African project
Handmade House
• Termite mounds were abundantly spaced all
over the site. Using them helped to get rid of these
pests. We were hoping that the enzymes that
cause the strong properties in the termite mounds
might be transferred to our walls, but they gave a
far more crumbly test than plain soil.
• Cassava starch – perhaps the most commonly
cooked food in Ghana – gives off a non-Newtonian
viscous starch which we included in the wall
mixture in the place of water. This seemed a good
discovery at first but then the starch seemed to go
off within the wall after a week in the African sun,
making for a wall which was more fetid than firm.
• Coconut coir & grass – already commonly used
in construction, this helped to bind the earth and
reduce cracks. We eventually chose not to use
grass because it is prone to degrade and therefore,
in large quantities, makes gaps and emits
moisture within the wall.
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