Following the receipt of an invitation from the Ministry of Housing in Bahrain to the National Association of Steel-framed Housing (NASH), Mr Carl Davies and Dr Stephen Hicks represented New Zealand light steel framing by delivering a presentation at the launch of the International Smart Building Centre. The objective of the International Smart Building Centre is to provide information, training and technical support in the interests of enabling developers and contractors to employ eco-friendly building techniques. The building technique that was seen to offer the greatest opportunities was light steel framing, which resulted in two prototype buildings being commissioned and constructed (whose opening coincided with the launch).

 The traditional construction used in low-income housing in this territory typically utilises masonry walls and precast concrete floors; however, the speed of construction offered by this form of construction has resulted in a waiting period in excess of 15 years. To remedy this situation, light steel framing was seen as a good solution to meeting current housing needs, together with significantly reducing the current waiting period. The speed of construction offered by this form of construction was certainly demonstrated in the two prototype buildings, which only took 30-days to complete. Further details can be found at http://www.nashnz.org.nz/.

Dr Stephen Hicks and Carl Davies, NASH General Manager, with His Excellency Shaikh Ibrahim Bin Khalifa Al Khalifa, Minister of Housing.