Students from the McWhorter School of Building Science at Auburn University recently participated in a class project on building structures using low-cost available items for people living in the developing world. Then, they visited a local third grade class at Wrights Mill Road Elementary School to get their help making 4×4 wall panels that could be used to construct affordable buildings.

Previous wall construction by others in South America has attempted to use “trash”, including plastic bottles, as insulation for exterior walls of homes or schools. The class project at Auburn tried to duplicate these ideas and establish “best practices” to make the process easier and more sustainable. In the past, walls have been built vertically in place, but this project focused on building panels on the ground and then lifting them in place. The students believe this may make the walls easier to build.”