The #GC2022 finalists are out! Read more.

search
×
menu
login
donate
Low-cost modular housing scheme
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
follow
share on:mail linkcopy link to clipboardShare via LinkedInShare via TwitterShare via FacebookShare via Facebook
Incremental low-cost modular housing scheme.

image: laFargeHolcim foundation | © all rights reserved
i
Category:
emergency shelter
Phase:
in use
Design:
Bauhaus University, Ethiopian Institute of Architecture, Building, Construction & City Development (EiABC), Addis Ababa University, Afro-European Engineers
Updated:
2 April 2016
introduction

The project responds to the housing challenge of rapid urbanization, and develops a purposefully incomplete structure that is both affordable and rapid to assemble.

Within this process-oriented project, close to 90% of the building components including prefabricated concrete elements and lightweight eucalyptus frames are produced by local micro and small-scale enterprises. The approach creates the opportunity for skilled employment and capacity building, and also allows homeowners to complete the construction themselves, installing building components and finishes according to their needs.

This initiative started as an academic experiment with the aim to create a low cost housing typology that is easy to build. As part of the academic program, “Welcome to Africa” aimed at strengthening ties between Germany and Africa; the Ethiopian Institute of Architecture, Building Construction and City Development – EiABC-, the Bauhaus University Weimar and the University of Juba in South Sudan- joined efforts to build this prototype in Lideta- Addis Ababa. 


cultural and social context

Addis Ababa is one of the fastest growing cities in Africa; this growth takes place mainly in slums and informal settlements where infrastructure and access to services are limited or nonexistent. [1] In Ethiopia, about 79 % of the population live in slums and by the year 2050 the country will have to accommodate 61.5 million urban dwellers.[2]

The Sustainable Incremental Construction Unit- SICU- is oriented to respond to this vertiginous process of urbanization. Born as a collaborative academic initiative, which merged theory and practical –hands on- work[3]; it is an exploration of alternative and easy to build housing solutions. In the first part of the project (the design stage), the students and academics from EiABC, the Bauhaus University Weimar and the University of Juba, seeked to combine theoretical knowledge with locally available resources; innovative construction techniques with local modes of living. Therefore, the output of this research was built and tested on the site. Other participants involved were local institutions and the inhabitants of Woreda 04 in Lideta. The objective was to create links between students, researchers and communities as an opportunity to combine and implement their different capacities. As well as to propose an alternative to the current governmental housing projects. The second part of this process consisted in building the unit; its design brings together the information and data collected during workshops, interviews and fieldwork. A beta model was built and tested in the EiABC lab to evaluate the structure and time required for full construction.

Thought as a ´hands-on´ assignment, around 42 students came together to build the SICU in Woreda 04 for nine days. [4] This was an opportunity for sharing knowledge, as Dirk Donath (architect, Bauhaus University) puts it “the house was a learning tool”[5] since most of the builders had little or no previous experience in construction. The “unfinished” two storey house has an open space in the ground floor, intended for commercial or working space, while the domestic activities are organized on the upper floor. It is up to the user when and how to expand the house which can be extended by 28sq. Incrementality is given by the possibilities of expanding the housing area vertically and horizontally as well as for its easy construction and replicability. About 90% of the unit´s components are prefabricated and produced by micro and small- scale businesses[6], an opportunity to catalyze the local economies. To communicate the methodology used and to propose different paths to replicability, the process was documented in every stage. This is showcased in a manual (including floor plans and details) “for simple and straightforward construction”[7] which is currently available here (http://icebauhaus.sudile.com/index.php/BUILD_YOUR_OWN_SICU) under a Creative Commons license.

The SICU- Sustainable Incremental Construction Unit is the second product of the Concept – Test- Realization CTR- Project executed by the three Universities in Ethiopia, Germany and South Sudan. The third experimental unit MACU- Mobile Automated Contemporary Unit will build on the SICU in order to “deal[s] with integrating new digital planning and manufacturing techniques into participatory design”[8] for dense and emerging urbanities in Ethiopia and South Sudan.

