Finnish-African homestead Hand-made earth houses - small scale communities -History, materials and ideas for green future
Raul Reunanen - Department of Architecture - Tampere University of Technology
FINNISH-AFRICAN VILLAGE
Cut structures of hemp concrete model
INTRODUCTION
INTERNATIONAL AFRICAN HOMESTEAD: METHODS AND MATERIALS This work outlines a simple, self surviving homestead, which takes example of the earliest living forms. One main subject is to study natural composite materials, that are suitable in warm and cold regions. There is three main structure systems and material concepts studied in this presentation. Materials were first studied by making test mixes. Consepts are shown in three small-scale section models. 1. 2. 3.
Hard straw-clay/ Cob wall structures Hemp-lime concrete/ hempcrete structures Light sandwich straw-clay structures
Main raw-materials used in structures and composites are clay, lime, straw, hemp, wood, stones and sand. Ecological and carbon-negative materials: Reducing climate chance, pollution and ecological crises. Bio-based homestead does no harm for the environment, it supports the cycle of the local bio-diversity. Buildings that work in cold and hot areas + globally reached raw-materials International possibilities: local sustainability globally Community, buildings and materials are based on examples of Traditional African homes and traditional homes of Finland. This contrast is made for seeing the similarities of human life on two corners of earth. People can be seen as one; we all have the same universal daily needs. Primitive hut reflects the minimum needs of human environment. How does the primitive hut look like on two corners of earth and what can we learn from them? How does the modern times primitive hut look like? What are the requirements of humane life? In present times of industrial building and living, we have to go back in time to see, how did people survive in the wild nature? How did our forefathers build their own homes? The techniques presented could be also seen as building methods of emergency-state times: Emergency houses: easy, fast, simple, inexpensive materials based on local earth-made raw-materials . Autonomous “island” villages that are independent of the present industrial-orientated society. Raul Reunanen - Department of Architecture - Tampere University of Technology
Primitive hut: First homes of humanity •Shelter: rain, wind, cold, sun, animal, wild •Place of community, food, water and fire •Stage of human life, routins, rituals and culture
HISTORY: CULTURAL HERITAGE
Mesakin cluster dwelling, Sudan; Mugsum bomb house cross section (www.arch.mcgill.ca)
AFRICAN HOMESTEAD Organic forms: Villages resemble organic forms. Cells, ovals, shells, spirals. Self developing village forms. Historical layers. Rooms as separate buildings. Linked/ yard collected. �Bomb Houses� of Musgum tribe village, Northern Cameroon (Denyer) Man, women, children and grandmother rooms Nabdam Compound, Nangodi, Ghana: Buildings linked by yard (Shelter in africa) Rooms for grain storage, animal and sacraments Underground cold rooms near living room Mumoye homestead, Gates, tall mud fences Nigeria (Denyer) Agriculture: Grain, beanplants, fiberplants, vegetables: Cassava, yam, grain, tobacco, beans, peas, corn Home animals: Fowls (chicken-like birds), Cattle, cows
Zulu village (Shelter in Africa)
(M. A. Liwata) Corn-urns, Typical chained plan and room order of an Kitchen African homestead: Chained buildings as rooms Bangadji, Mayo-Kebbi, Chad, before 1945 (Denyer) Raul Reunanen - Department of Architecture - Tampere University of Technology
HISTORY: CULTURAL HERITAGE
AFRICAN HOUSE Round shape of structures, circular plans and domes: Wanji House, Tansania, about 1900 (Denyer) Round, optimal shape: a simple, practical, self bearable shape. Chained/ yard linked one-room buildings as a family housegroup. Walls, roofs: Earliest houses didnt separate the walls and roof. Separated roof was made of straw, grass, palm- and banana leaves. Weavin and thaching has long traditions in most parts of Africa. Weaven frames and thached roofs were common. Timber supported, thached walls covered with mud can be seen as the origin of wattle & daub method. Materials : Earth; clay(mud), stones, sand, limestone (chaulk) Plants; trees, fiberplants, straw, moss, reed, leaves, grass, corn
Traditional homestead: Plan and section (M. A. Liwata)
Zulu house detail, 1956 (denyer)
