Conventionally used materials such as concrete blocks and fired clay bricks have a high amount of embodied energy, i.e. they consume a lot of energy to be produced, transported and installed. Timber, on the other hand, is a renewable resource that stores carbon for the lifetime of the building instead of emitting it into the atmosphere.
No, the opposite. Sustainable forestry can only function if trees are regularly harvested. Whilst cutting down natural forests is destructive, the creation of a dynamic timber processing industry will create demand and thereby further increase the attractiveness of sustainably managed forestry.
Yes. Uganda is currently even facing the problem of over supply, especially of eucalyptus. The forestry sector has been identified as a growth sector with huge employment and export potential. That said, the same cannot yet be said about sustainably managed, certified forests which Uganda needs more of. Products such as EcoPrefab will help increase the demand and make it more attractive for foresters to switch to sustainable methods.
Apart from positively contributing to the fight against climate change, building with timber has other advantages;
> speed of construction and improved quality due to prefabrication: timber is much lighter than masonry and as such more suitable to be transported in panels;
> reduced costs: the efficient wall build-up and reduced weight leads to reduced costs when compared with conventional construction methods;
> healthy indoor climate: natural construction materials generate comfortable humidity levels and don't emit toxins;
> flexibility: timber buildings are generally well suited for future alterations;
> job creation in the local forestry sector: Uganda can become the power house of sustainable timber, supplying the entire East African region.
All timber used for EcoPrefab is sourced from FSC certified Ugandan forests.
FSC stands for Forest Stewardship Council, an international non-profit organisation that promotes responsible management of the world's forests through a certification system, ensuring wood and paper products come from sustainable sources.
Good question! Currently, Uganda's FSC certified forests only produce pine and eucalyptus. We would love to explore the use of other types, especially indigenous species. A lot more research is surely needed, but all begins with creating the demand for timber in construction in the first place.
It is true that large-scale, monocultural eucalyptus plantations have a number of disadvantages, including water depletion, soil degradation and reduced biodiversity. On the other hand, eucalyptus is a very fast growing species with huge potential to absorb carbon dioxide and provide livelihoods for many communities. As everything in life, it will be about weighing up the benefits and risks, and comparing them with the negative impact of cement, steel and clay brick production. We believe that the benefits substantially outweigh the disadvantages.
> Foundations: Rubble stone foundation with concrete ground beam
> Internal floors: Smooth concrete on stone base
> External floors (walkways): compacted murram (other finishes available on request)
> Walls: Prefabricated timber frames, made of pine, filled with pressed sawdust-lime blocks, plastered on both sides with earth-pigmented lime plaster; walls are installed on top of a fairfaced concrete upstand
> Roofs: Trusses and purlins made of linseed-oiled eucalyptus, clad with metal sheets
> Doors and windows: The classrooms have shutters made of steel frames and eucalyptus planks; teacher houses have solid eucalyptus doors and steel framed glass windows
Yes. There are two aspects that need to be considered separately here;
> Life safety: As single-storey buildings with direct and very short distances to doors there is no realistic scenario in which the lives of users can be at risk in the event of a fire. This is further supported by the installation of smoke detectors and fire extinguishers which are a standard EcoPrefab feature.
> Building safety: Here we consider the likelihood of a fire spreading from one room to another, or from one building to another, with the key risk being the loss of infrastructure, especially in scenarios where there is no effective fire fighting. The key difference between EcoPrefab and conventional construction is the wall build-up. EcoPrefab uses pine treated with fire retardants, encased in lime plaster. There is no or very little oxygen inside the walls meaning that they will not be easily ignited. The system achieves a two-hour fire resistance exceeding the 60min required by the code.
All timber used in the EcoPrefab buildings is pretreated with Borax and Boric Acid. In addition to providing mould control and acting as a fire retardant, this natural chemical acts as a long-term protection against insect attack including termites. The encapsulation in lime plaster is critical because it prevents the treatment from evaporating with time. In addition, EcoPrefab has a 'termite stop' at the transition point between concrete upstand to wall making it difficult for termites to move up into the building.
In their standard design, the EcoPrefab buildings are suitable for all low and medium earthquake zones. Please contact us for more information in case your location is in a high-risk earthquake zone.
