What is Hive Earth Construction

Over recent centuries, earthen building techniques have been falling into disuse despite the long tradition of using earth as a building material in our society. The most common materials used for building walls in the warm-humid and hot-dry regions since ancient times are stones, and earth-based bricks. About 50% of the Ghanaian population lives in earthen buildings.. Most of these homes were built without the need to import any materials. Modern technology in buildings has made it possible to find homegrown solutions and add value to our local building materials without the need to import. Hive Properties has come up with a unique construction technique called Hive Earth Construction.

Utilization of local building materials among both private and public Estate developers are very low. Reasons advanced by these developers for lack of patronage include the lack of confidence in the technical durability of the materials, unreliable supply of the materials resulting in high utilization cost and delays. This has resulted in huge housing deficit and expensive housing construction in Ghana.

The building industry will always need materials, so the question becomes: what are the best materials and products to use? One has to consider the overall life cycle of the materials, the facility and building site as a whole. Green/Sustainable building takes all of these life cycle impacts into account with the goal of maximizing efficiency and minimizing waste in every phase of construction and throughout the life of the building. Sustainable building methods reduces the rate of deforestation and pollution and can achieve low energy costs throughout their lifetime – in the initial manufacture and construction; in their use as homes and eventually in their recycling back to the earth.

Published by: Joelle Eyeson