Minister Dwight Sutherland Defends Integrity of Imported Steel Frame Houses in Barbados

Minister of Housing, Lands and Maintenance Dwight Sutherland is defending the construction and integrity of the imported steel frame houses.

“These houses, considered to be culturally different, are now again the subject of discussion on the airwaves. I take this opportunity to simplify a few things,” he said, speaking during the opening of the third Barbados Annual Construction And Design Conference at Radisson Aquatica, Aquatic Gap, St Michael, Tuesday.

He added: “The proposed Barbados Building Code, Section 9.21 says there must be access at least to one entrance of a dwelling house. Referencing the Barbados National Building Code, Section 4.3 . . . requires an emergency escape window where the travel distance to an exit exceeds nine metres.

“Section 4.3, 2.3 requires every storey to have an alternative exit where the floor area exceeds 200 square metres, that’s over 2 000 square feet in building space. If the travel distance of the houses does not exceed nine metres and the floor area does not reach 200 square metres, an alternative exit is not required.”

He also referenced the 2018 International Building Code.

“Section 1006 – 3.3 allows single exits in houses with a maximum of four dwelling units, ten persons and 75 feet travel distance.”

Sutherland maintained that the houses did not breach the local or international code.

“I don’t think we have breached any of those codes in this country. If you examine the steel frame houses closely, you will see that the single houses have two doors. If you look at the international code and reference Barbados’ building code, you will see we have not breached any of those standards,” he said.

Earlier this year, it was revealed that more than 60 of the promised 150 steel frame houses imported to accommodate victims of Hurricane Elsa in 2021 were completed.

East West Building Solutions (Barbados) is responsible for the assembly of the houses.

The remainder were expected to be completed in this financial year.

In his address, Sutherland said although the national code was still a draft and not yet mandatory, there were still other protocols that local and international builders followed to ensure houses were as safe as possible.

“While the building code is still in draft and there are currently no mandatory building codes being enforced in Barbados, there are nonetheless building standards and guidelines available where builders are encouraged to be aware of and adopt,” he said.

He highlighted the CARICOM Code of Practice for the construction of houses, developed by the Caribbean Regional Organisation for Standards and Quality (CROSQ).

“In November 2023, Barbados endorsed this code of practice for the adoption at the national level for the construction of climate resilient homes in Barbados.

“We are committed to ensuring that houses constructed on behalf of the Government are of a high standard and capable of withstanding natural disasters. It is accordingly Government’s policies that any international company desirous of providing housing for the local market should endeavour to ensure the structure being erected can resist up to Category 5 hurricane wind speeds of up to 170 mph,” Sutherland added.

The TVET Council organised the three-day conference held under the theme Designing And Building For A Sustainable Digital Transformation, which attracted various artisans, architects and other stakeholders.

Former vice-president of the Barbados Institute of Architects (BIA) and managing director of Studio Blue Inc., Neil Hutchinson, told the MIDWEEK NATION that although the local code needed to be adjusted, its implementation was still important.

“Over the years, the BIA has reviewed different parts of the building code and there are some areas that need refining because they don’t make sense or work as well as they could. But I think the Government could do a phased implementation, starting with one building category, whether that is commercial or residential and

start the process,” Hutchinson said.

When asked if the lack of implementation and enforcement were to the country’s detriment, he said yes, while pointing out that fire safety was a big issue. (TG)