Sustainable, decent housing and livelihood for poor and marginalised people in Malur, India - Part 2

Sustainable, decent housing and livelihood for poor and marginalised people in Malur, India

part 2 BERN UNIVERSITY OF APPLIED SCIENCES SWITZERLAND Bettina Steuri and Gionatan Vignola

BERN UNIVERSITY OF APPLIED SCIENCES | SWITZERLAND

Part 2 of the bachelor thesis with the subject: Sustainable, decent housing and livelihood for poor and marginalised people in Malur, India.

Students: Bettina Steuri Gionatan Vignola

Coach: Professor J端rg Grunder Head of IN:CH Transcultural Sustainability Platform India Architect, MD IN:CH architects and planners pvt ltd Co-examiners: Lecturer Ulrika Tromlitz | Architect dipl. CTH SIA / Exec. MBA HSG Professor Peter Sch端rch | Architect SIA, SWB

Bern, June 29 th 2012

Hereby is certified, that the present work is completely done by ourselves. All the citations are described as footnotes and in the bibliography.

Hiermit versichern wir, dass wir die vorliegende Arbeit selbst채ndig und ohne Verwendung anderer als der in den Fussnoten und im Anhang angegebenen Quellen und Hilfsmittel angefertigt haben.

Berne, June 29 th 2012 Bettina Steuri and Gionatan Vignola

THANKS!

We would like to thank all the people that made this work possible. Without them the whole research and thesis would not have been possible.

A big thank you goes to the Professor J端rg Grunder and his team at IN:CH architects and planners in Bangalore for the opportunity and the trust given to us. Priya Joseph Godhi, Shruti Gupta and Manjula have been, together with Professor Grunder, a great source of inspiration, provided practical help when we needed it and were one of the best teams to work with.

Thank you also to the professors who followed our work in Switzerland: lecturer Ulrika Tromlitz for helping out with structuring the work making us to dream - and keeping everthing real, and professor Peter Schurch for the technical coaching and for making us remember how important precision is in our job.

Thanks to the Self-Help-Group in Ramnathapuram and the families that allowed us into their homes and into their lives, including: the Muniyappa family, the Murali family, the Venkatesh family, the Puttarna family, the Obalapp family, and the Gopamma family.

Thanks to Mr. Ranganatha Babu and Mr. Mandela from the NGO Belaku in Malur. The help you gave us to understand what life in the region is like, and the help you gave us in translating the comments and the thoughts of the people is priceless.

Thanks to all the experts we had the chance to talk with and to learn from in India: Chitra Vishwanath, S. Vishwanath, Somwya Haran. Your contributions and ways of thinking have helped us in finding our way through the complicated process we went through.

Thanks to Thomas Krebs and his red pen that had to go through the documentations several times to find all the mistakes that we had left.

Last but not least, thanks to our families and friends who supported us during the last three years.

INDEX

11 INTRODUCTION

HYPOTHESIS 13 14 RAMNATHAPURAM- AN OVERVIEW

17 PRE-STUDIES 17 INTRODUCTION 19

21 21 22 23 24

WORKING PROCESS

NATURAL CONDITIONS TEMPERATURES | SEASONS | HUMIDITY PRECIPITATION SOLAR IRRADIATION | WIND CONCLUSION FOR THE DESIGN

31 RESOURCES

32 LOCALLY AVAILABLE MATERIALS 34 RECYCLED MATERIALS 35 AGRO WASTE MATERIALS 36 CONCLUSION FOR THE DESIGN

39 40 42 44 46 48

51 52 54

STRUCTURE OF THE VILLAGE FRAGMENTATION OF THE VILLAGE BUILDABLE AND NON- BUILDABLE AREA CONDITION OF THE CONSTRUCTION TYPOLOGIES OF THE HOUSES CONCLUSION FOR THE DESIGN

END USER DAILY ACTIVITIES OF AN INDIAN HOUSEHOLD WHERE THE ACTIVITIES TAKE PLACE

56 58

MOTION SEQUENCE OF ONE DAY CONCLUSION FOR THE DESIGN

65 HOUSING

65

HOUSING CONCEPT

65 GUIDELINES 65 THE „ SALEEL HOUSE“ 66 LOCALISATION IN THE CONTEXT 68 BASIC CONCEPT 74 GROUND FLOOR 76 FOUNDATION | WATER TANK 76 WATER TANK DIMENSIONS 78 OUTER WALL 79 ROOFING 80 DOOR | WINDOW | JAALIS | CROSS VENTILATION 81 KITCHEN 82 BATHROOM | GREY WATER PURIFICATION | COMPOSTING PIT 83 COST OF THE „SALEEL HOUSE“ | OVERBURDEN BALANCE 86 CONCLUSION

89 COMPARISON

90 SUSTAINABILITY SPIDER GRAPH 93 THE SALEEL HOUSE 94 EVALUATION | HABITAT FOR HUMANITY 96 EVALUATION | THE SALEEL HOUSE 98 CONCLUSION

101 IMPROVEMENT OF EXISTING HOUSES 105 ADD-ONS FOR THE EXISTING HOUSES 106 CONCLUSION

109 COMMUNITY CENTRE 112 SOCIAL INTERACTION 114 EDUCATION 116 INFORMATION AND HEALTH CENTRE 118 LOCALISATION IN THE VILLAGE 122 CONCLUSION

125 COMMUNICATION 125 BASIC CONCEPT

127 CONCEPT FOR THE CONSTRUCTION MANUAL 127 VISUAL COMMUNICATION 128 THE THREE STEPS OF THE COMMUNICATION CONCEPT 130 CONCLUSION

133 FUTURE EFFECTS 133 TRANSFORMATION OF RAMNATHAPURAM 134 COMPRESSED STABILISED EARTH BLOCKS AS A CONSTRUCTION MATERIAL 136 BAMBOO AS A CONSTRUCTION MATERIAL 138 UTILIZATION OF DRY TOILETS 140 RAIN WATER HARVESTING | GREY WATER PURIFICATION 142 SMALL ADJUSTMENTS 144 CONCLUSION

147 REFLEXION

148 TRANSFER OF KNOWLEDGE 150 SINCERE AMBITI

153 TEAM PROCESS 153

TEAM ORGANISATION

154 155

WORKING METHODS WORKING PROCESS

161 CREDITS AND BIBLIOGRAPHY 161 161

CREDITS SOURCES

165 APPENDIX

page 12

INTRODUCTION

We spent the first part of our very last semester at the BUAS in Burgdorf in southern India, namely in Bangalore, to do the analysis and the preliminary work for our thesis. For ten weeks we’ve lived in the east of this megacity, shared a house with five colleagues, ate plenty of spicy Indian food and enjoyed a terribly hot but incredible delicious chai every morning.

The goal of these two and a half month was a solid and systematic analyis of the livelihood of marginalised rural families in a village called Ramnathapuram. Therefore we met many different people - we talked to well known and established experts as well as to the poorest of the country. For exchanging ideas we had dinner at the mansion of a counsellor, the another day we had lunch with people who earn less than two Swiss francs a day.

To get an idea of the Indian education system we spent a whole day in a rural school where 50% of the children haveto work to support the family income, and in the evening we celebrated a birthday in a fancy restaurant and „squandered“ the monthly income of a rural family with one single dinner! This wide range of experiences led us to perceive India in a very intense and emotional way. Some moments touched us in our heart of hearts and shaped our way of thinking.

This documentation is the continuance of the analysis we have written in India. During the last eight weeks we have been working on the second part of this project, namely our thesis, in Switzerland. We designed a housing concept and a community centre, as well as a communication concept for rural, marginalised families in southern India. All of that will be explained in the following chapters.

To follow our decisions, it is important to know the context and the end users. Therefore the documentation starts with a brief introduction about the end users, the context and our hypothesis.

During the whole semester we were supported by our examinators as well as byseveral experts.

We’re grateful for all the constructive discussions and meetings we had. It was a pleasure to work with such a great team!

page 14

INTRODUCTION

HYPOTHESIS

Our initial plan of the semester was designing a housing project for poor and marginalised people in the east of Bangalore, India. Therefore we spent several weeks in India and analysed the region of Malur, especially Ramnathapuram, in a profound way. We tried to get a realistic overview of our perimeter in order to design an appropriate housing project. To reach this goal we have visited the region several times, we have met the end users and we have had interviews with well- known experts. On one hand this led to a holistic picture of the perimeter and on the other hand it put us into a confusing position: The more we knew about the context and the end users the more we realised that „just“ a housing project won’t upgrade the livelihood of the end users in a sustainable way. Although we have seen constructions and houses which are in improvable conditions, there are too many facts which are affecting and hindering the development of Malur and its region. Through our analysis, we are able to describe the complexity of the problems, which occur in this region. Moreover we realised that many things are connected and affect each other.

Thanks to our education and our all- embracing field research we understand these problems, but we aren’t experts in all of them. It was a long and intense way to reach this point and we really wanted to use this knowledge to give this region a chance. Therefore we decided to focus on problems which are related to architecture and infrastructure and furthermore we suggested possible strategies and appropriate experts who are able to solve the remaining problems. Like this we can assure sustainable solutions for the architectural part but without ignoring the rest of the identified problems.

Based on this decision we will be able to answer our hypothesis: How can an architectural intervention enhance the quality of life in a rural and poor region like Malur?

To answer this question we will combine our Swiss skills, namely the ability to think in a strategical way and the awareness of the future, with the Indian traditions and resources.

This following chapter is a small overview of Ramnathapuram and presents in a short way the inhabitants, the context and the occurring problems.

page 16

RAMNATHAPURAM- AN OVERVIEW

About 700 million of the 1.2 billion Indians live in the outback of the subcontinent. Those areas don’t have access to the coast and aren’t influenced by mega cities. Agriculture is the main source of income for the inhabitants and poverty is a distinctive aspect of this kind of region.

Malur is a district located ca. 45 km in the east of Bangalore and is a perfect example of rural living. The Malur region is being deprived of rain. Therefore it’s a big challenge to produce efficiently and use the land’s full potential. Another important economic activity is the production of clay and brick tiles, which has repercussions on the immediate and extended environment and local living standards.

In the village of Ramnathapuram - the village chosen for the project - the living conditions are quite bad. There is just one beaten earth street passing through the village, the 50 or so houses are built along it. The nearest bus station is situated approximately 4km away from the village. At the entry of the village there is a public school for children up to the 6 th grade. Between the school and the first houses, there is a big and holy tree with a rock pedestal and a small temple. That is the only recreational and/-or public space in the whole village. A central water drainage has been built in the last months, but it’s not possible to say where it starts, where it ends and if it’s actually working. For getting water there are two bore wells: one is near the school and the other one near the village centre. They work just two hours a day. So the access to water is strictly limited and people have to handle it in an economical way.

The missing infrastructure is striking: in the village there is no shop, no pharmacy, no hospital, no doctor, no kindergarten nor a covered public space. The only disposable toilets are next to the school: three male and one female. The scale of the village is comfortable, but its atmosphere is not very joyful. A reason might be the heat, but probably it is the fact that spaces for social interaction are missing - for adults as well as for children.

In Ramnathapuram there live 50 families, a total of 256 people. 202 persons are part of the „scheduled cast“ (also known as Dalit), one of the poorest in India. Most of the people work as daily wage workers in the agricultural sector or in the brick factories. They don’t have a permanent job and can’t be sure if they find work the next day. This makes it difficult for them to plan their future. Some of the families are landowners and own a private bore well.

All the families have several children and most of them are going to school. But the families are depending on every single rupee they can earn, so it is a known fact that many children have to work a few days per week. This is a critical situation because only if the children go to school every day do they have access to higher education.

A higher education or at least a continuous education is very important for these people. Only like this will they

INTRODUCTION

be able to understand their context and its dependencies. Education is not only important for the children but also for the adults. Many adults never received a proper education and are therefore not aware why it is important to let the kids go to school.

MAP OF THE VILLAGE OF RAMNATHAPURAM

10 m

50 m

N

holy tree

houses we’ve visited

bore well

streets

school

fields

houses

small temple

1 map of Ramnathapuram

page 18

PRE-STUDIES INTRODUCTION

For this project we will keep one thought always in our mind - it has to be very close to the end user’s needs. How the people live, the activities they do at home and outside should be the guidelines for a good design. And then, the concept has to be set up in a context that from one side is material, with the existing constructions and spaces, and from the other one there is an intangible aspect related to the existing traditions, the values that the people have, and also, in the other sense, the values that the people give to the things.

It is important to remember that building for poor and marginalised people doesn’t mean finding cheap solutions just to give a roof under which the people could sleep and to feel good with our „charitable“ gesture. It means treating the people with the sensibility they deserve, even if they are constrained to live with scarce natural and economic resources. To find the design for our housing project we need as many parameters as possible. Thus we can ensure that the design corresponds with its environment as well as with its inhabitants. This strategy will assure that the house will support the users, that it will last for a long period and, most importantly, that it will satisfy the inhabitants.

page 20

PRE-STUDIES

PRE-STUDIES WORKING PROCESS

To reach the point of an optimised design, we will follow a top down strategy. We will start with the natural conditions and resources of Ramnathapuram and its environment, and then we will have a look at the village and finally describe the end user and his/her daily routine. For each of these three points we will write a description and present the resulting consequences for the design. In this way we have all the necessary and related points in mind and let them influence the design in a beneficial way. This strategy helps us to find an optimised, sustainable solution.

macr

NATURAL CONDITIONS

o

conclusion for the design

RESOURCES conclusion for the design

STRUCTURE OF THE VILLAGE

conclusion for the design

END USER conclusion for the design

micr o

FINAL DESIGN

2 working process follows top down strategy

page 22

PRE-STUDIES

PRE-STUDIES NATURAL CONDITIONS

The first part in the top down strategy is the environment of Ramnathapuram. We will have a look at the climatic conditions like temperature, wind speed and irradiation hours. These facts will give us first indications for the upcoming final design of the housing project.

TEMPERATURES | SEASONS | HUMIDITY Ramnathapuram falls in the eastern dry agro climatic zone. The climate of the village is usually moderate due its high elevation 1 (887m), meaning hot summers and mild winters. Nevertheless, the climate can be a little bit uncomfortable, because occasionally there are heat waves in the summer. As you can see in the first map, the coldest months are December and January with average temperatures of around 16째C. But it is possible that the temperature is lower than 10째C. The warmest months are April and May with average temperatures of around 33째C, whereby temperatures of 40째C are not a rarity!

The year is divided into four different seasons 2: _dry season | January and February _pre-monsoon season | March, April and May _southwest monsoon season | June, July, August and September _northeast monsoon season | October, November and December temperatures: average and extremes

average air humidity (%) 90 max temp average max

24 16

average min min temp

8

80 70 60 50

month 1 http://www.tiptopglobe.com/city?n=Malur&p=30680#lat=-21.61658&lon=73.65234&zoom=3, 16.06.2012 2 Shri K. Kumaresan, Ground water information booklet, Kolar district, Karnataka, Bangalore, 2009 map temperatures | http://www.myweather2.com/City-Town/India/Kolar-Gold-Fields/climate-profile.aspx, 30.03.2012 map humidity | http://www.tititudorancea.com/z/weather_bengaluru_bangalore_karnataka_india.htm, 16.06.2012

nov

dec

oct

sep

jul

month

aug

jun

apr

may

feb

dec

oct

nov

sep

jul aug

jun

may

apr

feb mar

jan

mar

40

0

jan

temperature

32

air humidity (%)

40

page 24

PRECIPITATION Ramnathapuram receives rainfalls from the northeast as well as from the southwest monsoons. This causes heavy precipitations in August, September and October.

The southwest monsoon accounts for approximately 55% of the annual rainfall. The northeast monsoon contributes around 30% . The remaining 15% come from the pre-monsoon. Usually September and October are the wettest months with over 100mm monthly rainfall. Thunderstorms often occur in May. The annual rainfall adds up to 760mm. In the last ten years this number was not reliable - the annual rainfall was highly irregular. 2002 and 2003 are deficient in rainfall, 2004 was a normal year and 2005 was a rainfall excess year. 3

number of rainy days in month 35

240

28

180

21

120

14 days

60 0

7

month

3 Shri K. Kumaresan, Ground water information booklet, Kolar district, Karnataka, Bangalore, 2009 map precipitation | http://www.myweather2.com/City-Town/India/Kolar-Gold-Fields/climate-profile.aspx, 30.03.2012 map number of rainy days | http://www.myweather2.com/City-Town/India/Kolar-Gold-Fields/climate-profile.aspx, 30.03.2012

dec

oct

nov

sep

jul aug

jun

apr

month

may

jan

nov

dec

oct

sep

jul aug

jun

apr

may

feb mar

jan

0 feb mar

precipitation (mm)

precipitation amount (mm) 300

PRE-STUDIES

SOLAR IRRADIATION | WIND Ramnathapuram receives many sunshine hours. The quantity ranges from three hours per day in July to nine and a half hours per day in March. Especially in the first half of the year there is a lot of sunshine which can be used for solar power. On average there are 2’461 hours of sunshine hours annually and approximately 6.7 sunlight hours per day 4.

Ramnathapuram receives mainly wind from the west or southwest.

wind speed (km/ h)

6.5

4.5

wind speed (km/ h)

5.0

6.0 5.5 5.0

4.0 3.5 3.0

month

month

4 http://www.tiptopglobe.com/city?n=Malur&p=30680#lat=-21.61658&lon=73.65234&zoom=3, 16.06.2012 map solar irradiation | http://www.synergyenviron.com/tools/solar_insolation.asp?loc=Malur%2C+Karnataka%2C+India, 16.06.2012 map wind speed | http://www.synergyenviron.com/tools/wind_data.asp?loc=Malur%2C+Karnataka%2C+India, 16.06.2012

nov

dec

oct

sep

jul aug

jun

may

apr

feb mar

jan

dec

oct

nov

sep

jul

aug

jun

may

apr

feb

2.5 mar

4.5 jan

solar irradiation (hours)

solar irradiation (hours per day) 7.0

page 26

CONCLUSION FOR THE DESIGN

The natural conditions im Ramnathapuram require distinctive actions regarding the design. There are different possibilities how to react to the different parameters which these conditions have given us. The following graphics show what kind of solutions could be included in the design.

