Do-it-yourself construction empowers homemakers

A modular house plan has been made available free of charge to people who want to build their own homes over time.

AfriSam has collaborated with advertising and brand agency Promise Group and architecture firm BlackStudio, to produce its ‘Plan (a)’ campaign, which gives consumers access to architect-approved building plans for  modular, low cost homes. In what the company says is an industry-first, the plans have been published as a double page spread in community papers and are also available to download online at no cost.

The modular design allows for a home to be expanded as needs change and financial resources allow. AfriSam says that for many years it has provided practical guidance for customers on how best to use its cement and other construction materials. This has included it’s ‘Top Tips’ for working with cement and concrete, as well as its ‘Handy Guides’ for various aspects of building projects.

Black-owned architectural practice BlackStudio co-founder and architect Moremi Mowela says that the social significance of improved home design and quality is hard to over-estimate, pointing out that many young people consider township areas to be transitory spaces, and are still ‘dormitory towns’ serving the large cities.

“This leads to many people leaving townships as soon as they have the means, creating a drain on skills and capital,” says Mowela. “This process can be reversed if those residential spaces can become aspirational, thereby playing a transformational role in shaping behaviour.”

He argues that building a professionally designed home by using AfriSam’s flexible house plan, can be a crucial step in building attractive spaces. When people aspire to live and invest in these areas for the long term, he says, then thriving communities can be fostered.

“Credible research points to the importance of decent housing as an anchor – both financial and psychological – for people’s progression as they seek a better life,” says Promise Group creative advertising agency integrated creative director Nic Kostouros. “With the backlog in housing provision around the country, many people are taking the initiative to build their own homes.”

He highlights that many working people save diligently to initiate the building process, but that corners may be cut due to lack of knowledge or finances. By taking a broad view of what a first-time home builder needs to know, AfriSam’s ‘Plan (a)’ campaign aims to help improve project outputs while not necessarily adding to the upfront costs. The plan allows a home to be built in modules, starting off small and extending as families grow.

“The architect’s plan adds value across a range of aspects from technical issues like foundation structures, to how the spatial design over time would accommodate changing family needs,” he says. “There is a lot that can go wrong in a home building project, so our campaign helps readers to avoid these pitfalls. The ability to build according to a plan maximises the long-term fulfilment they can get from their hard-earned investment.”

BlackStudio co-founder and architect Bauba Maila notes that the company’s experience with township clients has shown that a modular design was common, and stands were often similar in size and orientation to the street.

“Working from these common elements allowed us to create a house plan that would be relevant to most people’s conditions,” says Maila. “What we finally achieved was a plan that has been designed and vetted by an architect, and a procedure for people to apply these ideas; this was previously out of their reach.”