Technological revolutions could make building cheaper with introduction of Fiber Cement siding, a building material that is used to cover exterior of a building in both commercial and domestic housing applications. Fiber Cement is made of sand, cement and Cellulose fibers.
Fiber cement is manufactured in sheet form or horizontal boards. The product is nailed onto place on steel structure. It is easier to see how combination of steel structures and fiber cement can work.
The structure is laid on a foundation, which could include a foundation for a normal brick house. It does not only come as leisure: there are amazing achievements in the costing of a house, with a possibility of building a 3-bedroom house at a cheap cost of 1 million only using the materials.
The company provides pre-fabricated housing, where the steel structure can be bought before installation.
The technology has also been applied for building dormitories and commercial housing in Kenya.
Elsek Group has helped people and institutions build cheap houses and structures across the country.
Cheap walling materials that reduce the cost of housing are a great marketable idea. However, having seen ELSEK’s bland and cheap-looking building designs I think they could do with some redesign and better detailing so as to capture a wider middle class market.