Construction of the floor plate
After a lot of preparation works, the 28th & 29th of June 2023 mark an important milestone for the Nile Institute Rwanda. With the help of more than 100 people from the village, the concrete floor plate was poured, finishing the foundation works on time!
Apart from the groundworks, the initial foundation works and the preparation works of the floor plate, a lot of work still had to be done in order to pour the final foundation floor plate.
After digging the foundation trenches – during which the wooden formwork was largely replaced by masonry – the formwork wall of the edge beams was constructed and the wooden formwork of the cantilever terrace was made. Both were finished with plastic sheeting to ensure a nice finish.
Meanwhile, the reinforcement of the transverse foundation beams was braided, especially reinforced as well as the long beam closest to the hillside. The sanitary underground pipes were carefully placed. A burnt bitumen film on the subfloor between the foundation beams protects the floor slab from rising damp.
Then the reinforcement of the floor slab was applied and interwoven with the beam reinforcement and the guard rods of the columns. The cafeteria and terrace
section was double reinforced because of the overhang.
Finally, guard rods for stairs and inclined surfaces were anchored and a final inspection followed, which included checking the correct placement of spacers.
In the meantime, the materials needed for the concrete work had been brought in with the necessary manpower: cement, sand and gravel, according to the usual 1-2-3 ratio. Additional water supplies were also arranged.
Good preparation resulted in a wrinkle-free concreting.
From now on, the works above ground will visibly advance rapidly!
