PERI lays the foundations for education and career prospects
Since the school opened, nine classrooms have provided learning space for up to 225 children, while the top floor provides a welcome distraction from everyday life. Water tanks have been fitted to supply the school with water to provide toilet and washroom facilities.
“Education is very important to us, as it is the cornerstone for the children’s future careers. That said, this is not simply a school we are building. By producing the TwistBlocks locally, we are also creating jobs and helping people to help themselves. At PERI, we are very pleased that our network of participating companies such as Start SomeWhere and Global One Foundation is making these projects possible” says Andreas Mayer, Head of Corporate Sustainability, PERI SE.
PERI employees also played an active role in supporting the opening of the school. With the “Global Run to Nairobi” campaign held as part of the Einstein Marathon 2023, PERI donated €1 to the newly built school in Nairobi for every kilometre run by employees, with the money going towards school equipment. The high level of involvement meant that €10,000 was made available for furnishing the classrooms and purchasing whiteboards, books, benches and a cooker for the opening of the school.
The construction system offers many benefits. The TwistBlocks are hollow on the inside and very narrow, which means that only a few resources are required for production. What’s more, the TwistBlocks can be disassembled if necessary and reused to a maximum extent of 80%, making construction particularly cost-efficient, safe and sustainable. Blocks are produced using PERI’s TwistBlock moulds in local factories in Kenya and South Africa, creating additional local jobs.
The walls of the school in Kibera are made up of 7,000 TwistBlocks. The fire-resistant blocks feature an impressively simple plug-in system which, in addition to being quick and easy to use, allows the ground plan to be designed flexibly in confined spaces. The cavity inside the blocks also ensures good insulation and pleasant room temperatures in summer and winter. The construction process is therefore very straightforward and requires neither mortar nor trained bricklayers. With a construction time of only one year for the school building, the TwistBlock method sets new standards in terms of rapid construction.
PERI is aiming to build a new school every year as part of its “Building Sustainability” initiative. There are already plans for a PERI school in Cape Town and one in Manila. With this approach, PERI intends to set the ball rolling on new prospects for the future – worldwide.