Baya Build plans homes for adults with autism
Baya Build, a building technology company founded by Israeli entrepreneur James Casper, announced on Monday a collaboration with Shine Communities, a real estate developer with expertise in autism living, to build across the US the first scalable multifamily community of independent living for adults who have autism.
The community will feature smart home technology from Vivint Smart Home, a leading smart home company, to provide protection and peace of mind for residents and their families.
Baya Build has invented a method to enable safer and more affordable housing and healthcare structures at a fraction of existing cost with an open technology framework for the modern world. The product features a highly efficient interlocking, customizable mechanism for shipments to location for assembly using minimum labor without special expertise.
“Baya Build brings a radically novel method to build configurable structures with an open technology framework,” said Casper. “Our process revolutionizes the building industry, enabling companies like Vivint Smart Home to integrate its technology into our structures for comprehensive monitoring of our communities. This is an extremely valuable collaboration for the independent autistic living population.”
Shine plans to build 460 communities over the next 10 years, housing 50,000 adults with level 1 autism. These communities will include valuable life-skill development, mentoring, enrichment and vocational training programs. The collaboration focuses on building micro communities of 100 residents in each community throughout the United States. The plan incorporates in-home sensory technology and the latest in building and construction innovation to optimize housing, as well as social and professional integration.
“At Shine Communities, our focus is to provide a safe and secure environment that not only nurtures its inhabitants, but also uses every possible technology and method to propel their individual growth and integration into society,” said Lance Checketts, vice president of business development at Shine Communities.
More than 3.5 million Americans have been diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder. In the US alone, more than 500,000 teens with autism will age into adulthood over the next decade, an estimated 15% increase in the past two years. Today, autism is the fastest-growing developmental disability with services currently costing US citizens $236 to $262 billion annually.