Eco-Clay Bricks for Low Cost Housing

The problem of housing affordability is a handicap for countries to achieve some of Millennium Developments goals in terms of Poverty Eradication and Environmental Sustainability. The Housing Market study in Kigali showed that 700,000 new dwelling units were needed by 2028, where 70% dwelling units lay in Affordable Housing category. To respond to housing crisis, Rwanda Housing Authority adopted affordable housing program targeting low and medium income households considering that Household should not spend more than 30% of its monthly income on housing.

Proposed affordable compressed ecological-clay bricks will help to avail construction bricks for that will reduce by half (50%) of the cost of the house.  Young adults will be trained on construction of low cost housing by using ecological-bricks. The same solution can be scaled up globally to solve the problem of affordable housing and slums in low and middle income countries.  

Rwanda total population is over 10.5 million people, of which over 1 million people live in Kigali City, capital of Rwanda.  In Rwanda, people from the rural areas are moving to the Cities at a rate of more than 7% creating a large demand for affordable housing, either for renting or for buying. As a consequence of the above exodus, the government, cities and respective residents are facing the following challenges.

• The high living cost in cities
• Limited chances to job opportunities
• The development of low- standard (slams) and informal rural houses scattered around the cities, even though the cities are making a great effort, such as in designing the city Master Plans,

Affordability of renting and buying is house is a common problem in Kigali. The high cost of land, and imported construction material, as well as high-interest rates for loans have been cited as the main factors undermining affordable housing ambitions in Rwanda.

BES Ltd is set to buy machine that will produce low cost compressed standard and interlocking ecological bricks that will be used to construct cost houses and cost of houses will be reduced by 50%. This will also impact renting and job creation for young adults moving from rural areas to Kigali. 

The raw materials will clay soil available in Rwanda and labor will young adults that will be employed to make bricks locally. In addition, young adults will be trained on constructing low cost housing by using ecological bricks and will start business of constructing low cost houses for people in need in Kigali.'

BES Ltd, our company is prepared to sign contracts with different trained young adults that might prefer to sell low cost compressed ecological bricks to different developers in Kigali and outside Kigali. Young adults will be paid a commission that will help them to keep their business moving and making their living. 

The training will be free of charge. Only attendees will required to pay their meal and transport. 

Our solution is responding Rwanda Housing Authority (RHA) policy and strategy to respond to the needs of low cost housing  housing crisis in Kigali. RHA adopted affordable housing program targeting low and medium income households with monthly income ranging between RWF 200,000 (around US$200) and RWF 1,200,000 around US$1,200) considering that Household should not spend more than 30% of its monthly income on housing. Families who pay more than 30 percent of their income for housing are considered cost burdened and may have difficulty affording necessities such as food, clothing, transportation and medical care (UN Habitat). 

In line with Rwanda building control regulations, the Government, through Rwanda Housing Authority, we are proving this solution by targeting low income households within the framework of national policy in respect of housing development. We are working with RHA and our solution is appreciated by RHA. 

According to Rwanda building control regulations, clay bricks are recognized as main construction materials in Rwanda. 

The solution designed is related to challenge of affordable housing development in Rwanda because Kigali is facing the challenge of low cost housing development because most the people have low income can not to buy or rent a house because of high cost of house and renting. Our target groups are low income households in Kigali to ensure that they are able to access low cost houses in Kigali. 

Ecological Interlocking Bricks are ‘locked’ against each other without the use of cement mortar, to form a structurally stable wall that reduces the cost and time of construction to almost half. Where Sand is becoming increasingly scarce and cement prices are soaring, interlocking bricks come as a welcome alternative to home builders. Laterite stone is ground and filtered using a sieve, which is then mixed with 5% cement mixture and a chemical setting agent. This mixture is then machine compressed to form high density Interlocking Bricks. They are manufactured in two widths of 6 inches and 8 inches; and are also available in varying lengths.  Each Interlocking Brick has grooves and locks on its sides which can be fitted with each other to form a block wall that does not need cement mortar for bonding. The roof slab that is placed over these walls keep them structurally stable. The main benefits of eco-interlocking bricks are:

• Cost-savings as cement and sand are not used for constructing the wall.
• Being a less heat-intensive and natural material, laterite retains coolness inside the house.
• Interlocking Bricks are used to construct Walls without the use of Cement Mortar.
• These bricks are environmentally friendly because they don’t need to be burnt. They are made by using natural clay soil, a little bit sand and cement. 

