House For Africa

Inventing a low-cost African housing prototype in this historical period is an especially important
challenge that can improve millions of lives for real. With this responsibility in mind, we tried to
engineer the best possible solution after taking into consideration the numerous economic and
environmental variables that the African context offered us.

We imagined a scalable and adaptable design that originates from a simple but ingenious
structural idea: a circular wall that alone can sustain a tent roof without the contribution of any
other wall or structural element.

In this way, the only major cost is the circular concrete foundation and the round wall of backed
bricks; the rest of the project is very flexible in terms of shape and material options and doesn’t
need any other costly elements such as wooden or iron beams and columns.
As a tensile roof, we choose the white PVC membrane material; considering the very low cost,
the large availability in the Tanzanian market, the factory shape customization possibility, the
durability, the easy to repair possibility using heated patches, the lightness, and least but not
last the easy transportability.

The roof will be composed of three major pieces shaped from the factory and mounted directly
on the round wall edge or on a simple iron structure so to keep some distance from the wall.
Those membrane slices will be kept tight together on top of the patio thanks to a circular iron
cable that will distribute the tensions and will be anchored to the ground with another six ropes
so to give overall stability and avoid the vibration of the roof in windy days.

Under the main roof, there will be false ceilings made of hanging textile sheets so to separate
the living spaces from the airflow circulating under the roof, from the patio to the outside, passing
through the spaces between the alternating bricks of the crown.
Since the interior walls will not be structural, their dimension is smaller with none or minimal
foundations. They can be made of bricks to isolate the sound between rooms and wooden
frames with straw and adobe for the ones facing the patio. In the frames, we integrated the
wooden doors and shelves.
The floors are of rammed earth in most of the spaces and in concrete in the central area so to
collect the rainwater coming from the roof down to the drainpipe and water tank.