Alternative building materials and technologies

Alternative building materials and technologies | Alternative building Technologies


Alternative building materials and technologies

Alternative building materials and technologies


Create entrepreneurs - Develop skills - Empower people – Produce product


Decent housing is one of the key factors in the fight against poverty and social exclusion. It is not just about putting a roof over someone’s head. Academic research proves that access to a clean and stable home implicates an improvement in security, health and education.

Moladi, an award winning South African based company, established in 1986, makes housing accessible to low-income people through innovative and eco-friendly technology, creating employment.

Moladi alternative construction system

The Moladi alternative construction system consists of a reusable and recyclable plastic formwork mould, which is filled with stone-less concrete and a special chemical additive. This additive ensures that, once the mortar is set, the formwork can be removed – and reused up to 50 times. According to the founder Hennie Botes, the brickless walls can withstand all types of weather and is earthquake resistant. The formwork is lightweight allowing easy transportation. Due to the simplicity in design and the repetitive application scheme, construction costs can be reduced significantly. The Moladi model is not only cost-effective but fast, to: Botes comments that the wall structure of a house can be completed within one day. A further plus point, especially in remote areas, is that the construction does not require heavy machinery or electricity.

With the motto “Train the unemployed to build for the homeless” Moladi combines construction with economic development. The company offers training locally for the unemployed thereby creating jobs and empowering the community as a whole. Due to the simplicity of the approach, construction techniques and skills can be transferred in a short time. In this way, the communities benefit from affordable shelter and skilled entrepreneurs (in the area of low-cost housing) at the same time. Moladi’s success in over 20 countries shows that affordable housing is an important key in finding solutions to promoting security and alleviating poverty.



moladi plastic formwork

moladi plastic formwork





Siemens EmpoweringPeople.Award - Dr. Ernst Friedrich Small is Beautiful”

Rockefeller Foundation - Discovering better ways to solve social problems – Creating Shared Value "To Build or Not to Build?" - That Is the Question

Forbes India on moladi Technological Innovation - Creating Shared Value

Financial Mail – Affordable HousingBetter ways to build

National Mirror – Nigeria - Adopting alternative building materials, technologies to reduce 16 million housing deficit

DesignMind - New Multistorey Floor Slab Formwork System

Business Fights Poverty - Innovation at the Base of the Pyramid

AfricanBrains - SA: Moladi housing model builds communities

DesignMind - JOB CREATION - Start at schools

For more information visit moladi

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