r
M
UNITED NATIONS
ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL
Diet.
LIMITED
e/cn.U/hus/37
17 April 1980 Originals ENGLISHECONOMIC COMMISSION FOR AFRICA
Meeting of Directors of African Building and Building Materials Research Institutes
Bujumbura, Burundi, 30 April - 3 May 1980
THE CURRENT STATUS OF BUILDING
AND BUILDING MATERIALS RESEARCH IN AFRICA
M8O-1124
E/GNaU/HDS/37
I» Introduction "., v :j, ■■;,="-,,-■
■ ■*''
1* Building and building materials research in Africa has a very short
histoi^ro^Tne ties with European countries which existed during tfee -pre- independence era appear to have contributed to the>development;of thia^jarefc of reSfearcft but^ain certain countries, building research receive4 attention
only after-World Nar' It when it became widely recognized that technological
progress depended mainly on researcho ■ ■■ : ■ i ; ! ;...
26^ ;'xRieia'earch has not in the past received* high! priority in the. programmes ofxA£r"iei&n G6verhments: and the'general attitude has sometimes been to regard
rese^&fe ih"'general an<3 particularly research on building and buildingmateriSisa^a luxury that can be afforded,' and should'therefore be-undertaken,
only by the developed countries© This line of thought ^ however$ fails adequately to recognize the fact that the social, economic, cultural and geograpMeal: aspects of technology can limit its wholesale traaefer from •■
^^ to the othero ;.\ ■■; ) vv-: !
3VJ lThe! construction industry accountb for betvreen 4 and 11 per cent ■■■:■; ' QrossDofeestic Product (GBP) in African: countries'* rlt is felear, therefore,
^J't-h&t^^njr-appreciable reQuetion in building costs will, becof - i' fr
great Value-to any national economy© Experience ±n>a number of countries in <aifjiPerent parts 6f the trorld has shown that at leafit, a 10 per cent. rr.: reduction? in building costs can be achieved by simple rationalization ,< -o
mea'&yre^:^rhlbh do not -involve any major changes in conventional building .:
t%chnxo^ies"or require considerable capital outlay and higHlgt- qualifiedr .> ■";.
manpower l/n Such changes cannot be accomplished without research and
experimehta't±©2irwhichj; during the initial period, can be:^ mainly^:ojf .ati . ';nsa|^llfedTjcl^ac^er,raii^^at transfon^^^
l^cleot^ltiops and1 requirements* BuilddS^^aind b^iliBsi^Wiferteitfrrftsearch
Wv^des^informatixin oh ^the poteht)Lal<uses of -available: r^if'^ialfeeriitla^^f fin>Tthe^ development and adaptation of technologies for t£&: conyeralon of siKih1 t*£o/materials'iiite building materials, and: promotes tfoei adoption; of
bdtlddiiig.'designs "and construction techniques that are appropfcsiate ito
prevailing Within a country,, *' ; , ;; :::ii^ ,,- A sound base of research in building and building materials is ial if; the building materials and construction industries ih Africa ar*f to develop tdtrards greeter^self-reliance and therefore; decreasing
r<Sepe^deft*e©i©BP expensive' imported building materials and construction--rA - ;
tdflsidgi'-and'.expertise/)- -.'■.■ ■- . ' -••. ■■: .-^.;-:--i.- ..■ ; . . •-,-.,r/
5« Tills ■ paper reviens building and building .research'activities iin- the: >
African Region and provides a basis for identifying present needs and* -c -t possible improvements in this area of research*
XIV'•' fBJy&lHtion of Building Research ih jfcfriea :-t<■.';■■.:■ :•. vrj.i
fo '-building and building^ materials:research Centres in Aifriba "'■
h# only as recently as the' early-3.95Os« .r The recpgnittton ^ m
;'/'/';*■ ■ ■ ■ -■■■■": ■■ • . -; ■ ■..:■■
1/ "Building research in Africa," Background paper prepared by Nations Secretariat for the 8th session of the Committee on Hi Building and Planning, Geneva, 15-26 0ctober? 1973o
Page 2
and uTwersxanc'-ing"Of'the .-,-. - ,-- <= ,-
industries sHotrM play YiHrhin;n£t^ td -nave^'
bg&i ait 'important^f&c&b'r leading td:iirhe^ ej^atiHshment1[tktf>rsucK centres'*"= ;!:r
'important ^fdcitor' i^adirig t'^ f ^; ^^
yg^luencie^^he-V^eni; aric. intensity"tif r^seat^^ ictivi^y in
the past. A study by the former United'Rations'" Centre^'f&r Ikrtidiitig,/ d
and Planning and the EQA in 1972 2/ showed that some small and, economically LWST;c\^+rieV^^
^hail'a liu^Ker1 6f others where" eebildciic conditions tfere"'fteWir"and*;i&g&i :ro^ 6f others where" eebildciic conditions tfere"'fteWir"and*;i&g&i :ro
constfctfctfcofl^ progrsaniiiei^rr/ere^^ b^ing midfer^pK^rr THU situatlfyS does tiof ;;
BI^a^lto1';hav6/cTiaiiged^ n0ch «in ;^h^: intervening'Veai1^7'' ', ' 'i: ^- '
7» ; ■T%e('inforraatibri-aya±labl^-'^
in E^ypt"^(iibTr the g
Research) uas sec up in 1954o Although
the West African Building Research Institute (U.ABRl).r it was not tinti,! 1952
as; appointed"'to1^ ^re^dr'e^-^; V^ailed prb^atiSne ifbr' the (11.;
that a<ixrectbr was; appointed to^ ^re^dr'e^-^ ae/tailed prb^atiSne 'InisVl'tuteo "Research actiyxtie'sCibfeg^ ^nr eial^iiest only xii 19561
was taken over by the GovVirnment1 ojE^'Gjyna xii 1962 and, is hoW the Building and':H6^adf'Reteearch Institute^ ICuiiia'sio L TBe^J&ia^erials {?W$earch aiid T^es^in^ f
Departmeht at the Addis Aba;ba y^V6r^ty in' EtloiopicV 'was" .e''i?afe|li3'ned ■JiJA'lg^
as a s^t^bh Jof the resea:rcfh^ arid teTstin^ c'ej)artmettt 'b/f thfe'"Ethil6^r3i^eHis1i!
