African Sustainable House

Georgian Technical University

Project idea

The purpose of sustainable dwelling design was to create a building where traditions would be transformed in the present.We chose Nigeria from 11 countries of GGW and tried to maintain the character and the spirit of Nigerian vernacular architecture. which is distinguished by colorful, wild and nature-combined forms.

Project description

The house is designed for 17 people. The whole volume is divided into two parts. First is the Night area where the bedrooms are located, both single and double rooms. Also,there are room for students, where they can study and do homework. The second part is the day zone, where the dining room, kitchen, and common space, with small amphitheater are located.
We combined one of the elements of traditional Nigerian architecture, the oval-shaped open roof, with one opening in the bedroom area, and the second opening combined with a small modern amphitheater in the living area creates a strong, but calm appearance and offers different special effects with light and shadow. All this strengthens the connection between man and nature.
Settlement planning is based on claster model, which has the possibility of development. In each cluster, 5 houses are arranged in a circle, so that there is a common space in the middle, where residents can gather, engage in social activities, watch movies, etc. In addition to the public space, each house has a private space in the back, where there is an outdoor kitchen, toilet, cattle and garden, where they will be able to grow plants.

Technical information

Considering the extreme climatic conditions, walls are made of rammed earth, which is a mixture of clay, cement and red earth. it stores heat during the day and realizes it at night. Due to its curved shape and low construction and repair costs, the roof was covered with tied straw, and other elements of the building are made of wood. These materials are in use during centuries, well known for local people and easy to use, this provides building process without expensive construction experience.
The entire structure is made of bamboo, which has high compressive strength and low weight, is flexible and can be easily worked on the curved shape, on which the roof rests.
In order to use the alternative energy, we decided to collect organic wastes and get biogas and electric power from them. These waste will be gathered underground in domes, located near the house. We will also use the solar energy, to generate more power. but our solar panels will be a lot different from rear ones and it will have both solar and wind turbines that generate enough electricity, can generate electricity in the lightest of winds and can be installed in the backyards without any threats. It is a best solution for green energy for the whole world, not only Africa.

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