Shamsi


Welcome to Shamsi



Solar baking made local



A community-driven solution in rural Egypt towards mitigating mixed-waste burning while upholding traditional baking in a sustainable manner.



Capture the sun.



Shamsi is a solar oven designed to bake traditional sun-leavened bread. It upholds regional baking traditions, while making clean energy accessible in rural areas. Replacing the habit of burning mixed-wastes to fuel traditional ovens, Shamsi significantly reduces CO2 emissions. Households are at lower risk of diseases caused by smoke and fire. Shamsi is technology-free out of local materials, allowing local production with gender-equal work opportunities in the community.


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Keep the tradition.



The nationwide famous Shamsi Bread is deeply rooted in the baking culture of Upper Egypt and counts as an essential component of the local nutrition diet. For most interviewed households self-baked bread is the preferred choice compared to bread available in the market.


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"When the smell of fresh bread is no longer blended with toxic fumes."



Do not mix.



Agro-wastes transported from the neighbourhood mixed together with plastic wastes, serve as combustibles to feed traditional loam ovens. The plastics are used as a cheap way to expedite the oven’s fire. Several women complained about the way fumes affect their eyes and cause respiratory diseases.


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Create opportunity.



Rapid urban sprawl and increasing migration, not only caused ecological deterioration but also entailed the loss of traditional skills and agricultural know-how. Villagers, even if educated, have no possibilities for work in the neighbourhood.


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"Deeper understanding leads to better solutions."



Victor Papanek



“Designing meaningful, innovative solutions that serve the intended users begins with understanding their needs, hopes and aspirations for the future.”



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Build community.



We build on empathy in all observations and decisions throughout the design process. Integrating tested empathy tools that incorporate exchange, participation and co-creation allows context-appropriate assessment. This inspires design ideas, capable of producing effective solutions that have a sustainable impact in the addressed locality and its surroundings.


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Sustainable Development Goals



United Nations



"First, we're facing an existential crisis that must be dealt with quickly; and second, there are ways to overcome it."



Noam Chomsky



"Think global, act local."



Patrick Geddes



When ecology meets community



Shamsi





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