Originally from REculture: A post consumption economy
Steve Daniels has a great post at Analogue/Digital about Nairobi’s Industrial Area. “Essential to the Industrial Area’s thriving activity, and indeed a critical differentiator from rural jua kalis, is an equally thriving materials infrastructure. To sustain the manufacturing of so many diverse products, a separate industry has emerged for raw materials, both recycled and new.”
“Working with scrap material presents new design challenges. Flexibility is critical when ideal parts are not always available.”
Have a look at Nairobi Industrial Area: Products for more recycled lamps, boxes and much more.
Images by Steve Daniels.
Design in Africa 
March 4, 2010 at 1:06 am |
Making something out of nothing is more honorable than making nothing out of something.
April 3, 2010 at 2:47 am |
It takes an amazing mind and a lot of determination to make something from what looks like nothing but refuse. I’d love to get my hands into those piles. Obviously a lot of those pots can be used for cooking or storage and the flat sheets might make moderate shelter (albeit noisy shelter when it rains) or flooring for inside a home. The trick is to use the things that cannot be reused so simply.
Useless appliance wires can be used as very strong, durable rope or cord and several of those gears and pulleys could come together to make a makeshift rolling cart. I notice a rusty saw blade that, given some finagling, could be put to use cutting something or even just holding things in place. Some of this may sound lame but if it can be used for something, then it’s doing better than just sitting there.
April 21, 2010 at 7:49 am |
U’r prob. looking at the situation from your well tool eqqiupped garage. They DON’T have tools – and they DON’T have power for them too..