Country: Canada
Organization: ABT Insulpanel Limited
2) Sector of activity: Housing
3) Description of your products or services: We have developed a technology using waste fibres from wheat straw, Elephant Grass and Typha Australis (cat tails) as well as other indigenous grasses to make compressed fibre panels for emergency shelters that can easily by converted into permanent housing, schools, field hospitals, community centres and etc. for low-income peoples as well as all income levels.
This system uses renewable as well as biodegradable materials. This sustainable, biodiverse system is unique as it uses local materials versus importing at a much greater cost.
The houses are very low cost, can be built by locals in a very short time, vermin resistant, weather and sound proof, earthquake and high wind resistant, healthy, easy to maintain, long lasting, modular (expand as family expands) functional and attractive. The local farmers/population will be the gatherers and harvestors of the fibres rather than burning the fields after wheat harvest or burning back or slash burning the wild grasses. Using local fibres creates income for locals and has a direct impact on the local as well as the global environment. No burning of fields or depleting the forests.
Using the same technology all factories will also produce coffins for the Africa HIV/AIDS epidemic and/or other disaster regions that will need such services.
4) Description of innovation: The ABT Insupanel building technologies can deliver immediate emergency shelters such as housing, field hospitals, schools, storage sheds etc. After the recovery, the panels are reuseable and can be made into permanent buildings.
ABT is planning to build factories in regions that are prone to natural disasters such as earthquakes, hurricanes and floods as follows. Production facilities are planned over the next 24 months for Turkey, Romania, Nigeria, South Africa, Sudan and Iran.
The plant will be in full production
5) Description of the financial model: The primary source of funding for the Turkish plant is from the principals of ABT Insulpanel and the Turkish joint venture partners.
Since the houses are modular and kit packages the majority Low-income peoples will be able to afford either a complete kit or panel by panel. The kits are easily erected by the buyer with a minimum of supervision. Many of the buyers will be either farmers or local gatherers of the grass fibres and will be paid for the raw material or credited with housing panels. The initiative is very self sustaibale and is expected to earn profits after the first year of production. The strategy is high volumes,low costs and low mark ups.
Currently ABT is negotiating with UNDP, Verde Ventures, Red Cross, Red Crescent, Care and Acumen
Client fees represent this approximate percentage of operational budget: 0%
6) Key operational partnership: The main partners are local businessmen and municipal governments who form a joint venture with ABT Insulpanel Limited, normally on a 50/50 basis.
Social acceptance of this type of building system is the main road block.
7) State of implementation:
We are at the Scaling Up stage. ABT Insulpanel Turkey will be in full production by April 2006.
ABT Romania, September 2006
ABT South Africa, September 2006
ABT Nigeria and Sudan, January 2007
What institutions, communities, populations or geographic areas have benefited most from your product/service? The earthquake areas of the world will benefit the most as well as any other recoverng disaster regions.
The cost of the ABT Insulpanel system (shell only) is comparable to canvas tents. However a tent is only temporary, not safe, not insulated nor healthy. The ABT system can easily be put onto a permanent foundation and with the addition of a few more panels become a permanent home.
What specific partnerships do you need to be successful? International emergency aid organizations.
8) Replication strategy or expectation:
What plan, if any, do you have for replicating your disaster strategy? What policy, legal or institutional constraints must be overcome for you to be successful?
In general the outcome will promote livelihood and lifestyle. Initially the project will require no less than 40 square kilometers (15 square miles) of fibre production (3885 hectares or 9600 acres) to produce approximately 4000 low cost 90 square meter homes. This amount can triple in three years. Scaling Up and Replicability potentials are realistic. Eastern, Western and Southern Africa are all potentials. The company is also working in Turkey, Romania, Ukraine for low cost housing projects using the local waste wheat straw. The main constraint is financing. A minor one is getting local building approvals also solved with financing. The numbers are beyond calculation and are limited to production capacity. Each Mill can produce 4000 low income homes per year and the Government of Nigeria ahs indicated it requires over 100,000 homes per year. We are also going to produce 100 Prmary Scholls for Northern Nigeria per year during start up. Each factory site can support 3 production lines = 12,000 low income homes per year.
Which specific areas - and why - in your field would benefit most from investment by corporations, foundations, and other investors:
Investment will expedite our existing growth plans and allow each plant to focus on stockpiling the building panels in preparation to any future disasters.
9) The organization: How does the initiative fit with your overall organization's strategic goals and priorities? How did the initiative start?
This is to be determined. However the project is structured as a profitable enterprise guaranteeing its sustainability over medium/long term. High volumes/low mark-ups. Large targeted beneficiary base.The Scaling Up and Replicability potentials are realistic. Eastern, Western and Southern Africa are all potentials. The company is also working in Turkey, Romania, Ukraine for low cost housing projects using the local waste wheat straw.
9a) Is there a social entrepreneur behind this idea?
John Daniels and ABT Insulpanels main objective has always been to supply low income housing in large volumes with minimal mark-up to developing and third world countries that are agriculturally dependent or have access the grass fibres similar in structure to wheat straw.Our company and staff have been involved directly in affordable housing solutions in Eastern and Central Europe since 1989. The company specialized in Light Steel Framing for residential construction and received building approvals in Ukraine, Croatia and built model house in Zapresic, Croatia in cooperation with the Canadian International Development Agency, an addition and renovation to an apartment complex in Lviv, Ukraine with a local bank and Export Development Canada. The company strongly believes in transferring technology, know how, manufacturing equipment and processes. Since 1998 the company focused on a lower cost building systems
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10) On the mosaic diagram, which of these factors is the primary focus of your work?
- Factor: Lack of scenario planning and preparedness
- Principle: Use local knowledge and priorities
Contact Information:
Name: Mr. John Daniels - President
Organization: ABT Insulpanel Limited
Mailing address: 814-8501 Bayview Avenue, Richmond Hill, Ontario L4B 3J7
Country: Canada
Email:
danielsabt@sympatico.ca
Tel: (905) 882-2499
Fax: (905) 882-5168
Website: http://hometown.aol.com/danielsabt/myhomepage/business.html
Organization's legal status: For Profit Corporation
Number of Employees: 65
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