PORCH During the monsoon there are heavy tropical rains. To protect the exterior walls (especially mud walls) from rain, a porch is inevitable.

PORCH Shaded exteriur walls prevent the interior spaces from overheating.

PRE-STUDIES

SOLID CONSTRUCTION Thick exterior walls prevent the interior spaces from overheating during the day. Due to the phase shift the walls release the saved warmth during the cool nights.

SOLID CONSTRUCTION A solid roof construction prevents the interior spaces from overheating during the day. Due to the phase shift the walls release the saved warmth during the cool nights.

REAR-VENTILATED ROOF A rear-ventilated roof prevents the interior spaces from overheating during the day. Because of the rear ventilation the heated air is circulated, moves away and can’t overheat the roof.

page 28

PREVAILING WINDS The location of openings (doors, windows, jaalis,...) should always be related with the prevailing winds. In Ramnathapuram the prevailing wind comes from the west. Furthermore two openings shouldn’t be exactly opposite of each other, it is better to position them slightly shifted.

PLANTS The distance between plants and the house is also important. When a hedge is planted three meters from a house, a breeze is allowed to enter.

TREES The distance between trees and the house is also important. When a tree is planted three meters from a house, cool air can enter.

PRE-STUDIES

CROSS VENTILATION Cross ventilation will prevent the house from overheating, because the interior spaces are well ventilated and the hot air can circulate. The openings in the wall should be low so the cold breeze is felt (attend prevailing winds).

CROSS VENTILATION Cross ventilation will prevent the house from overheating, becasue the interior spaces are well ventilated and the hot air is circulating. Air circulating from below to above is very effective (attend prevailing winds).

ROOF VENTILATION OPENINGS Roof ventilation openings prevent the interior from heating up. Due to the fact that hot air always rises, these openings provide exits for the heat.

ROOF VENTILATION OPENINGS Roof ventilation openings prevent the interior from heating up. Due to the fact that hot air always rises, these openings provide exits for the heat. Openings in the upper walls have the same effect.

page 30

RAIN WATER HARVESTING Due to the long dry period , it is convenient to have a tank to store rain water. The rain can be collected in roof gutters and then directed to a tank. The tank has to be close to the house and protected by polluted areas such as toilets and septic tanks.

At the beginning of the rainy season, the first 2mm of rain water should be discarded. This is because the roof will be contaminated with dust and dirt due to the long dry period.

The size of the tank depends on the daily water consumption of a family and the length of the dry period. In Ramnathapuram a family with four members needs a tank which contains 6’500 liters. With this amount of water they have access to their own fresh water throughout the year.

PRE-STUDIES

page 32

PRE-STUDIES

PRE-STUDIES RESOURCES

The second step of the top down strategy is the topic of the resources. The resources of Ramnathapuram and the region of Malur were already explained in the first part of our project. Therefore we will now only discuss the building materials.

If we want to build an affordable, sustainable house, the following aspects have to be kept in mind: _the availability of the materials What are the local materials and building techniques? _independency of materials Are these materials abundant? We don’t want to depend on others for fabrication, transport and construction. _the durability of the materials Will they last over a long time and do they correspond with the regional climate? _maintenance of the building materials What are the costs and the effort to keep them in good shape? _the effect of temperature on materials What is the appropriate building technique to assure a comfortable house? _the fabrication of the materials Are there necessary facilities and equipment in the region? _Sustainability How can we build in a sustainable way?

To build an affordable house these have to be borne in mind. Furthermore we have to consider the durability of the materials. This is because of the maintenance - the villagers are working hard and don’t have a lot of time to maintain a house. Therefore a thatched roof won’t be the best solution although the required material is available and inexpensive. The following summary shows what materials could be used for the construction of the dwelling. We divided the materials and techniques into „locally available“, „recycled materials“ and „agro waste materials“.

BUILDING MATERIALS

locally available materials

recycled materials

agro waste materials

3 building materials

page 34

LOCALLY AVAILABLE MATERIALS

The region of Ramnathapuram is characterised by agriculture and brick factories. This is because of the suitable soil which is composed of „red sandy loam“ and „red sandy soil“ 5. Therefore it makes sense to consider the soil as a building material - for bricks as well as for tiles. The burned mud is long lasting and waterproof - but needs a lot of fire wood. This is a delicate issue because of the region’s deforestation. If the mud isn’t processed it has to be protected from rain. It can be applied as rammed earth, stabilised and unstabilised mud blocks,...

Wood is also a possible construction material - plenty of eucalyptus trees are proof for this statement. In our analysis we have found out that eucalyptus trees are responsible for the depleting water table because of their deep roots. But in most of thouses wood is an important part, especially for the framework and reinforcing. Steel could be an alternative to wood, but contains a lot of embodied energy and is very expensive. Furthermore we have read an article in an Indian news paper that the government is planning to ban the cultivation of eucalyptus: „Taking into account the ecological imbalance caused by Eucalyptus and Acacia, Karnataka government on Monday announced its decision to ban the cultivation of these two species of trees.“ 6 Bamboo is also available in the region of Malur. This is a strong, durable and multi- functional material. Its reputation 7 has changed from „poor man’s timber“ to „green gold“. In Bangalore there is the enterprise of the „Indian plywood industries“ with a research and training centre. They manufacture several construction materials, mainly with bamboo. There are for example bamboo mat corrugated sheets or bamboo flooring tiles 8 available.

The villagers told us that they really like concrete as a building material - even more so, if it is reinforced! Concrete is a symbol for the modern world and has (unfortunately) a reputation as a strong and long lasting material - although the risk of cracking and leaking is pretty high. For our design we can already exclude concrete as a construction material - it is just far too expensive! The house which we are planning is supposed to cost around 100’000 rupees (less than 2’000 CHF). Our analysis has shown that only a reinforced concrete roof costs more than 45’000 rupees. It is understandable that the roof is one of the most important parts of the house - it protects the inhabitants from the outside. Therefore we have to find a solution with less expensive but solid materials.

Natural stone is locally available in the region of Malur and is affordable. It depends on the type and size of the 5 Karnataka State Agricultural Produce Processing and export, Karnataka Global Agribusiness and Food Processing Summit

2011, Bounteous Karnataka, Bangalore, 2011 6 http://www.deccanherald.com/content/116658/karnataka-ban-eucalyptus-acacia-cultivation.html, 02.06.2012 7 http://www.hindu.com/2011/05/29/stories/2011052954040700.htm, 24.05.2012 8 http://www.ipirti.gov.in/bamboo.html, 18. 05 2012

PRE-STUDIES

stone. This material we could use for the walls, the tank, the window lintels and many more. Glass is the first material someone relates with windows and illumination. For the housing project we are not able to use it - it is too expensive and produces too much heat by passive solar energy. For the windows we have to think about jaalis, the typical small openings in the facade.

Palm as well as banana trees are planted in the neighbourhood of Ramnathapuram. Their leaves can be woven into mats or used to cover a roof.

jaalis

burned bricks

natural stone

concrete

wood

palm tree leaves

bamboo

page 36

RECYCLED MATERIALS

If we think about sustainability, recycled materials should be mentioned by all means! In Ramnathapuram itself there are not many waste materials available - the people can’t afford nourishment from the supermarket or soft drinks in pet bottles. The only wasted objects we saw were empty beer and liquor bottles. This is because of the alcohol abuse of the male inhabitants. These glass bottles could be used as a filler material. With this strategy we avoid broken glass bottles in the village and can illuminate the house with a soft glow. Of course it is also possible to build walls with plastic bottles. At the moment we haven’t seen this kind of bottles, but it wouldn’t be a problem to obtain them in Malur - there are a lot of scattered plastic bottles there.

There are several houses which are old and uninhabited. If they can’t be transformed into habitable houses their material could be recycled for building new houses. Bricks, tiles and much more could be reused!

There are several bigger recycling centers around Bangalore. At the moment they are not doying any furtherprocessing of waste into building materials. But we are sure this is just a matter of time. In other parts of India, for example Ahmedabad, these recycling centers are manufacturing different construction materials made of waste.

For example tetra pak fragments with binding agents 9 are pressed into corrugated sheets or waste material, which is compressed into blocks 10.

9 http://bestinpackaging.com/2009/12/13/brazil%E2%80%99s-small-scale-business-model-for-recycling-post-consumer-tetra-paks/, 18.05.2012 10 http://ubuntublox.com/ubuntu-blox/, 18.05.2012

waste board

glass bottle wall

inhabitated house

plastic bottle wall

PRE-STUDIES

AGRO WASTE MATERIALS

Not only common waste materials but also agricultural waste can be reused for recycled building materials. There are several researchers looking into how this kind of waste can be combined into solid construction materials with a binding agent. Possible materials are rice husks, coconuts and the shells of peanuts. To learn more about these materials we have talked to several experts. These materials sound really promising, but at the moment they are still in a testing phase.

agro waste boards

agro waste

a woman is producing agro waste while grinding grains

page 38

CONCLUSION FOR THE DESIGN

The locally available materials are divided into two groups - affordable ones and too expensive ones.

The expensive ones can only be used for very small parts and only if there is no good replacement Whats more, these expensive materials sre not sustainable - they all contain a lot of embodied energy!

For the design we will be sure to include recycled materials. Right now it is not yet possible to obtain waste boards in Karnataka, but the glass bottle wall is an interesting feature and has to be included in the house. Also material from old buildings will be reused - these are cheap and we will reduce the occurrence of obsolete wreckages in the village.

At this moment it won’t be possible to use the materials form the group „agro waste materials“. These products are still in a testing phase and not yet available on the market. As soon as they are disposable in Karnataka they can be implemented in the housing project.

feasible

BUILDING MATERIALS wood bamboo natural stone

locally available materials

affordable

overexpensive slab

wood

framework recycled materials

slab

tank

wall

unprocessed mud wall

tank

hackled old building material

glass bottles laid in mortar

banana leaves

bamboo palm tree leaves

roof bamboo

old building material plastic bottles laid in mortar

natural stone

natural stone

natural stone palm tree leaves

banana leaves

natural stone

unprocessed mud

PRE-STUDIES

corrugated sheets | coconut shells with binder

corrugated sheets | peanuts shells with binder

corrugated sheets | rice husks with binder boards | rice husks with binder

boards | coconut shells with binder

roof

boards | peanuts shells with binder

boards | peanuts shells with binder boards | coconut shells with binder

slab

unavailable

boards | rice husks with binder

agro waste materials

wall recycled materials

unavailable

compressed waste boards

roof

locally available materials wall framework

slab

wall

steel tank burned mud reinforced concrete

burned mud

glass

reinforced concrete

burned mud

compressed waste boards

reinforced concrete

compressed waste blocks reinforced concrete

roof

burned mud

4 overview building materials

page 40

PRE-STUDIES

PRE-STUDIES STRUCTURE OF THE VILLAGE

The third step of the top down strategy is the structure of the village. It is very important to understand how the village is working in terms of housing. Therefore we created four different maps which describe the village of Ramnathapuram more specifically.

With these maps we are able to understand the structure and the dynamics of the village. For a sustainable and long- lasting transformation of the village this knowledge is tremendously important. Otherwise the inhabitants won’t make use of or even reject the implemented changes. Another important fact is that we suggest possible solutions to the inhabitants, but they have to decide which one they want or with what step they want to start.

The villagers have to be a part of the transformation - an active and participating part. This enhances the confidence of the inhabitants, they feel respected and will accept the transformation as a good, helpful thing.

It is important that the inhabitants trust us and in our knowledge. Otherwise we risk the inhabitants thinking that our suggested strategies are too fancy and not applicable in their village.

Now we understand the village, a next step is to understand the relationship between the inhabitants and their houses. Like this we are able to design a house which corresponds with the needs and wishes of its inhabitants. fragmentation of the village public space | upper caste | scheduled caste

buildable and non- buildable areas buildable area | unfit for development RAMNATHAPURAM condition of the construction good | improvable | insufficient

typologies of the houses double pitch roof with tiles | double pitch roof with straw | flat concrete roof

5 structure of Ramnathapuram

page 42

FRAGMENTATION OF THE VILLAGE

The first map shows the structure of the village in terms of castes. In the analysis we found out that there are two different castes living: an upper caste as well as the dalits, well known as the lowest, scheduled caste in India. With this mapping we are able to show the division of the village into three parts: _A public and common space, which takes place around the school, temple and holy tree. _The houses of the upper caste are mainly located around the holy tree, next to the temple and the school. _The houses of the scheduled caste, which take place in the north of the village.

The holy tree is part of every Indian village - it acts as a space for social interactions and is usually located in the centre. Most of the houses in the immediate neighbourhood belong to families of the upper caste. Therefore we suppose that these families founded the village. They are the owners of the surrounding fields and needed daily wage workers who could support them on the field. The hired people belong to the dalits and got the chance to buy some land from the dominating families and could build their houses in the north of the village. This fragmentation is a common habit in Indian villages. The village has organically grown from south to north and from the main street towards the fields.

An interesting fact is the distribution of the public wells. There is one next to the school, a second one in the centre of the village and a third one in the north of the village. The last to bore wells are located in the area of the scheduled caste. This shows that the families of the upper caste don’t depend on public wells because they have own ones- either on the field or on their own property.

PRE-STUDIES

public and common space temple and school in the south upper caste located around the holy tree

10 m

50 m

N

scheduled caste located towards north 6 MAP 1 | fragmentation of the village

page 44

BUILDABLE AND NON- BUILDABLE AREA

The landscape in Ramnathapuram is flat and isn’t interrupted by any rocks, river beds or sump pits.

Therefore a house could be built at any place. But there is not much space between the outmost buildings and the cultivated fields- the soil is used in an optimised way!

Around the holy tree and the school there are some areas which could be used for new houses. But these areas belong to the panchayat 11 or the upper caste and won’t be released for development. With the required approvals a community centre could be build there.

Furthermore there are some smaller areas within the houses which seem to be appropriate for implementing new houses. For some areas this is possible, for others not, because they are spoiled or somehow occupied.

11 local government in the village | village council

PRE-STUDIES

10 m

50 m

N

unfit for development agricultural fields unfit for development occupied or spoiled ground unfit for development panchayat land buildable area available, appropriate ground 7 MAP 2 | buildable and non- buildable areas

page 46

CONDITION OF THE CONSTRUCTION

The third map shows the condition of the construction and the resulting quality of life. We divided the houses of the village into three groups _Houses which have to be replaced, because the construction is insufficient or even harming its inhabitants. _Houses which have an acceptable, but improvable construction. Smaller changes can greatly enhance the current living conditions. _Houses which are in a good condition and don’t need any improvements. But even for those houses smaller adjustments are possible and can enhance the current living conditions.

It is immediately apparent that most of the houses are in a proper but improvable condition. That means that the status of the construction is still good but some important features are insufficient or completely missing. A feature which is missing in all the cases, even in the ones with a good construction, is the possibility to harvest rain water. With an individual rain harvesting system the families could be independent of the bore wells, protect the depleting groundwater table and most important, they would have permanent access to fresh water. There are three houses which are in such a severe condition that they should be replaced with a new construction. The effort to improve them would be enormous and completely exaggerated. The broken down material won’t turn into rubbish because a lot of it can be used for the new houses. It is interesting that these three houses are very near to each other. Probably this is a family, consisting of several brothers, who is considered as the one with lowest status in the village. Most of the new houses, recognisable by on their flat roofs, are in a good condition.

PRE-STUDIES

10 m

50 m

N

good smaller changes, if desired improvable smaller changes are necessary insufficient house has to be replaced 8 MAP 3 | condition of the construction

page 48

TYPOLOGIES OF THE HOUSES

The second map shows the different typologies of the houses, actually the commonly used roofing systems. In the village there are only flat and double pitch roofs. Approximately one third of the roofs are flat roofs. Most of the double pitch roofs are east- west orientated. This is in response to the natural conditions of Ramnathapuram. Therefore the typical westerly winds can ventilate the houses. Only a few of the double pitch roofs are covered with natural materials like raghi straws - the great majority have tiled roofs. Because of the nearby brick factories people had access to burnt tiles. These are waterproof and can be replaced if they are damaged. The new houses are invariably built with a flat concrete roof. A concrete roof is known as durable, modern, water- resistant construction and allows a raising of the houses. But these roofs are expensive, especially the steel which is used for reinforcing.

PRE-STUDIES

double pitch roof timber structure | tiled roof double pitch roof timber structure | thatched roof

10 m

50 m

N

flat roof reinforced concrete construction 9 MAP 4 | main roof typologies in Ramnathapuram

page 50

CONCLUSION FOR THE DESIGN

The implementation of new houses has to be done very carefully. We have to respect the current fragmentation and can’t mix the castes. If we build a new house for a dalit in the area of the upper caste, it could be uncomfortable or even dangerous for him. The mindset is still very strong and still requires a lot of time to be changed. A way to loosen up this insistent system is a collective community centre - obviously located in the public area.

With our analysis we are able to say where it could be possible to build new houses. Based on these facts the community can decide where they allow new houses. The transformation of the village should probably start with the three houses which are in a severe condition. The quality of life in these houses is absolutely insufficient and has to be improved quickly. By replacing these houses we have to respect the neighbourhood - mostly a cluster is built by a family. So it might be impossible to relocate a family’s house from the northeast to the west of the village.

Then we have to present suggestions for possible improvements to the other homeowners. With small adjustments they can improve the quality of their houses step by step. Feasible features and gadgets are rain water harvesting facilities for a private access to water, plastic bottle bulbs for illuminating the dark interior spaces and, most importantly, a private toilet for each family.

The traditional double pitch roofs are not favoured - first, because they heat up a lot during the day and second, because a flat roof is the new state of the art. A reinforced concrete roof blasts our budget but still we have to offer the people a roof which doesn’t have a tacky image. Therefore a single pitch roof might be a possible solution.

PRE-STUDIES

page 52

PRE-STUDIES

PRE-STUDIES END USER

For us it is very important to design a house which corresponds with the needs and habits of its inhabitants. The designed house should support them in their daily life and impart a high quality of life. Therefore we also asked the people of Ramnathapuram about their daily activities, their movement patterns and how long they stay in each room. Furthermore we took plenty of photographs and videos which document their life.

