Leveraging BIM for Sustainable Orphanage Design Using Locally Sourced Materials

Abstract

In Sub-Saharan Africa, and particularly Cameroon, the demand for socially inclusive and environmentally responsible architecture is growing due to rapid urbanisation, climate pressures, and the needs of vulnerable communities. Orphanages, as critical social infrastructure, are frequently delivered through cost-driven approaches that neglect sustainability and long-term performance. While Building Information Modelling (BIM) has globally advanced design precision, cost optimisation, and environmental performance analysis, its application in Africa especially for projects using eco-friendly materials such as compressed earth blocks (CEBs) remains limited. This study employs BIM, through Autodesk Revit, to design sustainable, child-centred orphanages in Cameroon using locally sourced materials. Two functionally equivalent prototypes, one with sandcrete blocks and another with CEBs, were developed and evaluated through comparative cost estimation, embodied carbon and energy analysis, and operational performance assessment, in line with life-cycle assessment (LCA) standards and thermal comfort benchmarks. Results show that CEBs delivered lower construction costs, reduced embodied impacts, and improved thermal comfort compared to sandcrete. BIM-enabled workflows enhanced quantity take-offs, integrated early LCA, and supported evidence-based material selection. This research provides one of the first regionally validated datasets on sandcrete and CEB performance in Cameroon, while proposing a replicable digital design framework for humanitarian architecture in resource-constrained Sub-Saharan contexts.