Impact also means 'impact' in creole, the native language of Cape Verde.

As in english, in creole it is also used associated to 'environmental'. Environmental impact (impact ambiental in creole)  is particularly relevant in the context of Impact, the project. 

The Impact project is a construction system, tailored to the Cape-Verdean context. In it, part of the aggregates typically used in construction, are replaced with ground-up solid urban waste, thereby reducing the environmental impact generated by the aggregate extraction process. Waste treatment and recycling mechanisms are limited in Cape Verde, so the Impact  system is also a means to channel and reuse waste which would otherwise become landfill.

Impact started taking shape on the island of São Vicente, when it was selected as part of the Urdi'2020 'Created in Cabo Verde' exhibition. It was represented by its first component - a solid interlocking 20cm building block - which was produced to explore a key aspect of the housing issue in Cape Verde: self-build and how a more considered self-build process might be developed.

Impact was then selected as a satellite project for the Porto Design Biennale. This takes place in Ribeira da Barca in Cape Verde, with the participation of the local community and, in particular, of the women who extract the aggregates from the beaches. Aggregate extraction is the principal activity of the local women in Ribeira da Barca, where there is a high number of single parent mothers and high birth rates are prevalent. In addition, the sale of aggregates is an increasingly difficult market.

The gradual  demise of aggregate extraction will, to some extent, eventually help protect and safeguard Cape Verde's coastline. 99% of Cape Verde's territory is made up of water and 20% of its GDP comes from tourism, making conservation of its natural heritage a fundamental concern.  However, the decline of the aggregate extraction industry will also inevitably highlight and exacerbate the economic fragility of numerous families, whose family budgets rely on income from the aggregate extraction process.

With the aim of generating new activities for the local women - main carers of the local families - Impact  is re-thought and a new element is introduced: a paving block which takes inspiration from the local heritage and pattern of
panudi terra.