With the growing numbers of urbanization globally, interventions to support the rapid delivery of affordable and sustainable shelter have been developed in response to the challenge. Most of the interventions employed in the earlier years were of mass production to achieve a speed of delivery to market. However, with the challenges of rapid urbanization and technological advancements around the sustainability conversation of climate change – more sustainability integrations have been made to the materials of delivery of alternative building technologies (ABT).

Alternative building technologies (ABT) that encompass more economically effective and environmentally friendly building materials and construction methods are being considered and included in the production of housing, to make it quicker, easier and cheaper to build compared to traditionally built houses using bricks and mortar. Using alternative building technologies can also make it easier to provide emergency shelter when disasters such as flooding, heavy storms, earthquakes, and even more recently diseases such as the Covid-19 pandemic strike, or even be used to make houses more resilient against the impacts of climate change. As indicated in SAHIF’s High-Level Market Assessment, a growing number of developments are starting to employ principles of green building and sustainability to design, construct, operate and maintain buildings which can reduce the operating and maintenance cost of housing and also make it more sustainable. This not only creates affordable housing opportunities but also impacts a broader range of factors such as human health and well-being as well as the quality of life, extending beyond just the individual footprint of the house including community-wide benefits.