Sports halls for less money - will Chinese and Cubans realize advantages of energy-efficient ferrocement construction before we do?

When company "Milinković" started construction of ferrocement facilities, many people heard for the first time that 1,000 square meters of production, sports or residential space can be built in 15 days. Since these facilites are environment-friendly, energy-saving and require 50% less money for complete maintenance, they have won several awards in both country and abroad.

Ferrocement is a thin composite material that contains slightly separated layers of wire net dipped in cement mortar. Unlike reinforced concrete, ferrocement has iron, that is, wire net, practically homogeneously arranged along the cross-section of the ferrocement constructions. Therefore, these constructions are incomparably thinner and lighter than concrete ones, and they have the same characteristics. Standard thickness of the ferrocement constructions ranges between 10 and 30 mm.

In addition to industrial and production halls, and, since recently, residential facilities, company "Milinković" is also focused on construction of sports halls.

Their idea is to offer that system of construction to government institutions, so it can be used in construction of primary school gyms in Serbia. The researches show that only 360 out of 1,533 primary and secondary schools in our country have their own gyms, which means that most young people of that age do not have the conditions for regular sports activities. The Government of Serbia has adopted the strategy suggested by the Ministry of Sport and Youth, which anticipates construction of small and cheaper gyms in the future. And no gym is cheaper than the one made of ferrocement , which can be used for all indoor sports.

- We had the presentation in the Ministry of Education, as well as in the Ministry of Sport and Youth, and we hope that they will accept our sports halls as typical solution once this economic crisis is over. Besides the fact that we advocate the use of the material that is cheaper and saves energy, our advantage in construction of sports halls also lies in the fact that we can provide different spans since the constructions we apply can be placed on the scaffolds of various spans and, thus, the facilities of various spans can be erected. Our offer mainly includes 17-meter spans, but we also develop smaller and bigger ones (currently ranging between 12 and 24 meters) - Slobodan Vračarević, the architect from company "Milinković" who is in charge of planning and technical documentation, told "eKapija".

According to the words of Mr. Vračarević, they decided for 17-meter spans because sports facilities do not need to have much too large spans since that would reduce their efficiency, especially because of the shape of the facility that "Milinković company" uses. Their facilities may remind you of "igloo" because they are either of semicyllindric or semicircular shape.

Cena izgradnje sportske hale kreće od 200 EUR po kvadratu pa naviše, u zavisnosti od opremljenosti. U potpunosti opremljena školska hala košta manje od 500 EUR po m2.

As the system of construction of halls developed, the employees in company "Milinković" developed a brand new MC system of construction, which is an innovation not only because ferrocement is introduced, but also because of the consumption of other materials such as steel. Intending to provide as simple system of construction as possible, the company developed MC system that enables the use of only one element in construction of halls, which is impossible in other systems of construction. Namely, there is no supporting structure made of pillars, arches or panels. Everything is done vice versa since the space is first closed and made ready for further construction inside the hall, which has nothing to do with the exterior works.

- When I say that it reduces the cost of complete maintenance, I also mean that our materials just need to be painted, and there is no need for application of additional layers of mortar. We already have much experience in use of solar energy. On the other hand, by building our own facilities, we offered the possibility to all those interested to come to us and see the quality and the method we use in the processing of materials for themselves - Vračarević points out.

(Milinko Milinković, solar house in Boljevac)

That our people do not believe anything until they see for themselves is something that Milinko Milinković, the company's owner, is also familiar with. That is why he is building "the museum of his own work" in Boljevci - a solar house that is now even included in some bus tours as a tourist attraction.

In addition to sports halls, "Milinković company" still develops its system of construction of production halls, as well as residential facilities. They also draw plans and build individual and multifamily facilities. When asked if people were interested in the innovation in construction they offered, Vračarević said:

- People in general are very interested in residential construction because it resolves one of the basic issues in life. However, it is difficult to position in the market and make them believe all the advantages that ferrocement construction offers and the safety it provides.

The materials are fireproof and resistant to stormy winds, tornadoes, and other weather conditions. We use only domestic materials and domestic technology in construction and, as the people in company like to say - domestic intelligence. We use thermo-insulation materials "Simprolit" in association with the man who patented them - Milan Dević.

The company's officials have recently presented this new philosophy of construction at various trade fairs and direct meetings with the government officials in China, Russia, and on Cuba.

- For example, quick construction according to our system and with the use of high-resistance materials can be the solution to Cuba's traditional problem with floods and tornadoes.

People from company "Milinković" point out they are not only sitting and waiting for some concrete cooperation with one of the far countries to be established. Instead, they are still developing the system and intend to present their way of construction to the people and, thus, strengthen the company's position in the market.