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EARTHEN ARCHITECTURE IN CONTEMPORARY SCENARIO

An Architect’s perception of

‘Earthen Architecture In Contemporary Scenario ’

A technique of the past helping us today to develop a healthy & green future.

Submitted by - JANAKI RAMASAMY - 10AR2



Title Description

One of the oldest forms of construction…

It is composed of structures made from unfired

earthen materials, including adobe (sun-dried mud

brick), rammed earth, and other earthen

components and construction techniques that varies

with culture and region


An Architect’s perception of

‘ Earthen Architecture In Contemporary Scenario’

Meaning – Living /occurring at the same time

Today's World of construction – Moving towards the

highly technological face with all the utopian concepts.

Is the Age old technique a mismatch to the current face?

The Techniques and technology that today's field of

construction uses to handle the material.

How do an ARCHITECT , as a person who develops built form and urban setting for welfare of SOCIETY, perceive the concept o

EARTHEN ARCHITECTURE (oldest conventional building technology) now being put aside naming it as SUSTAINABLE ARCHITECTURE



Aim of the study

To Recognize the significance of earthen architecture and its

techniques from past to present .

To know about the alternative technologies used in earthen

architecture and to figure out its scope and promote it as a construction

material in today‟s world




Objective of the study

To overview the history of earthen construction

To understand the qualities and properties of mud To study and understand the usefulness and problems that

earth as a construction material has and have.

To understand and analyze the earth construction techniques.

To study the problems in designing structures, construction andmaintenance of earthen construction through pioneer‟s designs.

To study the innovative earth construction techniques.

To study the potentials of earth architecture to solvesustainability issues.

Earthen architecture as a tool to solve housing needs for poor – Study and analysis of it being economical.




Scope and Limitations of the study

To overview the history of earthen construction throughchronological and statistical data

To understand the qualities and properties of mud through variousliterature sources and not through physical testing of the same

Study is not intended to analyze or calculate any climaticresponsive factors

To bring out the alternative/innovative approach and itsapplications through study on pioneer‟s design and various othercase examples.

Study is limited to focus on principles and works of three nationaland three international Architects.




Final outcome of the study:

„ Building with earth has a great past, but also a promising future

Everywhere in the world‟

The attempt is to study and integrate an alternative technologies and various

appropriate building materials and renewable energies sources, so as to promote eco-

friendly and sustainable development.

Gain the better knowledge properties of mud

Gain the knowledge about alternative mud architecture techniques

Creating awareness on the Mud architecture by presenting its scope on various fields.

Creating awareness to preserve earthen building traditions

- Ar.Satprem Maini




Structure of PresentationStage 1

- Definition of Earthen architecture

- History of Earthen architecture

- Earthen Architecture – Statistical Data

- Earthen Architecture – In India

- Earth as a Building material

• Types of soil and its usage

• Tests

• Stabilizers

• Strength and weakness of the material

Stage 2

- Earthen Construction Techniques

• 12 systems of construction

• Various Building Elements

• Walls

• Flooring

• Foundation

- Study on principles and works of

• Ar. Hassan Fathy (Egyptian)

◦ Case example - 2

• Ar. Gernot Minke(German)


• Ar. Anna Heringer (Austrian)


• Vaults, Domes , Arches

• Plasters and Mortar

• Aesthetical Quality




Structure of PresentationStage 3

- Study on principles and works of

• Ar. Satprem Maini (Practicing at Auroville)

• Auroville Earth Institute , Auroville

• Ar. Suhasini Iyer (Indian)

• Auroville , Auroville

• Ar. Chitra Vishwanath(Indian)

• Biome Solutions , Bangalore

- Interviews with Professionals and Technicians

• Ar. Anna Muset Cabada - Auroville Earth Institute , Auroville

• Ar. Nourredine Kebaili - Auroville Earth Institute , Auroville

• Ar. Martin . L - Biome Solutions , Bangalore

• Mr. T.Ayyappan - Co-Director of AVEI , Auroville

• Mr. Regi Kumar - Site Supervisor of AVEI , Auroville

Stage 4

- Earthen architecture – As a tool for

sustainability(Comparison with a conventional building mater

- Earthen Architecture – For Disasterresistance

- Earthen Architecture – As a tool to sohousing needs

(Comparison with a conventional building mater

- Current trends and researches

- Role of

• An Architect

• The Government and private agencie

- Inference and Conclusion




Summary of the Previous stagesFrom History Of Earthen Architecture To Pioneer’s Designs And Concepts




EARTHEN ARCHITECTURE - HISTOIt has been one of the most widely usedbuilding materials ever since peoplebegan to build homes and cities 11 000years ago.


8000 to 6000 BC – Mud brick houses,Russia.

