SAINT PAUL, MN – The Fabricated Geomembrane Institute (FGI) was created two years ago to represent the wide variety of specialty geomembranes that are provided by fabricators. “The association started strong with 23 original members in March 2009,” stated Dr. Tim Stark, “and that membership has more than doubled to 48 companies in all membership categories. This growth is due in part to the research being conducted by the FGI as well as the educational courses FGI regularly offers to the industry.” The association has accomplished much since its inception and more projects are in the works, such as exposed solar covers and air channel testing of field seams. Anyone involved in the fabricated geomembrane industry, whether manufacturer, fabricator, designer or others allied with the industry, is invited to join.
For the past two years the FGI has conducted member surveys of North American fabricated geomembranes. “The 2010 study showed that the FGI membership represented over 651,000,000 square feet of installed fabricated geomembranes,” commented FGI President Andrew Mills. “When we formed the FGI we were pretty sure that the fabricated geomembrane market was bigger than it was being given credit for. It’s still early in our surveys and I am expecting better reporting in years to come; however, this 2010 survey result is really starting to point out the importance of fabricated geomembranes in the overall market.”
More engineers are recognizing the versatility of fabricated geomembranes and designing projects that call for them. Installation is faster when the majority of seams are fabricated and the quality testing is completed before the liner arrives on the jobsite.
The Fabricated Geomembrane Institute is affiliated with the University of Illinois at Urban-Champaign. Dr. Timothy D. Stark is a Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with an expertise in Geotechnical and Geosynthetics Engineering. Dr. Stark has been teaching, researching, and consulting on geosynthetics, stability of manmade slopes, and design of waste containment facilities for about 20 years. The FGI is an industry-sponsored institute at the U of I focused on advancing the use of fabricated geomembranes through education, research, and technology transfer.
For more information on the FGI, contact Dr. Stark at +1 217-333-7394 or tstark@illinois.edu.
MEDIA CONTACT
Laurie Honnigford FGI Representative +1-651-554-1895 laurie@honnigford.com