The Problems Lack of proper housing in townships of Cape Town (South Africa) More than 100,000 informal dwellings Lack of privacy, dignity
The Problems Limited access to water, sanitation, electricity Sandy ground, rain, wind and fires No insulation (variations in temperature)
The Idea Tackling the lack of housing with affordable, sustainable, and easy-to-construct (modular) bamboo houses.
Why bamboo? Bamboo is - highly sustainable (fixes CO2) - grows very fast - cheap - can be treated to be fire and water resistant - stronger than timber while very flexible - grows in South Africa
Target group - township citizens - living in metal shacks or shared flats - little money but willing and able to pay for housing - in favour of stone-housing; traditional
Impressions from SA („Free ground“) “People would buy the houses if they are cost- effective and offer a clear improvement” “30% of inhabitants are officially working” There are some flushing toilets in the township already - do not always work Shared water tab, could be used for in-home application if done safely
Khayelitsha No foundation, just build on sand, with blankets covering the floor Very dangerous energy access (illegal, open connections) Metal shacks just with wooden frame, very thin metal layer, very warm in summer, cold in winter. Problem of ventilation, problem of space, and often cooking facilities; most of the time just one room in total Waiting list for government houses, not seldom more than 20 years (desperation)
Langa 20R per month to apply for government house (RDP) 200 – 350R rent for shared flat (we visited flat: 3 families, one room, between 12 – 15 sqm) Older houses build on private property (unlike the shacks) After graduation children build houses for their families Richer community members (lawyers etc.) don’t leave the area, houses between 400,000 and 1,000,000R (strong community, people do not want to move out; good location, close to the city center) No mail delivery to shacks but rest of the townships (people living in the shacks ask others to receive mail for them) Some people live in shacks because they need privacy (not given in shared flats; shacks are for free in the sense of no rent, people might have to buy material though) Some people stay in shared flats even if the earn a decent wage (supporting family and buying status symbols)
Summary - Requirements - affordable house design that does not look cheap - easy to build up – do-it-yourself houses - separate rooms - sustainable (materials used, financially,…) - use of bamboo
Additions SEs SEs Price for local bamboo plywood: About 10,000R (890€) per cubic meter (m3) Maybe an inspiration for open source housing (?): wikihouse.cc
Contact details For any questions and feedback: (Skype: sebastian.borchers90) (Skype: fsktiba) Bambooha.org
Sources Pictures: content/uploads/2012/02/KLM-Airlines-South- Africa.jpg 3.JPEG content/uploads/2012/07/SanitationProtest-1.jpg