Housing for internally displaced people in Kaya, Burkina Faso

Ecole Africaine des Métiers d'Architecture et d'Urbanisme (EAMAU) a Lomé (Togo)

Project idea

Since 2015, Burkina Faso has been facing a multifaceted crisis of great complexity due to the growing activities of unidentified armed men (HANI).
The intensification of attacks in villages in the northern and eastern regions of Burkina Faso has led to a rapid increase in the number of internally displaced people. They move both following attacks but also as a preventive measure to villages considered to be more peaceful in their region, chief towns of municipalities or urban places. The massive influx has led to overpopulation in the so-called host municipalities, but also to increasing pressures on basic services and natural resources.
IDPs are mainly located in the urban fabric of the city and in spontaneous neighborhoods of the city characterized by very precarious socio-economic conditions, and settle without authorization or land ownership. These facilities are grouped
under the name of “temporary reception sites (SAT). Internally displaced people living in temporary sites seem more vulnerable because the tents are insufficient and do not seem to withstand all weather conditions (premature wear of the tarpaulins due to the sun, insulation and termites, etc.). Moreover, they do not seem to be optimized in terms of the choice of materials used either.
For many displaced households, the lack of space forces household members to sleep outdoors. It is in this perspective that the idea of providing housing for internally displaced persons in Kaya, Burkina Faso was born”. The idea of providing housing
internally displaced persons is a solution approach for the authorities in the care and management of displaced populations. The project proposes a reflection on the characteristics of equipment offering a living environment
intended to accommodate internally displaced persons following a sequencing defined by the short, medium and long term.

Project description

Our project therefore includes several components that are justified by their functions. So we have short-term housing, medium-term housing and long-term housing, which are designed to meet the needs of IDPs in different timeframes. To these dwellings, we have associated facilities such as playgrounds, observation towers, community areas and we have planned a series of accompanying equipment that we have not planned as an extension to the project. These include a market, a mosque, a church, a training center, a crèche for children, an infirmary and several integrated farms associated with livestock farming as well as to farming. The main objective of all this is the search for the mental and physical well-being of these internally displaced people, with a strong emphasis on socialization. Thus, by these choices we reflect our general concept of the project which is: "Man and his well-being at the center of architecture"

Technical information

Laterite: is a red or brown rock, which is formed by weathering of rocks in tropical climates. It is widely used in construction because of its qualities of thermal regulator, sound insulation and its availability in these regions.
These blocks are very resistant and their hydric and thermal capacities can be reinforced respectively by 45% and 60%2 thanks to a treatment with a decoction of Néré. The thermal conductivity of BLT is between 0.856 and 0.889w/m°c3, which makes it more favorable for construction in the hot and dry climate of Burkina Faso. For comparison, the thermal conductivity of the compressed earth block is 1.05 w/m°c, that of terracotta between 1 and 1.35w/m°c, and that of solid concrete between 0.8 and 1.75 w/m°c.
Wood: wood is a natural material of plant origin. It is made up of plant tissue that forms most of the trunk of woody plants. It will be used in our project to make certain frames, door frames, etc...
Reinforced concrete: Thanks to its resistance to compression, traction but also
to its quality/price ratio, this material will be used as a load-bearing structure for the
buildings.
Metal: Conductive body of electricity and heat, generally malleable and ductile and reflecting light.
Sandwich panel: it is a range of innovative one-piece construction material, consisting of a layer of insulating material between two plates of profiled material. Light, robust, economical, easy to assemble by interlocking, it offers, depending on the range, various qualities of material resistance, thermal insulation, sealing, fire resistance, sound insulation and architectural aesthetics.
Straw: Material locally available and forming an integral part of the architectural landscape of rural populations, straw is a material whose implementation does not require advanced knowledge or to have special strength since straw bales are not very heavy. Suddenly an ease of construction inducing a reduced cost of labor. Straw is an ex-
thermal and sound insulation. It has the characteristic of not releasing irritating fibers or toxic compounds. The risk of allergies for the occupants is therefore zero. It will be used for the roof of medium-term housing, and external kitchen shed.

Documentation

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