professionals and celebrities at the Saadiyat Beach Classic on 28 January, 2010.
BASF’s Senergy EIF Systems have been used with considerable success on a number of projects in the UAE, including other projects for the Saadiyat Beach Golf Club client, the Tourism Development and Investment Company (TDIC).