Developers embrace steel technologies amid logging ban

The upcoming Iguta Paradise Homes which is under construction. The four-bedroom houses going at Sh32 million overlook Runda. PHOTO| FILE| NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • He says the government should identify timber merchants who do their businesses responsibly and exempt them from the ban.
  • “We grow our own tress next to the Nakuru-Eldoret highway. When we cut a tree, we plant three others because we care about the environment. The ban caught us off guard,” he adds. 

Following the ban on logging over two months ago, some building projects have stalled, given the scarcity and high cost of timber. But savvy developers have turned to steel building technologies.

Mr Dominic Karau, the director of construction at the Telagen Group of Companies, the owners of Kingspride Properties Ltd, says timber prices have shot up amidst diminishing supply, even though   timber is being imported from Congo and Uganda.

“One has to wait for a long time because the stocks are not available,” says Mr Karau. Timber merchants, Timsales Ltd, says the ban on logging has left them without any raw materials. “Right now we are not taking any big orders. Developers are going for steel, although it is expensive,” says a source from Tim Sales Ltd.

He says the government should identify timber merchants who do their businesses responsibly and exempt them from the ban.

“We grow our own tress next to the Nakuru-Eldoret highway. When we cut a tree, we plant three others because we care about the environment. The ban caught us off guard,” he adds. 

The concrete batching plant, which mixes sand, cement and concrete, and pumps the mixture into the hollow spaces between the aluminium plates. Right: The head of business development at Space & Style, Mr James Kimotho, next to a sample steel ceiling frame on display.  PHOTOS| MILLICENT MWOLOLO AND FRANCIS NDERITU

AFFECTED LOCAL DEVELOPERS

Mr Karau says the ban has affected local developers, who were just recovering from a prolonged electioneering period. “Depending on the design of the roof, steel trusses come at a price. A lot of cutting when creating the designs increases the building costs. But we have no choice,” he explains.

This, he adds, has pushed up the cost of building. He says this cost will eventually be passed on to homebuyers.

At Iguta Paradise Homes in Runda, Arcoverde Kenya Ltd has gone big with steel and aluminium building panels and supporting beams, a technology they imported from the United States. “We are using steel, ballast, sand and cement. There are no building stones or wood,” says a developer who wishes to remain anonymous.

Builders on site are busy assembling the deformed steel rods, piping and wiring systems, and the configured aluminium building panels, 3,600 pieces per house, all of which are coded. “All the plates have to align at 90 degrees to give a clear angle and proper measurements of the thickness of the walls, the support beams and the slab,” says the developer.

 The configurations are standardised and premeasured. Once  the plates have been assembled on the  walls, the staircases and the slab, the already mixed concrete is pumped into the structure through an opening in the slab, where it all flows downwards, filling into the hollow space between the plates in the walls, the staircase, the beams and the slab.

“Since we are using high- strength cement with this technology, it dries  very fast,” he adds.

This saves time as the developer can complete one floor in four  days.

FIVE UNITS WITHIN FIRST MONTH

Of all the 32, four-bedroom townhouses in Iguta Phase One, which neighbours Runda, the developer has built five units within the first month.

The developer has imported all the steel for the project.

“It is a huge investment. But it would have cost me twice as much had I sourced locally,” he says. Locally, the prices for steel are up to 40 per cent higher than timber.

At TuffSteel Ltd, Mr Mukesh Patel, the director, says the demand for steel bars has gone up considerably.

“I cannot quantify but every week we are trucking a lot more steel bars than before,” he adds.

The strength of steel cannot be compared with that of timber. A 1x1” pipe of steel is much stronger than a 40x40”  wooden one. It is, therefore, not  surprising  that steel has taken over building aspects that were previously served by wood. Wood panels have been replaced by steel framework.

The roofing truss is another element. Block boards have been replaced with steel plates, which are much lighter. Steel step pipes, which are reusable, have replaced  wood in the construction of high-rise buildings.

Benefits of modern light-gauge steel building technologies

Though a huge investment, advanced steel building technologies at Iguta Paradise Homes save on time, labour costs and help protect the environment.

The steel panel moulds are connected to a batching plant which automatically mixes water, cement, and concrete in the right ratios.

All the elements are controlled and no dust is emitted to the environment. The concrete pump connected to a standby generator applies pressure to the concrete mixture, which passes through pipes onto the slab.

“Given the size of this project, we would have needed 17 people to mix the concrete, but there are only three  of us because there is less manual labour,” says Mr John Mwangi, a builder at  Iguta Paradise Homes.

This advantage is similar to light-gauge steel technologies that are competing with heavy gauge steel.

For the last five years, Space & Style, a manufacturer of steel trusses and formwork, has supplied Frametech roofing trusses and structures to developers and contractors. Similarly, Mabati Rolling Mills (MRM) has for the last 10 years customised Ultraspan trusses for the market.

LABOUR COSTS

Both Frametech structures and Ultraspan truss profiles have brought convenience tp the market because they come pre-cut to size and are very light.

This reduces labour costs, unlike heavy-gauge steel beams, tubes and pipes that have to be resized.

Instead of using nails, builders  use of rust-resist screws and plates that are coated with aluminium and zinc. This gives a neat finish in comparison with timber.