The 4000 – year old great wall of china

Bronze age – In Germany - infill intimber-framed houses. Wattle and daub

6th century BC –Mud brick Heuneburg fort-N.Europe

1446- First recorded settlements inDir‟iyah

1795 - The oldest inhabited house in

Germany.

Mid 20th century- Renaissance of earthenarchitecture (Hassan Fathy)

Statistics from UNCHS

40 % of the world population lives in earthendwellings

17 % of the “world cultural heritage sites” isbuilt with earth

Statistics from UNESCO

25 % of the world population does not haveaccess to decent housing

25 % of the “world heritage sites in danger” isbuilt with earth\

14 % of the “hundred most endangered world

heritage sites” is built with earth

Type of Mud construction used - UNESCO

5000 BC – Rammed earthfoundations in Assyria.

300 and 900 AD – The core ofsun , mexico , 2 million tons oframmed earth.

100 BC – Rammed earth forts Spain.

13th to 17th centuries –cover stroofs - fire-resistant.

15th to the 19th centuries – InFrance, terrepise technique

1828 – The tallest house with searth walls - Germany.



Earth As A Building MaterialT y p e s o f S o i l a n d u s e s , S o i l t e s t i n g




Soil - Types

Soil – Types (Based on particle size)

Gravel: size of a pea to that of an egg.

Sand: small than a pea

Silt: Fine grains.

Clay: Soils that stick when wet

Organic Soil: decomposing organic matters


SOIL – USAGESuitability for construction is to

be checked before use

CHART SHOWING THE SOIL

TYPES AND MIXTURES

The shaded region Shows the

suitable soil proportion for the

building construction



Soil Testing and types

Soil Test :

There are two kinds oftests:

◦ Field tests

◦ Colour tests

◦ Touch and smell test

◦ Biscuit test

◦ Hand wash test

◦ Cigar test◦ Adhesion test

◦ Lab tests

◦ Sieve test

◦ Sedimentation test


Hand wash tes

Cigar test

Adhesion Test Biscuit Test

Sieve test

Sedimentation

test

Gravity soil

separation



Earthen Construction Techniques1 2 s y s t e m s o f c o n s t r u c t i o n , V a r io u s B u i l d i n g E l e m e n t s


12 TECHNIQUES OF CONSTRUCT




Stackingcob Pro

Compacting the layers toform a monolithic structure

Finishing the

wall- Plastering

Various Mouldesavailable to

produce adobes

Standard mould used in

the production

Making Cob out of

the loam prepared

Removal ofexcess of mud

Bamboo and caneframe structure thatsupports the roof.

Mud is plastered overthis mesh of bamboocane and straws Mud is plastered over

this mesh of bamboocane and straws

Mud is plastethis mesh of bcane and stra

Tubular roll ofsandbag-type

This method was developedfrom the bunkers made bythe military

RAMMED EARTH

COMPRESSED EARTHBLOCKS

COB

EARTH BAG – SUPER ADOBE

WATTLE AND DAUB

ADOBE

12 TECHNIQUES OF CONSTRUCT

FLOORING



Prefabricated tilesMade with stabilized earth

can be used for flooring. Oneadvantage is that since they

are already dry, shrinkage

only occurs in joints.

FLOORINGEarth Flooring , Gives the space a natural look . Lots of

patterns can be created with the flooring styles and

Materialsused

FLOORING

Extruded loam

slabs, Germany

Infill loam elements

for floors

Load-bearing loam

floor slabs

divided bya timber grid

Basic Flooring (Gernot Minke)•The base layer - loam, about15 cm thick

(high clay content - water barrier )

•compacted by beating or ramming until no

cracks appear while drying.

•next layer - coarse gravel -interrupts capillary action.

• a 10-cm-thick layer of straw loam - thermal

insulation. 4-cm-thick - layer of straw loam, stabilised

with cement

•2-cm-thick layer of cement mortar with sawdust

Modern Flooring

•15-cm-thick capillary breaking

layer of gravel, followed by plasticor bituminous felt paper, and topped

with a 10-cm-thick layerof expanded

clay (thermal insulation.)

Ba

VAULTS A



VAULTS , DOMES AND ARCHESArches , vaults and domes are curved surfaces that transfer

almost exclusively compressive forces to their supports.

Advantages

• This increased height he

ventilation and gives mocomfort.

• The skylights provide m

curved ceiling provides e

of light.

•no reinforced cement c

structure is necessary

•The construction techniq

shuttering, save construct

VAULTS , A

• Arches ,Vaults and domes covering interio

made from earthen blocks are found mainl

buildings in Europe

• vaults and domes of loam have been buil

adobes

•masonry vaults and domes only Transfer lo

compression.

