Field research

Apart from the developed drawings of the dormitory and family cottages, this week has seen progress on the materials... 

On Tuesday we went to pay a visit to the executive director of Mulanje Conservation Trust in Mulanje, to learn more about the bamboos and other trees and plants that we could get from him, as well as SSBs and tiles that were used for the offices there. Being himself the son of an architect who worked here, he's pretty aware of all this.

beautiful way among the tea estates of Mulanje

some tiles had to be replaced as they were broken by the wrong placement of solar panels

And on Friday, another architectural visit, this time to Mr Sonke, a very special architect-engineer who keeps "engineering" in the true manner ! He's living in the most special house I have ever been to, a "football" house that looks more like a water tower than a home ;) But it's actually very cosy inside, and of course the view is magnificent. 

The "football house" seen from the road to the airport... I've actually taken this picture last year, wondering what that structure was

 

 

Mr Sonke re-launches the production of roof tiles that are very interesting for us - indeed for months I've been looking for a second good material that we can use, the 1st one being thatch. Mr Sonke's tiles are made of "micro-concrete", using stone quarry powder and micro gravel. 

The tiles are light pink when new, but darken quite fast

The placement of the solar panels directly as the roofing is also something we want to do for one of the structures