Building your own home is normally pretty straightforward - you buy the materials, get all the necessary permits, hire the builders and obtain a mortgage. Some may also consider the environment by bringing sustainable elements into their home, such as solar panels. However, no matter how (or where) it's done, building a house doesn't come cheap. Until now, that is, as a Dutch aid organisation has developed its ideas for affordable, sustainable houses for low income countries.
Enviu - which is short for 'Environment and You', but the name also stands for 'Envy you' - is a Rotterdam-based network of young entrepreneurs who focus on sustainability and development. Environmental and social issues - especially in low income countries - are dealt with by developing ideas that are both sustainable and profitable.
Local materials
Open Source Houses is one of them, says Walter Aan de Wiel, project manager of Enviu. Cheap houses that are built in developing countries by local people using local materials, rather than importing these materials from other parts of the world. "We also designed these homes with all kinds of smart elements, such as using solar energy or wind cooling rather than electric air conditioning. The houses are being cooled by their own design".
Using local materials also means using natural resources available in those countries. "Why import expensive building materials if you have other materials available on your doorstep?", Enviu says on its website.
Urbanisation
Many people in low income countries would like to have a house of their own, but rapid urbanisation, rising building costs and shortage of materials keep many possible home owners off the market. This applies specifically to many people from the lower middle classes, says Mr Aan de Wiel.
"They are not poor; they have steady salaries, but the average house is still too expensive for them. This means they're forced to live in slums or live with their parents. The houses that we have developed can be built in a lower price range than usual, so that these people can finally afford a home of their own".
Watch a promotional clip for Open Source Houses (story continues below):
Share the knowledge
"We also feel we should make the knowledge we in the Western world have about sustainable housing available to people in those countries", Mr Aan de Wiel says. "Hence this project - we share our knowledge online in an open source way so that people can use it the way they want to".
The houses are designed in a modular way. "You can start small, with one or two rooms, and slowly expand your house", says Mr Aan de Wiel. "People are already doing that now, but more in an informal way. We have formalised this in the designs which makes it a lot safer and it's better aesthetically; it looks much nicer".
Competition
Enviu organised a worldwide competition to find the best and most sustainable design for these houses. The two winning entries are now built in Ghana, with an ultimate target of constructing 100,000 homes by 2020. Houses will cost between 11,000 and 25,000 Ghanaian cedis (6,000 and 13,500 Euros), according to the local project advisor in Ghana.
"The authorities have provided the land to build the prototypes", Mr Aan de Wiel says. "We hope to expand once the pilot has been successful. We are now waiting for the final building permits".
Ambitious target?
The target of 100,000 homes in the next ten years is a very ambitious one, says Mr Aan de Wiel – but it’s one that can be achieved, he believes.
"We can reach that goal. Designs are shared and are available freely to everyone. This means people can build these houses themselves, or implement the details into their own designs. We won't be building these houses; we hope that other people will use these designs and adapt them to their local context".
And Enviu thinks these 'open source houses' can be built in Western countries as well. "We've already received applications from other countries such as the Netherlands. So perhaps the project will be launched here as well".
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