Experts advocate modular homes for flood-prone areas

Experts in the built industry have canvassed for modular homes for flood-prone areas.

According to an architect, John Busayo, modular Structures, also known as portacabins, are limitless types of structures that are mobile and flexible.

He explained, “You can imagine having a structure in Abuja today and you need to relocate to a place as far as Lagos, you can relocate with your building. All that has to be done is to disassemble the structure, transport it in trucks and reassemble it at the new location.

“This flexibility and mobility are what give it an edge over traditional block and mortar buildings.”

In the same vein, an estate surveyor, Olorunyomi Alatise, said adopting modular structures was one of the ways to solve the housing challenge of people living in flood-prone areas.

He said, “Modular buildings may actually be the solution to our housing and land management issues due to their cost-effectiveness, durability, functionality and mobility. It is an off-site construction process. With N3m-5m, one can get a well-padded 40ft container, which measures about 35sqm, which is enough for a room self-contained apartment.”

According to him, modular buildings have come to the rescue in certain parts of Nigeria by giving solutions to the issue of wastage, especially due to demolition that rocked those parts of the country in the past years.

He noted, “Think of cases where the land does not belong to you, whether rented, leased or temporarily occupied. You can also think of cases where you are not sure whether the government will come later to claim the land you occupy or not. Modular buildings give the best solution to this. You can have your structure in place, no matter how massive, and it can be moved or relocated by professionals when the need to do so arises.

“This flexibility that Portacabin houses have could be the reason why the Nigerian government may need to adopt them as help to those living in the flooded part of the country. This means that the government can put in place modular structures on a site that is not likely to be flooded but quite close to the flood-prone areas, therefore, serving as greener pastures to the victims of flood pending the time that the flood dries up. And it can continue to serve as greener pastures until the government find a permanent solution to flooding in such areas.”

He stated that modular buildings would the government the attitude to relocate them to other places.