The mudLIBRARY

A library for the rural community of Nsutem

The mudLIBRARY is building project in the village of Nsutem, Ghana. In close cooperation with the local community, the NGO Bookdropghana, the Accra-based construction company Hive Earth and many volunteers, we have erected a small building that will serve as a library for the community of Nsutem.

What have we built?

The library comprises two rooms. The main area covers about 50m2 and is equipped with a 5 meter long bookshelf and several tables and chairs. Suspended from the timber trusses, the bookshelf floats freely in space and can be circled from all sides. The media room with about 25m2 is equipped with four computers with internet access. The idea is to facilitate digitization workshops here in the future. The two rooms are enclosed by a spacious covered outdoor area with several retreat and seating areas. Including the covered areas, the built-area of the library adds up to about 275 m2. The library is connected to the local electricity grid and there is lighting both inside and outside. In addition to the library and directly connected to the existing canteen building, we have also built a canopy with a washing and cooking area.

Years

2015-2018

Client

Community of Nsutem and Bookdrop Ghana

Location

Nsustem, Ghana

Output and Outcome

The mudLIBRARY provides people in Nsutem and arround access to literature and digital media. Where for most people in Europe a library is a standard facility, in Ghana, and especially in rural areas, this is absolutely not the case. But there is more. The mudLIBRARY, for example, also demonstrates that mud (earth or loam) can be a modern building material and, when used properly, a superior alternative to cement blocks. Find out more about the impact of the mudLIRBARY project in the following sections.

Social Impact

  • The mudLIBRARY gives +/- 15.000 people in Nsutem access to literature and digital media. Our partnerorganisation “Bookdropghana” will moreover use the library to organise illiteracy courses in the near future.
  • With the construction of the mudLIBRARY we habe been able to bring the advantages of modern earth buildings under the attention of 100+ people in the region.
  • We have alternately employed +/- 10 different local labourers on the construction site and familiarized them with the rammed earth building technique.
  • We have taught almost 50 architecture students the basics of rammed earth and several more basic construction skills.
  • For over 12 weeks, young europeans and ghanaian locals have worked side by side on a construction site. This cultural cross-fertilisation is hardly quantifiable but, in our humble opinion, priceless.

Social Impact

Environmental Impact

Environmental Impact

  • Compared to conventional construction methods in Ghana, we have economized about 9 tonnes of CO2-emissions with the mudLIBRARY.
  • Compared to conventional construction methods in Ghana, we have economized  about 60 tonnes of sand with the mudLIBRARY.
  • The thick walls (40cm) of the mudLIBRARY serve as a heat buffer and therefore make mechanical air conditioning systems superfluous

The Team

The Team

Without the help of volunteers and local construction workers we would not have been able to build the mudLIBRARY. Thank you all so much!

Construction Process

Construction process

Without the help of volunteers and local construction workers we would not have been able to build the mudLIBRARY. Thank you all so much!

Design and Background

Construction process

Without the help of volunteers and local construction workers we would not have been able to build the mudLIBRARY. Thank you all so much!