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W
ith government committed
to providing 1,5 million
housing opportunities by
2019, it is a unique opportunity for
developers and suppliers to provide
IBTproducts and systems for projects
of scale. The national database will
assist the Provincial Human Settle-
mentsDepartments to select systems
for developments. With the Minister
of Human Settlements, Lindiwe
Sisulu, promising to roll out 77 Cata-
lytic Projects throughout the country,
IBT systems will be
utilised to meet
government’s
housing tar-
gets.
T h e
focus on
energy
efficiency andperformance is amajor
factor in residential housing since
the introduction of the South African
National Standard Energy usage in
buildings (SANS 10400 XA). The Hub
aims to include new, fresh technolo-
gies that address issues around en-
ergy efficient housing.
Set up andorganisedby the state’s
housing regulatory authority, the
National Home Builders Registra-
tion Council (NHBRC), the Hub has
played a pioneering role in showcas-
ing houses built using IBT systems
at its testing and teaching facility in
Soshanguve, Tshwane.
Since the official opening in 2007,
the facility has grown into the coun-
try’s leading housing technical centre
under the guidance of the Hub’s
technical guru, Dr Jeffrey Mahachi
and his team. Mahachi heads up the
NHBRC’s Centre for Research and
Housing Innovation, which oversees
theHub. As the foremost authority on
IBTs, his passion for the technical and
scientific work being carried out will
benefit the Department of Human
Settlements as well as the private
sector to fast track housing across
the spectrum.
The housing typologies and sys-
tems have been put through strin-
gent tests withstanding inclement
weather conditions, hail storms on
Eric Molobi
The country’s trend-
setting Eric Molobi
Housing Innovation
Hub aims to attract
manufacturers,
developers and suppliers
of fresh new energy
efficient building
technologies, in order
to fast track housing
delivery. The NHBRC's
hub is sparking creative
thinking and awakening
the entrepreneurial spirit
with its call to sector
players to have their
systems evaluated, so
as to be included in the
national government
database of approved
Innovative Building
Technology (IBT)
systems.
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ABŌD