The project delivered 110 homes to families living in rural Tanzania and will provide pilot data about how novel home design is related to the improvement of family health.

Key features

The Star Homes Project is a research-based initiative to help expand and improve housing conditions in Mtwara, Tanzania. Led by Ingvartsen Architects along with an interdisciplinary team of architects, public health specialists and entomologists, the project built 110 identical single-family homes across 60 different rural villages. Families were selected through a lottery system under the condition that they are willing to participate in a three-year research trial that provides data to see if improved housing contributes to lower incidences of conditions like malaria and respiratory tract infections. 

Star Homes use 37 per cent less embodied carbon, 40 per cent less embodied energy and 70 per cent less concrete than traditional homes in the area. The homes are spread across two floors to improve ventilation and thermal performance. First-floor bedrooms help keep the ground floor cooler during the day and protect residents from mosquitoes and other insects, which have higher densities on the ground floor. The buildings are oriented to optimize daytime shade. 

Solar panels on the homes’ roofs power the lighting system and two USB charging points. The home’s surfaces are easy to clean, compared to traditional ones made of compacted earth, which are difficult to clean, especially with open latrines and inadequate water supply. The stoves reduce fumes and improve ventilation, creating a healthier home environment.

FRAME’s take

The architect cites UN projections that Africa’s sub-Saharan population will nearly double to 2.5 billion people by 2050, with one-third of the population living in rural areas. If housing demand is to keep up with this rapid population growth, approximately 90 million new homes will need to be constructed. In areas like Mtwara, as families gain wealth, they tend to replace their homes with single-storey concrete homes with corrugated metal roofs. These material-intensive homes not only contribute to the warming of our planet but are ill-equipped to respond to increasing temperatures. Homes that make use of concrete heat up immensely, preventing residents from using bed nets and increasing the risk of contracting malaria.

What the Star Home Project seeks to do is not merely build a shelter for those who need it, but build domestic environments that nurture their health, wellbeing and development while also paying mind to the health of the natural environment. Simple yet intentional design choices – like the placement of bedrooms and material usage ­– can have an immense impact on our lives. The implementation of novel house designs that can improve family wellbeing is especially crucial in areas with limited access to public health resources.