The Design of the

Habitat Research &

Development Centre
(HRDC)

Published by:
HRDC
Windhoek
September 2006
Credits
Plans: N. Maritz
Photos: M.A. Wienecke
Clay House Project, Otjiwarongo (Otji-toilet)
Internet: http://www.yazd.com/, http://www.allempires.com/
Text:
N. Maritz
M.A. Wienecke

Vision
To be the center of excellence in housing research
and development by applying new methods and ideas
of science and technology for the sustainable
development of the Namibian housing sector.

Mission
To promote the use of local, indigenous building
materials and designs, to engage multi-disciplinary
teams in basic research, the adaptation of existing
knowledge and applied research to achieve a holistic
approach to problem solving in the field of housing
and its related issues.

Objectives
The Habitat Research and Development Centre
shall be the focal point for research and
development of the Namibian housing sector
aimed at promoting sustainable human settlements.
To achieve these goals, the HRDC aims at:

promoting the production and usage of local

building materials through appropriate
technologies and design;
advocate, promote and facilitate ecological
sanitation, water conservation, renewable
energy and biodiversity;
support communities, local and regional
authorities in capacity building related to
housing issues;
disseminating information to stakeholders; and
contributing to policy formulation on housing,
environment and resources management.

CONTENTS
Background
Activities of the HRDC
Layout plan and phases
Facilities offered by the HRDC
Design
Orientation
Ventilation
Energy
Energy efficiency
Lighting
Cooking
Cooling
Water and sanitation
Sanitation systems
Features of dry sanitation
How dry sanitation works
Water supply and drainage
Rainwater collection
Alternative construction materials
Compresssed soil-cement blocks
Recycled cement bricks
Sun-dried clay blocks (Adobe)
Burned clay bricks
Rammed earth
Tyres
Rubble gabions
Local stone
Sample walls
Screens
Roof support strcutures
Flooring
Internal flooring
Exterior paving
Ceilings and insulation
Finishes
Networking

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Background
The Ministry of Regional and Local Government, Housing and Rural
Development (MRLGHRD) had, as part of NDP II, made provision for
the establishment of a national research institution. The HRDC will
be active in various fields of housing and human settlement
development. The MRLGHRD provides seed funding to construct and
operate the HRDC. To achieve the objectives, cooperation with the
various government ministries, University of Namibia, the Polytechnic
of Namibia, NGOs and CBOs, professional organisations, local and
regional authorities, is supported.

Tasks of the HRDC

Providing a central information resource centre focusing on
housing and related matters;

Promoting housing that is appropriate and affordable to Namibia;

Liaising between different interest groups, pooling resources,
and creating a housing network;

Researching local housing conditions, training needs, sanitation,

energy, building materials and construction techniques;

Promoting alternative housing and urban settlement designs;

Facilitating the development of management and other skills in
SMEs in the building sector including skills in alternative
construction methods and techniques;
Educating the public at large on housing issues; and
Providing advisory, consultancy and project management services.

Layout plan and future phases

Library and exhibition hall

Future workshops (2007)

Monte Christo Road

Claudius Kandovazu Street

Existing offices

Future conference halls (2007)

Show house area

Facilities offered by the HRDC

At present the following facilities are available:

Library and resource centre;

On-site exhibition space for innovative building methods;
Display areas for products and materials;
Office facilities for national and international housing
researchers, consultants and specialists;
a multi-purpose hall for 35 - 40 delegates with kitchen; and
an exhibition area for show houses.

The next phases include the construction of:

Two lecture halls for 150 - 160 delegates;and

Four workshops for training programmes.

Design aspects
Orientation
The public wing (kitchen, library, and exhibition hall) are elongated along
the east-west axis. The building is north-facing, whereas the office wing is
angled 25 east of north.
Ventilation
Cross-ventilation was provided by placing openings directly across each
other. Ceilings were fixed above the roof structure to allow a higher internal
volume, so that the rising warm air could accumulate above head height.
Clerestory windows allow the escape of rising warm air, which is supported
by the upward slope of the ceilings.
Energy
Energy efficiency
Strong emphasis was placed on energy efficiency, as the generative
potential of the Centre is small compared to the potential savings in
consumption.
Around 60% of the energy used at the HRDC is coming from the sun. Two
solar roofs have been installed with 44 panels of a maximum of 120 W
peak. Excess energy generated by the HRDC can be fed into the
municipal grid and can then be used by Windhoeks inhabitants.

Lighting
Window openings
maximise day
lighting. The side
windows and
central clerestory
window
distribute daylight equally. Lights only need to be switched on at night or
on overcast days. All light fittings are low-energy fittings (fluorescent or
compact fluorescent).