InsWMe^of Buiiaihg TechtiologyD: :It' acquired its prWeift sta'tu^ in ®®^
8» The I§60s witnessed
including the Centre de
n^; University 6f Nairobi; ^e^V igS Building; Re^arch' Slfairibh/^the'-^dkni;i^y?:l^™^W;
-NkVlLtibaSt Building Research sVa^xbh/x*^\SuHan5/"i9^V''^w™>^^^''^7x ^ .■
trof ;mH.lt!ing and TtoayJ'Reseajbtiii'itiistixTdte/e Building and buxldihg materials
Jr1e%eWili:--fcehtrc6" t^-i-ife^sfe^ u^: ,<£S&i$' !*^ ^7°s ^^^M^atipi^ff '^
Hbusthfe'^atid Buiidiin^^e^e^ifc'n rUtctV(tJ'njit^d p'^ibujbiic pj^ Tanzania^, 1971)»- v^
NigerCa^i'BuilcEiiigir^iictT;K6ad Re^fearcn"f':'3^¥i%{).te':XNig"e_r/a»'' 1^9) and the,' Cehtrt national de recherche et d9exDerimentatioH''TMil±li;'Jiy7^i«1"' r l
• The' Public; Wbi^ks Depa^i1merits tfi' almost^^i/A^ic^'^dWrtri^ja/'hW^^fpr*^
any^^ei^r^1 main't'afn^d' mater^lMs %'e^tirfe lkt)oratoVles^r which undertake the'"
prescribed1 biieisifidatibn^^i'hese Irfboratdries iiaVe spme'fimels^undeHr'^en.';'"' ■
research in building materials^, although of a Jiuaite&^nat'ureo*" !Iji somecountries the testing laboratories.formed the. .nucleus of more formal,,
10* The Geological Survey Departments in ^1h6i<Vaitiousl'cbiiiitries''naTe''^sb'i'''*1 played an important part in identifying,(surveying tenting and.gyaluatins(I
local raT-r materials for the pre^6tic&£0&&A^^
on building and building materials has,also tysen carried out in ^ht national
univei^ti^^qpfeHif^aaa^M^^lrc-facdMei/fehDbis^oif engineei^iiig,'architec
ture a«a^toinlng-:!- *mTJ''tfw. :, ^ (\:n, -. -, (^,, •..-....■, » ar.,:*,ry^ <rt-a-:
11* The School Buildings Service in the UNESCO Regioral Office for Education based in Dakar? Senegal, ;-as established'as a UNESCO School Construction Bureau for Africa in 1961 in Khartoums the Sudan? d
E/CKe14/HUS/37 \ :
Page 3 ':
Initially'charged T'ith the responsibility of designing and supervising th£: construction of school projects in three African countriese The
Bureau Has'transfOrmec1; into the Regional School Building Centre for Africa in'I965 arid7 became the Regional Educational Building Institute for Africa (REBIA) in 196Co In 1973 REBIA was transferred to Dakar and became^ the
School Buildings Gerviceo The primary objectives and functions of the
School Buildings Service are inter alias _ »■■
(i) To enquire into the status 'and neede of educational building in Africa; and to maintain contact nith'institutions and other bodies involved in education?> buxleasing projects, arid research,;
both in Africa aiid; in other continents; ■■'" . ■ ■ ■ ■
(ii) To" assist in the planning and exScutio*l; of educational building : pro^r*aftmes in Africa 3 particularly by promoting the establishment : of national "development groups1' and by giving support and aid to their uorky including the arrangement of training courses; '
!(iii) To promote and carry 6ut studies on educational building problems
: and "to encourage experimentation £ .; ' «■ ;,i ■
(iv) To serve as a regional documentation centreo t ■■■^<ni;
III# Present status of building and building materials research A» Types of existing research organisations
12#- Five main types of building and/or building materials research : centres are identifiable in African countries? namely: . . / : : .
