Bauwende

Problem & Vision
Worldwide more than 1 billion people live in inadequate shelters. Our vision is safe housing for all, reliable income opportunities for unskilled workers and the use of eco-friendly construction material.

Business modell
Bauwende trains unskilled labourers as CSEB producers and takes care of all pre- and postproduction activities. Bauwende sells the produced CSEB to its customers and thereby generates revenue.

Social Impact
1) We improve the living conditions of people who can now afford a solid house.
2) We improve the life of unskilled labourers through training, faire working conditions and a reliable income.
3) We protect the environment – the production of CSEB saves 90% CO2 emissions compared to conventional fired clay bricks.

Product
CSEB is a proven technology that has been used in more than 30 countries; in Bangladesh it has only be applied by NGOs on a very small scale so far. A mix of soil, sand, cement and water is compressed in manual block presses and air dried afterwards. CSEB walls are 20% cheaper than brick walls; compared to corrugated iron sheet, bamboo and adobe, CSEB are more durable and more robust against environmental impacts.

Current status
Building Pioneers carries out a six-months pilot project in Bangladesh starting in 2015. Therefore we collaborate with a Dutch foundation and a Bengali enterprise.

Contact Odin Mühlenbein, odin.muehlenbein(at)building-pioneers.org