Empowering the Homeless in the Philippines

Self-financing residential complex

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    powerHYDE is a triple bottom line solution aligned with 13 of the 17 UN SDGs. A self-financing housing solution for homelessness, it is built as a combination of social housing for 125 families and a 2.5MW solar plant producing excess energy for sale to finance the homes. It simultaneously addresses the problem of energy access by providing renewable solar energy for use. Diverting this need from thermal power plants has a positive impact on climate change.

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    Global Holcim Awards Commendation and Holcim Awards Acknowledgement prize Asia Pacific

    Winner presentation to Empowering the Homeless - Self-financing residential complex, Minalin, Pampanga, Philippines (l-r): Prasoon Kumar, Billion Bricks, Singapore and India; Magali Anderson, Member of the Board of the Holcim Foundation, Chief Sustainability and Innovation Officer of the Holcim Group; Robert Verrijt, Netherlands; Philippe Block, Member of the Holcim Awards jury Asia Pacific 2020 and Academic Committee of the Holcim Foundation, Professor of Architecture & Structure, ETH Zurich, and Founder of the Block Research Group, Switzerland; and Marilyne Andersen, Head of the Academic Committee of the Holcim Foundation, Member of all Regional/Global Holcim Awards juries 2020/21, Professor of Sustainable Construction Technologies, EPFL Lausanne, Switzerland

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    Global Holcim Awards Commendation and Holcim Awards Acknowledgement prize Asia Pacific

    Winner presentation to Empowering the Homeless - Self-financing residential complex, Minalin, Pampanga, Philippines (l-r): Maria Atkinson, Chairperson of the Holcim Foundation (at podium); Prasoon Kumar, Billion Bricks, Singapore; Magali Anderson, Member of the Board of the Holcim Foundation, Chief Sustainability and Innovation Officer of the Holcim Group; Robert Verrijt, Netherlands; Philippe Block, Member of the Holcim Awards jury Asia Pacific 2020; and Marilyne Andersen, Head of the Academic Committee of the Holcim Foundation, Member of all Regional/Global Holcim Awards juries 2020/21.

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    Global Holcim Awards Commendation and Holcim Awards Acknowledgement prize Asia Pacific

    Winner presentation to Empowering the Homeless - Self-financing residential complex, Minalin, Pampanga, Philippines (l-r): Maria Atkinson, Chairperson of the Holcim Foundation (at podium); Prasoon Kumar, Billion Bricks, Singapore; Magali Anderson, Member of the Board of the Holcim Foundation, Chief Sustainability and Innovation Officer of the Holcim Group; Robert Verrijt, Netherlands; Philippe Block, Member of the Holcim Awards jury Asia Pacific 2020; and Marilyne Andersen, Head of the Academic Committee of the Holcim Foundation, Member of all Regional/Global Holcim Awards juries 2020/21.

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    powerHYDE prototype, Aurangabad, India. The powerHYDE prototypes served as labs for our innovations in the structural and roofing system to be tested and refined before hitting scale. Successfully being in use since 2019, one serves as a home for a family in a remote Indian village while the other is as a community center for a disaster-displaced community in the Philippines. With 2 successful prototypes and a 3rd underway in the Philippines, the community is expected to break ground in 2020.

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    Story of BillionBricks, an innovation studio committed to ending homelessness, leading to powerHYDE.

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    powerHYDE addresses the complex problem of housing and energy access with a single solution.

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    Self-financing model of powerHYDE overcomes the problem of lack of capital in affordable housing.

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    powerHYDE communities are complete with healthcare, retail, recreational and educational infrastructure.

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    A flexible skin allows powerHYDE to adapt to diverse climatic and cultural contexts.

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    A combination of prefabrication and local materials ensures high quality and low-cost construction.

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    Innovation in the structural and roofing systems allow quick and resource efficient construction.

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    An all-in-one solution, powerHYDE is designed as a zero-discharge, off-grid, self-sufficient home.

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    BillionBricks team.

  • Awards Commendation 2020–2021 Global
  • Awards Acknowledgement prize 2020–2021 Asia Pacific

By Prasoon Kumar, - Billion Bricks, Singapore, SingaporeRobert Verrijt - Billion Bricks, Mumbai, India

Ideas: Inclusion, Economic & Social Empowerment

A self-financing residential complex for vulnerable people pays for housing supply by means of solar electricity production.

Empowering the Homeless in the Philippines

Project authors

  • Global Holcim Awards Commendation and Holcim Awards Acknowledgement prize Asia Pacific
    Prasoon Kumar

    Billion Bricks

    Singapore

  • Global Holcim Awards Commendation and Holcim Awards Acknowledgement prize Asia Pacific
    Robert Verrijt

    Billion Bricks

    India

Project updates