Dagomba homestead, picture and plan. Northern Ghana, about 1970 (Denyer) MAIN ROOM GRAIN SILOS
YARD South-African tribes and housetypes (Denyer)
ANIMAL KITCHEN
GATE
Weaven houses & frames Sidamo bamboo house, Ethiopia (Shelter in Africa)
Zulu house under construction: South Africa, about 1902 (Denyer)
Raul Reunanen - Department of Architecture - Tampere University of Technology
HISTORY: CULTURAL HERITAGE
Two-house homestead, 1737 Pello, Kortenniemi, Finland (Hirsitalo)
FINNISH HOMESTEAD
Shape & structure of a village • Closed yards, gate, workshops, animal buildings/ bains, outside toilet • Human and animal yards. Yard protected animals from wolfes. • Housegroups and yards usually consists of one or two mainhouses and families. • Building in stages, spontaneous forming of homesteads Agriculture: Food, oil and fiber Grain, beanplants, fiberplants, oilplants, vegetables Crops: Flax, hemp, potato, grain, tobacco, peas, rye, turnip Fertilizing: human and animal waste Home animals and cattle Fowls: chicken-like birds used for food and eggs Cats: formerly used for house keeping, rats, claening Undangerous snakes: formerly used for housekeeping, pest animals Cows: used for fieldworks, meat, milk, butter, cheese, leather Horses: used for moving, farmworks Hunting: Moose, fish, deer
Finnish closed yard, Norrboda, Finland (Hirsitalo)
Raul Reunanen - Department of Architecture - Tampere University of Technology
HISTORY: CULTURAL HERITAGE
FINNISH HOUSE Shape of log houses: The corner was the most essential part of a log house. It was mostly done in 90 degree angle. Simpliest plan was a square. Materials : Earth; stones, sand, clay (mud) Plants; trees, logs, fiberplants, straw, peat, moss, tar, bark, reed Tar was used in finishing water-resistant roofs, paper and ropes. Use of mud/clay: Clay has been used as wall material in Finland since Iron Age. Constructions of clay-peat walls had originally reed or straw roofs. Walls were usually massive-clay structures, mostly in animal barns. Mud covered, Stone Aged timber-teepees have been found in finland.
Corner of a neolithic loghouse: Construction method of interlocking logs. (Hirsitalo) Section of a log house / Niemel채n torppa: Stove, closed base, timber roof structures (Hirsitalo)
Log houses and smoke cabins: Log and timber houses have the longest tradition of housing in Finland. Timber was easily available everywhere. Roof was made of timber frame and finished with straw, birch, bark, peat. Walls were usually finished with moss, peat, flax-, or hemp fiber Stones were used in foundations and fireplaces. Houses with a fireplace with no chimney were called smoke cabins. Heating: Centered fireplaces, smoke cabins, sauna, humans, animals Foundations: Base was constructed airtight using stones and logs, closed with earth. Ventilated base came later. Earliest known log-house plan in Finland, Laatokka 600-900 CE (Hirsitalo)
Summertime barn, Lapland, Northern Finland (Hirsitalo)
Raul Reunanen - Department of Architecture - Tampere University of Technology
HUMAN FIREPLACE ANIMAL
HISTORY: CULTURAL HERITAGE
SIMILARITIES OF HOMES
Buildings Zulu houses (Shelter in africa)
• Local, earth made materials. Wood, plant fibers, clay, stone, grass • Fireplaces, mostly placed in the centre of main room • Homesteads consists of many small one-room buildings. • In the first homes, animals and human lived in the same space in separated areas
Early Lapland log house, Hurula, 1700 (Hirsitalo)
Communities
HUMAN ANIMAL
Early mudhouse with weaven frame, Sidamo, Ethiopia (Shelter in africa)
• Self developing village structures. • Yards: Closed yard with entrance gate. Separated human- and animal yard. • Social living, family houses • Self supported daily needs from nature; farming, animals, grain, fibers, water • Working with hands made people skillful • Handcrafts; claywork, ironwork, woodwork textilework, leatherwork, thaching, weaving • Argiculture: Food crops, fiber- and oilcrops • Animals for food, moving, milk, warmth, help • Food storage: grain silos, underground cold food cellars • Home= inside + outside space building (shelter, privacy) + yard (animal, farm, toilet)
Round Clay, weavin Shelter: Sun, heat
/ /
square Logs, timber
/
cold
Raul Reunanen - Department of Architecture - Tampere University of Technology
ANIMAL
HUMAN
FINNISH-AFRICAN VILLAGE
