City Hall contractor vows use of ‘standard’ materials
The contractor of the multi-million new Iloilo City Hall building assured the public that they will build the seven-storey edifice using the standard construction materials.
FF Cruz-Freyssinet Philippines Vice President Eric Cruz said they will use 5,000 per square inch (PSI) pre-fabricated piles without additional cost to the city government. Normally, they are using 3,000 PSI pre-fabricated piles.
Cruz said using 5,000 PSI pre-fabricated piles will further strengthen the building. He said they want to build a quality and safe city hall building. They have several structural engineers to oversee that the construction work is properly done according to project specifications and standards.
The contractor’s pronouncement came amid fears that the construction of the city hall building would suffer the same fate as the ill-fated P125 million socialized housing project in Pavia, Iloilo. The project was stopped after the contractor used substandard materials.
Cruz said, at present they are fabricating the piles in Bo. Obrero, La Paz. The construction firm will not embark on the traditional building construction but on modern ways where piles are pre-fabricated, he said.
Cruz said the construction project is relatively small when compared to the other projects cornered by the firm particularly in Manila. They want to imprint a good name in the construction industry.
FF Cruz-Freyssinet Philippine bid of P368 million won the contract after it offered the lowest bid. The two other construction firms that offered their bids were Asset Builders Corp. for P395.16 million while Hilmarc’s Construction Corp. tendered P382.81 million.
The construction firm also built the GSIS building here. They have several other projects in Iloilo. As early as 1982, they have ventured in other construction projects here.
The construction firm has requested that the site be cleared and closed for the heavy equipment they are going to use during the construction period.
According to Architect William Coscolluela, the new city building is a combination of both a classic and modern architecture. It has a touch of the old city hall.
It has also a dome that will exude dominance from among the heritage buildings in the area. The edifice design is compatible in the place where a number of heritage buildings are located, said Coscolluela.
