March 2005 - A school located 200 km northwest of Santiago is the first dwelling to be constructed with ICFs in Chile. Mario Letelier, who opened a Formtech distributorship last year in this Latin American country, is responsible for bringing Formtech ICFs to the attention of this traditional construction community.
Mr. Letelier, president of Wall Systems-Chile, introduced architect Héctor Castro Hill to Formtech ICFs at the ExpoConstruccion in Santiago last spring. A few months later, when his firm Héctor Castro & Asociados was awarded a contract for the first stage of a government-subsidized school project, he remembered Mr. Letelier and his ICFs and called him up.
Mr. Castro Hill had to find an affordable way to complete this project before the start of the new school year in March 2005. He researched new systems that would allow speedy construction at a low cost, and in October 2004 he again contacted Wall Systems-Chile with his decision that Formtech fit the bill.
Once drawings and permits were finalized, construction began in late January 2005 by local builder, Luis Arellano Constructora. Mr. Letelier provided essential customer support, instructing the crew using videos and brochures and meeting several times with the architect and builder to ensure they had all the assistance they required. He followed up with visits to the site to ensure product was installed properly.
And although the workers were unfamiliar with ICFs, Mr. Letelier said they were “interested and eager to work with this new technology and found Formtech ICFs light, easy, and fast to work with.” The ICF walls of the school project were up in just 7 days.
“They were very pleased with the Formtech ICFs, said Mr. Letelier. “The project was completed on time and ready for the new school year.”
The private school is located in the city of Villa Alemana (population 100,000), in a low-income neighbourhood for approximately 250 learning disabled children aged 5 to 9. The school will be 1,289.4 m_ when all phases are complete.
Mr. Letelier said a second Formtech ICF building is currently under construction, a private residence of 240 m_ in Piedra Roja, a new development in the foothills of Santiago.
”Some people in the community refer to it as the ‘polystyrene bead’ house,” he laughs.
“Acceptance of a new building system into a conservative industry will take much time and effort,” admits Mr. Letelier. However, his perseverance in promoting the features and benefits of Formtech’s ICF technology to this earthquake-prone country has begun to pay off.
