Bau Homes

8 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 9, ISSUE 11 BAU HOMES property because many these days will take your money, and the day you come back, there is no house and no money.” Having lived and worked overseas for many years, these factors drove Hurst’s formation of Bau Homes, which acts as a trusted real estate link between Antiguans and Barbudans in the diaspora and their homeland. Bau Homes builds homes to withstand the island’s environment, providing a unique selling point to potential homeowners. “Our houses are built to withstand three main environmental factors,” Hurst says. “Serious hurricanes, earthquakes, and termites, which are a significant pest on the island.” Hurst explains that the company uses an innovative construction method called the BAUPANEL® SYSTEM. “The central core of the panel is made up of expanded polystyrene (EPS) with a density of 15 kg/m3 – 25 kg/m3 that is cut in a rippled manner to improve the compliance of the concrete when discharged, “Hurst outlines. “The EPS core is edged with a mesh of straight and/or corrugated steel, depending on the kind of panel linked together by a series of connectors that go through the EPS core. Once the micro- concrete has been shotcreted, the panel performs like a compound section because of the steel connectors’ connection of the two concrete layers.” “We then cover the whole thing with high-level concrete mixers. Even the roof is concrete to ensure it does not fly off in a hurricane,” he describes. “In terms of earthquake resistance, this method is superb because buildings with the expanded polystyrene are capable of absorbing up to 60% of the energy generated in an earthquake, resulting in less structural damage.” Bau Home’s EPS materials also provide thermal