(i) GentfeG that are departments (or anits) of a national university' ni
e.gi, Materials Research and Testing Department7 Ethiopia^ Building1
and Road Research Institute? the Sudan)j ' •
.. (ii)^Centres that are departments within a government Ministry (e»'.g« -
■'"'" the National Housing and Building Research Unit, United Republic :.
of Tanzania; Centre national cle recherche et d'experimentationyi Mali);
(iii) Centres that are part of b national research council (e«g0 Building.
and Road Research. Ihsiritutej,1 Ghan^; Bailding and Road Research >i
Institute^ Nigeria)I ' ' r ::i ' : ■
(ir) Materials testing* laboratories Trhich are attached to departmeats '■ •
■ of public uorks and T'hicii undertalte come-research Work on building
materials; ana > ■ . : - .'■
(v) Independent government research establishments (e«g»:Centre de la ■:
construction et du 3ogement9 Togo; General Organization for Housing, Building and Planning Research,, Kt)
13•■'"-' Al-though.vbsich of the clifferent types of receareh centre mentioned above.has its"specific advantages and disadvantagesP -the final decision' - as to the best place for a building research institution within the ;|-' ■ organizational structure of a particular country uill be determined largely
E/GR.U/HU3/3S
Page 4-;-V..n
by local cUrcumstancesp i.xlfcb<0ver9 to;jbq relevant and effective, such
should be able to operate tTe^spnabi^ independently^.. JVospectiveuoer^ of research findings :shoii;l<r havq no^inln^itions i# identifying themselves with'the. activities of: th£; ^research centre and should have the confidence , to refer problems to it and use research resultso : ■ ■ .
B8 Scope of research „ :: : < ' ■ • .:
14# The content of research in the developing African countries; must be geared primarily ta. the solution of urgent problems confronting the building materials and construction industries* Research, to be considered relevant, must consist, in the main, of "applied research" and "development research"*
The amount of "basic research" that should be allowed in tho light of the
availableilresources (manpofrer^ finance, equipment, etc0) and the problems
reqtfiriaig hirgent attentionj should be a matter of government, policyp 15e While it is generally agreed that basic research should largely be undertaken in universities, research workers in national building or
building Materials:research institutions wishing to preeervs their academic status by publishing papers of the type acceptable to q©rtai,n international scientific and technical journals may? if not prevented^ spend a dis
proportionate amount of time on research projects ,i?hose results ipay noipi-be of any immediate benefit to the country*
..;.::-.,^.^^;--v.:;:lv.;- .:' ::i--,. ■■■■ ■ ■'.:/;i:: -v ":•■:'■:.' //i-v *xu
16» A revieir of research projects, "both completed and on-gdirigj""sT»TTs that much effort has been and is being devoted to problems dealing ,vith . the use of local raw materials needed by the construction industryeM" These building materials include aggr^gates|burnt clay.bricks? stabilized soil, [ gypsum, cement, limef pozzolana, and building materials;based on agricultural and industrial uaste products* This emphasis in research is desirable
an vien of the marked'dependence on importecl- building materialo whiph; has hitherto limited' efficiencyrand output, and has contributed to ths^high cost of builfling in African countries.* r ■■ ... ■■
17o Building materials, such as burnt bricks,:lime and stabilize4 soil of interest, to lai^ge-groups of African countries o&d -provide ■ a good starting point-otf/-co-Hi3p'eira?fcion in using research xesuits-i available product7.on and application"technologyand available expertise in the"various countrieso' Forrexwi^le, during a recent mission undertaken by.a team;pf EGA..expert.^V1 it ;ras'fo6nd that3 ih each of four countries visited in the West Africa subregion, some uork was either being done or being planne^l on the-manu facture of stabilized soil blocks/bricks'and their use in housing
construction j/o The team observed that$ in some instances,rresearch, workers werei not a^are of studies that hac1 been: undertaken on this building material in other countries in the oubregion? Tlii.j obaervn'c^.n nhnv&\th<?. »u^gent need for both improved dissemination and exchange of research results among
Afr^banc^untrieG, and: for joint research on this mat©rialo ; .' ( -'.-
2/ Bepart of the!.third BCA Experts0 mission to six African countries on the Building Materials and Construction Industries Development Programme
(May-July )
Page 5
l&V The use p£ pozzolaWs/both natural and airtificial, in construction is attention in the :?ork programme of some research'
^;'; iWbitutires rrnicn have reported projects on pozzolanas include
R (
^;p pj p
the Ilktiotial Mousing and Bufidinc Research Unit (United Republic of Tanzania), 4fhfef^eAa^B Reseairqh and testing department (Ethiopia) and th
^ q
()
g p (ip) the Buildingahd; Road nefiearch Institute (Gharia)o The importance of pozzolanas lies chiefly in their use as aceraeht extender* In some cases, pbzzolana can be used ais a partial replacement for up to 40 per cent of portland cement TTittibut diminlisfaing its1 usefulness for the intended application* Oil vieu
■ of thehi£n' cost bf^portlarid; cement and its products in many countries in l- the^re^ioh'j^the feasibility of using pozzolana should be investigated
1 -wherever suitable"1 rat?'materials are available* ; f ' 19» -The construction industry1 iri'Africa uses only limited quantities of t4Mbe*r; and T?6od products, even in those countriesT where the ran materials are abundant« They are used mainly for roof trusses, vTindoir and door frames, beams'ahdr columns and' sometimes for flbbrihg an£ ceilings, t'/opcl products
are- used ■ only to a small extent for internal partitions and external l-;
cladding because of lack of confidence in their durabilityj lack" of 'knbule^e
of their properties atid sometimes their high costar Timber^ hofjeverj is a renewable resource and its increased use in housing construction would '''' help to alleviate existing and future housing problemso Research on timber
1 "in some research institutes hasbeen concerned rdtli studies of the strength -1"■*'- ;; airld'. durability of different types of timber, including the lesser ididwn ones
' ^(s^called secondary1 species) ? and nith: methods of seasoning and "treating
,-mu-x •:■-'■ ■■" ■ ■ ■ ■". - ' -.■■■', ■"■..:;.-. ■ .■-.■■■■■.
