Sausalito-based DNM Architecture is collaborating with fellow Bay Area creative firm Nonfiction to design and produce Jaza Solar Hubs – field assembled power centers designed to bring clean, renewable energy to Nigerian localities – while empowering local women to run 100% of operations.

The Project
Nonfiction announced the manufacturing and deployment of the brand-new Jaza Solar Hubs, kiosks that collect solar energy in rural communities and distribute it at an affordable cost to villages all over Nigeria.

Phnam Bagley, industrial designer, futurist, aerospace architect, and co-founder of Nonfiction, explains, “Even in cities like Lagos, people experience power outages multiple times a day, disturbing their daily activities. Those who can afford it run diesel generators to supplement the grid, to great financial and environmental detriment. Jaza Solar Hubs are a solution to this problem.”

“This was our first time addressing manufacturing in Africa, which, from a sustainability standpoint, is a no-brainer: raw materials come from Africa, so why should we ship them across continents to be processed and sell them back for a higher price in Africa? Why should we depend on foreign jobs and skills when we could train manufacturers and operations specialists to do it locally?”

David Marlatt, AIA, founder and principal of DNM Architecture, adds, “DNM’s contribution to this project was to develop the design for panelizing and flat packing, as well as solving the problem of assembling wall, floor and roof panels in the field using no power tools whatsoever – all in a single day. As a firm that considers community and nonprofit work an important part of our mission, we are incredibly proud to be part of a solution with life-changing implications for West Africa and worldwide.”

DNM also designed an ingenious precast foundation concept using threaded rod and bolts to level the floor of each Jaza Hub on site, eliminating the need for traditional foundation work that is invariably time-consuming and skill-intensive.

In addition to the Jaza Hubs, Nonfiction rebranded and designed the inverters and the Jaza60 batteries of previous Jaza efforts. These 60 Ah rentable batteries can power cell phones, light bulbs, and small fans to keep cool in the punishingly hot Nigerian climate, bringing innovative power solutions down to the individual household level.

The Impact
Jaza Hubs have become an essential source of energy for the community. Centered around the theme of beehives, the Hubs are exclusively operated by young women, who are taught customer service skills and tools to optimize their hub's performance. Called “Jaza Stars,” these local women are the most important part of the Jaza ecosystem – just like queen bees in a hive. Jaza Stars are paid a decent income and commission, bringing financial independence and dignity where options are typically limited for them, and this new iteration of the Jaza Hub is even designed to account for Jaza Stars who are new mothers, allowing space to care for their babies.

"Through the 8 years of Nonfiction's existence, few projects have been more rewarding than working with Jaza," states Phnam Bagley. "This is one of the most ambitious and well-executed business plans I have ever encountered. We want to work with more companies that care this much about the human, environmental and economic impact of new ideas."

Mardis Bagley, Nonfiction co-founder explains, "After spending 20 years manufacturing in China and in the US, it was interesting to work with vastly different standards of execution and tolerances in a Nigerian factory. But with good communication, short prototyping cycles, and exposure to real-world situations (wind, rain, people, cultural), the Jaza team was able to launch the first of 500 Jaza Hubs in record time."

"Working with Phnam and Mardis in a design charrette for Jaza produced a modular concept that meets the functional requirements of Jaza in a rugged environment," adds DNM President, David Marlatt AIA, "but it also expresses who they are as an organization. We were thrilled to play a role in this effort."