Bamboo Prefab

Refugee settlements are often established as temporary but remain in place for decades. Housing conditions rarely keep pace with this reality, with overcrowding, poor sanitation, and limited infrastructure affecting quality of life. The Prefabricated Relief Housing Research Project explores bamboo-based prefabrication as an alternative approach. It draws on principles of self-build and incremental growth, using a panelised system that is simple to assemble and adapt over time. Panels are produced through small-scale, temporary workshops by locally trained craftspeople, using bamboo alongside locally available materials such as earth and biowaste.

Panel fabrication at Makerere has provided a genuine learning environment: students have engaged directly with bamboo as a construction material, developing practical skills and understanding of its properties. This hands-on dimension has been one of the project's most valuable outcomes to date.

The prototype will now be built at in Namasumbi. where its individual components; earthen floor, earthen plaster, and panel connections, will be studied systematically. Findings will be documented and made available as shareable outputs. The Foundation is currently seeking funding for this stage.