In Nigeria, the high cost of building materials using brick and mortar coupled with the lengthy time it takes to deliver a house , has led to the search for and evolution of alternative ways of providing housing in a country where a good number of citizens don’t have homes they can call their own.
For cultural, environmental and security reasons, some form of buildings, notably prefabricated structures, are not fashionable here unlike the western world where it is almost a norm.
Presently, green building, also known as green construction or sustainable building, is fast becoming a fad in the building industry and it refers to structures using process that are environmentally responsible and resource-efficient throughout a building’s life-cycle—from siting to design, construction, operation, maintenance, renovation, and demolition.
Although new technologies are constantly being developed to complement current practices in creating greener structures, the common objective is that green buildings are designed to reduce the overall impact of the built environment on human health and the natural environment by, among other things, efficiently using energy, water, and other resources; protecting occupants’ health and improving employee productivity, and reducing waste, pollution and environmental degradation.
The Mundostrade technology goes some steps further, adding speed and reducing construction cost. The technology, according to its promoters, is a response to the urgent need to mass-produce housing to bridge housing demand-supply gap in Nigeria.
Mundoscrete Pre-stressed T Beam and Block flooring system is the new technology developed by Mundostrade Limited—an innovative construction solutions company operating in Lagos, Nigeria.
The technology is an innovative and cost-effective precast and pre-stressed concrete products suitable for use in both domestic and commercial applications and it is based on a successful concept originating and proven in Europe and used all over the world, including Ghana and South Africa. It has also been in use for more than 50 years in those countries.
Gideon Ikwe, Mundostrade’s Managing Director, says “Mundoscrete system provides a high quality and economic alternative to concrete floor construction; it is simple, economical and does not require any skilled labour to set up. Furthermore, this method of construction reduces much of the site work that is evident in conventional in-situ concrete floor and roofs because no formwork or reinforcement is required on site”, he said.
The technology is suitable for use on ground and upper storey on all kinds of construction, from residential to commercial buildings and one of its high points is that it is maintenance-free with high levels of sound and thermal insulation and fire resistance.
The technology has many advantages over the conventional method of building some of which include fast and simple installation requiring no special skills; it is cheaper than traditional method; it is also a green technology needing no deforestation for formwork, and reduces the dead weight of building with its lighter decking.
“This system is ideal for use on sloping ground; enables a safe level ground floor platform to be quickly established; provides Immediate safe working platform because as soon as the pre-cast elements are installed, the floor can safely be used, “ Ikwe said.
“This is an all-weather construction method; it can be installed in adverse weather conditions; it offers flexibility of design as its high load carrying capacity allows complete freedom of room design layouts; it is a rapid solution to high quality and economical concrete floor construction”, he added.
On its application, Ikwe explained that the system involves installation of pre-stressed concrete T beams with blocks in-filled between them, pointing out that it is custom designed for varying uses and comes in a standard form design that can be arranged in a variety of ways depending on loadings required.
“The system comprises pre-stressed, inverted “T” beams in-filled with standard concrete blocks. T-Beams are produced to give nominal depths from 150mm to 225mm and are placed at 450-520mm and/or 295mm centres depending on span and load”, he explained further.
Chuka Uroko
