A Y a ng o n – b a s e d firm has launched cheap ready-made steel boxes that will serve as homes for some of the city’s poorest, who have been sidelined during a
boom in rental and land prices in recent years.
Industrial workers on Yangon’s outskirts will be among the first residents of the pre-fab homes, which cost K5 million ($3,600) and are 19ft by 8ft.
The government has started work on a number of low cost housing projects, but the high-rise apartments being built will not be able to compete with the pre-fab boxes on price.
The Treasure Triangle Company, which launched the homes late last month, says the units are also aimed at entrepreneurs who may wish to set up a coffee shop or a mini mart using the structures.
The boxes take just 10 minutes to assemble, and the same amount of time to dismantle, and are imported from China with a 20 year warranty, said U Kyaw Htoo Aung, managing director of the company.
He added that the company already has some orders from industrial zones to provide accommodation for workers and their families.
The boxes are heat resistant and can withstand a magnitude 7 earthquake as well as severe winds, he added.
The company is hoping to serve Yangon’s large population of squatters and homeless people, and says it provides a one stop service covering the entire process of setting up the house.
Source: Myanmar Business Today