Ghana exposed to insulating concrete forms building

Prampram (GAR), Sept. 30, GNA - Government's effort at building affordable houses for middle and lower class workers was given a boost with the introduction of Insulating Concrete Forms (ICF) blocks into the building construction industry.

Mrs Sheryl Brown, founder of Negucci Link Ghana Limited said ICFs are hollow foam blocks which are stacked into the shape of the exterior walls of a building, reinforced with steel rebar, and then filled with concrete to build houses within a shorter period at less expense.


Speaking to Ghana News Agency at Prampram after a tour of a four bedroom insulated concrete forms building construction site, Mrs Brown said ICF combined one of the finest insulating materials, Expanded Polystyrene (EPS), with one of the strongest structural building materials, steel reinforced concrete to make the structure durable. She said the result is a wall system of unmatched comfort, energy efficiency, strength and noise reduction.


On the advantages of an insulated concrete form structure over the traditional concrete cement blocks, Mrs Brown explained that Insulated Concrete Form structures are much more affordable, comfortable, quiet, and energy-efficient than those build with traditional construction methods.

"Whether you are building a concrete home or a multi-level commercial structure, you can't beat the benefits of building with Insulating Concrete Forms," she stated. Mrs. Brown noted that ICF buildings provide a superior construction technology that delivers cost-effective, high-performance structures that are safer, quieter, more comfortable, energy efficient, structurally secure, and environmentally responsible than any building system available on the market today.


She said ICF building would offer the average Ghanaian worker the capability to own a truly affordable house. The Peoples Dialogue and Ghana Federation of the Urban Poor (PD), a non-governmental organisation, is collaborating with Negucci Link Ghana Limited to empower Ghanaians to acquire the skills of construction with ICF.


Mr. Faruk R. Briamah, Chief Executive Officer of PD lauded the effort to introduce ICF building technology into Ghana and appealed to the Ministry of Water Resources, Works and Housing to adopt the technology in building government's affordable houses.