Industry leader scales heights and plumbs depths to provide waterproofing solution

The announcement came as IMI prepared to demonstrate its expertise in the area of waterproofing at the Big 5 Show, the largest annual meeting place for the Middle East's construction and contracting industry.

IMI, the UAE's oldest and largest producer of waterproofing materials, is to supply more than 30,000 square meters of membranes for the record six level-deep basement of the New Dubai Gate Tower at Jumeirah Lake Towers, as well as 25,000 square meters of membranes for the basement of the 62-storey Emirates Crown Tower at Dubai Marina.

Arabian Construction Company (ACC), which is building the New Dubai Gate Tower, chose IMI over its competitors because Dubai's deepest basement requires the most reliable and durable products available. IMI has been providing waterproofing membranes for major construction projects for more than a decade and has gained a reputation for consistently high levels of quality and strength.

IMI, which produces 10 million square meters of roofing and waterproofing membranes a year, manufactures the IMPERFLEX range of modified bitumen membranes. When applied to concrete, these membranes form an impervious layer that protects concrete from saline and other corrosive elements found in ground water. The membranes are designed to withstand a 70 meter head of water pressure, equivalent to seven times atmospheric pressure.

Commenting on the use of IMI's IMPERFLEX membranes in the Emirates Crown Tower project, Emad Azmi, General Manager, Al Shafar General Contracting Co., says, "The location of this tower so close to the sea means that waterproofing is a particularly important element of the project. IMI's membranes are the ideal solution and provide us with the assurance that basements and foundations will remain dry."

Peter Noronha, Managing Director of IMI, adds:

"IMI's success at being recognized as a top supplier of such tested and trusted waterproofing membranes is particularly important given the dynamic growth in the regional construction industry. In just the past three years, for example, the demand in the UAE for such membranes has grown 400%. Leading developers, contractors and consultants know that our membranes deliver consistently high performance, and their confidence in us has led to our becoming the market leader in this country and most other countries in the region."

IMI has captured a 40% market share of the UAE market and a 35% market share of the entire GCC market, excluding Saudi Arabia. Since opening its plant in Dubai, the company has completed more than 3,000 projects, half of them outside the UAE.

Besides the New Dubai Gate Tower and the Emirates Crown Tower, IMI is working on a number of prestigious projects in the UAE, including Burj Dubai Residence Development, which houses the world's tallest building, the Khalidiya Centre in Abu Dhabi and the largest sewage project executed by Dubai Municipality.

IMI can be found at the Big 5 Show in Hall 4F, stall 175, at the Dubai International Exhibition Centre from 16 to 20 November.