The huge demand for housing of almost 2,2-million units has inspired the development of a technology by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) that will benefit communities that 
depend on subsidised, low-income houses in South Africa.

The research was funded by the Department of Science and Technology (DST) and is in line with its mandate to develop technology-related solutions that 
address socioeconomic issues.

The DST has invested about R40-million to build over 600 houses in the Buffalo City municipality, in the Eastern Cape, and 
at Kleinmond, in the Western Cape.

Using innovative design and construction technology, CSIR researchers have developed a demonstration house with significantly improved performance and sustainability. 
If built according to CSIR specifications, and on a large scale, such houses will be constructed much faster, but at similar costs to those built using conventional 
methods.

“The house was constructed by combining technologies and materials in an innovative way to improve living conditions and the durability of the home,” explains 
of CSIR Built Environment 
executive director Hans Ittmann.

To eliminate cracked walls 
resulting from substandard foundations, a CSIR technology 
developed for roads was adapted 
to form the foundation slab of the house.

“Local labour can be used to construct such foundations, which are based on ultrathin, continuously reinforced concrete technology,” says Ittmann.

DST director-general Dr Phil Mjwara tells Engineering News that this is in line with 
the department’s mandate to 
develop technology-related solu-
tions to address socioeconomic 
issues.

“We decided in past years to invest in technology solutions that are developed at the CSIR. 
“We identified that there is a problem as far as the delivery of housing is concerned and we 
decided to look at technology 
solutions to address this problem,” says Mjwara.

He states that the benefits of this project include a 6% cost 
saving, “which will help us to 
build more units”, assures Mjwara.

He notes that they will present the pilot project to the Minister of Science and Technology, Naledi Pandor, and it is hoped that her department and the department Human Settlements will cooperate in rolling out the new technology for building houses.

CSIR senior researcher Llewellyn van Wyk points out that a modular, design-to-fit 
approach, similar to a Lego set, where pieces have to fit together correctly to form the bigger unit, was used.

He stresses that the difference to current low-income houses is the design of the bathroom and the kitchen area, and the use of a waste outlet manifold that is premanufactured, quality-tested and installed on site.