Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer: The Future of Sustainable Construction

Market Studies Department

A Brief History

Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer (GFRP) was invented in the mid-1930s and has since became a building industry standard. Originally used only for partial construction, the architectural benefits were discovered with the attempted destruction of Disneyland's "House of the Future." Built in 1957, the futuristic house was entirely built of GFRP and other fiberglass products, and when the attraction was no longer deemed necessary, it was scheduled to be destroyed in 1967. The wrecking ball used in the destruction of the house miraculously bounced off the structure, and the possibilities for GFRP were recognized and expanded. By 1994, the building industry had used nearly 600 million pounds of fiberglass materials.

Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer Rebars in the Middle East

Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer Rebars are the latest generation of construction products that aims to strengthen concrete which is currently being used instead of the traditional Steel Reinforced Rebars. It is expected that GFRP Rebars’ use will spread in the MENA region, especially, after their adoption of the product in the international building code. It is also expected to be used by MENA Countries due to the soil conditions that prevail in the region. Generally, this alternative product is one of the best solutions in construction, today, due to its anti-corrosion features, which enables sustainability in building materials, and the additional features mentioned below in comparison to current products, such as Steel Rebar.

Elements of comparison	GFRP	Steel
4 times lighter in weight than the equivalent strength in steel rebar.	√	×
Non-conductive to heat and electricity.	√	×
Non-existent corrosion – rust free.	√	×
Easy and rapid installation time.	√	×
Reduced whole-life project costs.	√	×
High temperature resistance	×	√
Non-magnetic (transparent to electrical fields)	√	×
Product awareness	×	√
Lower transportation & storage costs.	√	×

Structural Changes Occurring in the Saudi Market

Recently Aramco mandated the use of GFRP rebars in reinforced concrete structures that have severely corrosive conditions, i.e., Marine construction sites. In addition, Saudi Aramco is the first entity in Saudi Arabia to pilot GFRP for non-critical applications, GFRP was used for the construction of a 21 km long Jizan Flood Mitigation Channel. It is the world’s largest project, where exclusively, GFRP rebars were used in concrete reinforcement.

Historically, Aramco is accountable for the entire demand of GFRP. It is expected that Aramco would move along with its long-term plan of using GFRP in more applications. Moreover, in the coming years, it is projected that Aramco’s use of GFRP products will cut their steel consumption for non-critical applications such as sidewalks and water channels and others.

The Awareness Issue in the Saudi Market

Upon inquiring potential end-users of GFRP Rebars in the local market, it was apparent that there was lack of awareness towards the product and lack of usage amongst the few end-users that are aware of it. The reasons behind the lack of usage being the high cost of GFRP Rebars compared to Steel. However, when discussing the current and long-term costs, it can be argued that GFRP Rebars are slightly higher in price/meter by approximately, +0.42 SAR. It can also be argued that the installation, maintenance, and handling costs are dramatically reduced when using GFRP Rebars instead of steel. Furthermore, the lack of awareness of the information above has caused many manufacturers to struggle as most of their budgets are shifting towards marketing.

Since the issue of awareness causes a major challenge, the Saudi government could play a huge role in solving this issue as part of the Vision 2030 goal of enabling local content. The support of the government could be in marketing the product across potential end-users. The government could also aid the use of GFRP by allocating a percentage of usage for the product in major & mega projects that are part of the Kingdom’s vision 2030.

In conclusion, Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer Rebars are the latest generation of products, used in the construction industry, that are used to strengthen concrete instead of the traditional products, such as Steel. These rebars come with many advantages surpassing those of the traditional products and they have been used internationally since the 1960s. Moreover, as GFRP rebars are newly introduced in the Saudi market, many challenges face the sector. These challenges include, but are not limited to, demand dependance on a single end-user, Aramco, and lack of awareness of the product within potential end-users. It is worth to mention that although these challenges were identified, there are multiple factors that could potentially create demand in the coming years. These factors include, but are not limited to, the Saudi Government’s support in incentivizing the use of this product through financial and non-financial programs.