Kenya - Startup under 3 years old

Describe your project or startup in a few words

Ardhi Na Mbao (Swahili for ‘Earth and Wood’) seeks to develop mass timber as an alternatives to ‘business as usual’ in the Kenyan construction industry to bridge the the gap in sustainable and affordable construction materials.

01.01 Describe your startup in more detail

Ardhi Na Mbao (Swahili for ‘Earth and Wood’) is a design-build and manufacturing startup whose aim is to be a leading provider of zero-carbon construction technology in the form of bio-based materials, one of which is mass timber, aimed at bridging Africa’s gap in appropriate, sustainable and affordable materials for the promotion of green construction and affordable housing.

01.02 What is the main problem you are trying to solve?

We aim to support the construction of affordable housing at a rate necessary for a burgeoning urban population in Kenya whilst ensuring its delivery has a minimal carbon footprint. In 2019, Kenya's population reached 47.5 million, 31% of which resides in urban areas and is projected to grow to 50% by 2050. Kenya has an annual housing demand of 250,000 units with an estimated supply of 50,000 units, culminating in a housing deficit of 80% at 2 million units. In 2017 the government launched an ‘Affordable Housing Scheme’ to address this deficit but the Kenyan housing market still struggles to deliver units within reasonable timelines at cost. Construction needs to become faster and cheaper, justifying the need for alternative construction materials and technologies. At the same time, Kenya must consider the environmental implications of construction given that the global construction industry consumes 40% of extracted materials while contributing to up 37% of greenhouse gas generation.

01.03 Tell us the major benefits and/or advantages of using the product/service that your startup provides (at least 3).

Adhi Na Mbao proposes the adoption of mass timber as a sustainable construction material for urban low-rise and high-rise buildings. Producing modern load-bearing materials like concrete or steel emits high levels of carbon. Since fabricating mass timber has lower carbon emissions by 30% than concrete or steel, its deployment reduces the construction of any structure’s overall carbon footprint. Mass timber also allows for modularity since building designs and components can be standardised and fabricated off- site, then transported and assembled on- site. This modularity significantly reduces construction timelines by up to 25%, with a positive knock-on effect on construction budgets. For construction mass timber is designed to achieve the same strength ratings as concrete and steel while maintaining a 1/5th of the weight, reducing the size and cost of structural foundations.

01.04 Please describe who exactly your startup’s product/service is aimed at serving. Who are the targeted beneficiaries?

Ardhi na Mbao offers secondary benefits to the residents of affordable housing built with mass timber and tertiary benefits to the broader Kenyan population through any reduction in carbon footprint. However, the primary and most immediate beneficiaries of Ardhi na Mbao’s works will be the rural farmers who earn a living from the commercial cultivation of trees for mass timber. If managed with sustainability in mind, commercial forestry production can offer financial and environmental benefits Through an afforestation project called ‘Miti Ni Mali’ (‘Trees are a Resource’) Collective, Ardhi Na Mbao aims to tackle this issue, encouraging the growth of commercial timber in Kenya rooted in a value system defined by the environmental regenerative and restorative abilities of tree farming in addition to its profitability.

01.05 When was your company established?

2023-07-26

01.06 Are you already selling your product/service?

Yes

01.07 How many other owners are there within your startup?

1

01.08 Among the other owners, how many are female?

1

01.09 Please describe the profile of the other owners within your startup (skills, experience, etc.)

Zani Gichuki(C.E.O) is a Structural engineer with 9+ years experience in the design & construction, materials research & testing.Lillian Beauttah(C.O.O) is a Project manager with a background in civil engineering with 10+ experience in construction management, social enterprise management & sustainable design.Together the co-founders bring a combined experience in design and construction in Africa, working on social impact projects and with natural materials at the nexus of traditional and modern design and construction methods in Rwanda, Zimbabwe, Togo and Kenya. Both hold a Masters in Ecological Building and Biocities from the Institute of Advanced Architecture Catalonia which has equipped them with an in-depth understanding of mass timber design and construction along the lines of : ecological sourcing of timber, timber processing , testing , fabrication and assembly of mass timber.

