Low cost housing models for urban and rural areas by using rammed earth technique

Contributors: Shubham Raj; Sher Mohammad; Rima Das; Shreya Saha; Deb Dulal Tripura

Proper housing is one of the basic needs for the millions of people living below the poverty line across the world today. Thus, affordable housing and the climate should be compatible with one another so that the inhabitants of a house in a hot climate should have cool living conditions whilst the inhabitants of houses in cold areas have a warm environment in which to live. Mechanical pressed soil products such as blocks and tiles can compete favorably with conventional fired clay bricks and concrete blocks in both quality and durability. Reinforced cement concrete structures are very popular and widely used all over the world today, but its economic value is higher than any other building materials. Thus, there exists a need for more economical and readily available substitute reinforcements for concrete or rammed earth buildings. In some parts of the world, many buildings are constructed only with concrete or mud bricks. This is dangerous in case

of seismic activity. Steel reinforcement would be an ideal solution, but the cost is a considerable problem. Scientists and engineers are constantly seeking for new materials for structural systems; the idea of using bamboo as possible reinforcement has gained popularity with due course of time. Since time immemorial, bamboo has been used traditionally as a building material throughout the world’s tropical and sub-tropical regions. Bamboo is a renewable and versatile resource, characterized by high strength and low weight, and is easily worked using simple tools. As such, bamboo constructions are easy to build, resilient to wind and even earthquake forces and readily repairable in the event of damage. Thus, locally available bamboo and soil can substantially mitigate the housing problem in rural areas in constructing an efficient, low cost and lightweight structures.

The buildings in this project have been designed using Rammed Earth technique. The project includes full design from foundation to roof. The rammed earth wall is reinforced with bamboo splints as horizontal and vertical reinforcement.
For detailed project report click here