Hive Earth is a construction company that builds houses by applying a technique they call, Rammed Earth Construction. This model of building requires making walls from rammed earth. The walls are built from a mixture of sand, gravels, clay and a little water. Different mud mixtures of earth are layered on each other to create an aesthetically interesting look. According to the Hive Earth, the walls are stronger in nature, and able to withstand earthquakes due to their monolithic nature. Additionally, the walls are thermally insulative and cannot be infected by termites either. So far, they have built three houses, starting with a prototype experimenting different materials and techniques. They built a cafeteria in Northern Ghana and their latest building is a residential apartment. The Hive Earth construction costs 30 percent less than conventional buildings. The company's aim is to restore Africa's better alternative to construction instead of the imported materials.

This case study has been created as part of Footprints Africa's work to build a comprehensive open-source database of circular economy initiatives in Africa. We are doing this in collaboration with the African Circular Economy Network (ACEN), as part of our programme to support the circular economy transition in Africa.

image retrieved from https://www.facebook.com/hiveearthconstruction/photos/932012253654464