Turning trash to homes in the Caribbean

Tropical climate

Tropical climate, Concrete buildings, Poorly adapted, Climate-adapted accommodation, Contemporary design, Back in the day, The history of tapia, Features of tapia, Since the 1940s, Bringing tapia back, Keeping cool, Raised structures, Raised clay structures, Bamboo gazebo, Multi-colored glass, Pollution risk, Long-term aim

The island of Trinidad has a tropical climate, but, unfortunately, many of its buildings were not designed with that in mind.

Concrete buildings

Tropical climate, Concrete buildings, Poorly adapted, Climate-adapted accommodation, Contemporary design, Back in the day, The history of tapia, Features of tapia, Since the 1940s, Bringing tapia back, Keeping cool, Raised structures, Raised clay structures, Bamboo gazebo, Multi-colored glass, Pollution risk, Long-term aim

Many of the buildings on the island are still made of concrete, since the priorities during their construction were budget and accessibility of materials.

Poorly adapted

Tropical climate, Concrete buildings, Poorly adapted, Climate-adapted accommodation, Contemporary design, Back in the day, The history of tapia, Features of tapia, Since the 1940s, Bringing tapia back, Keeping cool, Raised structures, Raised clay structures, Bamboo gazebo, Multi-colored glass, Pollution risk, Long-term aim

Much of the time, these buildings are not properly adapted to the climate. They cannot withstand the heat of the dry season, nor the hurricanes and flooding of the wet season.

Climate-adapted accommodation

Tropical climate, Concrete buildings, Poorly adapted, Climate-adapted accommodation, Contemporary design, Back in the day, The history of tapia, Features of tapia, Since the 1940s, Bringing tapia back, Keeping cool, Raised structures, Raised clay structures, Bamboo gazebo, Multi-colored glass, Pollution risk, Long-term aim

The director of the Caribbean Network for Urban and Land Management, Asad Mohammed, has described, for example, ‘European-style’ timber houses that were adapted to the regional climate.

Contemporary design

Tropical climate, Concrete buildings, Poorly adapted, Climate-adapted accommodation, Contemporary design, Back in the day, The history of tapia, Features of tapia, Since the 1940s, Bringing tapia back, Keeping cool, Raised structures, Raised clay structures, Bamboo gazebo, Multi-colored glass, Pollution risk, Long-term aim

Nowadays, these have largely been replaced by flat glass windows that have to remain closed to avoid direct exposure to both sunlight and rainfall.

Back in the day

Tropical climate, Concrete buildings, Poorly adapted, Climate-adapted accommodation, Contemporary design, Back in the day, The history of tapia, Features of tapia, Since the 1940s, Bringing tapia back, Keeping cool, Raised structures, Raised clay structures, Bamboo gazebo, Multi-colored glass, Pollution risk, Long-term aim

Going further back, the very first homes in the region had no windows at all. They consisted of wooden beams and thatched roofs, and they were mostly open to the air.

Tapia

Tropical climate, Concrete buildings, Poorly adapted, Climate-adapted accommodation, Contemporary design, Back in the day, The history of tapia, Features of tapia, Since the 1940s, Bringing tapia back, Keeping cool, Raised structures, Raised clay structures, Bamboo gazebo, Multi-colored glass, Pollution risk, Long-term aim

By the 1600s, a wattle and daub mud structure known as tapia had become popular. This closely resembles the technique used at Wa Samaki today.

The history of tapia

Tropical climate, Concrete buildings, Poorly adapted, Climate-adapted accommodation, Contemporary design, Back in the day, The history of tapia, Features of tapia, Since the 1940s, Bringing tapia back, Keeping cool, Raised structures, Raised clay structures, Bamboo gazebo, Multi-colored glass, Pollution risk, Long-term aim

Tapia houses were the result of Spanish colonial influence combined with Indigenous architectural techniques. In general, they had an oval shape.

Features of tapia

Tropical climate, Concrete buildings, Poorly adapted, Climate-adapted accommodation, Contemporary design, Back in the day, The history of tapia, Features of tapia, Since the 1940s, Bringing tapia back, Keeping cool, Raised structures, Raised clay structures, Bamboo gazebo, Multi-colored glass, Pollution risk, Long-term aim

The frame was made of wood, and a mixture of clay, water, and grass was used for the walls. The roof was usually a thatch made of palm leaves.