20*«-"Th almost all the African countries over 80 per cent of all duellings in both rural and urban areas are single-storied* The roof is therefore one
'bf "the ;l&rges't and most costly compojieh^s of a housing unit £/• ' The*
popularly-used roof coverings — galvanized" iron, aluminium and asbestos
'-cemfeiit '-^'are" mainly imported or manufactured ;lpcally from import6$!raT?
materials-and are therefore expensive, especially for the rural'builder.
Stocking thatch is .most popular'in the rural-areas because obits' cheapness, availability 'and rapidity of 6bnstruction(i Unfortunately, thitch"deteriorates rapiSly- in i'tropicial climate, harbours insects and is a seri6us!fire hazard*
Although some reaearch has been done in other regioris on suitable treatments
for prolonging the life of thatched roofc? there is no record' that"any successful attempt has been made to do so in the African region* '
■21«{"Some experimental '^JrJ: hac,7 hor?ever, been done on producing alternative roef^coveringsr The Building Research Unit in the United ReputJlic'of^
Tanzania has carried out studies on cement—sisal fibre sheets as*roof;'
"coverings•;. The results have been promising/ and T?drk tin. standardizing
.4/ It accQunte, on average, for^between 11, and 20 per cent of total
cosc# A figure of ,22—3G per cent has been reporfeiJ"for lotr^cpst houses in the\Cuc;an */" " ' '" "Page
the. material so as. totfacilitate easy handling and construction is being
undertaken^ Uifelfe ^issemlTnation of the jihaj; report on this proj'^t l*°tj*d be nelpful to; other fj^i«an countriesc '';Similar experimental ?forfcrhas t«en
dohe My trjie Departnifcn^ of, Opmmuhity t)ev6jtopiiient in thp Garabia$ ijxtn' ;11 '-^ethnical assistaricef;ti^oyi'aed ^by tihe Intermediate;Teehn6io|jy Development
■"■':<3r6up'' pf!the tinitic? MngdortU i^igenous prga^c/iibreS (babbafe fibres'
and cuasarina needles^} ' h^ye beeti used as ^eini^orceinent [pxtiji 'cem£&: an£
i'Hme;mortar to produce corrugated roofing sheetso. Further; work isvbeing cone^ including1,;studies 6jf. the dtiralsiiity of'thisJropflnc .riiitj6r3.al^ .'The
,6uildin|j and Road Research In$titu^e of CShaiia, in' iioliaboratibn f:rxfp ihe
; 'DSA^enby for."International Bfevelbpm&iit (USA1&) ?^ lids 'alsb carried put .studies on producing roofing sheets frt?m bagasse and natural rubber»-' GM^Jes^pf
the panels produced, T'hich Trere used as the ro6jf; covering for a securityposti have been found to be in good condition after two years. Further
;Y»rk, involving the use pf fillers other than bagasse, is in
2Zi Building desi^ has been, given priority in all the building resja(rch insHtutionso" The import of'desigijs ffoia European and otlier cpuntrie^
into Africa has? in: tiie pasi", been greitly facilitated by the fact that the curricula of African schools of,architecture arid engineering were;'., based on the-models p^evai^injg in those countries,* In addition, the/
majority of the teaching staff haci received paii, of their training in them.
