* Flags off construction of 500-units in Abuja

By Kingsley Adegboye

Lafarge Africa Plc, manufacturers of Elephant Cement last week, commissioned a prototype Studio Apartment constructed within 12 days using its novel mass housing production technology said to be capable of delivering no fewer than 500 housing units in a year. The technology which is typically concrete-based, is said to be cheap and affordable.

Speaking on the new initiative at Lafarge’s Oregun office last week, Jumoke Adegunle, Head, Lafarge Affordable Housing & Buildings, said the company is promoting mass housing technology as a result of deficiency in housing provision in the country.

Pointing out that the mass housing technology is targeted at the low end income earners in Nigeria, Adegunle stated that the sandcrete used in the construction process of the technology is inbuilt. According to her, all that is required is metal shutters which should be erected as reinforcement before the form wall that is made of concrete mix which is also another initiative of Lafarge to achieve its dream of affordable and mass housing in Nigeria.

Adegunle, who disclosed that her company has commenced the construction of 500 housing units in Gwagwalada, Abuja under its mass housing scheme, said the Studio Apartment built on 25 square metres of land, comprises one bedroom, kitchen and bathroom, without a sitting for N1.5 million.

She explained that the cost of land is not inclusive of the cost of delivery of a housing unit. According to her, between N4 and N6 million, depending on the land terrain and infrastructure provided, can purchase a three-bedroom apartment of the mass housing type. She disclosed that those who already have plots of land, can approach Lafarge for the technology which she described as very cheap and fast compared to conventional construction method.

Corroborating Adegunle’s views, Mr. Tunde Isiolaotan, Chairman, Tye-Wall Contractors Ltd, handlers of the Studio Apartment, said: “Our system of construction suits the dream of Lafarge in providing affordable housing in Nigeria. All the sandcrete are in built. All you need is diamond cutter or Aluminum shell before applying the sandcrete which makes the building bullet-proof. The system is expensive, but when doing large numbers of houses together, it becomes very cheap and you get returns on your investment very fast.”