Our analysis and the collected visual material are incredibly important- at this moment we are not able to go back to the village to have another look. Our design is now based on the experience, the analysis, the photographs and some research we were doing back in Switzerland.

With this accumulated information we design a house, which contains all these facts. But this wealth of information offers such a wide range of possibilities, that it is almost impossible to find a perfectly suitable solution. We need more guidelines which can structure and define the upcoming design.

The next few pages explain the fourth step of our top down strategy - the relation of the end users and their house. It is a description of their activities, movement patterns and how long they stay in a particular room. With the aid of these facts we able to reach some more conclusions for the design. The following data is based on the experience and floor plan of family Puttarna - a family we have portrayed in the first documentation.

place for animals ~4m 2 cattle shed ~11m 2 veranda ~6m 2 living room ~20m 2 kitchen ~5m 2 fireplace ~1m 2 bedroom ~6m 2 storage ~2m 2 1m

5m

N 10 house of family Puttarna

page 54

DAILY ACTIVITIES OF AN INDIAN HOUSEHOLD

During our stay in India we have seen different villages and its inhabitants. We have visited villages which are located in the jungle, in the mountains and as well close to a megacity. In each village we have seen the same scenery: old people sitting on the plinth in front of their houses, women chopping vegetables in the shadow of the roof and the children playing in the interspaces of the houses.

The people, especially the women, of Ramnathapuram explained us very detailed what activities they are doing during a day. For our design we have to take care only of the activities which happen in and around the house.

Like this we are able to design a space allocation plan which collaborates with the habits of the people. A result of this small survey is, that only the housewife is in constant contact with the house. She has activities in and especially around the house. The husband and the children leave the house in the morning and return in the late afternoon. During this time the housewife is attending plenty of domestic activities like grinding spices, cleaning the animal shed and preparing food.

To visualize the results of the survey and to structure all the activities we made a graphic which shows all the tasks. The ones which are done inside the house are marked reddish. The activities which happen outside the house, but still in the own property, are written in cyan. The ones which are independent of the house are grey.

Already at first it is noticeable that there is a more or less equal distribution between inside and outside. This is a remarkable fact - we as Swiss people wouldn’t expect a housewife to spend so much time outside the house.

Therefore we have to include the outside atmosphere as an important, frequently used space. It has to be large enough for the activities she is doing there.

Furthermore it is observable, that the bedroom and the living room are used for a very short period of the day.

This is an important fact because the majority of the floor area is occupied by these two rooms. To use the floor area in an improved way, the bed and the living room could be combined in a single one. Without further ado this is possible because the two rooms are never used at the same time.

In addition we can see that there are just a few activities in the night and people are going to sleep pretty early.

On one hand this makes sense because they have to get up with the sunrise to take advantage of the daylight and must sleep enough. On the other hand this is also a consequence of the scarce light resources. Kerosene lamps are expensive and produce a lot of dangerous gases. If we find another, healthier light source, the people could do some activities in the later evening, like studying or playing cards.

PRE-STUDIES

sl dish

2

|b etc 4 f m a k i n g f i re

8

e g din s ner 7

gg rai 2 f ro m the s n s tora

1

c le a n in

t a k in

ha vin g lu nc h

g gra in s

din grin and

ng ani

ge g the d is h e s

rs

ts nu

ou

nd ro u

hb

gg

ig

he

llin

ne g on

-s de

cle

s

g

ice

in

sp

tt

er

ing

ow

ha

o

ct

sh

nd

|c

lle

n in g

ing

tti

sg

ga

bles egeta and v

g

se

vin

ro t i e s

in

co

milk

gri

oking

st

c le a

kid

ha

10

11 c o

am

3

s

8

4

bring cooked lunch to the field

re

p

9

m

ai

7 swuet eawpay sleeping mats

5

12 pm

k

ho me o c ids

f ro me

g ch

6 cleaning the dishes

ew a t t h es home s r e t a om he i n g w usband c ng clot ol i h o fetch h c tit ch s

in re w

e ll e rs fe m a le d w

preparing dinner 6 b le s a fy v e g e ta p lu c k in g le ell

t ra

ell

st akfa e r b rs welle d e l a r v e m ork 5 shuesband goes to w e a t re s t o f b re a k fa s t g hin

let toi

3

ting

9

eatin

let

11

10

ng the

toi

1

pi ning

re s

12 am

ee clea

te wa

dw the

in g t h e f lo o r

a n im

the

ng

al sh e

cow

d

s

dir

tf loo rw i n ol ith ga co nd w to

sc

ho

ch

op

pi

ng

fir

ew

du

oo

ng

d

11 daily activities of an Indian housewife

page 56

WHERE THE ACTIVITIES TAKE PLACE

The previous graphic has shown that there is a more or less equal distribution between interior and exterior activities. To proof this impression we counted how much time the housewife spends for what activity.

Then we checked in what space these activities happen. Hereby we are able to say which spaces she uses inside respectively outside the house and for how long. This is important to know because it shows which spaces are prior to other ones. Furthermore it helps us to define the space allocation plan with the rooms which are indispensable and important. The following graphic shows how much time is spent in what space during 24 hours.

Each square signifies 30 minutes. As it was at the previous graphic, the reddish squares illust-

bed room

whole house

kitchen living room

~13 hours

veranda

village

backside

storage toilet

animal shed

~11 hours

24 hours 12 where the daily activities take place

rate the interior spaces, the bluish squares the exterior spaces.

There are two spaces which are used much longer than other ones: the bed room and the veranda. On the veranda she is doing much more activities than in the bed room - the bed room’s only purpose is resting and/ or sleeping. This means that the bedroom is used for a specific type of activities. This could signify that the bedroom is a space of silence or recovery. It is more likely that the family Puttarna can afford a house, which is large enough to contain a bed room.

The graphic shows that the outdoor space is an important component of the house. The internal space is used only two hours more per day, even though it is used for sleeping. Therefore we adhere that the outdoor space has to be a key element of the space allocation plan.

PRE-STUDIES

13 a woman is excorticating beans

page 58

MOTION SEQUENCE OF ONE DAY

As a next step we observed the sequence of the housewife’s activities. We took all the spaces we have already mentioned before and simulated one ordinary day. The reddish lines are till lunchtime, the bluish ones till the bedtime. This helps us to find out which rooms should be placed next to each other. Like this we are able to respond on her daily motion sequence and can simplify her route. This results in a ground plan shape which is optimised for her routine. Like this she saves time and energy.

As we can see in the accompanying graphic there is an accumulation of movements at the veranda as well as in the kitchen. On one hand these two spaces are often visited sequent, on the other hand they are related to most of the other spaces. The graphic shows also that the storage is only connected with the kitchen and the veranda. That means for the design that these spaces should be placed next to each other - we create a zone of storing, preparing and cooking of nourishments. Like this we can shorten her way - also the time she has to carry heavy objects.

The living room is mainly linked with the kitchen, but apart from that not often used. Also this is pretty interesting because it occupies a large part of the floor area. Furthermore we see that also the bed room is not often used.

Therefore it makes sense to combine these two rooms in a single one. A room which is able to correspond with the different activities.

Another interesting point is the division into the first part of the day and the second one. The veranda as well as the kitchen is used during the whole day. In the morning she is leaving the house several times for fetching water and collecting firewood. Then around midday she leaves the house another time to deliver her husbsand’s lunch.

After that she is always at home and is circulating between the rest of the rooms. The storage room is mainly used in the afternoon. Then she has time to grind some grains or plucking vegetables. This would confirm the above mentioned combination of storage room and veranda.

ro

om

bed room

PRE-STUDIES

ge

liv

lla

in

g

vi

kitchen

shed

sto

e

ra

ge

toil et

4am - 7am 7am - 10am 10am - 1pm 1pm - 4pm 4pm - 7pm 7pm - 10pm

sid

nda

b

k ac

vera

animal

14 daily motion sequence of an Indian housewife

page 60

CONCLUSION FOR THE DESIGN

The fourth step of our design strategy has demonstrated, that the villagers, especially the housewives, follow certain patterns. With the previous pages we found them out and can react on them with several aspects in the upcoming design. The following graphics show what kind of solutions could be included in the design.

...sleeping... ...eating... ...TV & Co.....

...sleeping... ...eating... ...TV & Co.....

MULTIFUNCIONAL ROOM The bed room and the living room are just used for sleeping and eating - and watching TV, if the family is wealthy enough. The rest of the activities in these rooms are for maintaining purposes. An idea might be, to combine these two rooms in a single one. A room which is flexible and neutral in its occupation. In the night the room can be used as a bed room, during the day it can be used for different purposes.

The room should be large enough that it could be divided into two rooms or more, if the family requires that.

Therefore penings in the wall should be placed carefully.

PRE-STUDIES

GREY WATER Every family should have access to a private shower. Also this water can be collected and purified. Therefore we can combine the washhouse and the shower with a biologically based grey water purification. The water is collected in a tank and gets purified by sand filters and aquatic plants. This water can be used for irrigation, washing and cleaning.

GREY WATER On the backside of the house she is cleaning the dishes, washing the clothes and having a shower. These activities produce grey water. This water shouldn’t be wasted, because with a purifying treatment it is still usable for irrigation.

page 62

ACCES TO A PRIVATE TOILET In our analysis we found out that in 2008 only 21% of the rural population had access to improved sanitation facilities. People are just using the close surroundings for sanitation purposes. This is especially for female persons a bigger problem. There are barely spaces which are protected from foreign sights. Furthermore this practice pollutes the environment. These are the reasons why we provide each family a private toilet.

Due the lack of water it is not possible to flush the toilet with water. Therefore a dry toilet seems to be suitable.

These human sewage is caught in a bin and has to be emptied once it is full. After every use the waste will be covered with organic material, like straw or rice husks. In this way the development of odour will be prevented.

The waste will be collected in a composting pile. A pile, 1.5m x 1.5m x 1.5m, lasts more than one year for a family with four members.

NATURAL FERTILIZER After the pile is filled up, it has to rest for one year until all the the human sewage is composted. During this time a secon pile is catching the accruing sewage.

The compost can then be used as natural fertilizer in the private garden or on the fields.

PRE-STUDIES

SOLAR BOTTLE BULP Right now the people are depending on kerosene lamps to illuminate their internal spaces. The kerosine is very expensive and unfortunately it produces a lot of hazardous gases. These gases cause many respiratory diseases. The interior spaces are also during the day pretty dark. Solar bottle bulbs can illuminate these spaces during the day.

SOLAR LAMPS For the night there is another possibility to illuminate the house. During the day a photovoltaic cell on the roof could charge a battery which energizes a small lamp in the night.

NOURISHMENT ZONE A combination of the storage room, kitchen and veranda. Like this we create a zone of storing, preparing and cooking of nourishments. Furthermore we optimise her daily motion sequence by shortening the distance she has to recline.

page 64

CROSS VENTILATION She spends approximately two hours in the kitchen. There she is cooking the food and brewing the tea. Both activities produce heat and smoke. As we already found out in our analysis the smoke threatens the health and causes many diseases. Therefore it is tremendously important that the kitchen is ventilated properly. This is possible with the aid of jaalis and cross ventilation.

SMOKELESS CHULHA 12 In our analysis we found out that also the common cooking process causes a lot of harmful gases and smoke.

To reduce this effect, it is important to install a smokeless chulha (cooking stove). A clay chulha costs between 300 to 500 rupees (less than 10 CHF). Moreover they are much more fuel efficient. That means that a housewife can save up to two kilogrammes 13 firewood per day. The woman doesn’t have to carry that much firewood every day and furthermore, the fast deforestion could be decelerated.

12 low smok cooking stove 13 http://www.cfi.in/Uploads/CD%20Activities%20by%20Raigad%20Unit-%20Report%20Prepared%20in%20Feb09%20in%20pdf.pdf, 20.05.2012

PRE-STUDIES

SHADED VERANDA Tthe housewife spends as much time on the veranda as she spends in her bedroom. On the veranda she is doing many activities, like grinding spaces and plucking leafy vegetables. Most of these activities she is attenting in a sitting position. If we consider the climate in Ramnathapuram, it is very important that the veranda is roofed. This protects the woman from the strong sun as well as from the heavy rains in the wet season.

page 66

HOUSING HOUSING CONCEPT

GUIDELINES

To approach an all- embracing housing concept, we decided to define some basic conditions which would guide us during the design process. These determining factors also work as a controling instrument: the more fulfilled conditions the more holistic is a concept.

Beneficiary Identity Flexibility Practicability Liveliness

respect the end user’s condition, characteristics and needs. impart an individual house for each family and create an unique identity. allow prospective changes in the familiy structure and condition. build in and with the context taking care of the local resources. offer spaces for social interaction to support the social cohesion of the community.

THE „ SALEEL HOUSE“

Based on a really basic concept, we started putting together all the features we had in mind, to design an adequate house for the inhabitants of Ramnathapuram. We had to think about every little detail to have a more realistic idea of the space inside as well as outside the unit, the materialization, the atmosphere, but also the costs, that in this case have to be much lower than in other projects.

Using locally available as well as recycled materials has been an integral part of our design. We took it as a chance to create something which is good to look at and it is environmental acceptable.

The house is called “ saleel ”. Saleel means “water” in Sanskrit 14. Most of the problems in Ramnathapuram are somehow connected with water. To resolve these problems, we integrated water as a central component of the house.

In the following pages, the „saleel house“ will be explained in detail.

14 Sanskrit (literally “refined speech“)is a Indo-Aryan language and is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India.

page 68

LOCALISATION IN THE CONTEXT

As seen in the chapter „structure of the village“, there are three places, where it is possible to built. One is near to the school and the upper caste area; the other two are located in the scheduled caste area. One is on the west side, the other one on the east side of the principal street. As we already mentioned in the previous chapters, there are three houses, which have to be rebuilt. We are aware of the fact that actually the community has to decide what family gets the first new house. Furthermore they have to choose the place where it is going to be built. Our suggestion is to start with the family of Mr. Murali. It would be appropriate, because their house is the most inadequate one of the whole village. Actually under the same plastic roof there live two families, each with five members. Our idea is that one family will build a new house. The other one will improve the actual house.

Later in this documentation we will illustrate possible improvements.

Thinking about the specific localization of the new house, it would be appropriate, that it will be built about 20 meters north from the actual house. From a social point of view, that would grant the contact between the two families. From a structural aspect of the village, that would create a courtyard space between the existing and the new house. At the beginning the courtyard could be used for recreational purposes, but when the new housing concept will be extended and the water will not be a major problem anymore, it could be used for instance as a small vegetable plantation.

The positioning of the house on the south-north axis will permit better ventilation and a better use of the land.

HOUSING

existing house (will be improved) new built house courtyard space 5m

25 m

N 15 positioning of the new house

page 70

BASIC CONCEPT

Based on the program of the NGO, the only rules that we had to follow are the constrictions of the dimensions and the costs of a family unit. As written on the concept paper 15written by Habitat for Humanity „The cost of a house with approximate area of 300 square feet 16 is estimated to be Rs. 150.000.“ We decided to look at a strategy, which covers all aspects of the basic needs. At the same time it is fully functional and expandable.

Like this it is possible to react on directly on the family situation of the end user.

We decided to create a basic structure which includes a central core with all the basic amenities, which are needed in every house. Then there is a flexible cell, which is considered to be the main room. Both cells are built on a approximately 3 x 4 meters raster. The cell core has the following functions: kitchen, toilet, storage room, veranda, and underground water tank. As you could see in the graphic of the “daily motion sequence”, it is really important that those few elements are built together. Like this we facilitate the movements of the end user. The main room is an open space, which can be used as a bed room, living room, or working space. The use depends on the time of the day. Depending on the property size and the financial condition of the end user, a bigger house can be built by adding one more flexible cell – either in the horizontal axis, or in case of missing space, in the vertical axis. horizontal and vertical addition

basic structure

3m

3m

4m

15 Habitat for Humanity, Concept Paper, Level 1-2, h 3, 15.11.2011 (the paper is not published) 16 300 square feet are 28 square meters and 150.000 rupees are 2’583 CHF, 13.06.2012

16 expandability

HOUSING

main room toilet & shower kitchen & storage

veranda

water tank

17 the basic concept

page 72

01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21

excavation rain water harvesting tank stones and mortar foundations multifunctional bench wash basin aquatic plants for purifying the grey water collecting tank for purified water composting pits for kitchen waste and faeces slab floor in concrete and red oxide veranda flooring in natural stone slabs double pipe filtering system jaalis rotating windows glas bottle wall compressed stabilised earth blocks dry toilet smokeless chulha hinged cooking tray rear- ventilated roofing system corrugated bamboo sheets on a bamboo framework plastic bottle bulbs

HOUSING

21

19

20

17 16

18

14 13 15

12 11

09 08

10

07 06 05

04 03 02

01

18 exploded view

545

30

86

210

240

270

490

30

490

30

190

220

190

30

30

40

350

340

30 300 75 160 95 30

290 60 150 190

690

N

392

150

grey water

150

309

1,035

sweet water

page 74

690

HOUSING

composting pit | second year composting pit | first year collection tank for purified water planted trench filter shower dry toilet wash basin

extended foundation with bench holes for plastic bottles small extension for additional wall kitchen multifunctional main room two-winged front door opening for water tank veranda with underlying water tank

19 marked floor plan

page 76

GROUND FLOOR

As we already showed in the analysis, it is important that the spaces are connected in a simple and logical way. This will support the habitant during the daily activities. The small but functional kitchen acts as a link between the outside and the inside activities of the day. Inside there is enough space for cooking and storing the provisions. Outside, on the west side, there is the veranda. This is a shaded space which can be used as a working or chilling zone. Under the veranda there is the tank for the rain water harvesting.

The door on the east side leads to the grey water area, where the dishes and the clothes are washed. Furthermore it leads to the private bathroom, where a dry toilet and a shower are.

The biggest room, facing south, will be used as a bedroom during the night and as living room during the day.

Each family decides, if they want one large room or two smaller ones. For this case, we dragged the outer wall a little bit into the interior room. Like this it will be easy for the inhabitants to install a soft wall.

