Doing Your Bit: A cool alternative to concrete

DW (English)

Clay construction is having a renaissance in Mali. Hot concrete buildings make air conditioning a must. Earth bricks are a low-cost, ecofriendly option.

Transcript

00:01This medical school in Bamako might look ordinary from the outside,

00:05but it holds something special within.

00:08A cool atmosphere.

00:10It stays nice and fresh during hot weather.

00:12You feel the coolness inside.

00:14We feel comfortable here.

00:16Elsewhere it's hot because there's too much concrete.

00:20There's hardly any concrete here.

00:22Instead, the school is made of locally sourced, unfired mud bricks.

00:26Earthen materials like mud bricks have been used for millennia.

00:29And they haven't lost any of their appeal.

00:32In fact, they're gaining a lot of attention here in Mali again.

00:35And that's for a good reason.

00:38The concept of using earth bricks in construction is to take a material

00:44that is widely available throughout the world at a local level.

00:49And it's a material that has a high thermal inertia.

00:55So it reduces the transfer of heat from the outside of the building to the inside.

01:06It's really a material that is well suited to our climate here in Africa,

01:10and especially in the Sahel region.

01:14Air conditioning vents are still a common sight on concrete buildings in Mali to combat the heat inside.

01:20But ACs consume a lot of energy.

01:23Engineers, builders and architects like Mari MC want to counter the misconception

01:28that eco-friendly mud brick structures are less durable.

01:33If produced correctly, that is not the case.

01:36The mud bricks are made by mixing clay earth with sand and a small amount of cement.

01:41The bricks are then compressed.

01:46And slowly air-dried.

01:52Apart from the energy efficiency of finished buildings,

01:55producing these air-dried mud bricks produces hardly any CO2.

01:59Unlike concrete, which accounts for up to 8% of global CO2 emissions.

02:05We are really working towards a future where, if people want to build, they ask themselves,

02:12what material do I want to use?

02:14Do I want to build with earth or with cement?

02:17The goal is for earth, stone and other locally available materials to become the main construction materials.

02:23This shouldn't be the exception, but the rule.

02:30It should become normal using these materials.

02:36To be compared to other places, please.

02:37Take care of yourselves.

02:38Oh, be sure.

02:39Oh, be sure.

02:40That is, the way of the move is to be right.

02:41Keep in mind, and see you go beyond.

02:43See you.

02:44Oh, be sure.

02:46Wow.

02:48Oh, be sure.

02:49Make sure that's a good word.

02:50What?

02:51What?

02:52That's a good word.

02:54Oh, be sure.

02:55Oh, be sure.

02:56Bye, my God.

02:57Oh, be sure.

02:59Oh, be sure.

03:00Bye.

03:01That's a good word.

03:02Bye.

03:03Bye.

03:04Bye.

03:05Bye.

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