South Africa's national Home Builders Registration Council has launched a competition that aims to develop new housing designs in line with Housing Minister Lindiwe Sisulu's mandate of sustainable housing for the poor.

The 'Housing Innovation Competition', prequalification for which closes on November 14, calls on “all enterprising designers and building contractors” to design and construct - at their own cost - “an innovative house in the affordable or subsidy market”.

Some R75 000 for each category can be won as prize money in the final round.

The competition, said the organisation in its tender, is in line with Sisulu's call to it to develop new housing designs that will provide a wider choice of quality, aesthetically pleasing and affordable homes.

Sisulu's entity, on May 17 in the budget vote, resulted in the NHBRC aligning itself with Absa to set up a Housing Innovation Project that seeks innovative housing designs.

As such, the project has been targeted at houses in the subsidy and affordable-housing segments.

Affordable houses are to be built to a total cost - including the stand - of R180 000, while subsidy houses must match the current standards of the RDP subsidy and be 45 m2 in size.

Housing Minister Lindiwe Sisulu, speaking at the Housing Indaba in Cape Town in September, reiterated the need to ensure that economic growth in South Africa led to greater access to shelter for the poor.

“The incontrovertible fact of our transition is that despite achievements in the economy, as a direct consequence of apartheid we remain a country with some steep contradictions.

“Despite the huge public investment into housing over the last ten years of R29,5-billion, apartheid's legacy remains strongly tenacious. Now it threatens to scupper all that we carefully crafted and worked towards since we collectively began the transition in 1994.”

Sisulu added that, between 1996 and 2001, the number of households living in shacks in informal settlements and backyards increased from 1,45-million to 1,84-million, reflecting an increase of 26% (a figure far greater than the 11% increase in population over the same period).

About 2,4-million households live in informal housing structures.

Sisulu said that all South Africans have a moral obligation to help alleviate these conditions.

“As government, we determined that to accelerate housing delivery to overcome the current backlog and prevent new slum formation, we would require an increase in housing delivery of 12% per annum.

“We make the pledge to achieve this result in partnership with yourselves. The confidence I have in this regard stems from the discussions I had with some of you over the past few months which now have culminated in this Housing Indaba.”

The two-round competition will first short-list entries and round two will involve judging the competition.

“As part of the competition, the short-listed entrants in each category will have to construct and finance their designs on serviced stands in an integrated development to be announced at a later stage,” said the tender.

To qualify for pre-qualification, entrants must submit a design, a section of the drawing, two elevations of the drawing, typical finishing schedules and the cost of the final product.

This entry must also include a company profile, proof of previous design and construction experience as well proof of financial ability to construct the winning designed house or houses.

Round two will require successful entrants to provide detailed designs, detailed finishing schedules as well as proof of final costing.

Judging of this round will involve points being awarded on items such as design, aesthetic appearance, functionality, quality and durability of finishes, erection time, social acceptability and cost per unit and of the entire development.