Waffle floors

Waffle floor at Shantumbu

As well as being energy intensive, cement costs three times as much in Zambia as in the UK. This makes it a costly material to use in flooring. At Build IT International we welcome innovations that reduce the amount we use on our projects.

Build IT International has been testing a new system, developed by Parry Associates in the UK, for constructing lightweight floors. Although this system was originally designed for community shelters in flood prone areas (a budget two storey buildings), this is not an issue in Zambia. Instead, we are attracted by the costs saved in laying a hollow rather than solid concrete slab as 40% less material is required.

Produced by hand on the same machine as our roof-tile, the hollow waffle blocks are laid out in a lattice formation to create a floor. The spaces between them are filled with mortar and reinforced for elevated floors.

Finally a screed up to 50 cm is laid to fill the gaps, tie the waffles together and provide a hardwearing surface. Reinforcement steel would be laid between the waffles if the slab is not on the ground.

We have successfully tested waffle flooring at our Kawama project with some great results.

Trainees laying waffle blocks at Kawama

Completed floor at Kawama