Nubian vault technique,

used for centuries in

Upper Egypt, vaults

can be built withoutany formwork

Various

Construction Process

Nubian Arches and Domes

Afghan and Persian domes

With this technique, bell shaped

flat domes are produced to

cover square rooms

MUD MORTARPLASTER



Application of Plaster

• Scrap the undulation, irregularities and

loose particles, if any with the trowel so as

to make the surface uniform.

• Ideal mix = soil suitable for mud block + 40

sand by weight + 7.5% cement.

• Stabilized Earth Mortar is best suited for mas

blocks.•

Course sand (0.2 to 2mm) - reduce shrinkastrength

• Straw - reduce shrinkage

• Cement - reduce shrinkage increase Bond

PLASTERS AND MORTARFinish of a building is a very important part to protect the

building from weather and to make it look visually appealing

IDEAL MIX - Requirements

MUD MORTAR

APPLICATIONS For Most of the mud wall

•Mud walls are protected against damage from rain by

applying mud plaster,.

• Consisting of local soil or mud collected from village pond

mixed with bhusha (wheat straw) on outer walls gobri (Cow

dung slurry).

IDEAL MIX - Requirements

PLASTER

•Any appreciable crack may be filled with

ordinary mud mortar and allow to dry.

•The plaster is commenced from the upperportion coming towards the bottom.

•Apply the plaster in uniform thickness of

12 mm with a trowel and finish it smooth



Pioneers of Earthen ArchitectureUnderstanding pioneer’s design pr inc ip les and techniques




Methodology

METHODOLOGY OF THE STUD

Understanding techniques through Pioneersdesign principles

Understanding the architectural and technicalspecifications done by various architects.

- Architect‟s Profile and Achievements

- Reason Behind them pursuing Earthen Architectureas a profession.

- Principles and Thoughts

- Planning and Design principles

- Two Case Examples

• Project aim and contextual Significance

• Planning Aspects

• Type of Construction and techniques

• Improvisation factors

- Contribution to the Society.

• Born : 13 10 1977 in Homemade –




"but this was no fault of the mud brick. .. why not .. mud brick??

He Believes in the concept of DIY – DO IT YOURSELF

“Sustainability is a synonym for beauty ”

• Born : April 1937 , Rostock,

Germany

• Work : director - Building

Research Institute , Since

1979 : Private Office of

ecological architecture

• Born : March 23, 1900

Alexandria Egypt

• Died : Nov 30, 1989

• Nationality : Egyptian

AR. ANNA HERINGER

AR.GERNOT MINK

AR. HASSAN FATHY

Born : 13.10.1977 in

Rosenheim (Germany),

• Practicing in Salzburg

(Austria).

• Nationality : German

Office Building ,

New delhi

Hamed Said House ,

Egypt

Homemade –

residence, Rudrapur

METI hand made

school , Rudrapur

Farm House ,

New Delhi

Mosque , New

Gourna Village

LITERATURE CASE EXAMPL

• Born : Banares, India




,

• Nationality : Indian

• Work : Biome

Environmental Solutions

Pvt Limited

AR.CHITRA VISHWANATH

“ It‟s a pleasure , jus looking at the soil… “ • Year joined in

Auroville - 1987

• Nationality : Indian

• Work :Auroville Design

Consultants , 1988.

Beauty and harmony in the built and natural environment is essential for a healthy living …AR. SUHASINI IYER

• Lives in Auroville since

1989

• Nationality: France

• Work : Principal Architect

at AVEI

AR. SATPREM MAINI “ The work done is as an offering to the Divine… “

1991-1999 Vikas

Community, Auroville

Biome , Office

building, Bangalore

Creative School ,

Ongoing Project

1989-1992 Visitors Centreat Auroville

Dormitory , Laboratory,

AVEI

Kindergarden School,

Auroville

LIVE CASE EXAMPL




Interview with Professional expertsDiscussion with professional experts and Technicians For better understanding on the topic



Interview with Professional experts

QUESTIONNAIRE – TO ARCHITECTS Overall View of Ms. Anna Muset Cabada:

Earthen construction is like home made food – takes time to preparebut conventional ones are like fast food , easy and fast servable .

Overall View of Mr. Nourredine Kebaili

Earthen architecture is a bit complex process , But people now a dayare used to the process of finding a easy and fast solution. So theydon‟t opt for a longer/ time taking process

Mr. Nourredine Kebaili is also taking a census through a

psychological questions related to earthen architecture , itsmisconceptions and peoples thoughts in comparison to other materia. To find out the best possible way to remove the misconceptionsfrom people‟s mind .

He says , Past five years I am doing this research and theonly factor that keeps repeating is “IGNORANCE“ . So bestpossible way is to teach people.

Overall View of Mr.Martin .L

Present day scenario at Bangalore, people wish to go fothis construction , probably this shows that people getting aware /educating themselves on this topic.




