Mud Architecture

Mud Construction..Submitted by Radhika verma

Introduction Mud has been the most essential building materials since the dawn of the man.Approximately 58%of all buildings in India are of mud brick. Mud is a building material which has already being tested and tried for thousands of years. It is used in modern day construction and the method of using it is very different. Mud has its own limitations which can be overcome by certain techniques. The main advantage of mud is we do not need lot of energy to manufacture it unlike other materials.Mud construction is mainly found in places which are relatively dry and have mud in abundance.The mud house uses minimal energy, is comfortable year round.

The mud house construction uses only simple natural materials, which are any digging soil from the earth mixed with water and added up with paddy or hay or any dried fiber or even recycling garbage. Mud house construction is durable and can be easily rebuilt .Mud construction also provide natural air conditioning which provide cool air from the massive walls.

Lab, Auroville Earth Institute

Auroville Earth Institute

Various construction methods are:

Stacked earth (COB) Pise or rammed earth Adobe Wattle & daub method Formed earth (Straw Clay) Earth filled in Compressed earth blocks Extruded earth Cut earth

STACKED EARTH (COB)

A very stiff mud is prepared by mixing mud and water in the proportion of 1:3 and it is moulded into huge elongated egg shape.

The elongated egg shape mud is 12 to 18-inches, (30 to 40-cm) long and about 6-inches (15-cm) in diameter.

For making a wall ,a row of cob is placed in proper line and is pressed to avoid gaps and crack.

Tamil Nadu, Village house, India

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

In this way two to three layers of cobs are placed one above the other and the sides are smoothed to avoid cracks and gap.

Door wooden frame or kerosene tins are used to make the openings.

COB is good for anything except height. It is particularly good for curved or round walls.

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

RAMMED EARTH:

This is a method in which the strength of the wall can be increased by increasing the thickness of the wall..

Two parallel planks are held firmly apart by metal rods and clips or bolts, or by small crosspieces of wood.

Stiff mud is thrown in between these two planks and rammed down with either a wooden or metal ramrod.

When one section is completed and hard, the two planks are then raised up and a second course of rammed earth is repeated over the first.

Morocco

Ref-http://www.earth-auroville.comIndia, Ladakh

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

India, Ladakh

India, Ladakh

Construction of rammed earthConstruction technique

ADOBE:Adobe as a building material has been used since ages all over the world and especially in Mesopotamia and Egypt.Blocks are kept covered with air tight polythene sheets for first 48 hrs with relative humidity up to 100.Polythene sheets shall be removed after 48 hrs and the blocks shall be kept in shaded area like having enough air circulation.Sprinkle water over blocks daily, as many times needed, during 28 days.Write date of production on block corner.Cover stacks top with coconut leaves or any other cover to avoid direct sunlight.Principle is that blocks shall not dry for 4weeks.

Tamil nadu, IndiaRef-http://www.earth-auroville.comTamil nadu, India

CUT EARTH: In areas where the soils was cohesive and contained concretions of carbonates the soil was cut in the shape of blocks and used like bricks or stones.

Such examples are found typically in tropical areas where lateritic soils give a wonderful building material.

Lateritic soils can be found in two natural states:

India, OrissaIndia, OrissaBurkina Faso, Quarry of KariRef-http://www.earth-auroville.com

Soft soils- which will harden when exposed to air due to chemical reaction of the soil constituent with the air (carbonation reaction). This natural reaction is called indurationSuch soils can be found on the west coast of India, from Kerala to Goa.Hard crust- which was long ago a soil and has already hardened (indured) through the ages.Orissa in India show wonderful examples of such soils and blocks.In areas where the soil is not cohesive enough, people have used topsoil and grass to create blocks.

India, Orissa

Burkina Faso, Quarry of KariRef-http://www.earth-auroville.com

India, OrissaIndia, Old GoaIndia, GoaKerala, IndiaRef-http://www.earth-auroville.com

EARTH FILLED-IN :Humid soil was traditionally poured into wooden lattice works. Thus, it gave some thermal mass to light structures as well as some acoustic insulation.

In recent times, dry soil has been poured into synthetic textiles which are hold outside by wooden poles driven into the ground.

