earthbag
C-re-a.i.d. – Change Research Architecture Innovation Design – is a non-
profit organization operating in northern Tanzania since 2012. Through
experience and analysis they uncovered a rapid changing building
culture, poor living situations and the use of unecological materials.
They explore the possibilities of architecture to promote long-term
ecological and affordable building. Photography by Eva Cabezuelo,
Freya Candel and Mathias Cornille.
T
heir projects are located in different villages in the surroundings
of Moshi, one of them being Maji Moto – a Maasai village.
Tanzanian government decided to restrict the nomadic lifestyle
of Maasai people, and forced them to settle down. Since they
were used to trekking, up to this day, their structures reflect a
certain degree of temporality. Ever since Maasai were forced to
settle, they have struggled to redefine their building culture in
order to align it with their new lifestyle; local communities are
caught in between tradition and modernization.
Burned bricks, glass and corrugated sheets replaced mud, sticks and leaves.
Although this newly introduced way of building complies with their needs
and wishes, it doesn't align with the context. In order to produce the burned
bricks, trees need to be cut and this means the area suffers from the clear
deforestation that has been going on for some time. Arid land can be seen as
Click here to watch a video on the project
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africandesignmagazine.com