Sawadee BFM Club members. It has been 5 months after the big flood. We’d like to know how well did you recover from the last one and, more importantly, have you done anything to prepare yourself for the future flood disaster? Never say never. Without sound preventive measures, the loss could be massive when the next one comes around. Let’s follow up from our last edition and continue the discussion about the repercussion of the recent big flood. One may wonder how most of the inundated buildings restore itself after the disaster. What is their progress up till now? Are they back in business? I did some research and volunteered to visit some of those buildings and factories to give you an update of the situation. Many of our case studies have included the buildings with ALPOLIC/fr panels.
My first visit was at a well-know university that has been hit hard by the flood incident. The buildings and their surroundings were totally flooded. Practically, there was no dry land left even a square inch. The average depth of the flood level was 2.50 meters and the maximum level reached 3.00 meters. With my built, the whole body would be entirely under water if I was there during the flood. The flood lasted 8 weeks. The damage to this campus was beyond any stretch of imagination. As a part of the BFM family, I could not be more curious to investigate how our core products (the ALPOLIC/fr panels) were affected by this long submersion under flood water.
How did our products look like after 8 week under 2.50 meters high of water? I really want to see.
How high was the flood level?
The photo showed 2.50 meters on average of the flood levels covering the whole area. The financial loss was estimated at 670 million baths due to loss of major equipment situated on the basement and 1st floor. Heavy machinery and teaching equipment that are permanently installed and not movable were entirely ruined by either the flood water or the fungus growth from long exposure to high moist and damped environments.
How well did the construction materials retain their integrity after flood?
Subject to 8-week submersion in floodwater, these construction materials displayed how water and high moisture can cause permanent damage to the look of buildings and the integrity of materials eternally. A lot of these materials have to be replaced and restored to its original conditions.
The paint coating of building determined how high the flood level was. The coating quality was deteriorated and there were signs of paint blemishes all over the place. Most of trees were gone and left standing. The photo showed brutal eye sore of the flooded campus.
The building exterior and interior were largely affected. All kinds of damages, including color fading, dirt accumulation, material deterioration, mold growth and flood stains, can be observed everywhere. Major renovation, at least large scale repainting, was needed.
How about our ALPOLIC/fr panels???
I wasn’t quite sure how bad this floodwater can inflict on our products. After walking around and surveying the campus, the thought that came into my mind was that on the bright side this is a good and practical test for our product. Maybe these panels probably need to be replaced. When I arrived at the site, I was surprised to see the condition of the ALOPOIC/fr panels. There was no damage to these panels at all after being submerged for 2 months.
The close-up photos can demonstrate how critical the selection of construction materials are and how these materials can affect the building appearance after 2-month submersion. Based on the picture below, the ALPOLIC/fr panel surface still looks like new whereas the adjacent construction material was dirty and in bad condition.
When comparing ALPOLIC/fr aluminum composite panels to other construction materials, our product was barely affected by flood water and the post flood management and cleanup was simple and effortless. From my visual survey of the flooded campus, there was no damage done on the installed ALPOLIC/fr panels. The pictures shown were after big cleaning but there were still dirt stains and signs of flood damages. Most building surfaces needed repainting or renovation by aluminum composite materials.
How can ALPOLIC/fr panel endure long submersion?
The answers lie in the main features of the ALPOLIC/fr panels. High quality of manufacturing and materials used ensures that ALPOLIC/fr products can last and endure all kinds of uncontrollable external elements.
All these key features combined make the ALPOLIC/fr panels water-proof and result in no damage of the installed panels at this inundated campus. Simply cleaning and towel drying can restore the panels to its original look. Other than that, there is nothing else to do for restoration of ALPOLIC/fr panels after 2-month submersion in floodwater.
This is the end of my post-flood survey of our ALPOLIC/fr products. The flood is an unfortunate and costly event to Thai people and industry. No one ever wants to see this incident happening again. Also it provides a good insight into the value of the construction investment. Only high quality material can withstand such harsh and wet conditions for very long time. Considering short and long term investment, ALPOLIC/fr panels give a sensible and economical option for building decoration and renovation. We are thankful to have an opportunity to take these flood pictures and share some thought in preventing such event in the future.
Composed by
Sasin Vibulbandhitkij
Product Manager B.F.M. Co., Ltd.
Thank you
Any suggestions are welcome at sasin@bfm.co.th and you can also find us on Fan page FACEBOOK or our website at www.bfm.co.th.
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