Changing world calls for concrete solutions

CEBU, Philippines - With the world’s population rising and climate change creating ill effects, the construction industry must build better and more sustainable cities to become more adaptive to the changing times.

This is the challenge to the industry, according to the French industrial company Lafarge saying that innovating high quality construction materials is what it takes to meet the challenges of urbanization.

The population of the world is estimated to reach 9 billion in 2050 and 70 percent of the people will be living in towns and cities, higher than today’s 50 percent.

The company has foreseen that Tokyo, Mumbai, Metro Manila and even Cebu will become mega cities in the future.

With this, making use of concrete innovative solutions for strong infrastructure and architectural projects is important, said Anuj Todi, the general manager for Visayas and Mindanao of Lafarge Republic, Inc.

Todi said that although the mentioned cities have already reached the state of development, they are still faced with problems such as flooding and the issue of housing: “Big cities in the world are prone to these problems. But we have a choice, to make a difference.”

The choice Todi meant is improving the construction system and building solutions that are adaptive to climate change.

The cement manufacturer has recently introduced to the market its “Tibay Enhancers” product which, Todi said, helps a structure achieve durability.

Cirilo Pestaño, LRI’s vice president for corporate communications, told The FREEMAN they have urged the government to use their “Kapit-Balay” cement product for the rehabilitation efforts in areas hit by super typhoon Yolanda and the Bohol earthquake last year.

Pestaño added they have partnered with Global Business Power Corporation last month in lowering the overall cost of rebuilding the disaster-hit areas in the Visayas region. 

The cement firm is telling the government especially the National Housing Authority that they can use its product to enable building of better individual or mass housing projects for the victims of the recent calamities, he also cited.

The official even cited they have also built houses using such cement in Northern Cebu particularly in Daanbantayan with the Philippine Red Cross.

LRI has already informed the government on its model house design that can withstand heavy winds during typhoon and a seven to 8 magnitude earthquake, he said.  (FREEMAN)