A touch of green in the Sahara
by The Gift of the Givers Foundation
We have incorporated a number of eco-friendly, sustainable principles into the construction of the new centre.
- Building design
Considering the intense, year-round heat and minimal access to electricity, we designed a place that takes advantage of the natural ventilation, but keeps out the sun. The building is north-facing; the entrances and exits face each other; the windows are small and the ceilings are high; allowing air to flow through the building.
- Building materials
We used clay to make the bricks. Clay is a natural building material; it’s free of allergens and pollutants, it’s cool and it’s durable.
Material reduction: The bricks are interlocking, which means that we reduced the amount of cement and iron needed for construction. Clay also has a natural aesthetic, so we don’t need excessive plastering to make the walls look beautiful.
- Energy efficiency
Matamoulana is an off-the-grid village that utilises generators to provide electricity and water to the community. We are taking it a step further by only using clean energy sources. We are already using solar power onsite, and plan to make the building completely solar powered once it’s operational.
- Water efficiency
Water reduction: We looked at having the minimum amount of taps needed for the amount of users, in order to reduce waste.
Water recycling: We plan to recycle the grey water that comes from ablutions. Due to the scarcity and cost of water here, we only considered having a garden because of the availability of grey water.
Once the centre is open, we would incorporate the following:
- Gardening
Water recycling: Grey water will be used for the garden.
Waste recycling: Animal waste can be used to make as organic compost.
- Education
We plan to introduce environmental education to students as well as partner with local groups to host regular environmental awareness programmes.