Air in Unexpected Places

Bibliographic Data

ID4380170
AuthorsM Degani (0000-0003-1393-4091, Dept. of Anthropology, Johns Hopkins University, USA [email protected], corresponding author)
Year2020
Volume38
Issue2
Pages125-145
Publication date2020-09-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueThe Cambridge Journal of Anthropology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0305-7674 • E-ISSN: 2047-7716
PublisherBerghahn Books (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.3167/cja.2020.380209
OpenAlexW3047370418
LanguageEN
References cited29

Aircrete is a lightweight building material with a number of remarkable qualities, including high compression strength, buoyancy and thermal insulation. Perhaps most strikingly, its lack of sand aggregate makes it energy efficient compared to concrete. While aircrete is regularly sold by various construction companies, DIY enthusiasts and technicians around the world are cultivating more home-brew, open-source methods. This article follows James, an American ex-security contractor and mining engineer, as he attempts to convert his own embodied legacies of imperial extraction into a pro-social business venture by designing aircrete machines and mixes for urban Africa. His adventures in aircrete typify an energy future in which an array of intriguing experiments and technologies intersect with a broader entrepreneurial effort to capture Africa's growing consumer markets

Urban and Rural Development Challenges · Water Governance and Infrastructure

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