Basseterre, St. Kitts, May 18, 2023 (ZIZ Newsroom): As anticipation grows for the new housing initiative proposed by the National Housing Corporation (NHC) a housing fair was hosted on the grounds of NHC to educate the public on the new smart homes that are expected to be built, beginning shortly.
On May 5, Minister responsible for Housing & Human Settlement, the Hon. Dr. Geoffrey Hanley, in an address to the Nation, formally announced that 2,400 affordable smart homes will be made available to citizens.
Technical Manager at NHC Oflyn Rogers explained the system proposed by the developers out of Trinidad which he said aligns itself with mass production.
“Our common system here is block concrete and seal. That does not quite work. We want 2400 homes in over four years. So that’s approximately average 600 per year. So to use blocks, it’s going to be under in terms of the capacity to deliver,” he explained. “So this is a system where it is what you will hear the term monolithic. Monolithic means one. So it is a system where you have a farm system and it’s fully erected. The whole house goes up and then you pour. And it is one pour not one pour today and the next one pour tomorrow. No, that is poured one time. The other thing is the form stays in place. It is a composite, compressed concrete, I would say concrete board, but it’s a compressed system. It stays in place along with an insulation, along with steel, horizontal, vertical, and then you’re inside. It is erected entirely and then it’s poured, and that’s done. And that is what lends itself to speed and mass production.”
He gave an update on what considerations are being made in terms of where and how these houses will be constructed.
“A three bedroom should take about two to three months. So if you go, two bedroom it’s less in terms of this park to go. We expect by the end of June, things are going. We are going to start with the people that have land because once they have the land, it means there. Right now, the Sustainable is doing what they have to do because they are persons who have land and they are person who don’t. So for the people that have land, yeah, we’re going to roll them out. For those that don’t have land, they’re organizing so that in an area 20 would go down here,30 would go down here, and it is all around for all the constituencies to be done.”
He said this type of initiative is important as it raises the standard of living in St. Kitts.
This is where the National Housing Corporation impacts a nation. And we have that kind of thing happening in different parts of the Caribbean, different parts of the world. Once there is housing, once there are homes, it means poverty is eradicated. You could don’t have money, but you have a home, you’re safe. If you don’t, you have a home, you’re out in the elements, you’re homeless. Poverty will just come in just like that. So this is an important movement as to keep our nation, a nation with a high standard of living because poverty would be eradicated.”
All homes will be built and equipped with a refrigerator, stove and solar water heater for EC$ 111,000 for a 1 bedroom, EC$ 213,000 for a 2 bedroom and EC$297,00, and EC$297,000 for a 3 bedroom.
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