Long-term performance assessment of houses built with Innovative Building Technologies: Insights from housing innovation hubs in South Africa

The durability and resilience of houses constructed with Innovative Building Technologies (IBTs) play a pivotal role in ensuring sustainable and cost-effective housing solutions. This study evaluates the long-term performance of houses built approximately 20 years ago at housing innovation hubs in South Africa. These houses, constructed using various IBTs such as prefabricated modular systems, Sandwich Insulated Panels (SIPs), and compressed earth blocks, were deliberately left unmaintained in some cases to assess their natural deterioration over time. This research aims to analyse these technologies' performance under real-world conditions and provide insights into their viability as sustainable housing solutions. Key objectives include identifying critical performance attributes, evaluating maintenance's role, and highlighting certification's relevance in ensuring long-term resilience. The findings underscore the importance of Agrѐment South Africa as a certification authority. Certified technologies demonstrated superior resilience, while uncertified technologies exhibited significant deterioration, often reaching unacceptable levels. Environmental factors such as temperature variations, humidity, and moisture penetration emerged as critical determinants of long-term performance, affecting structural integrity and habitability. This study recommends integrating long-term performance evaluations into the certification process for IBTs, emphasizing attributes such as resistance to environmental stresses and lifecycle durability. Furthermore, it advocates for regular monitoring and maintenance protocols to enhance the longevity of innovative housing solutions. The findings also highlight the need to incorporate lessons from these performance assessments into the design and implementation of future housing technologies to ensure sustainable and resilient built environments. Examining the successes and shortcomings of existing IBTs, this research provides valuable insights for policymakers, industry practitioners, and researchers, contributing to the advancement of sustainable housing practices in South Africa and beyond.