4
Cooking
Several cooking methods are available for demonstartion: solar box
cookers (chicken size and goat size) and a parabolic cooker. The box
cookers are manufactured in Ongwediva and can be ordered from the
HRDC.

In addition, various wood efficient stoves are on display, such as the Vesto,
TsoTso and the rocket stove. They consume less than half the wood of an
open fire. The Vesto can utilise the Bushblocks very efficiently, which are
produced from invader bushes.
Cooling
A passive downdraft evaporative cooling (PDEC) system was built for the
public area. This is based on designs developed in Persia many centuries
ago. Badgirs were invented in Yazd to cool the people's residences. Wind
is caught in the towers, where water containers help to cool and moisten
the air during the summer time.

Examples of wind towers in Sirjan and Yazd, Iran (from the Internet).

5
At the HRDC, a water pond has been incooperated in the design of the
towers to cool the air before entering the various rooms.

Water and sanitation

Several strategies were employed to save water at the HRDC, in particular
with regard to sanitation.
Sanitation systems
All toilets in operation at the HRDC are dry sanitation systems. This refers
to systems that do not require any water for the disposal of waste. These
technologies do not only save water, but also do not contaminate the
environment and groundwater resources.
Dry sanitation is an on-site system, stand alone system, which does not
require a connection to an existing sewer network.
Features of dry sanitation include:

No plumbing required
No drains
No pipes
Waterfree
Odourless
Chemical free
Relatively easy to build and install

6
All toilets at HRDC are dry or composting units. They were installed for
demonstration and testing purposes. The types of toilets used in the public
ablutions are the Enviroloo, a local builders Cool-drawer design, the JoJo toilet and one specially developed for the project - the Mark I.
Toilets at the HRDC
1. Mark I: The HRDC toilet Mark I is tested
in the public ablution building and relies on
an in-situ brick built composting tank with
two wire baskets [a] lined with container
bags made from polyethylene feedbags and
ventilated by an exterior chimney with
rotating self-propelled wind turbine extractor.
The potential advantages are: construction
by local semi-skilled people using locally
available materials, upkeep and servicing by
the users, lower costs and scope for
improvement.
2. Cool drawer toilet: This system uses a sliding device, containing a
plastic bag underneath the toilet. Once the bag is full, it can be easily
removed to a composting pit or heap. A new bag is placed in the device
and moved underneath the toilet.
3. Double chamber toilet: The system consists of two chambers
underneath the toilet. Only one chamber is in use, whereas the other one
contains waste, which is in the process of being composted. Once a
chamber is full, the toilet is moved over to the empty chamber and the hole
is closed.
4. Manufactured units: Two manufactured products have been included in
the design. They are the Enviroloo and the Jo-Jo toilet.

Enviroloos at the HRDC

Section through the Enviroloo

The Jo-Jo toilet

(Image: JoJo)

5. The Otji-toilet: The Otji-toilet design was inspired by the dry sanitation
principles. Due to increasing cost of purchasing systems from South
Africa, a local version was developed. A two cubic meter tank underneath
the toilet is constructed to hold two bins and composting bags. Using a
drill, holes are drilled into the bin to enable liquids to escape. Together with
a perforated plastic bag, the collectors are placed underneath the toilet.
Liquid flows through a perforated concrete panel into a second space from
where it filters into the ground.

The Otji toilet

(Images above
and left by CHP)

How dry sanitation works

Namibia is known to be the driest country south of the Sahara. Therefore
water is a scarce resource in urban as well as rural areas. Nevertheless,
conventional waterborne sewer systems are found all over Namibia. They
are promoting a flush and forget technology. Waterborne systems were
developed in countries with a high rainfall and did not have to be concerned
with water availability.

8
An alternative to the disadvantages of conventional sewer systems is dry
sanitation. It is part of the ecosan (ecological sanitation) approach, which
promotes the recycling of resources, lowers water consumption,
substitiution of chemical fertilizers, and is much more cost efficient and
affordable. Potable water is used to transport the apparent waste to
centralised treatment plants. This is unsuitable in areas with water
scarcity, as this leads to high water consumption. Especially urban areas
are wasting water as they are powerful enough to have water transported
over long distances to be consumed by its population.
Waterborne systems are very expensive to build and to maintain. The dried
faeces obtained from an alternative system, has soil improvement qualities
and increases water retention capabilities. It is a fertilizer, compost
material or source of energy, for example, when used in a biogas digester.
Therefore faeces and urine can be recycled and used as nutrients.
ecosan closing the loop in wastewater
management and sanitation

