Keywords
Cost of ownership
Vernacular architecture
Field study
Acholiland
How to Cite
Abstract
Rural Uganda has a housing deficit of 2.4 million units amid rapid population growth, and prospective homeowners often have a choice between vernacular earth construction and imported industrial systems. Existing literature demonstrates the thermal superiority of earthen construction over industrial alternatives, yet few studies simultaneously quantify both physical performance and lifecycle economics using empirical data. This study addresses that gap with the construction of three prototype kiosks in Kalongo, Uganda, of enhanced wattle and daub, rammed earth, and interlocking stabilized soil blocks (ISSB). Indoor temperatures were monitored over 70 days and evaluated against the ASHRAE 55 Adaptive Comfort Model. Simultaneously, detailed capital expenditure and cost-of-ownership projections were drawn up. Wattle and daub showed the highest thermal compliance at 68.8%, followed by rammed earth (62.3%), and ISSB (59.7%). Rammed earth requires the lowest initial capital, whereas ISSB’s lower maintenance cost offsets its higher capital requirement, reflecting a “predictability premium” embedded in industrial construction.
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