Introducing reinforced pumice concrete IPS vertical enclosure for low-cost housing projects

Abstract

Enclosure-making in low-cost housing projects has had some specific standards from the beginning of its practice in Addis Ababa. One of the standards is the use of cement modular units that are made of pumice aggregate, cement, sand, and water as wall/enclosure-making material. It is also known as pumice concrete. The no change throughout building enclosure making has impact on the cost of housing unknowingly. Raw material and manpower price escalation had significant alterations on the cost of the masonry wall construction. According to this research the price of pumice concrete vertical enclosure making in meter square folded approximately four times within eight years. So analyzing the application of pumice concrete building vertical enclosure in low-cost housing projects is quite important to satisfy the demand for affordable housing in the city. Masonry wall construction in the low-cost mass housing construction sector of Addis Ababa city is selected to carry out the study. Specifically, the research concentrates on seven sites that are handed over to dwellers by 2022/23. These locations are selected because they can tell us the current practice of pumice concrete masonry making. Appropriateness in terms of schedule, quality, and cost is analyzed. Dominating defects in architectural design and other related technical considerations in this housing project are discussed. Most research done on this thematic area uncovered the problems observed on such projects but did not present tangible solutions. To fill this gap, the research proposes alternative lightweight reinforced pumice concrete wall-making technology that has the potential to make low-cost housing projects more affordable and of acceptable quality. According to the result of price comparative analysis, it has the capacity to press down approximately by 45% on material consumption and quarter speed of cement modular unit masonry construction.