There is therefore' an tirgent need to ejiamirie th6 basic pf 'design in* African cbuntries in the light ;pf^their specific social, economic, cultural, climitic and environmental conditions. Projects that have^been undertaken include '
^studies of the ■influence-\6j! climatic and'social' donditions, qn^lfiouse design^
design 6f houdes for lo-v-incomb''families,' and design of'scbiool buildings and clinics. Studies oA\indoor' climat29'tHerraal insulation, and the durability off building materials and*comp« nents, which are essential preremiisites'for any improvement in design, have been undertaken in certain institutions, but neec1 to be given greater emphasis in future research programmes*
* i . - ■' ■ :. . .';'.' -..,..■. ,. ■ '■" .'..'''i. ,: . .: ;" ■. . ■ b '. ■
23» Studies oh housing have gehtSrally focusscd on the problems of rrui!&l and loi^-cost housin^o / "The preparation of typical nbuse designs, studies, o^f materials suitabTeibr such housilig,^studies Qf^methods for impiroving; the durability of traditional'housihg through; the application of suitable
"surface finishes to nails, and pilot1 and demonstration housing- schemes have received special attention^ The fact that over 70 per cent, oif tfep.
is ^concentrated in rural; aif*eac in African countries raakep, it, to continue to seek ways anci means of proyidihg cheap anjd durable housing'for this fiegment of the pbpulatjLono The gehcral problem of
physical planning^'^;hich is an essential factor in improving, housing,, conditidns^ has ribt featured prominently in the work of building research institutes, possibly because the primary responsibility for this functicn
ln~ mariy/.eiiuntries'.lies tJith the Toim kna Country .Planning Department* .,.
It is important^ however, for building research pentreo to undert-ake. studies that frili leacl to the improved planing of human settlement^, particularly in ^ruriil" arcaoe ' ' ^ "-' "" "l"
24* The solution to the problem of high building construction costs
depends not only on the substitution of cheap local materials for "imported onesfr but also, inter, alia'a on improved labour productivity1 based on
economically.- viable^ and appropriate technologies^* these :j111_ involve
n*w techniques and processes, the standardization of buildinEg materials' and
E/CN*14/HUS/37 ., : Page 7 ''■:
?. labour^equipment, mix, improved site management
jt^echnicjues, prje^abric^ated bvsteras and industrialized etc. Comprehensive scu^Les,-are therefore needed\to ;..".' .ciencies and fpruiulate su-ttal^le improvements* Projects, on aspects of building economy and management arc included in the programmes of some.^gejxch organizations in, the regi-Qi^„. TJiere is, hOT/ever, no
adequate basis whereby the impact, o/ past stu^e'sjpn the conctructipn .."
industry in the respective countries pan be assessed* .-..'"-.
..\[, L Anne,x J^provides ,3 summary of the areas o£ research on building and.:4i-nS! ^^/r^j^t3: covered l?y research organizations in thosV. Africaii " "
countries ;^or Tihich some information is. rayailabl^. - '^
C« , IHgseminatipnj of research.-result's
26, It has been mentioned earlier (para. 12) that the ultimate users of
research results should have the confidence Jxj.th tp refer problems,to^ the
research centre for investigation and to rise^researchr^ftedingflir*:^&r^b
i ^^iMj,;^01^^ >P .prepent tlie; results iOf research to the. yarjpustarget, ;grpupc ip« the language, and manner, that wx'jtf fbest be undfrstobid. by,;
them, r A brealcdbvjn in communication between the uqer and the research
centre catx lead to,situations'where the relevance of the centre; "is,
questionek.*. , '" . : "' " . . ''""; " ' ''/■'••■*'■-■■■2% It
and scientific
sheets publichec! by. some research centres are infencieH to provide useful
information which may be used for purposes of innovation .or improvement^
in design, construction or performance, or to give practical advice on the ,use of.specific building materials :and construction techniques., .Most,
research institutes maintain a, mailing list, cjt, major national ancl ii>ter- ,
national researeh'and development ag6nciesr;in/the fields of'material science,ciVil engineering, housing, planning, technical information, documentation, etc*, to whom copies of research reports are sent* -;
. v^ organization of training courses and seminars ponstitute© a . u fruitful channel for. making u^scrG a-are of the fin^ingfi of research institutes.
The B)iildinp ^ear^h Centre at Cacavelli, Lome (Togo), Organizes regular .
courses for various categories of cons.trviction personnel, including maspii©!,and foremenj in the^ use of stabilize^/-earth and burnt olay bricks. The^ '',' National Housin^-an^ girding, neGearch Unit in the United Republic p^-^^'"
Tanzania organizes! seyeral'.seminars a y*ar S^Iyarious regions of thej!,.;"*").' country, mainly on the production and use of local building material^ ,..'
^9« Public prejudice against houses constructed of local materials,-such
as stabilized soil, burnt brick and timber, can be combated through the erection of demonstration houses* Many sceptics change their attitudes :jhen confronted dth a uell-designed and properly constructed house in a material that they previously despisedc. The construction of demonstration houses forms part of the activities of many of the existing building research centres in. the African region*. Guch demonstration houses,. howler,~ need—to be built in different regions of 'the country to make thcm^acc^ssible to
a wider audiencei, ; - • ■ ■
J \'l
Page B !
