Report: Teachers’ Houses for Gando, Burkina Faso
West African Burkina Faso, with a population of 11 million, is one of the ten poorest countries in the world and has an illiteracy level of over 80 per cent. Despite the barrenness of the Sahel zone, the economy is based largely on agriculture and self-supporting communities. The traditional form of construction in the country relies on the use of natural materials that are plentifully available in the immediate area: earth, vegetable fibres, wood and fieldstones. The typical round huts have walls executed in layers of tamped clay or clay blocks, and a straw roof covering. Carried out by the entire village, this labour-intensive form of construction is subject to attack by wind, rain and termites, and requires annual maintenance and repairs. As a result, more and more industrial products such as steel, corrugated metal sheeting and cement are being used. The advantage of increased weather protection offered by these materials is offset by a number of negative effects in respect of the economy, the environment, the indoor climate and the spatial-structural aspects of village planning. Furthermore, industrial products are expensive, and the bulk of the population cannot afford them. Their use in certain situations, however, has meant that earth construction is now associated with poverty, and its development has been neglected.
