Housing NOW

What Housing NOW does

Housing NOW is a Myanmar-based social enterprise founded in 2021 and operating as the affordable housing initiative of architectural practice Blue Temple. The organization specializes in prefabricated, low-cost bamboo housing for internally displaced persons and low-income families, with construction costs as low as approximately $1,000 per residential unit. It maintains a headquarters in Yangon and a 550 m² production hub under construction in Bago, employing roughly five core team members co-founded by Raphaël Ascoli (Blue Temple founder, computational design specialist from McGill University), Kyaw Zin Latt (Burmese master bamboo technician with 100+ prior bamboo builds via Habitat for Humanity Myanmar), and António F. Duarte (architect and visual artist).

The company's core product is a hybrid construction system combining prefabricated modular bamboo structural frames with on-site local construction of remaining components. Frames use bundled small-diameter bamboo (typically considered waste material) secured with steel strapping, designed through computational 2D topology optimization to minimize material usage while maximizing structural resilience. Production is centralized at the Bago facility, where frames are pre-fabricated, stored in a warehouse for emergency deployment, and transported via a custom-built low-bed trailer that reduces logistics costs by approximately 10 times. The modular design enables customization for family size, budget, and local material availability.

Housing NOW operates as a donation- and grant-funded social enterprise rather than a commercial provider; all housing units are offered free to beneficiaries. Funding sources include crowdfunding (Indiegogo, March 2022 campaign funding 6 modules), competitive grants (MIT Solve Award 2022, Good Energies Foundation 2022, UNICEF Innovation 30 2023), and implementation partnerships with UNHCR, Medical Action Myanmar, SONNE International, and Uncharted Horizons. The product portfolio spans family housing (Family House I/II), educational facilities (Pre-School), community infrastructure (Community Center, Orphanage), and healthcare (Clinic in Kachin State). The organization does not generate product revenue and has not disclosed operational financials.

Name

Housing NOW

Legal name

Housing NOW

Website

https://housing-now.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Prefabricated Bamboo Housing

NAICS

Prefabricated Wood Building Manufacturing (321992), Residential Building Construction (2361)

SIC

Prefabricated Wood Bldgs & Components (2452)

akta.pro primary industry

Residential Modular & Prefabricated Home Construction (IMAFABAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Residential Affordable Housing Development & Construction (IMAFABAI), Residential Green / High-Performance Home Construction (Net-Zero, Passive House) (IMAFABAH)

Keywords

• Prefabricated bamboo housing
• Low-cost modular housing
• Humanitarian construction services
• Disaster relief shelter
• Sustainable building design

Headquarters

HQ city

Bago Bantay

HQ country

Philippines

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Donated Housing Units: Housing units are offered for free to communities in Myanmar, funded entirely through donations and grants. No direct revenue is generated from housing sales. The social enterprise relies on crowdfunding campaigns (Indiegogo), foundation grants, and awards to fund construction costs.
2. Grants and Awards Funding: Revenue generated through competitive grants including MIT Solve Award, Good Energies Foundation Grant, and other award-based funding. These grants support R&D, prototyping, and project implementation.
3. Consulting and Design Services: The organization provides design and technical expertise, potentially through consulting services for organizations seeking to implement bamboo construction solutions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Housing NOW designs, prefabricates, and constructs low-cost modular bamboo housing structures for low-income and displaced communities in Myanmar. Using a hybrid technique that industrializes prefabricated structural bamboo frames while leaving on-site finishing to local builders, the organization delivers houses, schools, orphanages, clinics, community centers, and workshops at approximately $1,000 per housing unit. Units are provided free of charge to beneficiaries through partnerships with NGOs and humanitarian organizations, with construction costs funded by donations, grants, and crowdfunding.

Product overview

Housing NOW is a social enterprise offering prefabricated low-cost bamboo housing solutions for low-income families and displaced communities in Myanmar. The core product is a modular prefabricated bamboo structural frame system that enables rapid, affordable housing construction at approximately 1000 USD per unit. The product portfolio includes various building types: Family House I and II (18m2 and 12m2 residential units), Pre-School, Orphanage, Community Center, Clinic, and a Workshop/Production Hub. All structures utilize a hybrid construction technique combining industrialization of prefabricated structural frames with local construction of remaining components. The modular design allows customization based on family size, land conditions, budget, and local material availability, while the prefabricated frames enable fast deployment for emergency housing situations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Prefabricated Bamboo Housing Modules Modular structural bamboo frames using bundled small-diameter bamboo secured with steel strapping, prefabricated at the Bago production hub and rapidly deployed for low-income families, displaced communities, and humanitarian partner organizations in Myanmar. Frames are customized by family size, land conditions, budget, and locally available materials for walls, floors, and roofs.
• Family House I An 18 m² prefabricated bamboo house for informal settlement housing, built in 6 days at a cost of $1,000 (~$55.5/m²) for low-income and displaced families in Yangon, delivered with implementing partner Medical Action Myanmar.
• Family House II A 12 m² prefabricated bamboo house variant (~$83.3/m²) for displaced and low-income families, funded through the March 2022 Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign and offered free to Myanmar communities.
• Pre-School A 32 m² prefabricated bamboo pre-school facility for displaced children, completed in 10 days at $2,000 (~$62.5/m²), serving 11 children from an IDP community and nearby settlements in Hmawbi, Myanmar.
• Orphanage A 78 m² prefabricated bamboo orphanage for 30 displaced children from villages in Southern Chin State, completed in 20 days at $4,200 (~$53.9/m²), funded and implemented with SONNE International.
• Community Center A prefabricated bamboo community center for an IDP camp in Rakhine, Myanmar, built in partnership with UNHCR and funded through the March 2022 Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign.
• Clinic A 600 m² prefabricated bamboo clinic for remote village dwellers in Puta-O, Kachin State, Myanmar, completed in 120 days at $70,000 (~$117/m²).
• Workshop / Production Hub A 550 m² prefabricated bamboo workshop in Bago, Myanmar, serving as the production hub for Housing NOW's bamboo structural frames with 'Build & Break' tensile strength testing facilities and an expected 20-year lifespan.

