IN CONTEXT
Technical support and
construction oversight
The NGO Build Change gives homeowners technical
support for safe reconstruction and rehabilitation after
disasters, in partnership with development actors
and government agencies providing reconstruction
grants to homeowners. Homeowners are in charge of
aesthetics, home layout and functional features. This
way, homeowners are able to use their reconstruction
grants to suit their needs while Build Change ensures
the home design and construction is safe.
To give homeowners incentive to build safely, the grant
must pay a large portion of construction costs. If only
30 percent of the money required to build a home is
tied to Build Change’s inspection process, the owner
may forgo the grant and spend their own money on
other design features. Similarly, the organisation has
found that the last grant instalment must be more than
15 percent of the total grant. Otherwise, the homeowner
may revert to cheaper construction techniques for the
roof and undermine the safety of the building during
high winds and earthquakes.
SECTION III: CONSTRUCTION
During reconstruction, Build Change deploys an
engineer from their local team to oversee key steps in
construction. This includes design finalisation, laying
the foundations, building key structural components
and attaching the roof. After Build Change engineers
approve each step, the homeowner is given
another instalment of the reconstruction grant. If the
construction is of poor quality, the engineer gives
options to rectify the mistake but does not provide the
next grant instalment until the mistake is fixed.
A local construction worker preparing the steel reinforcement prior
to the pouring of concrete for a new school. Photo: Arup.
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