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Editor Niranjan Mudholkar recently visited the Philippines to check the claims of new building technique originating in that country and recently introduced in India
An innovation can be considered worthwhile only if it meets three basic criteria. It should be economically viable; it should be easily replicable and it should also deliver consistent results over a period of time. Moreover, if an innovation claims to address a critical issue like housing then it needs to be tried and tested against factors like weather and liveability.
When Fabtech Sterling Building Technologies Pvt Ltd (FSBT) introduced Plaswall and claimed it was an innovation in building technique, Construction Week decided to check it against these basic criteria. (FSBT is a JV between Fabtech Technologies International Pvt Ltd and Sterling Construction and Development Corporation).
The product was initially introduced to Construction Week at the Mumbai office of Aasif Khan, Director of Fabtech Technologies. “This technique is basically a unique ‘lost in place’ formwork that does not use bricks and produces a complete load bearing wall when rendered.
It is easy to transport, and the production facility can be assembled at the construction site itself. The very nature of the product makes it wastage and pilferage proof and thus the preferred construction technique in all the markets it has been launched,” he said.
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Of course, Construction Week had some basic questions. Is it safe and durable? Is it ecofriendly and energy efficient? Is it economically viable? Will it withstand India’s diverse weather conditions? Does it require skilled labour? Does it consume a lot of time for construction? Does it comply with standard building codes? “Either I can give the answers here verbally or you can experience them first hand in the Philippines. The technique was born in that country where conditions are quite similar to that of India,” Mr Khan said.
The drive from the Manila Airport certainly confirmed the last part of his claim. The city felt so familiar that it could have been anywhere in India. The visit to the factory as well as to a couple of project sites was quite interesting. One site was a sprawling colony of luxury villas while the other was a compact township for the LIG section. Same technique, same materials and same quality; only design and size were different.
Mark Taylor, the inventor of this new building technique, explained the production process briefly. “We use the patented James Hardie fibre cement boards for the outer structure of the walls. Two such boards are connected using HIMI (High Impact Moulded Inserts) spacers made from recycled plastic in situ and erected to produce a straight-to-finish wall. A monolithic structure is then created by filling the entire structure with concrete.
Additional load capacity can be obtained by providing extra reinforcing bars and/or increasing the grade of the concrete,” he explained. Earlier, he had promised that it would be quite simple and yet effective. An onsite demonstration proved he was on the ‘mark’.
“Evolution is what defines human civilisation. Everything that we humans do goes through a transformation over a period of time. Unfortunately, the way we build our homes hasn’t really changed in the last 100 years or so. We have been using the same technique for decades. What you saw at the site has been my endeavour towards bettering our construction technique,” Mr Taylor explained.
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