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SIDINA Urban Housing

Urban Housing concept for returning refugees

Since October 2004, European Afghan has been working on a refugee housing project called SIDINA 'Strategic Infrastructure Initiative New Afghanistan'. In this article you can read about this project and the use of our construction material Wood Wool Cement Board.

 

Article Contents

SIDINA Urban Housing

The SIDINA Concept was developed by European Afghan in the past seven months. It is an effort in creating a durable solution for refugee housing. With refugee contracts in Pakistan and Iran expiring this year, the return of Afghan refugees will be huges. The grand part of them will not have any shelter when returned to Afghanistan and thus no possibilities of building their future.

 

Based on the great need for refugee shelter and not just in the form of tents or other short period types of shelter but thinking more in long term durable housing construction, we searched for efficient building techniques, which had to be rapid, relatively cheap, resulted in durable housing units and were easy to construct by local Afghans, thus giving a boost to the local economy in terms of employment.

 

In short SIDINA comes down to the construction of 15,000 housing units to be established within two years time. These housing units are approximately 65 square meters in size, having one large living room, three bedrooms, a kitchen and a bathroom. The city will have its own utilities installed and will not be dependent on the city of Kabul. They will have a 30MW power plant, a water treatment plant and sewage systems across the city.

 

So far we have reached the status of having full support by the Afghan Government e.g. The Ministry of Urban Development and Housing. Our plan has been received with great enthousiasm and willingness to cooperate in making this a succes for Afghanistan. Currently we are working on a request for funding on a full feasibility study which will enable us to demonstrate all benefits of the SIDINA concept and an exact insight in what the project is about.

 

You can read our presentation towards the Ministry of Urban Development by downloading this in PDF (Portable Document Format). You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader 5.0 or higher for this document to read, you can download Adobe Acrobat Reader here.

 

Download Presentation WWCB

WWCB Presentation to Ministry of Urban Development and Housing

March 23rd, 2005

 

Wood Wool Cement Board

Wood Wool Cement Board (WWCB) is a versatile building material made from wood wool excelsior and cement. WWCB has been available in certain countries in Europe for some eighty years now, but it was in the 1950's that demand began to increase rapidly, both in European and other countries throughout the world.

 

The world wide acceptance of WWCB proves its versatility in applications and its durability in any climatic condition.

 

The main characteristics are:

  • Fire resistance
  • Wet and dry rot resistance
  • Freeze-thaw resistance
  • Termite and vermin resistance
  • Thermal insulation
  • Acoustic performance - sound absorption
  • Acceptance of a wide range of finishes

A major application of WWCB in developing countries is durable, energy efficient Economic Housing.

 

Fire resistance

WWCB has been tested and classified B1 (fire resistant) according to the German DIN 4102 standard.

 

Wet and dry rot resistance

Because the wood wool has been mineralized by the cement, moisture loses its effect on the board. The boards are used for interior and exterior applications and in moist conditions such as ceilings in indoor swimming pools.

 

Termite and vermin resistance
Tests have proven that WWCB is not vulnerable to attack by termites or vermin, nor is WWCB subject to any biological decay.

 

Thermal insulation
Because of its relatively low density, WWCB has good thermal properties. The maximum thermal conductivity for boards of 25 mm thickness is 0.090 W/mK.For 2- or 3-layer composite panels, the thermal conductivity will not exceed 0.040 W/mK, when a core of respectively rigid foam (e.g. polystyrene) or mineral fiber has been applied.

 

Acoustic performance
Unfinished (or spray-painted) WWCB has very good acoustic absorption properties since the open surface structure allows for a high level of sound absorption.

 

Finishes
Wood Wool Cement Board accepts all kinds of conventional rendering, plastering, decorative materials and mastics. Acoustic ceilings can be spray- or roll-painted to retain the acoustic properties of the board.

 

Common Wood Wool Cement Boards

  • Standard WWCB
  • Composite WWCB (sandwich boards with a core sheet of Styrofoam, PU foam, Rockwool, or other insulating material)
  • Reinforced Roofing WWCB
  • Acoustic and Decorative WWCB

By adding an additional Clamping Press to the WWCB production line, also EltoBoard can be produced on the same production line.

 

Standard dimensions and density of WWCB:

  • Length 2000 mm, 2400 mm / 8' and 3000 mm 10'
  • Width 500, 600 mm / 2' and 1250 mm / 4'
  • Thickness 15 / 25 / 35 / 50 / 75 / 100 mm
  • Density approx. 400 kg/m3

You can view two types of movies about Wood Wool Cement Board. You will need Windows Media Player to view these movies, you can download Windows Media Player here.


Video Window - Wood Wool Cement Board

WWCB Photogallery - Urban Construction Project Brazil 1982

In 1982, about 8.000 houses were built for low-income groups in Brazil. Those houses were built using the Climatex technique and Wood Wool Cement board. In this photo gallery you can witness the easy construction process and the quality of the homes after 20 years of endurance.

 

Gallery - Click on Photo for bigger view

 

Climatex Home Brazil

Picture of two completed climatex homes in Brazil built with Wood Wool Cement Board in 1982.
Climatex Home Brazil

Helicopter view of complete urban housing project in Brazil.
Climatex Home Brazil

Overview of completed concrete foundation.
Climatex Home Brazil

Assembled prefab panels using Wood Wool Cement Board, ready to be placed.
Climatex Home Brazil

Brazilian workers erecting the WWCB walls onto the concrete foundation, no crane is necessary.

Climatex Home Brazil

Connecting the WWCB walls at the corners using iron mesh wire and mortar.
Climatex Home Brazil

Climatex Home with mortar and stucco finishing on the WWCB walls.
Climatex Home Brazil

Picture of a completed climatex house built with WWCB, picture taken in 1982.

Climatex Home Brazil

Picture of a completed climatex house built with WWCB, picture taken in 2002. No quality loss on walls whatsoever.