Human Settlements Review - Parliamentary Monitoring Group

Human Settlements Review, Volume 1, Number 1, 2010
Table 3: Preferences in respect of building material for walls
Burned bricks N=237 Cement blocks
N=363
[-] [%] [-] [%]
Aesthetics 84 27.4 25 7.0
Strong & safe 117 48.7 185 49.2
Fewer problems 11 4.8 39 10.9
Climate 8 3.5 31 8.7
Quick building process 1 0.4 2 0.6
Finances 7 3.0 22 6.2
Other 28 12.2 62 17.4
211
The results of the Mann-Whitney U test
reveal that in cases where respondents had
attended the play, their perceptions regarding
adobe blocks had not been influenced by
their attendance; and that no differences
were observed between the perceptions of
respondents who had attended the play, and
the perceptions of those who had not attended
the play, in terms of their opinions regarding
the quality of adobe blocks.
6.3. Conclusion of Survey II
On the basis of the results, it must be concluded
that no visible effect of the interventions can be
observed within the population of respondents
who answered to the questions posed in
Questionnaire 2. In order to change people’s
perceptions regarding adobe blocks, other
measures will need to be taken.
7 Lessons of the Research
Project
The results were not what we hoped for until
we realised that the last survey was done just
after a period that the whole highveldt was
subjected to one of the worst floods in 50 year,
in March 2006. Once the survey had started it
could not be stopped and we had to continue.
We did not realise that in some places the rain
that lasted several days and ending in floods
damaged most the earth constructed houses
while several even collapsed.
Due to the rain the results of our selling
campaign were therefore not what we
expected, with only a slight improvement
of attitudes. We learned the lesson that
the best laid plans of mice and men do not
always have the results that you worked for
during a span of four years. Houses built in
earth experienced problems associated with
wet conditions: collapsing foundation walls,
plastering falling off, crack-forming in parapet
walls and in some cases the toppling down of
houses. Seeing what is happening with earth
constructed houses around you most probably
have a heavier influence on your attitudes than
a workshop or a play (presented sometime
before the flood).
7.1 What now
The study has shown that earth construction
is being used as a sustainable building
method in South Africa. This was achieved by
pointing out relevant research and providing