Flexcrete’s anti-carbonation coatings have been chosen to create an architectural statement on a new build clinic in Taiwan which is tightly sandwiched between two older buildings.
The new clinic in Tai-Nan City, Taiwan, has been designed by the renowned Yuen Ken architectural practice. The lower two floors of the building are used as a clinic and the third floor is the Doctor’s residence. The clinic has a contemporary style distinguishing the building from others in the same row and as the building is tightly sandwiched between two old buildings, the architect was seeking the use of anti-carbonation coatings to increase the aesthetics of the structure and provide the external walls with effective weatherproof protection from the humid conditions and heavy rains typically experienced in Southern Taiwan. As the building is a medical facility, it was important that any structural coatings used were non-toxic and totally safe to use in this type of environment.
Decorative Anti-Carbonation System
Monodex coatings manufactured by Flexcrete Technologies, part of AkzoNobel, were chosen to coat the new external walls totalling 1,000m2 following a recommendation by Parallel Industrial Co., Ltd, Flexcrete’s distributor in Taiwan. A key reason for the specification of Monodex coatings was their waterborne nature. As they cure without releasing hazardous solvents or heavy odour and are non-toxic, non-leaching and non-tainting, they could be safely and rapidly applied to this medical facility.
This project is deemed so impressive that it is being put forward for the Taiwan Residential Architecture Award – an annual awards scheme run by the Taiwan Architecture publishing company which produces several architectural magazines and is regarded as the pioneer in promoting building design in Taiwan. The award is judged by 10 professional judges and projects are judged in four stages – application and eligibility, primary vote, first final vote and second final vote.
The clinic’s external walls were initially coated with one coat of Bond-Prime before the application of one coat of Monodex Textured. Monodex Textured is a highly engineered, waterborne, single component, acrylic-based decorative wall coating with an attractive textured finish. As well as having an attractive textured finish, Monodex Textured is alsohighly protective. It waterproofs surfaces for at least 10 years, yet allows high levels of entrapped substrate moisture to escape without causing blistering or delamination. It also incorporates an advanced in-film, non-leaching biocide, inhibiting the growth of mould and algae for many years, and is able to withstand substrate and thermal movement without cracking or flaking.
In order to achieve the desired finish for this project, Monodex Textured was overcoated with Monodex Ultra. Monodex Ultra is a rapid drying, minimal VOC, elastomeric water-based coating with a smooth, matt finish. Able to extend the service life of both newly constructed and existing buildings, it is ideal for the external decorative protection of facades, soffits and elevations of structures in temperate and tropical climates. Flexcrete’s Monodex coatings are available in both standard and special colours, of which white and dark red were selected by the architect to maximise the aesthetics of the building.