Dry soil is also being poured into long synthetic tubes, which are staked upon each other.

School of Architecture, GermanySchool of Architecture, GermanyRef-http://www.earth-auroville.com

Cal-Earth (The California Institute of Earth Art and Architecture) does an extensive use of filled in technique.

They call it Super adobe construction and they are building what is called Eco-domes. Super adobe structures are an excellent example of green building techniques.

They use Tubular roll of sandbag-type material which are filled with earth. A barbed wire is use to bind the earth tube together. Later on the earth tubes are plastered with stabilised earth plaster.

USA, California, Cal-EarthUSA, California, Cal-EarthUSA, California, Cal-EarthRef-http://www.earth-auroville.com

EXTRUDED EARTH :The earth extrusion technique has been used since a long while in the fired brick industry.

Stabilised earth, at a plastic state, is as well extruded through a machine which gives the desired shape.

The blocks are often hollow and are cut to the desired length.

This technique of stabilised extruded earth was developed in the 20th century.

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

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Compared to the brick extrusion in the fired brick industry, stabilised extruded earth bricks show a major inconvenient.

The soil required for stabilised earth is much sandier than the one for fired earth.

Thus the soil is more abrasive and the machines get damaged at a much faster rate.

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

FORMED EARTH (Straw Clay) :Very clayey soil, in a liquid state, is poured on straw, which has been chopped to the desired length.

The mix is generally tampered afterwards into forms.

These walls are not load-bearing.

they are light, have a very high thermal insulation value and must be built in a wooden structure.

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

It was traditionally used in Germany and was re-used for reconstruction after the 2nd world war.

It is mostly known with the name Straw clay.

Straw clay can be used as a filler wall, formed between a wooden structure or as prefabricated blocks.

Ref-http://www.earth-auroville.comGermanyGermany

Wattle and daub:

Wattle and daub method is an old and common method of building mud structures.

Bamboo and cane frame structure that supports the roof.

Mud is plastered over this mesh of bamboo cane and straws.

Due to excessive rainfall the Wattle and Daub structures gets washed off.

However, the mesh of cane or split bamboo remains intact and after the heavy rain is over the mud is plastered on again.

FranceRef-http://www.earth-auroville.comSomalia, Genale - Village huts

France - HouseNigeria - Reinforced earth Ref-http://www.earth-auroville.com

Taos Pueblo (New Mexico)

Arg-e bam (southeastern Iran,)Ref-http://www.earth-auroville.comExamples of mud construction-

Djinguereber Mosque (West Africa.)

West Africa (Uzbekistan)

Shibam (Yemen)

Siwa oasis (western egypt)Ref-http://www.earth-auroville.com

Advantages of Mud:Environmental impact:To save natural resources.Using neither cement nor rock (Save our mountains).To save building materials:Main materials are soil and water, mixed to be mud, if the mud is too sticky, we can add up with paddy husky or rice straw or local fiber weed or bamboo.Energy use :To save energy.Cool in summer (Inside building temperature is about 24c to 26c.Warm in Winter (Automatic control temperature by passive cooling system)Capital Expenditure:To save money .No air conditioning, no electricity bills.

DISADVANTAGEs-Humidity is the crucial factor, mud-house will easily catch fungus. The brand- new mud-house may have foul odour of crushed green leaves.Erodes easily by water.Low tensile and shear strength , hence , roofs difficult.Susceptible to mechanical damage, rodents and burgles.Grip between earth and wood is very weak , hence, framed doors and windows are not possible.Requires regular maintenance.Not fire proof and not termite proof.

Bibliography-http://www.earth-auroville.comhttps://www. building-design-and-construction-systems-brick.co.inPritchett, Ian.The Building Conservation Directory, 2001: "Wattle and Daub".Accessed 2 February 2007

Hoping that Mud house will help open our eyes to an architectural alternative design for preserving the natural world not solely for its own sake but to provide an environment hospitable to man which should be environmental friendly design.Today, common man is lost in the glory of newly introduced materials. These materials have specific qualities but , still they are not best as compared to the locally developed materials .Conclusion-