, e r u c t e t i h c r a e t a r i p o r p s - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

SLIDE 1

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t e N u b i e n n e ( A V N ) p r

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SLIDE 2

The The P Proble blem A So Solution Our Pr Our Prop

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El ¡Alwar ¡

According to the UN and WRI (World Resources Institute), over 50% of families in the Sahel lack access to decent housing.

In sub-Saharan Africa, bush timber has traditionally been used for roofing and for load-bearing supports. However, climate change, deforestation, and increasing population growth mean that traditional building techniques are no longer feasible. Therefore rural families have to dip into their meager food, health, and education budgets to buy imported and expensive corrugated iron sheets and sawn timber for roof-building. Such tin roofs have many disadvantages, especially the poor thermal and sound insulation, making houses too hot in the day, often too cold at night, and extremely noisy during the short but intensive rainy season. They can easily be damaged by wind and rain, last little more than ten years, and their very fragility is a source of danger. They have to be paid for in cash, which is often a problem for the many families who live outside the cash economy. Families are locked into a vicious circle of poverty and squalor, with no durable solution to the problem of decent housing; this costs local economies several billions of CFA Francs every year. In order to help solve this problem, we need a global solution that integrates:

• a construction technique for affordable and appropriate roofs
• built professionally by masons with the necessary skills
• as part of emerging and actively promoted markets in sustainable housing.

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In the arid regions of Africa, trees are vanishing Traditional timber roofs are no longer feasible Tin roofing is not a solution

A ROOF A SKILL A MARKET

SLIDE 3

Social Responsibility

• More solid (thick walls, weather-resistant roofs)
• More comfortable (less noise, good thermal isolation)
• Can incorporate the traditional flat roof terrace
• Reinforces local and family networks
• Conserves traditional Sahelian building practices.

Economic viability

• Less expensive than sheet metal and cement: affordable

by local clients

• Simple and standardized: rapid training of local

apprentices and the creation of a market

• Based on local labor force and materials: reinforcing local

economic circuits.

Environmental sustainability

• No wood: 1 NV* saves 4 trees.
• No sheet metal, cement or steel: 1 NV saves 2 tons of

CO2-equivalent. *A standard NV equates to ~ 25 M2 of floor space

The The P Proble blem A So Solution Our Pr Our Prop

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1 ¡ 2 ¡ 3 ¡ The Nubian Vault (NV): a standardized version of an ancient African technique of earth architecture

“ A construction technique for affordable and appropriate roofs….

A ROOF A SKILL A MARKET IMPACTS

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A So Solution Our Pr Our Prop

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2 ¡ 3 ¡ Le concept VN (Voûte Nubienne) The NV masons

There are five, progressive, levels of skilled NV masons

• L1: a novice apprentice
• L2: an advanced apprentice
• L3: a mason, able to build a vault
• L4: a foreman, able to supervise a construction site
• L5: a mason-entrepreneur, able to negotiate with clients and supervise

several construction sites. The NV masons are local, currently from Burkina Faso, Senegal or Mali, and most of them are farmers. In their role as NV masons, they:

• are trained on site as apprentices by other masons, and are thus

introduced to market realities

• promote the VN technique and sell their know-how locally
• supervise the NV construction sites
• share their experiences with other masons and transfer their know-how

to trainers

• are paid 100% by their clients, in cash, trade or barter
• can not only build simple houses, but also, in partnership with local
• rganizations, public buildings (schools, community centers, churches,

mosques, dispensaries…) using the NV technique. The masons are not employed by AVN; however, the majority of trained NV masons collaborate with La Voûte Nubienne, exchanging ideas and information about the market, clients’ needs, and potential apprentices, both informally, and at formal congresses arranged by AVN each year. Some of them go even further, getting involved as extension agents promoting the VN technique, for which AVN then provides compensation.

A construction technique for appropriate roofs… built professionally by skilled masons ….

