Pascal ODUL

Civil engineer in architecture
 
Rue des Patriotes, 9
B-1000 Brussels
Belgium
Tel/fax: 00 32 25032157

e-mail: odulpascal@hotmail.com
  

download CV format European Union: French

download CV format European Union: English

last modified: 1/10/2001

INDEX:

 

 

 Professional situation:

Previously researcher at the Post Graduate Centre Human Settlements, KULeuven, coordinator of the Certificat d'Etudes Approfondies en Architecture de Terre at the Ecole d'Architecture de Grenoble (France) and guest-professor at the Department of Architecture and Urbanism at UNIMEP (Brasil)

Recently High Level Expert at the Directorate General of International Cooperation at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, International Trade and International Cooperation, Brussels, Belgium: policy note on basic infrastructures

Presently program officer at EuropeAid, AIDCO, B6, Brussels, Belgium

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 Fields of expertise:

- Management and implementation of international cooperation programs
- Identification, instruction, monitoring and evaluation ex-ante and ex-post of projects and development programs in the fields of Habitat and basic infrastructures infrastructures
- Editing of technical and financial files, terms of reference, synthesis and evaluation reports
- Low-cost housing and local building materials especially earth construction and micro-concrete roof tiles
- Technical, economical, institutional and socio-cultural studies of architecture and building cultures

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 Consultancy missions:

- More than 20 short-term consultancy missions outside Europe: Tunisia, Algeria, Mauritania, Guinee-Bissau, Benin, Tchad, Somalia, Burundi, Kenya, South-Africa, Philippines, Usa, Mexico, Panama, Brasil, Ivory Coast
- Consultancies under contract or as subcontractor for multilateral organisations (World Bank, Unido, Unesco, ILO, European Cooperation Association, CDI, UNCHS-HABITAT, African Development Bank), bilateral cooperation (Coopération Française, Belgian Technical Cooperation) and international non-governmental organisations (Misereor, CRATerre)

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* Languages:

- fluent in english, french and dutch
- capacity to speak and read portuguese
- capacity to read spanish, german and italian

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 Professional career

- 2001-...: Program officer at EuropeAid, Brussels, Belgium; AIDCO unit B6: EuroMediteranean Partnership; transport, energy and infrastructures

- 2001: High level expert at the Directorate General of International Cooperation at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, International Trade and International Cooperation, Brussels, Belgium; policy note on basic infrastructures

- 1985-2001: Free-lance consultant for a wide variety of multilateral, bilateral and non-governmental organisations; project cycle management and low-cost housing and local building materials

- 1999 -2000 : Program officer at the Directorate General of International Cooperation at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, International Trade and International Cooperation, Brussels, Belgium; infrastructure programs and financial cooperation for Central and East-Africa; geodesk Kenya

- 1997-1999: Head of infrastructure sector at the Cooperation Mission of the Belgian Embassy, Bujumbura, Burundi; in charge of labour-intensive programs creating more than 1.000.000 mandays of work per year

- 1996: Guest-professor at the UNIMEP, Piracicaba, Brasil; collaborate in the set-up of a new school of architecture and their laboratories

- 1994-1995: Chief Technical Advisor of the project "Rural Housing and Local Building Materials", Belgian Technical Cooperation, Burundi; promotion and implementation of the use of local resources in building

- 1993-1994: Technical Advisor of provincial antenna in Makamba of the project "Rural Housing and Local Building Materials", Belgian Technical Cooperation, Burundi; promotion and implementation of the use of local resources in building

- 1991-1993: Half-time consultant under contract for Misereor, Aachen, Germany; low-cost housing and local building materials

- 1987-1993: Part-time lecturer and didactic coordinator of the post-graduate program " Certificat d'Etudes Approfondies en Architecture de Terre" at the Ecole d'Architecture de Grenoble and the post-professional intensive courses (BTC, PAT, BASIN) of CRATerre, Grenoble, France; specialised courses on earth construction

- 1981-1985: Research-coordinator of the project "Earth Construction Technologies Appropriate to Developing Countries; UNCHS-HABITAT" at the Post Graduate Centre Human Settlements of the KULeuven, Leuven, Belgium

