Geoplast Modulo and Geopanel for a new residential development in Namibia
by Nikola Tosic, 26 October 2017
Geoplast Modulo and Geopanel have been chosen for the latest residential development by Sahara Commodities, which refers to a portion of Phase 2 at Elisenheim, consisting of 22 single and double storey houses. Elisenheim is a residential lifestyle estate situated north of Windhoek, the capital of Namibia.
This development caters for the high density, medium-income housing market situated on 1,186 hectares of land. Of this, 628 hectares is earmarked for residential purposes while 558 hectares is held in reserve, with possible future development potential, including business zone. The residential area consists of 21 extensions, which will be developed in 13 phases. The 22 housing development by Sahara Commodities was awarded to OJ Construction and covered a total area of about 4,236 m². Windhoek Consulting Engineers (WCE) were the appointed Structural Engineers on the job.
Geoplast Modulo, the permanent crawl space formwork in 100% recycled polypropylene, favored modular construction at Elisenheim, while offering total protection from humidity and natural ventilation. Fast installation and high structural performance were also guaranteed.
Geopanel formwork was used as shutters to foundations, to avoid the use of timber, thus reducing waste and operating costs. The panels are fully recyclable at end of their life cycle.
The lightness and the intuitiveness of Geoplast Solutions demonstrated their advantages bringing dramatic cost and time savings: the time it took for the contractor to finish a foundation to surface bed level versus conventional strip footing was 4 days versus 17 days respectively.
