Drag the slider to see the same building transform from raw EcoBeam sandbag construction into a plastered, painted and finished home — indistinguishable from conventional brick, with exceptional thermal and acoustic performance.
The same building, from exposed sandbag walls to a finished home.
EcoBeam International builds green sandbaghomes, schools and commercial buildings that look like brick — and outperform it on warmth, quiet and running cost.
EcoBeam International (also trading as Eco Building Systems) is a Cape Town green-building company that supplies, manufactures, builds, trains and consults in alternative construction across South Africa and Africa.
How it's built: sand bags stacked in an EcoBeam frame, then plastered.
Lower build cost than conventional brick, depending on design and site
Faster to build — a 150 m² home can go up in 3 to 4 weeks
Less carbon per square metre of wall than baked-brick construction
Fire-resistance test passed, with NHBRC-recognised, certified systems
Sandbag building replaces brick and mortar with sand-filled bags stacked inside a lightweight EcoBeam frame. The wall is wrapped in wire mesh and plastered, producing a solid, load-bearing structure that looks like a normal plastered wall — but is warmer, quieter and cheaper to build.
We don't force one method onto every site. We match the system to your budget, soil, climate and timeline — then build it.
Sand-filled bags in an EcoBeam frame, plastered solid. The greenest, most cost-effective option for homes, schools and granny flats.
Already set on conventional brick? We combine standard brick-and-mortar with selected green add-ons to lift performance without changing your plans.*
The same finished look, a very different build. Here's how EcoBeam sandbag construction compares with standard brick-and-mortar.
| Factor | EcoBeam sandbag | Conventional brick |
|---|---|---|
| Build speed | Up to 2× faster | Standard timeline |
| Build cost | Up to 50% lower | Baseline |
| Thermal comfort | High thermal mass — cool in summer, warm in winter | Lower; relies on added insulation |
| Acoustic insulation | Superior — sand absorbs sound | Moderate |
| Fire resistance | Passed 1-hour fire test | Good |
| Carbon footprint | Up to 95% less CO₂ per m² of wall | High — fired bricks, cement |
| Labour | Mostly local, unskilled — creates jobs | Skilled trades required |
| Approvals & finance | Agrément-certified, NHBRC recognised | NHBRC registered |
Real EcoBeam projects. From mid-build to move-in."
Real EcoBeam projects across South Africa — from steel frame and sandbag courses to finished, plastered buildings.
High in the Nepali mountains, these homes were built with the same sandbag method — sand-filled bags packed into a braced, ring-beamed frame and plastered solid. When a major earthquake struck, the buildings came through intact.
It isn't luck. A monolithic sandbag-and-frame wall is heavy, flexible and tied firmly together — which is exactly what helps a structure absorb seismic movement instead of cracking and falling.
Arn offers hands-on guidance, training and coaching to owner-builders who want to put up their own EcoBeam home — from the first sandbag course through to plastering and finishing. Whether you're building solo or bringing family and friends onto the site, he'll walk you through the method step by step, so the skill (and the savings on labour) stays with you.
The same systems scale from a single backyard unit to large-scale, job-creating housing projects.
Comfortable, energy-efficient family homes and backyard units that cut both your build cost and your monthly bills.
Quiet, thermally stable classrooms and community centres — proven across South African projects.
Fast, load-bearing walling and structures for commercial sites, plus rapid boundary walls.
Low-cost, dignified housing at scale, built largely with local unskilled labour and local sand.
A certified, financeable alternative for projects that need to deliver more, faster, for less.
We train teams and consult on green building so the skills — and the savings — stay in the community.
Yes. The EcoBeam sandbag system holds Agrément South Africa certification and is recognised by the National Home Builders Registration Council (NHBRC), so qualifying homes can be registered with the NHBRC. Kwikframe is also Agrément-certified and NHBRC approved.
Build costs can be reduced by up to 50% versus conventional brick-and-mortar, depending on your design, site and location. The savings come from cheaper local materials, faster build times and lower labour costs.
Typically up to twice as fast as conventional building. A 150 m² home can often be built in three to four weeks, with the frame and bags erected in under a week using mostly unskilled labour.
Yes. EcoBeam walls have passed a one-hour fire-resistance test, are wind and water resistant, and use fibre-reinforced plaster that resists cracking. The sand gives high thermal mass, and the bags do not erode over the life of the building.
Sandbag walls hold up well under seismic load because they are heavy, flexible and tied together into a monolithic, ring-beamed structure that absorbs movement rather than cracking. Sandbag homes built in the mountains of Nepal came through a major earthquake intact.
No. Once plastered and painted, a sandbag house is visually indistinguishable from a brick house — while staying cooler in summer, warmer in winter and quieter inside.
Because the systems are Agrément-certified and NHBRC recognised, qualifying buildings can be registered with the NHBRC — which is what most South African banks require before approving a home loan.
We're based in Milnerton Ridge, Cape Town, and we build, supply, train and consult across South Africa and the wider African continent.
Send a few details and Arn will come back to you with a free, no-obligation quote.