ShareKUWAIT: Galvanized steel has been widely used in construction projects throughout Kuwait due to claims of cost-efficiency, renowned durability, and topnotch quality. The material is said to save up around 70 to 80 percent of the construction process when compared to regular concrete constructions. The cost is also around 60 percent lesser.
Galvanized steel - with various shapes processed by machines - is compatible for use in old houses with weak foundations and it is suitable for the construction of chalets, farmhouses, and other structures. Galvanized steel technology is fairly new in Kuwait and is widely used in Europe, Asia and some parts of the Gulf region, said architect Issa Al-Hajab in an interview. Time and effort is of essence and galvanized steel saves in both aspects, said Hajab who indicated that in recent years more people were using this technique in constructing their houses and other places of dwellings.
Similarly, architect Hamad Al-Enizi, the CEO of a local construction company said that galvanized steel material were shaped by machines, which mostly cancels human error and leads for a safe construction environment. Buildings constructed via galvanized steel are lighter than concrete counterparts and are still sturdy in face of say earthquakes and heavy loaded materials, indicated the Enizi. The construction process is 80 percent faster when using galvanized steel than in its concrete counterpart, stressed Enizi who added that the cost would be at around 30 to 43 percent less. Enizi claimed that more clientele are leaning towards using galvanized steel in their constructions, saying that the technology was mainly used in building new floors at houses as well as chalets. Compared to the lifespan of regular steel, its galvanized counterpart's durability goes up to around 120 years, he added.
Heaping more praise for galvanized steel, Faisal Abdulqafoor - a construction company owner - and contractor Hussain Askar both said that galvanized steel was the way forward when it came to construction in Kuwait. Not only the material was eco-friendly, it is also recyclable to about 90 percent, they affirmed. While such praise was positive coming from business owners, clients such as Abdullah Al-Enizi and Mohammad Waleed confirmed that using galvanized steel was a game changer for them personally. The speedup in construction time and the quality of the material all made it worthwhile, they indicated. - KUNA
