{"id":3335,"date":"2017-09-27T12:31:00","date_gmt":"2017-09-27T10:31:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/baugeschichte.tuwien.ac.at\/website\/?p=3335"},"modified":"2023-11-06T17:01:27","modified_gmt":"2023-11-06T16:01:27","slug":"afarearth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/baugeschichte.tuwien.ac.at\/website\/afarearth\/","title":{"rendered":"AfarEARTH"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Research on traditional Afar architecture and construction of a hostel building<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Background<\/strong>
The Afar are a nomadic people living in the north\u2010eastern part of Ethiopia. According to their pastoralist lifestyle they have developed simple forms of flexible shelters, made out of twigs and woven mats, which can easily be transported on camels. Due to changing political, economic and environmental circumstances more and more Afar are getting settled, especially along the main trading routes. The new settlements consist of permanent houses built out of wooden frames plastered with clay (chikka-technique) \u2013 which is a highly unsustainable building technology in an arid region with scarce vegetation where every tree is extremely valuable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thus alternatives to the Afar\u00b4s way of building with wood are urgently needed. The only building material sufficiently available in the region is earth in the form of mud and clay. However, since building with earth has not been suitable for the nomadic lifestyle there is little indigenous knowledge about the possibilities and the many advantages of this material for building high quality permanent structures. During the last five years contacts with researchers and NGOs in the region have been intensified and the construction of a pilot building has been started in 2015.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Hypothesis<\/strong>
Innovative earth building technologies, appropriate for the specific climatic, cultural, and
economic conditions in the Afar\u2010region, can be a cost\u2010efficient and sustainable alternative to wood\u2010intensive structures in order to meet the rapidly growing demand for permanent buildings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Project Objectives<\/strong>
Long\u2010term improvement of permanent settlement structures in the Afar\u2010region through<\/p>\n\n\n\n