LafargeHolcim is trying to make housing more affordable to Malawi citizens and is planning to set up a second Durabric production plant.

Durabric is made from soil, sand, cement and water and does not require firing like commonly-used clay bricks. LafargeHolcim is working in a joint venture with UK state-owned development financier CDC Group on a second production plant in Malawi.

The joint venture – called “14Trees” after the number of trees it says can be saved for each house built – is also targeting Kenya and Ivory Coast. The new factory will be based in Blantyre, Malawi’s second city, and follows the first facility built in 2016, in Lilongwe, the nation’s capital.

LafargeHolcim says Durabrics are up to 20 per cent cheaper per square meter and are more water resistant than traditional bricks.