Experts in finding solutions: a case study
The galloping of horses, the demolishing power of hooves and a high-performance solution. In short, one of our intervention works in Kyalami, Johannesburg, South Africa (2019). This is an equestrian arena where a new moisture management and drainage system had to be designed while ensuring the durability of the work and the well-being of the horses and their hocks.
Horse racing arenas, highly exposed to weather conditions that vary with the seasons and to various training and racing activities that wear out the ground, therefore require constant maintenance. In the past, stone-aggregate layers were used for drainage, which drained rainwater (although not quickly), but had limited resistance to the continuous impact of horse hooves. In order to make the ground more resistant, it was pressed with great force, however, this had a negative effect on the safety of horses. An alternative solution was to preserve the race course as far as possible by reducing its use, i.e. not using it for training but only for competitions.
The solution based on TeMa’s decades of experience in constructing synthetic football pitches allows the construction of race courses for competitions and riding schools that use geosynthetic products. These products improve functionality, reduce intervention times and subsequent maintenance costs, also on a large scale (in our case, the surface area to be covered was 3,000 sq.m).
To find out more, click here.
Innovation in every solution
What do our clients and partners expect? For us to be there when they need us! We have therefore set up an extensive sales network in 80 countries. We rely on trained professionals who interact and meet the needs of very different markets.
We have developed three divisions in specialised areas: residential/commercial works, environmental works and indoor living comfort works. Consequently, the training and updating of our collaborators are the mainstays of our competitive advantage, as are the contributions of Universities and Research Institutes in our R&D area. Innovations arise from focusing on and listening to our clients, who primarily demand interesting and beneficial solutions.
In 2023, our company will be 30 years old, and for almost 30 years we have been harmonising our various sectors and offices to find the perfect balance. Along the way, we could not have imagined what has happened in the last 20 months. The Covid pandemic has upset the strategic balance of supply chains. So, in a world that is speeding up again, we believe that our three-division organisational set-up has helped us to truly meet the specific needs of our clients. Recruiting young people has also raised the potential for an unconventional and truly innovative outlook.
We are known as TeMa, the corporation that meets the needs of clients by operating with the precise intention of not only supplying products but also promptly finding systems and solutions that can solve any problem. This might sound like an easy advertising claim were it not for the fact that this statement encompasses other facets of the “solution maker”, which we intend to be. It is not only a matter of finding answers to problems but also solutions that are less expensive, have less impact on the environment, are quicker to apply, easier, safer and improve durability. And so on.
Such competitiveness matters to designers, builders, installers and distributors in their civil and geotechnical engineering, landscaping, erosion control, transport and soil retention projects with a low environmental impact. For them, we offer high performance to suit all situations, and we do this because we believe in protecting the environment.
- Published in CORPORATION, news, TeMa Technologies and Materials
Embankments in home gardens: small colourful islands
Made of masonry alone, embellished with different types and colours of plants and flowers, and of varying heights, embankments are often part of public buildings in parks and squares, but also a distinctive feature of private gardens. In the urban construction context, embankments can be borders for roadside verges, steps and flowerbeds, reaching a relatively low height, almost always less than 1 metre.
The provide a very attractive and organised visual effect and can be customised with the colours and types of plants you prefer. However, in order to achieve adequate stability for such intervention work, regulations require certain specifications to bear in mind for their construction.
A short and simple recap: let’s start by understanding what they are and how they are built.
What are embankments?
Embankments are accumulations of earth that form more or less evident differences in the level of the ground and can be natural or artificial. Natural embankments are caused and possibly accentuated by landslides, whereas artificial ones are man-made and consist of an earth fill supported by a wall, often in order to highlight the difference in level.
The risk of landslides
As mounds of earth, especially if they are of a certain height, embankments can be severely tested by atmospheric events, resulting in erosion and runoff due to rainwater.
Various characteristic elements can therefore be recognised:
- drainage and runoff systems in the underlying area where all rainwater accumulates;
- support and reinforcement of slopes, the part most susceptible to erosion;
- substrates and erosion control systems to allow plants to grow in the best conditions by sheltering the topsoil from the effects of the wind, sun and rain until the plants have become strong and well-rooted.
