Building code

• The strong emphasis on enhancing energy efficiency in building structures is driving the expansion of the spray foam insulation market.
• Open cell spray foam leads the spray foam insulation market with a substantial 60% share in 2022.
• Some of the major companies operating within the spray foam insulation market are BASF SE, Covestro AG, Lapolla Industries, Inc., Huntsman International LLC., Dow, SAFCO Foam Insulation, Cajun Foam Insulation, EnergyGuard Foam Insulators, LP, Saint-Gobain, Insulation Northwest, PUFF INC, Pittsburgh Foam Insulation, Owens Corning., Recticel, Armacell, NCFI Polyurethanes, CERTAINTEED., Rhino Linings Corporation and Bayer AG.
• In the spray foam insulation market, they have focused on developing innovative and high-performance insulation materials.

• CHATTANOOGA, Tenn., Oct. 19, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- With the housing affordability crisis growing nationwide, movable tiny homes are getting more attention.
• Wind River Tiny Homes partnered with THIA to present a movable tiny home at the event as an example for building officials of build type, function, and quality.
• "Broader acceptance of movable tiny homes seems more possible now than ever," says Wind River's CFO, Paul Beckmann.
• The majority of movable tiny home builders currently certify their homes to ANSI A119.5, the Park Model Recreational Vehicle standard.

• The "ANZ Automatic Garage Door Operator Market - Focused Insights 2023-2028" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.
• The ANZ automatic garage door operator market will be valued at around $41.65 MN in 2022.
• Further, the choice of products varies depending on the region's type and preference of garage door operators.
• Furthermore, major players focus on strategic agreements, acquisitions, and collaboration with emerging players to enter the ANZ automatic garage door operator market to gain access to commercially launched products.

• In Ghana, for example, the government estimates a staggering deficit of 1.8 million homes.
• Many households don’t get basic services either: 28.6% rely on wells for water, over a third use public latrines and one in ten dispose of waste indiscriminately.
• Ghana’s housing market suffers from inadequate regulation.
• We are urban and housing studies scholars who research issues of housing in Ghana.

Findings

• The Ashanti region, with Kumasi as its capital, has the highest proportion of compound houses in Ghana (62.8% against a national average of 57.3%).
• The courtyard serves as a significant space for social interactions and inter-household activities.
• Households within the compound share common facilities such as toilets, kitchens, drying lines, water, and electricity meters.
• Inadequate sanitation: The absence of toilet facilities in some compound houses forced households, including children, to rely on public toilets.
• They faced challenges such as a distracting environment, lack of suitable work spaces, and unreliable internet connectivity.

The way forward

• A recent seminar involving policymakers and stakeholders in Ghana’s housing sector yielded a consensus that housing policy and supply should put the needs of the poor first.
• The existing pro-market housing policy does not help the poor to get decent accommodation.
• Regulation should focus not only on the advance rent period but also on the provision of basic facilities.
• Thus it is crucial to initiate a conversation about sustainable and context-specific housing design, and use of local construction materials.