Model 'Eco-City' Could Soon Rise in Senegal
2010-01-15 from:Reuters author:Anton Ferreira
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The West African nation of Senegal could soon be the site of a bold experiment in solving the housing problems of the world's poor -- a model town built of sand that harnesses the sun and wind for energy.
Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade told Reuters he wants to build the town of about 20,000 houses using a construction method developed by Iranian-American architect Nader Khalili known as "Superadobe."
In its simplest form, it consists of building circular, beehive-shaped houses with sand-filled tubes placed one on top of the other with strands of barbed wire between the layers to provide a Velcro-like grip.
The walls gradually curve inward at the top to form a self-supporting, domed roof that needs no timber for support -- an important factor in countries afflicted by deforestation. The tubes in which the sand is packed are usually made of woven polyester, but hessian bags can also be used.
Wade, in an interview from Dakar last week, said he heard of Khalili's work when Senegal was looking for ways to help thousands of people made homeless by severe flooding in the northern provinces earlier this year.
"I called him, I invited him to Senegal to talk with him. ... So I will provide him with land, he will choose the place, maybe in Dakar, maybe in a suburb of Dakar, and I am ready to experiment with this system," the president said.
"I am interested in building a new city with this method."
Wade, a champion of African development, said better housing was a pressing issue for Senegal, particularly after the floods in January.
SENEGAL SEEKS LOW-COST SOLUTION
"My problem was how to build, at low cost, houses for the people. ... The fundamental idea was, it should be possible to build a house better than our traditional house, that can be modernized, at a very low cost."
He said one of the attractions of the Khalili system was that it was so simple, people could build their own homes, providing their own labor, and the building materials were close at hand.
"In terms of architecture, I think this type of building will be well adapted to the climate," Wade said, saying the thickness of the walls -- about two feet (60 cm) -- would help insulate residents against heat and cold.
"This type of construction is adaptable to our traditional construction, the African hut," he said.
Wade said Senegal would approach international donors like the World Bank (news - web sites) or the European Union for help in funding the project.
The project so far is little more than an idea, so no estimates can be placed on what it would cost. The infrastructure of roads, water and sewage would be the most expensive component, but Khalili believes the houses themselves would cost about 50 percent less than houses of a similar standard built by any other method.