PEB technology is in

The concept of pre-engineered buildings (PEBs) is slowly gaining momentum in the city. Several construction firms are banking on this new technology to cut down costs and finish the task of construction quickly. Pre-engineered building comes with a readymade building designed to suit one’s needs and plans. All the components of the building, matching the architectural and service requirements, are made at the manufacturer’s workshop and then set up on site under expert supervision. This technology is being extensively used in the construction of shopping malls and other commercial ventures. Builders say this will cut down construction cost by 30 per cent when compared to conventional methods.

Construction firms such as PBEL, Bharat Infra, Prajay Engineers Syndicate and Maytas Infra have built up their huge sales and marketing offices using this technology. The minimum plot area required to build structures using PEBs is 500 sq.yards. “From foundation to finish, like laying of pillars, erection of beams and using concrete, will happen at the site.

With PEB technology, the readymade blocks made with steel are manufactured in the factory. They can be assembled using nuts and bolts, which will considerably reduce the time of construction. That’s the reason we opted for PEB to build our huge sales and marketing office spread over 10,000 sq.ft at Madhapur,” said Mr Anand Reddy, director, PBEL Holdings Ltd. Earlier, PEB technology was utilised for building godowns, cold storages, cement industries and sugar factories. Slowly, the trend has spread to building commercial complexes, showrooms, super markets, restaurants, shopping centres, recreation centres, schools and hospitals.

Building upto three floors can be effectively built through PEBs. “We plan to build our sales and marketing office in 1,000 sq.yards plot using PEBs as PEB structure looks modern and attractive. Architectural versatility is ensured as buildings can be supplied with special fascias, canopies, curved eaves and other features,” said Mr Vijaysena Reddy, director of Prajay Engineers Syndicate.

He says the technology enables faster and better construction apart from significantly cutting down costs through elimination of expensive structural redundancies and delays created by the multiple suppliers. “We can develop 50,000 sq.ft of built-up area just in six months using PEB technology. In conventional mode, this will go up to nearly two years,” said K. Rajashekar Rao of Maithili Constructions Ltd. He says even the cost-factor can also be controlled with this technology as it will incur an expenditure of less than Rs 600 per sq.ft, whereas it will be Rs 800 per sq.ft in conventional method.

Several manufacturers such as Saudi-based Zamil Steel, Kirby, Tate Bluescope, Era Building Systems, Tiger Steels etc have set their eyes on metro cities where the construction of commercial complexes and shopping malls is going at a rapid pace. “We produce 5,00,000 metric tonnes of PEBs. This year, we expect to sell 20,00,000 sq.ft of PEBs in India,” said Adnan Al Mansour, president, Zamil Steel.