30» Th^.up^°* .locai1
the cainr6f making the public ; morer;;awrir©ria ili ?tJr6rao*tijaJr e'ffi6|e^cy and ''cic&t ^rechtfctffd
prg&i$3$fan *of '"open t Of €Ke .institutes ''(SanstTUctioil sector. i:
31. The; 6siablichiaeiit of strd^j:aria e^fectivfet(;lirifciftefite&'^l&ing ' 1(' research Or'ganifz&tioiic ahcE industry is ;ne.d^sa^y iii b^r^eV'to:facilitate; the provision of up-to-date^ infbrraatioh and ^efdhn^cal 'advice aJxl:alsb as a: means
of obtaining feed-back information from actual practice.. Experience
shored| tK^neyerj'^Bik't :in' a .'nurfoer of cases ^tKe'e^tiisting relationship dan*at
best fee descrifecl as indiffet*enf. The boar'Ss of .dir^Sctoir^ {niah^eraeW r^w' etc.) of some organizations 'cki^'include repreIse>rtiati:«Ws ofthe'builditi^g ;
materials and construction industries? but it is not clear .to iihat extent such repreeentation has contributed t<^Ia3lc^^-*iJe--gap-re;tiJe«ft' building"
research and industryo . . .
and te
)f.!!-. staff -:r)';i
32. ' "ftie lacti of stixfa'biy qualified national' reiifearch'Sp^ialistd is a ^ thii cbttfrbTntox many building :reseaTCK:centfes;lnf^ica. ! Sime institufe^o have ^neref'oire itad '^o i^ely on tlje services o^ej^t^iestlaff^oip^h^^
implementation1 of1 much ne6ded rbsearch projects. Research institutes to compete with universities and industry for the available qualified scientific and .technical personnel. The. T-jorking conditi^03113 at..a research,
centre's^U14^her4^re be attractive and rewarding enough to .attract arid
reUaijifthe^JriiSit calibre of staff. *nfcerhaps jhe^ k4y to the guccessful.
organization"''of" a Research est&lishnient is to^rOai it "so tliat the.^staff Ioiot/ that they can' easily leave for;'a.better:*ipby. t»it 'ifind it. so r^vrarding a rlace ■itb;"w6rfc."ih/that 'moWt of ****-'-' 'n
febifeend >Ji"th"» ' Ttfe 'faternai itr^idjtii^ prbgr'afl^ep of ;^^g$i^|
the effects of this problem*
34. Qertaii: ^search'jKititutes, for examplejtfc General Organization
^ ifdr rBdusii%| Building arid planning Research in Egyptj fekve the resources
(experiencecl'""Bitia-i'f» tiabbi*a^to'ry'l,fc6cilities« etca): to^-assist'.in tficT,training of research -pJe^sortneiElind: teChriicians ifrbm. other c6iintH.e>o .Co-operation
an»n^ researiih inst^tjA'ps' ip jtfrica is ekoential in bj^omotixig tfbr'■•--' "*"' existing ^facilities wthe1 'rfQciri for the training or staff fori
and building materials:Jr^waiiiSro^« iSrectors of research institutes _....
estaW.i!sn contacts^ :ixth t^^levaiit graduating classes in the hatfonal
universities in order to identify suitable candidates for further, training,
u
rrox., ■ .■''! rj(.
'' -'St/'" Slr;(EdT-Jarc-lBullard?' "Tht; 'organiiiktioSi0 b^'rebearch eiat
Ed. Sir 761in'-1'€0C!krof1rl':ippe27^ fVess 'isffii
Page 9
E« Research ^guipiaent :, j. ,...^,-,j -; :,
35» Lack of appropriate and adequate equipment for laboratory and field : 6-tu^dieo conjatitutes a-major bottj^eneck in the smooth implementat$on:of .,., research programmes in.the majority p£ existing research organizatiom*>;Very outdated -equipment of auspicious reliability is sometimes all that is.■■'-.<",.
available fpr experimental ^tudiejn©. Modern equipment^ which makes it easy to' i^arry 'QJft. certain laboratory,.>?xlcs and gives accurate recults9 is Very, oft^.not jiv^tlable, due mainj.u to the lack of^funds for its purchaaeo■: j-i»-'
Thxs, pituatxon ir—mora frequortt in countries ;with balance of payment, problerac.
- '■. ■••;■'.' to ;';o.r \. :.