According to the heat in the dry season we involved the cross ventilation as a natural cooling system. The different openings of the house – jaalis 17, windows, hollow bamboo canes and the two- winged front door – let the air circulate. This creates a cool breeze and constantly fresh air.

Due to the hot temperatures and the strong sun it doesn’t make sense to install glass windows. They would heat up the room too much! Therefore we installed plastic bottle bulbs in the roof. These are small but very effective openings. One bottle bulb achieves 55 watt! The bottle is filled with water and bleach. This mixture works as a small spotlight.

On the south side we extended the foundation – just in case the family wants to add a room in the horizontal axis. Like this it will be very simple, because they can easily connect the old with the new part. On these three extensions of the foundation we installed a bench. During the day fruits or grains can be dried there, in the night it will be a lovely place to have a chat with the neighbour. The bench is perforated with small openings. In these openings you can put plastic bottles and take advantage of the solar disinfection. The water in these bottles will be purified after six hours under the sun.

The perforation in the small door wing as well as in the bench is arranged in an undulate pattern. This refers to the name „saleel“ and symbolises a wave.

17 traditional element of the Indian architecture | small openings in the outer wall, usually with an ornamental pattern

HOUSING

Âą0.00 -0.30 -0.80 -1.35

two-winged front door 86

wash basin

extended foundation with bench holes for plastic bottles

plastic bottle bulb small extension for additional wall

270

shower & toilet

Thesis drawings by B. Steuri and G. Vignola storage beng-ar.ch

kitchen The Saleel House

sustainable, decent housing and livelihood for poor and marginalized people in Malur, India

190

490

advanced students at the Berne University of Applied Sciences

section 5

Drawing Scale 1:50

Layout ID

A.01.10

veranda & water tank

360

330

50 cm

Drawing Name

main room

250 cm

N

690 20 section on the veranda | ground floor plan

page 78

21 section | foundation and water tank

veranda water tank | 6’500 litres foundation | -1.35 foundation | -0.80

FOUNDATION | WATER TANK

The first thing to say is that it is important, that when digging out the trenches for the foundation, all the soil is kept together near to the site construction. The soil is the main component for the outer walls. The foundations consist on a 40cm thick and 80cm high stone wall with mortar. It is set down about 50cm under the ground level and comes up 30cm above the ground level (see the section on the previous page). On the south side they are extended for circa 40cm. This creates a good base for a bench. In case of a horizontal addition, they will be used as a starting point for the new foundations.

Where the underground tank is set, the foundations are 105cm deep and the wall thicker, permitting to place the remaining tank walls and the covering stone slabs. The two tank walls are done in compressed stabilised earth blocks (CSEB) and the internal covering is made with waterproof clay plaster. The tank has a capacity of 6’500 litres and is connected with the roof by a double gutter system. This permits to clean the first millimetre of water, which, because of the accumulated dust on the roof, should not be harvested.

The inside the house is done with a red oxide plaster layer over a five cm thick plastered concrete basis. Even if it is more expensive than other methods, the haptic qualities of the material are exceptional, especially in the longer term. It does not require any maintenance and it lasts for ages without losing its charm.

WATER TANK DIMENSIONS

To have an accurate idea of the dimensions of a rain water harvesting tank, it is necessary to think about the different involved. First of all it is important to know how many persons are going use it, how big is the collection area, (in our case the roof) and the data about the amount of falling rain water per month in the region (normally in mm).

Having all these numbers, it is possible to: _calculate how many litres of water are needed every month by the users _calculate how many litres of water fall every month _calculate the difference between the water harvested and the water consumed In the graphics it is possible to see, that the difference between the harvested and consumed water, will give the required amount of the litres in the tank. During the monsoon, there will be more harvested than consumed water. In the summer months it will be the opposite. To make sure that the tank will be able to store enough water for one year, we made another accounting. We took the highest amount of harvested water in litres, added the amount of litres, which is consumed in a week, and got the final dimensions for the tank.

HOUSING

22 from the roof to the tank

gutter double gutter foundation (-1.35) CSEB- wall

For our calculations we took the following numbers: minimum area of the roof 35 m 2 family of 4 members 5 litres per person per day 18 (drinking purpose) household needs 35 litres per household per day (washing, cooking, ...) daily water consumption 55 litres per day 19 rain amount per month as shown Please note that we have to subtract 20% of the rain water. This is because of evaporation and dirty water.

month days

m rainfall

water (m 3)

litres -20%

consumption

difference (l)

l in tank

May 31 0.0996 3.486 2788.8 1705 1083.8 1083.8 June 30 0.0523 1.8305 1464.4 1650 -185.6 898.2 jul 31 0.0692 2.422 1937.6 1705 232.6 1130.8 aug 31 0.0941 3.2935 2634.8 1705 929.8 2060.6 sept 30 0.1334 4.669 3735.2 1650 2085.2 4145.8 oct 31 0.1328 4.648 3718.4 1705 2013.4 6159.2 nov 30 0.0633 2.2155 1772.4 1650 122.4 6281.6 dec 31 0.0151 0.5285 422.8 1705 -1282.2 4999.4 jan 31 0.0066 0.231 184.8 1705 -1520.2 3479.2 feb 29 0.0069 0.2415 193.2 1595 -1401.8 2077.4 mar 31 0.0103 0.3605 288.4 1705 -1416.6 660.8 apr 30 0.0396 1.386 1108.8 1650 -541.2 119.6

18  Bissell, W.N., making India work, Penguin Global, 2010, p. 45 19  www.rainwaterclub.com, 20.05.2012

page 80

23 rat trap bond | air enters in the bricks with hollow interlocking and circulates in the cavities

OUTER WALL

The outer walls of the house are made in compressed stabilised earth blocks (CSEB) until a height of 225cm. 5% of cement are required for a 80% soil and 20% sand mixture. This is one of the best building materials in India – it is highly cost and energy efficient. For the manufacturing only a block press is needed. If we look at the market, there are several machines at disposal, but the one which took our attention, is the AURAM PRESS 3000. The high compression ratio achieved by the press produces exceptionally strong blocks, allowing multi-story buildings or large spans. With a small team of six or seven persons, it is possible to produce 850- 900 blocks per day.

Instead of using the normal „English bond“ or “Flemish bond“ for the brickwork, the walls are built with the „rat trap“ technique 20. This is a system, which, thanks to the cavities created between two blocks, gives a really good insulation, permits the facade to be ventilated, and needs 25-30% less blocks and mortar. On the external part of the wall it is possible to create patterns. This makes the facade decorative and creates shade and air movement.

Beside the normal plain block (29 x 14 x 9cm) it is possible to create bricks with hollow interlocking. If positioned on edge, not flat, on the bottom and on the top of the facade it is possible to create a channel connected to the inner cavity of the „Rat Trap“, letting the air circulate whilst creating a decorative pattern.

Even if building with these blocks is really sustainable, we wanted to go further. Therefore we included recycled materials in the construction. The walls, starting form a height of 225cm, are made in used glass bottles and mortar. This construction allows the light to come in and creates a warm, soft glow in the interior rooms.

Thanks to the different colours of the bottles, the atmosphere is even a bit chromatic.

Some bottles as wells as bricks, are replaced by hollow bamboo canes. These allow the air to flow from inside to outside (cross ventilation), and break the geometry of the rat trap bond.

20 invented by Laurie Baker, a British architect who worked for many years in India

HOUSING

24 air circulation in the rear- ventilated roof

corrugated bamboo sheet framework in bamboo woven bamboo mat

ROOFING

The fifth facade of the house is an important part of the concept. We wanted the house to be expandable, also in the vertical axis. Furthermore we wanted to avoid the common techniques in the village - the double pitch roof with timber structure and clay tiles, and the RCC flat roof - because they are either keeping the heat inside or are over expensive. None of the two systems is eco- the manufacturing of burned clay-tiles and burned bricks has damaged the fauna during the last 30 thirty years due to the high consumption of firewood.

We choose to use a lightweight roofing system, which, in case of vertical expansion, is easy to remove. The new slab can then easily take place on the lower walls.

We were thinking about a rear- ventilated double pitch roof. While we were building the scale model 1: 10, we realised, that it needs almost twice as much material as a monopitch roof. Therefore we chose a monopitch roof which is entirely constructed in bamboo. Corrugated bamboo sheets 21 are leant on a battens and rafters structure, which is leant on the primary structure of the walls. Those kind of corrugated sheets are resistant, waterproof and look very aesthetic. The embodied energy is minimal. Since shortly they are available on the Indian market. And it is not yet sure, how long they will resist the local climate.

Under the battens and rafters structure there is a woven bamboo mat. Like this we create a rear- ventilated roof, because the air circulates between the two layers. This prevents the interior rooms form overheating.

Another integrated feature are the plastic bottle bulbs. A simple PET bottle filled with a water/ chlorine mix will be installed and sealed in the roof. A two litres bottle is big enough to trespass the two roof layers and give solar light. Like this we kill two birds with one stone – we recycle the scattered plastic bottles and install a light source of 55 watts only by solar power.

21  www.bamboocomposites.com, 01.06.2012

page 82

25 cross venilation

DOOR | WINDOW | JAALIS | CROSS VENTILATION

The doors and windows are as simple possible. They are made in wood (secondhand) and don’t require a frame. For the doors a few planks can be fixed together with strap hinges. A pattern can be cut into the wood and makes a door unique.

The windows 22 are built by using a 30cm wide plank of wood with a rounded protrusion at both ends. These can be fixed directly in the wall openings. The window lintel is done in stone. The plank itself can be rotated and lets light and air come in. Thanks to the small opening no animals or persons can come in.

Brickwork named jaalis is done by letting away some header bricks row after row, on the whole length of the facade, creating patterns between the built brickwork and the shadow of the missing ones. This method has several benefits – such as better ventilation, soft lighting and a decorative, individual look.

In the west, south and north facade, there are small openings between the bricks and in the bottle wall. These openings allow cross ventilation. The wind in Ramnathapuram blows from west to the east and therefore it can perfectly enter the house. The openings are distributed on several heights. Furthermore aren’t the windows directly opposite of each other. These two schemes allow a well- functioning cross ventilation. The rotating planks of the window can steer the air flow – however the inhabitants like it.

22 Laurie Baker inspired us to this solution

HOUSING

26 kitchen with smokeless chulha and hinged kitchen tray

KITCHEN Fitting everything needed in the nearly few square meters „L“ form kitchen, has been a bigger design task than we thought. Every single square centimeter is used. In the „hole“, created between the main central wall and the toilet wall, there is a storage room done with CSEB and stone slabs. It is big enough to store the provisions, like ragi or rice.

Normally the provisions are kept in big and heavy bags (about 40 x 80cm). Therefore an easy access is important.

The shelf space is divided into two levels with two different heights; the space facing east is about 55cm height and the one facing west is 80cm height. The higher level works as a hinged kitchen tray. It can be folded up and allows and easy access to the storage space. Above the toilet more space is given for storing things, which are not needed every day.

On the lower one there is a smokeless chulha 23, and the higher one, is used for preparing the ingredients or as a support plane during the cooking process. On the other side of the kitchen - the south side - another big shelf is built with CSEB and stone slabs. This allows more storage for cooking utensils, pots, and the dowry objects that every woman still receives, when she marries. Other small, but important features, are two objects manufactured by Mitticool 24 ; the ten litres clay water filter (1’400 rupees) and the a clay refrigerator (2’500 rupees). The first one produces two litres of drinking water in two hours using a natural filtration system, and the second one can keep fresh vegetables, milk and water for some days without any use of electricity.

The kitchen can also simply used as corridor between the veranda and the backside of the house thanks to the two doors. These act, when completely opened, as an „enfilade“ between the two opposite outdoor spaces.

The wash basin is directly accessable from the kitchen. The produced grey water will be purified by aquatic plants.

To note is that the entry door (80cm wide) is actually composed as a two- winged door. The smaller wing (20cm wide) has some cutting works (two centimeters of diameter), which are permitting both ventilation and an aesthetic touch. Another practical aspect is that when the housewife is cooking can choose between having the two parts open permitting social interaction, or just one depending on the privacy she wants. The smaller wing can also be open during the night – due its size nobody could enter.

23 Indian name for „oven“. A well designed smokeless chulha costs 450 rupees (less than 10 CHF). See also http://www.design.philips.com/about/ design/designnews/newvaluebydesign/helping400million_people_give_up_smoking.page 24 www.mitticool.in

page 84

toilet & shower wash basin

27 backside of the house

aquatic plants purified water composting pits

BATHROOM | GREY WATER PURIFICATION | COMPOSTING PIT

After having looked at solutions with an external bathroom - which normally look cheap and are an overheated ensemble of corrugated zinc sheets - we thought that it would be better to have it in the main house structure. The most important aspect with that solution is, that for hygienic causes, it has to be sealed off (with plaster) and has to have an external access. S. and Chitra Vishwanath 25 explain it like this: “Sanitation solutions include septic tanks or pit latrine. But both tend to pollute water and are environmentally unsatisfactory. Even in water resource rich area like Goa or Kerala inadequate sanitation has ended up contaminating ground water to such an extent that many wells are unusable. Sanitation and water supply are inextricably linked. If it is not ’fouling the nest’ it is the unavailability of water which has made many toilets unusable in rural area. If you do not have water to drink will you use it for a toilet?“ The system that we choose to use for the Saleel House is the dry toilet. The toilet itself is composed by a hinged wood plan with a hole that is ergonomically designed for the squatting position. Under the wood plan and the hole there is a removable basin, which will contain the liquid and faeces. After every use of the toilet is important to completely cover the faeces with sawdust. That will keep bad smells, flies and insects away. When the basin is full, the content is transferred to the composting pit. The composted product, after some months, can be used as a soil nutrient and organic fertilizer.

The bathroom is big enough to use it for as well for a shower. Both the water used in the bathroom, as well as the one used for washing dishes and clothes in the washing area, drain to a planted trench filter that is filled with one layer of washed stones, a layer of washed pea gravel and planted with aquatic plants. The filter is connected to a small tank, where the purified water is collected. This is another way to handle the scarce water resources with care. The system permits once again to use as less water as possible. Even if the water is not drinkable, it can be reused for washing or irrigation purposes. Like this we create a circle and handle the water in an economic way.

25 S. Vishwanath and Chitra Vishwanath, Composting toilets - the future of sanitation?, www.rainwaterclub.com, 01.06.2012

HOUSING

COST OF THE „SALEEL HOUSE“ | OVERBURDEN BALANCE

The following list shows all the occurring costs. It is just a rough description, the detailed calculation is in the addendum. The prices for the materials did we either directly find out in India or by research back in Switzerland. Therefore the actual price might be different - tendentially lower. The labourers, female and male, are paid with 300 rupees per day. This is at least 50% more than they would earn as a daily wage worker. This wage attracts the people to work on the „Saleel house“. It is enough money to survive and to put away a small amount.

The overburden balance is surprising - only 0.5m 3 are missing for all the required 3’700 bricks.It is possible to buy the remainng soil or to take it from always the same point outside the village. On this point a public tank could be installed. foundation walls | exterior and interior roof doors | windows floor kitchen | utensils like smokeless chulha stone slabs | veranda, shelves plastering | tank, composting pits TOTAL COST rupees

foundation | rain water tank grey water tank | composting pit

25’200 16’990 13650 3’000 5’200 4’400 31’900 7’000 107’340

13 3

total

+16

- 3’700 bricks | walls, shelves, tanks

16.5

TOTAL OVERBURDEN m 3

-0.5

28 calculations for the cost and the overburden balance

page 86

HOUSING

29 the „saleel house“ | a new home for Mr. Murali and his family

page 88

C ONCLUSION The housing concept for the „saleel house“ is a summary of all the knowledge we gained in the previous years - either in India or in Switzerland. We always looked for the best solution. Each component should be the most suitable one. The five guidelines we defined on the beginning of the chapter, are more thank fulfilled. We were approaching the whole topic not only from the financial, but also from the ecological and social side. Nevertheless we were able to create a house which costs much less than 150’000 rupees.

When we found out about that, we were pretty happy!

There are several features we really like. Especially the possibility to harvest the rain water is exceptional.

With one single component the family gains so many benefits. First, they have private access to fresh water; second, they don’t depend on the public wells any more; third, they have as much water as they want at any time and fourth, the harvested water is potable and not contaminated by nitrate. This feature will generate a great improvement of the people’s livelihood.

Before we wrote this conclusion, we were drinking a glass of fresh, tapped water. Again we were thinking what great possibilities we have here in Switzerland. Both of us are thankful for this extraordinary gift, but also glad to be aware of it. Also because we got the chance to go to Ramnathapuram, we have an awareness of issues like these. Now it is important that other people can benefit from it.

HOUSING

page 90

HOUSING

HOUSING COMPARISON

Nowadays the are a lot of NGOs, designers, architects, but also private institutions which try to elaborate housing concepts for poor people for the rural as well as for the urban context. Now it would be interesting to compare our house with a house of a popular NGO. We started a research to find a project which is eligible for a comparison. This research was much more difficult than we expected. Even if there are governmental programs running like the „Bharat Nirman Plan“ 26, and even if NGOs and architect studios, are working or trying to work a lot in the sector, it is really difficult to find any kind of information about such a project. We have found a lot of information on urban housing projects for the poor 27, emergency shelter for refugees 28 and companies which built self-sustainable dwellings 29 but nothing that could help our research with the specifics we were looking for.

Therefore we decided then to analyse the only concept we knew: the model that „Habitat for Humanity“ uses for its projects. The NGO has a special research team in Chennai which is elaborating housing concepts for all India.

As „insiders“ they have the necessary knowledge to make state-of-the-art projects.

We know how much effort the organization is putting into doing something for the people who need help, and with the following pages we neither wanted to mark the idea as „good“ or „ bad“ nor did we want to blame or praise „Habitat for Humanity“ for what they are doing. But what we realised is that it is a good example to show the general way of thinking in that sector. We are aware of the fact that for doing a comprehensive research on all the case studies, we would have needed much more time and a better knowledge of all the different situations and assets (economy, end user, context, ...). But our aim was to have a simple and user friendly overview to compare these two projects.

