United Facade Design and Services (UFDS), an independent testing facility in Bahrain for building materials and façade systems, has added another reference on a major project in the country to its growing portfolio.

Following the recent onsite testing of a large installed façade sample at The Avenues mall project in central Manama, the company has provided a second test sequence on this project, breaking ground in the provision of testing in the region with a dual chamber test. 

The recent test was meant to equalise the test pressures between the chambers separated by the structural floor which a test sample of an inclined glazing system spanned. The sample was provided by Aluminium Services/Technal Middle East.

“Nass Contracting once again provided the site facilities and coordination to successfully accommodate the laboratory set-up and controlled AAMA (American Architectural Manufacturers Association), testing procedures at site,” Peter Bustin, UFDS company director and group managing director, tells Gulf Construction.

Expansion

UFDS, a Bahrain-based ISO/IC 17025 building materials independent testing facility operated by Façade Design and Services, continues to develop and expand the range of building envelope system testing.

“The company is continuously developing its facilities, opening up a line of building system testing locally, for developers, consultant engineers, construction companies and smaller end users,” says Bustin.

It has developed a series of testing chambers, which can accommodate smaller single window/door samples to the larger full curtain-wall assemblies. The range covers 1 m by 1 m to 6 m by 6 m samples of glazed systems and or cladded aluminium, stone and precast samples.

UFDS has recently been appointed by Technal Middle East to provide a series of development tests within the smaller of the two chambers.

“The chambers installed by UFDS at the laboratory include a specially designed steel-framed table to accommodate glazed systems in a horizontal position for testing in hard and soft body tests to clarify the integrity of roof walk on glass. This form of testing will be developed over the next couple of months to include pendulum testing for vertically glazed cladding systems,” says Bustin.

Currently, well advanced is the thermal testing chamber and acoustic chamber being developed by UFDS as a multi-purpose chamber. This will allow for testing of samples from 1 m by 1 m to 3.5 m by 3.5 m. The company is looking to add these tests to its range of field tests in the New Year.

Bustin confirms the year had presented many obstacles and challenges that had to be overcome to establish the newly formed facility. He, however, remains confident the solid platform and range of testing currently provided will prove beneficial to Bahrain ministries, EWA (Electricity and Water Authority) and developers, by allowing them local access to an independent testing facility to verify and classify building systems and products not only in performance values, U values, air permeability, weather resistance, structural/safety performance but also security; and more importantly, helping in energy loss and savings, while increasing the comfort of occupants of Bahrain’s buildings.