COMMUNITY Self-supporting, natural community takes example of native African and finnish villages. Sustainable community lives in harmony with the surrounding nature. Community traces the authenthic form of human life, habitat and heritage. Own economy and production: Exchance of goods and services instead of money. Overproduction and -consumption is limited by planned production and handcrafts. Water: Local sources and wells, Rainwater collection system. Community located near fresh water. Agriculture: Organic farming of native crop plants: food, oil and fibercrops: Peas, beans, flax, hemp, potato, grain, rye, turnip, wheat… Crop rotation: growing different types of crops in sequentical seasons on same land: Nutrient rotation, avoiding soil erosion, pests and pathogens. Workshops: Handworks and skills are practiced in various social workshops; Clay, iron, wood, textile, leather, glass, thaching, weaving, music, farming,natural healthcare… Animals: Essential part of the community. Animal yards, bains. Cats and dogs for housekeeping, horses for moving and fieldwork, cows and goats for milk, leather, fowls for eggs… Compostable wastes: Bio-based production of materials. No use of petrochemicals. Composting toilets: Cycling the fertilizes: from field to food – from food to field. Animal and human feces; nutrients to farming and building material additives. Self developing village structure: Instead of mass production, village is constructed and spread with terms and conditions of time, place and need. Avoiding needles constructing. Sustainable village lives in the means of local bio-diversity: Supporting the local fiona and fauna: the planet earth Healthy scale of community, local culture, sosial living Supporting social-, mental- and fysical healthiness Avoiding poverty, unemployment and inequality Sustainable production instead of profitable mass-production Localization instead of globalization, traffic and transportation
Variating the dome shape by slicing
Housegroups, homesteads and villages: examples of designs and functions
Raul Reunanen - Department of Architecture - Tampere University of Technology
HOUSE: MATERIALS
COMPOSITES: Adobes for walls, floors and roofs Natural composites are the worlds most used construction method through human history. In last decades, environmentally unfriendly cement and concrete has taken the place of most natural composites. -Why? Natural products cant be processed, patented and productized as concrete with certain processes and chemicals. Simply, natural products are against markets, norms and products. They can be self-made and are less selling. Like clay and hemp, these techniques have been underrated as poor when more expensive, luxurious products came available.
Compative ingredients and additives: Composite materials can be mixed out of various ingredients and with variating propotions. Resulting material can be specified in variating properties of weight, isolation, strength, water durability, drying, fire. • Binder component: Clay, lime; Adds compression strength and firesafety; approx. 1/3 of mix in volume • Plant- and fibermatter: chopped straw, hemp, wood, reed, paper pulp, clothes: resistance to cracking, adds isolation Organic component makes a material carbon-negative: Plant absorbs CO2 as it grows. Co2 is then locked in walls • Sand, earth, gravel: Adds compression strength and thermal mass, lesses isolation and cracking • Animal waste: Cow, horse feces and urine adds strength and resistance to cracking and water
Methods of placing a wall 1.Moulded walls 2.Sprayed walls (hempcrete) 3.Bricks/blocks 4.Hand placed walls (Cob)
Sustainable building materials: Natural, Isolating, Carbon-negative, Local Long-lasting, Healthy, Less processed
Example mixtures: 50x50mm testblocks
Average mixing propotions by volume
Mix 1 Strong clay/ Cob
Mix 2 Hemp-lime concrete
Mix 3 Light straw-clay
1 CLAY : 1 STRAW : 3 SAND
3 HEMP : 1 LIME (: 0,5 SAND)
4 STRAW : 1 CLAY
Raul Reunanen - Department of Architecture - Tampere University of Technology
Straw clay construction working
HOUSE: MODELS
NATURAL COMPOSITE HOUSES Variating the basic housemodels/ combining the solutions • Structures, foundations, frames, roofs and materials can be combined differentially • Scale variations: round house can have diameters between 1,5 – 5 m • Adding of floorlevels and interior walls • Housegroups/ single houses: corridor connected houses, yard connected houses
Housetype models Models are build as section models; Materials are shown in layers and cut structures.
