Construction industry urged to adopt green technologies

Experts have called for innovation in the construction sector to ensure conservation of energy and protection of the environment.“The world is moving towards green methods of construction to help conserve the environment and reduce global warming,” Daniel Wyss, the managing director of Swiss Resource Centre and Consultancies for Development, a Swiss construction consultancy firm, noted.He said there was a need to reduce the massive energy wastage and deforestation by building material makers. He added that this can be achieved by emphasising use of more environmentally-friendly methods. Wyss was addressing a regional construction materials stakeholders workshop in Kigali on Monday. The workshop, organised by the Rwanda Housing Authority and Skat Consulting Rwanda, discussed technical, economic and social innovations that could help transform Rwanda’s brick sector into a competitive and vibrant business. Olivier Moles, project manager at the International Centre for Earth Construction, said safety in construction industry is mostly compromised by unskilled workers. “We should not only look at construction materials, but also how we use them and those using them,” Moles stressed. Martin Nsengyumva, a civil engineer at Rural Settlement Taskforce, blamed structural failures on building material makers who ignore variations in environmental factors.“Building materials vary depending on the topography; what works for Bugesera may not work in Rubavu. However, some sector stakeholders have always ignored this fact,” Nsengyumva said. He said government was currently providing environmentally-friendly kilns for brick makers across the country.

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Construction industry urged to adopt green technologies