Nespak Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Project

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the specifications followed for Building Earthquake safe structures and Alternative Technologies

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The use of Light Gauge Cold Form Steel as building material date back to the mid of eighteenth century in US and UK. The commercial construction using this technology however started in late 1940s. In past, the cold form sections were primarily used as secondary framing members in steel structures. The use has now changed to primary structural framing through cold form sections, which has brought economy, simplicity and speed in the construction of structures. The overall structural system is designed in such a way that it eliminates local stability problems of the members and increases the overall stiffness of the building.

In general, the following advantages have been realized while building with light gauge steel structures

As compared to thick hot rolled sections, light gauge members can be manufactured for light loads and shorter span usually encountered in residential and small buildings.
Wide range of sectional configurations can be manufactured by cold forming operations, which subsequently has lead to high strength to weight ratios.
Nestable sections can be manufactured which are easy to stack, pack and ship
Load carrying panels and decks provide enclosed cells for electrical and HVAC conduits
Load carrying panels and decks not only withstand loads normal to their surface but can also acts as shear diaphragm to resist forces in their own planes and hence are extremely efficient in resisting lateral loads (earthquake and wind).

In addition to aforementioned advantages features like lightness, high strength and stiffness, ease of fabrication and mass production, fast and easy installation and erection, substantial elimination of delays as a result of bad weather, much accurate detailing, non shrinking and non creeping at ambient temperatures, uniform quality, economy in transportation and handling can be attributed as quality indicators of light gauge steel construction.

Significance of Technology in Pakistan

Presently we are facing a serious energy deficit in Pakistan which by independent sources as well as by government sources is widening day by day in terms of demand and supply of power. Presently housing sector in Pakistan consumes more than 40% of the total electricity produced with major consumption for heating and cooling in the houses. Use of insulation in wall and roof panels has caused Light Gauge Steel Structures to be extremely energy efficient as compared to our conventional construction. Mass scale construction using the technology will reduce the demand of electricity in country. In addition to that Pakistan is seriously lagging behind the demand for no. of housing units required for present population. Recent studies have shown that only Islamabad is presently short of 50,000 housing units by demand and the gap is increasing at the rate of 4000 housing units a year. This demand gap can only be met by adoption of a fast track construction system.