AkzoNobel develops innovative paint solutions for construction

Pamela Phua says innovative paint can help save energy

Pamela Phua, director of research, development, and innovation of AkzoNobel with more than 20 years of experience in the paint industry, has driven new technology development and product implementation across the Southeast Asia, South Asia, and Middle East regions. She took part in the United Nations Climate Change Conference 2017 (COP23), which was held in Bonn in Germany on November 6, 2017. She was also be the guest of honour at the G7/G20 international forums – mainly focused on challenges people have to face every day such as climate change and the economic crisis – to share innovative paint solutions.

Challenges for construction and paint solutions

At the COP23, Phua mentioned some challenges construction projects are encountering due to global warming and citizen migration from provinces to cities. On the occasion, she shared innovative paint products to help meet these challenges.

Specifically, she said, global warming will affect construction materials and heat up walls. Research shows that when infrared radiation from the sun strikes the surface of a building, some of it is reflected and some is absorbed in the form of heat. The heat increases and is subsequently transmitted to the interior of the building, leading to an increase in energy consumption in order to cool down the building. Therefore, Phua shared, the group has developed and carefully managed the pigments in paints to come up with ‘Keep Cool’ technology, which creates striking colours while significantly increasing the amount of infrared radiation reflected by building facades. The result is that the surface can be kept five degrees cooler than without this technology, leading to a potential 10-15 per cent in energy savings for the building.

“To maintain the quality of construction in the wake of the increasing population in cities as well as air pollution, AkzoNobel has developed an extremely water-repellent coating with inherently low surface energy, enhanced by multi-scale surface topography,” Phua said. “In essence, water beads form and roll off easily or simply do not stick at all on the coating. Owing to its extreme resistance to rain, mud, stains, and dirt, the coated surface will stay dry and clean. This new technology will help urban communities reduce their environmental footprint through a significant reduction in the energy and chemical detergents used in building maintenance.”

Aside from leading AkzoNobel’s global research and laboratories in the Southeast Asia, South Asia, and Middle East regions, Phua is also concerned with the quality of construction in Vietnam. She often spends time finding solutions for challenges of construction in

Vietnam. Therefore, before officially taking the position of general manager of AkzoNobel Paint Vietnam, she joined in many workshops as well as architecture and construction forums in Vietnam to share innovative features in the field of interior and exterior paint products.

Innovative paint products for Vietnamese market

Phua said that Vietnam is a country partly in a tropical climate, so most buildings suffer from certain impacts of the climate, such as cracking, colour fading, erosion, flaking, dirt, fungal growth, and absorption of water by the walls. Therefore, in 2017, AkzoNobel Vietnam launched the exterior paint product Dulux Weathershield, which uses new technology and boasts innovative features such as the afore mentioned ‘Keep Cool’ technology, which can reduce wall temperature by up to five degrees; Alkali-Guard technology, which provides better alkalinisation resistance; ColourLock technology to effectively prevent colour fading; and Dirt-Guard technology with anti-stain features.

“The climate in the south of Vietnam is always characterized by erratic features that create severe impacts on the wall surface. Dulux Aquatech Effective Waterproofing provides innovative waterproofing

solutions for vertical wall surfaces. With superior Hydroshield technology that enhances the chemical bonding of the compound, Dulux Aquatech increases the waterproofing ability, helping to keep the surface dry,” Phua said.

In her role as general manager of AkzoNobel Paint Vietnam, Phua said she would like to bring more innovative paint products to Vietnamese customers, aiming to make people’s lives more liveable.