CEAT presence at the 70th anniversary of the CSRS

The symposium has five main objectives:

• To highlight the contribution of scientific research to the achievement of the SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) in Sub-Saharan Africa
• through the mechanisms of translation of research results into sectoral development action;
• Describe the main public and private funding mechanisms for research in Sub-Saharan Africa;
• Promote the search for synergies through North-South and South-South partnerships;
• Identify levers for promoting transformational leadership in sub-Saharan Africa;
• Celebrating research excellence in Sub-Saharan Africa.

On this, four thematic axes were the subject of a call for papers:

• Biodiversity, Conservation and Valorization of Natural Resources;
• Sustainable Agriculture, Food Technology and Food Security;
• Environment, Human and Animal Health;
• Governance, Social Systems, Education, Urban Development and Economic Development.

Akuto Akpedze Konou, Assistant-Doctoral Fellow, presented, for CEAT/EPFL, her poster entitled "Vernacular Architecture and Spatial Typology: Their Role in Urban Health", co-authored by Vitor Pessoa Colombo and Jérôme Chenal. This study was previously selected and presented at the 17th annual session of the International Conference on Urban Health (ICUH) 2021. The substance of its words are faithfully reproduced here:

"Overall, the poster aims to show how vernacular architecture and spatial planning can have a positive impact on urban health, especially in cities in the South or Africa." African cities were selected because most of the lead author's experiences took place in Africa.

"This brings me to the methodologies we have used to arrive at these results so far," she continues.

"It's a myriad of personal experiences as a resident of African cities and homes, as a licensed and sworn DEIAU architect in Togo with about 10 years of practice, and as a researcher interested in global health issues."

"Our poster primarily stimulates the visual sense, as it's important for us to make sure the reader is emotionally connected to the subject, and as Architects, we think images are a good way to convey a more factual idea instead of leaving the reader in solitude with their imagination."

"Thus, the first column features photos illustrating vernacular architecture in Africa."

"In the presentation, we want to focus on three things: the common materials used in vernacular architecture such as earth, straw, stone, wood, the classical spatial organization of traditional African communities in patterns or circulars, and the proximity of agriculture to houses. All these images show these factors and descriptions, the advantages that using mainly earth as a building material has as a natural hygrothermal comfort, acoustic comfort and a healthy indoor climate."

"Then the next column shows how African cities have been, are currently, and are planned to be organized in the future, imitating the systems of Western countries. The results are as follows:

• Earth, wood, stone are replaced by cemented concrete, metal, aluminum.
• Moreover, the spatial organization in community has been replaced by more and more individualism and urban sprawl has made land scarce, forcing a promiscuous and under-equipped development.
• The old habit of proximity to agricultural fields as an integral part of the living space is also increasingly being fought for reasons of modernism. This gives way to inconveniences such as:
  • Excessive heat in the home (Exposure to high indoor temperatures can affect the immune and cardiovascular systems, and even lead to serious illness and death. (https://hal.ehesp.fr/hal-02190365/document, page 44)
  • Individualism also leads to psychological access, and the uneducated population, without access to urban agriculture, lives in precarious and undernourished conditions.
  • The circular spatial organization is transformed into a rectangular one, breaking down the identical values of the community, creating social isolation and bringing more psychological health problems. In Togo, people sometimes even have to sleep outside their buildings all night just to get fresh air.
  • Urban agriculture is also increasingly banned in African cities, setting aside all the benefits people can gain from it in terms of food security, physical exercise, social empowerment of women, and psychological well-being."

"To conclude the poster presentation, we therefore have recommendations, which are as follows:

• Get more involved in researching vernacular architecture and land use planning, and see what good things we can learn from them, improve them, and adapt them to contemporary space, in order to contribute to building healthier cities.
• As for the inspiration of vernacular architecture, these are things that have already been done, and other projects to come.
• Taking into account the spatial organization systems adapted to the way of life of the communities where they live.
• And I would even add that personal or community gardens could be planned and created between each circle, so that land is not wasted."

"Finally, urban planners and decision-makers in Africa could better invest in scientific research, education, training, and promotion. The association with eco-materials (wood, stone, bio-sourced insulation, for example) to build the city of tomorrow—resilient, autonomous and healthy—for a better urban health!"

Speech by Akuto Akpedze Konou