A new locally produced wall and facade system called Mofex is now available as an affordable green alternative to permanent, conventional wall systems.

“The key is to re-use”, says Dirk Durnez, managing director of Cape Town-based Mofex. “When you recycle, it is too late, you already created a non-sustainable solution’. Re-cycled and recyclable materials do not save resources; it still results in the need for transportation and creates industrial pollution. Recycling uses energy, which requires infrastructure and costs money. On top of that, dumping will become expensive and taxable, just like in Europe”, he predicts. “Every time a change comes along – parts or the entire interior fit-out are demolished, disposed, re-designed and re-built with new raw materials which are mined, logged, transported, refined and procured. No matter what materials you choose, it is not sustainable,” Durnez says.

Mofex walls can not only be re-used and re-configured; walls are also adaptable in shape, finish and function. Decorative panels and accessories are simply clipped on and off in a matter of minutes. Basically, any panel material and decorative finish can be used whilst the company offers a unique sandwich panel made of recycled materials with wood and even stone veneer finishes.

With frequent changes, the norm in commercial interiors, clients prefer to save money by reusing materials. In conventionally constructed interiors, entirely new walls must be erected and new electrical wiring installed with each reconfiguration. Just a few years ago, the cycle for refitting a store was approximately seven years. Now, this cycle has shortened to four years or less just to maintain a competitive advantage. With the Mofex system, redesigning and updating a store interior design does not mean scrapping everything and starting fresh to achieve a new look, Durnez says.

Mofex, which stands for Modular, Functional, Exchangeable walls, is a long term, sustainable solution for today’s ever-changing world and trends. The company claims that the system saves up to 50% of the cost of re-fitting a store.

As there is no drilling or wet works involved, Mofex is a fast and non-disruptive solution for the working environment, resulting in saving time and money. Flexibility, ease of installation and quick order turnaround means a profitable return on your investment. Conventional walling construction requires demolition that contributes to our land fills and requires new raw materials if the objective is rebuilding in a new location, which is expensive, says Durnez.

But besides all this, the Mofex walls have a great tax-benefit as walls can be depreciated over a period of six years. Durnez showed a calculation with astonishing figures. A conventional wall of R 75 000 costs only 15% more, after the tax deductions, if done with Mofex, despite all the apparent benefits. When re-used or re-located once, a saving of almost R 60 000 is achieved. If the wall has to be changed or re-located twice, there is a phenomenal saving of R 129 000. “So hopefully, gone are the days that walls are broken down and dumped into the environment which I am witnessing every day along the road on my way from my hometown Melkbosstrand to work”, Durnez says.