Author: A4KENYA

Maisonette House design

6 bedroomed Bungalow House design

5 bedroomed Farm House Bungalow

Pile Foundation Design

acres, Karen, Mukoma road, for sale.
Kes 60 million per acre.

View map here
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https://goo.gl/maps/BGed6jESAt62

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https://goo.gl/maps/FyZGgftNWtJ2

Call 0721410684

 Dec 2017

Art by S.N. Gichuhi.

Earthbag houses can be designed into 2 bedroom units whereby the curved domes are integrated with the rectangular spaces to link up in a balanced way.

Cost.

Earthbag cost kes 15,000 per m2, half the cost compared to using prefabricated methods or using stone at kes 30,000 per m2. They cost slightly more than mabati houses at kes 10,000 per m2 but ofer high quality interior temperature insulation due to their thick walls compared to mabati, which tends to be very cold at night and very hot during the day.

Hyperadobe.

Current advancements in the earthbag technology are at use of the hyper adobe netting raschel bag which tends to enable stronger bonding in the wall, hence removing the use of barbed wire that is used in the super adobe method to bring in friction between bag layers.

Earthquake.

The thick walls provide extra levels of structural strength compared to other methods of construction. In earthquake prone areas, earthbag houses have withstood strong quakes that have destroyed other types of building structures.

https://www.treehugger.com/green-architecture/konbit-shelter-earthbag-homes-haiti.html

http://www.calearth.org/blog/2016/6/23/for-immediate-release-may-5-2015-superadobeearthbag-orphanage-withstands-nepal-earthquake

Unique designs.

Earthbags can be designed to various unique shapes depending on the creativity of the designer and developer. In South America, earthbag design is advanced to the levels where there are 3 and 4 storey earthbag houses constructed.
http://www.monolithic.org/news-feed/spacious-dome-home-for-sale-in-australia

https://www.taringa.net/posts/imagenes/15635643/Casas-de-super-adobe.html

As more and more people embrace earth bag technology, the designs keep improving and more interesting shapes are currently coming up, compared to say 5 or 10 years ago where most earthbag buildings were simple single domes. Now we can see alot of flamboyance in the designs as more and more people get comfortable with the earthbag technology.

Workshops.

In Kenya, there are earthbag workshops held in Athi river area by the Permaculture Institute here below
http://pri-kenya.org/?p=2317

Also, a4a Gardens located in Kiserian offers similar workshops.
https://www.facebook.com/a4agardens/

Architect Francis Gichuhi Kamau
info@a4architect.com

Earthbag houses can be made into 2,3 or 4 bedrooms. This is achieved by having a mix of dome , round and rectangular shaped earthbag structures designed to link to each other using a balanced shape connector.

These houses cost on average less than 50% compared to using other methods of construction such as prefab or building stones. There houses are slightly more expensive than mabati houses, hence making them very cost effective.
The ability to be formed into various curvilinear shapes such as round and dome shapes makes them very suitable for building resorts and holiday home types where the design and shape of the building forms part of the attraction.

Earthbag buildings are very much in use in USA and South America. The technology is rapidly spreading to other parts of the world including Kenya.
Earthbag houses can easily be built into phases and extended later on as time goes by since the dome shape allows for easy integration with the rectangular connecting shapes.

The roofs can be made of iron sheets or concreted to be used as lounge areas.

Advantages of using earthbag technology is in terms of low cost, unique aesthetic designs, ease of extension of new spaces and conservation of the environment since they are easy on carbon footprint increase.

Architect Francis Gichuhi Kamau.
info@a4architect.com

Restaurant Furniture and Fit Out, Mombasa road,Petrol station between Kusyombunguo/Maanzoni lodge and Chumvi/Machakos turn off area.

Concept.

Warm friendly colours to make customers feel comfortable.

Ceiling make of hardwood veneer to enable recessing of lights to prevent glare and ensure a glowing effect type of internal ambiance.
Hardwood furniture to give a feeling of relaxation mood.
Wall element with provision for dispaly of artifacts and art in a focal point design.

Cake and Pastries display area with background of Mazeras slate stone in cement plaster boundaries.

Potted plants introduced inside and outside to break the monotony and bring in greenery and life into the restaurant. Palm types chosen since they dont take up alot of lateral space.

The design plays a round with symmetry and balance to ensure the ceiling balances with the wall finishes and floor tiles. This helps the customer to feel relaxed and easy on the eye since it avoids the feeling of non-balance and clatter.

Cost.
This design is cost effective since the elements used are readily available i.e mazeras stone, plaster on paint, mahogany veneer ceiling and hard wood furniture.
This cost effectiveness enables the construction cost to be lowered hence more profitability compared to designs that are heavy on glass, stainless steel, brass etc.

Architect Francis Gichuhi Kamau
info@a4architect.com
0721410684

1/4 acre for sale, Isinya near Ostrich farm
kes 1.2m

Call/whatsapp 0721410684 info@a4architect.com