Innovation on local materials: a research center for Siby, Mali

Although Mali is one of the poorest countries in the world, its territory offers reliable and sustainable construction materials that provide a cost-effective building solutions.
Rammed earth and adobe bricks, in fact, have been widely used in the vernacular history of the country. They are incredibly sustainable and economical materials, directly available in most areas of Mali, but they are very sensitive to water erosion, and they need to be protected with large roofs in order stand the test of time. For this reasons, together with issues of identity and representation, these techniques have been almost abandoned. People that can afford stable accommodation prefer to live in buildings made of concrete blocks, which require less maintenance but cause huge energy and economical waste. Moreover, these don't perform well in the hot African climate, with internal temperatures reaching very high levels, making them hardly inhabitable.

A research center on innovation on local materials in this context, needs to propose an alternative to concrete and an example on how local materials can still be used in contemporary architecture. The project uses adobe bricks for the wall construction and eucalyptus wood for the structure of pillars and beams supporting the roof.
The center is meant to host architects and researchers that work together to find new solutions to harvest local African building resources and materials.

It is composed of three nucleuses, each with identical shape and dimensions but with different functions.

The building closest to the street has a more public function, with a central plaza that works as a public auditorium, a reception area and a restaurant; it also contains the workshop area, where the prototypes are designed and tested. Interestingly the material excavated to form the void for the auditorium is used to prepare adobe bricks for the construction. The dormitory area instead, is located in a more private position, hosting the newly arrived researchers. The project also includes a small pavilion, closer to the street, that signals the presence of the research center, and at the same time announces the architectural ambitions of the wider complex.

The main interest in this project, however, is set on the structure of the roof: the system is composed by dry-mounted steel connections that can be adjusted and fixed to the skeleton of eucalyptus pillars.
Eucalyptus has been the cause of big environmental problems since its introduction from Australia in the past century: it is an infestant plant that can grow uncontrollably and can absorb all the humidity from the ground, bringing to desertification and soil erosion.
In construction it is sometimes used to create shading systems, but it cannot be used as a structural element because of its crooked shape, that makes it very difficult to create precise joints. Thus we developed a series of prefabricated joints, that make it possible to make an irregular material a perfectly sound construction element. The modular structural system we developed thus can be replicated for different situations.
All the elements of the steel joints are obtained from steel profiles easily available on site and, once the joints are ready, the structure can be mounted by non-skilled workers using only bolts and wrenches.