GUM CITY

by Abanoub Reyad

Interrogating the concrete industry I searched for an alternative binder as cement is a disaster concerning the environment. Gum Arabic is a natural adhesive found on the Senegalia Senegal tree, this grows in desert climates and produces 2.5kg of Gum Arabic annually, requiring as little as 200ml of water annually. Using parameters from the Nelumbo Nucifera I generated an arrangement of circles and used frictional angles of sand to form simply complex forms. 37º is the angle of which the Gum Arabic mix falls the mix containing sand, clay, Gum Arabic, and water. Simple time-based construction is what drove this project, Sudan is a country which cannot afford to use expensive construction methods. I discovered industrial vacuuming to obtain the frictional angles of the Gum Mix and use the desert floor as a natural falsework.