Example of adobe house design: Oval, spiral plan , two levels, centre stove
Models are examples of combinations; solutions are compative and able variations: Adaptable types of foundations, shapes, materials, structures, walls, floors and roofs Scale of the models is 1:25. Houses can be made in variating sizes and designs. The main purpose is to demonstrate the materials and compative structures.
Materials from the ground, field and forrest Combining wood structures and composite building methods Wood: Bearing structures Clay, mud, lime: binder, airtightness, strength, fire safety Straw, hemp hurds: Warmth isolation, breathability
Models have the figure of typical African house, but structures for any climate. Chronological order of models is representing the evolution of the typical African house.
Heating, ventilating Centered fireplace, Rocket stoves and cob ovens: Multipurpose stoves for heating, cooking and warming water, stovepipes through walls, floors, heat taking thermal masses like cob Light; windows on southern side, sun light absorbing dark paints People and animal heating, breathable walls, heat carrying walls.
1. 2. 3.
Hard sandclay Dome Hemp concrete hut Light strawclay hut
Round plan/ dome: optimal solutions of stabile structures, heating, easy consruction methods, no weak corners Social round space (Shelter in Africa)
Raul Reunanen - Department of Architecture - Tampere University of Technology
HOUSE: MODELS
1.Model – Hard sand clay, Cob Form and Frame: Dome, self supporting shape doesnt require framework. Optional frame can be added inside walls. Supported by centered timberpillar. Base: Open base, foundations of stone and clay, ventilation holes in foundations Floor: Timber beams, fiberboards, filled with straw. Troweled and oiled cob clay floor. Composite mix: Hard cob, clay-straw-sand Construction methods: Hand placed walls / wattle and daub method Roof: constructed as walls, no separated roof Finish: Lime plaster, lime/oil based paint; optional finish by burning the Cob Qualities: Sand and clay in Cob makes it less isolating and most suitable in warm climates The hard structure of Cob allows hand placed wall/roof without framework.
Hand placed dome: Rope in origo define wall place. Adobe laid in levels of spiral.
The shape of dome ables isolating layer of snow, earth or vegetation Raul Reunanen - Department of Architecture - Tampere University of Technology
HOUSE: MODELS
2.Model – Hemp-lime concrete Form and Frame: Moulded, straight hempcrete walls, supported by inside timber/hemp poles; Base and floor: Closed, gravel filled base. Centered stove foundation. Insulating layer of light hempcrete on fiberboard, timber floor Composite wall mix: Strong hempcrete; hemp hurds, lime, sand. Construction methods: Moulded walls, optionally wattle & daub or hempcrete bricks Roof: Constructed separately; light hempcrete mix put on hemp/timber supports Stove: Cob clay stove placed in the middle, stovepipe of burned clay supports the roof. Finish: Lime plaster, lime/oil based paint (whitewash) Qualities: Non-flammable, good insulation properties, needs framework for taking the weight of the roof. Fast, chemical drying process of hempcrete ables quick construction. Breathable, vermin and mould resistant.
Demonstrating the hemp concrete: 50x50mm block
Variations: Higher roof allows extra storeys / levels for sleeping.
