DAMMAM, 15 September 2003 — The Eastern Province Chapter of the Philippine Institute of Civil Engineers (PICE) recently held a seminar on building technology at the Park Hotel in Alkhobar which was attended by some 60 civil engineers and architects.
“The organization has a continuing professional advancement program, where the institute invites experts to address the delegates,” John Mendiola, the chapter president, told Arab News.
This time, the organization invited to experts in the waterproofing industry and from the industrial equipments and hydraulics sector.
Bitumat, a waterproofing company, gave an in-depth presentation on roofing concepts and practices, with special emphasis on Saudi Arabia.
Syed Abdallah Rizvi, the Bitumat marketing manager told the delegates: “Waterproofing has finally come of age in the Middle East.”
He emphasized the importance of the regional climate in the usage of materials and showed how even a very good material may not function properly in the harsh conditions of Saudi Arabia.
Rizvi said his company had conducted a similar seminar for the Bahrain Society of Engineers, where delegates came from all over the gulf.
Bitumat has its own roofing academy in Dammam (the only of its kind in the Middle East) and conducts detailed four-day sessions every quarter. The next session is slated for Oct. 4.
Al-Damegh Industrial Equipment and Hydraulics also presented a paper on various aspects of elevators, from design to maintenance.