EXOVA has further extended its services to the building construction sector in response to market demand.

The company, which has established a reputation in the region as a premier testing and related services company, can now conduct fire testing to BS 8414 for facade systems and U-value testing. Furthermore it has also fully commissioned a specialised acoustic testing facility, which is the first of its kind in the Middle East.

The fire test will assist in ensuring that facades going onto buildings in the future will be safer than some of those that may have been placed on buildings in the past, and it can also help check existing buildings, as part of the risk assessments now required by code according to Richard Sumners, managing director.

Since its arrival in the Middle East in the mid-1990s, Exova (formerly known as Bodycote) has developed into the leading testing facility provider within the region, offering its expertise on many prestigious projects, including Burj Khalifa and Dubai Metro projects in Dubai, UAE; Masdar, Aldar headquarters and Capital Gate in Abu Dhabi, UAE; King Abdullah Financial District in Saudi Arabia; Hamad International Airport in Qatar; and Central Bank of Kuwait in Kuwait.

Curtain-wall mock-up sample ... ready for testing.

Burj Khalifa is a good example where Exova’s testing services were extensively utilised. “From the testing of the foundation integrity at the outset of the project, through to the testing of the glass façade cladding system and many services in between, our expertise was not only called upon every step of the way, but we also delivered on our promises to ensure that the project was delivered with the highest quality assurance,” says Sumners.

Another example of its Dubai-based business successes is the contract to provide comprehensive testing services for both the Red and Green Lines of the Dubai Metro.

“With our extensive technical expertise and experience, we were able to provide a one-stop shop for all the testing-related requirements throughout the project. Exova demonstrated unstinting commitment to meet the most stringent quality standards by having the site testing laboratories accredited to ISO/IEC 17025 by UKAS,” he explains.

With facilities throughout the region including in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, Exova offers a diverse range of testing services across many market sectors, though its primary focus in the Middle East has always been on the construction industry.

The façade testing operations of the business are managed through the Al Futtaim Exova Façade Testing and Advisory Services (FTAS) division, which is a UKAS (United Kingdom Accreditation Service)-accredited laboratory. The world-class facility provides full-scale testing (to ASTM, BS EN, CWCT and AS/NZS standards) for all types of building envelopes and components and material testing services to the Middle East region and beyond.

The Exova acoustics testing lab in Dubai.

“Because FTAS does not perform the system design, it is able to provide legitimate third-party services to the industry, in the form of independent consultancy advice, reviews, inspections and investigations,” Manoj Kumar, Façade Testing Division manager states. “We are unique in the region in this respect.”

The primary services offered include:

• Façade, curtain-walling, windows, doors, balustrades and roofing consultancy advice including failure investigations;

• Testing, either at its full-scale testing laboratories or on site. Its services relate not only to aluminium and glass façades, but also to those constructed of stone, precast concrete, tiles, blocks, wood, plastics, steel and other metals. Testing of facades includes air permeability, acoustic performance, static and water penetration, wind, impact and force entry resistance and thermal cycling and transmittance;

• Third-party independent quality control inspections either during or after construction;

• Full-scale fire testing;

• Acoustic, glass impact, U-value, louvre and building permeability testing; and

•  Bespoke specialist load testing of systems and materials such as IP rating tests.

The facility in Dubai is believed to be one of largest equipped independent laboratory facilities in the world for full-scale testing of all types of building envelopes and components.

The facility currently has 25 steel-framed test chambers onto which samples are erected. These chambers are designed to withstand 10,000 Pascals or higher. Depending on the project, the chambers range from 3 to 16-m tall. The laboratory also has an area dedicated to customised chambers for horizontal samples. The main testing chambers are nominally 10-m wide by 10-m tall and are primarily intended for vertical systems, but can also be temporarily extended to test wider, taller or more complex systems, such as atria or other non-standard arrangements.