Application document for Vietnam innovation day 2005
“Environmental Action”
I. project identification
I.1. Project Title: OGAF-VID05
Pilot construction of houses in remote and disadvantaged areas using material made of organic proportions (OGAF material)
I.2. Project Location and Geography
Th¹nh Ho¸ district; Long An province; flood prone and disadvantaged area in Mekong Delta.
60 km to the West of Hå ChÝ Minh City.
I.3. Project Team
The Project Team was established in 1995 under the leadership of Dr. NguyÔn V¨n Trêng. The team members are researchers of Institute of Industrial Cellulose Paper, Institute of Construction Material Technology, Vietnam Soil Mechanic and Geoengineering Society, Center for Environmental Technology-Institute of Industrial Chemistry.
Our objectives are to integrate expertise knowledge of different technical sectors, to work together in groups and carry out environmental researches in order to minimize environmental pollution, improve the production efficiency, improve working conditions, and improve the people’s quality of life. Sine the establishment, we have carried out many successful projects making great contributions to the development of Vietnam.
The Project Team members:
No. / Full Name / Age / Role / Experience1 / NguyÔn Huy HiÖu / 35 / Project Manager / Geotechnical Engineer (Mine-Geology University-1993),
Diploma on Industrial System Engineering (AIT/Thailand-2000),
MSc. Energy-Environment-Safety Tech. (KUL/Belgium-2002).
Technical Manager-Advance Associates Consulting Corporation
2 / TrÇn Quèc Hïng / 35 / Expert 1 / Architect (Hµ Néi Architect University-1998)
Center for Technical Advising-Hanoi Construction Corporation
3 / Lª Th¸i B×nh / 32 / Expert 2 / Civil Engineer (Hanoi Civil Engineer University-1996)
Center for Technical Advising-Hanoi Construction Corporation
4 / NguyÔn Trêng TiÕn / 55 / Adviser 1 / Civil Engineer (University of Havana/Cuba-1972)
PhD. Soil Mechanic (Sweden Geotechnical Institute-1982)
Vice President of Hanoi Construction Corporation
5 / NguyÔn V¨n ChuyÒn / 56 / Adviser 2 / Chairman of the People’s Committee of Th¹nh Ho¸ district, Long An province
The Team organization chart:
The Project’’s Local Partner is the People’s Committee of Th¹nh Ho¸ district, Long An Province. Its representative is Mr. NguyÔn V¨n ChuyÒn, the Chairman of the Committee. Mr. ChuyÒn also is the second Adviser of the Project. The Local Partner will have the following contributions to the Project:
ú Nominate beneficiaries.
ú Cooperate with Project Team in Project Quality Management.
ú Appoint individuals and agencÝes to take over the project outcomes.
ú Coordinate with the Project Team to maintain and promote the Project outcomes.
The list of the successful Projects implemented so far:
No. / Project / Sponsor / Outcomes1 / Improvement of the water quality in Moncada Cow Breeding Center. Hµ t©y-2000 / Jica
Institute Industrial Chemistry / Technical design and installation of a water treating and supplying system. Supply water of Japanese sanitary Standard. Highly evaluated by Sponsor.
2 / Production of inexpensive, light material using renewable organic materials and lignin-a waste of paper industry / Institute of Industrial Cellulose Paper; Institute of Construction Material Technology; Ministry of Construction / Successful research and development of inexpensive, light material using coconut fiber and organic foam agent.
3 / Research on architectural planning, housing technology and environmental solution for flood prone areas in Mekong Delta-2003 / Ministry of Construction; Donaplast Co. Ltd.; Advance Associates Consulting Corporation. / Successful. Highly evaluated by Ministry of Construction. The MoC is seeking for funds for further implementation.
4 / Report on solid waste management in Hanoi-2003 / Sweden Geotechnical Institute (SGI); Hanoi Construction Corporation; Advance Associates Consulting Corporation; Urban Environmental Company of Hµ Néi (URENCO). / Presented in Vietnam-Japan joint seminar in Hanoi, Nov., 2004. Highly evaluated by SGI. The foreign partner is seeking for funds to implement the project: Comprehensive planning for solid waste management in Hanoi.
5 / Production of material additive from lignin-the waste of paper industry-2000 / Institute of Construction Material Technology; Hoµng V¨n Thô Paper factory; Institute of the Construction Technology. / Successful. The product of material additive met the construction standards and is used for the construction of §a Nhim Hydropower Plan.