Interlocking Bricks are made by mixing and compressing Sand, Soil and Cement in a machine. They can also be made from stone-dust and cement. The bricks are then stacked and cured for 21 days – the cement sets and bonds with the sand stabilizing the brick. It is a proven technology, which commonly used in Asia to minimize construction costs and ensure affordable housing development. 

Interlocking bricks are durable. Since they have holes inside, you can place rebar in between for additional protection. These bricks are long-lasting. When installed correctly, they resist cracking and buckling. Compared to concrete, interlocking bricks respond much better to earthquakes.

Summary of Paper on Technology to be used

Conventional bricks are the most elementary building materials for houses construction. However, the rapid growth in today's construction industry has obliged the civil engineers in searching for a new building technique that may result in even greater economy, more efficient and durable as an alternative for the conventional brick. Moreover, the high demands for having a speedy and less labor and cost building systems is one of the factor that cause the changes of the masonry conventional systems. These changes have led to improved construction, performance, and cost as well. Several interlocking bricks has been developed and implemented in building constructions and a number of researches had studied the manufacturing of interlocking brick and its structural behavior as load bearing and non-load bearing element. This technical paper aims to review the development of interlocking brick and its structural behavior. In conclusion, the concept of interlocking system has been widely used as a replacement of the conventional system where it has been utilized either as load bearing or non-load bearing masonry system.

Source-Link to paper: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/324445283_Development_of_Interlocking_Masonry_Bricks_and_its'_Structural_Behaviour_A_Review_Paper

The rapid growth in construction industry has obliged the civil engineers in searching for a new building technique that may result in even greater economy, more efficient and durable as an alternative for the conventional brick. Moreover, the high demands for having a speedy and less labor and cost building systems is one of the factor that cause the changes of the masonry conventional systems. To this end, several interlocking bricks has been developed and implemented in building constructions and a number of researches had studied the manufacturing of interlocking brick and its structural behavior as load bearing and non-load bearing element. The concept of interlocking system has been widely used successfully as a replacement of the conventional system where it has been utilized either as load bearing or non-load bearing masonry system. 

The use of interlocking ecological interlocking bricks are responding the global need of affordable/low cost housing development in the urban areas  to address the problem of pressing need of rapid growth of population in urban cities and slams. This technology will solve the problem of affordable housing development and create new sustainable jobs for young adults and others. Among many technologies, it was found that interlocking bricks or mortar-less  bricks sustainable solutions to low cost housing for low and middle income households. 

We are targeting to reach at least 100 households with affordable housing construction materials by end of 2021 and 1000 households in 2025. 

We really want to use this technology of low cost ecological bricks to make bricks that will be used to develop low cost houses for the low and middle income households in urban and Peri-Urban areas. 

We are currently finished with business plan and feasibility study. We are in the process of ordering small machine for testing the technology and market. After that, we will need a high capacity machine that will help us to achieve our targets. But, we really don't the required money yet.

The other might be training young adults because most of them will not have jobs. Some of them might not be able to attend because they have to cover training related costs including transport and meal. The training will be free of charge and a trained young adult will be kept in our records for future collaboration in any low cost housing development opportunity.  

We are planning to work with local banks or investors who can invest in production of bricks and non profit organizations that can sponsor young adults interested in learning the development of low cost housing by using ecological interlocking bricks in Kigali, Rwanda. 

We are currently a small team. See below short bios of key personnel:

• Mukeshima Chantal, CEO of BES Ltd. She is the CEO and a shareholder of BES Ltd. She has experience in small business development in Rwanda.
• Eugene Dusingizumuremy: He is Civil Engineer and environmentalist. He is Technical Advisor and Chairman of the Board for BES Ltd. 
• Enoce Twahirwa: He is experienced Electro-Mechanical Engineer. At BES Ltd he is helping with assessment of electromechanical equipment required in industrial development projects.
• NGABONZIZA Jean d’ Amour: He is Civil Engineer and he has experience in design and structural analysis of houses. 