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 Management of development programs: example

1997 - 1999 : Program officer of the Belgian - Burundian Counterpart Fund


Objectives:
- Budget support through provision of foreign currencies in counterpart of local currencies transfered to the Fund (726 million belgian francs or 18 million euro, against 4,3 billion burundi francs).
- Implementation of projects and programs with high social impact, coupled to a secondary economic objective: to target a maximum locally added value in order to transfer the majority of the funds to rural areas. This has to be obtained by envolving local actors and by using labour-intensive techniques, local resources and local building materials.
Responsibilities:
- Administrative management and accountancy of the reimbursements and spendings of the Fund in collaboration with the Ministry of Development Planning and other line-ministries.
- Program-identification, implementation, monitoring and evaluation.
Primary and secondary education are the largest beneficiaries of the counterpart fund. At the end of the program more than 2 billion burundi franc will be invested in school buildings and the local production of didactic material.
The labour-intensive programs by excellence are specific roadworks such as rehabilitation of secondary laterite roads and cobbled roads. 710 million burundi franc have already been invested.
In the year 1998, the Fund was managing 134 different projects of which 70 were finalised during this year. These 70 sites represent more than 15.000 m2 of infrastructure. The number of direct jobs created by these operations exceeds 1.000 and the indirect jobs are estimated equal. This represents 540.000 mandays in one year. The large quantity of interventions and the very limited budgets per project illustrate the specificity of the Fund. The money spended in 1998 would only allow to build 2 kilometers of asphalt road. Actually, this amount offered access to education for more then 12.000 children.
The major challenge was to increase the level of implementation of the programs. Many projects were launched several years ago and failed to be completed. Two measures solved this problem:
- Writing of an accountancy program allowing on-line follow-up and facilitating programmation.
- Set-up of a pyramidal structure of decentralised decisionmaking and implementation procedures.
By this, for example in the field of secondary school buildings, the number of completed projects increased from 7 during the 3 previous years to 94 (of which 30 newly launched) in the 3 years of my presence.

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 Other management examples:

1999: Directorate General for International Cooperation, Brussels

Objective: implementation of the belgian policy on direct bilateral cooperation and administrative management .
Responsibilities: geodesk direct bilateral cooperation with Kenya and in charge of the follow-up of interventions in the field of infrastructure and financial cooperation with Rwanda, Burundi, Kenya, Uganda et Ethiopia.
Examples:
Budget support, Uganda: Primary Health Care (3,3 mio euro)
Club de Paris, Ethiopia (1 mio euro)
Construction of a hospital in Remera, Rwanda (2 mio euro)
Jomo Kenyatta International Airport Crisis & Communication Centre (0,5 mio euro)

1998 - 1999: Food for Work, Burundi

Objective: contribute to the reconstruction of Burundi through the execution of labour-intensive programs and applying the principle of "Food for Work".
Responsibilities: instruction of the project document, design of the implementation procedures and creation of a computerprogram for the management and follow-up of the projects.
This one-year program foresees 740 tons of food. Knowing that each day of labour represents 1,5 kg of food, this programs generates 500.000 mandays of labour. Considering 270 days of labour in one year, more than 1.850 households are concerned.

1993 - 1995: Habitat Rural et Matériaux locaux de Construction, Ministère de Développement Communal et de l'Artisanat, Burundi


Objective: use of local resources (raw materials, labour and institutions) in rural housing.
Responsibilities: technical advisor for the provincial antenna in Makamba and later on chief technical advisor for the whole intervention with antennas in Bujumbura, Bubanza, Cibitoke and Makamba.
Activities:
- applied research and development of production and construction techniques
- training of craftsmen in production and construction
- feasibility studies, fundraising, execution and technical assistance
- architectural projects using local resources
Examples:
- research and development of local building materials and launching of prototype production units: ferro-ciment, false ceilings in papyrus, stone and fired clay pavements, slates, limebased renderings and paints, perforated burnt bricks, compressed earth blocks and presses, microconcrete roof tiles
- design and building of 6 secondary schools in the province of Makamba (FBBR)
- health center in Cankuzo (FBBR)
- design of semi-urban housing scheme (FBBR)