Since the 1940s

Tropical climate, Concrete buildings, Poorly adapted, Climate-adapted accommodation, Contemporary design, Back in the day, The history of tapia, Features of tapia, Since the 1940s, Bringing tapia back, Keeping cool, Raised structures, Raised clay structures, Bamboo gazebo, Multi-colored glass, Pollution risk, Long-term aim

The tapia era ended around the 1940s, and these sorts of houses are very difficult to come by on Trinidad today.

Bringing tapia back

Tropical climate, Concrete buildings, Poorly adapted, Climate-adapted accommodation, Contemporary design, Back in the day, The history of tapia, Features of tapia, Since the 1940s, Bringing tapia back, Keeping cool, Raised structures, Raised clay structures, Bamboo gazebo, Multi-colored glass, Pollution risk, Long-term aim

However, it is an aim of Wa Samaki to bring back this historical feature of Caribbean architecture, not least because it is a great material for keeping homes cool.

Keeping cool

Tropical climate, Concrete buildings, Poorly adapted, Climate-adapted accommodation, Contemporary design, Back in the day, The history of tapia, Features of tapia, Since the 1940s, Bringing tapia back, Keeping cool, Raised structures, Raised clay structures, Bamboo gazebo, Multi-colored glass, Pollution risk, Long-term aim

This means that clay homes are able to remain cool in the heat of direct sunlight, without the need for windows, fans, or air conditioning.

Raised structures

Tropical climate, Concrete buildings, Poorly adapted, Climate-adapted accommodation, Contemporary design, Back in the day, The history of tapia, Features of tapia, Since the 1940s, Bringing tapia back, Keeping cool, Raised structures, Raised clay structures, Bamboo gazebo, Multi-colored glass, Pollution risk, Long-term aim

Another historical climate adaptation that contemporary architects are seeking to bring back is building structures that are raised off the ground.

Raised clay structures

Tropical climate, Concrete buildings, Poorly adapted, Climate-adapted accommodation, Contemporary design, Back in the day, The history of tapia, Features of tapia, Since the 1940s, Bringing tapia back, Keeping cool, Raised structures, Raised clay structures, Bamboo gazebo, Multi-colored glass, Pollution risk, Long-term aim

In the case of clay structures, it is necessary to build these off the ground, since otherwise they absorb too much moisture from the earth.

Bamboo gazebo

Tropical climate, Concrete buildings, Poorly adapted, Climate-adapted accommodation, Contemporary design, Back in the day, The history of tapia, Features of tapia, Since the 1940s, Bringing tapia back, Keeping cool, Raised structures, Raised clay structures, Bamboo gazebo, Multi-colored glass, Pollution risk, Long-term aim

For example, one of the gazebos that they have on site was made from bamboo and teak they harvested from the land.

Multi-colored glass

Tropical climate, Concrete buildings, Poorly adapted, Climate-adapted accommodation, Contemporary design, Back in the day, The history of tapia, Features of tapia, Since the 1940s, Bringing tapia back, Keeping cool, Raised structures, Raised clay structures, Bamboo gazebo, Multi-colored glass, Pollution risk, Long-term aim

Elsewhere on site, multi-colored glass bottles have been used to give buildings a constant stream of light and color.

Pollution risk

Tropical climate, Concrete buildings, Poorly adapted, Climate-adapted accommodation, Contemporary design, Back in the day, The history of tapia, Features of tapia, Since the 1940s, Bringing tapia back, Keeping cool, Raised structures, Raised clay structures, Bamboo gazebo, Multi-colored glass, Pollution risk, Long-term aim

As a result, they may well have leaked chemicals into nearby environments, such as the Caroni Swamp Nature Reserve.

Long-term aim

Tropical climate, Concrete buildings, Poorly adapted, Climate-adapted accommodation, Contemporary design, Back in the day, The history of tapia, Features of tapia, Since the 1940s, Bringing tapia back, Keeping cool, Raised structures, Raised clay structures, Bamboo gazebo, Multi-colored glass, Pollution risk, Long-term aim

According to the site’s founder, Rahaman-Noronha, the long-term aim is to "educate people on the environment" and "live in balance with nature."

Post Related