Compressed stabilized earth blocks and straw bale as sustainable building materialsAbstract:

Global warming and climate change are hotly debated issues in the current world scenario. The world has already begun to succumb to injuries inflicted by climate change. So worldwide efforts are on to tackle this menace under the aegis of several organizations. Every sphere of human activity can contribute towards this aim. It is here that as architects of the future world our contributions matter. Owing to the phenomenal growth in the building industry worldwide, there has been an unparalleled level of exploitation of natural resources in an unplanned and unchecked way. Hence, in today’s world, “going green” has become a top priority in our society. Integrating green materials into building projects can help reduce the environmental impacts associated with the extraction, transport, processing, fabrication, installation, disposal of these materials etc. The aim of the dissertation is to conduct an analysis on two sustainable building materials namely, Compressed Stabilized Earth Blocks (CSEB) and straw bale, to identify their effectiveness as sustainable building materials. The materials are studied in detail, its merits and demerits are

analyzed and required data are collected through literature studies and case studies. CSEB is a building material that is gaining wide acceptance as sustainable material today. It is a special technology in which blocks are made by compressing a combination of earthen material and added stabilizers. Its local availability and ease of processing makes it the most energy efficient building material. Straw is one of the finest renewable materials available. In a country like India, where agriculture is widely practiced, using the abundantly available straw as a building material can be advantageous. When bundled together into a bale, it becomes a solid block that is highly resistant to decomposition. These materials provide better, efficient, durable and cost effective construction to ensure least possible degradation of environment.

1. IntroductionA “Green” building is a structure that uses processes that are resource efficient throughout buildings life cycle: from citing to design, construction, operation, maintenance, renovation and demolition. There is a need to study about green technology as green buildings aim at reducing overall impact of built environment on human health and natural environment by: efficiently using energy, water and other resources; protecting occupant health and improving employee productivity; reducing waste, pollution and environment degradation. Studying

it thereby helps to produce sustainable designs ensuring a safe future for the coming generations.Compressed Stabilized Earth Blocks is a special technology in which blocks are made by compressing a combination of earthen material and with added stabilizers. Its local availability and ease of processing makes it the most energy efficient building material. Straw is one of the finest renewable materials available and is found around the world in abundance. Its chemical composition is primarily cellulose. Straw bale construction is a technique which is slowly gaining acceptance these days. This method proves to be successful in locations where moisture in air is less as there might be pest and termite attacks otherwise. Besides being eco-friendly, the other advantages of using these materials for construction are; Better functional efficiency; Cost effectiveness; Better durability; Ease of construction; Better finish; Minimum waste; less maintenance cost