We will compare the two projects with the aid of the sustainability spider graph. 30 26 Bharat Nirman Yojana is an action-oriented business plan for rural infrastructure. It is an important step in bridging the gap between rural and urban areas and improving the quality of lives of rural masses. It comprises projects on irrigation, roads, housing (Indira Aawaas Yojana), water supply, electrification and telecommunication connectivity. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aam_Aadmi, 26.05.2012 27 See the Aranya Community Housing, India (B.V. Doshi), Low cost housing in Dharavi, India (C. Correa), Incremental House Strategy, Bombay, India (F. Balestra and S. Göransson) 28 See Byumba refugee Camp, Rwanda and Paper Log House, Japan and India (S. Ban) 29 See http://www.earthship.com - „Radically sustainable buildings made with recycled materials“ 30 the sustainability spider graph is a method elaborated by Fredy Breitschmid, Professor of Ecology and Sustainability at BUAS

page 92

SUSTAINABILITY SPIDER GRAPH To evaluate the two concepts we used the „sustainability spider graph“. This graphic is divided into economical, ecological and social aspects.

The 12 factors which are evaluated are the following ones: economical factors quality of construction and material | initial costs | maintenance cost | market value ecological factors building material | operating energy | landscape and context | infrastructure social factors community | design | use and future development | well being and health With this tool it is possible to give a value to each factor: 0- 4 insufficient 5- 6 acceptable 7- 8 good 9- 10 excellent The next step is an overview of each project. Both projects will be described with the same topics. Like this a comparison is fair and representative.

10

SO

CI

AL

AS PE

EC

ONO

MY

ECOLO

S

GY

CT

0

30 sustainability spider- graph

HOUSING

31 customized front door in Ramnathapuram

page 94

32 floor plan and elevation of the house of „Habitat for Humanity“

4

5

2

1

3

THE HOUSE OF „HABITAT FOR HUMANITY“

All the information we used, has been given directly to us or has been found on the website 31 of the organisation. The following housing concept is just one of the projects, which „Habitat for Humanity“ develops - but this was the only one of which we found a floor plan.

OVERVIEW floor area ~30m 2 total costs 100’000 - 150’000 rupees (~1’700 - 2’500 CHF) extensibility no CONSTRUCTION DETAILS foundation stone and cement wall burned bricks with cement plaster roof burned tiles, corrugated sheets, RCC SPACE ALLOCATION PLAN 1 hall 2 kitchen 3 veranda 4 bath 5 toilet

(internal dimension) 3.0m x 3.6m 2.4m x 2.4m 2.4m x 1.2m 1.5m x 1.2m 0.9m x 1.2m

10.8m 2 5.8m 2 2.9m 2 1.8m 2 1.1m 2

FEATURES rain water harvesting no climate specific design partly grey water treatment no individuality no tapped water yes storage room no independent of public power supply no green exterior spaces no independent of public water supply no exterior wash basin no independent of public sewage hook-up no use of recycled materials no 31 http://habitatindia.in/, 25.05.2012

HOUSING

6

33 floor plan and elevation of the „saleel- house“

5 4

2 7

7 3

1

THE SALEEL HOUSE

We tried to think in all the dimensions, therefore we have an underground tank and a developped backyard. It is obvious that the backyard with the grey water purification tanks and the composting piles needs a lot of space. Still they are an important part of the house.

OVERVIEW floor area ~34m 2 total costs 100’000 - 150’000 rupees (~1’700 - 2’500 CHF) extensibility yes | vertical and horizontal CONSTRUCTION DETAILS foundation stone and mortar wall compressed stabilised mud bricks with mortar | recycled bottle wall (mortar and bottles) roof bamboo framework | corrugated bamboo sheets | bamboo mats SPACE ALLOCATION PLAN (internal dimension) 1 hall 3.0m x 3.3m 9.9m 2 2 kitchen 1.6m x 2.1m 3.4m 2 3 veranda 2.2m x 3.3m 7.3m 2 4 bath | toilet 1.35m x 0.8m 1.1m 2 5 exterior wash basin 1.0 x 0.9m 0.9m 2 6 backyard 5.1 x 6.8 34.7m 2 7 storage 1.8m 2 FEATURES rain water harvesting yes climate specific design yes grey water treatment yes individuality yes tapped water no storage room yes independent of public power supply yes green exterior spaces yes independent of public water supply yes exterior wash basin yes independent of public sewage hook-up yes use of recycled materials yes

page 96

E VALUATION | HABITAT FOR HUMANITY

When we look at the evaluated spider- graph of the house of „Habitat for Humanity“, we see that it has a tendency - namely towards the economical factors. The architects of this NGO focused on topics like a solid and durable structure as well as low initial costs. On one hand this means that the house is affordable for the people and have a chance to enhance their livelihood. On the other it is also visible that the planners didn’t take care of the other to parts, namely the ecologial and the social part. But also these two are a component of each project and have to be included. It looks like all over the world - money comes first, then the rest. This could be ok if the house offers its inhabitants to modify it at a subsequent date.

The social aspects are barely acceptable. Identity and flexibility are aspects that didn’t find a place. That means that nobody has thought to give a bit more space to families that have more than four or five members. Animals aren’t considered in the design although all the families have at least some chicken. Not even the context is attended - wether the climate nor the built environment.

The ecologial part is, except for the infrastructure, nothing major.The use of intensive energy materials (reinforced concrete, burned bricks, burned tiles) is an indicator that there is no real sensibilisation to for the use of more eco-friendly materials. There are neither designed exterior spaces nor is there a rain water harvesting system.

This is a shame because there is still a lot of unused potential. The house offers a private toilet as well as a bathroom - this is excellent. The house is supplied by tapped water, electricity and the waste water system. This is good, but especially the power supply is expensive and not suitable for poor people. A portable solar lamp could be an alternative.

The unique selling point of the house of „Habitat for Humanity“ is its low price. 100’000 rupees for a house is affordable even for the poorer people. Unfortunately these people are mostly not aware that the remaining components of the house could be better. The house has a big potential for improvements - especially for the ecological aspects.

HOUSING

fr

u

e

de

sig

CI

n

AL AS

in

tr as

r ctu

SO

community

tex con

elo

S

ev er

bu

ma t

ild

of

ing

ual ity

te ma

q

rials

well being | health

o p e r a t i n g e n e rg y

ent

ECOLO

pm

GY

t

|d

CT

e

PE

us

al

i

in 34 evaluated sustainability spider-graph

iti

al

cos

EC

ts

maintainance cost

ONO

MY

ma

rke

t

va lu

e

page 98

EVALUATION | THE SALEEL HOUSE

Now we will evaluate the house we were working on the last few months. As we can see at first sight is the regular covering of all the aspects. There is a slight focus on social aspects, the economical aspects are minimally reduced. The rough design of the house is given - but the house owners are able to influence it. The jaalis, the position of the bricks and especially the recycled bottle wall make the house personal. Each family will design it a little differently and like this they will identify with their house. The house is expandable and is therefore flexible. The house can be expanded horizontally or vertically, if there is not enough space next to the house. Especially the factor of well-being and health is excellent! Features like the cross- ventilation or the large porch respect the climate and offer a comfortable interior atmosphere. The house is equipped with a smokeless chulha and several possibilities to purify water. This reduces health issues like respiratory diseases and diarrhea.

The generous shaded veranda offers a space for social interaction.

The building materials are locally available and contain a minimum of embodied energy. The compressed stabilised bricks are as strong and durable (if protected from rain) as burned bricks, but no firewood has to be burned to manufacture them. Recycled bottle walls reduce the cost and illuminate the interior spaces with a soft glow.

The plastic bottle bulbs light up the room during the day, solar lamps during the night. The building materials are solid and durable - except the corrugated bamboo sheets for the roof. These sheets are already available on the market, but just for a short time. It is not known yet for how long they well be waterproof. Therefore it is possible that they have to be replaced after a couple of years.

Another fragile point is the market value. This is isn’t built in highly respected materials like reinforced concrete.

We don’t know at the moment to what extent the house will be adapted. The floor plan is compact and handles the property economically. The initial costs only for the house are low, but features like the grey water purification and the water tank are additional costs which increase the price. They grey water purification occupies some space on the backside, but it is possible that several families share this wet zone. So they save land and costs.

But we shouldn’t ignore their benefit - private access to water and greens zones in the village are highly valuable.

The „Saleel house“ shows a different approach to rural housing for poor people. It is adjusted to the end user, the climate and to the natural resources. This makes it feasible. There are several ways for the homeowners to create identity and give it a unique touch. Its uniqueness is the independence from public suppliers - private access to fresh water, light and the waste water system are solved on the property itself. Especially the access to private water is precious. Water means life and continuity, hence the name „saleel“ for the house. „Saleel“ means water in Kannada.

HOUSING

fr

u

e

de

sig

CI

n

AL AS

in

tr as

r ctu

SO

community

tex con

elo

S

ev er

bu

ma t

ild

of

ing

ual ity

te ma

q

rials

well being | health

o p e r a t i n g e n e rg y

ent

ECOLO

pm

GY

t

|d

CT

e

PE

us

al

i

in 35 evaluated sustainability spider- graph

iti

al

cos

EC

ts

maintainance cost

ONO

MY

ma

rke

t

va lu

e

page 100

CONCLUSION It is very interesting to see the differences between these two houses. Although they are built for the same end user in the same region, they differ from each other clearly. One house focuses mainly on the financial, the other one on social and ecological aspects. Both houses have advantages as well as disadvantages.

The „saleel house“ has a different approach than the one from „Habitat for Humanity“. We are sure that „only“ a new house won’t change the current situation of the people to the better. Especially if the people’s skills and manpower aren’t used in a useful way. Although they have to build the house by themselves - Habitat offers them the machines and materials - it doesn’t help them much. They’d better learn how to handle the materials they can afford and then they could build something on their own. We tried to design our house as self- sufficient and sustainable as possible. The materials are locally available and eco- friendly. The house itself is pretty self-sufficient - people don’t depend anymore on public supply.

They collect the rain water and secure themselves private access to fresh water during the whole year.

Plastic bottle bulbs and solar lamps provide them with light during the day and the night. The grey water will be purified and can be reused for irrigation purposes or washing. These systems result in a continuous, independent system.

After the experiences we made and the different books we have read, we are totally convinced that a project has to be built, managed and owned by those whom it serves. Only with this strategy is it possible to reach a successful and sustainable development of the region. The analysis has shown that most of the houses are in an acceptable condition. This means, that these houses don’t have to be replaced but definitely need some improvements. These improvements depend on the financial basis of each family, the current condition of heir house and the size of their property.

HOUSING

page 102

HOUSING

HOUSING IMPROVEMENT OF EXISTING HOUSES

The „saleel house“ is a collection of the most appropriate solutions we have found for each component. From this collection we can extract one part and add it to an existing house. Each of these houses can be improved by adding a gadget or by modifying an element. Equipping of a house with plastic bottle bulbs for example is feasible, affordable and enhances the comfort in the house significantly.

On the following pages there is a list with all the features and gadgets which can be added to the existing houses. The reddish ones are summable gadgets, the blue ones require a modification of the construction. In our analysis we have introduced four different families. For these four families we make recommendations as to which features and gadgets would be useful.

page 104

plastic bottle bulb light during the day

copper pot safe drinking water

solar lamp light during the night

solar water disinfection safe drinking water

smokeless chulha no more hazardous smoke in the house

clay water filter safe drinking water

clay refrigerator varied diet

grey water purification saving and reusing water

rain water harvesting tank self- sufficient water supply

dry toilet and compost access to improved sanitation and organic fertiliser

bamboo mat rear ventilation

summable room flexibility

low

cost

high

HOUSING

medium

benefit for the inhabitants

high 36 cost- benefit ratio of the add- ons

page 106

1m

10m

N 37 improvement of existing houses

HOUSING

ADD-ONS FOR THE EXISTING HOUSES For each of the four houses we got to know in Ramanthapuram there are several possible add- ons.

Only for one house, namely the one of Mr Murali, there is not much to do. Earlier this house belonged to one family. Some years ago they divided it into two apartments. The floor area in these houses is tightly measured as it is, but if two families have to share a small house, there is definitely not enough space. Therefore we suggest combining these two apartments into one again and building the new house for Mister Murali and his family. The house will be in the immediate neighbourhood, so they will stay close to their families.

For the other houses it is definitely possible to add small features and gadgets. These will be shown with the symbols we explained on the previous pages.

Family Puttarna

Family Muniyappa

Family Venkatesh

page 108

CONCLUSION Each one of the existing houses could be improved by adding some features or gadgets. Even the smallest and most cost- effective changes could enhance the quality of life for each family. The previously shown options are a feasible offer, the families by themselves decide whether they want to change something or not.

We would like to know how the families react. Would they like the proposal? Or wouldn’t they understand?

We have many questions like these in our minds. Although the people in Ramnathapuram have told us how much they want improve things in their village - in the end probably just a very few things will actually be changed. Scepticism might hinder the whole process of transformation.

HOUSING

page 110

COMMUNITY CENTRE

According to our hypothesis we want to enhance the livelihood of poor and marginalised people with the aid of an architectural intervention. One possible intervention we have already shown in the first part of this documentation in the chapter „housing“.

But there is a second possible architectural intervention which enhances the livelihood of the people in Ramnathapuram - a community centre. Although there are several self help groups in the village, there is no appropriate space for social interaction. The women have to discuss their issues under the holy tree in the centre of the village. This is definitely one of the nicest places in the village, but it doesn’t guarantee privacy to discuss delicate matters.

Besides, a community centre provides space for much more activities - evening classes for adults can be held there, a doctor could stop by every second week and a small information centre allows the people to stay in contact with the outerworld. Not only spaces for adults but also a playground and an anganwadi (crèche) should be part of the community centre. Then the whole village benefits from it.

This is just a small, but tremendously important part of our thesis. Although it is not thought through in every last detail, we decided to have it in this documentation. The villagers have told us countless times how much they desire a space for social interaction and what it could look like The following pages are a summary of our experiences, analyses and ideas.

page 112

access to independent information sources incr. chances for entering a higher school

contact to the outerworld access to social networks

rises chances for the future internet access

information sources

education

INFORMATION CENTRE

library

COMMUNITY CENTRE adapts to different activities

visitors can sit outside

MAIN ROOM

expandable

educational evening classes for adults

flexible

cheerful evening classes dance classes

offer them choices

enhance their skills

performance classes

demonstrate the significance of education having fun

space to watch TV

enjoying life

information evening

men | watching cricket matches NGOs present their strategies

women | watching bollywood productions

meetings of the self help group women are planning the future

offer them choices

governmental representatives present their strategies

COMMUNITY CENTRE

building materials

healthier people same as housing concept

access to health

locally available

doctor’s visit

CONSTRUCTION

work for locals

SMALL SIDE ROOM

money for locals

built by locals

less dependant on conventional medicine

healthier people

conserve knowledge about healing plants enhance biodiversity

bees | production of honey

small garden with herbs, flowers and Ayurvedic plants the whole community, no matter what caste, is using the same water community tank water tank for harvested rain water

OUTDOOR SPACE spaces for social interaction

small business selling fish

fishery possible

less malnutrition because of varied diet stronger people because of varied diet

wedding

playing amongst each other mandapa having fun

networking

exchanging ideas making friends

shaded verandas

shaded benches

playground for the children

being child 38 ideas for the community centre

page 114

SOCIAL INTERACTION

A community centre is used for many different functions - for the smallest inhabitants to the eldest ones.

When we visited Ramnathapuram, we realised that such a space is missing. The only place for the community is under the holy tree. There is no other shaded sitting accommodation or space for the children.

In the community centre there has to be an enclosed room where the self- help groups can meet. They should be able to discuss their concerns and do their accounting (of their savings) in a private space. It is not only about privacy - the room should also offer a comfortable space. A space where it is nice to chat, exchange ideas and ask friends’ advice. This room is a sheltered zone where the sometimes hard reality stays away.

Once in a while there are municipal assemblies in the village. At the moment they are held under the holy tree.

The plinth around the tree is not big enough for all the villagers. The ones who don’t manage to grab a place under the tree have to stay on the street. Furthermore, there are no facilities to write down something or hang up a map. A room with a blackboard would be a great benefit for these meetings. It should be possible to open the room as much as possible. If there are many people, they can sit outside but are still close to the proceeding.

Two- winged doors could be a possibility.

Also the outdoor space should include spaces for social interaction, such as shaded benches or a veranda in front of the centre. Another possibility might be a mandapa . A mandapa is a component of traditional Indian architecture. It is a pillared outdoor hall or pavilion for public rituals 32.

A playground for the children is essential. We have seen so many kids but not a single space for them to play.

Of course they can play hide and seek between the houses or cricket in front of the school. A climbing frame or a shaded sandpit could be really nice for the children and offer a particular zone for them. Furthermore it gives the village a more human touch.

32  Thapar, B., Introduction to Indian Architecture, Periplus Editions, Singapore, 2004

COMMUNITY CENTRE

39 women of the self help- group under the holy tree

page 116

EDUCATION

In Ramnathapuram there is a school up to the sixth standard. The children are attending school for two or three days per week, the rest of the week they work with their parents in the fields or in the brick factories.

The reason for this frequent absence has two reasons. First, the family needs the children’s wages to increase their household budget. The second reason is the mindset of the adults. They didn’t have access to a solid formal education because they already had to work when they were children. These people are barely literate and don’t understand why their children should attend school regularly. Now it is important that these people understand why they should let their kids go to school. Only if their children can attend school regularly, will they learn something. Otherwise they miss 50% of the content and loose the connection. Education is necessary for each individual - it is necessary for the self-development.

Not only formal education has to be taught at school, also the achievement of skills should take place. This part must at least be equivalent to the classical education. Rural children don’t have to necessarily know who the president of the United States is. But they have to gain detailed knowledge about the resources surrounding them and how they can benefit from them. They have to be aware how a market works and who the dominating forces are. Like this they will bring the current mismanagement into question and will be able to change it to the better. There is a quote of William Allin, which describes pretty well what we mean: „Education is not the answer to the question. Education is the means to the answer to all questions.“ 33 Only a balanced mixture between literacy and the achievement of skills will guarantee a sustainable development of rural communities like Ramnathapuram. Then the children have two prosperous possibilities for their future: they stay in the village and work for its development or they move to the city and are prepared for urban live.

