#9 Insights

Engineering Notes & Company News

What we have learned building in Uganda and South Sudan — foundations, structures, materials and site practice — alongside updates from the company.

Fill placed in one thick layer and driven over twice is not compacted. Everything built on it inherits the problem.

Most delays on small buildings are not slow work. They are trades arriving in the wrong order and undoing each other.

The 230 x 230 column is the default on half the sites in Kampala. Here is how load actually accumulates down a…

Three foundation types cover most of what we build. Choosing between them is a soil question and a load question, not a…

Undersized culverts are the most common drainage failure we are asked to fix. The pipe rarely fails — it just was never…

A wall out of plumb by 20mm costs money in plaster for the rest of the job. Blockwork quality is decided in…

A trial pit costs less than a day of plant hire. Skipping it is the most expensive decision on most Ugandan and…

Clients usually ask which is cheaper. The more useful question is which one your span, your programme and your supply chain can…

Every dimension in the building is measured from decisions made in the first week. Errors here are the only ones you cannot…