Rapidwall, an ecologically sound and technologically advanced building product, is gaining acceptance among the public in the Sultanate. The technology introduced in the Sultanate recently is a first for the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. The Higher Technical College building in Muscat, Ibra College's new building, JinanSalalah accommodation project in Salalah and 31 villas in Dar Al Zain in Sur Al Hadeed are now being constructed with Rapidwalls. "This economical and environmentally positive single panel walling system serves as both the internal and external wall and eliminates the need for bricks, blocks, timber and steel wall frames and plasterboard linings. This is manufactured using plaster produced from natural or by-product industrial waste gypsum, which is transformed into durable, load bearing Rapidwall panels. These walls are suitable for high-rise residential, commercial and industrial building construction,- M. Saleesh, project manager of Horizons Industrial Development LLC, which introduced Rapidwalls in Oman, told Times of Oman. Developed in Australia, this building material is being used for construction of building systems that are earthquake tested, cyclone and fire resistant, water and rot resistant, load bearing, termite resistant, sound proof, and 100 per cent recyclable. "Constructing villas or commercial buildings using Rapidwalls will be a boon for the builders in the Sultanate,- the project manager said. "We can save construction time by 70 per cent. In the conventional system, production cost for 1sqm will be around RO180. But if we use Rapidwalls, it will cost only around RO110,- he added. During a short span of time, the company has successfully constructed Sohar Port office extension office, new office building for Arabian Industries, buildings in Mannah, and buildings for Oman Porcelain in Sohar and Al Kyumi Global Factory in Sohar. "The biggest challenge the builders face in the Sultanate is shortage of water. But by using Rapidwalls, we can overcome this hurdle. Moreover, as the walls are made of natural gypsum, it can be recycled. There will be no waste of construction material,- the project manager explained. The company is planning to launch Rapidwalls in Saudi Arabia in the coming days. "Despite a number of similar products having entered the market over a period of time and failed, Rapidwalls has the potential to become the number one building material of this century. "Our product has safety clearance from the governmental authorities in Oman. It has been proven in exhaustive scientific testing to withstand considerable loads. It can be used in load bearing buildings of up to 15 storeys and is ideal for repetitive design construction and can be erected in a fraction of the time of other building methods,- he added. Times of Oman