36e All the research organizations which carry out studies on building
materials pQccess certain cquipn*011*; for the routine testing of building x materials to determine their suitability for various purposeso ,.. . ., ..<-■■
37» A number of bilateral donors .and international organizations9 including United Nations bodies (e,g3 \mjP9 UNIDOj ctco)s have assisted in equipping
the laboratories of some research inctituteoo y
360 jfhi.lc it ia obvious that there is ,a casp fqr urging African Governmento
to tty^ tti pblve tnc problem^, of builfiing, and. building materials research,: , braanizatioiui« iiuiludirie' 'the aVailabilitv of'fundn to nm»chai;n rai:i-hntilf>g g
tfe? c^^!.^9 availability.offundc to purcl^'p suitable
^^meitty^ thcr*c is "also'a need to. explore $)iq- possibility of faring {■>
exioting; f^a^iiitiecj, both withijn countries an4 in groups of countries, in
the ^^i^bib ' ''"'\ ' ' ' '"' " ''
Financing of rcnearch activities
39» ^Jp^c fc*i* building and building materdfra3£ recoarch jactiyiti^G .in Africa
arcprbvided l&rgely by. Governmentce :Jn. mahy^, countries Government ■ . > ■ v subsidies account fof'oVcr 90 per pent ofythc tofal-zu^nual operating budgeteHowever^ i^n i^7l/l9723, only 60 per 4^it. of t% budget of the Housing"- /
Research and peVelbprncht Unit in'Kenya was met from (government grants(Mfiiistry;of Housing 4b per cent, Dhiyersity of Nairobi^ 20 per..cent) o . -,. - The remaining 7^0 per cent :rac met through external aid pchcmGc* §/
40c Many research Qrghriizationq1 derive ^omc of their, ineomc from opurccs such ao^tlic testing of building materially rpyaj^i^o on paten^tc and liccncccj sales of pttblicjitionoy oVinciiitahcy services? joxnt research wor,k ,irlth -.-, : foreign inctitutionc and international agencica and grantc and donations*.
4l« A ma^or^ prbblcfif'tha't: ariccs; frbm the present method of financing^fc^• r
bulk' of rbsoarch activities .io 't^-ty cince fepv'ornmont ^nancial resources';!
arc limited and .have to be."1spread over pro-jp<?tr. in nany .pectorc-o^ the --,.■;,■■
ccohonff) ■■■c %>^;;i^prtarvt.,recQ^ch>prcicctQ^ao^ ^c %. bofsuspended tfor' I'dtilc'bf fundso Approval of the annual1 budget prepared by"the" research
inctitutcc wupid in mopt_ cacoc dc; ^ndr.Qn, the priority the Gpy^^nro^rfcYV::'"
authority concerned attaches to their work. Research institutes must~'. . -^
. ■"- ■ ■ ■ -■■"1" ■ ■. - ■ =1' ■ -■■■■■ ■• ••■ •■
6/ Building Research in Africa Prepared by UN Secretariat 1973? p»4l.
E/CN,l4/HUS/37
Pagte'lCMv^ ■'■••■ V-
therefore be seen to be making a positive contribution to the national development effort*, There is also a need to explore tho'-poboibiliticG R of inducing the building materials and construction industries to provide financial !support for research projectso It is reported that the
construction industry in ^gypt providds substantial resources for theiJOrk of the General'Organization for Housing9 Building and Planning Research This, however, appears to be an exception to the situation prevailing.
in; many African countries. Assistance should also be soiight fr6m national financial 'institutions. For example, the Bank of Ghana has supported the Building and Road Research Instituted feasibility study of thp prbtfuctid:
6f portlahd cement baaed on limestone and clay deposits in the Northern
Region of Ghana 8/» .
42. The problem of finance appears to be linked to the mode of iden^i—..
fication and choice of research projects. This process should therefore involve the parties Tihosc assistance ia needed in implementing the
^repeatxjh programmed df the research institutes*) ; ■■,;.
VJm Conclusion
43*. An attempt'has"been made in this paper to present a picture of tjie
characterictics, activities and problems of building and buil4:pig materials
research organizations'; in the African region. Even though th^-"informaifi
available for certain countries at the time .that the paper ijas. prepared *;
of a rather limited nature j some observations and conclusions uhich, are applicable to the majority of countries in the region c?.n be outlined.
44* There is an increasing ntrarcness of-the need for a sound base in research as p, means of promoting the development of the building materials and construction industries subsoctbf, jiarticularly in solving houoing . problems* It is clear from the material presented in this paper that,„ if existing research brganizations arc to produce the desired results in '".'.
terras of making a aignificant contribution to the development of the',
subscctorj cer-cain actions need to be given urgent consideration* by African Governments. The provision of adequate, financial rcsourcco for -the
purchase of laboratory and field equipment and alcb for implementing planned research'programmes should be a matter of concern to Governmentp.
At the came time, industry*p ability $6 support research in the field of building and building materialsneeds to be ih^cstigated for. ppssiKLe
exploitation* - .
45» The lack of suitably qualified research and technical ppraonncl ic ?u major problem confronting research organizations that neccls to be' resplypiidLi
The creation of faVourable^rking^c^^ > . -.r' ,
remuneration, and' ;eiocntivos- should be consideredo... The training of.^such ., personnel in existing research organizations in Africa should be encouraged.