6 / Production of cement griding additive TK02 from lignin, the waste of paper industry-2002 / Hanoi Polytechnic University; BØm s¬n Cement Company; Institute of Industrial Cellulose Paper; Institute of Construction Material Technology. / Successful. The product was awarded the Pride of Technical Product 2002 by Vietnam Union of Science and Technology Associations.
I.4. Contact information
Project manager
MSc. Eng. NguyÔn Huy HiÖu
Technical Manager-Advance Associates Consulting Corporation
R. 704; Block A2; Hacinco Village. Thanh Xu©n Dst.; Hµ Néi
Tel: 04.5571509. Fax: 04.5571375 Email:
I.5. Banking information
Account Name: Mr. NguyÔn Huy HiÖu
Account Number: 6868 6809 9808 4013
Vietcombank; 189 TrÇn Quang Kh¶i Str.; Hµ Néi
Account type: Vietnamese Dong
II. Project description
Over sixty million Vietnamese people are living on agricultural, forest and aqua farming careers. Over twenty million of them are low income people living in remote and disadvantaged areas. Housing for these people is a burden for the Government.
Vietnamese Government spend trillions VND annually for housing for low income people in remote and disadvantaged areas. In the years of 2000-2004, the Government invested about 4 trillions for the projects of housing in flood prone areas of Mekong Delta to help people living with flood and maintain sustainable development in the areas.
Now let’s see, this investment has several problems. Many projects were constructed with low quality because of building on soft grounds with weak soil, which causes high settlement and long time settlement. Moreover, limited funds, expensive and heavy construction materials with high transportation fee lead to the low quality of these housing projects.
One of the key solutions is the construction materials. We need special types of construction material, which can meet the following requirements:
ú Durable
ú Inexpensive
ú Environmental friendly
ú Easy to produce, easy to construct
ú Make full use of local materials and local labor
ú Light, easy to transport to remote and disadvantaged areas
ú Sustainable
ú Suitable with housing habit of local people
Researches on inexpensive materials for housing have been carried out in many countries. But until now in Vietnam, there has been no material technology can meet the above requirements.
For several years, the Project Team has been researching on a material production and construction technology for inexpensive housing. This technology can satisfy the above mentioned requirements for material and construction. We named it OGAF technology.
The OGAF technology can produce a kind of material with strength three times higher than that of traditional bricks.
With OGAF material, we can produce building components as wall slaps, floor slaps and pillars. OGAF wall slap’s price is 40% lower than that of a brick wall of the same size.
OGAF material is light and easy to transport with density of 1.0 -1.3 ton/m3.
Especially, OGAF technology uses organic fibers as coconut or jute fiber to produce construction material. Foaming agent and additives for OGAF material are produced from lignin, a waste of Paper Industry.
Moreover, OGAF technology is easy to perform and can be easily transferred to local people.
Here under is the OGAF production line:
The Project Team has finished the researching and experimental production phase. The experiments carried out to check the strength of OGAF material show good results. But to prove the practical performance and to find the weak points of the technology, we need to carry out an OGAF pilot housing Project.
The specific purpose of the Project is to use the fund awarded by the Vietnam Innovation Day, in combination with other financial sources, to design and construct four houses by OGAF material, to carry out monitoring, collect data and complete the technology. After that, we can carry out further technical study or cooperate with interested partners to propagate the application of OGAF technology in a larger scale.
In the construction phase of the Project, a team of local workers will be invited to attend a technical training held by the Project Team. This local team will implement construction works of the Project. They will be capable of promoting the application of the OGAF technology to build houses in the locality.
Specific material products of the Project are four houses. Each has the area of 36m2. These houses have OGAF material wall, fibro cement roof, and ceramic title floor. The expense for material and labor to build each house is about 15-20 million VND.
The literal product of the Project is a technical-financial report on the pilot construction of residential houses by OGAF technology. The report will be sent to sponsors and institutions involved in the Project implementation.
Impact and replicability of the Project
OGAF technology produces a kind of inexpensive material with high strength. OGAF material has strength three times higher than that of bricks. The price of an OGAF wall is 40% lower than a brick one. Using OGAF material nationwide, we can save trillions of VND in housing for low income people in disadvantaged areas. It makes contributions to improving life quality and promoting socio-economic development.
