Housing in Southern Africa

he hub’s village style atmo-

sphere with a range of Inno-

vative Building Technologies

show houses, clearly demonstrates

the aesthetic appeal of the numer-

ous housing styles, from emergency

housing units to double storey resi-

dential units.

The diversity of systems, their

look and consumer appeal is just

eye candy. The most important as-

pect is how these systems perform

technically, scientifically and the

buildings' performanceandwear and

tear on site.

Innovation by definition means

‘the introduction of something new:

a new idea, method, or product

etc’. An IBT is defined as any form of

building which utilises building sys-

tems, methods, materials, elements

or components, which are not fully

covered by existing standards and

specifications or codes of practice

and/or referred to in the ‘deemed-

to-satisfy’ of the National Building

Regulations.

Innovative building technologies

are required to have either an Agré-

ment certification or (for the purpose

of housing specifically) the National

Home Builders Registration Council

(NHBRC) Rational Design approval,

in order to comply with the building

regulations.

The National Home Builders Reg-

istration Council, Centre for Research

and Housing Innovation’s hub evalu-

ates, tests and approves systems

to ensure that the IBT is fit for pur-

pose. Some of the criteria that is

investigated/evaluated includes:

structural strength and stability,

serviceability, materials, behaviour

in fire, energy efficiency and instal-

lation of services (water and sewer).

With the public and private sector

upscaling the speed of housing deliv-

ery and so many systems available,

alternative solutions can be found in

IBTs. There are two main categories

of innovative building technologies,

based on wall type – masonry and

non-masonry.

A masonry wall can be defined

as an assemblage of masonry units

jointed together withmortar to form

a structure and are either generally

made from fired clay, concrete or

compressed soil. Every other wall

type that does not fall within this

description is a non-masonry wall.

CONCRETE

Concrete based walling systems, in

various forms, are more common

than many people realise and have

been in existence for decades. Con-

crete is one of the oldest building

materials and there is a wealth of

technical knowledge and experience

of this material available. The con-

crete walls are usually constructed

in-situ or precast in a controlled

factory environment and then as-

sembled as panels on site.

FORMWORK SYSTEMS

MOLADI

The Moladi housing system is a typi-

cal cast in-situ, concrete forming sys-

tem. A lightweight plastic injection

mould formwork system is used to

cast the wall. The reinforcing of the

walls of the superstructure must be

designed and certified by a structural

engineer. The walls are comprised

of an in situ cast, reinforced 100 mm

thick walling system, consisting of

reinforcedmesh and aeratedmortar.

This mortar comprises a mixture of

graded river sand, cement, water and

Moladi Chem, the company’s own

chemical component. The external

and internal wall thickness is 100 –

150 mm. No beam filling is required

as block outs are used to create

the cavities to position purlins and

trusses accurately. Steel windows

and doors are cast into position.

All electrical and water piping is

THE

The Eric Molobi Housing Innovation Hub’s scope and mandate is to

provide research on new Innovative Building Technologies (IBTs)

and products. The hub plays a crucial role in assessing the technical

and physical performance of these systems at its testing facilities in

Soshanguve, Tshwane.

MOLADI