Projects

Please send donations via:

Recipient: Mirador e.V.

IBAN: DE06 5206 0410 0008 0090 90

BIC: GENODEF1EK1

Purpose: Donation Sao Tome + address if a donation receipt is desired!

Please contact us:

Phone: +49 (0) 178 5202752

E-mail: michael.bieler@hs-anhalt.de

More project life on Instagram at: Design Build - Unity (@designbuild_unity) • Instagram-Fotos und -Videos

^{Filmed and edited by Sophie Greilach & Nadja Rehm}

August 9, 2026: Our shipping containers, along with our building materials, are still stuck in customs. Due to the large number of different line items, we need the port staff’s cooperation. After several postponements, we now expect clearance on August 12, 2026. This means the project team must focus on further preparatory work, as the main construction cannot begin due to a shortage of threaded rods (which are in the container). Consequently, during the first week of August, all sleepers, supports, and clamps were cut to length, sanded, and treated with wood preservative. For the two shipping containers themselves, individual foundations were erected on an adjacent property. They are intended to serve as a materials storage facility for the community in the future.

^{Filmed and edited by Sophie Greilach & Nadja Rehm}

Masonry, concrete, and wood construction work. July 2026 // The utility building is being constructed.
August 1, 2026: The bricks were delivered on time, the mortar mixer is running, and the tools have been organized. Finally, the first bricks can be laid on the foundation. Drill holes were made beforehand for the threaded rods that will be installed later. These are needed to secure the building’s wooden structure to the foundation. We were also able to complete the masonry work on the utility building. To ensure sufficient light enters the building, glass blocks were integrated into a modern design. The masonry and concrete work is now complete, which means we can focus on preparing the wooden components for the future main building. Wooden beams are being sanded and sealed to protect them from the elements and pests. As soon as our construction containers arrive, we’ll have all the materials needed to erect the first sections of the building. We hope these can be picked up at the port of São Tomé on August 5, 2026.

^{Filmed and edited by Sophie Greilach & Nadja Rehm}

July 1, 2026: One by one, the students arrive at the construction site in Agua Ize´. They need to organize supplies for their shared housing and discuss construction plans with the project partners and local supporters. Work on the construction site itself begins with measuring for the wooden structure of the future building, followed by the installation of water and sewage lines for the kitchen and bathroom, and subsequent concrete work. The next step involves preparing the masonry work for the walls of the sanitation building and the concrete work for the building’s entrance stairs.

On 18 April 2026, our project team gathered in Reckahn to load all donated materials for the new kindergarten in Água Izé, São Tomé, into the shipping containers. By early May, the containers will be sealed and start their journey from Hamburg via Portugal to West Africa. In early July, they are expected to reach Água Izé – just in time for our joint project of Missão AMEM, Anhalt University of Applied Sciences, and Mirador e.V. to move into the construction phase on site, so that the children can soon watch their new kindergarten grow.

Between 10 and 18 January 2026, the first preparations for the future construction site were carried out. The former kindergarten building was demolished, the footprint of the new building was marked out, and local craftsmen were involved in the construction planning. With the breaking of ground, the old foundation slab gives way to a fresh new base — the starting point for everything that follows. When the students arrive from 1 July 2026 onwards, the new kindergarten will be built using an innovative timber construction method, fully adapted to the local climate and cultural context.

Following the presentation event at the Federal Environment Agency in Dessau, three final designs have emerged as strong candidates for further planning and implementation. Central to the selection were a user-centred approach to spatial layout and movement areas, natural lighting and ventilation, as well as structural and construction requirements.

On 9 July 2025, students from the Departments of Architecture and Real Estate Management presented their designs for the planned new kindergarten building on São Tomé. At the premises of the Federal Environment Agency, approximately 30 design schemes — including architectural models showcasing a wide variety of creative approaches — were presented by students from the 2nd, 4th, and 6th semesters to staff, lecturers, professors, and project stakeholders. Among the presentations were also four Bachelor's theses.

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