African project: Mbera
Project: Desert Flower
refugee camp
in the model received. Such model consisted in
a simple hangar-like envelope of 8x5m based on
similar structures already in use in the camp, with
a steel and timber structural frame mounted on
a concrete slab and completed by a corrugated
iron roof and PVC sheets used as environmental
enclosure. No drawings were available, only a very
schematic Bill of Quantities for a total cost estimate
of $3 300 per unit.
The design, conceived by the Mauritanian Ministry
of Education and de facto accepted by UNICEF
and UNHCR, was a combination of the typical
UNICEF prime intervention tent and the traditional
Mauritanian tent, both with major limitations:
the prime intervention tent performs badly in the
usual wind-swept conditions of the area, while the
traditional tent is not intended for didactic purposes.
Moreover, the proposed materials - corrugated iron
roof and PVC enclosure - would have resulted in a
non-durable, and above all unbearable, ‘building’ for
the users, both kids and teachers, in terms of comfort.
In addition, the model would have featured a pole in
the middle of the space.
In accordance with INTERSOS, FAREstudio
decided to propose and test an alternative. The
idea was simple and based on a straightforward
assumption: since transport is expensive and
sand largely available on site, sand should be the
main construction material. On this basis, the
sandbag technique came naturally to prominence.
The use of superimposed bags filled with sand as
masonry, with cement plaster applied on chicken
wire to both sides of the wall, is used in various
parts of the world and can be regarded as a
consolidated technique.
CLIENT: INTERSOS
ARCHITECTS: FAREstudio;
Riccardo Vannucci, Joao Sobral
LOCATION: Mbera refugee camp,
Mauritania
The classrooms are covered with a light roof
structure realized with a sequence of curved metal
trusses locally produced and based on a typology
widely used in the area (production takes place in
Bassikonou), then wrapped in a layer of PVC truck
tarpaulin [9x7m].
The horizontal roof is aimed at minimizing the effects
of wind and assuring natural ventilation and lighting
in the internal room. It has a crucial role in the overall
scheme because both of these conditions are rarely
attained in traditional buildings or in what is locally
produced.
Once the project reached its final configuration,
a tender package was prepared and the contract
awarded to a local contractor. As part of the
contract, the General Contractor had to provide a
prototype, verify and optimise technical choices,
and familiarize the workers with the system.
After some initial reticence and stoppages, the
prototype was discussed with all those involved,
from UN Agencies (UNHCR and UNICEF) to refugee
leaders, positively received, and eventually adopted.
Yet once he realized that his profit (largely based on
transported materials) was going to be dramatically
reduced by the new building technology (compared
to the mark-ups possible with the ‘conventional’
model), the general contractor started a tough
confrontation with the rest of the project team
that led to his eventual setting aside. In the new
formula, a sort of unusual, hybrid Construction
Management arrangement, materials’ purchase, site
coordination, suppliers selection and the rest are
under FAREstudio’s control [and responsibility],
CONSTRUCTION WORKS:
January – July 2014
NUMBER OF CLASSROOMS: 60
COST PER CLASSROOM: $3 000
CLASSR ==4