Block retaining walls and reinforcement grids
In order to prevent soil erosion or irrigation, embankments are reinforced with retaining walls in a combination of concrete blocks and geogrids, which meet geotechnical, building and architectural requirements.
TeMa Geo Solutions has the right products to create this type of construction.
For soil reinforcement we suggest X-Grid, reinforcement geogrids, which are knitted uniaxial geogrids made of high tenacity polyester yarns covered with a protective PVC layer.
For retaining walls, the range includes T-Block, a single concrete block for building reinforced walls.
The special feature of this product is the male/female joint, shaped directly on the block. This ensures maximum connection between the blocks, thus avoiding the use of mechanical fasteners, glue or mortar and making the wall stronger and more resistant to damage.
Find here all the specifications of the products mentioned.
Advantages of the terrace and balcony system
It is a pleasure to make use of a terrace or a balcony. There is no lack of opportunities, whether it is just for relaxing or enjoying the space for dinners and gatherings with friends, with the added bonus of the scenery. Moreover, due to the pandemic, in recent months we have rediscovered these small “islands” and have exploited them as never before.
They are clearly one of the areas in the home most affected by temperature changes: heat and frost, damp, rain and sometimes hail can undermine the integrity of the flooring system. Water seepage and, above all, temperature changes can quickly damage tiled surfaces, and cracks and detachment are the first signs of disintegration. Flooring applied over a screed that has not yet settled will lead to cracks, also in tiles.
We can find even greater pleasure in making use of a terrace or a balcony when we can do it without any worries, confident in the beauty and safety of all its parts. Therefore when building terraces and balconies, some products are used to perform the most important functions. These are:
- No-Crack, the anti-crack disconnecting system that neutralises underlying tensions and prevents them from reaching tiles;
- T-K-NW and T-K-Net, which drain rainwater and protect the waterproof layer;
- T-Bandel, which seals joints between panels, making them waterproof.
TeMa Interior Solutions has devised a high-performance system to guarantee the durability of intervention work and the aesthetic qualities envisaged during the design stage, all in the shortest possible time.
Let’s analyse the benefits.
System advantages
First and foremost, the system is easy to apply using lightweight materials that are easy to cut. The time frame is very quick: when renovating, it is often an advantage to have materials and solutions available that do not involve downtime in intervention works.
TeMa Interior Solutions has designed ultra-fast under-tile applications so you do not need to wait for about a month for the cement to harden and you can lay the flooring after a couple of days.
The ceramic tile or stone cladding (synthetic or natural) can be directly applied to the membrane using standard cementitious adhesive.
• All the products used have reduced thicknesses that do not occupy space on terraces and balconies.
• After treatment, the surface is entirely renewed.
• The underlying substrate always remains protected and dry.
• As the system is not affected by temperature changes, but can tolerate them well, it is also a feasible solution during the winter season.
• It is important to avoid prolonged exposure to UV rays.
TeMa places great importance on the environment, therefore no hazardous substances are released into groundwater or the subsoil during installation.
Furthermore, the materials are odourless and do not develop gases that are toxic for indoor or outdoor air, or volatile organic compounds (VOC).
Visit this page to learn more.
- Published in Balconies and terraces, INTERIOR, news
Retaining walls: applications in residential, commercial and infrastructural contexts
Supporting walls or retaining walls are vertical structures intended to support and retain accumulations of natural or artificial materials and ensure their stability.
In the part in contact with the ground, the supporting structures are naturally covered with a waterproofing membrane, which must be protected from damage during construction operations and during subsequent settlement of the ground. The mechanical protection of the waterproofing is provided by TeMa Building Solutions T-Kone studded membranes, which also act as damp proofing, slowing down the absorption of moisture.
Moreover, when placed with the studs facing inwards, these membranes create a micro-ventilation space that is beneficial in keeping the structure dry.
In some cases, a rainwater collection system is planned around the perimeter of the building. It is necessary to use drainage geocomposites bonded with a geotextile such as T-Mix Drain, which conveys water to the drainage system envisaged in the project.