This technology is easy to be transferred and does not require large investments. We can use normal concrete mixers to produce the material. Curing procedure of OGAF material is also simple. Normal labor can perform the technology after a short training. So the OGAF technology can make full use of local labor force to produce material to build houses in the locality. It is a key factor for the success of housing Projects and lessen the burden put on the Government.
The OGAF technology uses local renewable organic materials as coconut or jute fiber to produce construction materials. It uses the lignin waste of Paper Industry as foaming agent and additives material. It does not release harmful wastes to the environment. It makes effective use of renewable materials and wisely use of a kind of industrial waste.
The OGAF technology makes contribution to protect the environment. The production of traditional bricks consumes a large amount of fossil fuel and releases carbon dioxide and other harmful gases into the environment. By using OGAF material, reducing production of traditional bricks, we can reduce the fossil fuel consumption and reduce amount of carbon dioxide and other harmful gases released into the environment.
Besides, building houses by OGAF material, we can change the habit of using forest wood to build houses of people in remote and disadvantaged areas. It helps protect forests and promote sustainable development.
The OGAF material is light so we can lower the construction costs. Material transportation fee is a problem of housing in remote disadvantaged areas. With OGAF material, which has density of 1.0 – 1.3 ton/m3, we can pay less transportation fee. Furthermore, with this light material we can save money for ground improvement or foundation solutions when building houses on soft grounds. It is a big technical - financial challenge for housing in low land of river deltas.
The OGAF technology requires less time and manpower in building houses. According to our estimation, it takes two weeks with 4 laborers to build a 36m2 houses by OGAF technology. But it takes them 6 weeks to build a similar house by using traditional bricks. It means that with OGAF technology we can save up to 60% labor cost to build a house. It is really affordable to the financial capability and suitable with housing habit of people in disadvantaged areas.
In conclusion, OGAF technology can meet the requirements for material and construction of inexpensive housing. It has positive socio-environmental impacts and high replicability. It is a solution to housing for low income people in disadvantaged areas.
III. Project outline
The project is planned to be implemented in 10 months with 5 major work items as:
1. Survey on housing habit of local people
2. Cooperate with Local Partner, follow administrative procedures
3. Design the experimental houses and prepare a construction schedule
4. Carry out Procurement of equipment and materials. Carry out production and construction
5. Monitor, collect data and write report on the experimental Project.
General work schedule:
No. / Work items / Year 2005 / Year 2006Jul. / Aug. / Sep. / Oct. / Nov. / Dec. / Jan. / Feb. / Mar. / Apr.
1 / Survey
2 / Administrative procedures
3 / Design & Schedule
4 / Procurement & Construction
5 / Monitor & Report
IV. Beneficiaries and participants
Beneficiaries are the Project Team, four households with four new houses built with the OGAF technology, local people who will be transferred the technology, low income people, the environment, and the society.
Through implementing the Project, the Project Team has an oppotunity to put the technology into practice. On completing the Project, the Team can collect and build up valuable data and documents on housing technology in disadvantaged areas. The data and documents are useful for researchers, students, engineers and Government officers as solutions to housing of low income people in disadvantaged areas. The data and documents can be attractive to investors in construction materials and housing sector and can be used for other co-research and development between the Project Team and interested partners.
Specific material products of the Project are four houses; each has the area of 36 m2. These houses will be handed over to four families. They are families of the most difficulty in the commune. The beneficiaries responsibility is to use the house properly. The Project Team may carry out further monitoring on durability of the material or the usage functions of the houses.
In construction phase of the Project, a team of labor workers will be invited to attend a technical training held by the Project Team. These trained workers will implement construction works of the Project. After that, the Project’s equipments will be transferred to this local labor team. The team is now capable of promoting the application of the OGAF technology to build houses in the local area. The local team can give comments for continuous improvement of the technology.
From the environmental aspect, OGAF technology effectively uses the local renewable materials and wisely uses an industrial waste. OGAF technology reduces the production of traditional bricks, reduces the consumption of fossil fuels, and reduces the amount of harmful gaseous wastes. OGAF technology helps change the habit of cutting forest trees down for housing of people in remote and disadvantaged areas. In general, OGAF technology has positive effects on the environment, it levels up people’s awareness on environmental protection and using environmental friendly materials. It is a key factor to sustainable development in the remote disadvantaged areas.