Only a skilled person finds work there.

Evening classes are an important component to extend the adult’s awareness. Various need based livelihood trainings such as enhancing agricultural production or social matters would be conducted in the community centre.

Health programmes such as preventive and curative will enhance health awareness. Components of the „Saleel house“ could be presented there, for example the utilisation and benefits of the dry toilet. Also inhabitants from nearby villages should attend these classes.

33 http://www.etni.org.il/quotes/education.htm, 27.06.2012

COMMUNITY CENTRE

40 a pupil’s writing table

page 118

INFORMATION AND HEALTH CENTRE

In terms of surface area this is just a small part of the community centre - but with a great benefit. The information centre is a room with one or two computers. These are connected to the internet and provide the people, especially the younger, ones with access to the outer world. Whether you believe it or not - social networks like Facebook are a highly discussed topics among the teenagers. Furthermore the internet is a excellent source for getting information. The people there don’t read the newspaper because there is no news vendor, they are barely literate and finally not interested spending their money on something unnecessary. The information they get is already filtered by the people who bring current events into the village. Access to the internet could offer them a wider range of information. Furthermore a small library could be installed with books for the children as well as for the adults. Maybe comic books would catch the children’s attention and inspire them to read a little bit more.

Indian people love watching TV. Several families in Ramnathapuram own a TV set, but can’t afford the electricity to make it work. A TV in the community centre, which is supplied by solar electricity, offers the people the possibility to watch the extremely popular cricket matches or Bollywood movies. A TV seems to be nothing major, but for these people it would be a possibility to enjoy their spare time and have some fun.

Another tremendously important aspect is an access to health facilities. The inhabitants of Ramnathapuram have to walk several kilometres to the next bus stop to go to the nearest hospital. A small room in the community centre is designated for a routine visit of the doctor, dentist or midwife 34. Health awareness among men, women and children is essential for a rural community. In the evening classes there could be presentations about hygiene, immunisation, mother and child care, contraception as well as food and nutrition. Ayurveda means „knowledge of long life“ 35 and is a traditional medicine in India. The villagers could use these plants more often - it seems that the wise knowledge has fallen into oblivion. Plants like ginger, tulsi and neem are well known for being beneficial to human health. In an evening class, an expert could explain to the villagers how to use these plants. To conserve the knowledge, a small garden next to the centre could be installed. Like this also the families without a garden would have access to these plants.

34 only 51% of Indian women had antenatal care (four times) | only 53% of Indian women have a skilled attendant at birth, http://www.unicef.org/ infobycountry/india_statistics.html,27.06.2012 35 Wells, J. C., Longman Pronunciation Dictionary, Pearson Longman, London, 2009

COMMUNITY CENTRE

41 toothbrushes and combs in a house

page 120

LOCALISATION IN THE VILLAGE

In the chapter „structure of the village“ we already described where it is possible to build a community centre - namely on the panchayat land. This land is communal and therefore public. With the necessary permissions it will be possible to build there. On the previous pages we described what kind of functions could be held in a community centre. With this information we started to do first sketches. We positioned the centre next to the school and not on the opposite side of the street. Like this we create a zone for interaction and education.

The building is slightly snapped-off. Hence we create a rounded courtyard which welcomes the visitors.

shaded benches school

playground

shaded veranda

anganwadi 27m 2 0m

10m toilets

health centre 13m 2

Ayurvedic plants water tank

information centre 13m 2 meeting room 27m 2

pillared hall 50m 2

41 sketch of the floor plan

COMMUNITY CENTRE

43 localisation in the village

page 122

44 view towards south west

45 view towards south east

These two hand sketches give a first impression of what the community centre of Ramnathapuram could look like. The walls are made with compressed mud blocks and filled with glass bottles. The distribution of the glass bottles can be chosen randomly and a lovely pattern will be created. It is important to involve the villagers in the process of planning and building the centre - like this we generate a feeling of responsibility and a sense of belonging.

The water tank is a very important feature of the centre. The tank is public and everybody can use it - people from the upper as well as people from the scheduled caste. This is a way to loosen this strong mindset.

The small Ayurvedic garden might be a good way to keep the knowledge about healing plants in mind.There is a Indian proverb: „There is no tincture without ginger“ 36 and it describes pretty well how frequently used these plants were.

COMMUNITY CENTRE

46 dried ginger | product of an Ayurvedic garden

page 124

CONCLUSION Although we were only able to touch this topic on the surface, its potential is clearly visible. A community centre would vitalise the whole village. Right now the impression you get of Ramnathapuram is kind of sluggish. A space for the children, a large shaded area and a meeting room would enhance social interaction.

COMMUNITY CENTRE

page 126

COMMUNICATION BASIC CONCEPT

C ommunication - at this very moment it happening all over the world. Human beings and all the other living creatures are communicating amongst themselves all the time. At first sight the principle of communication seems to be very simple: there is a sender who wants to communicate something. He wraps his information into a message and sends it to the addressee. If the addressee is able to decode the received message, successful communication happens.If we look at it in a bit more detail, we realise that there are many more aspects, which are influencing interpersonal communication. There are acoustic signals like accent and intonation, visual signals like gestures, environmental aspects and personal filters on the part of the addressee. These factors affect the sent message and are able to transform the initial message into a completely different one. The following graphic illustrates this process.

visual | non verbal signals

acoustic signals

posture

accentuation

intonation

gestures

velocity

accent

explicitness

audibility

facial expression

sound intensity

message

SENDER

eye contact

time of day

temperature

ADDRESSEE

emotions experiences feelings

level of privacy environment

memories

thoughts

personal filters of addressee

47 influences on a spoken message

page 128

48 variety of languages and types of tea in a shop in Varanasi

COMMUNICATION

COMMUNICATION CONCEPT FOR THE CONSTRUCTION MANUAL

V ISUAL COMMUNICATION

Since we are started working on this project, communication has been a key topic. The villagers already know how to build a house - there is no architect for the rural people. This and other aspects led to a type of house which does not really correspond with the end users and does not consider the environmental assets.

Therefore it is tremendously important that the villagers understand how to build the „Saleel house“. This house is exactly developed for the end users and the given context. That means everything they need for the house is locally available and also affordable.

Therefore we were thinking of a construction manual which explains to the villagers how to build this house.

While we were considering this part of the project, we were not aware of the final complexity. There is nothing strange or unfamiliar about the house, but there is a huge number of details which have to borne in mind while building the house.

The development of the communication concept can be divided into three parts. The first part is the design of the manual, the second part is the introduction and the application, the third part is the reflexion and the correction. Like this we assure that the villagers understand the manual and the construction process. After the first building completion we would like them to give us some feedback on the manual. On one hand there is an improvement in quality of the manual and on the other hand we involve the villagers in the process. This attaches them to the project and gives them a feeling of responsibility. Only like this can we reach a sustainable and longlasting application of the communication concept.

1. DESIGN

2. APPLICATION

3. REFLEXION

page 130

THE THREE STEPS OF THE COMMUNICATION CONCEPT

The first stage is the design of the manual. Most of the information will be shown by drawings. We have to keep in mind that the information is absorbed by the eye. Therefore it has to be simple, functional and explicit.

We consider the drawings of Laurie Baker 37, Johan van Lengen 38 and IKEA as very good examples.

The room for interpretation has to be minimised! As much information as possible is illustrated, only the absolute minimum is written. Like this people with less education are able to understand the manual. The building process and the different concepts have to be drawn with simple sketches, a CAD plan would contain too much information and the people aren’t familiar with this kind of drawings. It is possible to add pictograms as well as small features like a scale on the manual.

The second step is the introduction of the manual. The villagers might accept it faster if an Indian person introduces it. Like this the source of the concept seems to be more trustworthy. An introduction combined with a training session is essential for the successful implementation of the communication concept. First the villagers have to understand the different design solutions. For example why we distributed small openings all over the walls or why we drew a rear-ventilated roof. This could be demonstrated with the aid of a scale model. Each component of the house could the be explained more fully. Like this we assure that the people won’t ignore these components of the design. After the introduction the people of Ramnathapuram build the house by themselves.

The third step is the reflexion and the following correction of the manual. The people who built the house with the aid of the manual should give as a feedback. It is important for us to understand which parts they understood, which were too complicated and how they could understand it better. This procedure has two main aspects. One is the quality improvement. We adjust the language of the manual to the understanding of the villagers. Like this we prevent mistakes and decrease the suspicion of the people. The second reason of the reflexion is, that we embedd the people in the project. This attaches them and makes them feel responsible. Like this we anchor the project and the manual in the community and reach a sustainable and long-lasting application of the communication concept.

37 Bhatia, G., Laurie Baker - Lifer Work and Writings, Penguin, 2003 38 van Lengen, J., Manual del Arquitecto Descalzo, edition 5, Editorial Pax México, 2006

COMMUNICATION

1. DESIGN

simple | functional | explicit drawings | sketches | pictograms a lot of illustrations | a minimum of text and numbers

2. INTRODUCTION | APPLICATION

introduced by an Indian explanation of the different details villagers build the first house by themselves

3. REFLEXION | CORRECTION

feedback and improvement suggestions quality improvement of the manual attach people to the project and make them responsible

4. SECOND BUILDING

starting the process again 49 three steps of the communication concept

page 132

CONCLUSION The design of the construction manual has to be done very carefully. The local tools for building a house should be known - this is something we were not aware of in India. While we were doing first sketches of the manual, we suddenly realised that in India the tools look completely different from those in Switzerland.

There are some more points we didn’t consider or clarify while we were in India. This is not because we chose to ignore these points - we were just not aware of them. In India everything seemed so natural and it didn’t enter our minds that we should check the tools.

COMMUNICATION

page 134

FUTURE EFFECTS TRANSFORMATION OF RAMNATHAPURAM

The few weeks we have spent in Bangalore have shown us many aspects of the Indian life. We have seen high- rise buildings in Mumbai, bungalows on the beach in Goa, historic townhouses in Cochin and very basic thatched cottages in Ramnathapuram. We were freezing in the hills of Kumily and sweating in Varanasi. In Bangalore we didn’t see any rain for weeks, in Goa we experienced a tropical thunderstorm. We have met many different people of several castes and various occupations.

All these facts end experiences influenced our design and we had many different pictures in mind which were inspiring to us. We were always looking for a solution which corresponds with the context, the end user and also the future. Because of that we can now describe what effects the designed house will have for the future.

We admit that it looks pretty plausible, if you read it in this documentation. In fact we don’t know how these ideas will work in reality. But there is definitely a potential to improve the current situation in Ramnathapuram and the whole region of Malur.

How can an architectural intervention enhance the quality of life in a rural and poor region like Malur?

The following chapter is the answer. It describes how a certain aspect of our thesis is able to transform the current situation in Ramnathapuram for the better.

page 136

COMPRESSED STABILISED EARTH BLOCKS 39 AS A CONSTRUCTION MATERIAL

The walls of the house will be built with compressed stabilised mud blocks. This means people use a material which is available locally and can process it independently. With the soil of the overburden for the foundation and the tank they can produce mud bricks. The soil is mixed with a small amount of cement and then compressed into mud blocks with a mud pressing machine. For this project we suggest using the „Auram press 3000“ which was invented in Auroville. This press can presently fit 17 different moulds to produce about 75 different mud blocks - hence the different sizes of blocks in this project. . The following graphic shows the production of the full size blocks (29 x 14 x 9):

operator

mixing

+ +

=

operating the lever

80% soil

stacking

20% sand

5% cement 850 blocks per day

The quick and easy manufacturing and the comfortable interior climate will convince people to build their houses with stabilised mud blocks. These new houses will be built by the seven people who already know how to handle the auram press. Therefore these men will be able to establish their own small business and get a regular income. The more work they have, the more they can practice and gain more and more knowledge. Within a short period they will be known as experts and get work in other villages.

39 Auram equipment, AURAM BLOCKS DATA, 05.05.2012

nt

eri

or c

og t

id t n e w v i s

of some

he tt

s si

e und

co m p re

ss

rstandable an

dl

s o o n rains....

..

tr le

op ..pe

ll

he

s

ruction of th

ew a

a he

nst

on vy m

le and

limate......the hou

se

br a

ve

n

u c t i

on

li

co

r

fa mp s si ith the t w.the fi a

a

on s t r

a

sm

o

. . . m o re c

r t a b l e and pt im

is

ses...

mfo

c t u re

he

u ll b

hou

r

d.... ..t

re a l i s e h o w

...

wo

rke

r s a re

needed

s ....e s e n

ui

ilar

be

h

no

........

ff e

nufa

us ho e w

is o

ma

lla

gers......t

ll b

co

b l o c k s can

wi

sa

ed

he built house

ies

sim

i

ca

..t .l . . .

mil

ld

t s u

t r u c t i o n . . . . . . m o re f a

.

h in t

ons is c

ey e i l l bw. b u i l

ngagement in other vi llag es. ..

FUTURE EFFECTS

51 transformation of the village thanks to compressed stabilised mud blocks

. . . . . . th ey

st

a r t th

e

ir o w

page 138

BAMBOO AS A CONSTRUCTION MATERIAL

At the moment the framework of a house is mostly done in eucalyptus wood. As we have shown in our analysis, this tree is affecting the region of Malur in a bad way: it is responsible for the depleting water table, is not fruit-bearing, doesn’t provide shelter for birds and is not indigenous. A short time ago there are even governmental plans seu up to ban the plantation of eucalyptus 40. Because of these reasons we decided to look for an alternative material and we have chosen bamboo.

There are several reasons why we suggest this material: _Bamboo is multi- functional, ranging from construction, to nutrition and handicraft. _Bamboo is affordable - even for the inhabitants of Ramnathapuram. _Bamboo is an annual crop. Therefore it is labour intensive and will provide regular work and income to farmers. _Bamboo is a indigenous plant of southern India. _The development of bamboo is ecofriendly and sustainable.

Bamboo is a multi- functional plant, therefore it is not only used for the framework but also for the roof. With the aid of binders small pieces of bamboo are pressed into corrugated boards. These boards are waterproof and thus to the slight slope perfectly suitable for catching the rain water. If we use only these boards for the roof, the interior spaces will overheat. Therefore we will mount a bamboo mat outside the corrugated boards and so create a rear-ventilated roof. Between the two layers there is circulating air, which will cool down the house and provide a comfortable interior climate. This will encourage people to build their roofs like that.

The increased demand for bamboo and the new plans of the government will bring some farmers to replace their eucalyptus trees with bamboo. More people will get work and a regular income because bamboo is an annual crop. Bamboo is not only for construction but also for handicraft activities. Some people can work as artisans and weavers. They can produce handicraft items or weave bamboo mats which are used a construction material. The villagers can then sell these products on the local market and have a small income.

40  Vijayashankar, C.H., Planting of eucalyptus, acacia saplings to be banned, The Hindu, Karnataka, 2010

n

fa

dw o

m

m

ili

en

es

ar e do

ing

so

me

sm

wil

eri

or

l bu

clim

.b

o.. bo bam

s

un

d

le an d r f a e m h t e t w as aid of s o he first n o e

ns...people trus n rai t in o o s thi n o sc m on vy ted by a unde a l i rlyi nt ng ve e r erstandab

a rd s

...these

boa rd

sa

a t e . . . t h e ro o f b r a v e

s

the h

ea

milar houses...m o r e ild si bam

ey

ion of the r o uct of str i simple and ow u i l t w i t h f b w. . . t h t o

ee

le a

de

m

or e

.th d..

r...

int

lace eucalyptu t h o re p s wi t r a th st

o

i c r a f t . . . older pe op

t h e i r o w n f re s h w a t e

and

al

b

oo

is

raft activities...villager s andic a r em all h o

n

en

hand

njoy

ortable

pti m

e

for

ye

omf

b

u td

sed

the ac

rrugated y co ba m

f-

an

... rs

db

el s to

oc

t

ff e

ne ca w rk v i l l a g e rs m ee w h o u . .

re

ent...

mat... oo

bo

eu

the built hou se b is m a o e ro o f i s b h t . . . l a c c i ov log e n be do

wa

boo...the bam c ith e y re a l i s e on .th e w i l l be h s ...n

loym emp

in

am

ob

n.

eb

als

tio

use the caug y can ht r e h t a ..

...th

er

s

c tru

work for the farmers

bo

m

o bo

l wil

r o ff e

e mor

oo

a

FUTURE EFFECTS

52 transformation of the village due to bamboo as a construction material

r

ei nd

e

pe n

d

page 140

U TILIZATION OF DRY TOILETS

The implementation of dry toilets is influencing the inhabitants of Ramnathapuram as well as the whole region of Malur. The villagers finally have access to improved sanitation and the human faeces are collected in a composting pile.

Therefore the nitrate concentration in the soil will decrease and the quality of the ground water will increase.

Furthermore also the organic waste from the kitchen or the cattle can be collected in the same composting pile. This waste management system helps to keep the village clean. The compost can then be used for the garden as a natural fertilizer. Most of the families don’t have garden of their own and will sell their compost to someone who owns land.

More and more people in Bangalore emphasize organic food. Therefore the request for organically harvested food in supermarkets and on the market is increasing daily. Stores like Fabindia and Mother Earth are already selling this kind of food. There are also several small restaurants which process only with biologically produced vegetables and fruit. Due to the rising demand several farmers will shift to organic farming and buy the compost from the villagers. Therefore the composting pile offers a small, but subsidiary income for the families.

oc

n

om

du

ct

s..

...

..th

ev

illag

ers

pos

t.....

ric

as

st c

ic

ially gir pec l es i l e t s s w to ..

w

ani aste, mal w

as

t

ypr ltural b oducts su

u gric

sing it..

a th wi

re d

because of the easy

can s

....the comp o

ch

s co ve

han

ell their compost to

dli n

g

p

ms

g ro w

pr o

r fa

y

t

tt

bu

an

be

dis

tri

...the waste i

n

n l co

ga

eo

e...

