Sustainability through wisdom of past

Sustainability through wisdom of past Inquiry through the case study of Kaza Community Centre, India Charvi Patel | UI0315 History as an Active Element of Design: Adaptive Reuse and Revivalism Faculty of Design, CEPT University Faculty: Supriya Kukreja Pal Abstract Over the past few decades, there is an increased use of modern materials and technology in the built environment. This has in return raised major environmental concerns. As a result, now all over the world people are looking at sustainable alternatives, one of which is revival of traditional materials and techniques using natural materials in modern fabric.

India being one of the most developing countries, it is as well facing this issue where automation and modern materials have taken over for it being time saver and efficient. India has been a place famous for its diverse culture. There have been various traditions, vernacular techniques used by locals to solve their issues related to habitat. It was both sustainable and affordable. This in ancient times became techniques of construction, each different in different regions based on their topography.

The study gives an insight of how traditional materials and techniques are revived, treated and used in the modern fabric which contributes to sustainable solutions and its impact on revival of culture/ community leading to socio-economic gains. Initially the study critically looks at ill impacts of modern technology on environment. Then after, taking Earth as a modern material and contextually studying its revival in a contemporary way in diverse terrain of Spiti valley, the importance of mud architecture and its revival through modern means and its impact is studied.

Key words: Revitalization, Sustainability, Contemporary approach, Mud architecture, Adaptation.

Introduction In this fast-developing era where India is witnessing a positive economic and social development, more sections of the society are able to afford the cost of building construction and there is a notional trend that the aesthetic values will only be rich by using modern materials. Due to this current bias towards these heavily polluting, non-locally used materials such fired brick, steel, concrete, glass which are irreversible and have polluting manufacturing procedures, it looks like the Indian construction sector will majorly contribute to the greenhouse gas emissions that are triggering climate change. Thus now, there is an increasing awareness of sustainability and betterment of the environment.

There are various architects and organizations promoting sustainable approaches through their work. They are mainly resorting to the revival of old materials, techniques and principles of planning and construction which were sustainable in itself due to lack of technology at that time.

One such approach slowly gaining attention in India is the use of earth-based building technologies. It unites attributes such as cost-effectiveness, low carbon production, varied 1

application and labour creation, making them appropriate at multiple levels. Building with earth also reaffirms the long history of India’s earthen construction.

Impact of modern trends of building practices In the construction industry, major development has been in the direction of cost reduction, high tech materials, faster construction and automation - mechanization in the past decade. In modern materials, concrete, steel and glass are majorly used due to their qualities of strength. But they have ill effects on the environment right from their production. They are made using energy sources and it’s a hybrid of different resources. So even in the processes, it emits a lot of smoke.

They are made in factories away from the city localities which adds to the fuel emission and transport. Even after being built, it’s a dead mass. It cannot be reused.

In the recent trend where glass is used majorly in the façade for aesthetics, there will have to be a stronger or more effective service systems in that space to control the heating due to glass reflecting direct sunlight. So that the temperature inside is maintained. This also adds on to the support energy needed to balance the impacts of that material. All these energies consumed and released affects the environment in a negative way. Thus, now traditional materials are looked on since they are self-sustaining and don’t need other resources.

Sustainability Sustainability is an idea which is expressed through the harmony between buildings, its surrounding and the optimized utilization of natural resources in traditional architecture. Which has evolved throughout the years by trial and error. It involves a combination of values- aesthetic, environmental, social, political and moral.

Sustainable architecture is not only about the design of sustainable buildings but also the combination of sustainable materials and construction techniques. It aims at reducing the collective environmental impact during the production process of building components, construction, as well as during the life span of the building. This used to be a dynamic process engaging communities in old times. It was majorly practiced in villages due to the cost effectiveness and its efficient responses to the climatic conditions.

A more sustainable construction process involves re-appropriation and reuse of recycled waste to adoption of renewable and locally sourced materials.

Benefits of sustainable approaches practiced for built environment:1

Mud – A versatile vernacular material It is the most ancient material which is used worldwide and explored to its maximum. Since it is the most sustainable and available in abundancy on the planet. It varies considerably, even at 1

Research paper - Vernacular mud construction techniques of Vidarbha region by Seema M Burele

2

times in a matter of few miles, from one district to another. It is used for different purposes in different ways.

It is used for all sorts of walls, floors, foundations and even for roofing, doors, wall plastering over cane, bamboo and mat materials. It is also used extensively as a fire retardant, majorly for thatch and it is a thermal insulating material in itself too. It either used in its raw nature for the wall construction or in the form of mud blocks. It is also used as mortar for binding the building blocks, for plastering the walls and also for flooring in ancient times. There are also interesting ways of mixing other materials with it to add strength to its construction. It was mixed with grass, straw, leaves and chaff to make it stick together to prevent cracks. At some places, pig’s urine was also used due to its high urea content.

