BASE BUILDS –

CONSTRUCTING WITH BAMBOO

MANILA, PHILIPPINES
PARTNER: BASE BUILDS

Affordable housing is one of the focus areas in the project portfolio

of the Hilti Foundation. Sustainability, efficiency, innovation and
direct involvement of our beneficiaries to improve their living condi-
tions through their own efforts are the key principles of our work.

One of the projects in this area is Base steel and concrete, and the houses
Bahay, a bamboo construction initia- tend to have much greater resistance
tive founded in 2013. This project aims to natural disasters, such as earthqua-
to counter the housing shortage in the kes and typhoons. In addition, Base
Philippines, where approximately 1.5 Bahay also creates jobs for the local
million households lack affordable ho- population. Here are a few impressions
mes. Bamboo is an ideal solution: the of the project.
material is much eco-friendlier than

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Fast growing resource lightweight and hollow. All these cha- material against insects and mold. Put
Nothing on earth grows faster than racteristics makes Bamboo the ideal in a wooden framework and they are
bamboo. This plant has more than insulating material. ready to use as a housing wall later.
1,600 species, several of which can Poor people’s wood?
grow as much as three meters a day. This all works for those area, where Carpenter Hazem Fadrigo manages
The bamboo stem hardens over time Bamboo thrives best: in tropical and the construction site in the Iloilo sett-
and after a period of three to five subtropical climates. where it can en- lement. When he first heard that the
years, it has achieved a level of re- joy plenty of warmth, light, rain and houses would be built of bamboo, he
sistance that rivals that of hardwoods. nourishment to help it grow tall and thought: „That’s not going to work.“ In
Bamboo stalks are almost unbreaka- strong. In tests the bamboo-houses the Philippines, bamboo is considered
ble, flexible, weather-resistant and endured typhoons – concrete houses the „poor people’s wood“ and anyone
however, collapsed. who can afford it builds houses from
concrete. But Fadrigo’s opinion has ch-
Bamboo creates work anged: „European engineering quality
Johnny Deguzmann used to pass the combined with the traditional Philippi-
Bamboo plant carless, without giving ne building material, this combination
it a second thought. It grows as wild is the best of both worlds!“ says the
in the Philippines as stinging-nettle tradesman.
around here. Now the plant is providing
him with work and some extra money. Although many Filipinos have a roof
Five to six times striking out with his over their heads, neither the house nor
machete is necessary, until the Bamboo the land belongs to them. They are of-
falls onto the ground. An agricultural ten threatened with eviction, which me-
worker like Johnny harvests several ans that they and their children must
dozen bamboo stalks a day. live literally on the streets.

Uniformity is essential. In a close by Communities of hope

factory, the bamboo stalks are cap- Iloilo is an hour’s flight from Manila
ped to a height of 2.40 meters and and has approximately 600’000 resi-
stained. A drill through the stem enab- dents, a quarter of whom live in slums.
les to inject the wood preservative. This Partnerships with local institutions are
treatment is essential to protect the crucial for the acceptance of a pro-
ject on site. Base Bahay collaborates
with, among others, the Homeless Peo-
ple’s Federation of the Philippines, a
self-help organization for people who
do not have a permanent residence.
To date, about 70,000 people have be-
nefited from the organization’s help.

Two girls observe the construction

of a new house, where they will soon
live together with their family. To own
a house means to have a home and
provides an atmosphere of safety and
comfort for parents and their children.
Currently, about 50 bamboo houses
are being built on the outskirts of Iloilo.
Base Bahay was the only organization
to decide that the poor should enjoy
the same safety standards as the we-
althy.

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A better future
The bamboo houses are generally
single-story, small and simple. Bamboo
stalks are visible only from inside the
house, the outside is plastered. They
cost roughly €5,000, of which the re-
sidents must make a down payment
of about €300. The remainder is paid
off over time, with donations helping
to finance part of the cost.

The new owners receive a deed that

allows them to register with the po- Family Dural can hardly believe her
lice and apply for an electricity supply. good luck. „We are really happy and
The ability to provide a real address eternally grateful,“ says the young mo-
is life-changing for most families, as it ther. Her family was among the victims
marks the start of social advancement of Typhoon Haiyan, which stormed
into a society. across the island in 2013.

A happy ending for the Dural family Today, the Durals live in a bamboo
This dream recently has become true settlement near the city of Tacloban.
for the family Dural. They just moved The settlement“s name is Community of
into a bamboo house on the edge of Hope and it consists of about 60 bam-
the city, in a green valley nearby. It boo houses painted in pastel colors.
may not be that big, say the parents, The Durals“ house, number 12, is purple
but it’s their own house. To them, this and the family is visibly happy with the
represents a dream come true and the light-filled, airy rooms. The settlement
hope that their daughters will have a sits in a green valley surrounded by
better life. gently rolling hills.

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World’s capitol of the homeless
There is no place on earth with a grea-
ter need for decent housing than Mani-
la. The capitol of the Philippines and at
the same time the world-capitol of ho-
melessness. Approximately five million
men, women and children sleep under
bridges, creep under plastic canvas or
dwell in poor huts.

The family of Rebecca Bargan lives in

Patayas, Manilas largest slum. It is hot
and muggy in the dark barrack, three
persons share one small room. Water
leaks through the roof whenever it rains
and the walls threaten to collapse in
a storm. Any loud noises in the night
could herald the approach of the po-
lice. „Our sincerest wish is to have our
own, sturdy house,“ says Rebecca.

She is now one step closer to this dre-

am. When she heard that a small sett-
lement of bamboo houses was being
built at the edge of the slums, she im-
mediately applied to buy one. We hope,
that the dream of a house comes true
for many Philippine families such as the
Durals and Bargans.

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 Manila, Philippines

Project partner:
Base Builds
www.base-builds.com

Facts & Figures

The Hilti Foundation was established
in 1996 as a charitable organization
by the Martin Hilti Family Trust. Since
2007, the Hilti Foundation has been a
joint institution of the Martin Hilti Fa-
mily Trust and the Hilti Group, which
contributes two percent of the annual
consolidated earnings to the Founda-
tion’s budget.

Our slogan „We build a better future”

underlines the fact that the Foundation
supports activities and projects focu-
sing on social development, education
and science around the globe. The Hilti
Foundation wants to empower people
to lead a better, autonomous and inde-
pendent life.

Contact:
Isabel Fehr, Communications
[email protected]
T +423 234 21 99

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