The Movement for the Eradication of Unhealthy Rural Housing (Mevir) inaugurated on January 26 nine sustainable wooden houses in Rivera. Construction with this material was planned within the framework of a pilot plan which yielded positive results: a 40% decrease in construction cost while construction times were reduced by half compared to traditional housing.
This program is part of a policy of the Ministry of Housing and Territorial Planning (MVOT) for encourage the use of wood as an alternative to lower cost Y faster to access housing solutions.
In addition to Mevir and the MVOT –which finances the work–, the Ministry of Environment (MA)responsible for assessing the environmental impact, the Ministry of Industry, Energy and Mining (MIEM), that provided heaters for homes Y carried out the habitability study once they were finished, and the Departmental Government of Rivera (IDR), which put the land.
The National Housing Agency (ANV), for his part, provided housing in Rivera so that the Mevir workers could live there while the work lasted. The wood for this plan was subsidizedpartly, by private companies in the area.
The nine dwellings were distributed in five three bedroom Y four with two bedrooms. The two-bedrooms are 55 square meters while those of three reach 65 square meters.
Mevir
Sustainable housing in Rivera
Evaluation of the pilot that will become reality
Juan Pablo Delgado, president of the Mevir Honorary Commission, said to The Observer that the concept of sustainable housing has three aspects: social, environmental and economic. About him social aspect recalled that in the traditional brick construction plans of Mevir families must work for a year and a half contributing 96 hours per monthwhich it’s “it is a very big load“, while under the wooden housing plan, families worked 72 hours a month, a reduction of 25%.
The construction of wooden houses in Rivera began in August and these were delivered to families on December 23, 2021. The protocol act of delivery of the same It was held on January 26 of this year.. According to Delgado, the construction of this type of sustainable housing took “about half the time it takes for a traditional construction plan”.
“It is 60% less effort that the family has to make and that social profitability serves to refresh, so that these people do not leave their jobs or lose the opportunity to fulfill the hours in Mevir. Many times they abandon the Mevir process because they do not have a way to arrange that work time together with their work and the support of the family, therefore, there is social sustainability”, he explained.
As far as environmental sustainabilitythe president of the Mevir Honorary Commission pointed out the benefits of the wood for its low carbon footprint. It is the only construction material that, when used, contributes to reducing CO₂ in the atmosphere. In turn, he noted theenergy efficiency” in the habitability of the houses since “they are of high construction quality, where the wood is not exposed”.
“The main wooden structure is then covered and allows very good thermal and acoustic sensations. Also everything that is landscaping and landscaping that is done to homes helps energy efficiency”, he added.
Mevir
Sustainable housing in Rivera
From the point of view economicDelgado pointed out, on the one hand, a 50% reduction in construction times and said that the contributions to the Social Security Bank (BPS) in a traditional work are of five days per square meter while in this type of construction they are two days per square meter. “There is a significant gain in contributions to construction”, he highlighted.
In what has to do with the value of the square meter, maintained that it is 43% cheaper compared to the value of the Index prepared by the Association of Private Construction Promoters of Uruguay (APPCU) as of September 2021.
“The cost per square meter in the sustainable housing It is $722 and includes the ground movement, the cost of the entire work itself and the associated administrative costs. In the APPCU Index it is at US$ 1,267”, he explained. The latest Index published by APPCU is from November 2021 and shows that the square meter of social interest housing is around US$1,196 per square meter so the reduction in the cost of sustainable housing would be 40%.
According to Delgado, Mevir is in a “learning curve” respect to apply a “new technology” so they understand that If that is replicated to a greater extent and scales, construction costs will go down. “Yese are going to buy larger volumes of wood and they will have best experiences in its inclusion. From now on, everything that is going to come will be better and more productive in terms of that system.“, I consider.
The president of Mevir maintained that the construction plan in wood dceased to be a “pilot” and that it is now a reality. In this sense, in February the construction of between 20 and 25 homes in the towns of Cuaro, Artigas Y The Flowers, Rivera. “We continue in the north because it is a cultural issue, there is a culture of wood and it is of the highest quality there”, he assured.
More housing solutions
Delgado reported to The Observer that Mevir provided 883 housing solutions – between new works, extensions and reforms – during 2021which involved a 15% above 2020. Another of the points highlighted by the hierarch were the 700 deeds of houses that were carried out in 2021, which implied 55% more than the average of the last years.
After Mevir gives the house to the people, they must pay a fee for 20 years. Meanwhile, the modality of occupation is lease with option to buy. After those 20 years – if the installments were paid -, Mevir has the obligation to register these homes to give them the property title of the same.
The cost of the fee that these people must pay goes from $1,500 to $8 thousand pesos since there is a subsidy that varies depending on how the family that receives is integrated. “The average subsidy for the Mevir fee is around 70%, which means that if they have to pay $10,000 in fees, they will pay $3,000.”, he explained.
Mevir
Sustainable housing in Rivera
According to Delgado, it is important to understand that the deed is “the right that the other party after he complied has his property title” and the “legal certainty that the property becomes theirs”.
In addition, he highlighted thestrong will” of Mevir to write down homes since they must cover the registration costs. “It covers the social cost, it puts notaries at Mevir’s expense, sometimes you have to divide up the land and regularize everything related to construction permits. It carries a very important technical and social work “he added.
Cellular concrete construction
Delgado also recounted that 50 homes are being built in the department of Florida, between the towns of Cardal and Independenciawith another alternative material: cellular concrete.
According to the chief, although cellular concrete is “a traditional masonry” It does not stop being “modern” both for the construction of Mevir and for Uruguay. Construction in this type of material could reduce, on the one hand, costs and, on the other, execution times between 30% and 35%. It is expected that these 50 homes may be completed by the months of April or May.
