LAURIE BAKER AND BRICK
Laurie baker was a British-born Indian architect, renowned for his initiatives in cost-effective energy-efficient architecture and for his unique space utilisation and simple but aesthetic sensibility.
He sought to incorporate simple designs with local materials and achieved fame with his approach to sustainable architecture as well as in organic architecture.
he is known for constructing economic housing for lower and middle class people in india.
Also known as the ' BRICK MASTER' he uses brick as a building material in most of his designs.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MrNGVpvQohc
http://lauriebaker.net/
His book on brick work a important part of my design as I have adapted his rat trap bond method of construction in the buildings.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1PsH8sUaO8A
The main features of Rat-trap bond wall are:
• Strength is equal to standard 10" (250mm) brick wall, but consumes 20% less bricks.
• The overall saving on cost materials used for construction compared to the traditional 10" wall is about 25%.
• The air medium or cavity created in between the bricklayers helps in maintaining a good thermal comfort inside the building. This phenomenon is particularly helpful for tropical climate of South Asian and other countries.
• As the construction is done by aligning the bricks from both sides with the plain surfaces facing outwards, plastering is not necessary except in a few places. The finished surface is appealing to the eye from both internally & externally,
• Buildings up to two stories can easily be constructed with this technique. Mr. Laurie Baker has pioneered this type of construction and had built such houses more than 40 years ago without having any signs of distress till now.
• In R.C.C. framed structures, the filler walls can be made of rat-trap bond.
• Due to lesser load on the base of the walls, the width of foundation is also decreased, resulting in a saving of about 8% on use of bricks, cement and sand in foundation and plinth.
I have used his building techniques as a inspiration for design.
ROOFING USING TERRACOTTA TILES
Terracotta is a which is a clay based unglazed ceramic made from baking clay is used widely to make low cost tiles and tubes in India which are used for roofing in rural areas. I am planning to use the same tiles for roofing for my buildings.
As I was researching on new developments in the technology of using these tiles in a innovative way I found this technique of using interlocking terracotta tubes in which Hollow burnt clay tubes are stacked to achieve catenary vaults that require no structural steel.
Substructure such as wooden rafters in terracotta roof tile applications are redundant as the system is self supporting. Neither is shuttering required. This leads to an insulated roof based on locally produced materials and quick assembly.
the technology is developed by architect anupuma kundoo who used it for the first time in her wall house design in kerela.
I found this technique really intresting as it would reduce the cost of roofing in a large extent and this could be a intresting factor to consider in my design.
The Earth bag construction
Exploring more methods of construction by using mud I found this technique which I thought could be applied in my design.
Earthbag construction is an inexpensive method to create structures which are both strong and can be quickly built. It is a natural building technique that evolved from historic military bunker construction techniques and temporary flood-control dike building methods. The technique requires very basic construction materials: sturdy sacks, filled with inorganic material usually available on site. Standard earthbag fill material has internal stability. Either moist subsoil that contains enough clay to become cohesive when tamped, or an angular gravel or crushed volcanic rock is used. (Sandbag structures with sand fills are an alternative technology and require very different construction details). Walls are gradually built up by laying the bags in courses forming a staggered pattern similar to bricklaying.
Pioneered by Nader khalili, I found this to be an option for construction for my design. The house designed by him gave me a idea about how is this carried out.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AtqKN4d79EA
http://www.earthbagbuilding.com/projects/sandbagshelters.htm
ALTERNATE TECHNOLOGIES FOR DESIGN- MUD
I Have been looking at various other construction techniques with materials that are not too expensive and easy to construct.
These are some of them that I came across that I thought could be helpful in the design for houses for
people who cannot spend a lot of money. since the design is for tribal people I was looking at materials close to nature so that it defines their character in terms of design and character.
Mud as a material caught my interest as it is available in abundance and a form of earth. various technologies have been developed from ancient time to use this as a building material which I have explored so that I can decide on what I can use for my design.
Fired Mud Houses
A highly peculiar building technique pioneered by Nader Khalili further developed by Ray Meeker the idea is to of build brick houses, not by sourcing brick from factories, but by building large mud structures and firing them in-situ. The interesting aspect of this technique is that it treats the void of the house as a kiln and produces all or some of the necessary ceramic products to finish the house such a tiles, pipes, washbasins and toilet fittings. It eliminates the need for cement and steel and achieves a permanent house with local skills and materials.
some of these articles on mud construction helped me understand the procedure much better.
http://www.johnnyrolfjanderooden.nl/mud.htm#Vol
http://www.johnnyrolfjanderooden.nl/agnijata.htm
The house done in auroville using this material is something that I found very intresting
The brick making technique
SHILPARAMAM AT HYDERABAD-INDIA
This is one of the markets that inspired me for the project chosen. The artisan village acts as a center for selling produce of the rural people in the city.
The site of this project is very close to the site I have chosen for my design.
I am planning to provide a market similar to this with the cultural aspects in my design.
The design elements and the materials used were really intresting and I think I will be using them in my design too.
SITE PLAN
BUILDING CONTEXT.
The buildings are made as a typical module of a village house acting a museum for people to see the way the people in villages live
THE MARKET SPACE
The open market place with the street shopping with is a character seen in india is seen incorporated here in a beautiful way which in intent to use in my design
Rammed Earth
Lightly moistened soil excavated from the site or nearby is compacted in a shuttering similar to concrete for monolithic walls. The walls may be stabilized as in this case with an addition of 5% of cement to the soil mixture which makes the walls water resistant.
Usage of this material was something that I thought about as this works out cheap and could be of great help considering the economy of the people that I am designing the buildings for.
The material also gives a sense of closeness to the nature which the tribal people are known for.it is also easy to construct and can be useful. I am thinking of using this with a lime wash finish in my design.
I have seen this kind of material being used in villages across the country where the weather is really hot. The lime finish would help to cool the structure down.
These are some of the village houses made of rammed earth and lime finish in India
The material and construction technique is shown below