01.10 If you have a website, a social media page (Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin…), or app, please provide the link(s) here:

https://www.ardhinambao.com/

01.11 Which industry best describes your project?

b) Materials (agriculture, fishing, chemical products, construction materials, containers and packaging, metals and mining, paper and forest products)

02.01.01 My startup contributes to the No poverty goal

6

02.01.02 No poverty - Justification for my startup

With Miti Ni Mali, our goal is to maximize income for smallholder farmers through the following methods: -Cultivating trees that are multifunctional throughout their growth and thus allow farmers to profit pre-lumber . -Cultivation in arid and semi arid areas that in Kenya have historically suffered in times of drought. This strategy will not only act to ‘green’ these lands but also provide a very much needed source of income to inhabitants of these areas. -Linking farmers to carbon markets further diversifying income streams.We are targeting farmers earning less than 30 USD/month whose pain points include consistently low yields over the last 3 years and an inability to qualify for bank loans. Motivations to enroll in our model would consist of the need to afford school fees and basic amenities such as plumbing upgrades and electricity.

02.02.01 My startup contributes to the Zero hunger goal

2

02.02.02 Zero hunger - Justification for my startup

02.03.01 My startup contributes to the Good health and well-being goal

2

02.03.02 Good health and well-being - Justification for my startup

02.04.01 My startup contributes to the Quality education goal

2

02.04.02 Quality education - Justification for my startup

02.05.01 My startup contributes to the Gender equality goal

3

02.05.02 Gender equality - Justification for my startup

02.06.01 My startup contributes to the Clean water and sanitation goal

2

02.06.02 Clean water and sanitation - Justification for my startup

02.07.01 My startup contributes to the Affordable and clean energy goal

1 - Strongly Disagree

02.07.02 Affordable and clean energy - Justification for my startup

02.08.01 My startup contributes to the Decent work and economic growth

7 - Strongly Agree

02.08.02 Decent work and economic growth - Justification for my startup

On a macro scale, for every one job created in forestry, an additional 1.5 to 2.5 jobs are generated in the economy. The global commercial forestry sector is expected to reach a value of more than US$774 billion by 2030, increasing at a CAGR greater than 11.8% over the next 8 years .Kenya’s forestry sector contributes 3.6% to the GDP estimated annual turnover of US$ 785 million,440,000 but nonetheless, in 2020, still required an additional 10.3 million m3 to meet the national market’s demand. This deficit is indicative of opportunities for local suppliers. The growth of the commercial forestry sector to fuel the burgeoning need for Kenya’s housing demand in the form of mass timber as a construction material is sure to develop avenues of future economic development on a national scale.

02.09.01 My startup contributes to the Industry innovation and infrastructure

7 - Strongly Agree

02.09.02 Industry innovation and infrastructure - Justification for my startup

Mass timber is a new category of material in the global construction sector with only 140 mass timber buildings around the world of eight stories or higher as of February 2022 , 70% of these in Europe. In Kenya, the entire construction industry is literally and metaphorically built on masonry, concrete and steel. Changing public perception and industry techniques to incorporate timber as a viable alternative that offers the same structural integrity and even better fire performance than concrete or steel will require innovation in construction technology and methodology and upskilling construction personnel. An ecosystem of timber sub-industries such as, adhesives, steel connections, fire proofing, waterproofing will be enhanced via the growth of the mass timber sector.

02.10.01 My startup contributes to the Reduced inequalities goal

2

02.10.02 Reduced inequalities - Justification for my startup

02.11.01 My startup contributes to the Sustainable cities and communities goal

4

02.11.02 Sustainable cities and communities - Justification for my startup

02.12.01 My startup contributes to the Responsible consumption and production goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.12.02 Responsible consumption and production - Justification for my startup

Mass timber unlike concrete can be designed and built for disassembly and re-use with relative ease. Its modular nature allows for less building material waste both during construction and manufacture. This waste in form of sawdust is recyclable as bio-energy to heat wood processing kilns andat the end of life, mass timber material itself can be processed into wood chips or sawdust that can again be used for bio-energy.