In the rural areas, it was a system of trial and error with mud construction which was an empirical form of development. They made houses of mud and other materials procured from the vicinity.

A lime kiln supplied the requirements of an entire village then, which was the right method of achieving sustainability. But now truckloads of cement are required for a single house which is often transported from long distances.

Reviving vernacular material and technique in modern fabric (i) Mud construction practiced in Spiti, Himachal Pradesh The topography of this region is slopes and hills where the dwellings sit on contours. It’s a high seismic zone. The weather here is more of hot days and chilling nights. The precipitation happens due to snowfall and very little rain. This dry nature of the local climate is seen in architecture of this construction type which consists of thick mud walls with small openings in order to insulate the interior from the harsh climate outside.

Fig. 1: Type of houses in Spti valley

Fig.2: Small scale houses

Fig.3: Entrance courtyard in the built

Sustainable construction technique This region is a dry area where mud is the main locally available construction material and timber is difficult to procure. The buildings are therefore made of rammed earthen walls and timber is solely used for floors and roofs as well as for door and window frames. Natural stones are also scarce and thus only used for foundations. And thatch in the roofing for insulation. This type of construction is commonly found in both rural and sub-urban areas and is being practiced for more than 200 years.2 In this type of building, the houses are generally small in plan and independent of their neighbouring houses. They have small apertures and are mostly introvert spaces due to extreme cold in that region. There are skylights placed to get in more light in the interiors.

2

http://www.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/content/19/mud-housing-is-the-key/

3

Fig.4: Nature of apertures

Fig.5: Roofing with branches and skylight pouring in.

Fig.6 : Flat roof of thatch

Construction: These houses have a load bearing wall system hence the walls constructed from rammed earth becomes the prime element in the built. There is a wooden formwork assembled which has two wooden planks laid parallel to each other at a distance of either 300 or 500mm and are secured at places by wooden screws and members (Fig. 7). In order to lay the first course of the mud wall, the formwork is filled with mud and rammed properly with a mallet. The formwork is slid further once the mud sets, to continue making another portion of the wall. The same procedure is repeated time and again. A course of about 300mm height can only be done once per day in winters and in summer two courses can be done in a day. The framework for openings is kept between the walls while constructing (. Fig.8)

Fig.7: Wooden framework for walls

Fig.8: Making of windows with framework while ramming.

This method is highly sustainable since it is done by local people who have been practising for long and is passed on by generations. There are no planners involved. It is done by using local materials which are biodegradable or can be reused making it a sustainable practice.

Case study: Kaza Eco Community Centre, Spiti Valley – A cold desert.

Fig.9: Kaza community centre as built in 2015.

4

The Auroville Earth Institute – a research institute which specialises in building with earth was contacted by Spiti Valley Projects to build a community centre in the town of Kaza, Himachal Pradesh. The goal was to design a building that would incorporate the local building techniques keeping in mid the changing needs brought in by modern requirements and recent topographic changes.

Area: 580 sqm Initiation of project :2013 Completion of project: 2015

Vernacular Rammed Earth method of Spiti Valley As mentioned previously, it has a long tradition of rammed earth that uses a soil mixture which is closer in consistency to cob with its high-water content. It is then hand rammed with much less force than what is typically used for rammed earth, so as to allow more air to remain in the walls, creating a better insulating barrier against freezing exterior temperatures. The traditional roofing system in Spiti is characterised by flat roof, which is needed to protect against the snow and sun, the roof is composed of multiple layers of mud and willow twigs and which is then coated with a layer of clay slurry which is annually reapplied.

Bamboo and metal incorporated in the traditional technique.

For the community centre, the rammed earth walls were made using local mixture ratios and ramming technique on stone masonry foundations (Fig.10). Since wood is difficult to procure in that region, it was used sparingly just for trim lintels. A composite roof with steel beams and earth infill was used instead of the traditional timber roof that is inadequate to guard against the increased annual rainfall3. As earthquakes do occur in that region, the building included appropriate dimensioning for seismic resistance. The rammed earth was embedded with horizontally-laid bamboo and the composite ring beams4. The ring beams were made of Ushaped reinforced cement concrete. Buttress walls, also reinforced were spaced along the exterior walls. At some places ash blocks were used to strengthen the built.

The entire building is designed keeping thermal qualities as a priority, it’s a speciality of these type of vernacular practice. This community centre was built in stages due to harsh climatic conditions that dictate a short construction season in the Valley from May to September.







