WEATHER-proven in more than 130 countries worldwide, Decra roofing technology is increasingly becoming the preferred choice for architects and clients requiring lightweight roofing systems throughout Saudi Arabia.

After a 20-year association with Decra, Saudi-based Universal Building Materials (UBM) recently celebrated a milestone with the installation of one million Decra roof tiles in the kingdom.

“It is a significant achievement and a sign of UBM’s commitment to our technology in Saudi Arabia,” says Decra New Zealand spokesman Grant Williams.

UBM will be putting the spotlight on Decra products next month at Saudi Build, alongside other products from its extensive portfolio of building materials.

Decra ... weather-proven in 130 countries.

Decra is manufactured by AHI Roofing, the company that first developed lightweight steel roof tiles in New Zealand in 1957. AHI is one of the largest steel tile manufacturers in the world.

According to Williams, the success of Decra roof tiles in international markets is due to their superior technology and ability to withstand harsh weather and environment conditions.

“For example, in Saudi Arabia where you get desert-like conditions in some areas, including high temperatures, high ultraviolet (UV) radiation and in some cases, sand storms, along with high levels of salinity in coastal areas, Decra tiles have proved to be extremely resilient and durable,” he says.

“Key reasons for their success in these areas are Decra’s two-stage UV protection technology and its corrosion resistance. The stone-textured finish resists fading or discolouration and forms an opaque barrier to block damaging UV rays,” he explains. “In addition, the underlying coating contains special light-fast pigments that form a second UV barrier, resulting in a roof that stays looking good longer.

“Even in coastal areas, Decra tiles perform extremely well. They are made of Zincalume steel, which has up to eight times the corrosive resistance of alternative steel roofing products.”

Easy installation
Decra tiles have significant advantages compared with traditional clay or concrete tiles, says Williams. “They have superior thermal performance in that they tend to reflect heat rather than absorb it. They are also lighter and easier to install, require less structural support and have better thermal performance. Generally, a lightweight Decra tile roof will cost less than a solid tile roof to install,” he points out.

Furthermore, Decra roof tiles are made of steel; so unlike concrete or clay tiles, they won’t crack and let in water and nor will they crack from hail impact. “That’s not a big issue for most of the year but is important at times when rainfall is significant as witnessed recently in Jeddah and Riyadh where severe storms caused extensive damage,” continues Williams.

Decra roof tiles are also more secure in strong winds than concrete or clay roof tiles. With a Decra roof, each tile is horizontally fixed using eight separate fasteners, whereas with a clay or concrete roof, the tiles are vertically fixed.

“We’ve seen a lot of evidence from around the world where houses with a lightweight Decra steel tile roof have survived cyclones and even hurricanes, whereas comparable homes with concrete or clay tile roofs have suffered serious damage,” he says.

Decra roof tiles have been available in Saudi Arabia since 1990 through local distributor UBM. A company spokesman says that while sales of Decra products in the kingdom were slow initially, they have increased dramatically in recent years as more modern architectural styles and building methods have been adopted.

Growing market
He believes the technology is ideally suited to the Saudi climate and the wide range of roof styles and colours are especially appealing to the younger market. The spokesman believes there will be a rise in demand for Decra products, given the Saudi governments focus on addressing the housing shortage in the country.

He elaborates: “A news report recently confirmed Saudi Arabia’s increased commitment to building more housing specifically to benefit the younger generation of Saudis and it has been widely reported that the kingdom is experiencing a severe housing shortage. The government has already planned two million more housing units by the year 2020, as part of a SR900 billion ($240 billion) investment during the next 12 years.

“With a population of 28 million people growing at 2.5 per cent a year, Saudi Arabia is set to double its population in 28 years. Furthermore, 40 per cent of Saudi nationals are under the age of 20, 70 per cent are under 30, and 65 per cent of families currently don’t own a home.”

According to the UK Architects Journal in its Saudi Arabia country profile, he continues, the kingdom is unique among GCC states in that “there are an awful lot of people in Saudi Arabia genuinely looking to buy a home. Demand is variously quoted at 200,000 homes a year, with a current 500,000 home deficit and thus one million new homes are needed within the next five years.”

Williams believes that the anticipated building boom in Saudi represents a great opportunity for Decra and its Saudi partner UBM. “It’s taken 20 years for us to get to the one million tile milestone. I suspect we’ll get to the next million in a fraction of that time,” he concludes.

UBM will be exhibiting at Stand 415-1 at Saudi Build.