Photo Story

Composite soil bricks are produced by a machine which uses hydraulic compression to form each brick.

A top level plan for a building consisting, two classrooms, office space and a materials store all produced using modular techniques.

A hot, and grubby, John Gorman fixes the taps from the inside of a water tank.

With the end of day fast approaching, Father John supervises roof attacment from 'within'.

Brenden inflates and distributes ballons to kids, and then frightened them of when one popped.

Our efforts completed, the unique brick composition and assembly is all that remains and the ICDC will then be complete. Furnishing and lighting would be added later, but the simplicity, low cost, and ease of this building's construction in relation to its impact upon the community it serves is nothing short of staggering.

As our powerful Landcruiser and Toyota vehicles struggle to overcome the laborious climb against gravity, potholes and meandering goats (who enjoy the title of being marginally more intelligent than African sheep) we emerge from cuttings. To our left an expanse of earth becomes visible, conversation is briefly halted as height and a clear day do this beautifully sculptured land true justice. The vast majesty of Africa’s great Rift Valley breathtakingly sweeps into view. Of barely comprehensible magnitude we are given vistas stretching for miles. ‘The Eagles’ blare out ‘Peaceful Easy Feelin’ and painfully white English arms dangle lazily through open windows. As the sun got higher throats got dry, so time for a fuel and Coke stop. After many more hours travelling we arrived at our home for the next few days, Robert’s camp at Lake Baringo. Surrounded by a scenic, rugged semi-desert landscape, Lake Baringo is a freshwater lake located on the floor of the Rift Valley and is a classic experience of timeless Africa. The Lake is a birdwatcher’s paradise with over 450 bird species spotted and is also home to a large population of crocodile and hippo. We had nice huts or Bandas to stay in here; there was even a bar available at the end of our work day. The rest of our trip would not be so comfortable so we should, and of course did take full advantage of it.

Early next morning we departed for our work destination in Marigat. Although only about 40 minutes drive south of Lake Baringo the journey proved to be quite an experience, particularly for the following vehicle. Severe drought brought on by several consecutive seasons of failed rains had left the earth parched, dry and dusty. The lead vehicle erupted a wake that generated so much dust that at times it produced zero visibility for the follower. When the dust eventually settled only a distant cloud became the marker for pursuit. We came upon Marigat to find expectant, eager people. At this site the main building structure had already been erected. There was a good deal of foundation work to be done, which meant a lot of concrete mixing, water tank installation, gutter levelling and fixing, plus a lot of ancillary work too. Work commenced immediately upon arrival. Locals were recruited to help fetch, carry and importantly mix concrete, whilst others in our team went about fixing bits of roof and cyclone vents. The day’s work was interrupted halfway so we could eat. The locals brought us Githeri in a bucket, which was ladled out by plastic beaker onto plates. Githeri is a basic sweetcorn and bean stew, traditional among the Kikuyu people of Kenya. Not only are these two eaten together, they are often intercropped (grown together) in the same fields. At its simplest, Githeri is just sweetcorn and beans, but sometimes potatoes, greens or meat are added. It’s high in carbohydrate and is both tasty and filling. Father John was a little dubious, but ate a respectable portion out of good manners. I can’t be sure, but some say he had a hidden store of Mars bars. After a swig of warming water it was back to work. We had made excellent progress and by the end of the day just the guttering, tank installations and a veranda foundation remained. Approaching dusk, tired, hungry and desperate for a cold drink we returned to Robert’s camp. We enjoyed good food, cold beer and a good night’s sleep.

After an early, healthy breakfast of goat sausages, eggs, bread and tea we went to finish off at Marigat. The concrete base for water tanks had settled good, so John Gorman and Brenden set about installing the tanks whilst Father John, Harmon and me set about laying the veranda foundation. At an appropriate time a nice lady came along with another huge bucket of Githeri. Father John scurried away to his Mars bar cache whilst the remainder of us ate our fill. The day continued till late, but by the end we had completed. All that remained was the in-fill brickwork to be completed in a few weeks time, but after our departure.

A word about the bricks

The bricks are a soil/sand/cement composite and apart from the cement, the other materials are normally available on site. The bricks are produced by a machine which uses hydraulic compression to form each brick. Once made, the bricks are stacked and left to set for a couple of days before they can be used. Each brick’s base is recessed to conform with its top, which is raised to the same profile. In other words they are a bit like Lego bricks in that they slot into each other, but allow traditional brickwork overlap. These unique bricks can be formed into several storey buildings, but without the need for mortar! The first two courses are traditionally set with mortar, but thereafter it’s a very simple task to stack brick upon brick as required.

A Word about the buildings

The ICDC buildings are Sam Harrell’s own design which cleverly combine a simple structure with the ease and rapidity with which they can be constructed. A unit of approximately 120 square metres comprising two classrooms, office space and a materials store can be produced using modular techniques including a steel pillar superstructure, wall in-fill using the unique bricks mentioned earlier, coated galvanized roofing suitable for rainwater collection and complete with cyclone roof ventilation system, integrated guttering/water tank, mesh windows for ventilation and steel doors. The building is perfectly tailored for both purpose and environment. These buildings will be internally lit by a revolutionary solar powered lighting system developed by Roger Mugridge of Lights for Learning, another important Project Albert ally.