Grantee Research Project Results

Final Report: Sustainable Building Design for a School – Community Center in Rural Nigeria

EPA Grant Number: SU834397
Title: Sustainable Building Design for a School – Community Center in Rural Nigeria
Investigators: Dearborn, Lynne , Adedotun, Adeyeye , Varad, Alanso , Ayotunde, Balogun , Akinlade, Femi , Dada, Folly , Georgiadis, John , Taylor, Mark , Lipke, Naomi , Olusegun, Ogunlade , Ero-Phillips, Samuel , Oriola, Segun
Institution: University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign , Ogun State University
EPA Project Officer: Page, Angela
Phase: I
Project Period: August 15, 2009 through August 14, 2010
Project Amount: $10,000
RFA: P3 Awards: A National Student Design Competition for Sustainability Focusing on People, Prosperity and the Planet (2009) RFA Text |  Recipients Lists
Research Category: Pollution Prevention/Sustainable Development , P3 Awards , Sustainable and Healthy Communities

Objective:

Lack of resources makes sustainable technologies necessary for prosperity in communities such as Igbogun, Ogun, Nigeria. The village of Igbogun lies fifty miles northwest of Lagos in Ogun State. The village is less than one mile away from Ogun State University. With a population of 286 people, the village suffers from a lack of access to health, sanitation, educational and financial resources. Our main objective for Phase I of this project was to increase the supply of safe drinking water in Igbogun and offer a new kind of technology that they could use throughout the village.

Summary/Accomplishments (Outputs/Outcomes):

We evaluated health, sanitation, soil and water conditions at the village. We gathered information about the type of construction, preferred methods of water treatment, and number of people in Igbogun. We conducted a site survey to locate houses, streams, institutions, and wells. We identified appropriate low technology methods of water treatment for the village.

Conclusions:

Residents of Igbogun expressed a strong need for better health, sanitation and water quality. The most pressing water quality issue is the safety and quality of water in Igbogun not the supply. An effective strategy for increasing the quality of people, prosperity and planet in the village will reduce turbidity in the water and eliminate pathogens while also addressing the stated needs of the community.

Supplemental Keywords:

water supply systems, potable water, ground water, community health, renewable building materials, education initiatives, sustainable development, compressed earth blocks, crops

Relevant Websites:

Architecture for Humanity Exit