During our assessment trip, our dedicated team visited the Dezi Community. We assessed their current facilities, conducted soil tests, and engaged in heartfelt interviews with students and community members. What became clear was that the existing structure is simply not enough for the students, with only two classrooms available.

After the trip, we conducted an Architectural Workshop, where members began the design process. EWB-IIT had help from Christner Architects. We used notes and surveys gathered during our assessment trip to develop 3 alternatives for the project that would address the scope of the project.

After surveying and recieving feedback from the community through a zoom call, we selected Alternative 2 to continue to develop.

The next phase was development of our chosen alternative. Each project meeting we itterated the design, communicating with our mentors, peers, and the community along the way. After extensive evaulation we decided a one-story design would be most practical and economical. Additionally, a one-story design allows us to develop the project in two phases. 

The first phase would produce 2 buildings (4 classrooms total). The second phase gives future EWB-IIT members the ability to learn from the phase one design process in order to produce a third and fourth building.  

The chosen structural system consists of wooden trusses, concrete ring beam and concrete columns. Mud bricks will be used for the exterior facade which the community will make. Concrete paths will also be added for circulation and a central entrance. EWB-IIT is partnering with the local non-profit, Uganda Water Project (UWP), to complete the water collection system. Water will be collected off of our corrugated metal roofs into a gutter system that leads to the UWP water tank design. 

During phase 2 two more buildings (2 classrooms each) will be added, rotated to further enhance the courtyard and campus design. Paths are added to complete the circulation, as well. This orientation is critical for the students and educators, because it encloses the students into a safe space that makes it easier for the teachers to watch over them. 

We began this phase of the project with a series of two structural workshops, where we learned and applied knowledge of structural calculations to develop our concrete column and wood truss systems. 

The first structural workshop was held remotely with the assistance of Christner Architects. Here, students and professionals addressed air ventilation and lighting through architectural design. Window, door and roof designs were evaulated to maximize air circulation for sanitation and cooling purposes, as well as proper lighting throughout the year.

Once a roofing design and building footprint was chosen, the structural calculations phase of the project began. At this time we utilized SAP 2000 to evaluate our designs of trusses, beams, columns, and footings. Additonally, we manually caluclated each element as learned in classes such as CAE 304 (Structural Analysis I), CAE 307 (Concrete Structures I), CAE 432 (Concrete Foundations), CAE 457 (Geotechnical Foundations) and many other relevant classes taught at IIT.

These designs and drawing were then sent to the EWB-East Africa architect and the country office for approval

The beginning of October 2025 saw the signing of a construction contract between Techno Buha, Engineers Without Borders East Africa, and Engineers Without Borders Illinois Tech. The contract was crafted over the summer and in the beginning of the fall along with supporting documentation and plans. The final contract price amounted to $98,762.17 - additional supervision and banking expenses bring the total project budget to $117,120.77! The contact included progress-based payments tied to clearly defined milestones and a 10% contigency for approved variations.

Two weeks after the contract signing, construction began! Techno Buha started with site preparation and excavation for the building foundations. From here, rebar reinforcements were placed and concrete poured for the column pads and strip footings. Burnt clay bricks were used for the plinth wall before being painted along with a cast ground beam on top. In December, the concrete slab was cast, completing the construction of the substructure. Quality assurance focused on concrete performance and brickwork: column stub concrete underwent laboratory testing, and brick materials were upgraded from community-supplied units to clay bricks to meet structural and durability requirements.

Then began the construction of the superstructure! This included construction of the masonry walls for both classroom blocks and other supports, including casting lintels over all door and window openings, formwork and casting of reinforced concrete columns, and the casting of the ring beam. Unfornutately, the community-made bricks failed to meet the compression standards, which forced us to follow plan B per the contract and purchase burn-clay bricks. The bricks of the structure are load-bearing, similar to European engineering, but unsual in modern American houses, which was both a challenge and a unique experience for the team.

After the completion of the superstructure, the roof and ceiling structures were constructed. The doors and windows were installed, and the walls were plastered. The electrical and mechanical works were completed. Finally, the interior finishes were completed, including floor finishing, wall painting, and installation of carpentry fixtures. In April 2026, the two classroom blocks were officially complete!

During the whole process, student members worked closely with project engineers on-site to ensure construction proceeded smoothly, emphasizing the important skill of professional communication and ethical practice in the engineering field. This project helped our student engineers gain experience with construction contracts, dispute resolution, and performance verification in a real-world international setting.

With many contributions from private donors and sponsors, and the diligent work of grants team, including but not limited to, the Trimble Grant, the project was fully funded as of April 2026. Besides grants and sponsors, our chapter hosted a number of fundraising events to raise funds for the project, including an annual 50/50 raffle and a pickleball tournament.