Gateway Development worked with Leighton LLC to come up with a building plan that used superior insulation technologies to create a very warm and energy efficient permanent installation. Leighton and Newcom chose to use ThermoBlok, GDM’s insulated concrete forms, for the wind farm’s main structure—the building that will house all the staff and machinery essential to keeping the wind farm running.

While many ThermoBlok installations around the world are for residential sustainable housing developments, the ThermoBlok technology has been used extensively for commercial applications that require quick results.

The substation for Mongolia’s first wind farm brought along with it several technical challenges, including:

• 14m spans in the main building.
• 28m long large equipment room
• Remote location
• Concrete pours in below 0 temperatures

ThermoBlok’s lightweight and ease of transport allowed the GDM team to quickly and cheaply transport all ThermoBlok materials on-site. The unique post and beam construction system allowed the GDM team and Leighton engineers to come up with a wall reinforcement schedule that allowed the building to support big open rooms with large spans while keeping large windows in the walls to allow for lots of natural light.

Moreover, because concrete is poured into ThermoBlok during construction, the superior block insulation allowed workers to pour and quickly set concrete late into the construction season, even after temperatures dropped well below 0 degrees.

Gateway Development is proud to be a part of Mongolia’s first wind farm, and part of Mongolia’s cleaner, greener, future.

Find out more about the partnership here.

GDM wins an add-on contract with Leighton Asia to insulate and waterproof the base foundations for 31 wind farm turbine towers.  Plans are to complete approximately 20 towers in 2012 and finish the rest in 2013.  The Salkhit Wind Farm, being developed by Newcom Ltd., is Mongolia’s first wind farm.  GE is supplying the turbines that will ultimately supply 50 MW to the National Grid.

GDI concludes its first contract with Leighton Asia Ltd.  GDI is providing construction engineering assistance in the design of the Control Station of a 50 MW wind farm.  The control station will be using ThermoBlock and ThermoSeal for its wall and roof assembly.  GDI is providing technical expertise to ensure the loads carried by the walls and trusses are properly designed.

GDM signs a multifaceted contract with Leighton Asia, and indirectly the project sponsor Newcom Ltd., to provide materials and construction management in the development of the Salkhit Wind Farm Control Station.  More specifically, GDM will be supplying all the ThermoBlock and ThermoSeal required for the internal and external wall assemblies as well as floor and roof insulation.  The project is expected to run through the 2012 and 2013 building seasons.

GDM wins another roofing contract for a new Buddhist Temple.  The project is a small but important one signifying the acceptance of ThermoSeal to the Mongolian market.  ThermoSeal is GDM’s closed cell, spray polyurethane foam product used for floors, walls, and roofing projects.

GDM wins contract with the APU Company, one of Mongolia’s largest beverage producers.  GDM has been hired to remove and replace the roof on their refurbished PET bottling facility.  GDM will use ThermoSeal, a high density closed cell spray polyurethane foam covered by a UV protective topcoat.  The approximate area to be addressed is 5,000 sq. meters or ~54,000 sq. ft.

Gateway Development Mongolia Model House Grand-Opening

Gateway Development Mongolia (GDM) showcased Mongolia’s first ThermoBlock house last week in Yarmag. ThermoBlock is a locally manufactured stay-in-place Insulated Concrete Form that has been used throughout the United States and Canada for a decade.  The proprietary technology produces blocks that are stronger, warmer, faster to construct, healthier, and cheaper than comparable wall systems.

GDM is a US-Mongolian joint venture with a portfolio of ‘better, faster, cheaper, and greener’ technologies for Mongolia’s infrastructure, construction and water & sanitation sectors.  Led by Dr. Adam Saffer, a Cornell engineer and Harvard MBA with 30 years international business experience, GDM offers property owners, investors, developers, and government agencies a commercially and environmentally preferred alternative to conventional and traditional approaches.

At the opening ceremony, comments were made by representatives of the US, Mongolian and German governments as well as the Mongolian property development and construction sector. The US Ambassador, Jonathan Addleton, said, “I welcome the fact that an American business, in conjunction with Mongolian partners, is the catalyst for this joint venture and the new technology that comes with it.”  Addleton added that ThermoBlock is a much needed energy efficient technology that is “made in Mongolia, by Mongolians”.

ThermoBlock Technical Highlights:

• Superb insulation (U=0.026), reducing fuel costs and increasing comfort
• Much faster to construct than conventional methods
• MNS certified
• A fire rating of UL Class 1 (ASTM E-84), the best rating possible in the US
• A price that is competitive to alternative wall assemblies
• NO CARCASS is needed for buildings up to 3 stories
• Usable for infill or as a thermal blanket for high rise buildings with a carcass
• Eliminates air infiltration, provides superior indoor air quality
• A very quiet wall with a high sound abatement coefficient (STC 52)
• Eliminated vapor infiltration, preventing moisture, mold, and bacteria
• Is not a food source and thus prevents problems from animals or insects
• Very flexible in architectural design, interior and exterior finishing, and other design elements

GDM also offers ThermoSeal, a portfolio of top quality Spray Polyurethane Foam (SPF) products to quickly add insulation to both new construction and existing buildings.  Used primarily for roofs, ceilings, walls and floors, ThermoSeal is faster to apply, has better insulation qualities and is more durable and economical than alternatives such as fiberglass, rock wool, and EPS.  Other GDM technologies include RoadGuard soil stabilizers for road construction and building foundations and our GETS Water & Sanitation System, a much cheaper, greener, and faster solution for water and wastewater recycling and sewage treatment.