4.1
Take Aways from Wardha
The construction technique involves the use of materials that are manufactured by the resource abundantly available natively, i.e mud. The structure, named ‘Wardha house’, is a vaulted structure spanning 3 meters. The only structural members are the burnt brick piers and RCC lintels. The walls are made up of mud bricks which are cast on site using prefabricated moulds of predefined sizes. In the process, potter-made Face Tiles are used on the external surfaces of the walls providing a terracotta skin to the mud walls. These tiles are cast on site and dried under sunlight. They are then fired in a kiln to give them strength to withstand the climatic conditions. The vault is made up of terracotta tumblers called the Guna Tiles. Guna tiles are manufactured by potters using locally excavated mud. They are stacked one inside the other to achieve the catenary curve of the vault. Prefabricated trusses are placed at equal intervals for the centring of the vault. The Guna tiles are laid in rows and each row is called a ‘Bow’. After the laying of these tiles, a layer of cement mortar is applied over it. It is allowed to settle for a day. The next day, the centring is removed and a finishing layer of cement mortar is done. The external most layer has china mosaic to avoid water from seeping in and to trap less heat. The voids in the Guna tiles trap air and insulate the space below. The openings can be designed accordingly based on the user’s needs. This technique cannot be used to build multiple storeys. The construction of the structure involves simple techniques making it easier for a layman to understand and build. The overall cost of one vaulted enclosed space is 40,000 INR. The controlled use of materials and local labours makes it affordable for the residents of rural India. There is another aspect of such construction - the temperature inside the structure gets reduced by about 5 degrees. The learning from this workshop will subsequently help the students in taking certain design decisions in future as a responsible practitioner.
Wardha: Need For Intervention|16
