Making Low Cost Housing a Reality

Extract from Newsday's Business Day Thursday July 24, 2003 - Article by Dara Wilkinson

Gyan Maharaj, Director of DS Maharaj believes that with proper planning and preparation “a house a day” is not an unrealistic goal and is of the view that it can work. At the company’s housing symposium, held at their warehouse at Pt. Lisas recently, Maharaj allowed foreign housing firms to show just how it can be done.

Forsa, for example, represented by Miguel Dominguez, is a Colombian company that manufactures aluminium, that threatens to make bricks obsolete. Attached to each other and erected in the shape of the desired structure these aluminium panels form a mould which allows poured cement to create one solid earthquake-resistant unit. The cement is reinforced by wire mesh. Forsa is currently using this process to complete a variety of projects in fourteen Caribbean states.

Caribbean Steel Mills (CSM) representative Anthony Licorish explained the advantages of his company’s All Steel Roofing Solution (ASRS). Ease of installation, requiring only small tools like drills and no heavy lifters is a key benefit. Significant, too is the fact that only one skilled worker and only three labourers are needed.

Another benefit is speed of installation, only five days are needed for a 1,500 square foot roof. As a result there is also less bulk for transporting. This roofing solution being offered by CSM is compatible with Forsa mould in that the roof can be attached while the mould is being set, or it can be attached after.

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