PRE-ENGINEERED BUILDINGS: WAY TO GO?

The Conventional construction industry in the country today is undergoing a change, with one of its most visible aspects being the emergence of Pre-Engineered Buildings (PEB).

Different from the usual concrete buildings with asbestos-type roofs and walls, a pre-engineered building is made of steel panels. In fact, a PEB is nothing but a steel-framed building with pre-designed components to best suit client requirements.

First introduced in the US, the PEB technique of construction is more popular with industrial townships. The National Highway-8 that leads from Delhi to Jaipur best exemplifies this trend; you can see a number of such buildings dotting the stretch in and around Gurgaon.

Leading the list of PEB's advantages is efficiency Says Mohit Khanna, Director, Lloyd Insulations, which in 1997 became the first Indian company to introduce the concept of PEB, "The use of pre-set methods for welding and predetermined stock sizes reduce the time taken for construction and fabrication," Khanna says.

PEBs are also said to be high on quality

Neeraj Gautam, who heads PEB sales for the northern region at Lloyd Insulations, says, "Since fabrication is done in a controlled and process oriented environment and the material used (steel plates) is sourced from quality labels, PEBs are real value for money"

"Though the initial cost of a PEB turn out to be 5 tol0 per cent higher than conventional buildings, it evens out when it comes to maintenance and early revenue generation," he says.

In India, the major PEB players are Lloyd Insulations, Kirby Buildings and Tiger Steels. According to Prashant Ranjan, manager, sales, Kirby Buildings, PEBs are the future of the construction industry

"In the past few years this concept has picked up quite well. We entered the market in 1990 with a manufacturing capacity of 36 tonnes per annum, and today it has increased to 2 lakh tonnes," he says.

PEB advocates also speak up for its safety.

Construction consultant Manish Shah says, "These buildings are designed in a special a way which makes them safer than conventional buildings, especially in the face of an earthquake."
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Courtesy: HT dtd:- 18thFeb 2008