Sustainable Incremental Construction Unit

"SICU": Sustainable Incremental Construction Unit, is a process oriented building prototype which also deals with participatory design to be done in a highly dense neighborhood of Addis Ababa. It will be a show case where the team of students with their tutors will research and explore possibilities of designing and realizing an incremental housing unit in an urban context.

Researching and implementing innovative and low-cost constructions and materials for urban areas in Ethiopia and thereby addressing the high demand for housing in the country. The prototype being a showcase for integrative disciplinary research and experimental prototyping, raising up new space arrangements and building methods to give the evidence for cost efficient implementation. The research considers locally available material resources and the local mode of living, introducing innovative construction techniques. It also offers a parallel strategy to the existing governmental housing project in the city offering different options and possibilities in how to make dense urban settlements. It also serves the purpose of the government whilst realizing the design potentials of the students, researchers and the community.