We continue our project in Owerri, more works done today, the electrical piping is ongoing, plumbing works ongoing, carpentry work ongoing, iron works, yet to start but will commence from Monday. Some pictures of fresh supplies and the way we are getting ready for a very solid deck.

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top of the deck wood works

conduit plumbing pipes fixed

fixing the remaining planks on the deck

I think this should be the 23rd day of starting this project, and this is the way the house looks now, we could do better if not for the delays in procuring some materials, I am still chasing around for sharp sand here, and will be out trying to get enough quantity for this deck on Monday morning, cost of sand here is also another story. I am sure my budget has since been overshot.

In my quest for more knowledge on how things could be done better and differently, I paid a visit to a building site in Owerri to see an alternative building technique very different from the way we build in naija.

I will just post the pictures and leave you guys to make the comments. Like I said before, this project is being executed by the Imo state government in Owerri but we should use the following pictures to learn a trick or two about how things could be done differently. In the end, we should look at many factors that could encourage or discourage the use of this "fix system" technique.

For me, I am ready to adopt and adapt to new technology, but what about these pressing questions;

Is it safe?
Is it convenient?
Is it affordable?
What about the environment?

Please enjoy the pictures

foundation slab

prefabricated concrete walls on the ground

more walls

vehicles bearing these slabs are still offloading

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more vehicles

there seems to be provisions made for conduit fittings inside the slab

and the house is built! just like that?

see workers hastily fitting window frames and glasses to the fixed (assembled) walls

and they topped the upstairs walls!

and a block of classrooms appeared on the plain ground!

Haaaa! it has turned into a school!!!

and they started to design the windows

closer on the windows

Ol'boy, I hope this house is safe to study in. How long did it take to get it to that stage? A week? or less? Knowing naija and how we do our things I doubt if all right standards will be followed to assemble/build with this type of material. I still think our block style of building is stronger/safer.

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prince_onx: Ol'boy, I hope this house is safe to study in. How long did it take to get it to that stage? A week? or less? Knowing naija and how we do our things I doubt if all right standards will be followed to assemble/build with this type of material. I still think our block style of building is stronger/safer.

Abi?

I just took another look at those pictures and men I no like this thing at all. Are there anything like pillars carrying the top part of the structure?

In my neck of the woods, this is the norm in large commercial building projects. I have witnessed entire blocks of downtown office complexes go up in weeks, complete with multilevel underground parking lots.

There is nothing wrong with this technique, the problem as I see it is the Nigerian factor.

johnboyy: In my neck of the woods, this is the norm in large commercial building projects. I have witnessed entire blocks of downtown office complexes go up in weeks, complete with multilevel underground parking lots.

There is nothing wrong with this technique, the problem as I see it is the Nigerian factor.

You are right Johnboyy. Over here in Europe most buildings were built like that but if accurate measurments are taken and Nigeria factor excluded I have no fears. Oga Spider, it looks beautiful but what do you think of pic 14?

U guys are missing on precast concrete structures. I am an architect and can conveniently tell u that precast concrete is a million miles ahead of the conventional block work we use in naija.precast has been in use for over a hundred years in developed countries and has many advantages over block work some of which are:

1. Safer (fire resistant qualities make it safe for occupants)
2. Cheaper (erection costs and low maintenance cost)
3. Flexible(any design is possible givin a building its individuality)
4. Higher Quality.
5. Low noise level (very good for building in phases.If users occupy one wing of a building,construction going on at another end will not distract users as the noise level during construction is low.
6. Faster(precast concrete panels are very fast to erect thereby saves a lot on labour costs)
7. Integration of other elements such as plumbing,electrical services etc
8. Durability (Precast could last a hundred years and still look as good as new)
9. Thermal properties ( using precast concrete could reduce your air conditioning load by up to 50% as it has a high thermal mass)
9 Structural uses (if desired,precast concrete could be used as structural elements)
10.Acoustical inulation
etc

prince_onx: Ol'boy, I hope this house is safe to study in. How long did it take to get it to that stage? A week? or less? Knowing naija and how we do our things I doubt if all right standards will be followed to assemble/build with this type of material. I still think our block style of building is stronger/safer.

This is the way to go if the government is interested in constructing houses/classroom blocks that are durable. It's very safe,considering that the walls are made of concrete. In most countries, houses are built using prefabricated parts. In Germany, you can never see things like staircase being cast - even for stand alone duplexes - they take prefabricated steps and set them into their already appointed places.

Besides, Imo State and Owerri in particular have got experience with prefabricated houses. In the 80s (during Mbakwe's regime) a whole section of the town was built that way, and it's called Prefab close to Aladinma housing estate by Ikenegbu. Oga Spyder, you can go and check out the houses there.

U guys are missing on precast concrete buildings.Precast has been in use for over a hundred years now and its advantages are numerous compared to the conventional block work we are used to.Precast concrete is a thousand miles ahead of block work and some advantages are:

1.Faster erection time:saves construction time
2.Flexible design giving each building its individuality
3.Cheaper and safer due to fire resistant abilities
4.Durable: could last a hundred years and still look new
5.Cost efective:faster erection times means labor costs are reduced.Panels are also cheaper and have low maintenance cost
6.Low noise level during construction: very useful in ares where low noise is required
7.Structural capabilities
8.Acoustical insulation capabilities
9.Thermal insulation properties
etc

Ferya:

You are right Johnboyy. Over here in Europe most buildings were built like that but if accurate measurments are taken and Nigeria factor excluded I have no fears. Oga Spider, it looks beautiful but what do you think of pic 14?

I purposefully went very close to get that shot, first the cracks, but lets pretend its as a result of the slab falling off badly from the vehicle that brought it. But is the rod inside it not too small?

chidexy:

This is the way to go if the government is interested in constructing houses/classroom blocks that are durable. It's very safe,considering that the walls are made of concrete. In most countries, houses are built using prefabricated parts. In Germany, you can never see things like staircase being cast - even for stand alone duplexes - they take prefabricated steps and set them into their already appointed places.

Besides, Imo State and Owerri in particular have got experience with prefabricated houses. In the 80s (during Mbakwe's regime) a whole section of the town was built that way, and it's called Prefab close to Aladinma housing estate by Ikenegbu. Oga Spyder, you can go and check out the houses there.

Aladinma housing estate, Ikenegbu. I will look up the estate whenever am free in Owerri, we need to see this system after many years.

u guys are missing out on precast concrete construction which is miles ahead of the conventional block work we are used to.some advantages of precast over block work are

Flexibility
Fire resistance
Cost effectiveness
Fast construction time
Durability
Low maintenance cost
low noise level
Acoustical insulation properties
Thermal insulation properties
Integration of mechanical and electrical services
and many more