At ten to five. It is now time for our Green Tip of the Week, which is brought to you by Volvo. It's safe to be brave. With Volvo, each week will highlight someone or something impacting the way we can be greener, cleaner, smarter, healthier and eco friendly. Today we are focusing on some building design technique that is a very interesting one, indeed, building affordable rural homes with
bricks made of cow dung. My guest is norkulunga kry An interior designer, part time lecturer and a researcher with a growing focus on sustainable design, innovation nor Coolongo. Welcome. Is great to have you with us on seven oh two drive. How did you come to this idea of making bricks from cow dung? My understanding is cow dung has always been used, for example in the floors of Ron Darvil's, but is bricks a brand new thing.
Good afternoon, Uncle John and all the seventy two lesseners. I'm it just my pleasure to be here to share the space with you guys today.
So the inspiration.
Behind the corowdown break came from my observation with regards to the housing crisis that is currently happening in South Africa, which is quite evident through the marshrooming of informal settlement, and it was a communication that affordability is quite a consistent challenge in our society. Of course, it is a material that is actually used mostly in rural areas and
on floors. But then I then decided to say, because it is such material that has actually been used, so why not re imagine it and actually use it to create coow down breaks to be able to address the issue. Is that the housing issues that you're currently facing. Hence I chose that.
Yeah, so so how far have you How far have you got with this? I mean, is there a question of designing molds, is it in some way modifying the cowd down with any kind of additives? What are the key problems that you need to solve?
Well, it's still on the concept research phase, but it is quite far because I managed to indeed do a brick, but now I was testing it through different sizes. So I started with our standard brick science and then because I wanted to create a block brick which will be much effective in terms of building because if it's smaller breaks, it means that you will need a lot of quantities.
So I then decided to do a block brake. So one of the challenges was I did not want to create a block break that is a standard look and feel, So I then created a block break that had an interlocking system to it, and that came with its challenges because in the interlocking part it broke so and it was quite a lot.
It was quite a challenge.
But because I'm still investigating it and researching it further, I'm working on a new look that is more effective.
Yeah, it's really interesting. How did you come to this? I mean, obviously you had a problem in mind that you wanted to solve, and not no longer. You've given us a sense that the growth of informal settlements, the people, the way people are actually battling to find sustainable and crucially effective material for building shelter for themselves. But is this a rural experience that's part of your life or part of your family history that led you in the direction of this.
Not necessarily.
I am just one person that is so interested in indigenous African building practices, and for so long I've been asking myself, because we've been using certain methods of building, why aren't these African indigenous African building practices.
Being included in the modern times.
Why aren't we then involving the people that have knowledge on this type of building practices to be a part of the change and to be a part of the solution. Hence I then said, I need to do this in order for me to start conversations.
And at the same time, it is an opportunity for.
Job creation because it we will do is that it will involve communities and communities will be part of the solution.
At the same time, we will be skill.
We will be upping or uplifting the skills of the youth and of people around communities and then we bring them a lot to create these solutions.
Well, do keep us in touch with how you go Twana University of Technology with this design innovation that you're trying. If there's anyone else out there, by the way, who's listening to what no Kulonga, no Kulunga cry has to say about this, by all means, do give us a call on a double one AA three oh seven oh two and we'll make sure that we connect you and it's something we'll follow with a great deal of interest. Nokulunga. Thanks so much for giving us your time on seven
oh two drive. Remember when you had to wait for dialop to connect? Technology moves on, So why are people still driving cars like it's nineteen ninety Volvo's plug in hybrids or the upgrade you've been waiting for. You don't need diesel power, You just need a second electric motor, just like you update it from dial up to fiber. You can upgrade your drive with electric for the city and fuel for the open road. Don't be the last one to catch up you're late for your test drive.
It's safe to be brave with Volvo and do Tune in again next week Tuesday for another green Tip of the Week, brought to you by Volvo.