Raul Reunanen - Department of Architecture - Tampere University of Technology
HOUSE: MODELS
3.Model – Light straw-clay Form and Frame: Round, straight walls, supporting frame inside; Base and floor: Closed, gravel filled base. Stone and clayfoundations. Insulating layer of light sraw-clay on water-tight fiberboard/membrane, clay-fiber floor. Composite wall mix: ”Sandwich” straw-clay wall; Light, isolating straw-clay mix inside, strong Cob / clay-straw-sand mix outside improving water and wind tightness. Optionally the insulating straw-clay layer can be constructed from strawbales. Construction methods: Mouded walls. Optionally wattle & daub method or bricks. Roof: Three layered, thached hemp/straw roof supported by centered pole. The inside structures of roof can be plastered which improves isolation and firesafety. Finish: Lime plaster, lime/oil based paint (whitewash); Optional timberboarding. Qualities: Well insulating, breathable; Light straw-clay wall needs supporting framework.
Single houses / housegroups Raul Reunanen - Department of Architecture - Tampere University of Technology
HOUSE: STRUCTURES
CONSTRUCTING METHODS Adobe house can be constructed in many ways and by combining various techniques. Here is presented some simple methods.
Moulding the adobe wall (Barefoot Architect)
Wattle & daub method:
Simple hand-measuring method:
Constructing a wall by weavin a screen for adobe on a frame of timber or bamboo.
(Barefoot Architect)
Round, moulded walls and timber posts Moulded walls and moulded bricks: Estonian illustration (Teuvo Ranki)
Premade window- and door frames can be added easily in the construction phase of the adobe house Raul Reunanen - Department of Architecture - Tampere University of Technology
HOUSE: STRUCTURES
FOUNDATIONS Constructed of local stones or wood / logs Clay, lime mortar and concrete can be used for binding the stones There is three main solutions for foundations/ base of the building: 1. Slab on ground: common in warm and dry climates, easily constructed, clay soils Floor needs to constructed damp proof; underneath gravel/membrane/board 2. Open foundations: ventilated space between floor and ground, rock piles, bricks 3. Closed foundations: closed space between floor and ground commonly used in traditional finnish log houses; warm space under floor Holes for ventilation and cats: Traditionally, foundations in Finland have included cat-sized holes, so that the cat could clean the space from small animals, rats and mice. Gravel and sand is used for drainage protecting the structures from damping damages. Open foundations; rock piles (Westermarck)
3. Model base: Closed, gravel filled base. Cob clay floor. Isolating layer of sraw-clay, water proof boarding.
Closed foundations; Stones and mortar
Raul Reunanen - Department of Architecture - Tampere University of Technology
Sections of traditional finnish foundations types (Westermarck)
HOUSE: STRUCTURES
Traditional finnish rooftypes: Shakeroof, reedroof and strawroof (Westermarck)
ROOF • Concrete roof from walls; Cob, light strawclay, light hempcrete; timber, hemp or bamboo supports. Firesafe and well insulating • Thached roof of straw, hemp, reed, grass; well insulating, less firesafe • Combined roof : Thached frames with adobe mixes • Shakes, shingles; shakes of wood, burned clay tiles • Vegetated roof; insulating earth and plants, heavy/well supported Adding the light hempcrete mix on fiber supports
Strawroof of an old loghouse (Hirsitalo)
Green grassroof:
African thached strawroof (Rudofsky)
Hobit house (www.simondale.net)
Thached, three-layer roof: Hemp stalk and rope binders, roofhat of burned clay
Raul Reunanen - Department of Architecture - Tampere University of Technology
Unburned claybricks (Westermarck)
RAW-MATERIALS
CLAY ,mud: worldwide local supported raw-material One of the most important building materials through history. Clay or mud is everywhere in the world and is easy to use.
