For decades, Filipinos build their homes using concrete hollow blocks. It is one of the most extensively used materials in the Philippines. But this all changed when Malaysia’s Stärken AAC sdn Bhd. entered the local construction game in 2017 and established Stärken Philippines as the exclusive national distributor in the country.
Recently, Stärken Philippines introduced their newest range of products — wall panels and sound barriers. The wall panels are efficient and cost-effective, with a wide range of sizes that are easy to install, saving time and money for construction projects. They are available in various lengths, heights, thickness and edge profiles and incorporate special brackets for installation to provide wall lateral stability. These are best used for constructing non-residential buildings such as hospitals, universities, schools, factories, warehouses, shopping malls and other commercial establishments.
The sound barriers or Stärken SoundXbarrieR, on the other hand, are highly effective paneling solutions that significantly reduce unwanted noise from vehicles or traffic, making them ideal for highways, roads and railways. Tests have shown that these are highly effective at noise control with a minimum weighted sound reduction index of 39 decibels. Additionally, these have excellent fire resistance of up to four hours, contributing to the safety and stability of road structures.
Stärken’s main products include autoclaved aerated concrete (AAC) blocks, panels and lintels. AAC is produced using slurry mix containing cement, sand, lime, and an aerating agent. The slurry is then molded to form the lightweight blocks, panels and lintels, which are cured into autoclave.
Advantages of using AAC blocks
Stärken AAC’s unique production procedure and composition have many benefits, it is more resistant to fire, has good thermal insulating qualities, it is impervious to water, lightweight, eco-friendly, easy to work with and requires less cleaning and hauling.
AAC is composed of purely mineral products, making it a noncombustible building material, ideal for preventing the fire from spreading and thereby protecting lives and infrastructures from damage. At just 100 mm thickness, an AAC firewall can resist fire up to 4 hours. Furthermore, it has excellent thermal insulating qualities that help maintain internal temperatures at a comfortable level, which ultimately leads to saving cooling costs, consequently resulting in enhanced energy efficiency.
Noise control is also significant in providing an environment that is restful and private, especially in establishments such as condominiums, schools, hospitals, hotels, and offices.
Additionally, because these blocks contains millions of closed microscopic cells, they are impervious to water — preventing any moisture from penetrating through the material which could cause trouble to your building in the long term. And because it is made from non-toxic materials and uses 100 percent biomass energy for its autoclave, Stärken’s AAC blocks are environmentally friendly.
Stärken’s products are innovative, contemporary, functionally simple yet versatile — making STARKEN AAC the preferred building products for residential, hotel, industrial and commercial construction projects.
“When we started in January 2017, we had zero market. Initially, it was not accepted by Filipinos. Why? Because Filipinos like concrete; when they hull their wall, they want it to be concrete and we couldn’t do anything about it then because there was no alternative. But when I saw this product, I knew it would be accepted by the market and it’s true. After two years, from zero market, right now we are being used by major companies in the Philippines and by the government. The demand is so huge now that we had to increase our supply so that we could sustain the emerging demand,” shares Engineer Joey Carlos, president and CEO of Stärken AAC Philippines.
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To learn more about Stärken Philippines and Stärken AAC products, call 470-3284, (0995) 551-1478; or email [email protected] and [email protected].