In March, the construction of the roofing for the treatment tank and the construction of a toilet building made of the sustainable building materials bamboo and clay will begin. This is being done in cooperative collaboration with the RheinMain University of Applied Sciences and our local partner organisations BIDG and ABC.
Under the guidance of Professor Sascha Luippold and the two teaching assistants Christoph Diekhans and Jan Glasmeier, 17 students from the University’s Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering are participating in the construction project. In the last part of the three-part elective series “Climate-friendly building”, they get down to work with full energy in a hands-on workshop at the project site in Somanya.
The intensive intercultural exchange about the different possibilities and techniques of clay and bamboo processing was particularly valuable for all participants. Procedures are discussed together and solutions are found for critical points.
A construction site camp has been set up for the break times. In the field kitchen, our kitchen fairies Conny and Rose take care of the physical well-being with local dishes.
The construction site facilities also included the erection of a temporary toilet in “scout style” with an additional urinal and a hand-washing facility.
After previous treatment with boric salt solution in the tank, it is time to construct the supporting pillars for the hall roof. This consists of five frames that are mounted on the ground and then set up in concrete foundations.
To build the composting toilet, the foundation is first prepared. Clay is mixed with sand and rice husks as fibre material during the “clay tamping” process. This mixture is used to make the mud bricks, which are then used to build the walls of the planned octagonal toilet house. A small porch for the hand wash basin, as well as the roof construction are made of bamboo.
After eight days at the construction site, our helpers from the RheinMain University of Applied Sciences have reached the end of their excursion and can look with satisfaction at the progress made at the project site: Two frames for the hall roof have been erected and the shell of the toilet block is finished.