Scaling safe bamboo construction in the Philippines and Nepal
In Nepal’s Eastern Terai region, homes built with Cement Bamboo Frame Technology are creating new pathways to stability and security for families.
“Nepal is one of the least developed countries in the world,” says Eliza Sthapit, national director of Habitat for Humanity Nepal. “Soaring land prices and rapid rural to urban migration are key causes of lacking access to affordable housing for most in urban Nepal. In rural Nepal, low economic opportunities, lack of proper education and infrastructure are key causes.”
Cement Bamboo Frame Technology (CBFT) is an innovative building method, that the Hilti Foundation and Habitat are working together to scale in Nepal and the Philippines. The technology was developed by the Base Bahay Foundation, an organization founded by the Hilti Foundation. Houses, made with this technology, are constructed with specially treated bamboo and cement plaster that makes them disaster-resilient and sustainable.
Bamboo is already a popular building material for low-income families in Nepal, but more traditional building methods lack the structural integrity to withstand harsh weather conditions or disasters.
“There are many benefits to building with Cement Bamboo Frame Technology,” says Luis Felipe Lopez, head of technology at Base Bahay Foundation. “Most important are that houses built with this technology are more resistant to earthquakes due to their low mass, experience 60% less carbon emissions than those using conventional construction systems and help create jobs in local communities.”
Joining to create a better world
A multifaceted group of local and international partners are working together to scale the use of CBFT, including Habitat, Base Bahay Foundation, non-governmental organizations, financial institutions, local communities, masons, bamboo treatment centers, and federal and local governments.
“Multi-sector partners have committed to working together with an infinite level of patience and respect for each other to make Cement Bamboo Frame Technology a viable building material of choice in the Eastern Terai,” says Eliza Sthapit.
Together with Habitat for Humanity, the Hilti Foundation is also working on a CBFT project in the Philippines, which allows for the two countries to collaborate and learn from one another’s efforts. “Since the nature of work in Philippines resembles that of Nepal, we both learn from each other and present our learnings and discuss programmatic and technical uses,” says Pratik Singh Parmar, a project manager with Habitat Nepal.
The Base Bahay Foundation supports Habitat Nepal technically and advises on best practices for local bamboo treatment centers, cost efficiencies in production and the development of human-centered designs that reflect local preferences while maintaining the integrity of CBFT construction.
Building a strong foundation
Part of Habitat Nepal’s work to advance the use of CBFT includes helping local governments and communities understand the benefits.
“Bamboo is one of the few building materials that low-income families can afford to build with,” says Yuban Malla, program director at Habitat Nepal. “Given their financial constraints, they build with untreated bamboo that does not have much structural stability. These families often reside in disaster prone areas, and they are not only affected by heavy winds and fires, but are also the first to be hit by floods.”
Phulkumari Rishidev, 30 (left) and Sarita Rishidev, 28 (right), two close friends live next to each other in the shelter too. Here they are seen indulging in a light everyday banter with Bina Devi Rishidev, 63, who is also the chairperson of user's committee.
The cycle of low-income families having to rebuild with bamboo every few years has resulted in bamboo being regarded as a “poor family’s building material.” Habitat Nepal is working to change that perception by inviting community members and officials to visit the cement bamboo frame homes. The visitors can ask residents questions about their experiences with the homes’ durability. Habitat Nepal also advocates to change policies at both the local and federal level in favor of building with bamboo and works to secure government funding to build more homes.
Local governments will provide approximately 50% of cost share for the 500 homes that will be built using CBFT in Eastern Terai through the Hilti Foundation’s partnership with Habitat. During this building phase, Habitat Nepal plans to engage in market research and testing to engage potential homeowners, financial institutions that can provide loan options for treated bamboo housing solutions, and other important partners to gather data that supports a financially sustainable model that will help increase the availability of affordable housing.
The Hilti Foundation and Habitat are using a phased approach to address and support every aspect of the value chain that will be required to ensure a viable market for CBFT homes in Nepal long-term. “Ultimately, the goal is to scale the inventory of adequate and appropriate housing,” says Enid Madarcos, Habitat Asia-Pacific’s senior manager for urban, land and policy.
The partnership between the Hilti Foundation and Habitat is working toward the goal of CBFT becoming a self-sustaining industry in Nepal that operates independently and successfully within the country. To reach that goal, relationships with the local farming community must be strengthened to ensure the growth and harvest of high-quality bamboo. Then, a sufficient number of treatment centers must be in place to efficiently process enough bamboo to meet demand. And finally, the construction workforce must be educated on how to properly build using cement bamboo frame technology and an informed customer base has to be motivated to purchase homes built with the technology.
Fostering dreams and new opportunities through innovative housing
“A home is a start to nurturing every small and big dream of an individual and families,” says Eliza Sthapit. “By ensuring homes for families that are safe, durable, disaster-resilient and environmentally sound, the Habitat-Hilti Foundation project is contributing immensely to both socio-economic development and environmental sustainability in Nepal.” Working together to bring innovative housing technologies like CBFT to scale globally is essential to creating a world where everyone has a decent place to live.
“In both Nepal and the Philippines, we are seeing how an innovative housing solution can make a life-changing difference for families,” says Johann Baar, Director Affordable Housing and Technology at the Hilti Foundation. “We are excited to continue to work together with Habitat and a diverse coalition of partners to promote housing and process innovations that have significant scale and impact.”