We are well positioned deliver the solution and solve the problem because we are committed skilled people. We are 3 Engineers and CEO. BES Ltd is a private Company registered by Rwanda Development Board. 

Summary of Key Staff

• Mukeshima Chantal, CEO: She was Managing Director and Founder of BANSANGE Ltd between 2014 and 2016. From 2016 to date, she is the CEO and a shareholder of BES Ltd. She has vast experience in small business development in Rwanda.
• Eugene Dusingizumuremy: He is Technical Advisor and the Chairman of the Board for BES Ltd. He has over 12 years’ experience in projects/programs planning and management and grants management. Additionally, he has over 8 years in academic teaching and research projects.
• Jean D'Amour NGABONZIZA: He is experience Civil Engineer, who specialized in housing development, construction materials and design and structural analysis of houses and complex building by using software.  
•  Enoce Twahirwa: He is the Director of Operations. He started his career as an Electro-mechanical Engineer in 2005. He has risen ranks through different companies. He worked in a private company called CET Company, Inc. between 2005 and 2012. CET Company Inc. does specialized freight services and hauling construction. He has worked with Kigali city as Electro-Mechanical Engineer. He was in-charge in assessment of standards and plans of electro-mechanical equipment used in housing and industrial development in Kigali City between 2012 and 2017. At BES Ltd he is charged with assessment of electromechanical equipment required in industrial development projects

The partnership is yet started. We are currently contacting Rwanda Housing Authority and next year we will initiate partnership. partnership is planned to start after mobilizing required resources. 

Our business model is based on selling ecological bricks to builders/contractors and developers of low-cost houses. We are intending to use our trained young adults to promote and sell bricks to builders or developers.  Young adults will be paid paid a commission, which can help the them to keep running the business of selling and construction of affordable houses. 

We are also planning to work with banks and they can provide loans to low income households and we can build low cost houses by using our bricks.

We are targeting to get financing from bank or investors who might be interested in our business model. The loan will be paid back with a moderate interest.

We are also targeting to approach non profit organizations to support vulnerable facilities who can not afford to finance their houses. Those families are those families without any family member who has a job or any other source of monthly revenue and young adults who are not able to attend training because they don't have money to finance the training requirements including transport and meals. 

We are applying to solves housing our project development barriers including lack of access to funding to implement our business project because we had difficulties to access loans and grants. 

This is start up project and banks are not interested in start ups. Rather they want to support business that have started to scale up the business or increase production.

In case we can have access to this grant, we can start and be able to access loans in future to scale up our solution in Rwanda and other countries. BES Ltd is set to scale up our solution to other countries and bring in new products to boost sustainable housing development for low and middle income households globally. 

We are seeking partners who can help us to attract investors by shaping our business model and ensure that our technology is providing high standard bricks, which are accepted internationally. 

In addition, we need partners who can help to develop a good product service and distribution model as well as cost effective marketing strategy. 

No list in mind yet. But, anyone willing to partner in this solution model is welcome. 

This grant will used to train young adults girls in construction of low cost buildings by using interlocking bricks and support them to start their small business on construction of low cost houses for low and middle income households.

In addition, the same grants, will be used to construct low cost houses for  women who have problems of accessing loans to own their homes in Kigali. 

These grant will serve as bank grantee for selected women and after paying back their loans, the same money will used as bank grantee for others. This grant will be used to support women with low and unsustainable income in Kigali who do not have collateral and access to loans. 

This solution will create jobs for young girls and boys in Kigali who are jobless. They be trained on construction of low cost houses by using interlocking ecological bricks and how to market them. The trained young girls and boys will be encouraged and allowed to sell bricks to different developers and employed in construction of low cost homes in Kigali and out side Kigali.

They will be paid a commission for bricks sold. In addition, they will be encouraged to start their own business to construct low cost houses and employ others. The grant will be used in training young girls and boys to gain new skills in constructing new affordable homes by using interlocking bricks. The same grant will be used to help trained young girls and boys to start their business in construction industry by helping to access loans. A part of them money will used as a bank grantee to help trained young girls and boys to access first loan to start their business.

This will boost construction industry and will create jobs in Rwanda.