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Technology

When you work, as we do, with the poor and marginalised of the world, it is critically important to make the best use of technology that either reduces relative cost, or improves efficacy, or both.

Here are some examples of how the latest technology is being used in parts of the world to provide more people with access to safe, decent homes:

Kyrgyzstan: Reduced heating costs through cane reed insulation

Kyrgyzstan is a post-communist country. It is one of the poor

est in Central Asia, with 50% of the population living below the poverty line. With its extreme continental climate (sweltering summers and brutally cold winters) the heating of their homes can cost a family up to 50% of their meagre income.

To reduce these costs, two key elements need to be addressed in housing: Firstly, maximising insulation efficiency and secondly, reducing heating costs.

Habitat for Humanity Kyrgyzstan has harnessed the cane reed and clay technology used in the 19th Century and adapted it to modern needs. Using locally harvested, environmentally friendly cane reed and clay, families save 40% on house construction costs – key in a country where 70% of people live in poverty.

Cane reed and clay serve as better thermal insulators than brick. It grows rapidly, is locally plentiful, and helps to bind the soil together, reducing land erosion. Using cane reed is also increasing local employment opportunities.

Coupling the cane reed and clay with an innovative coiled circuit underfloor heating system, families save 75% on energy costs per annum.

Through Habitat’s innovative programme, a family will save up to £30 a month, which is the cost of 490 loaves of bread.

Homepartner Story

Tynchtyk and Mairam are both hospital doctors. Doctors are poorly paid in Kyrgyzstan, and for five long years they moved from one apartment to another with their three young children.

Tynchtyk and Mairam were lucky enough to be one of 41 families who were selected from 450 applicants for a cane reed home. On top of his hospital work Tynchtyk worked at the construction site with the other families for three months to complete the homes whilst Mairam looked after the children.

Now this family now has a home of their own. They now have rooms for children, a nice big front room where they can welcome friends and relatives and a very comfortable kitchen where Mairam can cook and bake for everyone. Also, to the great delight of both parents and children, they now have a real bathtub in the house with hot water and can take showers whenever they want.

For those who have everything and take it for granted it’s not easy to understand what a hot water or a bathroom in the house means to a family who have never had it dared only dream about believing it a luxury they could never have. “This house is like a fairy tale. I still can’t believe it’s not a dream” says Mairam “I can hardly keep from crying. But these are tears of happiness”.

India: Climate friendly, easy to use bricks

Again, we have adopted and adapted traditional technology.

Kiln baked bricks have high breakages, contribute to deforestation, and are expensive and hard for volunteers to use (as they are irregular in shape and need large amounts of costly mortar to join them)

Stabilised Soil Blocks (SSBs) are made in a press from earth with a little added cement for stability. They are cured naturally, needing no firing. They are made in the form of interlocking blocks, do not need expensive mortar between layers and are easier and quicker for volunteers to use. A small amount of concrete is poured into holes in the centre of bricks to provide bonding and strength. Reinforcement rods are used where additional strength is needed such as in the corners of the house, openings and wall intersections.

They are strong and durable, with good insulation properties, and almost carbon neutral. They provide local employment opportunities as well.

Ecuador: Low cost earthquake resistance

Earthquakes are not infrequent in Ecuador. Often it is those in poor quality homes that suffer most, as they cannot afford homes that are built to withstand the impact.

Habitat for Humanity is currently experimenting with a new way to build earthquake-resistant houses: Squares of Styrofoam with criss-cross channels are strengthened with bamboo or steel and coated in concrete, to form prefabricated squares which slot together to form walls. These are made off-site. This prefab technology makes building homes easier, quicker and up to 30% cheaper whilst still being strong and durable. Also, if a building does collapse during an earthquake, any occupants are much less likely to be seriously hurt because the Styrofoam is light, and homes are quicker and easier to rebuild.

The Philippines: Slum solutions

In urban areas, land on which to build is costly and rarely available. Invariably, those that are poor end up on the poorest quality land that is no good to construction companies.

We introduced medium rise buildings to make the best use of space. Steel frame technology was imported from New Zealand and adapted for local conditions. A concrete slab was laid and cured, precut steel frame pieces bolted to it, and cement-fibre boards bolted to the steel frames.

Speed of building is also important because the needs in urban areas are great: We have introduced terracing: With sections being prepared off site into kit form, 8 homes can be built in 15 days by volunteers. The Consequent homes are climate friendly, being both energy efficient and low carbon. Finally, these homes have a lock-up underneath, providing the family with an opportunity to use their home for income generation.

Although this technology comes at a price, our homepartners still end up with a lower monthy outlay than when they lived in slum housing, because of the extortionate rates of land rent that they were charged by the owners of the slum land. Consequently, defaulting on mortgage payments to Habitat for Humanity are amongst the lowest in the world.