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Kenya: Bank Building Set Up in Record 14 Days
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The East African Standard (Nairobi)
10 April 2008
Posted to the web 10 April 2008
Millicent Muthoni
Nairobi
Convention dictates that buildings be permanent. Stone and mortar structures and firm foundations give us a sense of safety and stability.
Modern trends, however, are turning this fixation with permanence on its head. Portable architecture has become a convenient and effective solution to needs in shelter, covering both residential and commercial buildings.
The new Barclays Bank branch at the University of Nairobi main campus.
Barclays Bank is one such institution. As part of the Barclays Express programme, it has rolled out seven branches in a period of one year, using the demountable architecture technology. These are Narok, Gilgil, Githunguri, Ongata Rongai, Kawangware, Limuru and University of Nairobi branches.
Driven by the challenge of getting banking space to rent in already constructed buildings, Barclays bank opted for emergency housing, where they lease open spaces for cheaper rates. These were spaces in areas where business thrives. Given the abundance of 30ft x 60ft and 50ft x 100ft plots that have not been developed, the bank put up express branches on such. This saves them from incurring the cost of buying land, which is very high.
Mr Wachira Njuguna, who is the project architect, lauds the bank for its innovation, saying that more organisations need to think of creating the interface between the formal and informal sectors. He says that banks have busted the myth that the informal sector is less lucrative, and should now engage in developing infrastructure for this sector. "We need to get to the level of banking from a container, where there is only an ATM, customer care, a counter and a strong room. This way, we can locate our services wherever the business is," he advises.
Though the technology is in use in Barclays South Africa, Wachira and the team of construction professionals had the challenge of getting approval from the mother company, and from the Central Bank of Kenya.
"The trial unit was set up at Steel Structures and later installed at Gilgil. It was readily approved by both," he says. Thanks to round-the-clock construction shifts, the demountable branch takes 14 days. Whereas a brick and mortar branch of the same size would take at least three months to construct, the former costs about Sh7.8 million to put up, and the latter will set you back Sh16 million. "The bank was able to break even for all the branches within two months of installation, because construction is speedy and cheaper, and the sites are location-specific," says Wachira.
Getting more for less
Wachira explains that the time lag is reduced because no concrete needs to be left to set once the foundation is laid. The walls are made of steel, and are pre-fabricated off the site, in this case by Steel Structures company. It takes two weeks to prefabricate the steel panels. The walls are then clad with high-density MDF and branded.
"Since the bank is built on a modular structure, most of the branches are the same size, but that is flexible as panels can be added and removed depending on the size of the site," explains Wachira.
The technology is all about ease. The foundation requires no excavation as it is a pad foundation. Wachira says that the engineers have meticulously worked out the structural strength and stability of the building. It is no less able to withstand loads than a conventional building. Being a bank, foolproof security is of utmost importance, and the professionals have seen to it that the strong room is secure, and that the walls can withstand stress.
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Wachira, who is the principal of Studi Partners, an architectural firm, challenges institutions to be innovative in their building solutions. "You can get more with less," he advises.
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| Copyright © 2008 The East African Standard. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections -- or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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