Urbanite Construction

Background:

• Just like stone construction, except one uses chunks of old waste concrete
• Local urbanite is collected and sourced from demolition and dump sites. The urbanite can be broken up and sorted using locally sourced unskilled labour.
• This building technique supports skills transfers and entrepreneur initiatives.

Benefits:

• Minimizes the use of new concrete.
• Is a very low maintenance material.
• Aesthetically pleasing and ages very well, looking like stone of first appearance.
• Can be used to clean up the environment, by harvesting urbanite from illegal dumps.
• Reduces the amount of waste going into landfill sites and reduces and can help to clean up illegal dumping in the environment
• Turns waste into a resource.
• Similarly to stone, it will have a high thermal mass, which can be used to buffer the extremes of temperature.
• Can be used to create extra jobs at a local level.

Technical Information:

• Properly built urbanite is an extremely durable material.
• Urbanite has a high thermal mass, which can be used to buffer the extremes of temperature.

Company Track record and examples of work:

• Alterations & Additions to House Bezuidenhout - Pinelands, Cape Town, 2012– 2013
• OR Tambo Narrative & Enviro Centre – consulting, Leeupan, Johannesburg, 2011 - 2012