WOODEN PROTOTYPE FOR HOUSING EMERGENCIES

In the context of the acceleration of the ecological transition, there has been a real need to generate new approaches not only in the design and construction methodology, but also to rethink the use of construction materials. In this sense, wood is the spearhead for the green transition in architecture to the extent that it contributes significantly to the decarbonisation of the construction process as a whole. On the one hand, by replacing materials with high energy demand such as steel or concrete, it significantly reduces emissions from the construction process. But, in addition, wood itself sequesters CO2 in the form of buildings. And if we add to this the increasingly certain possibility of using wood in massive rehabilitation processes, the main priority of the sector if we want to honestly address the current environmental and housing crisis, the equation is more than positive.
In order to promote the use of wood specifically in the residential field, through the MADERAMEN Chair this annual Design&Build workshop is promoted by the Polytechnic University of Valencia. It consists of four phases: field research, prototype design, prototype in Valencia and Prototype in Equatorial Guinea. The ultimate goal is to design and build a prototype of a wooden structure to deal with housing emergencies in various locations. Various entities will collaborate in the workshop in order to share in each of the phases the views and experiences of the sector so that attendees can acquire transversal skills throughout the entire process. The workshop consists of an adaptation of the learning-by-doing methodology to the specific field of architecture, a kind of learning by building.
During the 2023-2024 academic year, the workshop was held in collaboration with the National University of Equatorial Guinea. The initial motivation was to respond to the shortage resulting from the major explosions that occurred in the Nkoantoma neighborhood of the city of Bata (Equatorial Guinea), on March 7, 2021, where more than 700 homes disappeared and thousands of people died.