Yes. The walls are solid and as difficult to break as brick walls. Windows are fitted with burglar bars and doors to the teacher accommodation buildings are made of solid wood. High-quality door locking systems are installed.
All buildings have a design life of 50 years. 'Design life' refers to the period of time a building is expected to function within its intended purpose and performance requirements, with minimal or no major repairs, always assuming that regular maintenance is carried out as recommended.
Lime plaster is a crucial component of the EcoPrefab technology, mainly for two reasons;
> Unlike cementitious plaster, lime allows humidity to pass through freely, thereby not only creating a comfortable indoor climate in humid environments but also preventing rotting or moulding in the rare event of humidity build-up inside a wall;
> The lime we are using is artificial lime, a byproduct of medical oxygen and welding gas production. As a byproduct, its embodied carbon can be considered zero, contributing to the carbon efficiency of EcoPrefab.
The EcoPrefab toilets are not based on water-borne systems, but they are also not latrines. Instead, human waste is collected in a pipe running underneath the building. This pipe is being flushed twice or thrice a day, moving the waste to a bio-digester using our patented handwashing water collection and flushing system.
Our bio-digesters are underground wastewater treatment systems made of fired clay bricks. Built in a dome shape and receiving waste from all toilet blocks through underground piping, the digesters have three key advantages;
> Human waste is efficiently treated and, unlike latrines, no pathogens are seeping into the ground water (which often is the source of drinking water);
> The liquid outflow of a digester is a wonderful fertiliser that can be distributed by gravity into a school garden;
> The digester produces bio-gas which can be used for cooking, reducing the dependency on firewood.
No. EcoPrefab buildings are neither temporary nor mobile. They are designed as permanent structures with a design life of 50 years, with the key difference to conventional methods being the speed and quality of construction, not mobility.
All buildings have gutters and downpipes which can easily be connected to a centralised or decentralised rainwater harvesting system. Collection pipes, tanks and filters are not included in the standard EcoPrefab system but can be provided as an optional extra.
Our teacher house prototype is located near Gayaza. There also are 52 units of teacher housing available for viewing in two locations in Lwengo District. Please contact us if you wish to visit either of the sites. We are currently working on classroom prototypes which will be available for viewing soon.
Each classroom measures 48sqm and is suitable for up to 48 students.
All covered outdoor spaces are finished with compacted murram. More durable finishes such as stone slates or smooth concrete can be provided as an optional extra.
EcoPrefab benchmarks itself against the 'normal' way of building schools in East Africa. Whilst ceilings are highly beneficial in regards to noise during rain and the reduction of radiation heat, their cost would make EcoPrefab less competitive. It is however possible to install a ceiling as an optional extra.
Our blackboard is an entire wall, rather than an element hanging on a wall. We have over the years discovered that such large blackboards can compensate for the absence of teaching materials, pin boards and books, as they allow for more permanent teaching information to be retained in less used (higher or lower) areas. They also are a fun architectural element that fosters creativity.
In an attempt to prevent heat build-up, conventional school buildings in East Africa are very often dark and hot, sometimes even mouldy. We have over the years finetuned our classroom design to have large amounts of high-level ventilation and a combination of reflected and direct daylight. The latter consists of a narrow strip of translucent roofsheet installed directly above the full-height blackboard. Whilst not allowing sunlight to directly shine onto student's desks, the skylight provides a comfortable and attractive amount of light in the classroom, including for periods of rainstorms when the wooden window shutters are kept closed to prevent rain from getting into the classroom.
Yes. All classrooms and administration offices are fitted with two double sockets and two light points. Each room in the teacher accommodation units also has sockets and lights.
No. All teacher houses have a small indoor room fitted with a floor drain, designed for bucket showers, but the buildings are not provided with piped water. A shared bio-toilet block can be installed near the teacher housing.
No. Currently, the EcoPrefab range of school buildings is tailored to day schools. Please contact us for tailored solutions in case you are planning to include boarding facilities.
Not yet. We are working on adding this to the range. In the meantime, please contact us for tailored solutions.
