built to last longer

In 2016 the nonprofit Ghanaian NKA Foundation issued a challenge to the architecture world to 'help generate modern mud housing for education to replace the rural mud house type. The basic idea is to generate durable and scalable mud-house types by drawing on the accumulated knowledge about ways of building in a tropical climate.'

Lida's and Penny's design used plastic bottles filled with compressed soil, a practice also known as the Bottle-Brick construction technique, that is 20 times more durable than traditional mud walls and bricks. Plastic tubes were incorporated to add ventilation and natural light.

Passive design strategies were incorporated to achieve maximum cross and stack ventilation, sun protection and water harvesting.

The foundation was raised 80 cm above ground to protect the classroom from erosion during the rainy season.

Volunteer work in GHana: due to heavy rains, the classroom's foundation was raised 80 cm above ground — Due to heavy rains, the classroom's foundation had to be raised 80 cm above ground (© Phedon Konstantinidis)

Greek volunteers in Sang, Northern Ghana: bottle-brick construction for a handmade classroom. — Bottle-brick construction for a handmade classroom in Sang, Northern Ghana (© Phedon Konstantinidis)

A handmade school for Ghana: more than 200 schoolchildren volunteered to fill recycled plastic bottles with earth, using the Bottle-Brick construction technique — More than 200 schoolchildren volunteered to fill recycled plastic bottles with earth (© Phedon Konstantinidis)

A handmade classroom for Ghana: all in all, more than 3500 large plastic bottles and another 4000 small plastic bottles were filled with earth — All in all, more than 3500 large plastic bottles and another 4000 small plastic bottles were filled with earth (© Phedon Konstantinidis)

A handmade school for Ghana: corrugated zinc sheets placed on the roof by local Ghanaian buiders in Sang, Northern Ghana — Corrugated zinc sheets were placed on the roof by local Ghanaian buiders (© Phedon Konstantinidis)

A handmade school for Ghana: bamboo was added underneath the roof's corrugated zinc sheets (© Phedon Konstantinidis) — Bamboo was added underneath the roof's corrugated zinc sheets (© Phedon Konstantinidis)

A handmade school for Ghana. A volunteer's greatest reward: the daily contact with the children of Sang, Northern Ghana — A volunteer's greatest reward: the daily contact with the children of Sang, Northern Ghana (© Phedon Konstantinidis)

Local workers adding the final touches to the roof of the NKA Foundation's new classroom in Sang, Northern Ghana (© Phedon Konstantinidis)