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 Training: example

1987 - 1993 : Coordinator and lecturer of the Post Graduate Course on Earth Construction, Ecole d'Architecture de Grenoble, France

Objectives:

Besides specialising in the specificty of earthen architecture, sensibilise the students of this post-graduate course on following approaches:
- building culture
- the production of Habitat including technical, economical, social, cultural and institutional aspects
- learning by doing and knowing through observation

Responsibilities:

- didactic coordination of the course contents through the development of a conceptual frame of knowledge and the development of new course contents (e.g.: pathology, design, rehabilitation and preservation)
- coordination of the lecturers (average of 15) trhough the use of didactic files
- follow-up of the practical exercises, ateliers, work placements and theses
- lecturer for more than one quarter of the courses

This bi-annual program, unique in the world, has an average participation of 15 students, mostly out of Africa and Latin-America. The cycle is divided into three parts:
- 6 months of theoritical courses and practical exercises
- 6 months of work experience in close collaboration with the staff of CRATerre-EAG or other international experts in the field
- research or project implementation followed by a thesis for a minimum of one year

The students gradually shift from theorie to practice via small-scale models, real-scale models and real projects for clients.

The students can count on the effects of the trilogy "training - research - application" in which the staff is envolved. This trilogy is dynamic and each element acts as a feeder for the others. The course contents are continuously evolving through time.

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 Similar training programs:

1996: guest-professor at UNIMEP, Piracicaba, Brasil

Objective: The department of architecture started in 1994. The director participated at the post-graduate program in Grenoble and wanted to introduce the didactic approach within the standard curriculum of architecture.

Responsibilities:
- curriculum development
- design and installation of the laboratorium for structural design
- lecturer in the 2nd and 3rd year in charge of building technology and architectural design
- participative building of structures using arches, vaults and cupolas on the campus and a pilot house for self-builders of the favella in the city

UNIMEP very quickly managed to develop a national reputation with this innovative didactic approach which was largely disseminated by the GLOBO television network. The school became member of the international Unseco chair on earth construction.

1987 - 1993: didactic coordinator and lecturer for the intensive courses of CRATerre-EAG, Grenoble, France:

These professional specialised courses are intended for an international public interested in deepening its knowledge and gaining an overview of the state of the art in following areas:
- industrialisation of compressed earth blocks
- structural design and architectural detailing with earth construction
- low-cost housing and local building materials
- preservation et rehabilitation of the earthen architectural heritage

These courses are organised under the auspices of sevral organisations such as: CDI, UNIDO, CIB, UNCHS. In some case they are organised in collaboration with ICCROM and BASIN:
- CRATerre- EAG: 4/88, 5/88, 5/90, 4/91, 3/92 and 4/93: "Cours intensifs sur la construction en terre: la production de blocs de terre comprimée" and 11/88, 10/89, 6/90, 9/91 and 4/92: "Intensive course on earth construction: the production of compressed earth blocks"
- CRATerre-EAG: 9/91 and 4/92: "Intensive course on earth construction: design and construction with compressed earth blocs" and 3/92, 4/93: "Cours intensifs sur la construction en terre: la construction en blocs de terre comprimée"
- BASIN (SKAT, ITDG, GATE, CRATerre-EAG): 6-7/93: "Economic construction and local building materials"
- CRATerre-ICCROM- EAG: 10/89: "Premier cours pilote sur la préservation du patrimoine architectural en terre" and 10/90, 10/92: "Cours international sur la preservation du patrimoine architectural en terre"

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 Technical assistance: example

1996: ILO-DECO, Benin

DECO - Développement des Entreprises productrices de matériaux locaux de COnstruction - is an interregional sub-program (Africa and Asia), financed by the Swiss Cooperation and executed by ILO - ENT/MAN, Micro-enterprises and Informal Sector. The DECO-program aims at illustrating that the production of local building materials, a dynamic component of the building industry, largely contributes to the general growth of the national economy. The use of microconcrete roof tiles was selected as a privileged technology for demonstration. Benin was one of the fourteen countries participating to the program.

