Lanka slow to adopt new methodologies in construction - Constructor

President of a Canadian provider of modern building construction technology and processes to developing countries Bernard de Livera says that the performance standards of the building and construction industry in Sri Lanka has to improve.

It is his opinion that despite the outstanding capabilities of the builders in Sri Lanka this sector not embracing modern methodologies and processes available in several developed and developing countries is resulting in far too much time being taken to build which has a direct impact on the costs both to the client and the contractor.

On tsunami permanent housing De Livera states that it will be very unfortunate if the INGO's and the State even tries to pursue the tried and failed system of laying brick over brick. Such strategy would take over five years to finish.

'Sri Lanka appears to be having a major problem in firstly hiring skilled workers and secondly retaining them. With the impending building boom with a large number of tourist facilities and real estate developments lined up to take off in the near future the situation is bound to get worse', he said.

India understood this dilemma and today India is using Canadian technology based solutions to speedily and cost effectively execute their construction projects. Canada is a world leader in the provision of modern cost effective solutions to respond to the massive global needs in the field of infrastructure and housing technology is highly advanced in Canada.

The technology provided by Mascon Canada was used to build 10,000 housing units in Gujarat India after the recent earthquake devastation in this State, he said.

The Canadian technology based patented Mascon solution offered by De Livera is tried, tested and proven over 25 years where thousands and thousands of units have been constructed in 14 countries some of them in the Middle East and Africa and most in Asia.

The buildings are cement based and therefore solid and able to withstand high winds and tolerate earthquake levels specified by the State. The houses are identical to the traditional Sri Lanka houses and looks and feels the same. Culturally Sri Lankan's would have absolutely no problem, said De Livera. Individual houses, walk up apartments and high rise buildings of 30-40 floors could be constructed using this system.

The speed with which these houses could be built is very impressive. The first day the light weight aluminum form work is erected the second day the concrete is poured and the third day the form work is taken out for re-use in the next house. Appropriately used one form set could easily build 500 houses.

The foundation could be poured at the same time the walls are poured. If a slab is required so that on a later day the occupants could expand by building up the roof slab also could be poured at the same time.

Most of the labour required are un-skilled workers and 50% of this could be women and 10% could be partially disabled persons. No cranes or such heavy equipment is required. Most importantly the cost per sq/ft is expected to be 10%-15% lower than the going industry rate in Sri Lanka.

North American Trade Express Inc., of which Bernard De Livera is President are the exclusive agents for Sri Lanka and are also members of the Chamber of the Construction Industry that has fully endorsed the usage of the system in Sri Lanka.

De Livera says that the interest and response by the Sri Lankan professionals including leading architects, structural and civil engineers and the private sector developers is highly positive and that the CECB evaluated and offered the system to the UDA when bidding for a mass housing project.

The system could assist many organisations in Sri Lanka who have undertaken to construct and provide mass housing projects whether they are individual houses, walk-up apartments or high rise buildings.

When asked as to how many houses of approximately 500 sq/ft could be finished on a daily basis De Livera said that if the target is to build 10,000 houses 50 houses per day could be finished and readied for occupation.