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A sheath for your building
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Aluminium composite panels are being increasingly used to give a different look to buildings.
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In high demand: A building sporting aluminium composite panels.
The rising standards and changing aesthetic sense in the Indian building industry give rise to the demand for more and more innovative products. For instance, aluminium composite panels (ACPs) have come to the fore over the past three or four years in Kerala and its popularity is on the rise.
These panels are used as wall decorations in a wide variety of building environments. The simplicity of application and easy-to-install character are just two of the factors that have led to an increase in their use in recent times.
They have come to give a new character to walls or, sometimes, replace walls, says a leading architect in Kochi. He says their cost too has come down considerably over the past couple of years, making them even more popular.
The panels have been found versatile especially when it comes to renovating buildings or giving a new and modern look to them.
The panels are produced by binding two sheets of aluminium with an intermediate layer. The result of the binding is “an extraordinary material with advantages of economy and versatility in application,” says K.V. Paulose, managing director of Kaveri Pet and Polyforms Private Ltd., located near Kolancherry.The Kavery group has the capacity to produce 30,000 sq.ft of panels a day with an additional facility for coating 90,000 sq.ft. a day.
One of the reasons for the rising popularity of these is affordability, says an architect here. Initially, the cost was high.
In combination with glass, the panels can give a different look even to existing buildings.
He says that those using the panels are yet grappling with a means to clean the installations as in our climatic conditions, they tend to accumulate dust, with the high humidity making the situation a little more difficult.
However, Mr. Paulose says that using water under high pressure is an easy means of getting rid of accumulated dust. An annual application of water can produce good results. He says that these panels come separately for interior and exterior applications and there is a cost difference between the two.
The fascination for these panels continues.
They have found applications in a wide variety of settings from shopping malls to super-specialty hospitals and from star hotels to petrol pumps.
The qualities that endear them to architects and interior decorators include their economy compared with veneer screen wall materials, durability, heat resistance and sound insulation possibilities. The worldwide demand for these panels has been on the rise. Their demand is projected to go up to 20 crore sq.m by next year from about one crore sq.m in 1992.
K.A. MARTIN
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