Features of clay • Used as a binder-agent with sand and plantmatter. • Drying of clay is based on drying of water, it does small shrinking in drying. • Mixing fiber and sand in clay prevents cracking and shrinking. • When clay is properly protected from rain, structures can last hundreds of years • Clay structures are non-flammable. Organic ingredients are made firesafe, when mixed with clay. • Clay can be made water-resistant by burning (Tiles, ceramic, foundations, ovens)
Varieties of clay building methods:
Modern Cob house Hollyhock (Wikipedia)
Massive clay: Strong clay-sand mix Clay bricks: Sun-dried / burned Cob, Light Straw-clay Ovens, Tiles, Fiber-panels, Floors
Finnish barn of massive clay (Teuvo Ranki)
Light clay brickwork in Romania (Wikipedia)
Djenne mosque, Mali (Westermarck)
Variating the volume of straw in clay (Westermarck)
Raul Reunanen - Department of Architecture - Tampere University of Technology
Musgum clay house (blog.architectureaddiction.com)
RAW-MATERIALS
Lime bricks manufacturing in ancient Egypt (Westermarck)
LIME, chaulk: a common binder-agent building material Lime is made of limestone, which is one of the most common stone in the world. Therefore it is one of the most used building material through history: Notredam, pyramids of Giza… Features of lime • Used as a binder-agent with sand and plantmatter Used in bricks, cement, adobes and finishes: paints, stucco, mortars • Drying is based on chemical drying process, water doesnt dry, no shrinking Hydraulic lime absorbs water and CO2 and turns back to limestone • Hydraulic lime or lime putty is made by burning limestone in ovens or kilns • Lime is lightweight and slightly elastic It has less compressive strenght but is more crack-resistant compared to other stones • When mixed with organic matter, lime gives stone-like properties to the resulting material: firesafety, resistancy to rot (lime is alkaline), water-resistancy, hardness Lime 1 part
+ Water 1 part
Simple example of a lime oven
(Barefoot Architect)
+ Hemp hurd 2-3 parts (+ sand 0,5 part) = Hemp lime concrete
Limecycle: Limestone- burned lime (www.buildinglimesforum.org.uk)
Mixes for finnishes: Parts/volume Mortar Earth 3: Coarse sand 1: Lime 1 Floors, walls Coarse sand 4 : Hydrated Lime 1 Whitewash Granulated salt 1 : Hydrated Lime 20 Plaster, 1.layer Fine sand 6 : Lime 1 Plaster, 2.layer Coarse sand 5 : Ground 1 : Lime 1 Poop plaster Cow/horse feces 3 : sand 1 : clay 1 Whitewash: lime based finnish/ plaster-like paint Base mix: hydraulic lime + water, 1:1 Additives: coloured earths, flour, water glass, feces, eggs, seed oil (hemp, flax), milk, cactus juice, used car oil
Raul Reunanen - Department of Architecture - Tampere University of Technology
RAW-MATERIALS
HEMP, worldwide multi-useful agricultural plant
English hempcrete house (renewable-house.co.uk)
Hemp is the widest spread plant of the earth, since it was once the most common source of fiber and oil. It can be cultivated in most climates of the Earth. It survives well in poor grounds and dry areas. Easy cultivated, 4-6 month crops, grows very quickly, multi-usage: everypart of the plant is useful. Cultivated as an emergency-state crop; Times of war and starvation needed productive fiber, oil and food. One of the most fastest renewable nature resources on earth. Fast pulp and biomass production. Hemp is one of the first crop plants in finnish agriculture: Clothing, paper, food, fishing nets, ropes, lamp-oil
Hemp in harvest Hempcrete wall (studiomgm.co.uk)
ECOLOGICAL, EASY, QUICK AND PRODUCTIVE FIBER, OIL AND FOOD SOURCE: HEMP FIBER/STALK • The strongest natural fiber known on earth, 120kg/ mm2 • Anti-bacterial, water resistant and long lasting • Products: Textiles, ropes, sails, fiberboards, pulp: heating pellets, paper HEMP OIL • Oil comes from the seeds of hemp • Products: Paints, varnishes, lubricates, grease, ink, soap, bioplastics, biofuel
Bioplastic hemp shake roof (enviroshake.com) Samples of finnish hemp stalks: Fibers and hurds
HEMP FOOD • Hemp seeds are one of the most nutritious food known: protein, fat and omega source • Can be compared to soya in nutritional values, but hemp is more productive, spread and ecological. • Seeds/oil can be collected as a side product of fiber hemp production. • Products: seed, oil, milk, flour, nutritional animal foods.