 

materials and building techniques

The components of the SICU can be modular elements produced on site such as the concrete footings and columns for the ground floor. The walls combine materials such as wooden boards and rubber sheets from tires; the roof is made of corrugated metal sheets and the stairs are prefabricated steel. The objective is to use available materials as well as to recycle as much as possible.

As an academic experiment as the participants call it, SICU was able to bring together various wills to materialize a design that is easy to build with unqualified labor, that uses low cost prefabricated elements that can be assembled in few days. A unit of 65 sq m has an estimated cost of 135.320 birr, that is USD 6332 (this budget excludes the cost of toilet facilities)[9]. These are valuable assets when it comes to build in an environment that is rapidly growing such as that of Addis Ababa.

However, the construction and design of this prototype seem to be introverted. In the words of Dirk Donath “we would have done well to go out and explain the project to the people in the neighborhood a few more times”[10]. Initiatives like the SICU are indeed very important to address the challenges presented by rapid urbanization. “It should be clear here that SICU is not an all time modernist gesture of urban solutions. It is still an ongoing experiment but with great potential and a definite alternative for the context of Addis Ababa.”[11] Sustainability cannot focus only in technologies or materials or budgets; it needs to integrate the one factor that can make it successful: people´s agency.

 

Notes

[1] The estate of

[2] ibid

[3] SICU Project

[4] 4th Holcim

[5] ibid

[6] Incremental

[7] 4th Holcim

[8] http://icebauhaus.sudile.com/index.php/Concept_-_Test_-_Realization 

[9] http://icebauhaus.sudile.com/index.php/BUILD_YOUR_OWN_SICU

[10] Ibid.

[11] SICU CONCEPT AND DESIGN

 

Sources 

The State of African Cities 2014 Re-imagining sustainable urban transitions., UN Habitat, 2014

4ht Holcim Awards 2014/15. Available at: http://src.lafargeholcim-foundation.org

Incremental construction Low- cost modular housing scheme, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Available at: http://src.lafargeholcim-foundation.org

Websites

SICU- Project. Available at www.eiabc.edu.et

icebauhaus: http://icebauhaus.sudile.com

Tech insider: http://www.techinsider.io

Necessary materials for the SICU

image: CC-BY_black.png some rights reserved
i
Stairs detail

image: Dagmawi tilahun | © all rights reserved
i
earth and climate

Addis Ababa has temperatures that vary between subtropical and mountain climate. Due to the variations in altitude and the winds, the city´s climate can have a variation of 10C between different areas.

image gallery
The prototype is located in the sub-city Lideta, an informal settlement in the core of Addis Ababa.

image: laFargeHolcim foundation | © all rights reserved
i
Transportation of prefabricated elements

image: Dagmawi tilahun | © all rights reserved
i
Building process

image: Dagmawi tilahun | © all rights reserved
i
Building process

image: © all rights reserved
i
Building process: workshop day 9

image: Dagmawi tilahun | © all rights reserved
i
Brand new SICU!

image: Dagmawi tilahun | © all rights reserved
i
"A cost- efficient and faster alternative" for housing.

image: © all rights reserved
i
technical drawings
SICU variations and possibilities of growth