Supporting walls are used in a wide variety of areas in the building industry, from residential to infrastructural and commercial contexts.
Let’s take a look at the application in specific fields.
Residential context
It is essential to protect the underground rooms of homes, whether they are used as garages, cellars or basement rooms, in order to prevent the moisture seepage, which would damage the structure and make the indoor environment unhealthy.
TeMa Building Solutions products meet this need and are efficient in this respect.
Commercial context
TeMa Building Solutions products are also ideal for heavy loads such as underground car parks or warehouses in commercial buildings.
In such environments, TMD, the studded membrane bonded with LDPE backing foil for the mechanical protection of waterproofing membranes and the T-Mix Draindrainage geocomposite for the drainage function can also be used. In addition, the T-Comp fibreglass mat performs the subdivision function.
Infrastructures
In major infrastructural works, membranes and geocomposites must be able to withstand and resist heavy loads from the ground and hydrostatic thrust. The effectiveness of TeMa Building products is also proven for this type of construction work.
To learn more about the mentioned products, click here.
TeMa Technologies and Materials’ sustainable choice
We started out almost 30 years ago and being environmentally responsible has always been part of our philosophy, partly due to the fact that our headquarters are located less than three kilometres from the core zone of the hills recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and just over 6 km from the edge of the Cansiglio forest.
So protecting the environment was always going to be one of our key commitments, not just in our manufacturing systems, but also in the innovations implemented in the solutions we offer our customers.
Reinforced soil and CO2 savings
Our engineers have redesigned the reinforced soil system, leveraging the very pressure of the soil retained by geogrids, so as to save millions of cubic metres of concrete and aggregate, which would otherwise have to be carried to the site in hundreds of truckloads. Now it takes just one: a considerable saving in terms of CO2 in line with the goal of reducing the carbon footprint, which is the total amount of greenhouse gas emissions generated by a product or a process.
Our geonets and geogrids are made partly from recycled plastic sourced from facilities that are controlled to ensure the resulting plastic meets our standards. A substantial difference in terms of both the collection of material to be recycled and conditioned, and the recycling procedure itself (the material in question is high-density polyethylene, and polypropylene, which comes from bottles, containers, capsules and so on), as well as its preparation, for which – in order to ensure quality – we have set up two plants: EcoTeMa in Russia and Replastica in Romania.
A sustainability journey that TeMa has embarked on and is committed to pursuing further, continuing to invest in technologies and systems with a view to achieving zero emissions by 2050.
Our recycling production process
Material sorting: only materials that meet preset standards in terms of quality and type make it to the next stage. The sorted material is first shredded and then washed, then shredded and washed again. Only then does it qualify as a “raw material” ready to be turned into granules and then extruded and used in TeMa production processes.
It is supplied to our facilities across the Group for them to make into products to be introduced into the market in line with the specifications laid out by designers and in compliance with the legal requirements in the individual countries.
Where does the washing water end up?
The water used for washing is also reused once suitably treated. The portion of water not used is disposed of in compliance with specific government standards on environmental impact.
Renewable energy
Along with plastic recycling and a focus on reducing the amount of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere, the IWIS Group has installed 3 photovoltaic systems of its own – with rated outputs of 200 kWp, 150 kWp and 100 kWp – as well as a cogenerator, together producing 50% of the energy used in manufacturing.
If you wish to receive information about it, CONTACT US.
- Published in CORPORATION, Research and development, TeMa Technologies and Materials
No-Crack, disconnecting and much more
The main function of the No-Crack membrane, consisting of an HDPE studded layer with a roughened surface and a spunbonded polypropylene fabric, is to act as a bridge between the screed and the tiles.
The disconnecting function
Temperature fluctuations in open spaces and the constant presence of moisture in closed environments such as bathrooms put a strain on the stability of the screed, which “lives”, even after many years, and risks revealing tensions and cracks. As a result, over time fissures may appear in the tiles.
The studded structure of the membrane neutralises tensions below and prevents any cracks from reaching the tiles, thereby keeping them intact.
