Building construction in the bush is difficult and basic...strength (for protection from rains and occasional earthquakes) and functionality are paramount. Because of the intense sun which passes almost directly overhead from east to west twelve months a year, most buildings are constructed on an east - west axis to ensure that the heat of the sun is deflected by the roof, rather than entering the windows!
We have experimented with different building methods and materials, but most of our buildings are constructed with handmade concrete blocks covered with a layer of cement plaster to give a smooth surface inside and outside. No ready-mix trucks in Tanzania! So all concrete is mixed on site by hand, made into blocks, carefully cured, then used very much as cinder blocks are used in the U.S. A 100# bag of cement costs roughly $10.
A good strong foundation is critical. Rocks of various sizes are gathered by villagers into piles for us. A pile about five feet high and five feet in diameter will cost $3.50. We must then load the piles into a trailer and transport them to the site. At least 100 piles are needed for an average size classroom building...about 60 piles for a house, which though much smaller has more interior walls - each needing a foundation.
Gathering rocks, along with transporting the gravel and sand needed for the concrete used in almost every facet of the building process, is very hard work. We couldn't possibly do it without our "go anywhere" Toyota Landcruiser...and a borrowed trailer (the school really needs its own trailer!). Incidentally, the sand is dug from creek beds which become swollen in the rainy season, leaving deposits of sand behind. Gravel? Well, believe it or not, it is made by hand! Woman and children gather in groups to break and chip granite-like rock into small pieces...and each piece is broken by hand. A pile about three feet high and 8 feet in diameter will cost about $30.00
Once the materials are gathered, and the foundation trench has been dug (by hand, of course! -- also backbreaking work!) down to a suitable depth, the 'fundi's - or building craftsmen - build the foundation one rock at a time. The rocks are carefully fitted and cemented together. This foundation is capped by a lintel made of concrete and steel reinforcing bar.
From this point the concrete blocks are used to construct the building itself. All doors and windows are handmade by local craftsmen. The hardwoods used are primarily grown on the islands of Lake Victoria and boated to local lumber sellers. That is also true of the softwood lumber used for roof trusses.
When the walls have been built to their proper height a carefully constructed, interlocking 'ring lintel' is placed on top. This lintel is made of steel reinforced concrete. It provides great stability to all the walls and strength for the roof, which will be made of corrugated iron sheets nailed to wooden trusses. Steel trusses are used in some settings, primarily to avoid the need to treat the wood with chemicals offering protection from insects. But steel is much more expensive, and requires welding equipment which we must borrow...so we use wood which we treat with chemicals.
Of course many details and smaller features must be added. But, while specific design elements will vary from one building to the next depending upon function, this basic construction method used in all the buildings of The Lion of Judah Academy. We expect them to serve for many decades into the future!
