Hydraform brick house

An eco-friendly, low-cost brick house construction technique has been introduced to the northern region of Tigrai in Ethiopia.

The Ethiopian government has been encouraging private companies to introduce the new house-building technology to the regions.

 A private company, Ethio Fana, introduced the bricks known as hydraform to Tigrai, that are made with sand soil, cement and a chemical glue which lasts longer than cement. It is also more affordable because cement has tripled in cost over the past three years.

“Our main purpose is to provide alternative building systems and cost-effective products to the people who are planning to build their house,” said Fikre Gebreegziabher, project coordinator for Ethio Fana.

The unique features of hydraform block are that they are good for the environment, they need no mortar and they are cost-effective.

Fikre told VOA, “High demands for house construction in Ethiopia, Tigrai motivated us to install the hydraform block-production machines.”

He says the hydraform building system has been imported from South Africa and machines are used in more than 50 countries worldwide. Hydraform building blocks are being used successfully in earthquake stricken regions of our world.