Interview with Professional experts

QUESTIONNAIRE – TO OTHER TECHNICIANS Overall View of Mr. T. Ayyappan:

Training people on this topic , has shown lots of difference in

terms of client‟s approach or interest of students on this type ofarchitecture

Overall View of Mr. Regi Kumar

Its easy to give training to local labors or even students , anyone can catch the techniques very fast. But Perfection takes time.Its like a craft , once you learn the technique , wonders can bemade with this material.


Trainees per year keeps

increasing, this shows tha

the interest and

awareness is increased i

present day condition

CONTENTS OF THE STUD




Stage - 4

CONTENTS OF THE STUD

- Earthen architecture – As a tool for sustainability

(Comparison with a conventional building material)

- Earthen Architecture – For Disaster resistance

- Earthen Architecture – As a tool to solve housingneeds

(Comparison with a conventional building material)

- Current trends and researches

- Role of

• An Architect

• The Government and private agencies

- Inference and Conclusion

Bring out the potentials of earthenarchitecture

To list down the scope of the same in variousfields and to enhance and enrich the societyregarding it.



Earthen Architecture – Tool to solve sustainability

Understanding the susta inable aspects of earthen construct ion



Sustainability CheckS u s t a i n a b l e A r c h i t e c t u r e ? ?

Pollution emission :◦ 2.4 times less than wire cut

bricks.◦ 7.8 times less than country

fired bricks.


Architecture that seeks tominimize the negative

environmental impact of

buildings

By efficiency andmoderation in the use ofmaterials, energy, and

development space.

A conscious approach toenergy and ecological

conservation to save the

society

Actions and decisions todaythat does not inhibit theopportunities of future

generations

E a r t h e n A r c h i t e c t u r e = S u s t a i n a b l e A r c h i t e c t u r e

CategoryWire Cut

Bricks(WCB)

Country Fired

Bricks (CFB)Compressed Earth

Block (CEB)

Rammed

Earth (RE)

Pollution emission

(CO²)39 Kg / m² 126 Kg / m² 16 kg / m² 16 Kg / m

Energy consumption

(Wall)

539 MJ / m² 1657 MJ / m² 110 MJ / m² 110 MJ / m

Energy consumption :◦ 5 times less than wire cut

bricks.◦ 15 times less than country

fired bricks. C S E B &

R A M M E D E A R T H

Radon EmissionThis shows that aclay brick from a

clayey soildischarges verylittle radon.

Category Emission

Cement 57.6

Sand 54.0

Clay bricks 5.0

Lime-sand bricks 13.3

Porous concrete 18.0

Embodied energy and Co2 Emission – Construction Industry- major source for co2 emission . This main property that decidthe sustainability of structure with response to surrounding

Category Time Lag

Cement 6.9 h

Burnt bricks 7.0 h

Adobe 9.2 h

Rammed earth 10.3 h

CSEB 12 h

Time Lag – This

shows that the matraps heat inside i

nearly 9 to 12 hoafter which there temperature chan

Category Thermal Capacity

Stone 1800

Burnt bricks 1360

Adobe 1300

Rammed earth 1680

CSEB 1740

The thermal Conductance and time lag are inter related factors – Cseb and rammed earth are good for climate responsive designs as they ha

better thermal properties than the other conventional materials

Thermal Capacity – This shows that thestone and CSEB are

nearly equal , Theycan store large amountof heat inside them.

Source – Building with earth by Gernot minke and Auroville Web



Sustainability CheckS u s t a i n a b l e c h e c k i n M A R I K A L - T E L E N G A N A


Contextual Background

Climate : Hot-aridsummers slightly coolwinters

Max Temp - 40 C

Min Temp - 27 C

Annual mean - 27.6 C

Rainfall- 810 mm (yr)

Transformation Climaresponsive architectugetting transformed inconcrete building

irreverent to local climaand context This study cafor a balancinmodernization with thvernacular.

Heat Capacity

Heat capacity of a Mud wall plastered with

(2050 kj/m3k) is 50% more than that of a

wall plastered with cement (1360 kj/m3k)

Heat Transmittance

Mud Walls transmit heat 24% lesser than

brick walls

Surface conductance

Mud Walls conducts 59% lesser than

conventional brick walls

INFERENC

Source - www.elsevier.com/locate/bui

Research Paper - Understanding the climate sensitive architecture of Marikal, a village in Telangana region in Andhra Pradesh, India By Madhavi Indraganti