The potential producers of microconcrete roof tiles created a professional association called "Association des Tuiliers du Bénin - ATB". This association has to create a favorable environment for a sane competitiveness and a reliable support for its members what concerns training, quality control, merchandising, publicity and market prospection. It should also organise temporary consortia for large tenders.

This mission had various objectives:
- Design and testing of a didactic suitcase for training trainers.
- Organise a workshop and build a demonstration roof in Cotonou.
- Installation of the equipment in the production sites.
- Define a long term strategy for the professional association.

The didactic suitcase contains:
- A two-weeks training program with 18 didactic files specifying the contents of the course and all related organisational aspects.
- The contents are illustrated with 75 overhead sheets, 40 slides and a basic bibliography.

The mission took place from 18/1 till 12/2/1996.

The workshop in Cotonou adressed 9 private producers, members of the ATB, 14 craftsmen and 13 carpenters during 8 days.
The demonstration roof of 45 m2 was completed in the same period allowing to illustrate the techniques of carpentry and tile-laying.

After the workshop, each producer was visited at least twice, except Parakou, in order to verify the quality of the available raw materials, to install the machinery and to organise the production unit.

The rest of the mission was dedicated to the consolidation of the professional association ATB. A long term plan was elaborated and a leading technician for the ATB was designated. It was decided to mandate CNERTP with the development of building regulations and standards, followed by procedures for quality control. During the workshop ATB organised several publicity campaings via the national television.

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 Other examples of technical assistance:

21/3-4/4/1993: Panama
- responsbility: technical advisor
- financed by: MISEREOR
- executed by: P. ODUL
- objectives: technical assistance to CEPAS on building with adobe

 

11/3-25/4/2001: Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast
- responsbility: cost estimation of the program, rules for acquisition, program architecture and logical framework
- financed by: AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT BANK, Abidjan, Ivory Coast
- executed by: A. COMMISSO, R. GILLET, J-M. LOODTS, E. PROWIZUR, P. ODUL, IBF, Belgium
- objectives: appraisal mission for the Post-Conflict Rehabilitation Program in Guinea-Bissau: capacity building, rehabilitation of infrastructures, micro-finance and reintegration of ex-combattants

27/11-17/12/1992: Burundi
- responsbility: technical advisor and lecturer
- financed by: MISEREOR
- executed by: A. DOULINE, K. FOUAD, P. ODUL
- objectives: workshop on production and building with microconcrete roof tiles and compressed earth blocks; demonstration building in Bukeye

19/11-19/12/1991: Philippines
- responsbility: technical advisor and lecturer
- financed by: MISEREOR
- executed by: A. DOULINE, E. OCHOA, P. ODUL
- objectives: workshop on production and building with microconcrete roof tiles and compressed earth blocks; demonstration building in Digos, Mindanao. Project follow-up and technical assistance in Cebu, Iloilo

27/11-19/12/1989: Mauritania
- responsbility: study on local building technologies and school infrastructure for the Education III program of the World Bank
- financed by: World Bank, Washington
- executed by: CRATerre , P. ODUL, Synergy, C. POSMA
- objectives: through the analysis of building cultures, make proposals for design and execution by self-builders and elaborate a global strategy for project implementation

1/5-21/5/1989: Tchad
- responsbility: head of the evaluation mission of the project DP/CHD/83/007: support the revival of the production of building materials in Tchad
- financed by: PNUD, Washington
- executed by: P. ODUL, UNDP, S. BOUBEKEUR, UNIDO
- objectives: project-evaluation, impact-analysis and define future orientations

15/5-28/5/1988: Guinea-Bissau
- responsbility: technical assistance to the Directorate General of Housing and Urban Planning
- financed by: COOPERATION FRANÇAISE, Paris
- executed by: P. ODUL, CRATerre
- objectives: study the local building culture, the building costs and the accessibility to housing; make recommendations for a potential program of low-cost housing

5/5-19/5/1987: Somalia
- responsbility: lecturer
- financed by: UNESCO, AFESD, Paris, Amman
- executed by: T. JOFFROY, S. MAINI, P. ODUL
- objectives: train architects and technicians in earth construction. Participants of Somalia, Soudan and Yemen.

