The TSC Global model home is unique in being a multi-family unit and the only duplex at the BBBC. With a shortage of over 500,000 homes in the country, higher density designs will be important to re-building Haiti’s housing sector. The home features living units separated by a common breezeway along with an adjoining kitchen/bathroom addition. The dramatic air circulation created by the HyPar roof design is turbocharged by the breezeway creating an incredibly cool living space. Temperature readings in the exterior shaded porch were over 110° while the interior breezeway was a comfortable 89°! Randy Parsley, formerly a senior construction manager for major commercial builders in the US, remarked that “The advantage of the HyPar roof is not only the cool, comfortable space created but also a healthier living environment due to the massive air exchange caused by the interaction of the breezeway and HyPars. These roofs are beautiful, culturally appropriate and a major breakthrough in affordable home design.”

Next step is a jury selection by the BBBC for the award of building contracts for a new home development near the expo site at Zoranje. TSC Global expects to be one of the builders involved in this next phase of the BBBC initiative. Our HyPar roof design created quite a “buzz” at the event with several architects and builders interested in using the product for home and resort buildings. Haiti is an important market for our company. We expect to be actively involved “rebuilding Haiti better” (http://rebuildhaitibetter.net/) for some time to come!

Steve Riley, Director, is in Sudan now making a logistics and mobilization trip for the construction beginning May 2011. The plan is for two additional classroom buildings, a new kitchen, and an outdoor pavilion serving as a cafeteria and meeting hall. The school now has six classrooms in two buildings, latrines and a solar powered water well funded by USA based company Franklin Electric (www.franklin-electric.com). The new buildings will more than double the size of the school now serving over 400 children. Classrooms are overcrowded, and there are still two grades attending school under nearby trees, so the new buildings are much needed. TSC Global will complete the project in time for the July 9, 2011 independence day celebration in Turalei that will be attended by dignitaries from the Southern Sudan government, representatives from aid agencies and the National Basketball Association.

Manute Bol primary school is a showplace for TSC Global’s unique thin shell hypar roofs. Our roofs are ideally suited to small commercial construction, such as schools, providing a low cost, durable, quiet and cool alternative to the typical iron sheet roofs used here in Africa. We will continue the use of compressed earth blocks (CEB) that were used to construct the walls for the first two classroom buildings. CEB construction is beginning to take hold here in Sudan as an environmentally friendly alternative to burnt bricks. We also have a training component to our work here. Workers will become expert in thin shell hypar roof construction and manufacture of CEBs. Our hope is to launch small businesses using both technologies for home and commercial construction.

During the festivities Lynne and Dipika presented the TSC Global trained construction crew with Certificates of Training and photos to commemorate their hard work.

The children decked out in their newly made uniforms are excited about moving into their new school.

Nakuru, Africa
“Our ambition is to serve all the children of the world: and a wonderful instance is our involvement in the New Canaan transit camp at Nakuru, Kenya. In this camp, housing more than 1250 families, the Montessori system of education and training has been adopted to address the needs of the children and to provide Montessori trained teachers. This project is implemented under AMI’s supervision. It will create a school for 520 children, train 40 teachers and four mentors with the ability to replicate the project. It is likely to become a model for governments and NGOs in similar situations. This “Corner of Hope” project in Kenya is a first of its kind for AMI, and will demonstrate that Montessori for all is a realistic aim! Many other outreach activities were undertaken in 2010 by our training centres, affiliated societies, schools and teachers—engaging with Native American communities, the Shuar Indians of Ecuador, the Indigenous peoples of Australia and disempowered communities, schools and parents all over the globe.”

Corner of Hope - Phase 1 nears completion

January 12 – 16, 2011 TSC Global and Vermeer Manufacturing are hosting a CEB workshop where we will build a demonstration hypar roof and CEB wall dwelling right here in Denver, CO. Builders, engineers, architects, and humanitarian organizations from across the country will be invited to attend. Please send us a message using the contact form on our web site or send an email to bwells@tscglobal.org. The workshop is free of charge. Please plan on joining us for one or more days!

Some great side conversations, connections and ideas started- hope this group and weekend can springboard some larger projects and innovations…

Making Compressed Earth Blocks in Denver, CO

But some serious bricks got made. It is a process that takes a while to get going but we can all the see the productivity once the assembly line and feeders of materials come together and crank up.

Thanks to Vermeer for coming all the way out from Iowa, Quikrete for the donated pallets and the Portland, and Church Ranch for the facilities and mountain of blue ribbon dirt !

Compressed Earth Blocks

TSC Hypar Roofs with CEB Walls, Uganda

Cheers,

Brad

Brad Wells, Executive Director of TSC Global, shares his background with TSC Hypar roofs and the advantages of the building system.