Earthen Architecture – Tool to solve strength related issues

Learning about the disaster résistance houses , its construction technique



Gujarat Earthquake 2001 - Overview


Ludiya, Gujarat – Adobe buildings in theback which resisted the earthquake and

stone building in front, totally collapsed

The 2001 Gujarat earthquake occurred on 26 January, India's 52nd RepublicDay, at 08:46 AM local time and lasted for over twominutes. The earthquake reached 7.7 on the moment magnitude scale The

earthquake killed around 20,000 people injured another 167,000 and

destroyed nearly 400,000 homes

Khavda – Random masonry

with stones Well built which

resisted the earthquake in Gujarat

Ludiya, Gujarat – Adobe buildingwith only the plaster which peeled

off and without roof

PATHOLOGY ON STONE BUILDINGS

These building were built withoutbond patterns and without “through

stones”

Goiarsama – COB BUILDWell built which resisted theearthquake

June 16, - 1819 Rann of Kutch earthquake8.2 RichterJanuary 26, 2001 - Gujarat earthquake o2001 - 7.6/7.7 Richter

April 6, 2006 Gujarat - 5.5 Richter

ADOBE BUILDINGS, STILL IN SHAPE

These adobe buildings were well built and they

withstood the earthquake of Gujarat 2001

Ludiya, Gujarat – Adobe builwhich resisted the earthquake

without even a crack in the pl

FAILURE – NEW BUILDINGS

Failure due to collapse of walls orReinforced concrete columns

FAILURE – DUE TO SHEAR

Failure due to collapse of walls orReinforced concrete columns

PATHOLOGY – BAD

REINFORCEMENT Failure due to

collapse Reinforced concrete columnsand other RCC Structures

Source - Auroville Website

http://www.earth-auroville.com/maintenance/uploaded_pics/36-stirrup-failure.jpg

http://www.earth-auroville.com/maintenance/uploaded_pics/20-side-window.jpg

http://www.earth-auroville.com/maintenance/uploaded_pics/19-pier-window.jpg

http://www.earth-auroville.com/maintenance/uploaded_pics/43-well-built-goiarsama.jpg

http://www.earth-auroville.com/maintenance/uploaded_pics/41-well-built-khavda.jpg

http://www.earth-auroville.com/maintenance/uploaded_pics/35-stirrup-failure.jpg

http://www.earth-auroville.com/maintenance/uploaded_pics/31-wall-colums-collapse.jpg

http://www.earth-auroville.com/maintenance/uploaded_pics/30-wall-colums-collapse.jpg

http://www.earth-auroville.com/maintenance/uploaded_pics/18-badly-built-stones.jpg

http://www.earth-auroville.com/maintenance/uploaded_pics/16-badly-built-stones.jpg

http://www.earth-auroville.com/maintenance/uploaded_pics/15-ludiya-adobe.jpg

http://www.earth-auroville.com/maintenance/uploaded_pics/14-well-built-adobe.jpg

http://www.earth-auroville.com/maintenance/uploaded_pics/13-well-built-adobe.jpg



Disaster Resistive StructuresN E E D and D E M A N D


The last decade of the 20th century has seen all over the world a significant increase in natural

catastrophes . The need to answer the demand for disaster resistance is increasing .

Since 1995, our research has been oriented towards the development of a system, which isbased on reinforced masonry with compressed earth blocks that are hollow interlocking. Threetypes of blocks have been developed:

• The square hollowinterlocking block 245,which allows building upto 2 – 3 floors high.

• The rectangularhollow interlockingblock 295, which is usedonly for ground floors.

• The rectangular dryhollow interlocking block300, which is used onlyfor ground floors.

R e s e a r c h u n d e r t a ke n b y A U R O V I L L E E A R T H I N S T I T U T E

Various resistive structures by A U R O V I L L E E A R T H I N S T I T U T E

Istanbul, Turkey -1996

It was pre-cast in 10days using semi-skilledlabour and it wasassembled in 8 days

during the

1999 - New Delhi, India

Built with water andsanitation facilities,kitchenette. Pre-cast inAuroville & assembled in 66

hours by our 18-man team.

2001 Gujarat rehabilitation

Pre-cast in Auroville andtransported to Gujarat,where it was assembled inKhavda village in 62 hours

by our 20-man team.

1. HI block 245 (245 x 245 x 95 mm) “Running block”2. HI block 295 (295 x 145 x 95 mm) “Running block”

3. HI block D300 (299 x 150 x 100 mm) “Running block”

1.

2.

3.

Source – Auroville Earth Institute , We



Disaster Resistive Structures


P L A N O F A U M H

O U S E

E L E V A T I O N

S E C T I O N

FOUNDATION : Stabilized rammed earth foundation with 5% cement

PLINTH : Interlocking CSEB 295 with 5% cement . With a composite pbeam (RCC in U Interlocking CSEB)

DOORS AND WINDOWSFerrocement

FLOORING : CSEB tiles 2.5cmthick with screed CS 1:12

WALLS : Interlocking CSEB

295 With reinforcements

COLUMNS : Composite –

Round hollow CSEB 295

BEAMS & LINTEL : Compo

RCC in U interlocking CSEB

ROOF : Interlock

Ferrocement channels

14 HOURS 16 HOURS 17 HOURS






Disaster Resistance – Government Housing


G O VE R N M EN T A P P R OVA L – A u r o v i l l e E a r t h i n s t i t u t e Te c h n i q u e

The technology for disaster resistance, which has been developed by the Auroville Earth Institute, has been approved by three governments:

• The government of Gujarat, as a suitable

construction method, up to two floors high, for therehabilitation of the zones affected by the severeearthquake of January 2001 in Kutch district.

