corto jabali addresses humanitarian issues with gaza brick

corto jabali addresses humanitarian issues with gaza brick 
all images courtesy of corto jabali

in 2014, fighting once again intensified between israeli and hamas forces. the gaza strip faced steep loses in civilian casualties and in loss of property. many gazans were left completely homeless, forced either to live in rubble or join nearly half a million others in emergency or shared living situations. unfortunately, an ongoing embargo placed on imports has further exacerbated regrowth, perpetually prolonging the creation of new structures. corto jabali, a student at the iceland academy of the arts, addresses the humanitarian situation with ‘gaza brick’. 

‘gaza brick’ and necessary materials to produce it

in the 1970s, a chemist named joseph davidovits stumbled upon a material called geopolymer. after tracing the origin, he theorized that the cement-like substance had originally been produced by the ancient egyptians. its general time-period of production meant two things: first, that it could be made using little technology, and secondly, that the necessary elements could potentially be localized in gaza. turns out, they are. natron salt, (sea)water, clay, wood/plant ash, and shell sand are all either accessible, or haven’t been affected by israel’s prohibition. ‘gaza brick’ is a humanitarian concept that aims to aid palestinians through means of self-help and localized methods of creation. the project was completed under the guidance of garðar eyjólfsson and thomas pausz.

texture

localization of the materials in and around gaza

designboom has received this project through its ‘DIY submissions’ feature, which welcomes readers to submit their own work for publication. see more designboom readers submissions here.

edited by: nick brink | designboom