Construction manual guide should be standardized – COREN

Kashim said that in the attempt to provide direction to the construction industry at this time, COREN has noted that there is no approved document to guide engineers in the design and production of concrete mixes for various applications.He stated this in his remarks during the inaugural meeting of the Task Force for the Production […]

Kashim said that in the attempt to provide direction to the construction industry at this time, COREN has noted that there is no approved document to guide engineers in the design and production of concrete mixes for various applications.
He stated this in his remarks during the inaugural meeting of the Task Force for the Production of the Nigerian Concrete Mix Design Manual held in Abuja.
Members of the Task Force for the Production of The Nigerian Concrete Mix Design Manual includes :  Engr. Prof. Charles Uko – COREN Vice President, Engr. Prof. D. S. Matawa Representative of NBRRI, Engr. I. M. Nwoye Representative of Julius Berger Nig. Plc, Representative of NSE Engr. Femi Yusuf, Representative of LAFARGE Nig. Ltd Vipul Agrawal, Representative of UNICHEM Nig Ltd M. Jagdsh, Representative of  Dangote Cement Plc.
The COREN President noted that a number of manuals and guidelines are being used by different groups including the academia which he said are very good, having been produced by reputable organizations in many parts of the world.
“But COREN feels that the time has come for a manual to be developed that can be recommended for use by the Nigerian construction industry.
“In getting to work on this manual, we are not going to reinvent the wheel. Many reliable manuals currently exist and we will not mind even if one of them is selected for domestication, bearing our peculiar circumstances in mind. COREN will however expect that our manual will stand the test of time and also be capable of universal application. The manual is going to cover all the grades of cement and aggregate types in use in the country. This will enable the engineer to make informed choices as regards the materials to use for a particular project.”
He said that the Council has carefully selected knowledgeable professionals and organizations to serve on this Task Force, adding that its recommendations will be presented to other committees before finally publishing the manual for general use.
While responding on behalf of members, the Chairman of the Committee, Engr. Prof. Charles Uko, said the members are fully aware of the importance of the tasks the Committee has been saddled with.
He said the Committee is not afraid of the enormity of the work because of the amount of resources at their disposal.
He promised that the committee will bring up a design manual that will not only stand the test of time but that which will be a reference material for other people.