Building Homes for Families in Need

Imagine not having a safe place to call home. Where would you sleep? How would you stay healthy, get a job and raise your kids?

Adequate housing is a human right, and a safe place to call home is a prerequisite for social and economic development. But globally, an estimated 1.6 billion people live in substandard housing. This has a significant impact not only on their safety and health, but also on their economic opportunities and social integration. Watch the video and meet Desiree, one of the new owners of a safe home built with CBFT, a disaster-resilient, affordable, and sustainable building technology developed by the Hilti Foundation.

In the Philippines, seismic activity is commonplace and more than 20 tropical cyclones hit the country each year. Under these conditions, unsafe construction techniques are dangerous. The Hilti Foundation invests into affordable housing solutions by developing innovative technologies and sustainable building concepts that serve as a starting point for families in need to build a better life.

The focus is on Cement Bamboo Frame Technology (CBFT). With this innovative technology, more than 1,000 houses have already been built in the Philippines. Now, CBFT is being used together with the government, leading NGOs and developers for large-scale social housing projects across the country.

Since one of her children has been diagnosed with autism, Desiree is more than happy to have qualified for the KAWAYAN housing project, which supports families with disabled members. She used to dream of having her own house - now she dreams of getting her children an education.