No. For small (primary) schools, our classroom block with outdoor teaching space very often functions as a dining area, but we don't currently offer prefabricated solutions for large halls. Please contact us for tailored solutions.
This is something we want to look into in the future, but for now we are focusing on the majority of East African schools which are outside of urban centres.
The EcoPrefab buildings are designed for moderate to hot climates, as prevalent in most locations in the region. Please contact us for tailored solutions in case you live in a particularly cold area for which the passive ventilation might need reducing.
Yes, although we would always highly recommend to select a light and reflective colour such as silver, avocado green, or cream. Our research reveals significant differences in indoor temperature based on the selection of the roofsheet colour. The brick red or even blue finish preferred by some is highly detrimental.
With a starting price from $250/sqm, a typical EcoPrefab classoom costs about 5% less than a conventional classroom as built by Uganda's Ministry of Education and Sports. This cost is based on an 'average site' in an 'average location' in Uganda. For more details, please contact us with specific indication of your requirements and location such that we can tailor a quotation for you.
We require a down payment of 20% as a confirmation of the order; this will commence the design process and production of planning submission drawings. A further 40% kicks off the start of fabrication and construction of foundations. A 20% payment is required upon roofing of the structures, followed by a 20% final payment at handover.
Subject to your specific requirements and location as well as to the obtainment of local authority and environmental approvals, we recommend to expect a period of six months from inception to completion.
We highly recommend that you prepare cadastral (boundary) and topographic (terrain) surveys of your land. The topographic survey should also include all existing buildings and trees. Please contact us for recommendations of reliable land surveyors.
Any new building requires planning approval. As part of our service we shall prepare all required drawings and documents, stamped by our in-house registered architects and engineers. As the developer, you undertake to make the submission, pay the assessed planning fee and follow up until approval.
In Uganda, the National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA) requires Environmental and Social Impact Assessments (ESIA) to be carried out for all new school projects. The same may not apply to smaller refurbishment or enlargement projects. ESIA's are not included in our offer, however we can assist with recommending suitable consultants who can help you obtain the necessary approval.
Yes. We offer all warranties normally expected from building contractors, including a 12-month defects liability period and a 10-year warranty on all building components. The warranty excludes failures caused by wear and tear, or by the absence of normal building maintenance.
A solar system with panels, inverter and batteries is not included in the standard EcoPrefab package. However, this can be added as an optional extra.
Very much so. One of the key advantages of prefabrication is that the onsite installation takes a short time and doesn't involve heavy machinery. Ongoing school operations are therefore much less disturbed by the construction of new buildings.
Yes, external works such as footpaths, benches, amphitheatres, boundary fences etc. can be provided as optional extras. Please contact us for more information.
We are working on plans to provide EcoPrefab buildings to other countries in East Africa but are currently focussed on growing our operations in Uganda. Please contact us for more details.
The EcoPrefab buildings are designed for maximum ruggedness and minimal maintenance. Nevertheless, every building requires regular maintenance which is described in an Operations and Maintenance Manual handed over to every EcoPrefab owner. Typical maintenance measures include, but are not limited to, the regular cleaning of gutters and manholes, repainting of steel elements of windows and doors, repairing of wall finishes, and occasional reoiling of timber shutters.
The EcoPrefab walls are not painted with conventional chemical paint and are instead finished with pigmented lime plaster. Whilst conventionally painted buildings suffer under the often dusty and muddy conditions requiring frequent repainting in order to maintain an attractive appearance, the earthen tones and textured finish of the lime plaster provide a much more forgiving, rugged finish that will look great for years. If repainting is required, a new coat of pigmented lime slurry can simply be added on top of the wall.
A successfully operated bio-digester requires minimal maintenance consisting only of flushing and the regular cleaning of the manhole located behind the toilets.
Even if you install bio-toilets and a bio-digester, it is likely that you will still need to supplement your cooking with firewood. Our hybrid fuel-efficient stove can handle both biogas and firewood. The consumption and related cost will however be significantly reduced, in addition to the environmental benefits and the free fertiliser that the digester produces. We recommend that you consider adding livestock bio-waste to your bio digester which would free you up completely from the need to buy firewood.
