Construction of housing and real estate development in Kenya for its people is a must for a society to succeed. The need for adequate shelter for the people is something that requires to be addressed in a big way. There have been attempts by government and quasi government authorities to address that need, but there is still plenty to be done in that area. With the creation of good housing developments in the region, there are new projects that are coming into the market that will ultimately bridge this gap.

Making residential real estate developments accessible to Society

The cost of housing keeps coming down as new technologies come into the market, especially within developing countries which have suffered from high housing costs.  This is working in tandem with the changes in policy favoring urbanization and densification of many areas, resulting in the net reduction of cost of housing units. With the ability of homes to be developed en mass, it is easier for their development costs to be spread out over a number of units, thus resulting in a reduction in unit costs due to economies of scale. Such changes to zoning and development controls should be viewed in positive light, as they are allowing greater delivery of housing and residential property to society on a broader scale.

scrutinize] the construction of several housing developments in the region, you may observe major similarities in their manner of build and outward form. There have been certain forms of construction that are common, and have been accepted as the way of construction at large within the construction industry.  Looking broadly at many of the developments that are available for sale, one will find many similarities in them with regard to their form and design language.

For instance, you may find that in many developments that are available for sale in the market today, many of them are constructed in a certain way that is determined by the character of the construction materials, say stone or brick. Their limitations are inherent in the designs.  Advances in technology has enabled many building developers to attempt new forms of construction working with steel and concrete. This has opened the market to new architectural designs at a new scale.

These advancements are going a long way in ensuring that construction of housing is cheaper and more affordable to the simple individual with a need for basic housing. Simple solutions to the housing challenge that are more accessible to the ordinary individual will definitely go a long way in addressing housing shortfalls.

While this may be a promising prospect for construction of inexpensive housing, the main challenge is in getting people to accept and implement these technologies.  Having these options being implemented in construction of houses requires these elements to be embraced by all players within the building industry including developers, consultants, contractors as well as statutory approving authorities charged with this responsibility.

Using prefabricated units can assist in affordable real estate development in Kenya

Using these ideas, home owners can be able to build affordable housing for themselves.  Use of prefabricated materials is one such method. Great cost savings may be achieved through the use of such pre-made or prefabricated panels assembled on the site for use in the construction.  This form of construction calls for creation of repetitive modules that can be fabricated on the site in bulk, then assembled. Modular building has potential to be boring and repetitive, but creative ideas can make it work. The design composition even though of  modular panels, by creatively mixing them and creating balance  of solid and void can make a very interesting unit.

Precast construction can be used in a project to greatly shorten delivery times. While this may cost a little bit more to construct, the savings will be achieved from early delivery of the project as well as reducing the cost of financing through savings in time. Bringing the development cost of a building down through saving of interest allows the developer offer their housing developments at a good price, more competitively than a conventionally constructed building.

Using mass housing and real estate development in Kenya

Another innovation worth exploring is in the creation of mass housing through the use of containers, also called container housing. We are used to seeing containers serving as informal depots or mobile offices which can be fitted with elegant openings and fittings and partitioned into habitable spaces. The end result is a small capsule that can offer shelter. With some creativity, one can actually plan a number of these units on a property and create a multiple unit residential development that people can reside in.

For those involved in provision of housing to individuals, there are various permutations that they need to be aware of. We need to think outside the box and embrace the new, while re-crafting the old to fit in with the new. More affordable housing development for the masses can be implemented more and more effectively through the use of these techniques. Are you interested in doing a real estate development  in Kenya that you can apply these thoughts to?