Selected
Climate Adaptation & Low-Carbon Housing Challenge

Build up Nepal

Making low-carbon, safe houses affordable for all.

Team Leader
Björn Söderberg
Making low-carbon, safe houses affordable for all.

The Problem

Nepal is one of the world's most disaster-prone countries. Its population, along with millions living in the South Asian plains, faces severe flooding due to climate change. Poor and low-income families urgently need disaster-resilient, affordable housing. Traditional coal-fired bricks are pervasive and responsible for significant CO2 emissions and air pollution.

The Solution

Build up Nepal is a social enterprise working to replace fired bricks with climate-friendly bricks and make safe houses affordable for all. Its ECO2Bricks are interlocking and made from construction and industrial waste, mixed with stabilizers and compressed in a machine, that reduce the cost of safe housing for low-income families in disaster-prone areas. It has developed an innovative, last-mile delivery model to bring the technology to scale and create self-sustaining enterprises that build affordable homes, generate jobs and save CO2 emissions year-on-year, without external funding.

Stats

Build Up Nepal has directly benefited 77,515 people through its earthquake-resilient construction.

What is the name of your organization?
Build up Nepal Engineering
What is the name of your solution?
Build up Nepal
Provide a one-line summary or tagline for your solution.
Making low-carbon, safe houses affordable for all.
In what city, town, or region is your solution team headquartered?
Kathmandu
In what country is your solution team headquartered?
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What type of organization is your solution team?
Hybrid of for-profit and nonprofit
Film your elevator pitch.
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What specific problem are you solving?
Nepal is one of the world's most disaster-prone countries. Its population, along with millions living in the South Asian plains, faces severe flooding due to climate change. Poor and low-income families urgently need disaster-resilient, affordable housing. Traditional coal-fired bricks are pervasive and responsible for significant CO2 emissions and air pollution.
What is your solution?
Build up Nepal is a social enterprise working to replace fired bricks with climate-friendly bricks and make safe houses affordable for all. Its ECO2Bricks are interlocking and made from construction and industrial waste, mixed with stabilizers and compressed in a machine, that reduce the cost of safe housing for low-income families in disaster-prone areas. It has developed an innovative, last-mile delivery model to bring the technology to scale and create self-sustaining enterprises that build affordable homes, generate jobs and save CO2 emissions year-on-year, without external funding.
Who does your solution serve, and in what ways will the solution impact their lives?
Poor/low-income families in rural and semi-urban areas of Nepal, particularly disaster-prone areas, where communities cannot afford safe housing. Our solution also serves disadvantaged groups who represent half of our entrepreneurs and over 70% of employees in production and construction. The solution provides these target groups with an affordable, safe housing solution, and resilient, inclusive livelihood opportunities. Our green technology substantially reduces CO2 emissions and air pollution in Nepal.

Organization Type:
Hybrid of for-profit and nonprofit

Headquarters:
Kathmandu, Nepal

Stage:
Growth

Working In:
Nepal

Solution Website:
https://www.buildupnepal.com/

Solution Team:
Björn Söderberg
Björn Söderberg
Managing Director
Bina Shrestha
Bina Shrestha
Co-founder