Quantifiable outcome

• Cost per unit reduced to approximately $1,000, compared to conventional Myanmar housing costs
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered major and core.

• IndiegogomajorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 March 2022Crowdfunding platform used for the March 2022 campaign that raised funds to build 6 housing modules offered for free to Myanmar communities. This pilot project enabled Housing NOW's first major implementation.
• Blue TemplecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBlue Temple is a disruptive architectural practice based in Yangon, Myanmar. Housing NOW is Blue Temple's latest project for affordable housing conducted in Myanmar. Raphaël Ascoli is the founder of Blue Temple and co-founder of Housing NOW. António F. Duarte is also a partner of Blue Temple and co-founder of Housing NOW.
• Monkey JointcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKyaw Zin Latt runs Monkey Joint, a bamboo construction team based in Yangon. He is a Burmese master bamboo technician and co-founder of Housing NOW. His team provides bamboo construction expertise and labor for Housing NOW projects.
• SONNE InternationalmajorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerSONNE International funded and is the implementing partner for the Orphanage project in Hmawbi IDP camp. The 78 m² orphanage was built for 30 children displaced from Southern Chin State.
• Medical Action MyanmarmajorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerImplementing partner for Family House I project in Shwepyitha Township, Yangon. The 18 m² house was built for an HIV-positive mother and daughter who had been previously evicted.
• UNHCRmajorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerUNHCR partnered with Housing NOW to build a Community Center for IDP camp in Rakhine, Myanmar. The project was funded through the Housing NOW Indiegogo Crowdfunding Campaign 2022.
• Uncharted HorizonsmajorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerImplementing partner for the Pre-School project in Hmawbi, Myanmar. The 32 m² pre-school serves 11 children from the IDP community and nearby settlements.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• WikiHouse: Open-source prefabricated building system using engineered components that snap together on-site without specialized tools. Like Housing NOW, WikiHouse emphasizes rapid deployment, low cost, and digital design tooling — but for general-purpose rather than humanitarian housing.
• Pallet Shelter: Manufactures prefabricated pallet-based emergency shelters for disaster relief and transitional housing, distributed through humanitarian NGOs. Directly comparable to Housing NOW on emergency shelter mission, prefabrication approach, and NGO-led distribution model.
• ShelterBox: International disaster relief charity that provides emergency shelter (tents, shelter kits) to families displaced by conflict and natural disasters. Comparable as a humanitarian housing responder, though ShelterBox focuses on imported tents rather than locally constructed permanent shelters.
• EarthEnable: Affordable housing social enterprise operating in East Africa that provides low-cost flooring and improved housing for rural families. Comparable as a social enterprise addressing bottom-of-pyramid housing with cost-engineered construction in conflict/developing markets.
• Bamboo Living: Hawaii-based company that designs and builds bamboo homes using prefabricated bamboo framing systems. Comparable on bamboo as primary structural material and prefabrication approach, though serving high-end eco-residential rather than humanitarian markets.
• Better Shelter: Swedish social enterprise that designs and distributes flat-packed, modular temporary shelters used by UNHCR and other humanitarian agencies. Directly comparable to Housing NOW on prefabricated humanitarian housing distributed through NGO channels — Better Shelter uses steel/rigid plastic frames vs. Housing NOW's bamboo frames.

Others

• Blue Temple: Parent organization of Housing NOW. Yangon-based architectural practice founded by Raphaël Ascoli; Housing NOW is its dedicated affordable housing social initiative. Comparable as the originating architecture practice but operates commercial/parametric design projects rather than humanitarian construction.
• Architecture Sans Frontières: International network of architects and built environment professionals providing pro-bono architectural services to humanitarian and development causes. Comparable as an architectural humanitarian organization that awarded Housing NOW; serves similar mission space but as a volunteer network rather than construction operator.

Broad incumbents

• Habitat for Humanity: Global nonprofit housing organization building affordable homes for low-income families, including through bamboo construction programs (Kyaw Zin Latt previously built 100+ houses for Habitat Myanmar). Comparable on affordable housing mission, but operates at vastly larger scale and broader geographic footprint.
• Shigeru Ban Architects: Internationally renowned architecture firm known for humanitarian/disaster relief architecture using innovative materials (paper tubes, shipping containers). Comparable on architect-led humanitarian construction innovation, but operates at much larger scale and broader material/mission range.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/housingnow.designs
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/housingnow-designs
• Instagraminstagram.com/housingnow.designs
• Xx.com/housingn0w

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Housing NOW