Winner European Contest & Model House in Namibia
Extensive negotiations in Chad and Senegal lead to large-scale contracts for the supply of Polycare technology in January and February. Unfortunately, the final financing of the projects is being delayed in the course of the following months and promised payments are not forthcoming. In March, the Polycare concept is presented at the African Ambassadors Conference in Berlin and a project for the construction of 40,000 houses in Namibia is developed. In the same month, the German Federal Ministry of Economics issues an application for a new research project in cooperation with the Bauhaus University in Weimar, examining the integration of natural fibres to reinforce Polycare´s polymer concrete.
At the end of March, Polycare is recognized by the European Union in The Hague as one of the best ideas for improving the world. In the follow-up sessions, various delegations from China, India, Namibia, Senegal, Saudi Arabia, Chile and the USA visit the factory in Gehlberg. Particularly important was the visit by Bishop Kameeta, Minister for Poverty Alleviation in Namibia, who showed great enthusiasm for the MAS system.
During the second quarter Polycare UK started to focus on two main regions. The UK and central Africa. The housing situation in the UK is well known. Not enough houses are being built and there are shortages of skilled labour and materials. Of course neither of these affects Polycare´s system. It is a solution readily accepted by some politicians who are now pressing for a UK trial of the system. In addition, the UK company is now turning its attention to the growing Garden Office market sector. The immense advantages of Polycare´s materials and the simplicity of the construction is ideal for both this market and the self-built market. In May, Dr. Auma Obama (sister of the US President) commissioned Polycare to develop an individually inscribed sponsors memorial path with Lumino stones on behalf of the Sauti Kuu foundation. Polycare also exhibits at the Bautec in Berlin, the Hanover Fair, the SME Innovation Day and the Urban Age Conference in Venice.
Also during May a leading German business magazine Brand Eins feature a six page article on Polycare and it build system. This followed a major article in Germany’s most influential newspaper Die Welt.
From July onwards, a show house for Namibia is produced. Salzgitter Bauelemente GmbH became the ideal cooperation partner for the roofing construction for this and future projects. At the “Invest in Namibia” conference in Windhoek, attended by nearly 2000 participants, Polycare and Salzgitter build a show house with the help of unskilled Namibian workers within 3 days, which was inaugurated by the President of the Republic. Due to its high quality, the House enjoys unrestricted approval in all sections of the population and inspired further negotiations in the region. In Germany during September the TV science magazine Galileo airs a special edition about Polycare use of desert sand and our exclusive building system.
