Listen Under The hollow-core slabs are estimated to cut building costs by over a third, while reducing demand for sand and ballast, two items at the centre of great environmental degradation in areas near and far from major urban building hot spots in the country. Concrete waffles, as an alternative to concrete slabs, are steadily […]
Listen Indoor quality arises because structures and the buildings have to take into account the health of the dwellers and avoid Sick Buildings, even as the key focus remains cost-cutting in mass affordable housing. Kenya’s urban population was by 2018 estimated at about one-third of the country’s total population, and growing by over four percent […]
Listen As Kenya’s population grows, the Government and other stakeholders have emphasised on efficiency and speed in putting up affordable houses to fulfill the constitutional stipulation of the right to shelter. Owing to the appropriateness of interlocking technology and its sustainability in use of local materials, the Government, through the Ministry of Transport, Infrastructure, Housing […]
Listen Fabric roofing has been around for a while, with new technologies making it better and more acceptable as an alternative to iron sheets and concrete. It is also immune to rot and decay. Materials like fiberglass cloths T272 Stitch-bonded Polyester (Tietex type), woven roofing fabrics, mat roofing fabrics, asphalt coated fabrics and resin coated […]
Listen Here are some great tips to cut your construction costs without compromising on safety, beauty or comfort. Choose simple well-designed floor plans: Complex shapes are difficult and expensive to construct. To cut costs, choose simple – rectangular or square floor plans. You should also avoid complicated roof lines. A well-planned home will save you […]
Listen Although still a very niche concept, the technology has improved over the last 10 years and the costs have come down significantly. Just like an inkjet printer, 3D printers for construction rely on a software programme – CAD or BIM – to ‘tell’ them about the dimensions of the end product so that they […]
Listen Out of some 175 urban centres in the country, only 47 operate conventional sewerage systems and treatment plants There has been brisk urbanisation in Kenya in recent years, bringing into sharp focus water resource availability and the other side of the equation — waste recycling and treatment, or sanitation. Only 58 percent of the […]
Listen Rammed-earth technology offers a promising solution to Kenya’s housing hunger Kenya’s growing population continues to increase the demand for housing, as young people flock to urban centres in search of jobs. The National Commission for Science, Technology and Innovation’s (NACOSTI) National Research Priorities 2018-2020 indicates that the urban population stands at 12 million people, […]
Listen It is only in recent years that the technology has regained traction in the country as the need for speedier and less costly technology becomes urgent Although prefabricated houses in Kenya have by far been overshadowed by step-wise buildings, they have a long history and huge cost-cutting implications in the country and the region. […]
Listen Panel technology is an invention which, when applied in construction, involves use of structural insulated and timber frame, lightweight steel frame panels and prefabricated concrete blocks. Necessity is the mother of invention, so goes the saying. It thus follows that sustainable and affordable building technologies must be part and parcel of the planned provision […]