Eco-Archi in Malawi

When you want to preserve the trees of the site you're building on, you have to go with some golden rules...  One of these is "you do not build too close from the trees", or else you'll damage the roots, and the tree you wanted to keep will die shortly... So the challenge was to build our stone boundary wall without damaging the roots of the beautiful Tree-on-the-Rock that is standing just at the limit of the site. And we did it ! It's such a nice place and will be perfect to come to meditate about the resilience of beings around us...    

So so soooo ! Everything is more and more beautiful here, as the buildings grow ! We can now have a good sense of space in them... and I can't wait for the roof structures to be put on !  The roofing structures have been being prepared for a while now...after we managed to optimize the system with the structural engineer. We had a good dialog, but then we faced a problem of delivery for some of the steel members which weren't available through the suppliers here. These are now coming, and hopefully the roofs can be installed from the end of next week - fingers crossed because we now have some rainy days and nights already... but nothing that can endanger the structures of the project so far. We tried to use as little wood as possible for the whole project, and especially for these roofs... Deforestation being a HUGE issue in Malawi, and me wanting to make a statement with marrying steel and tiles and thatch in these beautiful contemporary buildings ! Yes we

A while ago someone told me that she had dated an architect for a while, and she really could feel stressed from HIS job... Through what he was telling her, she had the impression that nothing could ever go well in our job, that every day brings new problems... Well it's true that it's day-to-day problem solving when you're in charge of a construction... but that's what makes it challenging and interesting, is it not ? :) But working here is definitely a pleasure for me. I truly sing in the car when going to site ! The good weather probably plays a big role in this. But also... Because the workers on site are actually pleased to see me coming, and happy that I'm giving them directions. Because there's no problem when we want to try out things, or make some adjustments on site (in time, that is, before it's actually done), and everybody is willing to do so. Because even if not everything is perfectly made, the overall look is very sat

Week 20 starting tomorrow !  We now have regular site meetings every Monday with the client and the main contractor, and the works have been steadily progressing since August.  We're starting racing a bit so that we really have the roofs in place before the rains come - but for now no sign of it, uuuf ! The Dorm was the occasion for the bricklayers to try a new way of laying stones... with less mortar than what they're used to. And they're managing pretty well !    very few men on this picture... the first Monday after pay day is always a bit difficult... I didn't realize the ground and ring reinforced concrete beams were going to take so much time to cure when the structural engineer n°1 proposed that... it's a bit unnerving to have to count 21 days before being able to do anything... especially since all these curves* make the shuttering all the more complicated ! (*inherited design from design architect) oh and soon we'll have comp

The buildings and remaining boundary wall have been placed and marked, but now the rain is preventing the guys from digging... That should be the very last bad weather week, but when it's bad, it's really dull and impossible to work ! So the site is closed today. The tent has been put down to prevent further tearing, as the wind is really strong... and everybody sent home. That gives us time to work on the designs ! last week's markings buuuh rain R. the engineer could work on the foundations of the family cottages, good news, he's downsizing them, and designing them in stone now instead of the previously thought concrete ground beam. After our adjustment work session yesterday, he should have the plans ready very soon, and with that the list and quantity of necessary materials. So now that this part is sorted, or almost, I'm working on the water sewage system design.  And calling for volunteers among the Polytech students which are goi

On the 6th week we trained our workers on the CSEB production : how to mix, how to use the press safely, and accept or reject the blocks that are made, how to handle the blocks... and how to monitor the production. Our main person on site - not the construction foreman, but our "site clerk" and "HR director" C. is also responsible for keeping track of what's going on with the production, and sending me the daily figures so I can monitor that from my computer. We were hoping to get the JCB to dig for more soil (we asked for tenders from contractors for manual excavations and we got crazy expensive propositions), and start digging the foundations when they'd be marked, but unfortunately deaths happened in the families of the JCB operator, the foreman and the structural and building engineer, thus taking them away from work for a couple of days. Friday 6th was also a national holiday, being the commemoration of Malawi's Independanc