....the or

ple

es

call

pil

cy ..

wil

h

ep il

ar

..peopl .... d e, st ry

eu tinu

va

ng

in t

l o re re q u i re o r g a ni

i

th

Banga

st

.... ...

ts in

u re s . . . . . . t h e p ro d u c t s

in the co

mp o

i

e

ran

r occ

tect

d about pr

av eh

tau

gn

re

gla

all a sm

re s

sa

a re

be bu ill n o w ilt . .

rin

llec

d

women,

ove

co

an

man faece

s

ou

d hu

op

od

n ea

t r a w. . . . . . d u e t h e c

sh

d

nd s

....

o

e

hu

a sks

e r ..

an

d te

o

h nt

eir

organic fertiliz

an

s ds a fiel

the villa in t h e f ge ir ..

, but subsidiary inco me. ..

FUTURE EFFECTS

53 transformation due to the utilization of dry toilets

orga nic

al

ly p ro

d

uc in

g

page 142

R AIN WATER HARVESTING | GREY WATER PURIFICATION

Our analysis has shown that the access to fresh water is a delicate subject. There few public bore wells provide water only for a few hours. The government is restricting the amount of water for the villagers. As if this wasn’t enough, the quality of the water is not sufficient and causes sicknesses. Hence the rain water harvesting system is very important and mandatory in any newly built house. The scheduled tank is large enough to provide a fresh water supply for one year. Each family will then have access to their own water and determine by themselves how much and at what time they use the water. They are independent and responsible for their own water!

The water from the tank has to be purified, it is not yet ready to drink. There are three different options, for doing that: _clay water filter 41 _store the water in a copper pot 42 _solar water disinfection with plastic bottles An average Indian family has a daily water consumption of 35 litres 43. These 35 litres are mainly used for cleaning the dishes, washing clothes and showering. This grey water will be collected in a pond and then purified by aquatic plants. The clean water can then be used for cleaning dishes or for irrigation. Like this we are creating a separate circle of water and furthermore there will be some green spots in the village. In the wet soil around the pond the families could plant herbs and Ayurvedic plants. These are very useful for healing smaller injuries.

Due to the utilization of these plants the old wand wise knowledge about Ayurvedic plants stays in the minds of the villagers. There is a constant inflow of water because the housewife cleans dishes everyday - therefore the pond won’t dry out in the dry season.

Rain water harvesting is a low cost method with maximum benefits. It provides drinking water for the people but also for their cattle. This is important because the rural people of Ramnathapuram depend on animals as well as agriculture. Moreover it is tremendously important that the people are finally less depending on the bore wells. The ground water table is constantly decreasing and nobody knows for how long these wells will supply the village with water.

41 http://mitticool.in/product_detail.php?product_id=8, 20.06.2012 42 http://www.indiacurry.com/faqappliance/indiankitchenrasoi.htm, 20, 06.2012 43 Bissel, W. N., Making India work, Viking Penguin India, 2009

wa

...

.th

gr

ee

na

ter

nd

pur

ifica

lively

tion works......the

y st ar

b uld

co

ers

flow

mily for wate the fa r. . . . g .se in k ve s a ra tr l l l re a l i s e t h i s i w an ii l e s d s am s e t o c c t hei a s ha an k ...... r t t e r w. . . t h e h e o

a b l e water......they

sta

it

ink

wil l

as

erf l i e s

dr

we

th

ll......the o re w e t h er bo f lic h t e . . . f a m n... ily rai o w n its ... wat n

urvedic plants or

bees and butt

..ay ll . . . . .

ct

understand h ow

tt

oa d

spots in the village fr

d

a

attra

.they

e

will

.....

a

rs

use

ey

m nd

e

eg r

the

.th

ho

kes

...

we

art to add a water ill st tan w ks lies i to m th fa ntages......t a v d a hey he t wi ll ee r and do e t a w e sn n ’ ow n k w i l l b e ta t b u fil s ilt fir

s..

eir

i ro n v n e

rie

e

.

n

h

d.

dic plants heal s mall inju

flo

e

arv

te es

ayurve .. . t h e

at this family has e th i t s alis ow re to go to the pu ave b th with the firs led o u s e h a t h s

m e n t m o re p l eas an t... ..

FUTURE EFFECTS

54 transfromation of the village through rain water harvesting and grey water purification

es

hen t

he

vil la

g

page 144

S MALL ADJUSTMENTS

The house is equipped with several small devices and features. These small things make the difference between the regular houses, a regular house of an NGO and this house. There are several tiny adjustments which change the livelihood of the people to the better. With the aid of the villagers, interviews with experts, deep research and our own imagination we were able to design the following adjustments: cross ventilation cooler and fresher interior spaces due to circulating air rear- ventilated roof cooler and fresher interior spaces due to a ventilated roof plastic bottle bulbs light in the interior spaces during the day | no more respiratory diseases because the

kerosene lamps aren’t used anymore solar lamp light in the interior spaces during the night | no more respiratory diseases because the

kerosene lamps aren’t used anymore | people can read or study in the evening 44 smokeless chulha no more respiratory diseases | decreased deforestation because they consume less firewood hinged kitchen tray efficient utilisation of the kitchen clay refrigerator people can store milk and curd in the fridge | less malnutrition because of a richer diet private shower people are washing themselves without being observed by others solar disinfection safe drinking water with the aid of the sun | enormous benefit for the people’s health,

especially for the children bottle holder holds the plastic bottles in the correct to position to achieve a solar disinfection copper pot safe drinking water with the aid of copper | enormous benefit for the people’s health,

especially for the children clay water filter safe drinking water | enormous benefit for the people’s health, especially for the children efficient floor plan floor plan corresponds with their needs and habits expandability if the family grows there is the possibility to add a room in the horizontal or vertical

extension (according to the buildable area on the property)

44 low smoke cooking stove

..th ec h

an

ge

sw

ill e

as

tru

th

and

.

sl se

be

gh

ou

of sp

bit

nefits and will

Indian ha to the

nks

e eb

very scep

ll change their existin

fits c o mpar ne e ow ...n ...

ill be

.t

ha

es

wi hey

lise about th

tica l.

...

.

want to build a s im

. e.

sw

re a

be

...

has ...

th

e

ilie

ill

many

t .or

te

llin g

ila

rh o

us

of the families . . . . . e life .the i e th

li

fam

d

and time each family

othe r

o ho

ney

......the

hat this family is

age

w

ti

mo

ise t

vill

e

he family

t hous

a situ

ey

t

....t

uil

e changed to the better .....

..th

le

o a re g u l a r o dt n first b th e

sp

eal

n in

di

ll r

formatio

he

wi

his in

nt

he

re

t ad

....

e..

ill b on w

they start to ask

s riou

do

ab

in

u gc

e changes depen

has

tle

by

litt

....th le..

os

it

FUTURE EFFECTS

55 transformation thorugh small adjustments

r c u rr

en

tl iv

e

page 146

CONCLUSION It is impressive what kind of effect a single decision has. If we followed the current tendency to build in reinforced concrete we wouldn’t have a chance to meet the given budget. Furthermore we would use a material which is durable but not sustainable at all. In addition to that we would use a material which is tightly controlled by some large companies. To change the livelihood of the people to the better we have to make them as independent as possible. They have to be included in a network but shouldn’t depend on others. Therefore we have chosen compressed stabilised mud blocks. This material is locally available and can be processed by the people themselves. We offer them a chance to do something by themselves and start to be independent.

Also for the families who don’t need a new house we offer affordable devices which enhance their current situation. To install a plastic bottle bulb for example, just a very small intervention is required. The effect it obtains is great. One bottle is enough to illuminate a small room perfectly. The effort people have to invest is minimal compared with the effect you achieve!

We are able to show them a way how to assure their livelihood, but in the end they have to do it by themselves. This means that the whole transformation of the village is finally the inhabitants’ own responsibility.

FUTURE EFFECTS

page 148

REFLEXION

The years of study in Burgdorf were flying - especially our final semester. The last few weeks have been vanishing tremendously fast and suddenly we are writing the conclusion for our thesis!

For us it is wonderful to complete our time in Burgdorf with such a project. It has shown us many different aspects of architecture, design and the way to find a solution. We have had interesting meetings with architects and experts in India as well as in Switzerland and could benefit from their knowledge. Furthermore, we were able to gain more knowledge by studying all the possibilities which were available in this project. This starts with the materials, continues to the construction, the manner of sanitation and on to the purifying of water. It is not only about knowing these facts, the bigger task was finding a combination which is sustainable, affordable, easy to understand and in the end beautiful to look at.

Beside architecture there is another matter - we have also learned a lot for our life. In Switzerland we are in a completely different „world“: we have access to fresh and safe drinking water wherever and whenever we want; it is a matter of course to send the children to school every day; it is a matter of course that the girls can choose their husband by themselves and it is a matter of course that we can rely on medical help. There are many more things we could list now, but what we would like to say is that in Switzerland we tend to take things for granted.

The experiences we have made in India brought us back down to earth! Now we handle fresh water with more care and are in general more economical with things.

Another important aspect is the contact to foreign cultures, habits and languages. Both of us are interested in the rest of the world and would love nothing better than to visit all the beautiful places! The chance to write our thesis abroad was like a stroke of fate. The thrill of anticipation, the applying for the visa, the flight, the foreign language, the spicy food and the different culture transformed this semester into an adventure. Moreover we were getting more aware of ourselves and realised where our boundaries are and how courageous we are in reality.

We consider this experience as tremendously precious and really appreciate the chance we got from JĂźrg Grunder. The time in India was incredible. We are thankful for all the delightful moments we have witnessed, the touching encounters with the villagers and all the people we have met.

page 150

TRANSFER OF KNOWLEDGE

The project has shown us a completely different part of the world. At first sight some people wouldn’t believe that we learned something which we could use here in Switzerland. This thought is understandable - at least a little bit. We see it more as a chance - a chance for transferring knowledge and strengthening our personalities. We made use of the knowledge we achieved in the school and applied it in India. The experiences in India have taught us various aspects of life and architecture. Now we can combine these two parts of knowledge and apply them in Switzerland. The following graphic shows the exchange of the two countries and the benefits ess a re n we took from each one. l aw gen

o ng

fa

v

a ail

ble

re s

o

e u rc

s

era

lustra nd il a s phic gra

tions

to s in act f eigns language ing g i n a f ro us n i m k r n i o h i fo and t nc rans riting w t co , g curate observing akin p re c i s e a n d a c spe well- defined communication

n ha

aw

a re

dl

i

ne

ss re co f t h e og p n i z re s e n st e t co ru nn ct e awa cti ur re n e ons in ss of g and the fu co d t u re epe mp

n dec lex ies cir bein cu g re l i ms able tan ces

stra

50 km

tegic

al thin king

REFLEXIONS

exte

nde

da wa re

ne

ss

of su

st ai

na

wor

k

sf or sm all de

ta

ils

ff e c a w a re n e s s o f f u t u re e cise n d p re a e m i t being on pets conc n i ng thinki

500 km

ral

so

ultu

e rc

on

a

ns

uti

s

d

tio

ou

sol

ge

fin

int

gc ora

to

lu

sw ay s

y

bein

iou

lit

bi

var

ts

56 transfer of knowledge between Switzerland and India

page 152

SINCERE AMBITION

This semester was not only interesting and educational - it was also emotional. Each project is somehow emotional because we invest our time, thoughts and ideas in it. We want to do it as well as possible. Like this we are already emotionally related to the project and it occupies our minds. Sometimes more, sometimes less.

This time it was different. We were meeting people who are living on the pure breadline. Their life is completely different than ours. To get to know them better, we had to emphasize ourselves with the given situation. This is a normal process if you are working on a project - but in this project we even had to find out how they shower themselves.We also tried to prepare ourselves for the site visits. But if you go to place which is so greatly different from any you know, you will be surprised anyway. The site visits were the most touching moments in this semester: It was not easy to listen to someone who is not willing to think of the future because he doesn’t know how to survive till the next day. It was not easy to see eight-year-old children working in a brick factory. It was not easy to meet a girl who had to leave her family because she was being married to her cousin. It was not easy to see how several men are treating their wives. And it wasn’t nice to suffer from the consequences of polluted drinking water.

But it was great to drink chai with the women in the shadow of the veranda. It was great to talk to them with hand and feet. It was great to scatter candies in the village and look into the children’s smiling faces. It was great to spend some time with the children at school and teach them small drawing stuff. It was great to play with the children and hear them laugh.

We have made so many emotional experiences that we are really attached to the project. Therefore we really tried to find a concept which fits the villagers. Back in Switzerland we re-watched all the videos and looked at the photos again so that we wouldn’t forget any detail. We did al lot of research to find the most suitable materials, although we knew from the beginning that only mud will be possible. But you never know - we wanted to be sure!

We kept discussing every detail for a long time and are now pleased with the result we achieved.

Considering the livelihood of the villagers as well as the time and knowledge we invested, we have a sincere ambition - we will do anything required to build the project! We are sure of the project’s potential and are convinced that it will definitely enhance the quality of life of the inhabitants of Ramnathapuram!

REFLEXIONS

57 two generations | women of Ramnathapuram

page 154

TEAM PROCESS

TEAM ORGANISATION

Since the first year we have done projects together. So when we finally decided to do our P1 and Thesis together, we knew what we can expect from each other. In each case both of us are interested in the project and to achieve a constructional teamwork and satisfying result have always been our main goals. During the last years we found a good way to communicate with each other, to support and complement one another.

We both have high expectations and are willing to invest our time, knowledge and resources. For that reason our communication is open-minded, honest and respectful. We can talk and discuss our ideas, problems and current work on a good basis and can accept the comments of the other person.

But anyway, we decided to write down some rules:

_be focused and aware

_listen to the other one - don’t interrupt

_accept other points of view

_communicate in an honest and respectful way

_work effectively but allow yourself a break if it’s needed

_take an evening off to free the mind _smile

Both of us are really interested in architecture, art, design and graphics. For that reason we invested a lot of time in creating an adequate and coherent layout and tried to visualise as much information as possible. In our opinion this makes the whole documentation more interesting and in the end it is easier to understand it.

Both of us have individual focal points and characteristics. Gionatan is more extraverted and is open to trying new things, while Bettina observes a bit more and tends to be a perfectionist. But exactly this combination makes our collaboration interesting and we are a pretty balanced team.

page 156

58 celebrating the Holi festival Ahmedabad, 2011

24

WORKING METHODS

In our working process we have used different methods to achieve the final result. In the previous chapter we already described our teamwork. The working process was completely different than the one in India.

We were only working at home, not in an office and didn’t have meetings with experts. Basically we used the following methods to write our thesis:

_periodic coachings with Jürg Grunder, Ulrika Tromlitz and Peter Schürch to discuss the current

work, clarify questions and plan the next steps.

_co-operative coachings with colleagues

_office work for collecting data, doing research, creating the layout, writing texts, designing graphics

_studying all the videos and pictures we have done in India

_building scale models

_measuring everything one by one, for getting an idea of the real sizes

_evaluation and reflexion for being aware of our work and working process

TEAM PROCESS

WORKING PROCESS

The following timelines show the process of our work. We have split it into the nine weeks (eight weeks for writing, one week for presentation) we have been working on our thesis.

week 1 7 th of May - 13 th of May Mon

_skyping with Jürg Grunder _planning first steps

Tue

_writing an additional issue called „social stratisfaction“ for the chapter „strategies“ _structuring social problems and then explain complexity of porblems

Wed

Thu

_finding possible strategies for the issue called „social stratisfaction“ _preparing informal presentation

_informal presentation at the BUAS in Burgdorf _co- examinators and experts are invited _skyping with Jürg Grunder and giving him a feedback of the presentation

Wed

Thu

_meeting with Ulrika Tromlitz _discussing the index _planning next steps _skyping with Jürg Grunder

_contacting several people for getting expert inputs _Frédéric Pichelin for getting an input about agrowasteboards and materials _Thomas Krebs for correcting our English written documentation

Fri

_meeting with Professor Bettina Storrer at BUAS in Burgdorf _we got some feedback and she assured us her help as an expert (if we need it)

Sat

Sun

_rewriting thesis sketch

_rewriting thesis sketch

Sat

Sun

_correcting documentation _working on macro mapping

_finishing documentation _part 1 is now consolidated so much that we could print it _the only missing part is the correction of the English spelling

week 2 14 th of May - 20 th of May Mon

_looking for an adequate graphic for the macro mapping _working on macro mapping

Tue

_working on macro mapping _preparing index _correcting documentation

Fri

_contacting several people for getting expert inputs _Jimmy Schmid of the HKB for visual communication design _Charles Job for his experiences in Nigeria _skyping with Jürg Grunder

page 158

week 3 21 th of May - 27 th of May Mon

_finishing macro mapping _writing accompanying text to macro mapping

Tue

_finding all daily activities of Indian families, especially those of the women _drawing and sketching floor plans based on end users’ activities and used materials

Wed

Thu

_meeting with Professor Charles Job to obtain information about his project in Nigeria _cooperative coaching with Martin Küng and Daniel Braun _coaching with Peter Schürch _discussing current work and planning the next steps

_coaching with Ulrika Tromlitz _discussing current work and planning the next steps _working on general introduction, general regulations for the housing concept and finding a vision

Wed

Thu

_working on daily motion sequence of an Indian housewife _combine facts into a significant graphic _conclusions for the design

_describing daily activities of an Indian housewife _combining these facts in a graphic _further conclusions for the design

Fri

_meeting with Frédéric Pichelin und Andreas Rosenkranz at the BUAS in Biel _discussing possible materials, especially the agro- wasteboards

Sat

_working on general introduction and summary of the first part _working out general regulations for the housing concept

Sun

_defining guidelines for the housing concept

week 4 28 th of May - 3 th of June Mon

_finding solutions for the guidelines („materials have to be eco- friendly => which ones can we use?“ or „the house should be individual => how can we do that?“)

Tue

_cooperative coaching with Martin Küng and Daniel Braun _planning next steps

Fri

_describing how much time an Indian woman spends in which room _combining these facts in a graphic _further conclusions for the design

Sat

_combining all conclusions for the design into a checklist _designing housing concept based on that checklist

Sun

_working on the end user (daily motion sequence, how much time is spent where,...)

