Following up with our project in Mozambique: Paulo and Alina moved to site two months ago. Between settling down, chasing money transfers between banks and preparing their Tender package, they also started working on the Compressed Earth Block (CEB) production!
Manica Football for Hope Center in Mozambique is part of the Phase 3 of the Football for Hope program, an initiative between FIFA and streetfootballworld to build 20 centers by 2013 with the objective of using football to promote social change.
For their project, Paulo and Alina have decided to combine optimized local techniques with local materials. For this the strategy is to participate in the evolution and modernization of the local construction processes without a rupture in the "know how" of populations. In Manica buildings are almost all constructed with earth bricks, so they propose also the use of bricks but in an optimized and contemporary version, compressed earth block/ CEB, that doesn’t require plaster finishing, minimizing the costs and maintaining the main advantage, the use of local earth and its properties, thermal inertia.
This technique is also very easy to learn and can be diffused by local communities, which will contribute to the local construction modernization that uses at this moment fired bricks with low compressive strength and resistance to water, requiring the protection of plasters. CEB bricks are less expensive than imported materials and techniques such as the local low quality fired bricks, concrete blocks (which require plaster) and concrete walls. This minimizes as well future maintenance costs.
Paulo and Alina, both specialized in Earth construction, are using their skills to test the soil and train the local labor to Compressed Earth Blocks technique. A shelter has been built to protect the bricks from the heavy rain which should arrive soon.
Construction of the shelter to protect the bricks using old railways
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Building the sieve
Team receiving training
Compressing the first brick
The first brick of the FFH center!
200 bricks have been produced to be tested. The results were positive and the main production is now about to start!
To learn more about the project please check the Manica Football for Hope Center Worldchanging page.
The design fellows
Originally from Portugal and a licensed architect since 2005, Paulo Carneiro worked in several architecture studios in Portugal and Spain. Recently, he strengthened his personal research in sustainable architecture, with the aim of improving living conditions without compromising future generation’s resources. Currently enrolled in the post-master “DSA Terre” in CRAterre-ENSAG, France, he is developing a thesis topic on earth architecture, sustainable development, low cost housing, and informal settlements.
Alina Jeronimo is an accredited and registered Architect from Portugal. She studied in Lisbon in the Lusiada University and worked in Portugal and Spain during the last 4 years. Ending the post-Master “Earth Architecture” in CRAterre, Architecture School of Grenoble, France, she is focusing her thesis research on sustainable architecture in informal settlements.
