Mundostrade advances building method with new green technology

In apparent response to the urgent need to mass-produce housing to bridge the ever-widening housing demand-supply gap, the property market in Nigeria  has, in the past couple of years,  seen new building systems with innovative, simple and fast application technology.

The latest arrival is the Mundoscrete Pre-stressed T Beam and Block flooring system developed by Mundostrade Limited, an innovative construction solutions company operating in Lagos, Nigeria.

Gideon Ikwe, Mundostrade’s Managing Director, told our correspondent at their factory site in Lekki, along the Etiosa-Epe Expressway, that his company offers innovative and cost-effective precast  and pre-stressed concrete products suitable for use in both domestic and commercial applications.

The system, he explained,  is based on a successful concept originating and proven in Europe and used all over the world, including Ghana and South Africa, adding that the system has been in use for more than 50 years in those countries.

“Mundoscrete  T Beam and Block flooring system provides  a high quality and economic alternative to concrete floor construction. It is simple, economical and does not require any skilled labor to set up.  Furthermore, this method of construction reduces much of the site work that is evident in conventional in-situ concrete floor and roofs because no formwork or reinforcement is required on site”, he said.

Ikwe said that this system is suitable for use on ground and upper storey on all kinds of construction, from residential to commercial buildings, adding that one of its high points is that it is maintenance-free with high levels of sound and thermal insulation and fire resistance.

According to him, Mundoscete TBeam and Blocks flooring system has many advantages over the conventional method of building some of which, he said, included fast and simple installation requiring no special skills; cheaper than traditional method;  green technology needing no deforestation for  formwork, and reduces the dead weight of building with its lighter decking.

He added that the system is  ideal for use on sloping ground; enables a safe level ground floor platform to be quickly established; provides Immediate safe working platform because  as soon as the pre-cast elements are installed, the floor can safely be used.

“This is an all-weather construction  method;  it can be installed in adverse weather conditions; it offers flexibility of design as its  high load carrying capacity allows complete freedom of room design layouts; it is  a rapid solution to high quality and economical concrete floor construction”, he assured.

On its application, Ikwe explained that the system involves installation of pre-stressed concrete T beams with blocks in-filled between them, pointing out that it is custom designed for varying uses and comes in a standard form design that can be arranged in a variety of ways depending on loadings required.

“The system comprises pre-stressed, inverted “T” beams in-filled with standard concrete blocks. T-Beams are produced to give nominal depths from 150mm to 225mm and are placed at 450-520mm and/or 295mm centres depending on span and load”, he explained further.