2. January 201628 A C E UPDATEARCHITECTURE CONSTRUCTION ENGINEERING
PEB IIIndustry analysis
The higher cost
barriers is just
a preconceived
perception of people
who have never used
PEB.Gautam Suri,
Founder Director
Interarch
Indian construction industry which consists of infrastructure,
housing and real estate, and industrial segments has
grown by leaps and bounds for past decade and half and
accounts for more than 9 per cent of India’s GDP.
Quality of construction has also improved significantly over
the last decade due to increase in exposure to the global
construction technologies and best practices. The project
duration has become shorter and there is a special focus on
safety standards. There is a shift from in-situ construction to
factory–controlled pre-engineered high quality construction.
This has also changed the requirement of engineering,
material and skills required for the construction industry.
The usage of steel and especially PEB has grown very rapidly
in the Indian construction industry. PEB concept was not
well known in the country and since then has experienced
tremendousgrowthwhichhasincreasedtheawarenessamong
consultants, customers, entrepreneurs, builders, contractors,
architects, etc. In current scenario, anyone planning to put
up a factory or a warehouse immediately thinks of a PEB
with the industry yet to achieve its true potential. With
adequate attention from the government, this industry
can dramatically reduce construction time for industrial
and infrastructure sectors and will be very economical for
construction industry. Pre-engineered construction impacts
speed, quality and pricing of industrial construction, has
green benefits, and a high resale value. It’s not surprising that
Indian industrial construction is eminently poised for a big
PEB wave given India’s renewed focus on infrastructure and
the new industrial thrust. Though PEB has many advantages
but how far is it economical is a crucial aspect.
Sharing his views on how PEB can save money D Raju,
Managing Director, Kirby Building Systems India Pvt Ltd
observes that PEB is not expensive rather it is economical. On
this note, he says, “The perception about PEB being costlier
is only a notion as the industry has grown by more than 15
to 20 per cent during the first decade of this century and is
growing at a slower rate for last 5 years or so due to global
economic factors. This growth is in itself shows that these
structures are not very expensive but economical in nature as
the overall project cost comes down.”
He also adds, “With companies looking for faster project
completion which in turn will give faster returns on their
investments, PEB is the only one stop solution to fulfill their
requirements.”
On the other hand, Gautam Suri, Founder and Director,
Interarch also agrees upon Raju’s views. He says, “The higher
cost barriers is just a preconceived perception of people who
have never used PEB. We feel the market for pre-engineered
steel construction is growing exponentially in India with
consumers opting for new-age technologies as well as the
need for fast construction. All sectors in India are expanding
How PEB can
save money
Analysis on money saving
aspects of using PEB.
30 g

3. January 201630 A C E UPDATEARCHITECTURE CONSTRUCTION ENGINEERING
PEB IIIndustry analysis
in terms of business and more and more companies are
coming to India which gives pre-engineered steel sector
huge potential to grow.”
Suri mentions some of the pre–engineered steel building
have unmatched advantages over a concrete building in
this case some of the factor which may influence are:
• Construction time is reduced by at-most 30 to 40 per
cent which gives early occupancy and early ROI.
• Large clear span structures up to 100 metre and clear
height of up to 30 metre are possible and mezzanine
floors can be constructed which help in maximum
usage of space and hence provide better utilisation of
money spent every sq. ft.
• Less energy consumption due to sky-lighting available
in industrial and warehouse buildings hence less
electricity consumption.
• Easy to construct and easy to expand in future when
required without disturbing existing operations.
• Fire and earth quake resistant – very low or negligible
maintenance cost which again saves in overall cost of
the building.
• Cheaper foundation work due to lighter foundations.
PEB is no more a new concept in India. It’s application is
very well known for construction of Industrial buildings.
Jayanta Chakraborty, Sr. GM-SCM, Phenix Construction
Technologies shares some of the prevailing reason for
choosing PEB over conventional buildings are:
Reduction of construction time: Buildings are typically
delivered in just a few weeks after approval of drawings.
Foundation and anchor bolts are cast in parallel with
manufacture of the building. Site assembly is fast, as all
building components are delivered finished, ready for site
bolting. This reduces total construction time on a project
by at least 50 per cent.
Optimisation of resources: Buildings are designed in such a
way that usage of steel is reduced to the minimum possible
extent by using efficient design tools like Strucad, Omnicad,
Tecla etc. This is done without compromising the strength
of the building. In fact, building stability is tested in severe
seismic and high wind speed environment before the building
leaves the drawing board.
Flexibility for future expansion: Buildings are future ready in
terms of expansion. This gives a great relief to the promoter
or inventor.
Large clear space inside the building: Buildings have
efficient clear space. This provide efficient utilisation inside
the built-up area.
Negligible maintenance cost: Buildings are constructed
and painted in such a way that hardly any maintenance is
required. Buildings are normally coming up with 25 to 50
years structural stability. Even roof sheeting and wall sheeting
provided with 10 to 20 years colour fading warrantee.
Energy conservation: Buildings are fitted with natural
ventilation and lighting system – resulting to reduction of
electric energy consumption. Even rain water harvesting can
be done by very simple modification of the building. To make
the energy conservation more effective, some entrepreneurs
are putting solar cells at the roof top for energy conservation.
Building aesthetics: Buildings are no more a means of
housing machinery in it. Now buildings are fashion statement
as well. Architects are more focused on the look of the
building. PEB gives a most economic solution to that as well.
Simply forming the wall panel in a different way and by
putting structural glazing, the building looks elegant.
Weather proof and fire hazard: Safety first, is the slogan all
buildings that are manufactured now. By carefully selecting
specific building material – buildings are made fire resistant
(insulation, paint, etc). This also enhances the life of the
building without radically changing the cost structure.
Opportunity cost: Due to the systems approach, there is a
significant saving in design, manufacturing and site erection
cost. The faster occupancy and earlier realisation of revenue.
The saved time in construction has indirect effect on higher
ROI. The overall price per square metre may be as much as 30
per cent lower than conventional building.
Future opportunities for PEB
The government’s ‘Make in India’ campaign and recent
approval of ordinance for amendment of Land Acquisition
Act for development of infrastructure and industry related
projects will further give a boost to the PEB industry.
Further, the government is planning for implementation
of 100 smart cities and this can be efficiently done using
pre-engineered steel construction as done in developed
countries providing an affordable and sustainable
material for construction. Structural steel demand is
based on India’s economic growth and new CAPEX
investments or announcement of new projects mostly
in the construction industry consisting of infrastructure,
industrial infrastructure and real estate segments.
Recent announcement of increased investment in the
infrastructure segment and revival of stalled projects
including some new investments will help the growth of
steel structures in India. n
The perception about
PEB being costlier is
only a notion...
D Raju, MD,
Kirby Building
Systems India
The overall price per
square metre may
be as much as 30
per cent lower than
conventional building.
Jayanta Chakraborty,
Sr. GM-SCM, Phenix
Construction
Technologies
28 f
How PEB can save money