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In 2008, soon after the Tecucel River in Romania flooded and destroyed more than 300 homes, the ArcelorMittal Foundation formed a global partnership with Habitat for Humanity to improve affected families’ lives.

Experts from ArcelorMittal and Habitat for Humanity designed Casa Buna (“Good House”), the first low cost steel framed home. A successful prototype was completed at the ArcelorMittal facility in Romania. This ‘flat-pack’ two-storey building can house four families and has at least a 20-year life span. It can be easily assembled by volunteers, and requires little more than screws and bolts, which are easily available in most countries. It is also more sustainable than other designs in that it’s energy-efficient, earthquake and hurricane resistant, and can be easily disassembled. The components can then be recycled almost indefinitel. Since then, its innovative construction and simple design has benefited 20 low income families in Romania.

Following the success of the first project, the ArcelorMittal Foundation, in collaboration with Habitat for Humanity organised solidarity holidays in Argentina, Haiti, Costa Rica, Mexico, Romania, Ukraine, Macedonia and South Africa. ArcelorMittal’s employees volunteered for a week of their annual leave at the construction site as part of the Foundation’s solidarity holidays programme. Volunteers helped build affordable houses for communities in economically disadvantaged districts. The partnership covers designing, funding and volunteering by ArcelorMittal and their employees. Habitat for Humanity reaches selected low income families through a type of micro-credit structure, coordinating the volunteer effort.