Building building blocks

Certificate Award Ceremony for the 30 Anam Trainees

Today marked the end of a 10-day training course in Compressed Stabilized Earth Brick production (CSEB) here in Anam.  Over thirty men and women were trained during in the intensive session, organized by The Chife Foundation in conjunction with the Anam Development Company.

Participants learned basic soil mechanics, excavation and sustainable resource management, techniques of field testing and soil stabilization, blockyard organization and the operation of a production line.

Satprem Maïni of the Auroville Earth Institute, world expert in earth construction and a UNESCO Chair in Earthen Architecture, led the training.  Ismaila Adoke, Lecturer in Building Technology at Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University in Bauchi and Manager of Anam Brick Factory supported with the R&D (research and development) and technology transfer.

Participants spent the past week optimizing different mix specifications for pure laterite, silty-clay soil from the site, and the mix we are most excited about — using a local clay (called atachikpa in Igbo) to reduce the cement content.

As the Anam community elders rightly observed today after the blessing of the kola nut: building the building blocks is just the first step toward building Anam New City. Introducing the technology of modern earth construction is a major milestone and we congratulate all the participants who worked incredibly hard over the past 10 days.

Additional pictures from production in the morning and the Certificate Award Ceremony in the afternoon are uploaded to Picasa.