TEAM PROCESS

week 5 4 th of June - 10 th of June Mon

_skyping with Jürg Grunder _planning next steps _working on housing concept _finding combinations of rooms and activities

Tue

_working on the housing concept _defining housing concept (materialisation, size, space allocation plan,...)

Wed

Thu

_building a scale model 1: 200 of the whole village _discussing first point of intervention (first new built house, community centre and tanks)

_building scale model 1: 20 of the house _testing different roof types (double and single pitch roof)

Wed

Thu

_mapping for the village _conclusions for design _working on CAD plans

_meeting with Jürg Grunder and Peter Schürch _cooperative coaching with Martin Küng and Daniel Braun

Fri

_skyping with Jürg Grunder _discussing the next steps _drawing detail plans 1: 20 of the house

Sat

_creating a concept for the community centre _drawing detail plans 1: 20 of the house _defining final concept for the toilet _defining final concept for the rain water harvesting

Sun

_creating a concept for the community centre _defining space allocation plan for the community center _drawing detail plans 1: 20 of the kitchen (section and floor plan)

week 6 11 th of June - 17 th of June Mon

_working on communication concept _first sketches

Tue

_meeting with Jürg Grunder and Ulrika Tromlitz _planning further steps _working on mapping for the village

Fri

_rearranging floor plan_ _finding another solution for the roof _working on CAD plans _writing on documentation (bringing our thoughts to paper!)

Sat

Sun

_working on CAD plans _writing on documentation (bringing our thoughts to paper!)

_working on CAD plans _writing on documentation (bringing our thoughts to paper!) _working on community center

page 160

week 7 18 th of June - 24 th of June Mon

_starting with the posters _collecting all material which we will use for the poster _listing all the missing facts and data _working on CAD plans _working until the first birds sing

Tue

_meeting with Jürg Grunder and Peter Schürch _correction of the plans _rearranging the floor plan

Wed

Thu

_illustrating future effects _working on CAD plans _working till late

_illustrating future effects _working on CAD plans _working till late

Wed

Thu

_working on community centre _hand sketches and description _comparison between the „saleel house“ and the one of „Habitat for Humanity“ _few hours of sleep

_first print of the poster to check the colours, font sizes and graphics _linking documentation _final adjustments _improving posters _no sleep

Fri

_working on CAD plans _creating poster layout _working until the first birds sing

Sat

_working on CAD plans _creating poster layout _editing and revising photographs _working till late

Sun

_working on CAD plans _creating poster layout _correcting documentation

week 8 25 th of June - 1 th of July Mon

_elaborate 3Dmodel _working on layout _writing final conclusion _working in communication concept _few hours of sleep

Tue

_elaborate renderings _working on communication concept _looking for a copy shop _comparison between the „saleel house“ and the one of „Habitat for Humanity“

Fri

_submission of the posters _printing the documentation _plotting the posters _sleeping early

Sat

_building a scale model 1: 200 _building a scale model 1: 10 _preparing final presentation _elaborating communication concept

Sun

_building a scale model 1: 10 _preparing final presentation _elaborating communication concept

TEAM PROCESS

week 9 2 th of July - 8 th of July Mon

_submission of scale models, documentation, final presentation and all the plans _practising our final review _studying the project for the oral exam

Tue

_practising our final review _studying the project for the oral exam

Wed

Thu

_final review _oral exam

_hangover

Fri

_hangover

Sat

_exhibition _feedback

Sun

_vacation............

page 162

CREDITS AND BIBLIOGRAPHY

CREDITS

All photographs, except the followings of the chapter „natural resources“, were shot by Bettina Steuri and were taken during our staying in Bangalore in March-April 2012 and holi festival in 2011. bamboo | http://www.scenicreflections.com/files/HERMOSA%20BAMBOO%20Wallpaper__yvt2.jpg agro waste boards | http://www.holcimfoundation.org/T1319/A11AMacNG.htm glass bottle wall | http://leakstev.blogspot.ch/2012/05/glass-bottles-cans-and-adobe.html waste boards | http://bestinpackaging.com/2009/12/13/brazil%E2%80%99s-small-scale-business-modelfor-recycling-post-consumer-tetra-paks/ plastic bottle wall | http://www.beagleybrown.com/house-made-of-1200-plastic-bottles/wall/ All the graphics, plans and drawings were done by Bettina Steuri and Gionatan Vignola.

All the sources are written for re-elaborated graphics.

All the texts were corrected by Thomas Krebs and re-edited by Bettina Steuri and Gionatan Vignola.

SOURCES elevation | http://www.tiptopglobe.com/city?n=Malur&p=30680#lat=-21.61658&lon=73.65234&zoom=3, 16.06.2012 Shri K. Kumaresan, Ground water information booklet, Kolar district, Karnataka, Bangalore, 2009 map temperatures | http://www.myweather2.com/City-Town/India/Kolar-Gold-Fields/climate-profile.aspx, 30.03.2012 map humidity | http://www.tititudorancea.com/z/weather_bengaluru_bangalore_karnataka_india.htm, 16.06.2012 Shri K. Kumaresan, Ground water information booklet, Kolar district, Karnataka, Bangalore, 2009 map precipitation | http://www.myweather2.com/City-Town/India/Kolar-Gold-Fields/climate-profile.aspx, 30.03.2012 map number of rainy days | http://www.myweather2.com/City-Town/India/Kolar-Gold-Fields/climate-profile.aspx, 30.03.2012 sunlight per day | http://www.tiptopglobe.com/city?n=Malur&p=30680#lat=-21.61658&lon=73.65234&zoom=3, 16.06.2012 map solar irradiation | http://www.synergyenviron.com/tools/solar_insolation.asp?loc=Malur%2C+Karnataka%2C+India, 16.06.2012 map wind speed | http://www.synergyenviron.com/tools/wind_data.asp?loc=Malur%2C+Karnataka%2C+India, 16.06.2012 Karnataka State Agricultural Produce Processing and export, Karnataka Global Agribusiness and Food Processing Summit 2011, Bounteous Karnataka, Bangalore, 2011 bamboo | http://www.ipirti.gov.in/bamboo.html, 18. 05 2012 bamboo | http://www.hindu.com/2011/05/29/stories/2011052954040700.htm, 24.05.2012 eucalyptus trees | http://www.deccanherald.com/content/116658/karnataka-ban-eucalyptus-acacia-cultivation.html, 02.06.2012

page 164

ubuntu blox | http://ubuntublox.com/ubuntu-blox/, 18.05.2012 tetra pak blocks | http://bestinpackaging.com/2009/12/13/brazil%E2%80%99s-small-scale-business-model-for-recycling-post-consumer-tetra-paks/, 18.05.2012 smokeless chulha | http://www.cfi.in/Uploads/CD%20Activities%20by%20Raigad%20Unit-%20Report%20Prepared%20in%20Feb09%20in%20pdf. pdf, 20.05.2012 Habitat for Humanity, Concept Paper, Level 1-2, h 3, 15.11.2011 (the paper is not published) annual rainfall | www.rainwaterclub.com, 20.05.2012 Bissell, W.N., making India work, Penguin Global, 2010, p. 45 corrugated bamboo sheets | www.bamboocomposites.com, 01.06.2012 clay kitchen tools | www.mitticool.in S. Vishwanath and Chitra Vishwanath, Composting toilets - the future of sanitation?, www.rainwaterclub.com, 01.06.2012 Bharat Nirman Yojana is an action-oriented business plan for rural infrastructure. It is an important step in bridging the gap between rural and urban areas and improving the quality of lives of rural masses. It comprises projects on irrigation, roads, housing (Indira Aawaas Yojana), water supply, electrification and telecommunication connectivity. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aam_Aadmi, 26.05.2012 Aranya Community Housing, India (B.V. Doshi), Low cost housing in Dharavi, India (C. Correa), Incremental House Stategy, Bombay, India (F. Balestra and S. Göransson) Byumba refugee Camp, Rwanda and Paper Log House, Japan and India (S. Ban) „Radically sustainable buildings made with recycled materials“, http://www.earthship.com , 20.05.2012 the sustainability spider- graph is a method elaborated by Fredy Breitschmid, Professor of Ecology and Sustainability at BUAS comparison | http://habitatindia.in/, 25.05.2012 Thapar, B., Introduction to Indian Architecture, Periplus Editions, Singapore, 2004 quote | http://www.etni.org.il/quotes/education.htm, 27.06.2012 Wells, J. C., Longman Pronunciation Dictionary, Pearson Longman, London, 2009 Ayurvedic plants | http://www.dharmaayurveda.de/Artikel/20740cc1.html?a, 28.06.2012 Bhatia, G., Laurie Baker - Lifer Work and Writings, Penguin, 2003 van Lengen, J., Manual del Arquitecto Descalzo, edition 5, Editorial Pax México, 2006 Vijayashankar, C.H., Planting of eucalyptus, acacia saplings to be banned, The Hindu, Karnataka, 2010 clay kitchen tools | http://mitticool.in/product_detail.php?product_id=8, 20.06.2012 copper pot | http://www.indiacurry.com/faqappliance/indiankitchenrasoi.htm, 20, 06.2012 Bissel, W. N., Making India work, Viking Penguin India, 2009

BIBLIOGRAPHY

page 166

APPENDIX

On the following pages there are all the plans we have drawn for the house. The plans were made with ArchiCAD and Rhino. Furthermore there are the calculations for the water tank as well as for the costs, the bricks and the excavation.

page 168

1st calculation

BUILDING A BASIC HOUSE IN A RURAL AREA – MALUR Dimensions: net 6.30m x 4.30

calculation of the cost

PART / MATERIAL FOUNDATIONS Sand (loads of tractor - 3000 kg each) Stones (loads of tractor) Cement (Bags of) Shaped stones Labourers (3 people, 7 days)

QTY

UNIT 2 2 10

TOTAL 2000 2000 290

total

4000 4000 2900 8000 6300 25200

1 labourer = 300 rps / day INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL WALLS Sand (loads of tractor) Bricks Cement (Bags of) Labourers are the end users.

Bottle

25200

4 3700 31

290

8000 0 8990

total

16990

2000

recycled

Sand and cement willl be used for the bricks and the mortar ROOF bamboo beams dia 10-12 - 25m bamboo beams dia 4-6 - 80m Bamboo mat corrugated sheet mq 50sm Woven bamboo for internal roof 30sm Gutter and accessories Labourers (3 people,3 day)

SUBTOTAL

42190

1 1 50 30 750

300 600 60 60 7 total

300 600 3000 1800 5250 2700 13650

total

3000

55840

DOORS AND WINDOWS Doors accessory Windows accessory

the wood is recycled or second hand

58840 FLOOR Sand (loads of tractor) 20mm stones (loads of tractor) Cement (Bags of) Labourers (3 people, 3 days)

0.5 0.5 5

total

1000 1250 1450 1500 5200

64040

total

500 2500 1400 4400

68440

1450 total

31900 31900

100340

7000 total

7000 7000

2000 2500 290

KITCHEN Chulha Refrigerator Clay Water filter

CUTTED STONES Cutted stones for furnitures and veranda m2

PLASTERING minimum

22

1

107340 TOTAL EXPENSES FOR THE HOUSE WITHOUT LUXURY

107340 rupies

APPENDIX

calculation for the required bricks and foundation

1st calculation Bricks needed

Foundations

1 layer Green

Total 1 layer Orange

Total 1 layer

nr of layers TOTAL 29 14 30 18 54 35 3 183

Columns 1 Columns 2 Columns 3 Total columns

18 36 54

Wall toilet Kitchen 1 Kitchen chula

7 6 38

entry (horizont

3

TOTAL of BRICKS

m2

7.2 3 6.09

m2

7

1281

h (m)

0.5 1.05 1.05

h (m) 7.2 3

Natural stones foundations

27 15 29 19 55 36 3 184

Soil gained through excavation 13.1445

0.5 1.05

Tank Floor stones (tot. 2.90 x 2.10) walls (5m x 0.08)

0.04 1.25

Pavement veranda 12 stones 1.10 x 0.55 h 0.22

8

1472

Floor Concrete Oxide finish Bottles walls

108

22 20

Bottles (1 mq) 140 bottles)

154 120 38 3

3176

20 20 m2

0.05 0.003 x

0.97 1.7 2.7 0.9 1.8

2 2 2 1 1 tot bottles

1mq = 140 bottles Area 1 bottle mortar needed in m3 mortar kg (*d)

0.035 0.46149

140 0.18 2162

page 170

How many liters or sqm has to be the tank? max tank fullness - minimal tank fullness +1 week reserve for familybigness of tank 6281.6 119.6 385 6547 liters 6.547 m3

7000 6000 5000 4000 3000

liters needed

2000

difference water‐need

1000

tank fullness

0 ‐1000

1

2

3

4

‐2000

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

Dimension of the water tank minimum area of the roof

35

d/m 31 jan 29 feb 31 mar Installation of tank

30 31 30 31 31 30 31 30 31 TOTAL

apr may june jul aug sept oct nov dec

m rainfall m3 in tank liters -20% l needed x mth difference (l) tank fullness (l) 0.0066 0.231 184.8 1705 -1520.2 3479.2 0.0069 0.2415 193.2 1595 -1401.8 2077.4 0.0103 0.3605 288.4 1705 -1416.6 660.8 0.0396 0.0996 0.0523 0.0692 0.0941 0.1334 0.1328 0.0633 0.0151 0.7232

maximal m3 water maximal liters -20% Member of the family Houseold needs daily water consumption liters of water needed in 1 year

1.386 3.486 1.8305 2.422 3.2935 4.669 4.648 2.2155 0.5285 25.312

1108.8 2788.8 1464.4 1937.6 2634.8 3735.2 3718.4 1772.4 422.8 20249.6

1650 1705 1650 1705 1705 1650 1705 1650 1705 20130

23.008 18406.4 4 (5l pp) 35 (fixed) 55 dwc

and indicate that number the "surplus" has to be you get in 1 positive year

if it's negative change nr. member of family or increase area of the roof

Find out how many liters has to bethe tank taking add the daily higher nbr - consumption for 1 week lower security higher nr - lowest nr + dwc x 7(days reserve) number.

-541.2 1083.8 -185.6 232.6 929.8 2085.2 2013.4 122.4 -1282.2 119.6

119.6 1083.8 898.2 1130.8 2060.6 4145.8 6159.2 6281.6 4999.4

APPENDIX

N

grey water purification | 1: 100 Thesis drawings by B. Steuri and G. Vignola beng-ar.ch

The Saleel House

advanced students at the Berne University of

sustainable, decent housing and livelihood for

Drawing Name

water treatment Drawing Scale

Layout ID

wind

page 172

elevation | west | 1: 50

Thesis drawings by B. Steuri and G. Vignola beng-ar.ch

The Saleel House

advanced students at the Berne University of

sustainable, decent housing and livelihood for

Drawing Name

front elevation - west Drawing Scale

Layout ID

APPENDIX

elevation | north | 1: 50

Thesis drawings by B. Steuri and G. Vignola beng-ar.ch

The Saleel House

advanced students at the Berne University of

sustainable, decent housing and livelihood for

Drawing Name

side elevation - nord Drawing Scale

Layout ID

page 174

elevation | east | 1: 50

Thesis drawings by B. Steuri and G. Vignola beng-ar.ch

The Saleel House

advanced students at the Berne University of

sustainable, decent housing and livelihood for

Drawing Name

rear elevation - east Drawing Scale

Layout ID

APPENDIX

elevation | south | 1: 50

Thesis drawings by B. Steuri and G. Vignola beng-ar.ch

The Saleel House

advanced students at the Berne University of

sustainable, decent housing and livelihood for

Drawing Name

side elevation - south Drawing Scale

Layout ID

page 176

floor plan | 1: 50

80

110

80

100

70

380 140

-0.25

90

-0.15

180

-0.30

15

50

135

15

210

15

60

95

45

75

300

30

30

490

85

85

160

15

15

90

80

15

15

270

270

30

6

86

74 6

30

120

30

40

30

300 Âą0.00

+0.35

30

+0.05

190

80

20

190

190

210

260

30

220

20

-0.18

-0.30 30

180

80

40

170

330

90 360

690

100

40

APPENDIX

cross section | kitchen | 1: 50

60 135

4

131

18

Âą0.00 -0.15 -0.30

50 15

6

5

4

-0.30

78

10

10

16

6 +0.05

15

195

185

251

285

315

5 25

5 25

+2.25

25

15

2

193

50

190

Thesis drawings by B. Steuri and G. Vignola beng-ar.ch

The Saleel House

advanced students at the Berne University of

sustainable, decent housing and livelihood for

40

90

Drawing Name

section 1 with measures Drawing Scale

Layout ID

80

+2.55

90

+3.15

page 178

5 25

60 5 25

longitudinal section | tank | 1: 50

60 10

100

10

95

10

Âą0.00 5

5

6 139

20

15

4 131

+0.05

30

15

135

185

+1.10

4

-1.31

30

15

2

271

2

50

Thesis drawings by B. Steuri and G. Vignola beng-ar.ch

The Saleel House

advanced students at the Berne University of

sustainable, decent housing and livelihood for

280

40

40

Drawing Name

section 5 with measures Drawing Scale

Layout ID

APPENDIX

cross section | bathroom | 1: 50

Thesis drawings by B. Steuri and G. Vignola beng-ar.ch

The Saleel House

advanced students at the Berne University of

sustainable, decent housing and livelihood for

Drawing Name

section 3 Drawing Scale

Layout ID

page 180

longitudinal section | kitchen | 1: 50

Thesis drawings by B. Steuri and G. Vignola beng-ar.ch

The Saleel House

advanced students at the Berne University of

sustainable, decent housing and livelihood for

Drawing Name

section 4 Drawing Scale

Layout ID

APPENDIX

longitudinal section | tank | 1: 50

Thesis drawings by B. Steuri and G. Vignola beng-ar.ch

The Saleel House

advanced students at the Berne University of

sustainable, decent housing and livelihood for

Drawing Name

section 5 Drawing Scale

Layout ID

page 182

page 184