7/ Directory 6f building Research^ information and Dcyelopment .^ . Organizations, ClBt,, 1979/p.66e
8/ A feasibility ctudy'of manufacture of portland cement in Northern
Ghanao Phase I. BRRIS Kumasi, Ghana, April 1977* ... ,, ....,
E/CNa14/HUS/37
F&gc U
460 Although attention has boon directed towards the use of local
resources for producing building nia.teri£ilsa increasing attention needs to be focussed on the identification*, evaluation and classification of
available local j?aw materials^, including agricultural and industrial :jastes«
The recearch organizations should complement the efforts of the geological survey departments in this c'.irection*
47o Increasing emphasis should be placed on studies of appropriate building techniques and systems aimed at improving labour productivity
and achieving higher efficiency on building and construction sitecc
480 There is a need to promote co-operation arrangements among research organisations through the exchange of information^ initiation of joint
research projects, and. the sharing of resources^ including expertise and equipment *
General references
The fclJc.dung publications uere consulted during the preparation of the papers
1* Building Research in Africao Background paper prepared by the United Nations Secretariat for the Oth session of the Comn-jV tee on Housing^
Building and Planning, Gencvaj 15-26 October., 1973c
2s Directory of National Agencies and Research and Information Organi™
zations in Developing Countries Dealing :dth Housing and Building Research (Draft)* United Nations, Ne-r Yorky I9735
3« Report of the Ad^Hoc Expert Group on Co—ordination of Building Research in'Airioa* Addis Ababa, 22-26 March 1971* ECA publication
E/CN,l4/524? E/ON.H/HOU/87, April 1971«
4«i Human S6ttlcmcntc in Suixipoj Poet War Trends and Policiec5 United Nations, Ne:r York 1976. UK publication Sales No. F»76^IIOE«99 5» Directory of Building Research Information and Development
Organizations-,, 4th Edition, Published by International Council for Building Renoavcb Studies and Documentation (C7B)j 1979o
1/ANNEXI SUMMARYOFRESEARCHACTIVITIESOFBUILDINGANDBUILDUNGMATERIALSRESEARCHORGANIZATIONS Rawmaterials! xSurrey,test- CountryinSevaluation Algeria""''i:*• Benin,-"'-"i'ji'f UnitedRepublicof Cameroon~''-x Egypt'■■-■x Ethiopia Gabon1■: Ghana.'x Ivory'toad:•";"'i-':1'.'■;'x Kenya LibyknjAriabJteraahiriyax Madagascarx Mali:;'■ Morotsbb-i■ Nigeria' Senegal Sudait-;-'""f'!-"i:i'i Uniidd:Republicof Tanzania1 Togo__._ Zair^-c;i'.;-,)■>..,_,;,-: Zambia,,.
Materials production technology X X X ...-X.... -
Materials testing -■' X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X .-X. ■X
QualitycontrolBuilding controland-materials standardization(general)
CementLime X X
■f ■■':y>.. ;■■7r.■'■»■!..
J
X X X X X X X X X X X XV X X X X X X..,,,.. il1"■-;■' I-''.',.."\
X ■;■: X V ~j. r'■ T/CorapiledfromUnitedNationspublicationsandECAmissionreports^ :.t ,';';k;;
X H-sJ
SUMMARYOFRESEARCHACTIVITIESOFBUILDINGANDBUILDINGMATERIALSRESEARCHORGANIZATIONS Country
Burnt clay products
Timberand wood productd
Stabilized coil/ earth
Physical planningBuilding design (general)
Rural HousingLow—coot/ low—income housing UnitedRepublicof ■Cameroon Ethiopiax •dabon Ghanax IvoryCoasit: Kenya LibyanArabJamahiriya Madagascar Mali ;Morocco 'Nigeria 'Senegal ^Sudan:x •'ShitedRepublic U6f■Tanzaniax Zaire Zanbia
X X X X X X X;
X X X X
X
SUMMARYOFRESEARCHACTIVITIESOFBUILDINGANDBUILDINGMATERIALSRESEARCHORGANIZATIONS Co—operativet celf-help Country Low^-cost roofingSoilmechanics, foundationsBuilding physicsBuilding economics and management.
BuildingSocial codesandaspectsof regulationshousing Algeria Benin- UnitedRepublic ofCameroon Ethiopia Gabon:< Ghana IvoryCoast Kenya; LibyanArab Janahiriya Madagascar Mali Morocco Senegal. Sudan UnitedRepublic $■£■Tanzania;: Zambia
x ....-.-.-;■-,t:.jr.. S-05 ■to HS1
SUMMAUYOFRESEARCHACTIVITIESOFBUILDINGANDBUILDINGMATERIALSRESEARCHORGANIZATIONS Country Algeria ;Benin United.Republic Cameroon.■-■■ Efeypt Ethiopia Gabon Ghana .Ivory.Coast lKenyay .LibyanArab Jamahiriya .Madagascar 'Mali Morocco Nigeria Senegal Sutfian UnitedRepublic ofTanzania £089. -Zaire
Education, training of X X X X X X X X
Publicrelations, infomation| advice X X X X X X X
Durabilityof building materialsand components X X X .X
UseofPre- agricul-fabric- turalandation industrial wasTec X X X X
Industrial construction X X V /<■!■':r