A ROOF A MARKET IMPACTS

The NV concept

A SKILL

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SLIDE 5

A So Solution Our Pr Our Prop

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2 ¡ 3 ¡ Le concept VN (Voûte Nubienne)

"Pump-Priming" the market

1 In a pilot village (a main village and its direct satellites), I identify and prepare a local ‘champion’ convinced of the NV technique and influential locally. 2 I accompany my ‘champion’ to meetings to explain the NV technique and attract potential clients and apprentices, thus opening the door to a NV market. 3 I send a NV mason (L5) to start the local market; paid by his clients, the mason builds the first NV houses and trains the first local apprentices on-site. I accompany him, along with my ‘champion’ so that the market develops better. 4 Progressively, over 4 to 5 years, the program of awareness raising, construction, and training reaches a self-sustaining level, with the emergence of an autonomous local market; I can then withdraw, leaving the place to locally trained NV masons. 5 In an area of 40 km around this pilot village, other villages will experience the same process, thus promoting the emergence of a larger pilot zone 6 At the same time, other NV extension agents are developing nearby pilot zones, extending the program to a regional footing. Using this strategy, my colleagues and I promote the NV solution on a large scale, moving on to new areas as soon as local independent markets have emerged. Adjara is an AVN extension agent, she explains her job : AVN’s mission is to promote the Nubian Vault as soon as possible, for as many beneficiaries as possible. To do this, the Association trains and guides extension agents to “pump-prime” local markets, starting from a base of pilot villages, evolving into pilot zones, and then into entire regions.

Training to promote the NV deployment strategy

In order to promote this market growth strategy, AVN invests in the training, . support, and insertion of new extension agents:

• either internally, through the duplication of AVN teams.
• or through franchise arrangements, transferring the methodology to other

partner organizations.

Le concept VN (Voûte Nubienne)

A construction technique for appropriate roofs, built professionally by skilled masons …. as part of emerging and actively promoted markets in sustainable housing.

A ROOF IMPACTS

The NV concept

A SKILL

The NV builders

A MARKET

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SLIDE 6

A So Solution Our Pr Our Prop

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2 ¡ 3 ¡ Le concept VN (Voûte Nubienne) This AVN solution (a Roof + a Skill + a Market) generates increasing, sustainable, rapid, and large-scale impacts

A ROOF IMPACTS

The NV concept

A SKILL

The NV builders

A MARKET

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Cumulative impacts by 2011:

• AVN is active in four countries:

Burkina Faso, Mali, Senegal, Zambia

• 10,000 direct beneficiaries of NV

buildings

• 176 trained NV masons
• Over 1,000 Nubian Vaults built
• Carbon savings of ~ 2,000 tons of

CO2- equivalent

• 44 volunteers and employees
• 300 " social investors".
• A 40% annual average growth in the

number of Nubian Vaults built

• Over 500,000 € of local economic

impacts

• An annual estimated budget

(2010/11) of 350,000 € .

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“Together, ¡we ¡can ¡promote ¡the ¡NV ¡technique, ¡as ¡soon ¡as ¡

possible ¡for ¡as ¡many ¡beneficiaries ¡as ¡possible. ¡ In ¡spreading ¡this ¡program ¡on ¡a ¡large ¡scale, ¡the ¡objecEve ¡of ¡ AVN ¡is ¡to ¡start ¡a ¡market ¡for ¡the ¡Nubian ¡Vault, ¡from ¡now ¡unEl ¡ 2020, ¡allowing ¡African ¡families ¡to ¡save ¡billions ¡of ¡euros, ¡to ¡ have ¡a ¡beIer ¡quality ¡of ¡life, ¡to ¡protect ¡their ¡environment ¡and ¡ culture ¡… ¡ ¡To ¡be ¡able ¡to ¡do ¡this, ¡we ¡need ¡your ¡support” ¡

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A So Solution

NGO’s and Associations: you can participate in the promotion of the NV in areas of your choice, by becoming:

Technical Partners

Séri Youlou and Thomas Granier

co-founders of Association la Voûte Nubienne (AVN)

African local authorities: help bring the benefits of NV promotional projects to the people in your villages, provinces, and regions by becoming:

Official Contributors ¡

Individuals, companies or foundations: you can support the emergence and growth of the NV program and market by becoming:

Social Investors ¡

For more information: www.lavoutenubienne.org To contact us: contact@lavoutenubienne.org / +33 (0)4 67 81 21 05

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