In other words, No-Crack ensures that the tiles are not in direct contact with the screed and do not move with it.
But that’s not all
This membrane also offers other advantages: when used in conjunction with the T-Bandel accessory, it provides a waterproofing function This application is highly recommended in outdoor environments subject to moisture seepage, significant temperature fluctuations and heavy loads (e.g. tables or cupboards on terraces) in order to protect the underlying substrate by keeping it dry and protected at all times.
Easy and speedy intervention works
If the screed has to be redone (in new buildings) or rebuilt following deterioration, intervention works can take a long time. No-Crack reduces the time required, as it can be tiled over after just 48 hours (compared to 28 days for intervention works without using this product), therefore allowing occupants to remain in their homes.
This is because the membrane layer separates the screed from the tiles, giving it plenty of time to stabilise without interrupting intervention works.
- Published in Balconies and terraces, INTERIOR, news
Internationalisation is synonymous with research and flexibility
Being an international company does not mean selling abroad. It means creating or adapting products to the needs of other countries worldwide. Products that are naturally different to ours because the morphology of the land, the climate, the critical issues at stake and therefore people’s needs, are different.
In this sense, internationalisation is the result of a corporate approach to research and the technological development of products, materials and processes. Each division of the TeMa Group, namely Interior Solutions, Building Solutions and Geo Solutions, requires technical performance, a skilled workforce and know-how that is always at the cutting edge.
TeMa Group’s labs
New products, superior performance and innovative materials are the result of close interaction between our technical/design departments and our testing and quality control labs. Not only dimensional analysis and structural checks but also durability, compression and waterproofing tests are carried out in order to test the products against set quality standards. Here are some examples. For TeMa Interior Solutions, ANSI A118.10 (American National Standard Specifications) are the standard requirements for load-bearing, bonded, waterproof membranes for laying ceramic and natural stone tiles. For TeMa Building Solutions, in addition to the CE mark, membranes bear a Declaration of Performance (DOP) that certifies how they respond to the applications for which they are intended. For TeMa Geo Solutions, the UNI EN ISO 90001:2000 certified quality system ensures that the entire production is at peak performance levels.
TeMa Group partnerships
To be forward-looking and offer innovative products, materials and processes, it is essential for us to establish collaborations and partnerships with research institutes and organisations, also on a global basis. Since 2006, TeMa Technologies and Materials has been a member of IGS, the International Geosynthetics Society, an association committed to developing geosynthetic products from a scientific and engineering perspective. Its main goal is to promote the appropriate use of these materials and their related technology worldwide.
Continuous updating therefore allows us to offer innovative solutions in line with the ever-changing needs of the market. Below you will find some interesting events planned for the year 2021-2022.
EUROGEO7, in Warsaw (Poland), from 19-22 September 2021. With the spotlight on geosynthetic products, many sessions will be offered, from using these materials in new sectors to the role they will play in the circular economy.
12 ICG 2023, in Rome, from 17-21 September 2023. The 12th International Conference on Geosynthetics. The event will focus on interaction between the academic and professional worlds and on the latest technological developments in various sectors for a more resilient planet (Geosynthetics, Leading the Way to a Resilient Planet).
- Published in CORPORATION, Exhibitions and events, news, TeMa Technologies and Materials
Environmental intervention works in keeping with our philosophy
An environmental reappraisal
Over the centuries the relationship between man and the environment has undergone considerable tensions. Rural development and the impetus in building have undoubtedly disrupted certain landscapes, reducing natural spaces to accommodate new urban and agricultural areas. This type of intervention work has led to a crisis in the ecosystem, imposing re-evaluation of the fragile balance between the economy and the environment.
This is the socio-cultural background that has led to global re-assessment aimed at defining programmes and new territorial management formulas. It has been the driving force behind TeMa Geo Solutions, the TeMa business unit dedicated to environmental intervention works. These are aimed at protecting land and offering the opportunity to operate using eco-compatible solutions and products that integrate into the environment without compromising its appearance or safety.
