5. Brick Laying

A layer of plastic sheeting acting as a damp proof course was laid on the second foundation followed by the first course of adobe blocks. The blocks were laid following a similar procedure to that of regular brick laying but with a 2cm bond of adobe mix as the mortar. After every four courses of bricks a line of barbed wire was tied through the centre of the wall to act as a horizontal reinforcement to resist tensional forces generated in the walls and prevent the propagation of cracks through the structure.

Timber lintels were put in place above the three windows and three doors. Once the walls were complete a concrete ringbeam was extended around the structure into which the vertical bamboo reinforcemnt was tied.

6. Roof

The wooden structure for the roof was put together by Don Adan with advice and help from people in the village who had experience in roofing. Once placed zinc alum sheets were tied onto the stucture. Zinc Alum is light, durable and heat efficient and compares competitively with costings for other roofing materials.

7. Finishing

After the core aspects of the building work were complete it was important to make the building fully functional and suitable for use. A concrete floor (cool and easy to clean) was laid inside and on the veranda area. A pilar or water trough, essential for washing clothes, cooking and cleaning, was installed and a wood burning stove put in place. Guttering was put up to channel water and protect the walls and fittings were put in so that electricity could be used if a power line is made available in the future.

Community Achievements

Involvement and training through work

One of the main objectives for the project was to encourage community involvement and to spread knowledge and techniques of earthquake resistant adobe construction to those living in the surrounding rural areas. It was important to have the people of Condadillo involved in the project from an early stage and a community meeting with representatives from the project helped decide the course to be taken in the run up to and after the arrival of the student group.

The integration of the community and the students was facilitated in a number of ways. By working in conjunction with the local Alcaldia and their Social Promoter, Don Juan, we got a formal introduction to the community. Also through a meeting with community members before any of the actual building work began it was possible to reiterate the aims of the project and to raise interest, as well as galvanising the volunteers from the village already committed to the project. The people of Condadillo joined a group of other Salvadorans working alongside us. These included Don Adan, our master builder, and two men employed by the nearby Geothermal Plant to help our project and learn the building techniques to implement them in their own area.

Once the student group arrived on site and began work there was a lot of interest from the residents, and so effort was put in to drawing these onlookers in to the work. This also meant a wide spectrum of the community got involved in the work, not just the young men. Over the course of the five weeks that were spent working in Condadillo, a lot of friendships were made despite some language barriers. Both groups found it very interesting to learn from the others about their cultures and lifestyles, and this added an extra dimension to the project. A lot was also learnt by both parties about building techniques.

Relationships with the community were also strengthened by the group taking part in community activities, such as football in the evenings after work. Some of the group even played for Condadillo in a local football tournament. The group also ate lunch in a local family’s home each day, bought snacks from the shop in the community, and had laundry done in the village; an important extra source of income in a community with little or no earning potential.

When the group were leaving the project was handed over to the community. The remaining construction work was completed with the aid of Don Adan and Dominic Dowling. At the hand-over various people from the group, the community and the Alcaldia spoke. The community showed their friendship to us by presenting us with small tokens of their thanks, which were greatly appreciated.

U.E.S.

Prior to the actual project links had been established with UES, the national Salvadoran university. During the project 30 students and two teachers from the civil engineering department visited the site for one day and got involved in block making, sand digging and excavation. It was a great day for laughs and exchange between the British and Salvadoran students and an opportunity to promote adobe construction to a different audience.

Workshops

Following the completion of the construction a week of workshops will take place in communities around Condadillo to promote adobe construction techniques. The workshops will be lead by Don Adan who has extensive experience in both adobe construction and community projects.