Woodless Construction

Voiceofthedesert website features an article by Keith Smith that has shows the intricate construction steps of a Woodless mud building in Gorom-Gorom in Burkina Faso with the help of a photo blog.

It writes that "...Woodless construction is an approach to building in the sahel that uses traditional building techniques to build houses entirely out of mud, including the roof. Such houses save on scarce wood, encourage local industry by using local skills and materials, and provide good internal comfort, staying warm in cold season, and cool in hot season..."

Photo courtesy of Keith Smith's photo blog on Flickr

Singapore's floating towers

Worldarchitecturenews writes about a new design of a residential tower proposed for development in Singapore.According to the World Architecture news website "...the Far East Organization, Singapore’s largest private development company, has commissioned the Office for Metropolitan Architecture for OMA’s first architectural project in Singapore – a 36-storey residential high-rise.

The 153 meter tall tower will be located at the intersection of Scotts Road and Cairnhill Road, in close proximity to Orchard Road, Singapore’s famous shopping and lifestyle street. With 20,000m² of built floor area, the building will provide 68 high-end apartment units with panoramic views.

The design strategically maneuvers within the highly regulated building environment to maximize the full potential of the site: Four individual apartment towers are vertically offset from one another and suspended from a central core.

The skyline of floating towers directly relates to the surrounding building volumes and explores the most attractive views towards the city center and an extensive green zone to the north. The lifted apartment towers reduce the building’s footprint to a minimum; the liberated ground level provides communal leisure activities embedded in the tropical landscape..."

Photo courtesy of Worldarchitecturenews.

Shelter by Nature

The blog Liberia Stories reports about a sustainable building being built by Obadiah Gondolo out of stick and mud. The articale says "...He will make the walls out of mud, and the roof out of palm thatch. The whole process will take three weeks, and will cost him nothing since the kind landowner has let him have the small space in her yard for free.

Obadiah learned how to make a shelter out of nature's gifts when he enrolled in a free vocational training program offered by Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) in 2005. "JRS really did well for us," he says, referring to himself and the 30 others who were in his class. "It's the first institution that really taught me something useful."

Obadiah and his family (wife and two children) look forward to moving into their new place, which, though small, will also include a little shop. They are among the last Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) still living in a nearby IDP camp in Salala, Bong County. Obadiah is from the Salayea District of Lofa County, but has chosen not to return until he graduates from high school. Because of the long civil war, however, he is still an 8th grade student at St. John Elementary and Jr. High School. "Before I go back to Lofa I will also learn to be an automechanic," he adds..."

Photo courtesy of Liberia Stories

Open Architecture Network

Open Architecture Network is an organisation started by Cameron Sinclair with the aim "....to generate design opportunities that will improve living standards for all" by providing an open-source platform through which ANYone can view, post, share, and adapt sustainable, humanitarian-based, scalable solutions.


The idea that designs and all associated documents can and should be shared within the decidedly proprietary architectural industry is truly innovative, and could very well aid in the reshaping of the entire architectural profession into a more socially-focused and responsible vocation.." according to theInhabitat blog

Most of the buildings are designed to be sustainable and affordable from the the construction to occupancy stage and are designed by the architects, designers, builders etc that are indegeious to where the building is proposed to be built.

Below is Cameron Sinclair's presentation at the TED conference


Photos are courtesy of Open Architecture Network

Telios Development Limited

Their company is one of the top Property Development firms, that Design & Build commercial as well as private projects in Nigeria. Their attention to detail and high quality finishes coupled with an excellent team of Managers and designers has won them a lot of clientele in Abuja, Port Harcourt and Lagos.

According to their website "...The Telios Development Limited the foremost property development company in Port Harcourt, Nigeria, is a full-service real estate investment and development company that offers a comprehensive selection of real estate development and investment solutions which will facilitate, cultivate, and enhance your ideas and dreams.

With operations throughout Nigeria, we service a wide range of individual and corporate clients, satisfying them with the consistent delivery of timely, cost effective, and quality projects.

Our success has been demonstrated not only by outstanding projects we have completed, but also by a high percentage of clients that continually return to us for their construction and property..."

The company was pioneered by a group of talented professionals namely Uchenna Ekwueme (President and CEO), Gbenga Obaro, Osondu Anya,Sam Udensi, Debo Talabi, Wale Shoneye, Michael Adesanmi all of which are directors.

Photos courtesy of Telios Development

Massimiliano Fuksas Architects wins design competition of The African Inistitue of Science and Technology ,Abuja

The RIBA website writes about how "...Massimiliano Fuksas Architects has won the international design competition to design the first campus for The African Institute of Science and Techology (AIST) to be situated in Abuja, Nigeria. The budget for the campus is envisaged to be in the order of USD360 million, although design and construction will be phased over a number of years.

TheAIST
will ultimately comprise several science and technology higher education campuses and smaller affiliated centres of excellence located throughout Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). The AIST concept has been developed, nurtured and promoted by the Nelson Mandela Institution for Knowledge Building and the Advancement of Science and Technology in Sub-Saharan Africa (NMI). NMI and AIST is supported by the World Bank, African Development Bank, International Finance Corporation, and other world class financial and academic institutions.

Massimiliano Fuksas Architects beat off strong competition from a prestigious field of international practices. The other five teams to participate in the design phase of the project and present their schemes to the assessment panel were Allies and Morrison Architects(UK); Office for Metropolitan Architecture (Netherlands); Rafael Vinoly Architects PC (USA); Saucier + Perrotte Architects (Canada); and SeARCH b.v.

(Netherlands). The panel was impressed by the high level of architectural design shown in all submitted work and the imaginative variation of attitudes underlying masterplanning concepts..."

Pictures Courtesy of RIBA organisation