There are 840,000 people living in the ger districts of Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. These sprawling settlements of gers (traditional felt tents) and self-built houses do not have centrally supplied water, heating, or sewage infrastructure.
70% of these households live in just a ger with each using an average
3.5 tonnes of coal and coke briquettes to heat their homes each
winter when temperatures can drop to -40°C. The resulting toxic air makes Ulaanbaatar the most polluted capital in the world.
Even if people are able build a house, they typically lack basic
sanitation, are poorly built and insulated, and still rely on fossil fuels to heat their homes.
The aim is to set up a business to design and implement affordable
and sustainable homes for these districts.