ecosan
ecological sanitation

shortcomings of conventional wastewater systems

ecosan closing the loop in wastewater

management and sanitation

ecosan
ecological sanitation

advantages of ecological sanitation systems

nitrogen
(high energy demand)
potassium
rainwater

phosphorus
(limited fossil resources)
fertiliser factory
purification if necessary

rainwater
service
water

drinking water
treatment

agriculture

food
drinking water
treatment

food
drinking water

agriculture

drinking
water

organic
waste

groundwater recharge

falling groundwater level

partial utilisation of sewage

sludge and nutrients

nutrients
organics
trace elements

wastewater

greywater
faeces
biogas,
composting
plant

rainwater
infiltration
reuse

urine

nutrients

hygienisation
irrigation
water

sewage sludge

purification by
rootzone treatment,
stabilisation ponds,
technical treatment

sewage
treatment plant
(only 5-10% of total
wastewater worldwide)

landfill

partially
treated wastewater

incineration

Environment and Infrastructure

International Research and Development Project
ecosan ecologically and economically sustainable
wastewater management and sanitation systems
www.gtz.de/ecosan

pollution with
pharmaceuticals, hormones,
organics, bacteria, nutrients

Environment and Infrastructure

on behalf of:

Deutsche Gesellschaft fr
Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ) GmbH

International Research and Development Project

ecosan ecologically and economically sustainable
wastewater management and sanitation systems
www.gtz.de/ecosan

on behalf of:

Deutsche Gesellschaft fr
Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ) GmbH

A further development of the dry sanitation system is the urine diversion

toilet system (UDS). Urine has a very high proportion of natural nutrients
and can be directly applied to plants. Urine contains about 90% of the total
nitrogen, 55% of the total phosphorus, and a proportion of potassium
contained in human excrement. Due to the low volume, a UDS is collecting
urine separately. Dry sanitation, as well as a Urine Diversition System, can
be installed indoors. To prevent smell, building lime, wood ash or wheat
bran can be used inside the toilet. Maintenance is easy, as larger systems
need to have the dried contents removed, on average, once a year.

Water supply and drainage

The HRDC is demonstrating and testing a wide range of water-saving
options. All taps are fitted with water-saving aeration devices, which can be
fitted to existing fittings and the public ablutions with demand taps. A
shower is located in the public ablution building for use by the maintenance
staff. Grey water from sinks and hand washbasins are drained through
filters. The kitchen sinks are connected to a greasetrap and strainer.

Rainwater collection
Roof-water is collected from the roofs and stored in stacked rainwater
tanks to serve cooling systems as well as irrigate gardens. A municipal
domestic water connection serves as a back-up. The plastic water-tanks
are elevated in the towers to create pressure and are shaded by timber
pole screens to reduce the effect of the strong local sunlight on the
material.

Alternative construction materials

Load-bearing structures were mostly used, as frame-and-infill structures
rely on expensive timber or steel and thin-skin infill is unsuitable for
climatic conditions where thermal mass is desirable. Timber is also a
scarce resource in Namibia with no managed plantations in the country
and deforestation becoming a problem. The variety of walling systems used
focused on high labour content and local materials rather than fast-track
pre-made systems imported from afar.
Compressed soil-cement blocks
The Namibian invented Hydraform system uses an on-site mixer and
hydraulic compressor to make cement-stabilised soil blocks. As the
available soil did not have enough clay content to act as binder, 6 to 8 %
cement was added, producing blocks of about 4 MPa. The blocks are
profiled and interlock when dry-stacked without mortar. Soil was sourced
from a stockpile at Otjomuise, a few kilometres away.

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Stockpile, production
and construction with
soil blocks
Recycled cement bricks
Cement bricks were reclaimed by hand from building demolition rubble
dumped by the Municipality next to the site. They were cleaned using
unskilled labour on a cost per unit basis and then reused during the
construction.

Sun-dried clay blocks (Adobe)

Sun-dried clay blocks made by the Namibia Clay House Project have been
used to build the public ablutions. Although clay has to be brought in, it is
valuable to demonstrate the use of these 300 x 300 x 100 mm blocks that
have been used to successfully construct over 200 houses in Otjiwarongo.

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Burned clay bricks
Stock brick quality clay bricks are produced by two Namibian companies
in Mariental and near Kombat. These are an alternative to the cement
bricks. The products create employment with labour-intensive production.
Charcoal used to fire the bricks near Kombat is made from invader Acacia
mellifera and Dichrostachys cinerea bushes. The structural qualities are
high and the bricks were used for the multi-storey sections of the
project.The walls are not plastered, giving a warm textured reddish look
and demonstrating that plaster is not required in the dry Namibian climate.

