Media - EchoStone Housing

The Affordable Housing Shortage and 3D Printing

SOURCE: WRHU

Chief Sustainability Officer EchoStone This past week, EchoStone’s Chief Sustainability & Product Development Officer, Emmanuel Stefanakis, was asked to join a conversation on the affordable housing shortage and 3D printing.

The conversation explored the alternative building technology’s potential in the affordable housing market, to accelerate construction as well as reduce associated costs of new construction.

Also joining the interview was Rick Abbiati, Owner of Colony Property Investments LLC – located in New Hampshire.

Listen to the audio recording, or real the transcription below.

March 11, 2021 EchoStone International, News

Reimagining Wetlands for Sustainable Cities and Human Settlements

SOURCE: ECHOSTONE

Reimagining Wetlands for Sustainable Cities and Human Settlements When casting wetlands as dismal, snake-ridden, mosquito-infested places, they seem to serve no useful purpose toward human settlements.

Science, however, presents us with a completely different reality. Wetlands – whether coast marsh or freshwater – play a vital role in maintaining the health of our planet and capturing carbon from the atmosphere. Additionally there are many economic benefits of wetlands, including the potential for job creation. As developers build green cities and strive for net-zero, the simple practice of understanding our land cannot be understated.

Need to Know

Wetlands are the best source of flood protection on the planet
Wetlands are some of the most carbon-dense ecosystems in the world, and store twice as much carbon as forests
The earlier the EchoStone Housing System is deployed the more cost savings and benefits can be reaped from a ‘design with nature’ approach

February 25, 2021 EchoStone Blog, International, Though Leadership

Housing Deficit: Echostone Delivers 252 Sustainable Housing Units

SOURCE: BizWatchNigeria

Echostone Development Nigeria has delivered 252 units of affordable homes in Idale Badagry in partnership with the Lagos State Government as part of the ongoing efforts in bridging over 22 million housing deficits in the country.

The project, designed as a Public-Private Partnership, aimed at providing 100,000 affordable homes in 10 years with modern-day technology.

The partners said they were starting with the construction of 2,000 sustainable housing units in three Local Government Areas (LGA) of the state, Idale in Badagry; Ayobo in Alimosho LGA, and Imota in Ikorodu Local Government Area.

Speaking at the official commissioning of the project in Badagry, the Managing Director, EchoStone Development Nigeria, Mr. Sammy Adigun, explained that the affordable housing scheme named, ‘Peridot Parkland Estate’, is the first-ever green-certified affordable housing community in Nigeria.

January 27, 2021 EchoStone News, Nigeria

Affordable and Green Housing

SOURCE: Africa Union Housing Finance

Center for Affordable Housing Finance (CAHF) is an excellent resource for affordable housing knowledge, advocacy, and market development. During their 36th Annual Africa Union Housing Finance (AUHF) Conference, Emmanuel Stefanakis Chief Sustainability and Product Development Officer for EchoStone join their panel on "Affordable & Green Housing." The session brought together professionals from across the affordable housing and green building sector, to discuss tools for developers and contractors to make project more profitable and sustainable.

EchoStone provides sustainable construction systems and services for affordable housing developers around the world to reduce housing deficits. www.echostonehousing.com

November 6, 2020 EchoStone Blog, International, Though Leadership

Healthy Housing: A Timely Subject, But What Does it Really Mean?

SOURCE: ECHOSTONE

More and more these days, we are hearing a lot in the media about the importance of “healthy housing” and its benefits to human health. There are many ways to define healthy housing; however, our concern here is with the physical characteristics of a structure that promote and sustain good human health.

So, what does that mean? Our basic definition of a “healthy house” is this: 24-hour access to clean water; interiors that are well ventilated without losing the insulative qualities that keep them cool in hot weather; construction methods that prevent water penetration; and materials that are free from toxins, are sustainable in their production and durable over the long term.

This is not a terribly long or complicated list; however, for millions of families living in developing countries particularly, this bare-bones description of a healthy home is a far cry from their reality. According to some public health experts, the majority of households in the developing world do not have a place at home to wash their hands, and only one in five do in sub-Sahara Africa. Forty percent lack running water on their property.

November 6, 2020 EchoStone Blog, International, Though Leadership