Rebuilding Eco-friendly Homes

According to United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, between 1995 and 2015, approximately 6,500 natural disasters were reported worldwide, and the frequency of occurrence of natural disasters, especially climate disasters, is significantly increasing. One of the primary causes of climate disaster is greenhouse gases emissions, and the construction industry largely contributes to such emissions. Additionally, many people reconstruct houses using unsustainable practices or materials in any natural disaster. Since the reconstruction phase involves the construction of thousands or millions of homes depending on the disaster impact, it may directly or indirectly contribute to greenhouse gas emissions, increasing climate disasters such as hurricanes, tornadoes, typhoons, etc. Therefore, there is a recurring issue in the post-disaster reconstruction effort that is often overlooked. The major cause of this problem is the lack of access to services or platforms and a few misconceptions such as perceived high cost and poor understanding of the benefits of sustainable construction that make implementing sustainability principles in the reconstruction process more arduous.

Our solution is a platform that can be accessed both in a mobile app or a website with the necessary resources to help people make sustainable choices and reconstruct their homes sustainably. Our areas of focus for sustainability will include improving indoor environment quality, green infrastructure, utilizing locally available sustainable materials, deep energy retrofit, and integration of design for disassembly methods such that building components can be recycled. While creating an account in the platform, people will have two choices: to create a service provider account or a customer account. If people create a service provider account, they will be able to access a service portal with options for resources such as guidelines for passive house design methods, design for disassembly, and several other sustainable methods. Service providers such as engineers and architects can also manage and work on different projects through different scheduling and cost estimation tools in the projects section. Besides, they can use the profile section to track their performance, earnings, and public ratings. On the other hand, the customer portal consists of finding a professional option to hire a local professional who can provide innovative solutions to unique problems in their homes.

The platforms’ early adopters will include a seller and buyer side. The seller side will involve service providers such as engineers, architects, plumbers, handymen, construction material suppliers, among others. In contrast, the buyer side will include house owners, house owner associations, among others. Many engineers, architects, and other professionals struggle with job opportunities, especially in companies that promote sustainable construction. Therefore, the platform will provide them with an opportunity to work on projects that creates value and reduces the impact on the environment as well as provide them ethical satisfaction. In the case of the buyer side, sustainable reconstruction services will be more accessible and affordable. Additionally, house owners are more likely to save the cost of operation and maintenance as well as recycle building components if required.

The startup is currently headquartered in Miami, Florida, which is highly prone to hurricanes from the month of June to November. Therefore, if there are any climate disasters in the region, our prototype can be tested for its feasibility, desirability, and viability. However, before testing the applicability of services of this platform in the actual reconstruction process, we aim to test this prototype in a normal situation by providing services to house owners who are rehabilitating or renovating their houses. This step will give us an idea about how fast the services can be delivered, the feasibility of using locally available sustainable materials and products, efficiency of forensic services, and identification of potential areas for reduction in cost for customers to make the services more affordable. Based on the feedback, we will update the platform and its services for the reconstruction phase. To this end, we have conducted 30 interviews of potential users i.e., 15 service providers and 15 buyers or house owners to understand their needs, experience, and desires. 

Besides raising funds, our primary objective is to access mentorship and strategic advice on the business model and collecting/using data as well as measuring impact. Additionally, the Solve platform provides an excellent opportunity to network with impact-minded leaders and meet peers who can support and provide inspiration.

Our solution provides benefits to both engineers/architects and house owners to improve their quality of life and bring a positive impact on the environment.

In the aftermath of natural disasters, there is a sudden increase in demand for forensic services to inspect damages in buildings impacted by natural disasters. Since our platform provides employment opportunities to certified engineers/architects from local communities, house owners will be able to easily and quickly get access to forensic services. Furthermore, our platform will not only address the gap in the workforce but also help house owners to receive strategic advice on sustainable reconstruction, possible recycling of building components, and financing options for affordability. Additionally, through increasing access to services, house owners can reconstruct their damaged houses faster and in a sustainable way.

Our startup includes four main impact goals:

1. Reduce embodied carbon from the built environment during reconstruction, 
2. Integrate design optimization methods such as design for disassembly and passive house design methods
3. Integrate the use of locally available sustainable materials, and 
4. Provide resources for deep energy retrofits to engineers and architects.

Consequently, this would improve the indoor environmental quality of homes that are rehabilitated and reduce Greenhouse gases (GHGs) impact on the environment. To achieve these goals, we would first conduct a pilot project in which we would choose a community in the disaster-prone zone. Before testing the applicability of services of this platform in the actual reconstruction process, we aim to test this prototype in a normal situation by providing services to house owners who are rehabilitating or renovating their houses. Then, we would identify the locations of locally available sustainable materials, partner with local solar firms for deep energy retrofit during building rehabilitation, and provide resources and tools to local construction professionals within the platform. Developing a workable prototype is a critical milestone for our startup. We believe the solve global challenge is a stepping stone towards getting funding, mentorship, and networking opportunities. 

Although we are not yet measuring progress, we aim to use indicators from UN sustainable development goals such as ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all at all ages, ensuring availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all, taking action to combat climate change, and ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy for all.  

We hope to design the user interface and user experience (UI/UX) for a mobile app and website prototype with the integration of simple tools within the platform as soon as possible.

The Satva community's mission is to develop a workplace that is focused on diversity, instills equity, and provides an inclusive environment. Our team respects and nurtures diversity of backgrounds, diversity of perspectives, and diversity in terms of thinking styles. We aim to create an environment where employees feel connected to each other, feel safe in the workplace where they're not fearing microaggressions from their colleagues, and the talent, skillset, and expertise that they bring to the role are valued. 

To fund our work, we would mainly focus on selling services as well as sustained donations and grants. On the other hand, in the aftermath of natural disasters, we also aim to partner with many non-governmental organizations in developing countries such that international aid can be properly utilized for designing and constructing eco-friendly homes. In the long term, we aim to generate revenue by taking a 10% commission on each transaction of the services, people can subscribe to our premium account, and other sources of revenue will include ads and promotions of materials and services and through selling customer data.

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