P.K Light Block Co Ltd, a relatively new player in Cambodia’s building materials sector, is contributing to the construction industry’s progressive development by supplying a material to reduce costs at the construction site.

The building materials manufacturer is the first to bring in the Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (AAC) technology to Cambodia. The AAC is a lightweight, load-bearing, high-insulating, durable building product, which is produced in a wide range of sizes and strengths.

AAC blocks produced by P.K Light Block are lightweight and three times lighter compared to red clay bricks.

The material is used in many building constructions, for example in residential homes as well as commercial and industrial buildings.

AAC blocks is a unique and excellent type of building material due to its better acoustic and thermal insulation and heat resistance compared to red clay bricks. The material offers ultimate workability, flexibility and durability. Its main ingredients include sand, water, quicklime, cement and gypsum.

The chemical reaction due to the aluminium paste provides AAC its distinct porous structure, lightness, and insulation properties, completely different compared to other lightweight concrete materials.

P.K Light Block general director Khou Youheang told The Post that AAC blocks are also suitable for renovation works in old buildings.

“This is because structural strength of old buildings are not that good [anymore], so when they want to renovate or expand the building they will consider using our products.

“AAC blocks also help older buildings save utility cost because they have higher heat resistance [compared to other materials],” he explained.

Since the establishment of P.K Light Block in 2015, they have seen other new companies joining the competition. However, Khou said, “I believe clients will [still] come back to us because of our products’ quality.

“We believe [and invest] in research and development because we always want to be the leading manufacturer for AAC.”

According to him, in P.K Light Block’s first year of operations, nobody knew about their products and the company was losing money every month. “But, this year P.K Light Block has been recording a 50 per cent growth compared to [the same period] last year. Now we are producing 150,000 cubic metres of AAC blocks annually,” he added.

Khou said that P.K Light Block’s purpose of taking part in Cambuild’19 is to get more people to know the company, and spread awareness on the availability of AAC building materials in Cambodia.

“Our next goal is to introduce a new product into the market, which are AAC panels. This kind of product will save even more costs [compared to AAC blocks]. The panels can be used for building walls and flooring.

“We are also looking to expand our manufacturing plant as its current size is limited. The new facility is expected to be ready by the middle of next year,” he added.

Construction projects that P.K Light Block has supplied AAC blocks include Courtyard by Marriot Phnom Penh, Sky Villa and Vattanac Capital Tower.

AAC is a non-toxic product which does not pollute the air, land or water.

During the manufacturing process, waste from the cutting process is recycled with raw materials and used again.

The energy consumed in the production process is only a fraction compared to the production of other materials. The manufacturing process emits no pollutants and creates no by-products or toxic waste products.

AAC is manufactured from natural raw materials.

Finished AAC products are thrice the volume of the raw materials used, making it very resource-efficient and environment-friendly.