• The Government of Iran (Housing Research

Centre) as a suitable construction method, up to 8m high (two floors), for the rehabilitation of thezones affected by the 2003 earthquake of Bam.

• The Government of Tamil Nadu, India, (R

and Rehabilitation) as a suitable construmethod for the rehabilitation of the zaffected by the 2004 tsunami of Indonesia

Government of Gujarat

Compressive Strength – 75 Kg/cm2Density- 1732 kg/m3

Government of Iraq

Compressive Strength – 57 Kg/cm2Density- 1.83 Kg/m3

Government of Tamilnadu

Dry Compressive Strength – 59.65 Kg/cm2Wet Compressive Strength – 43.03 Kg/cm2

Compressive Strength of the wire cut bricks are 90-120 Kg/cm2 . This is nearly 50 % more than the CSEB, which is chosen as alternative by the above mention

government policies, cause it bears load 45 % more than the country bricks (30-40 Kg/cm2) and also economically viable for a government housing




Earthen Architecture – Tool to solve housing problem

Understanding the economic aspects and pr incip les



Earthen Housing And Housing Scenario – In India

Katcha Houses: Houses, in which both walls and roof are made of temporary or katcha materials that have to be replaced frequently, a

placed in the category. As per NSS, katcha materials include unburnt bricks, bamboo, mud, grass, leaves, reeds, thatch..

•Out of total households, 18.2% were residing in katcha

•Out of total Rural house holds, 17% were residing in katcha (NSS 2001)

•Out of total urban house holds ,2.1% residing in katcha houses ( NSS 2008)


(i) Serviceable : Census describes temporary houses as those made of mud,

un burnt bricks or wood.(ii) Non-serviceable : Census defines this category to comprise houses in

which wall is made of grass, thatch, bamboo, plastic or polythene.

Data from National Statistical Survey - 2001

HOUSING SCENARIO IN INDIA

• The world‟s homeless population

is estimated to be around 1 billion

people.

• In India, around 1% of the total

population is without a home

(2001 Census). Approximately

60% of the homeless population is

from the rural areas.

HOUSING SHORTAGE

The housing shortage is

estimated to be 148.33 lakh

houses as per 2001Census.

• The housing shortage has

increased @ 0.89 million houses

per year during 1991-2002.

11TH FIVE YEAR PLAN estimated the total rural

housing shortage during 2007-12 at 47.43 million

houses. Of these 42.69 million or 90% of the total

shortage pertains to BPL families.

The housing shortage is estimated to increase 5-10%

from the above provided values with increasing

population rate.

NEED FOR AN ALTERNATIVE .. !!!!!!

Source – NSS 2001, 2

http://www.nistads.res.in/indiasnt2008/t6rural/t6rur6

l f



Application of CSEBCSEB is a very labour intensive technology - 13 people per press for manual pressing (when there is one machine for production of Blocks


COST OF CSEB (PRODUCTION) :

• Labor represents more than 40%

• Cement and equipment are about 30%• Raw materials are less than 30%

INTERVENTION IN GOVT HOUSING SCHEMES

• The Green house scheme of the government , funds for

reconstruction of the Old and traditional mud houses .

But this tends to increase in Concrete structure, which in

term increases the co2 emission and embodied energy

of the structures.

WHAT COULD BE DONE ..???

• Repairing of the structures could be done. For which

the reconstruction is not required.

• Reconstruction could be done with the same material –

REUSE OF THE MUD FROM THE OLD BUILDING . This

can reduce the cost up to 20 % of CSEB

Category PWD (Rs)Country Fired

Bricks (CFB)CSEB CSEB (Own production

+ Mud from Site)

CSEB (Own production

Mud from Site + Self Help

Cost of construction

/SFT550-600 1400 1200 900 650-700

Green House

Scheme- 300/sft1,80000 420000 360000 270000 195000

COST COMPARISON : Maximum 0f 15% can be taken as profit by CSEB when

compared with conventional cost

• Cement and equipment are about 30% - This cost could not be reduced . But the cost

cement for PWD works can be reduced from 10 – 15% . The equipment may be hiredfrom the Local training Centers , which van be erected major rural areas

• When the Labour and the soil cost is reduced , by using the concept of DIY and reuse

materials , the cost of CSEB can be reduced by 40 -45%. (Considering 4 persons out 11 man team to be skilled and others unskilled mostly villagers themselves)




Current Trends and ResearchesUnderstanding the innovat ive approach towards the age o ld technique

R h I ti lt ti



Researches on Innovative alternatives


WASTE NYLON FIBRE +LATERITE BLOCKS

◦ The process, is done with waste nylon fibers of fishnet, soas to utilize the waste

Various tests done with different samples

◦ Density of the Material decreases with a increase in thefiber content .

