A new home built by Corobrik in Lwandle, Strand, is a “dream come true” for disabled resident Angelina Msizi – and a tangible way for Corobrik to show its support for the rights of women and children. The house is a part of the Western Cape Department of Human Settlements new Siyazama housing project which consists of 82 units.
Speaking at the official handover ceremony in April, which was attended by Bonginkosi Madikizela, Western Cape Minister of Human Settlements, Corobrik director Bertha Zwane said that the house had been built both as a way for the company to give back to those in need and to demonstrate the appropriateness of double skin clay brick construction with a face brick exterior wall as a ‘best solution’ for sustainable housing in terms of economic, social and environmental considerations.
The Department of Human Settlements chose the beneficiary for the Corobrik house.
Zwane said, “Following a presentation to the Department of Human Settlements on the research done by WSP Green by Design into the energy and lifecycle costs of different house types and construction methods for 40-square-metre houses, the Minister for Human Settlements in the Western Cape asked Corobrik to build two RDP houses for disabled people, to demonstrate the value of double skin clay brick construction for government-subsidised housing in the Western Cape.”
Angelina Msizi was living in a shack and desperately in need of a proper home. A clay brick house is recognised as a proper home, although clay brick construction has previously been considered not economical for this sector of the market.
“This home really stands out for the holistic value it offers, meeting the aspirations of would-be homeowners in the RDP housing sector as well as the objective of the DoHS to provide ‘proper’ houses that are waterproof, thermally efficient and require minimal maintenance going forward,” Zwane said.
“This home of Angelina Msizi’s, and the other home built at the same time for Kholeka Bence in Khayelitsha, will bring an improved quality of life to their new owners. Within the budget limits, this clay brick home is more than a best fit for a person in a wheelchair; it is most appropriate for all South Africans in need of housing as it provides a comfortable, durable and robust building, with clean and healthy interior air, and low maintenance over the full lifecycle of the building.
“Probably most importantly, the high thermal mass inherent in double skin clay brick cavity wall construction will help keep the inside of Angelina Msizi’s home cool in summer and warm in winter, contributing to lower energy needs for artificial heating and cooling.
“At a macro level, the greater thermal comfort provided by clay brick walls, when applied to thousands of RDP houses, would translate into lower energy demand on the national grid,” Zwane added.
