A construction method with alternative materials resistant to extreme climate will help alleviate the housing deficits in two Cuban provinces hard hit by hurricanes Ike and Gustav. Rodolfo Hernández, of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation in Cuba, told Tierramérica that the agency financed the installation of three eco-materials workshops in Pinar del Río, in the far west, and four in Holguín, in the east.

The first factory began operations the third week of September at a farm cooperative in Pinar del Río that was virtually wiped out by Ike and Gustav between Aug. 30 and Sep. 9.

The eco-materials – puzolanic cement, made from quicklime, zeolite and ash of sugarcane or bamboo instead of wood – is obtained from local farm waste and raw materials. “In addition to being resistant, they are much less costly and allow us to save fuel,” said Hernández.