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 Architecture and low -cost housing and infrastructure: example

1985-1989: Project AEC Guinée-Bissau: Office and residence of the delegate of the Delegation of the European Commission

- objectives: design and follow-up of the building site of the office and residence for the Delegation of the European Commission in Bissau
- secondary objectives: promotion of local resources and labour-intensive technologies through the construction of a prestiguous building
- client: AEC (Association Européenne pour la Coopération), Brussels, Belgium
- designed by: asbl Architechna (Belgium), Aga Khan Award (dismantled in 1999 and replaced by Synergy bvba (member from 1985 till 1999)
- built by: Soares Da Costa (Portugal)

responsibilities:
- sectoral study of the building industry, research and development of local building materials and launching of the production units in Bissau
- engineer in charge of structural and technical design and building site follow-up

mission on site for the sectoral study and the preselection of contractors, october 1986, 4 weeks;
mission on site for the launching of the production units and the building site, 21/6 - 5/7/1987;
mission on site for the follow-up of the building site, 15/5 - 28/5/1988, 21/9 - 8/10/1988 et 28/10 - 11/11/1988

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 Other design projects:

1996: winner of the competition "Villa Tecnologica, concurso 001/96 IDHAB/DF", Brasilia, Brasil


- objectives: design of innovative low-cost housing
- responsibility: engineering and design of the structure and architectural details
- designed by: ARCO Atelier (H. DIAS DA SILVA, M. BUCARETCHI, E. SALMAR & P. ODUL)
- sponsored by: Distrito Federal Brasilia

1994 - 1995 : Diocesan Development Office in Bujumbura, Burundi


- objectives: promotion of local resources and labour-intensive technologies through the construction of a representative prestiguous building
- responsibility: engineering (specific problem of black cotton soils), structural design and architectural detailing, technical assistance for the production and construction, building site follow-up
- architectural design: M. RUCHON
- built by: SODETA sa
- financed by: MISEREOR

1994: 50 houses for returnees, Gasaka, Burundi

- objectives: relocate urgently repatriates living in tents since more than one year
- responsibility: technical assistance for the development of a building system allowing rapid construction and the use of adobe-blocks during the rainy season, building site follow-up
- designed by: P. ODUL, Habitat Rural
- built by: SRD Buragane
- financed by: HCR

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 Publications

45 articles and 9 published books
For example:

- ODUL P., "Mallette pédagogique: Toitures en tuiles microbéton", ILO, Geneva, Switzerland, 1998, np
- ODUL P., "Bibliography sur la préservation, la restauration et la réhabilitation des architectures de terre", GAIA, CRATerre - EAG - ICCROM, 1993, pp 136
- GUILLAUD H., ODUL P., JOFFROY T., "Compressed earth blocks: volume II. Manual of design and construction", Vieweg, Braunschweig, Germany, 1995, pp148 (exists also in french)
- ODUL P., "Pathologie humide de constructions en terre: méthodologie de diagnostic" in 6th International Conference on the Conservation of Earthen Architecture, Adobe 90, 14-19/10/1990, Las Cruces, New Mexico, Getty Conservation Institute, Las Cruces, USA, 1990, pp 12
- ODUL P., HOUBEN H., "The mutual influence between soil identification tests and standards on earth construction: a question of research priorities and potentialities for application" in Symposium on Building Materials for Low-income Housing in Asia and the Pacific, Bangkok, 1987, ESCAP, CIB, RILEM, Bangkok, Thailand, 1987, pp 10
- ODUL P., "Synthesis of case studies on earth construction: factors influencing the success or failure and the acceptability of earth as a building material", in Case studies on earth construction, volume 6.2., ABOS-AGCD, UNCHS, PGC-HS KULeuven, CRA-UCL, CRATerre, Brussels, Belgium, 1984, 171pp
- Exhibition: EARTH CONSTRUCTION TECHNOLOGIES APPROPRIATE TO DEVELOPING COUNTRIES; direction: ODUL P., THEUNISSEN P.; production: PGC-HS KULeuven, CRA-UCL / distribution: ATOL; caracteristics: black and white, format A1, 28 pannels / 1984

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 Conferences

More than 85 conferences in 10 different countries.
For example:

