( CNN ) -- From a distance , it is its shiny exterior that first catches the eye . As you step closer , a rooftop solar panel , an outdoor security light and a roof overhang make Nosango Plaatjie 's shack stand out amid the sprawling cluster of makeshift wooden structures and rusty corrugated iron dwellings where her neighbors live . Welcome to the iShack , or improved shack , an innovative approach to housing that 's being tested in the windswept slum of Enkanini , just outside Stellenbosch , South Africa . The dwelling , developed by researchers at the University of Stellenbosch , is intended to raise the living standards of slum residents while improving their access to electricity and protecting them from extreme temperatures in an environmentally friendly way . Read : 'Solar sisters ' spreading light in Africa . The iShack prototype is occupied by Plaatje and her three young children . It is fully equipped with a photovoltaic panel capable of producing enough electricity to power three lights , a mobile phone charger and an outdoor motion detector spotlight . Its windows are strategically placed to achieve better air circulation and sunlight heating , while the roof is sloped so that rainwater can be harvested during the winter months . Recycled cardboard boxes and old Tetra Pak containers are used for insulation between the exterior zinc surface and the interior , while a flame-retardant paint is used to lessen the risk of fires . Inside the shack , rows of recycled bricks create a sturdy flooring base and act as `` thermal mass , '' protecting against temperature change . Plaatjie , a domestic worker employed once a week , says her family 's life has improved a great deal after relocating to the ecologically designed iShack . Their previous home was a cold , damp shack hastily put together from disused pallets and corroded zinc sheets . A leaking roof , bare earth floor and lack of windows made conditions even tougher , while the shortage of electricity meant that Plaatje would often miss out on important calls about work as she could n't always walk long distances to charge her phone . `` Now I am available all the time and it is helping me to make more money , '' Plaatjie told iShack 's developers . She added : `` The solar [ lights ] are better . Now we do n't need to go to sleep early anymore because now we have lights . My daughter must do her homework now , she does n't have any more excuses . And I like the light outside because we can see what is going on , I feel safer . '' Read : Harnessing pedal power to light up Africa . According to U.N. Habitat , 62 % of the urban population in Sub-Saharan Africa lives in slums , which it describes as being typically characterized by deplorable living conditions , a feeling of insecurity and inadequate infrastructure for basic energy , sanitation and water services . In South Africa , thousands of informal settlements have sprouted up in recent decades on the urban perimeter . To deal with the pressing housing problem , the government has shifted its emphasis from building new brick and mortar houses toward in-situ upgrading of existing informal settlements and providing access to services . But the iShack 's developers say that slum dwellers usually have to wait for years for power and water grids or low-cost housing to arrive . They say that a growing housing backlog , coupled with budgetary constraints and a surge in urbanization rates , means that poorly serviced dwellings are likely to be part of urban living in South Africa for years to come . `` Shacks are becoming the new norm , '' explains Andreas Keller , one of the developers of iShack . `` So what can we do today in order to improve the living conditions of people through energy intervention , lighting , cell phones , communication , upping security ? `` That 's where the planning comes in and the technology takes it one step further . '' The developers say the project is a cost-effective solution that shows what communities can achieve in the short term . Excluding the solar power system , the iShack costs about 5,600 rand ( $ 660 ) . The typical cost of a shack in Enkanini can vary from a few rand , when somebody collects materials at the landfill and carries them back to the settlement , all the way up to 5,000 rand ( $ 582 ) on the informal real estate market , says Keller . `` The rationale is that over time the additional cost upfront will be recouped through reduced fuel bill [ and ] greater wellbeing , '' he adds . Read : Cape Town takes on Tinseltown . Now , thanks to a grant by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation , the iShack project will be trialled over the next year . Up to 100 shacks will either be built or retrofitted to determine whether the system can be applied on a larger scale . Keller says that as the project grows , community members trained in maintaining and repairing the solar power systems will be able to sell affordable energy to other residents . This will help them earn a living and also pay for new batteries for the iShacks . `` We need to encourage the informal settlers , the slum dwellers , to invest into this infrastructure themselves , '' says Keller . `` We can not rely on a passive population to simply sit there and expect governments to solve their problems , so we need to make sure that any investments that they 've made wo n't become redundant in the future . ''
The iShack aims to improve living conditions for people in slums . The 'shack ' is equipped with a solar panel that can power lights and a mobile phone charger . The project will be scaled up using a grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation . Hide Caption 1 of 10 Photos:Photos: A new way to live on the cheap More than 60 % of Sub-Saharan Africa 's urban population lives in slums .