AITECH stands for Accreditation of Indigenous Technologies for Housing. It is a Committee tasked to evaluate and accredit various innovative technologies/systems for housing.

AITECH was conceived as a result of the numerous building technologies that have been developed in the last few years using non-traditional or alternative materials and systems. Cognizant of their potential in reducing over-all housing costs, it has become imperative to accredit these innovative technologies for low-cost housing.

AITECH responds to queries and requests from private manufacturers of indigenous and innovative building materials/systems for technical and engineering evaluation leading to accreditation of these products. The AITECH Inter-Agency Committee reviews and accredits such technologies

The AITECH Committee acts as a review and approving body for applications for accreditation of innovative technologies appropriate for housing. Its main objective is to assist producers/inventors of innovative technologies in securing acceptance of their products or systems in the market as well as to make these technologies acceptable for funding under government housing loan programs.

The Committee also aims to encourage and promote the use of innovative technologies as an alternative to traditional housing construction system; and to develop standards, guidelines and procedures for accreditation system.

Composition of the AITECH Committee

The AITECH Committee is composed of the following agencies:

Lead Agency:

Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC)

Members:

• Department of Science and Technology (DOST)
• National Housing Authority (NHA)
• Home Guaranty Corporation (HGC)
• Department of Public Works & Highways (DPWH)
• Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board (HLURB)
• Home Development Mutual Fund (HDMF)
• National Home Mortgage Finance Corporation (NHMFC)
• Construction Industry Authority of the Philippines (CIAP)
• Department of Trade and Industry – Bureau of Product Standards (DTI-BPS)
• University of the Philippines – Building Research Service (UP-BRS)

The Committee performs the following functions:

Review and approve applications for materials testing and engineering and economic evaluation of local and/or foreign innovative housing technologies;

1. Provide services as testing, wherein assigned evaluating agencies conduct the necessary validation on innovative technology systems/materials;
2. Issue Certificate of Accreditation to manufacturers/owners of approved innovative technology systems/materials;
3. Issue implementing guidelines and procedures on the said accreditation system for public dissemination;
4. Determine the amount of processing fee to be charged by testing/evaluating agencies for the payment of applicants;
5. Establish performance and cost standards, identify relevant tests for building materials/systems as the basis for evaluating innovative technology systems/materials;
6. Review appropriate applications of new technologies and use of innovative building materials;
7. Provide a short-list of accredited building technologies to funding institutions and dissemination of information to other possible end-users;
8. Undertake such other functions as may be necessary to disseminate information to support its primary functions.

The AITECH Committee reviews applications for accreditation of new and improved technologies which are appropriate for housing and can serve as alternatives to traditional or conventional building technologies.

1. new production processes of existing systems/materials;
2. new construction techniques applied or utilized in low-cost housing units; and
3. new building materials designed to serve as alternatives to traditional or conventional components.

1. Locally developed and manufactured building systems/materials appropriated for housing including their construction techniques/systems; and
2. Building systems/materials developed in other countries, whether being introduced to the country or have been adopted and manufactured locally with or without modifications.