image: CC-BY_black.png some rights reserved
i
Facades

image: CC-BY_black.png some rights reserved
i
Details- SICU open source

image: CC-BY_black.png some rights reserved
i
Location
show earth plate boundarieshide earth plate boundaries
Explore more inspirations
Keyword:
local resources (100)
community (139)
low budget (66)
incremental development (15)
prev
  •  education
    Thon Mun Community Centre
    Takeo, Cambodia
  •  housing
    Turf houses
    Keldur, Iceland
  •  meeting place
    Liyuan Library
    Jiao jie he (交界河村), China
  •  infrastructure
    Community Bamboo Footbridge
    Davao City, Philippines
  •  recreation & sport
    Takasugi-an
    Chino, Japan
  •  housing
    Río Cedro House
    Río Cedro, Colombia
  •  education
    Pani community centre
    Rajarhat, Bangladesh
  •  housing
    Palmyra house
    Nandgaon, India
  •  recreation & sport
    Geometric Hot Springs
    Villarica National Park, Chile
  •  health & sanitation
    Butaro hospital
    Burera, Rwanda
  •  education
    Maosi primary school
    Maosi, China
  •  housing
    E.V.A. Self build eco-village
    Pescomaggiore, Italy
  •  meeting place
    R-Urban
    Colombes, France
  •  housing
    Mousgoum dwellings
    Pouss, Cameroon
  •  meeting place
    Villanueva Public Library
    Villanueva, Colombia
  •  housing
    cappadocia cave dwellings
    cappadocia, Turkey
  •  meeting place
    Sidi Amor’s eco-village for arts and crafts
    Ariana, Tunisia
  •  emergency shelter
    Soe Ker Tie House
    Ban Tha Song Yang, Thailand
  •  emergency shelter
    Reed house
    Lake Titicaca, Peru
  •  meeting place
    Esperanza
    El Cabuyal, Ecuador
  •  housing
    Bahia house
    Salvador, Brazil
  •  education
    Tongo school
    Tongo, Mali
  •  health & sanitation
    Salam Center for Cardiac Surgery
    Soba, Sudan
  •  emergency shelter
    Living Tebogo
    Johannesburg, South Africa
  •  meeting place
    wNw Bar
    thu dau mot, Vietnam
  •  health & sanitation
    Safe Haven Bathhouse
    Ban Tha Song Yang, Thailand
  •  work & business
    Bamboo factory Bali
    Bali, Indonesia
  •  housing
    Homemade mud house
    Dinajpur, Bangladesh
  •  housing
    Entre Muros House
    Tumbaco, Quito, Ecuador
  •  emergency shelter
    Bamboo Dome Structure
    Ramsar, Iran
  •  education
    Gando Primary School
    Gando, Burkina Faso
  •  housing
    Juan Hippolito House
    San Pedro Apostol, Mexico
  •  emergency shelter
    Pallet Garage
    Indianapolis, U.S.A.
  •  recreation & sport
    Cerro Mirador
    San Carlos, Venezuela
  •  housing
    Ciudadelas de Paz - Building for Peace
    Manaure, Cesar, Colombia
  •  urban planning
    Parque El Óvalo - Pamplona Alta (Lima, Perú)
    Lima, Peru
  •  education
    Adharshila School Extension Project
    Agara Village, Sheopur District, Madhya Pradesh, India
  •  education
    Community School in N'Tyeani
    N'tyeani, Mali
  •  education
    Ali Apple Elementary School
    Ali, China
  •  meeting place
    Palomino, Building a Society.
    Palomino, Colombia
  •  meeting place
    (CON)VIVENCIAS
    Lima, Peru
  •  housing
    "After the rain comes..."
    Msitu wa Tembo, Tanzania
  • play
     work & business
    Eco-brick goes MUD!
    Arusha, Tanzania
  •  emergency shelter
    Temporary Dormitories for Mae Tao Clinic
    Mae Sot, Thailand
  •  housing
    Le Village Noir
    Gatlang, Nepal
  •  religion & memorial
    Wenzai True Jesus Church-Our Pray Room
    Changhua, Taiwan
  •  education
    Bamboo Kindergarten
    Tasikmalaya, Indonesia
  •  education
    Community Learning Centre in Pasman Tol
    Pasman Tol, Nepal
  • finalist 2016
     education
    ModSkool
    New Delhi, India
  •  meeting place
    Community Learning Center Corralones
    Sacaba, Bolivia
  •  education
    LA VIEJA
