Engineer suggests new building material

Jody Fox, PE, June 7, 2001: The amount of debris and devastation is breathtaking. It’s obvious the historic construction of lightly reinforced concrete columns and beams, which are instilled with low-quality concrete block, will not work in this high seismic region. The construction is brittle and easily broken by vibrations and movement. The construction is heavy which introduces very high loads when the building shakes.
For the College Catherine Flon, we are introducing a new construction technology to the area. We are proposing to use light-weight cold-formed metal for walls and floors and roofs. The floors are to be covered with a thin layer of concrete and the roofs covered with metal roofing panels.
By using light-weight materials, the building won’t be as stressed by shaking from earthquakes. The cold-formed metal will give and not be highly damaged. While the new product will need to be shipped to Haiti – Does anyone have a good construct to help us ship it for free or at low cost? – the construction can be done manually and is labor intensive. These buildings should take advantage of the highly available local work force and will therefore fuel the local economy.
We discussed this concept in great details with a reputable local builder, and he was very excited. When questioned about cost, he believes it would actually be less expensive than traditional Haitian building methods.
Perhaps we can introduce a new building technology to Haiti to yield safer buildings at a lower cost. There will surely be a learning curve, but if the project is successful, we will make a difference in how buildings are built in Haiti: safer and cost effective. Eventually, if the construction method takes hold, local entrepreneurs may set up shops that would roll the cold-formed metal shapes from flat sheet steel, creating more job opportunities here – and a ready supply of this important building material.