02.13.01 My startup contributes to the Climate action goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.13.02 Climate action - Justification for my startup

Mass timber not only acts as a substitute for more carbon intensive materials i.e. concrete or steel but buildings store a vast amount of carbon dioxide (1 tonne per cubic metre of wood) which, provided at the end of life it is recycled into another long-life product (of which wood easily is) remains stored. When timber is sourced from sustainably managed forests, it becomes a predictably renewable resource. Building in mass timber also lowers building energy consumption and cost since it provides excellent thermal performance, reducing the need for additional heating and cooling.

02.14.01 My startup contributes to the Life below water goal

1 - Strongly Disagree

02.14.02 Life below water - Justification for my startup

02.15.01 My startup contributes to the Life on land goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.15.02 Life on land - Justification for my startup

The current modus operandi of commercial forestry involves large swathes of land that are cleared and replanted plantation style with a single species of tree.This has been shown to be detrimental to local biodiversity These mono-crop plantations, termed ‘green deserts’, threaten 27% of all tree species worldwide due to the overexploitation of high-value timber species and the biodiversity loss associated with this. This makes them highly susceptible to quick and easy destruction by pests and diseases.Ardhi Na Mbao’s growing system inspired by Miyawaki silviculture techniques,designed to cultivate indigenous trees poly-culturally, will work to nurture 100x the biodiversity in mono-crop plantations and in the process improve soil quality by fostering micro-climates thus reshaping the extractive and destructive nature of commercial forestry. We will thus create dense (close-to-)natural (micro) forests by partnering with rural smallholder farmers to grow commercial timber on their land.

02.16.01 My startup contributes to the Peace Justice and Strong Institutions goal

1 - Strongly Disagree

02.16.02 Peace Justice and Strong Institutions- Justification for my startup

02.17.01 My startup contributes to the Partnerships for the goal

3

02.17.02 Partnerships for the goal - Justification for my startup

06.01 There are a large number of customers who already use a product/service very similar to the product/service we envision creating.

3

06.02 The product/service represents an entirely new type of product/service.

7 - Strongly Agree

06.03 The product/service could be described as a new technology.

7 - Strongly Agree

06.04 The product/service is an improvement on an existing product or service.

7 - Strongly Agree

06.05 The product/service could be described as an extension of a range of products or services.

4

06.06 The product/service responds to a demand or need that has not been satisfied by other products/services.

7 - Strongly Agree

06.07 The product/service is a new version of an old product/service.

7 - Strongly Agree

06.08 Justification for my startup

Mass timber is the new concrete and steel but lighter, greener and faster to deploy. The only reason why it does not yet have the following that either concrete or steel do is due to lack of consumer knowledge and there is also a price barrier. The lack of a policy supportive environment for the adoption of mass timber in Kenya i.e. our current construction code do not acknowlege it as a structural material and we have no standards in place for its manufacture. We have joined local working groups that are spearheading national advocacy for the uptake of mass timber as viable costruction material in Kenya.

06.09 Competitive Analysis

Companies working within the vein of mass timber in Africa fall under two categories , developers or manufacturers. With regards to developers, there is: 1.Build X Studio: A design-build company and developer based in Kenya that aims to build in mass timber as well. Build X has begun its mass timber pipeline dependent on material imported from South Africa as opposed to manufacturing their own mass timber. 2.CPS: This is a developer in Tanzania, constructing the world’s 3rd highest mass timber structure in Zanzibar, that is also reliant on South Africa or Europe imported mass timber. CPS has no plans to become a manufacturer of mass timber or timber grower. With regards to manufacturers , there are: South African companies XLAM and Mass Timber Tech none of which is working towards growing their own timber or work with small-holder farmers.

11.05 Are you initiating actions within your community to promote the role of female entrepreneurs?