Cheaper, greener, faster, stronger

Pinto says the panels are used to create a reinforced insulated wall and form the basis of three different walls solutions. The first is Jehan’s own “shotcrete” construction system where the 3D panels are erected as walls and slabs in the shape of the desired building before being sprayed with concrete.

“Once the shotcreting is done then you have a complete self-standing monolithic structure,” he says.

“The benefits of this system are many. It is lightweight, only 2.5kg per 1m², so you don’t need cranes and it can be easily erected. It’s also a very fast method of construction. We have done the superstructure for a 1250m² villa in just 30 working days.

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“The third thing is that you only require about 30% of the manpower compared to traditional construction and the skill sets required are also much lower.”

Pinto says the shotcrete method can be used up to G+5 with additional reinforcement and is ideal for low-rise buildings and large-scale villa projects.

He adds that analysis by a cost consultant showed that the method is 20% cheaper than block-work construction, including the substructure and superstructure.

In terms of green credentials, Pinto says the shotcrete method has minimal wastage, uses less materials and, most importantly, the 3D panels provide significant insulation.

“For a 20cm wall you’ve got a U-value of 0.45 W/m²°K which is significant when you consider that a standard wall is around 0.7,” he says.

“It means you use much less energy for air-conditioning and if you want a higher U-value we can increase the thickness
to 25cm.”

The same thermal benefits are also achieved by Jehan’s other products, precast concrete and precast gypsum walls, which also use the 3D panel as the core.

“Our precast comes at the same cost as regular precast but the difference is that it’s already insulated, that’s a substantial saving,” says Pinto.