As citizens of this planet, we need to find ways to inhabit it without destroying it further

Drawn primarily as a response to the global warming concerns, there is serious focus and growth toward the use of ecological materials and sustainable architecture in both developed and developing countries

Yet, another climate change conference has highlighted the need for transformation, green low-cost housing and affordable construction technologies. Now more than ever, these are seen as the smart choice in providing sustainable homes in rural development areas.

Building practices are getting smarter and more innovative by the day, with ecomaterials often being pushed as a solution to meeting the ever growing demand for rapid housing delivery.

Green low-cost housing encompasses sustainability, accountability, beauty and profitability.

However, green building runs deeper than merely keeping costs in the green; it’s also about aesthetics, improved fresh air movement, enhanced lighting, balanced temperatures and comfort.

During the 17th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP17) legacy project in the Wiggins area of Cato Manor in KwaZulu-Natal, low-cost houses underwent green retrofitting sponsored by the Green Building Council of South Africa and local and international donors.

The refit involved: installing solar geysers and showers, electrical rewiring, installing efficient lighting, fitting of tongue and groove polystyrene ceilings for insulation, erecting outside tanks for rainwater harvesting (to wash clothes and water gardens), and implementing a mix of traditional soil planting and ingenious mini-gardens made from used water bottles placed on old tyres and wooden pallets.

The community was involved in a city-sponsored project to clear the neighbouring riverbed that was clogged with alien plants and used as a rubbish dump. New energy-efficient street lamps were also installed.

After being actively involved, the community felt proud of being part of the greening experiment and now under-stands better why preserving nature is so important.

There remains a shortage of affordable housing across South Africa, and providing suitable housing is one of the major issues in Muizenberg, Imizamu Yethu and Hangberg in the Western Cape. Here, several companies are involved in constructing comfortable, durable housing using local labour and resources; combining recyclable materials, natural resources, waste, and eco-building materials in conjunction with conventional technology.

Several alternative methods of construction used here, including adobe blocks (a composition of soil or mud formed into brick-like shapes), cob (mixing straw, sand, clay and water stomped into round loaf-shaped bricks, cut and applied by kneading them into the walls), straw bales stacked and plastered, sand bag (polyurethane sacks filled with earth, stacked and plastered) and rammed earth.

While the labour costs may be high using these building methods, people are trained and skilled in building their own homes. The material costs are definitely lower and have fewer environmental impacts than conventional cement-based construction. Some building systems involve an 80% reduction in cement use, saving five tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions in this aspect alone.

These methods further provide other benefits such as walls being better insulated than concrete blocks – it is warm in winter and cool in summer; controls humidity and reduces mould; has high fire resistance, excellent acoustic properties and versatile wall finishes; reduces water usage in construction; minimises transport costs because local material is used; minimises wastage and use of landfills; results in fewer site security issues; and keeps building costs more community- and less corporate-oriented. Additionally, proper condensation eliminates the risk of respiratory problems.

These are alternative, environmentally friendly and reasonably priced construction methods that can pave the way for future buildings in rural areas. A sizeable cob house can be built at very low cost, using earth from sites, salvaged windows and doors, and grass or reeds for the roof.

However, despite acknowledgement from senior members of the housing ministry that techniques such as adobe and cob are acceptable ways of building a house, there are no regulations or guidelines for these unconventional techniques. Which means no housing subsidies are available and banks do not grant bonds, arguing that a proper house must be built from fired bricks and mortar, despite cob houses having been built across the world for hundreds of years.

The biggest challenge facing the widespread use of low-cost construction technologies in a modern economy today is not sustainability but compliance with building standards and their ability, or lack thereof, to provide what is characterised as reasonable shelter and comfort. The majority of the rural population remains steeped in traditional construction methods, which qualify as low-cost, green or ecological construction technologies, but not compliant to building regulations.

A cob house in Muizenberg has attracted much attention from school groups, architecture students, government officials and some bankers to move alternative architecture to the forefront of people’s frame of reference as they realise it is buildings that are responsible for the largest amount of CO2 emissions worldwide.

Several companies offer courses on how to build earthen homes:

Leila’s Permaculture Estate in George offers a five-day course covering hands-on experience on cob, adobe, wattle and daub, instruction on foundations, selecting soil, cob mixing, and the installation of windows and doors.

The McGregor Alternative Technology Centre teaches how to use building materials from one’s backyard to produce building materials in a little factory.

Open Synergy in Johannesburg offers earth-building workshops with the aim of designing and facilitating sustainable cycles of growth offering services in research, consultancy, design and implementation. The company is guided by the principle of biosynergetics, a design method and philosophy that aims to promote health and sustainability by designing and assembling synergistic living systems.

It draws freely from a variety of construction methods, integrates appropriate technologies, and works with a versatile team of implementation partners such as private clients, construction companies, architects, designers, corporations, non-governmental organisations and academic institutions.

As society changes its social and political values to those that are more environ-mentally aware, green low-cost housing will be seen as the smart choice in future.

There are further anticipated benefits, fewer physical health issues, less stress, improved mental well-being and priceless peace of mind that come from knowing you are doing your bit to preserve the Earth for future generations.

Rizel Delano