Rammed earth
Rammed earth using the same constituents as the Hydraform was used for
the exhibition hall. Sample walls were first built on site to experiment with
the mixture. 4% cement were added to the soil. Wall sections with this 4%
cement mixture were built as load bearing walls. Panels with 2% and 0%
mixes alternated as infill panels. The walls were constructed with reusable
steel shutters and the compaction was done by handramming.

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Tyres
Tyre walls for archive storerooms were built using earthship techniques,
filling layers of tyres with compacted soil. Old tyres cannot be recycled in
Namibia as the quantities are too small, but they can create landfill
problems. Walls are unplastered to demonstrate the system, whereas the
interior walls of the store rooms are painted white for light reflection. Tyre
retaining walls for terracing were also built next to the river to stabilise the
embankments.

Rubble gabions
Wire basket gabions filled with concrete rubble from a demolition site were
used for a retaining-shading wall for the offices. Gabion baskets were made
on site by workers from fencing wire and chicken mesh.

Local stone
Mica was obtained from a nearby filling station site for the outdoor
balustrade walls. The HRDC contractor sourced it soon after the concept of

13
materials was explained and obtained several truckloads for free, as the
filling station contractor had to remove the stones.

Sample walls
Sample walls for basic tests and demonstrations were built in the foyer
using sandbags, straw bales/cob, adobe bricks, river stone, glass bottles,
mortar and rubble, polystyrene blocks, and the Easy BuilderTM.

Screens
Various screening methods were utilised for solar protection and security.
Poles were cut by unemployed, unskilled workers from prosopis trees, and
were soaked in used motor oil (insecticide and weatherproofer), and used
as screens for windows, gates and to shade overhangs and water tanks.
The poles were fixed to steel support frames with self-tapping roof screws,
and on the shaded walkways, wired to the steel frame. In this way they
can be removed at a later stage when they are replaced by solar panels.

14

Roof support structures

The pipes for the support of the roof are second grade steel. The pipes are
used in various configurations to demonstrate options from traditional
trusses to single short-span purlins directly on walls. Other materials
demonstrated are brickwork vaults, a pin-jointed space-frame and a shortspan purlin-only system made from prosopis poles. Soft wood deteriorates
very quickly in the dry heat and termites are a perennial problem. Most
termicides still sold in the country are organo-chlorides banned under the
Stockholm convention. Environmentally friendly ones are now available.

Roof coverings
The use of corrugated steel sheeting as the dominant roofing material was
based on several reasons: the long lifespan, lower initial cost and potential
re-use make it far more efficient from an embodied energy viewpoint,
compared to the other available materials utilised. They include thatch and
micro concrete tiles, because large tiled roofs need a stronger and heavier
roof structure. Thatched roofs in an urban area have a high fire-risk due to
frequent lightning storms. Neither thatch nor tiles are dust-proof. All the
materials have to be transported to Windhoek from afar. For the area
covered, corrugated steel sheeting has the least weight and volume.
Second hand corrugated sheeting was used on the public toilet building.

Flooring
Internal flooring
Wax-polished concrete surface beds were used for offices where dust
control was important and packed clay bricks on a sand bed for the

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exhibition hall and lecture room. Both finishes have high thermal mass and
absorb body heat by radiation while being hardwearing, inexpensive and
easy to maintain.
Exterior paving
Waste mica stone was used with a clay bedding
layer for external paving, interspersed with gravel
strips to allow immediate rainwater penetration.
Round boulders sourced from debris from recent floods were used for
apron edges around buildings to reduce water splash. Cubes from
concrete testing laboratories make strong surfacing for ramped roadways
in the parking area.
Ceilings and insulation
Adequate insulation was a priority due to the roof
sheets thermal inefficiency. A material that could
support various insulation types as well as provide
some insulating value itself was reed. The invasive
reeds occur in seasonal riverbeds and are a flood
hazard. Between the reeds and roof sheets three
insulating materials were utilised:
Low-grade wool mixed with dried lavender leaves
(to act as natural anti-moth agent) packed into
second-hand feedbags.
Waste polystyrene packaging (100 mm thick).
Flattened cardboard boxes (60 mm thick).

Finishes
Surfaces were retained in their natural state wherever possible, to show
construction methods and the aesthetic potential.
Where needed for weather and corrosion
protection, water based paints and sealants were
used to reduce pollution and for health reasons.
The soil-cement blocks are coated outside with a
water-based clear silicate sealant against water
penetration. Two sealants were tested on the
rammed earth walls.
Interior walls are lime-washed white to increase the day-lighting effect.
White roadmarking paint was used inside on the tyre walls for the same
reason.

Habitat Research & Development Centre

P.O. Box 63036
Wanaheda, Windhoek
Claudius Kandovazu Street, Katutura
(next to A. Shipena Secondary School)
Tel. 061 - 268200
Fax 061 - 268201