Proposal for a craft processing unit for agro-food products in Moundou, Chad

Ecole Africaine des Métiers d'Architecture et d'Urbanisme (EAMAU) a Lomé (Togo)

Project idea

We, have set as main objective of «Contribute to the economic boom of support centers for women processors of agro-food products in Moundou,Chad».
Moundou, the economic capital of Chad, brings together most of the national industries by its proximity to the surrounding villages and the borders of Cameroon and the RCA. The proposal for this project is in keeping with the same vision of the National Land Use Plan (2014-2035) and the Urban Reference Plan of the city of Moundou.
In the face of the current economic crisis in the country, the major reflection of the project focuses on a policy of revitalization of the artisanal agro-food sector. .Through this project, we propose an equipment that integrates the various programs and the layout of the appropriate spaces that meet the needs of this type of unit. It's a participatory approach to the valorization of national raw materials and local know-how.
This project also proposes various clusters of activities in order to capitalize on the local economic potential. The project takes into account the environmental context of the site through a traditional and bioclimatic architecture.

Project description

Located on the outskirts of the town of Moundou, the project site is located in the western part of reforestation. It is bounded to the East by the National ( 50 m paved primary road ) and in the vicinity by a dense vegetation cover and some houses of dwellings illegally installed on the site.
Thus, we propose the conception of a unit that offers agricultural production of maraichers (tomatoes), cereal (maize, sorghum), oilseeds (peanut, Sesame); artisanal processing and marketing of products such as Shea (Shea butter) and groundnut (cake, oil, etc.); the most consumed oilseeds in the subregion.
Our programme of activities is open to local people and potential tourists: initiations to local agricultural processing practices; the creation of accommodation and spaces for leisure and relaxation; the marketing spaces of the raw material and the exhibition of finished products after processing.
The overall development of the project was done by grouping the different components by their pollution level, to better control the damage to the environment and the workers. The conceptual approach we have adopted is based on all the cultural and natural elements of Moundou; back to a rich traditional architecture with a contemporary vision. These choices are guided by the concern for the involvement of the workforce, local techniques and materials (land, straw, wood, etc.). We are inspired by the snails found on the site and the oilseeds (Shea and peanut) most consumed by the population. The buildings of each component are organized around a patio or a socializing space.
The unit advocates the technical installation to contribute to the recycling of the different types of waste and also the valorisation of solar energy and biogas. Through the various activities carried out by women in the safeguarding of the environment, they ensure the safeguarding of the vegetation cover of an abandoned space.

Technical information

The site is trapezoidal in shape and the host capacity is about (4.68 HA.) The estimation of the surface of the different components was made on the basis of useful surface per employee. The coefficient land occupancy is 30%. All buildings except processing spaces and commercialization, will be at R + 1. In some buildings we have planned extensions vertical floors.
This project, valorizes the local materials and techniques of the town of Moundou. The advantages of such a choice are justified by the fact that a supply of on the site, low impact on the environment, reduced cost of the budget and good adaptability to the region's climate. Our choice therefore logically focused on wood, bamboo,soil, straw, as main materials. However the choice structural structure of a reinforced concrete frame system at the level of the processing space and is due to the concern of resistance and impermeability of the works.
-As a roofing material, we opt for straw. The straw roof or the roof in thatch with a minimum thickness of 25 cm provides real thermal insulation and Phonic.
-We opted for the use of soil as a material found in-situ and which offers in addition free availability, strong mechanical, thermal and acoustic properties Interesting. We intend to improve the artisanal technique of Adobe by choosing cement-and Typha-stabilized Adobe. Specialized studies will be conducted to determine the nature of the land to be used, the dosage of cement and the various precautions to be manufacture of these bricks.
-The type of sole to be carried out will be chosen from the soil analysis results by a laboratory approved. Geotechnical studies will be undertaken on the site to determine the nature of the Exact. However the soles will be executed at the depth of the good soil.
-The structure of the constructions at the level of the commercial space and the processing space is made of concrete pole-beams-slab system and structural elements made of bamboo and glued laminated wood. At the level of the other components except the slab, the beams, the poles and the structural elements are wood and bamboo. Structural calculations made by
specialized engineers will be able to accurately determine the nature, dosages, and Dimensioning it.

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