eco-building in Uganda / Africa

[yogahmg]

my name is Helen M. Giovanello, I am writing to find out if you can advise me on projects or builders / architects of "ecological" house construction in Africa.
My husband and I have plans to build a house in northern Uganda, as well as a small organic vegetable garden, linked to a project for the reintegration of "child soldiers" and sustainable development.

[bham]

Do we need (European?) Architects to build ecological houses in Africa? Isn't the traditional local habitat by itself ecological?

[minguinhirigue]

As a result of wars, there may no longer be a lot of traditional perennial habitat in Uganda, nor builders who have retained the required know-how. Very often perennial techniques are developed to build public monuments and the houses of "chiefs" ... This is only possible in a situation of peace ...

However, the combination of "foreign" techniques and rudimentary traditional habitats (mud, cob, cob, or adobe houses ... straw-clay roofing, and other techniques) can lead to perennial buildings (without five-year reconstruction as is the case for banco ...). We have successful examples in Senegal.

If there is a social program and you really want to develop it, without knowing local architects, you can work with the network Architects Without Borders International, and for French contacts ASF France (of which I am a part ...).

But we will quickly seek to find local partners AND a local architect with whom to collaborate ... The solutions are all there ... Sometimes nothing is missing but the spark.

The profession is underrepresented in black Africa ... Our colleagues are almost exclusively involved in grandiose projects. But there are some who remain invested in social causes ... with, among other things, a recent ASF Congo branch ...

When it comes to green design in Africa you can take a look the achievements awarded by the 2009 Aga Khan Prize. But there will be no housing ...