◦ Compressive strength decreases with a increase in nylon

content

◦ Mixing – Hand and machine mixing

◦ Raw material for the process

SISAL FIBRE+CSEB CASAVA POWDER + CS

CASAVA (Maravali Kilangu

Research Findings - Addition of cassava powder inrange of 1.5% by weight of dry soil provides strength thatis more than two times that recommended

SISAL FIBRE is a fibre extracted from

the species Agave sisalana . This speciesis widely found in Goa, India.

Research Findings - Optimum compressive strength

is obtained by reinforcement of the soil sample with

0.75% sisal fibres by weight of soil. In this case the

compressive strength Improves by 90.5% COMPAREDWITH THE PLAIN EARTH BLOCK,

◦ Percentage of Water Absorption

Keeps increasing with the increasingcontent of the fiber, and as thedensity is also lower.

◦ It is extensively cultivated asannual crop in tropical and subtropical regions for its ediblestarchy tuberous root, a majorsource of carbohydrates.

◦ These edible roots are powderand added to the soilas a stabilizing agent

Source – Research papers on http://www.slideshare.net/wanrempit/laterite-bricks-with-nylo

I ti t h i



Innovative techniques

SPECIAL ACOUSTIC GREEN BRICKS

◦ In order to optimize the acoustic behavior of domedrooms, a special loam brick with rounded corners was

developed by the Gernot Minke.


◦ The rounded corners and the corbelling effect of the bricks yield good sound distribution,

◦ Good sound absorption is produced by the cut-off joints and the holes in the brick..

NEXT GENARATION BRICKS – Bricks that grow

◦ The process, known as microbial-induced calcite precipitation, or MICP,uses the microbes on sand to bind the grains together like glue with achain of chemical reactions.

Step by Step Process of Production : The resulting mass resembles sandstone but, depending on how it‟s made, can reproduce the strength of fired-clay brick or mar

Required Materials

1. Place the formwork in thesand.

2. Fill it up.

3. Level.

4. Shake bacteria solution.

5. Pour it over the sand.

6. Let it saturate.

7. Pour the cementing solutionover the sand.

8. Let it saturate.

9. Watch the brick harden.

10. Remove the formwork.

11. Watch the brick harden

12. Behold the bio brick

Layers of the filling

Metropolis‟ Next Generation competition - Ginger Krieg Dosier,

Generation Bricks – Research Docu

R h Alt ti A ill



Researches on Alternatives - Auroville


POURED EARTH CONCRETE - The soil, in a liquid state, is poured l ike concrete into formworks. Thesoil characteristics must be very sandy or gravely and should be stabilised.

◦This technique is a new development and is very seldom used. The reason is that the high water content

of the soil will induce a lot of shrinkage when it will dry. Thus the wall will crack and generally a lot.

STABILISED WATER PROOFING : The aim of this research is to find alternative plasters to cement plasters for waterproofing rooThe earth is mixed with sand and stabilised with cement and a paste made of lime, tannin, alum (Ammonium sulphate) and water.

Tannin is extracted by soaking into water broken seeds of an Indian tree, named “kaddukai” in Tamil Nadu. Its botanical name is TermineChebula. The lime paste is prepared by mixing powdered alum with lime and tannin juice and extra water.

Preparing thelime-alum-

tannin paste

Mix of soil, sand,

cement and the

lime-alum-tannin

plaster

Waterproof

a vault with

stabilised e

plaster

DISADVANTAGE : After some years the waterproofing is not effective anymore. It seems that the UV of the sun destroys alum and tannHence after 5 years this waterproofing let rainwater go through and the vaults get damp inside.

Therefore this research is still under way and hence the recipes are not yet disseminated through documentation or training courses. The testproportions are given in the specification book of Auroville Earth institute


Inference Summary



Inference - Summary


Sustainability Check:

Making a clay brick in a coal-powered kiln, fired at 2,000F, emits about

1.3 pounds of carbon dioxide.

If biomanufactured masonry replacedeach new brick on the planet, it would

reduce carbon-dioxideemissions by at least 800

million tons /yr

Firing One tree can produce –

62 brick (Standard bricks)For a small House of 5 * 6 m (30sqm)

requires approximately 4200 –

4500 bricks for one brick thick walls.

