Kampala, Uganda
Architects: Marc Thorpe Design Lead Architect: Marc Thorpe Design Team: Jjuuko Kwagala, Jacob Bek, and Gretel Uribe Campos Client: Échale International and Stage Six Visualizations: Truetopia
Project Description
“We believe in an architecture of responsibility.” – Marc Thorpe
Marc Thorpe Design partners with Stage Six and Échale International to develop sustainable, ecologically responsible housing in Uganda, East Africa. According to the Uganda Bureau of Statistics, Uganda has a deficit of 2.1 million housing units, growing at a rate of 200,000 units a year. By 2030, the deficit is
expected to reach three million units.
The goal is to provide housing to middle to lower income families. Currently, there is extremely low supply of housing and it is usually of poor quality. Stage Six, Échale International and Marc Thorpe Design aim to relieve this pressure on the housing market and the people of Uganda.
The house is constructed using Echale International’s EcoBlock, compressed earth brick. The EcoBlock is produced from 90% local soil and 10% a mixture of cement, lime, sand and water. It is a thermal and acoustic insulator, ecologically sustainable, more resistant than cement block and 30% less CO2 production. The house is the first in a series of houses of various sizes to be built with partnerships in Africa.
The Kampala house is comprised of three bedrooms, two baths, living, dining and kitchen. Connected to the kitchen is an exterior wood burning stove for outdoor cooking, commonly found in Uganda.
A large terrace wraps the front and side of the house allowing spaces to gather in shade for outdoor activities. Over the house is a large corrugated steel and wood roof designed to support a solar panel array, harvest rainwater and store in an adjacent water tower.
The concept of a water tower for each home is to provide a community network of water supply that can be accessed and shared in the event of a drought.
The goal of the house is to create an environmentally responsible home that responds to its surrounding context and environment while providing a socio-economic opportunity for home ownership and community stewardship.
