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Dubai-based X-Calibur 'LEEDs' by example in USA.

 
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15 Oct 2008

The expertise of a Dubai-based company has been called on to help reduce the environmental impact of the new Washington DC headquarters of the US Green Building Council – the body charged with setting green standards.

Dubai-based X-Calibur International – which supplied special environmentally friendly sealers for Burj Dubai, the world's tallest building currently under construction - has started work on the Green Building Council's new headquarters on two floors of an existing 12-storey building just two miles from The White House.

The USGBC’s LEED (Leadership in Energy Efficient Design) certification programme provides building owners with a way of demonstrating their buildings are energy efficient and have minimal impact on the environment. The US body has spurred the creation of similar councils worldwide – including one in the United Arab Emirates.

“The USGBC was determined to lead by example and wanted their office floors to meet the requirements of LEED platinum certification,” said Brian Davies, President and CEO, X-Calibur International.

Dubai-based X-Calibur 'LEEDs' by example in USA.

A major component of the refurbishment is new flooring. “In order to minimise the removal of existing concrete and therefore reduce the amount of material going to landfill, it was decided to instal a cement overlay of the entire 26,000 square feet floor area,” Davies added.

However, the leveling compound being used for the other 10 office floors of the 12-storey building did not meet the maximum requirements under the US Green Building Council's LEED system. Specialty flooring consultant Paul Scheidmantel, turned to Dubai-based X-Calibur International which, through its subsidiary Construction Systems Inc. of Miramar, Florida, was able to meet the LEED requirements.

“X-Calibur International is a technology leader when it comes to producing and supplying construction chemical products that have been developed to minimise the effect on the environment,” said Davies. "We are proud to have been called in to help a body such as the US Green Building Council."

The company has virtually eliminated all volatile organic compounds with the exception of water, from its products. X-Calibur’s latest success was supplying Burj Dubai with water dispersed environmentally friendly sealers for stone and concrete that will protect the stone. The company is also currently working on cement admixtures which are carbon negative.

For the US Green Building Council project X-Calibur proposed X-Roc LevelCem 300, their unique self leveling floor compound. It was formulated using calcium alumina cement and iron ore slag, resulting in a product with high performance characteristics and a post consumer recycled content of approximately 30% - exceeding the requirements laid down in LEED.

In addition to the unique features of X-Roc LevelCem 300, the compound has drastically less shrinkage compared to a traditional Portland Cement-based compounds. This, combined with the X-Roc LevelCem Primer, eliminated the need for mechanical preparation, saving time and ultimately reducing the indoor air quality impact on the building during the construction process. X-Calibur plans to incorporate its carbon reducing admixture in this product shortly making it even more environmentally sustainable.



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