- Unimep, 1a Quinzena de Arquitetura e Urbanismo, Piracicaba, Brasil: 6/96: "Técnicas construtivas com terra crua", "Produção de tijolos de solo-cimento e telhas de micro-cimento" et - PGC-HS, KUL, Leuven, Belgium, Master of Architecture in Human Settlements: 10/94: "Principles for production and design of earth construction", 11/95 and 12/95: "Building technology"
- Universidade de Sao Paulo, Faculdade de Arquitetura e Urbanismo, Sao Paulo, Brésil: 10/95: "Project rural housing and local building materials in Burundi, Africa"
- PGC-HS, KUL, United Nations Course on Human Settlements, Leuven, Belgium: 10/84: "Earth construction: different approaches from technical and economical point of view", 10/87: "Introduction to earth construction", 10/88, 11/89, 11/91 and 11/92: "Appropriate technology and earth construction"
- University of Port Elizabeth, Department of Architecture, Port Elizabeth and University of Cape Town, Department of Architecture, Cape Town, South Africa: 2/92: "Technology of compressed earth blocks and fiber concrete roofing"
- Western Institute of Technology, Iloilo et College of Architecture, UP, Manila, Philippines: 12/91: "Technology of compressed earth blocks and fiber concrete roofing"
- Scuola di specializzazione di planificazione urbana e territoriale applicata ai paesi in via di sviluppo, Istituto Universitario di Architettura di Venezia, Venice, Italy: 2/91: "Earth construction"
6th International Conference on the Conservation of earthen Architecture, Adobe 90, -14-19/10/1990, Las Cruces, New Mexico, USA: "Pathologie humide de constructions en terre: méthodologie de diagnostic"
- Institut Régional du Patrimone de Bretagne, Rennes, France, colloque sur la connaissance et la restauration de l'habitat en terre, Montfort-sur-Meu, France: 4/90: "Pathologie de la construction en terre" and "Méthodologie de diagnostic et réhabilitation"
- Politecnico Di Milano, Facolta Di Architettura, Milan, Italie: 4/89 and 4/90: 3° e 4° Corso Aggiornamento: "Technologie des blocs de terre comprimée"
- Institut Supérieur d'Architecture LA CAMBRE, Stage AGCD-DAC, Brussels, Belgium: 3/87: "Introduction sur la construction en terre", 3/88, 4/89 and 4/90: "Projets d'architecture, économie et techniques de construction"
- Lidesco, Leiden, Pays-Bas, Seminar on housing, 4th year students in anthropology: 12/89: "Social and cultural aspects of earth construction"
- UCL-CRA, Louvain-la-neuve, Belgium: 8/84: "Présentation des techniques de construction en terre" and "Aspects socio-économiques de la construction en terre", 11/85: "Les différentes techniques de la construction en terre" and "Le bloc de terre comprimée", 7/86: "Identification du matériau terre"
- DAEST, Istituto Universitario di Architettura di Venezia Venice, Italy: 3/85: "Earth construction"
- 1st international colloquium on earth construction, ABOS-AGCD, UNCHS-HABITAT, CIB, Egmont Palace, Brussels, Belgium: 12/84: "Earth construction technologies: research methodology, case studies, synthesis, video, slides, expo, socio-cultural aspects"

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 Director and member of the jury for graduate and post-graduate theses:

Follow-up of more than 20 theses.
For example:

- Director of the thesis for the grade of Civil Engineer in Construction of A. Mbazumutima, Université du Burundi, Bujumbura, Burundi, 1998: "Etude sur les techniques de construction en matériaux locaux; Préfaisabilité du schiste ardoisier de Musongati dans la couverture du bâtiment"
- Director of the thesis for the post-grade CEAA-Terre of S. Meyer, EAG, Grenoble, France 1992: "La participation aux décisions dans un projet d'habitat: le cas du projet d'habitat de Kayar, Sénégal"
- Director of the thesis for the post-grade CEAA-Terre of C. Soliani, EAG, Grenoble, France, 1990: "Radon et habitations; le radon dans l'environnement architectural: origine, conséquences et mesures comparatives sur quelques matériaux de construction"

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