     3 4

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/324106580 A local response to climate change- Kaza community centre by Davis K Lara

5

Fig. 12: Wooden elements used only in bands to optimize the usage.

Fig.13: Detailed wall section.

Sustainable benefits due to revival of traditional techniques As bamboo was used instead of reinforced bars, it helped reducing cost of the project as well as transportation cost and strengthened the structure. Maximum use of traditional materials was catered which drew attention of the local community as locals noted the vernacular traditions being repurposed for a modern building. This gave them a direction as to how they can use their skill set which was neglected in modern, automated construction. This in turn resulted in revival of tradition amongst the new generation to make building using the same techniques and also provided them employment.

Conclusion After studying the Kaza community centre, it can be noted that the impact of global climate change, relevance of climate appropriateness and the value of local constructive cultures and vernacular craft to offset these changes is perfectly demonstrated in this project. Which is tremendously timely for debate in the field of architecture currently. Such revivals can not only help in the environmental aspect but also to revive the socio-economic equation which would be lost in the rapid development phase.

But as observed, despite successful modern applications of earth-based building technology there is still a long road ahead before these can tout the same prevalence as concrete and fired bricks on the construction site. The economical, socially empowering and ecological nature of earthbased building materials is still largely unrecognised.

6

While practitioners are making great progress by re-examining vernacular techniques that use local materials and low energy methods for a climatically appropriate outcome, the crucial shift towards more conscientious building practices on a large scale cannot occur without expanded education and exposure. The general public also needs to become more aware of effects of current building practices and realise the potential that alternatives like earth construction methods hold. Only then can the confluence of traditional knowledge and modern technology be reintegrated into the Indian built landscape to benefit the environment, society and the inhabitants. Hence it can be concluded from this study that sustainability in the built environment can be majorly practiced by reviving vernacular materials and techniques which in itself were sustainable.

“Earth has enough to satisfy every man’s need, but not greed” – Mahatma Gandhi5

Bibliography • •

•

• • • •

Davis, L.K. (n.d). A local response to climate change: Kaza Eco-Community Centre. doi: research gate EL Demery, I. M. (2010). Sustainable Architectural Design: Reviving traditional design and adapting modern solutions, 4(1), 99-110. Doi: Archnet-IJAR, International Journal of Architectural Research.

Burele, S.M. , & Valsoon, S.(2016). Revival of “Mud Architecture” As a sustainable Development by introducing it in Architecture Pedagogy- A step towards social sustainability, 4(1), 163-169.

Allsulmann, A., & Suliman, L. (2016). Mud Architecture and the prospects of its sustainability.

Vyas, S. (2015). Traditional Materials and construction technology (Vol. 9). Dronah.

Golden, E. (2012). Traditional Materials Optimized for 21st century.

Shrivastava, T., & Choudhary, A. (2016). Approach to Sustainable Architecture through Vernacular practices, International Journal for Scientific Research & Development, 4(3).

Image Credits • •

• • • • • • •

Fig. 1 - Typical Spitian mud house of 2 storeys. (n.d.). photograph, Spiti Valley.

Fig. 2 – Singh, Y.H., & LANG, D. H. (n.d.). Lower portion of the wall made up of field of stones. The front door is arranged at ground floor level without any plinth. Photograph, Tabo.

Fig. 3 – Typical front yard. (n.d.). photograph. Spiti Valley.

Fig. 4 – Sood, A., & Rahul, A. (n.d.). Doors at different levels. Photograph, Kaza.

Fig. 5 - Sood, A., & Rahul, A. (n.d.). Light pouring in through sky-light above. Photograph, Tabo.

Fig. 6 - Singh, Y.H., & LANG, D. H. (n.d.). A small open- to- sky sun bath space at first floor level of an older house. Photograph, Tabo.

Fig.7 – Framework of rammed earth walls. (n.d.). photograph, Kaza.

Fig.8 – Window framework. (n.d.). photograph, Kaza Fig.9 – Kaza eco community centre. (n.d.). photograph.

5

http://lauriebaker.net/index.php/work/architectural-writings/alternative-building-materials-timelessmud

7

• • • •

Fig.10 – Rammed earth walling. (n.d.). photograph, Kaza.

Fig.11 – Lara. K. Davis. (n.d.). Construction, Kaza. Photograph, Kaza.

Fig.12 – Indian architect builder. (n.d.). wood lintels, kaza. Photograph, Kaza.

Fig. 13 - Lara. K. Davis. (n.d.). Trombe wall detail, Kaza.

8