As I rode around Abaco, I was struck by the number of buildings, from simple structures to multi-million-dollar homes in Winding Bay, Eastern Shores Drive, and Elbow Cay, are still being built or re-built using steel rebar for construction. I decided to write a simple post on the Facebook page for my new business venture, Bahamas Building Supply. Here is a part of it:
…Haven’t they learned? This was one of the major reasons so many structures failed during Hurricane Dorian!
The post went viral, as much as a post can about construction techniques on a Island with population of 20,000. To date it has 218 likes, 157 comments, and 32 shares. Not bad for dyslexic guy with no idea how Facebook works and had 12 friends and family as followers before the post.
You see, after the devastation, which left many structures heavily damaged, it’s surprising to see that steel rebar remains as the go-to reinforcement in concrete structures. Unfortunately, this choice is contributing to a cycle of structural vulnerability that could be avoided with a simple solution: fiberglass rebar.
In the Bahamas, most concrete and mortar mixes use sand from the sea. While builders try to wash it, high salt content remains, which is a serious issue for steel rebar. Salt accelerates corrosion, causing steel rebar to rust quickly. As it corrodes, it expands, deforms, and ultimately weakens the concrete around it. Over time, this corrosion compromises the foundation, leading to premature failures even in high-end, meticulously designed homes.
Even galvanized steel rebar, while slightly more resistant to corrosion, isn’t immune. In high-salt environments, it, too, will eventually oxidize and deteriorate. For a place like the Bahamas, where salt exposure is constant, we need a more durable solution to secure the long-term resilience of structures.
SMART Rebar, a composite fiberglass rebar, is transforming the way construction is done in challenging environments like the Bahamas. Unlike steel, fiberglass rebar is highly resistant to corrosion, even when exposed to saltwater. This material simply does not rust, meaning it maintains its shape, strength, and integrity holding the surrounding concrete together.
This seems to be a no brainier, but funny thing about people is they like doing the same thing over and over again. Several contractors insisted that the steel was not the issue, but that the failures were caused by improper concrete mixture or concrete coverage. They even knew of one building at has lasted a whopping 25-years with steel rebar.
While certainly there were many causes, it is a fact that a lot of those structures would have survived if the reinforcement on their walls and foundation would have done their job.
My desire is to write these blog post from time to time to help bring some modern construction practices to the Island and to explore the traditional Bahamian methods that haven proven to be sustainable. My next post will be about “Bahamian Roof”, a poor man’s version of the Bermuda Roof.