How Chávez built houses in Venezuela: foam or steel frame?
A video shows Chávez-era housing in Venezuela in ruins. Was it foam construction? Steel frame without seismic safeguards could explain the disaster.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
Chávez's houses: between propaganda and steel frame
A video circulating these days shows homes built during Hugo Chávez's government in Venezuela being demolished or in a state of ruin. The footage has reignited the debate over the quality of the housing programs of the so-called Bolivarian Revolution.
The material, released without any official context, shows structures that some describe as "foam" or "corrugated sheets and drywall." The criticism points out that, of the supposedly thousands of homes handed over, barely a hundred would meet a minimum standard. The figure of 100 units appears repeatedly as the ceiling of what is actually habitable.
Steel frame without earthquakes: the technical debate
Other analyses point out that the system used could be steel frame, a dry construction technique with steel profiles and panels that is used throughout Europe. The problem, they argue, is that the homes lacked seismic protections, something critical in an earthquake-prone area like Venezuela. Curiously, the same system is becoming popular in Spain as a "construction revolution," although at a higher cost than traditional building.
The paradox is that, technically, more flexible structures (like steel frame) withstand earthquakes better than rigid concrete ones, provided they are well designed. The controversy, therefore, is not only about the material, but about the execution and the standards.
The political noise underneath
The debate has quickly become politicized. References appear to advisers of Chavismo who allegedly received millions from the Venezuelan state, while in Spain the housing output of socialist governments is being compared with Chávez's. The video, says whoever shares it, will not be shown on TVE.
Beyond the accusations, the concrete fact is that Chávez's houses, whether 100 or thousands, are today largely wrecked. And the construction technique behind them, steel frame, is gaining ground in Spain with the same dilemma: it is more expensive than traditional building and requires quality control that is not always there.
A video circulating these days shows homes built during Hugo Chávez's government in Venezuela being demolished or in a state of ruin. The footage has reignited the debate over the quality of the housing programs of the so-called Bolivarian Revolution.
The material, released without any official context, shows structures that some describe as "foam" or "corrugated sheets and drywall." The criticism points out that, of the supposedly thousands of homes handed over, barely a hundred would meet a minimum standard. The figure of 100 units appears repeatedly as the ceiling of what is actually habitable.
Steel frame without earthquakes: the technical debate
Other analyses point out that the system used could be steel frame, a dry construction technique with steel profiles and panels that is used throughout Europe. The problem, they argue, is that the homes lacked seismic protections, something critical in an earthquake-prone area like Venezuela. Curiously, the same system is becoming popular in Spain as a "construction revolution," although at a higher cost than traditional building.
The paradox is that, technically, more flexible structures (like steel frame) withstand earthquakes better than rigid concrete ones, provided they are well designed. The controversy, therefore, is not only about the material, but about the execution and the standards.
The political noise underneath
The debate has quickly become politicized. References appear to advisers of Chavismo who allegedly received millions from the Venezuelan state, while in Spain the housing output of socialist governments is being compared with Chávez's. The video, says whoever shares it, will not be shown on TVE.
Beyond the accusations, the concrete fact is that Chávez's houses, whether 100 or thousands, are today largely wrecked. And the construction technique behind them, steel frame, is gaining ground in Spain with the same dilemma: it is more expensive than traditional building and requires quality control that is not always there.
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Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (32 replies).
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