Updated program
Proceedings of the Sustainable Construction in Africa (SCA25) Conference| Nairobi, Kenya |20-22 May 2025
Editorial
This collection gathers all the articles submitted and presented at the Sustainable Construction in Africa 2025 (SCA25) conference, which was held in Nairobi, Kenya, from 20 to 22 May 2025.
SCA25 is a landmark event dedicated to addressing the pressing challenges and opportunities in Africa’s built environment. Organised by the Laboratory of Construction Materials (LMC) at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) under the supervision of Prof. Karen Scrivener, and the Meru Institute of Science and Technology, led by Dr Joseph Mwiti Marangu, this conference brought together leading voices from academia, industry, government, and civil society to promote affordable, scalable, and sustainable construction across the African continent.
The conference theme—“Sustainable Construction in Africa”—reflects the urgent need for innovative and context-specific solutions to support Africa’s rapid urbanisation and infrastructure demands. While the conference covers a broad spectrum of topics related to construction technologies, materials, and implementation strategies, a strong emphasis has been placed on sustainability, affordability, and local resource utilisation.
More than 50 peer-reviewed papers, each with 10 to 15 pages, were accepted and presented at the conference. These papers were compiled to create the conference proceedings, which encompass various innovative research on sustainable building materials. This includes Supplementary Cementitious Materials (SCM), admixtures, recycled materials, earth- and bio-based materials, bricks and blocks, and the structural and durability performance of construction materials. Furthermore, it addresses urban housing concepts, challenges, and best practices that provide sustainable solutions for construction.
In addition to the technical sessions, participants were involved in expert panel discussions and exhibitions designed to promote cross-sector collaboration, enhance regional capacity-building, and establish practical standards, policies, and regulations for sustainable construction.
We were thrilled to welcome participants and sincerely thank all contributors for their high-quality submissions and commitment to sustainable development.
We hope these proceedings serve as a lasting resource for advancing sustainable construction practices and collaborations in Africa and beyond.
SCA25 Organising Committee