Ultraspan is coated in the same way as mabati roofing sheets. “This guarantees comparative life expectancy as the Ultraspan does not fall off before the roofing sheets,” offers Steve Kiruhi, the business development manager at MRM, who is also an architect.

A house under construction using aluminium panels, steel beams and steel foam work. PHOTO| MILLICENT MWOLOLO

Made of light-gauge steel, the trusses are about 20 per cent cheaper than heavy-gauge steel. “They, therefore, present a great saving to your investment,” says Mr James Kimotho, the head of business development.

So innovative are steel trusses and support structures that they guarantee speed, durability and performance. The high speed of production, coupled with rapid on-site erection, saves time and labour costs. “It could take three days to install a simple roofed residential structure,” Mr Kimotho notes.

To access both Ultraspan and Frametech structures, a developer can simply walk into any of Mabati Rolling Mills and Space & Style’s branches with their drawings.

If they do not have drawings, engineers from either company go to the site and take measurements. The design engineers operate with an integrated software solution, which customises all the requirements to suit the preferred roofing.

STEEL STRUCTURES

The software then generates a material list and the quantities needed to execute the design. The prefabricated steel structures are produced such that they are cut, punched and labelled to clarify which one connects to the other.

“It gives the exact sizes, such that before we supply, everything is cut to length and detailed to screw and bolt,” says Mr Kiruhi

This ensures there is no wastage  on site, and that work moves fast since it entails just assembling the truss as per the specifications.

Assembly is, therefore, simplified and is done with the members and chords lying on the ground, adds Mr Kimotho. The frames are then erected by raising them and connecting all the elements with nuts and bolts.

LIGHTNING RESISTANCE

Both Frametech and Ultraspan can support any roofing product, from heavy clay tiles to stone-coated tiles, and iron sheets, among others. The software optimises truss and roof designs so they can  carry loads safely.

Both MRM and Space &Style have trained over 3,000 steel truss installers across the country. 

Developed and used in Europe where there are extreme weather conditions, the design software ensures that locally made steel truss designs are safe. “We have had customised Ultraspan for the last 10 years and we have never had any complaints. The demand has kept surging,” says Mr Kiruhi.

Steel also offers lightning resistance. “The steel framework provides a direct path to the ground in the event of a lightning strike,” says Mr Kimotho.

Compared with timber trusses, light-gauge steel trusses and frameworks provide a competitive, environmental-friendly alternative.

“Light-gauge steel does not accommodate the most essential requirements for mould to develop. It also does not warp or distort. This ensures that the trusses can also  carry heavier loads with considerably less deflection compared with  timber trusses.

Given that steel trusses are formulated from a software configuration, they are accurately assembled. They also have low mass, which eases handling and erection.

“A truss spanning 10 metres has a mass of approximately 50 kilogrammes, which translates to roughly 30 per cent less than a timber truss of the same length,” he explains.

In addition, prefabricated light -gauge steel truss roofs nullify the need for storage buildings or extra on-site carpentry space and ensure accurate and precise assembly.

Light-gauge steel trusses allow for long, continuous profiles, while timber trusses are regularly cut and joined in order to achieve the same. They thus guarantee maximum efficiency, which results in wastage- of less than three per cent. Roofs and ceilings achieve higher quality finishing with steel.

BUILDING PRACTICES FOR A BETTER ENVIRONMENT

Global warming has become a key contributor to the unpredictable climatic patterns worldwide, and thus conserving trees  is of utmost importance. According to the National Environment Management Authority (Nema), Kenya’s forest cover is approximately 5.9 per cent.

However, the United Nations recommends a forest cover of at least 10 per cent. Not surprisingly, this  discourages the use of timber in construction.

According to the World Rainforest Movement, Kenya’s forests are rapidly declining (at about 12,000 hectares per year – about 0.3 per cent deforestation) due to pressure from increased population, fuel, building materials and other land uses.

About 95 per cent of homebuilders still use timber, thus contributing to the above factors.

An estimated 66 per cent of recycled steel is used in the production of light-gauge steel for trusses and structural support systems.

If adopted widely, building steel technologies will help reduce the rate at which trees are being cut down and hence reduce global warming and contribute to the maintenance and growth of forest cover.

Through the Kenya Association of Manufacturers, manufacturers of light-gauge steel building technologies have been lobbying the government to create awareness of the existence of light-gauge steel and its applications as an alternative to traditional roofing methods due to its additional benefits as well as comparatively low contribution to environmental degradation.

In addition, increased levies on logging would discourage deforestation and encourage the use of light-gauge steel, adds Mr Kimotho, the head of business development at Space & Style.

Though there are standards for timber used in construction, enforcement to ensure they are adhered to is lacking.

“People just cut a tree and harvest timber. While it is supposed to season well under shade in order to gather the requisite strength, most of the locally produced timber goes  to the roof while wet. There is a risk that if it cannot bear the weight of roofing cover, it can  warp or twisting. This might  result in structural failure,” says Mr Kiruhi, business development manager a Mabati Rolling  Mills.

In case of fire, timber combusts and spreads the fire. It also spreads smoke, which in most cases kills faster than the fire itself.

This pollution is dangerous to the environment. Whereas when exposed to fire, steel stretches in an elastic manner until it becomes plastic. “But since it takes longer to stretch, lives and property can be saved,” he adds.