Project Title: Sustainable Housing & Protective Building Materials: Masonry as a link between Accessible Construction, Energy, Human Comfort, and Mosquito Control in Rural Tanzania.
Project Description: Short description of the Project/Consultancy/Platform: House Survey in Tanzania (Dar es salaam) Student researchers worked collaboratively with architects (Msuya, Mohamed), entomologists (Mlacha) for Dar es salaam, and social scientists (Kelly). By exploring urban and rural housing typologies, the team aimed to discern variations in cultural expectations, material preferences, and construction processes that contribute to occupant health. In later years of the project, students explored the capability of masonry construction materials sourced from accessible, low-impact resources... Short description of the Project/Consultancy/Platform: House Survey in Tanzania (Dar es salaam) Student researchers worked collaboratively with architects (Msuya, Mohamed), entomologists (Mlacha) for Dar es salaam, and social scientists (Kelly). By exploring urban and rural housing typologies, the team aimed to discern variations in cultural expectations, material preferences, and construction processes that contribute to occupant health. In later years of the project, students explored the capability of masonry construction materials sourced from accessible, low-impact resources to control the transfer of heat, moisture, and mosquitoes in rural housing in Tanzania. Concurrently, the team developed strategies for the creation of readily deployable modular building materials, navigating the intersection between design, disease prevention, and a rapidly changing climate. The housing surveys were conducted by traveling to houses and sites in Tanzania, where the team carried out their survey. This surveying process began with sketches of the house elevations. These elevation sketches were then used to record the detailed dimensions of the house as well as the surrounding site. The dimensions were taken with an 8-meter tape measure. The team also sketched the building plan and assessed interior conditions. One team member took photographs of the houses and construction details. These photographs and sketches were later used by the team to develop architectural drawing sets of elevations, plans, and construction details. The main software used was Autodesk Revit 2023, a comprehensive tool that allowed 3D modeling of the houses, with drawing lines exported to Adobe Illustrator for refinement. Some of the photos taken of the houses were also used to develop diagrams showcasing materiality and construction techniques. Rhino 7 was used to handle any complex geometry, detailed drawings, or axonometric sections. The data collected during the housing surveys enabled the team to understand spatial conditions related to the architecture. Through the drawings and digital 3D models, the study provided a clearer understanding of housing typologies within the context of Tanzania. The studied housing typologies showcased the materials and construction methods of the houses. In regarding to Geospatial survey that was done in Dar es Salaam site, The survey was conducted along with the housing survey, which associated building attributes within a spatial relationship to allow for mapping these features in the hopes of identifying patterns related to building features. Data were collected on paper and entered into an Excel spreadsheet in a format that enabled connectivity between Excel and ESRI ArcGIS Pro (ArcPro). ArcPro was used to develop maps and provided access to a wide range of built-in tools for data analysis. A large amount of data fields were collected during this study, with each playing an important role in gaining insights into patterns that might not be immediately apparent. Two primary databases were created: a housing database, determined through physical surveys, and a supply chain database, developed through collaboration with builders, research, and aerial imagery. Ultimately, the goal of this work is to expand the role of climate-adapted building materials in safeguarding against vector-borne diseases, thereby bolstering the resiliency and public health efforts of rural communities.
Principal Investigator : Yeromin Mlacha
Department Name :
Time frame: (2024-07-01) - (2024-12-31)
University of North Carolina at Charlotte. (Normal)
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