Himalayan News Service
Though the prefabricated panels, popularly known as prefab panels, were introduced in the Nepali market almost a decade ago, it gained popularity as an alternative construction material only after the 2015 earthquake. Nothing can beat the stone or brick walls in terms of sustainability, but considering its light weight and easy to assemble and dismantle—prefabricated panels can be an option for those wanting to minimize stressful hurdles of constructing RCC structures.

Prefab buildings are considered to be more suitable for commercial or community purposes—for schools, hospitals, shops, corporate dwellings—they are now equally sought for residential buildings, Laxman Thapa, CEO at sutra construction Pvt. Ltd informs that the demand has faltered with time. He says, “Though the notion of prefab homes were introduced in Nepal more than a decade ago, demand for it saw a significant increase only after the devastating earthquake of 2015. Still when it comes to residential buildings, there are only a handful of projects that we are handling at present.” Such panels come in different sizes and types. They generally come in 2-3-in thickness. The materials that are used for wall, roof, ceiling and floor are expanded polystyrene (EPS) sandwich panel, rock wool sandwich panel, PU sandwich panel, corrugated steel sheet, fiber cement board and so on.

Many factors set prefab homes apart from RCC buildings taking into issues of cost, time and safety. According to Krishna Sundar, Project Manager at International Green Developers Nepal Pvt. Ltd, prefab home is three times faster to construct than RCC buildings. He shares, “It takes one to two months to build a habitatable prefab home on-site as much of the work is completed beforehand,” prefab home is built in panels and modules in a factory which attributes to the low time consumption. On the contrary, it takes more than six months to complete a RCC building. Sundar informs that it is 18-20 percent cheaper to construct a prefab house.

On a similar note, Thapa shares, “For those who have bought a piece of land but do not have the budget to construct a RCC house, prefab house can be the go-to option,” Thapa estimates the average cost of building a prefab home to be Rs 1,800-Rs 2,400 per sq foot depending on size, apace, amenities plumbing, utilities and location.

Talking about the durability, he claims, “Steel beams may rust as it is a corrosive element. If the homeowners regularly paint the beams with enamel then durability is not a huge concern.” Prefab structures are also safer when it comes to earthquakes.

Sundar adds, “Even if the prefab structures collapse during the earthquake the risk of one’s death is considerably minimized as it is lighter than concrete. The high elasticity of the steel structures is also a factor which makes prefab homes safer during earthquake.” When it comes to RCC buildings, repairing cost after the damage sustained during an earthquake is high whereas a prefab building takes less time to repair and it turns to be mush cheaper, too.

Thapa claims that prefab is equally suitable for the building of permanent nature and purposes like residential homes. He says, “Those who have limited budget prefer the construction of prefab home as it is cheaper, safer and faster to build.”

source: the himalayan times, property plus, 25 feb 2018