Polystyrene is an innovative building material that is cost effective, efficient and friendly to the environment because of the technology’s capability to provide opportunity for unique designs and buildings with high structural integrity.

The technology is also advantageous to the environment as it is energy efficient, providing improved indoor environmental quality and enhancing durability even as the technology also lends itself to interior decor capability.

Polystyrene Industries Limited the pioneer investor in this technology is already delivering building materials made out of polystyrene to many builders in Nigeria.

According to Hamza Atta, the company’s Managing Director, the technology provides an option for a simpler, faster and more comfortable system of building low cost houses.

Mr. Atta said the technology has the ability to deliver a two- bedroom flat in a period of less than two weeks and is far cheaper compared to the conventional cement dominated building.

“We are trying to build a two- bedroom flat in seven days. So it’s a cheaper and faster means of building houses. Because you have galvanised wires round the polystyrene panel used in building the houses, the building is hurricane and collapse proof because you have irons caged in concrete. And any engineer can use it,” he assured.

According to him, the technology can help reduce the deficit in housing that is currently approximated at 17 million housing units that require about N56 trillion to bridge.

He also added that polystyrene deployed to low cost houses can create many builders and create employment for many young people.

“We can do internally displaced camps and other low cost housing with this technology. We can transfer technology to engineers.

He says one is able to save 30 to 40 per cent in putting up a structure using polystyrene on some parts of the structure like facials, floor slabs and the ceiling