    Montebello, Cali, Colombia
  •  housing
    A Casa de Abuela Cuentacuentos
    Escobilla, Mexico
  •  meeting place
    Jabu Centre
    Siteki, Swaziland
  •  housing
    Post-Tsunami Rehabilitation
    Kirinda, Sri Lanka
  •  housing
    Naust paa Aure
    Aure, Norway
  • play
     housing
    Orphanage for former streetboys
    Nairobi, Kenya
  •  education
    P'Yan School Project
    Mae Sot, Thailand
  •  education
    Upgrading of Nile River School
    South of Giza governorate, Egypt
  •  recreation & sport
    sport clubhouse Kalobeyei, Kenya
    Kalobeyei, Kenya
  •  meeting place
    CICADA
    Taipei, Taiwan
  •  meeting place
    Kazi na Bobo - community shop built with plastic bottles
    Msitu wa Tembo, Tanzania
  •  infrastructure
    Infrastructure to support the indigenous community
    Santo Angelo, Brazil
  •  housing
    Batak Toba Houses
    Lake Toba, Indonesia
  •  housing
    Kampung Kali Chode, Yogyakarta
    Yogyakarta, Indonesia
  •  education
    Bamboo Alternative School
    Bogor, Indonesia
  •  education
    Kusikuna Eco-Active School
    Apote - Tiquipaya, Bolivia
  •  infrastructure
    Community School in Darmang, Ghana
    Damang, Ghana
  •  education
    Children's Centre XEWA SOWE
    Village of Sowé (Glazoué), Benin
  •  housing
    Open Source House Pilot
    Cape Coast, Ghana
  •  infrastructure
    Bamboo Bridge in Solo
    Solo, Indonesia
  •  meeting place
    Palomino Border
    Palomino, Guajira, Colombia
  • play
     meeting place
    StadtGoesFuture-Culthäusle
    Filderstadt-Plattenhardt, Germany
  •  emergency shelter
    SBAM.it 2011
    Massarosa-Stiava (LU), Italy
  •  housing
    CASA RANA
    Tamil Nadu, India
  • play
     health & sanitation
    Kamuna agricultural rehabilitation centre
    Kamuna, Cankuzo, Burundi
  •  housing
    Rural Housing Development Program
    Chitrawad, Gujarat, India
  • GC2022 finalist
     work & business
    The Women's House of Imloul
    Imloul, Morocco
  •  housing
    BAMBÚ SOCIAL
    El Rama, Nicaragua
  •  education
    Transforming Learning Spaces in Rwanda
    Muhanga, Rwanda
  •  education
    Trade School in Guatemala
    Cerro la Granadilla (San Raimundo), Guatemala
  •  meeting place
    Community Center in Jatimulyo
    Yogyakarta, Indonesia
  •  education
    Njoro Children's Library
    Mailisita, Kilimanjaro , Tanzania
  •  recreation & sport
    Sport City
    Oaxaca de Juárez, Mexico
  • play
     meeting place
    Sunzu Village Community Center
    Burera, Rwanda
  •  work & business
    Sembalun Bamboo Youth Development Centre
    Lombok, Indonesia
  •  education
    Training Center for Mae Tao Clinic
    Mae Sot, Thailand
  •  education
    Bamboo Panyaden School
    Chiang Mai, Thailand
  •  housing
    House of Plenty
    Nijmegen, Netherlands
  • GC2021 finalist
     education
    A School Built By the People, For The People
    Jorhat, India
  • play
    GC2022 finalist
     education
    Book House
    China
  • GC2021 finalist
     agriculture & fisheries
    Cocina CoLaboratorio
    Ejido Loma Bonita, Mexico
  •  meeting place
    Iche_Food for thought: a hub for glocal innovation
    San Vicente, Ecuador
  •  meeting place
    Tusen Restaurante
    Ramundberget, Sweden
  •  health & sanitation
    Hygiene Station for Cattlefield Village School
    Yunnan, China
  •  education
    Jubilant Tree School
    Moshi, Tanzania
  •  meeting place
    Farmers' Innovation Center (BLF)
    Angangba (Nagaland), India
  •  education
    Impact Pavilion Ibadan: Connect, Learn, Thrive
    Alaka Community, Ojoo, Ibadan, Nigeria
  •  urban planning
    The Self-made Dwelling
    Dharavi, India
  •  infrastructure
    Taxi Rank
    Magagula Heights, Katlehong, South Africa
  •  education
    Ithuba Community College
    Ekurhuleni, Gauteng, South Africa
next