'In a village close to the new eco-resort that
we have designed in northern Mozambique, there is a tree that is
more than just a tree, writes Richard Nightingale. It is
a large, spreading mango. That provides shade and shelter for, potentially,
hundreds of people. It is the largest thing in the vicinity and
serves as village hall, council chamber, shopping mall and general
meeting place. Buildings are modest affairs in this part of the
world. Built of bamboo, mud and thatch, they are low, simple and
functional ¨ and very beautiful too!
'An effect of Mozambique's 20-year civil war is that the country
has missed out on some of the Westernisation and development that
has altered much of eastern Africa. Traditional building skills
are still intact. There are none of the huge modern hotels lining
the beaches in resorts further north (using up vast quantities
of energy and manpower) which are virtually indestructible should
they cease to be viable.
'So when we were deciding how to house the visitors to the resort
we set out by learning from the locals. Starting with a palette
of bamboo, grass matting, rope, coconut frond thatch, sand, rubble
and mud, we developed and adapted local methods to create a restaurant
and bar, kitchen and stores, large bedrooms with outside shower
enclosures, and all that is associated with a comfortable hotel.
This had to be done without the benefit of a 'professional' builder
by minimizing imported material and energy use and on a very tight
budget.
'Concrete and steel frame were too expensive in terms of cost,
specialist skills, transport and embodied energy. Cement use had
to be kept to an absolute minimum. For the floors and terraces we
found that a weak lime / sand screed with a little cement added
to the mix around vulnerable points is relatively robust. To create
larger spans than local techniques allow we bundled together lengths
of bamboo, hung them with buckets of water to test deflection and
sent the results back to our engineer in London (Price and Myers)
for analysis. We brought in as little as possible from outside and,
where possible, we recycled what had already been imported by others.
'Our clients, Amy Carter and Neal Allcock of Bespoke
Experience, persevered tirelessly. Following many trials the
first phase of Guludo resort is now open. And when it is no longer
needed, we can be sure that the soft screeds will crumble, the bamboos
will be eaten by white ants or knocked down by elephants, and nature
will take control again.
'Richard Nightingale is a partner in Cullum and Nightingale.'
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