African Design Magazine February 2015 | Page 43

African project: Nakuru Project Completed in just eight weeks and with added help from a small group of architecture students representing schools across the UK, there were as many as seventy people on site each day, including local women who worked alongside their male counterparts for an equal wage, setting a rare precedent for employment in the area. Many of the team, men and women, have since been approached for work in direct connection with the project, including a couple of commissions to build more earthbag homes and help pass on these skills to others. The new home also features a timber cladding made from pillar cores, a by-product of veneer processing and a material which is often discarded as waste. Additionally, a rainwater harvesting system and integrated community tap provide a unique source of clean running water. AD africandesignmagazine.com 43