New designs for low cost housing
New designs for low cost housing
News Article: 2072 has been read 315 times.
South Africa's affordable housing market is looking to alternative building materials in a competition designed to foster innovation in the industry. Seventeen houses have been built in Soshanguve Block XX, near Pretoria, using traditional and modern building technologies other than brick and mortar. Local materialsAccompanied by provincial housing ministers on Friday, national housing minister Lindiwe Sisulu said they were all "overwhelmed by the beauty, creativity and good quality" of the houses. She expressed her gratitude to the developers for creating job opportunities for local people and that the houses were being built using local material. These include insulated precast concrete, brick and steel, and water based resin. Innovation hubThis follows last year's establishment of the Housing Technology Innovation Hub, a joint venture sponsored by the National Homebuilders Registration Council (NHBRC) and ABSA Bank. The 17 designs are all entrants in the National Housing Innovation Competition. Sisulu has tasked the NHBRC with building 1800 houses using new designs. The initiative forms part of the government’s Breaking New Ground social housing programme. This programme is meant to facilitate the production of effectively managed institutional housing in areas where the demand for institutional or managed housing of all types exists. CompetitionSisulu said the provincial ministers had a "great" chance to view the houses and decide which style they could introduce in their provinces. "What we have seen here today is typical example of integrated income dwellings that government is always talking about," she said. The minister said the government was considering buying all the houses and giving them to people who would appreciate them most. Chief Executive Officer of NHBRC Phetola Makgathe the National Housing Innovation Competition was a response to the minister's call to identify new housing products. "These products [the houses] have already been judged on all technical aspects, it is now the responsibility of the community to give their opinion of the products," he said. Sisulu is expected to announce the winner soon.