TACLOBAN CITY, (PNA) – A construction firm will build 324 bamboo houses in the city’s northern village for a fresh start of super typhoon Yolanda survivors.
Jessimar Gallarde, project site engineer of Base Bahay, Inc. said the bamboo house project in Palanog village was in line with their three Ps.
“As a corporation, we at Base Bahay promotes this bamboo technology first for our planet, to help reduce in carbon emission; second P is for the people, promoting the technology and livelihood and the last P is profit from its marketability,” said Gallarde.
The firm, which is into use of indigenous materials, will utilize “kawayang tinik” (thorny bamboo) to build houses since the specie is abundant in the province.
“There are still laboratory test being conducted for other bamboo specie, but as of this time, this specie is the acceptable and was approved for construction use,” he added.
Gallarde hopes that the bamboo house technology will be incorporated in the building code of the country.
“This bamboo technology was laboratory studied to ensure that the structural design of the house is very resilient from disasters like typhoon and earthquake,” added Gallarde.
Houses are designed to withstand intensity 8 earthquake and winds up to 280 kilometer per hour.
The cost of each unit occupying a 25 square meter lot, is about Php 350,000. Each house is single detach with a distance two meters from each unit.
The first 20 housing units are up for completion by Nov. 24, this year. The project is in partnership with Operations Blessing.
Headquartered in Singapore, Base currently operates in the Philippines through their subsidiary Base Bahay Inc. The firm was established in July 2014 as a triple bottom line enterprise using locally grown and renewable materials to develop housing projects. (PNA)
RMA/SQM/ROEL T. AMAZONA
