“A permaculture “living system” designed by architect Mishou Sanchez for The American Sudanese Partnerships to be constructed by using the SuperAdobe method of construction (Nader Khalili, CalEarth) which integrates The Permaculture Research Institutes’ method of desert gardening for humanitarian relief in Darfur, Sudan.
The plan and volumes are straightforward, because “I kept asking myself: Why offer starving refugees stiletto heels in the desert? In this challenge, it was not about developing the most exciting formal design, but rather the most effective use of resources to help facilitate survival. The entire self-sustainable system was designed to protect its inhabitants from attackers, utilize/harvest all resources possible, develop an easily taught design that could be built in any desert location by airlifting uncut sandbags and provide food.
Utilizing the basic principals of structure and geometry, the final master plan is circular and is reinforced by radial perpendicular walls. These perpendicular walls are angled slightly outwards and followed by a trench. This detail was developed in efforts to keep out the bulldozers that are often used to destroy refugee camps.
In the center of the master plan is a network of partially submersed domes that offer a safer location for the inhabitants in case of an attack. There is a conical grade in the interior of the camp which is utilized to collect any/all water for the garden which lies on the perimeter of the plan. The garden area offers re-enforcement for the exterior protective walls as well as an opportunity to retain water year-round, process human waste into fertilizer for the plants and produce food/shade.”
Article here: http://www.naturalbuildingblog.com/darfur-hospital/