Nearly , 70 – 72 treeshave to be burnt for this

purpose

No of Bricks Manufactured / year :

1.23 trillion brick (more pollutionthan is created by all the airplanes in theworld per yr. )

400 trees are required toproduce 25000 bricks .. ! !

Government Housing Schemes :

Cause of the large scale demand , government schemes face difficulty

to balance between the QUALITY AND COST. So in most of the

case quality of building are compromised for the cost effective solution.

When One goes for a mud based solution . The rates are nearly the

same with NO QUALITY COMPROMISE

Disaster Resistance Housing :

The Remains of the Gujarat Earthquake 2001 proves that

Mud structures are stronger when designed and constructed in a

better way .

Finally – “ THE Comfortable living “

At the end of the day ,humans require a comfortable

living that can sustain for quiet a period of time

Lots of researches today are analyzing the thermal comforof a place and conclude saying that the traditionalconstruction material are the creator of better

environment..

Metropolis‟ Next Generation competition - Ginger Krieg Dosier,

Generation Bricks – Research Docu

Role of



Role of ….


Buildings are regarded as the skin that protects us from external sources …

Role of An Architect :

As an architect , One need to understand the abovementioned phrase carefully and create structures that aresustainable, comfortable for living and economicallyviable too.

WHAT COULD BE DONE ???

Promote and practice earthen construction.

Most of the clients today are fascinated by thetechnological improvement of the construction industry andalso demand for a SPEEDY SOLUTION .

As an architect , we should learn to balance between

these two extremities. Most importantly We need totransfer knowledge to upcoming generations

- Overall view of Auroville Earth institute and its team.

Role of the Government :

Government agencies needs to concentrate on the policy levelissues. The guidelines need to formulated in order to make this astandard material for construction

WHAT COULD BE DONE ???

Various schemes currently available, need to be updated with athought of maintaining the mud houses and to repair if needed.

BPL people are to be trained for constructing their own house

with mud, so that they need not have to spend money on labour.

Averagely production of CSE blocks / day varies from 850 to1000 (240) . So the villagers themselves can make the bocks for

their house.

Building training centre , can be updated with the earthconstruction techniques

Conclusion



ConclusionTHOUGHT ON EARTHEN CONSTRUCTION

1. Earth is not a standardized buildingmaterial

2. Earth mixtures shrink when drying

3. Earth is not water and Termite-resistant

4. Earthen construction – Not a speedyprocess

5. Earth balances air humidity

6. Earth stores heat

7. Earth saves energy and reduces

environmental pollution

8. Earth is always reusable

9. Earth saves material and transportationcosts

10. Earth is ideal for do-it-yourselfconstruction

11. Earth absorbs pollutants


All material has its own positives and negatives . When rating a material ,based on its positives and negatives , the ratio between the both categories

gives us the quality of the material.

Earthen construction – Has lots of positives and potentials , but beingignored because of few reasons, which can be overcome.

Learning about this age old technique , can give solutions to many problemsthat we are currently facing in our day today life. These techniques and thevarious alternatives that are used to improve various aspects are to bestandardized so that this techniques becomes the conventional material for thecurrent scenario

Misconceptions and Ignorance: These are the two main factors that pullsdown the earthen construction technique.

Auroville Earth institute and few other firms like Biome solutions , Bangalore

says that people have started to understand the importance of earth buildings. People's interest on this topic is increasing in the last decade , Trainees andno of practicing architects have also increased.

“ To create an awareness , and bring out the potential of earth is

our main aim “ says – Ar. Nourredine Kebaili

Traditional Material Given A Contemporary Image !!!!



Traditional Material Given A Contemporary Image .. !!!!





A technique of the past

helping us today to develop a

“healthy & green future …”

„ Building with earth has a great past, but also a promising future everywhere in the world‟

- Ar. Satprem Maini

Reference




Reference

Books:

◦ Earth Architecture - By Ronald Rael

◦ Books and code of practice from Auroville Earth institute.

◦ Building with Earth: Design and Technology of a Sustainable Architecture – By Gernot Minke

Research papers :

Development of Cost-Effective Earthen Building Material for Housing Wall Construction: Investigations

into the Properties of Compressed Earth Blocks Stabilized with Sisal Vegetable Fibres, Cassava Powder

and Cement Compositions. A Doctoral Dissertation By Saul Sitati Namango , Kenya

http://www.slideshare.net/wanrempit/laterite-bricks-with-nylon-fiber

http://www.auroville.org/thecity/architecture/appr_technology/earthtechnology.htm

http://www.sustainable.com.au/energy-efficient-construction.html

http://www.earth-auroville.com/

Survey Data - NSS 2001, 2008

http://www.nistads.res.in/indiasnt2008/t6rural/t6rur6.htm




Thank you …

Presented by –

Janaki RM – 10AR28

architectural dissertation

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