Sustainable development according to TeMa
Nestled at the foot of the hills declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the TeMa headquarters could not help but consistently correspond to this desire for sustainability, widespread in this area for some years now. But how has it contributed? By using raw materials responsibly, with 100% natural solutions and intervention procedures with low environmental impact.
Natural products
As a concrete example, TeMa addresses the problem of surface erosion of the soil by meteoric rain with Ecovernet® in natural fibres such as jute or Ecovermat® in natural fibres such as straw and coconut – or in biodegradable cellulose fibre. Installing products in this range allows intervention works to be carried out immediately, even in situations with difficult access for on-site vehicles. For such types of intervention works, total integration with the soil is achieved, guaranteeing lasting results over time.
Green intervention works
An interesting new development introduced by our technicians is the use of lightweight materials that feature reduced encumbrance, which not only affects the cost of the work but also speeds up the time required on-site. When building drainage systems, for example, TeMa does not rely on that range of inert materials from quarries that need to be extracted and transported. The company uses drainage geocomposites instead, such as Q-Drain, thus avoiding any waste of energy and CO₂ emissions into the air, thus ensuring quick installation.
These are just a few examples to show the potential that the field of environmental engineering has to offer:
- Reduction in costs while maintaining the effectiveness of intervention works
- Sustainability of the actions taken
- Protection and safeguarding of the soil
- Promotion of natural raw materials
To fully understand our philosophy, browse through the new catalogue dedicated to the protection of vineyards, which are the natural and cultural heritage of our lands and an identifying feature of our history. Inside it, you will find products and solutions for responsible and eco-compatible actions.
- Published in Drainage geocomposites and membranes, Erosion mats, GEO, Research and development
Venetoglobe interviews Luciano Mazzer
For the “VOCI DA…” column, the radio and television broadcaster Venetoglobe interviewed Luciano Mazzer, asking for his opinion, as an entrepreneur and as president of the major international group IWIS, on the current situation. He offers a frank picture of this difficult time that raises concerns about the future and about its partners at production plants located in Europe, Asia and America.
He reflects on when all this will be over, with a responsibility that looks to the future hoping that the time to start again is imminent.
First and foremost, he says that he will need to consider all his employees. As for the rest, strong commitment will be required from institutions.
- Published in CORPORATION, news
Cycle/pedestrian paths: when we get back onto our saddle, we’ll know more about them…
We know that our bike has become a mirage. But we can promise ourselves to use it more when this period of seclusion is over. Meanwhile, why don’t we take advantage of the time available to discover interesting things all around us? For example, cycle paths. Let’s start at the beginning.
What is the correct definition of a cycle/pedestrian path?
It’s where you can ride your bike, of course. But, can pedestrians walk on it too? What is the direction of movement? Then there are increasingly more complex questions, such as: has it been built as a separate cycle path or as a reserved lane? Is it a cycle/pedestrian path or a vehicular/cycle path? In short, there are many features that a cycle/pedestrian path must have in order to be defined as such. Let’s take a look at them together.
The cycle/pedestrian path was invented to allow pedestrians and bikes to get about. Such paths require cyclists to respect pedestrians and get off their bike whenever necessary to avoid getting in the way. Consequently, they are not paths for the exclusive use of cyclists.
Creating these kinds of paths encourages people to get about without using a car, thanks to these dedicated spaces, where they can feel safe from urban traffic.
How do you build a cycle/pedestrian path?
In 2018 TeMa Geo Solutions built a cycle/pedestrian path in Cozzuolo di Vittorio Veneto (TV). One of the main aims of the project was to improve road safety in an area that is a gateway to the city and where a city park is situated, used by families and children.
First of all, we enlarged the road and the nearby roundabout in order to create the necessary space for inserting the path. The enlargement was facilitated by the construction of a reinforced earth escarpment, for which reinforced geogrids were used. Installed in the ground, they create friction and enable the system to withstand significant levels of stress. The intervention work, designed on the basis of a single berm positioned at about 2 metres above ground level, allowed pedestrian and cycle traffic in an area that had been dangerous from the outset.
Looking on the bright side, when you get back onto your saddle, you’ll be more aware of what’s under your wheels. Enter the TeMa world, visit our website.