Technology and Innovation in Affordable Housing Construction in Kenya
Technology adoption is revealing a positive effect on the cost of housing.
Samwel Bwire
As construction costs in cities rise, real estate companies and governments are focusing more on alternative building technology to deliver mass housing faster. The constant question is, “How do we provide safe, quality, affordable housing for our citizens?”
Due to the technological innovation that is being made in creating modern building materials,. These new innovations are different from the traditional and “expensive” brick-and-mortar options.
Construction technologies such as cement-coated expanded polystyrene (Eps) panels instead of conventional stones, have gained a lot of traction not only in Kenya but on the continent. This technology entails building homes by assembling ready-made EPS foams, sandwiched between a wire mesh that is sealed on both sides with concrete. The technology offers benefits such as thermal insulation, which makes houses comfortable regardless of temperature changes. Projects built using the panels have reported costs that are lower by about 25%, with construction time cut in half.
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The use of local materials is being encouraged through innovations such as Durabric brick, which is produced from a mixture of earth and cement, compressed in a mold, and left naturally to cure without tiring. This process saves up to 14 trees per house, according to the CDC Investment Works Group. By avoiding this firing phase, Durabric reduces greenhouse gas emissions tenfold.
These innovations, when applied correctly, will be effective in cutting costs for large-scale construction projects, potentially enabling more affordable housing projects to be initiated. Technologies such as drone imagery, off-site construction processes, and collaboration tools such as BIM and BidiiBuild are assisting these home-grown developers to execute faster, more efficiently, and with greater capacity.
In conclusion, technology adoption is revealing a positive effect on the cost of housing. The majority of professionals have said that the adoption of new technologies is providing substantial benefits to the housing industry. Their construction staff is understating the various building technology options, and that is increasing their housing unit delivery and making them enjoy economies of scale. The majority of the users have also shared that housing professionals are using technology to ensure the low cost of building materials so that they can afford the house and also to make the houses more advanced.
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