SA Affordable Housing November / December 2016 // Issue: 61 | Page 16

FEATURES

Modular homes are sectional prefabricated houses that consist of multiple sections called ‘modules’.
Image: Federal Emergency Management Agency

Different strokes -

The ins and outs of modular,
temporary and alternative housing
We take a look at modular, temporary and alternative housing, and how
these sometimes overlooked technologies can help rectify South Africa’s
housing deficit, which traditional building methods have yet to address.
By Kelly-Ann Prinsloo

S

outh Africa is a country in transition. In the 22 years
since apartheid was dismantled, the government has
scrambled to right the wrongs that the system
perpetrated against its citizens. One of those wrongs is
inadequate housing.
The government inherited a critical housing shortage,
when the 1996 census reflected a housing backlog of
2 202 519. Since 1994, the state has built 1.4 million
housing units, providing more than five million people
with secure homes.
As South Africa’s population continues to grow, so too
does the housing deficit. And those South Africans living
below the breadline are not the only ones who need safe,
comfortable homes – many young South Africans are
looking to alternative technologies to provide them with a
place to settle.
Enter modular and alternative housing.

14

NOVEMBER - DECEMBER 2016

AFFORDABLE
SA HOUSING

A MODULAR ALTERNATIVE
Modular homes are sectional prefabricated houses that
consist of multiple sections called modules. ‘Modular’ is a
method of construction differing from other methods of
building where the modules are constructed at an off-site
facility, then delivered to the intended site of use.
Intastor Controlled Environments (Pty) Ltd, a company that
designs, manufactures and installs insulated modular
panels, insulated roofing panel systems, insulated modular
wall panel, and expanded polystyrene insulation was
appointed to provide an expected total of 1 500 transitional
residential accommodation units (TRAs) at Delft, just outside
Cape Town, in three phases. The first began in September
2010 and consisted of almost 800 units including a
community hall, spaza shops and security facilities. This
phase was completed and handed over on 30 March 2011.
Phase two, which commenced in February 2012, comprised
an additional 300 units handed over in November 2012.