Pittsburgh Corning, which has developed a wide range of products that fulfil the requirements for high-quality thermal insulation in roofs, walls and even floors – has recently opened a branch in Dubai to meet the ever-growing demand for Foamglas in the Middle East markets.

The company’s Foamglas Compact Roof System has been used on a number of prestigious projects in the Gulf, including the Museum of Islamic Art in Doha, Qatar, the Festival City in Dubai and the Abu Dhabi Officers Club.
“Foamglas has been proven across the world on demanding roof installations – its superior performance characteristics and versatility enable it to be used with almost every type of roof system. With concrete, metal deck or timber, the foam compact roof system ensures that all elements are fully compatible and when bonded together provide a weatherproof roof structure with unrivalled performance life,” says Marco Thomas Vincenz, general manager, Pittsburgh Corning Europe, Dubai branch.
 Roofing insulation systems are exposed to a variety of climates and weather conditions. Moisture absorption by the insulation leads to leaking roofs and corrosion. In addition, the building’s interior climate conditions such as high humidity can contribute to insulation failure.
 Roofing installations also require insulation with high compressive strength – the roofing system must often support heating and cooling systems as well as frequent maintenance traffic such as in terraces and car parking.
Foamglas cellular glass insulation is 100 per cent glass and provides unmatched moisture impermeability, he says. Among Foamglas’s other properties are superior dimensional stability and high compressive strength. It provides a consistently stable foundation against a variety of environmental and facility-specific stresses.
The Foamglas compact roof system comprises thermal insulation that is laid between the roof deck and the waterproofing. The cellular glass insulation is fully bonded – generally with hot bitumen – to the load-bearing structure, which can be concrete, steel or timber deck.
“The bonding technique achieves full adhesive strength, which is not subject to differential movement because of a low thermal dilation coefficient of Foamglas, similar to that of steel and concrete,” he explains. “By bonding two layers of bituminous waterproofing to rigid and dimensionally stable cellular glass insulation, the Compact Roof is fully waterproofed. The service life of membranes, when applied to a rigid and deformation-free substrate, is considerably improved.
“The Compact Roof System does not require additional mechanical fixing, which creates thermal bridges and increases the risk of perforation of the waterproofing membrane. From an aesthetic point of view, lack of mechanical fixing improves the appearance of the soffits and, especially in the case of steel decks, means that a suspended ceiling is not necessary.”