"Make the most of the Indian hemp seed, and sow it everywhere!" –George Washington, The Writings of George Washington, 1794 "The greatest service that can be rendered to any country is to add a useful plant to its culture." -Thomas Jefferson “Archeologists report that cannabis was one of the first plants cultivated by humans –about 8000 BC“ (Columbia University History of the World, 1972) Its fiber was used for rope, paper, sails, and garments. It was used as a medicine in China by 2700 BC (U.S. Department of Agriculture Yearbook, 1913) “The earliest known woven fabric was apparently of hemp which began to be worked in the eighth millennium (8000-7000) B.C. ” (The Columbia History of the World, 1981) Raul Reunanen - Department of Architecture - Tampere University of Technology
Heating stoves, composting toilets and other natural solutions Stoves and ovens: •Stovepipes through thermal masses: walls, water tanks •Multi-use: heating, cooking, oven, water warming •Heated with minimum amount of wood, straw or pellets of hemp/ wood •Cob ovens: free-form clay straw ovens. Finnished weather proof by burning process
Cob clay oven (earthflow.com)
Fiberboards: Straw, hemp, lignin, sugar epox (Westermarck)
Wooden pipes were used as waterpipes in Finland
Teisko, 1920 (Westermarck) (Barefoot Architect)
Clay oven, Ethiopia (davidsheen.com) Old Finnish oven (Westermarck)
Cordwood construction: Wall of cordwood tied by mortar or cob clay
Finnish cordwood building (E. Heikkilä: saviry.fi) Raul Reunanen - Department of Architecture - Tampere University of Technology
Composting toilets: • Human waste can be mixed with compost wastes • Mixture turns into organic fertilizing black earth • Can be built odourless outside or inside house (Barefoot Architect)
Culture of past: example for sustainable future Past: culture
/
Now: Industrial culture
Small scale villages Living outside, own land Man made, nature made Local Sosial justice Skills, handcrafts Changing, helping, work Items for use, need Practical, long-lasting Morality, family, religion
/ / / / / / / / / /
Big scale cities Living inside, own apartment Industrial made, machines Global Social classes, riches, poor Services, jobs, unemployment Buying, selling, consuming Item production for markets well-selling, short-lasting Laws, society
Past ENVIRONMENT Family / Home, house / Land, farm /
Our forefathers were able to build their homes with own hands, supply water and food. Everything needed to survive in life was self-prepared. It was real human made culture. Since this day we have lost all basic working abilities to automatized machines. Nearly all native cultures have been replaced by the anticulture of consumption. Like every animal, human has also its own ecological role in the biodiversity. In this point of wiew, our role on earth is to eat, waste, farm plants and keep animals. We modify our environment but it must still support the cycle of bio-diversity. If we do it industrially, it will come unnatural. Economical role and cycle of money has replaced ecological role and cycle of nature. Popular issues of ecocrisis and global warming are just signs: people of earth has left its ecological role. Humans come as mirrors of their living-environment Our environment is what we see, what we do, what we think; we become part of it. We change the environment, the environment changes us. If we make easy, unchallenging environment, we become Community must not make their people survive, it must teach them how to survive. Our present community only teach us, how to live outside of nature. Now we must look to the past to learn how to live in the biodiversity in future.
now Neighbours Flat, apartment parking lot, roads
FINNISH-AFRICAN HOMESTEAD
1.1.2011
This work was prepared originally for course African Architecture of lecturer Marie Alphonse Liwata in Tampere University of Techonology. PICTURE REFERENCES: Origins of pictures are marked ( ) on picture texts. Unmarked pictures and drawings were self taken or drawn. REFERENCE BOOKS / PICTURES: •Susan Denyer: African Architecture •Shelter, Edited by Lloyd Kahn •Johan Van Lengen: Barefoot Architect •Bernard Rudofsky: Architecture Without Architects •Paul Oliver: Shelter in Africa •Mikael Westermarck, Franz Volhard: Savirakentaminen •Markus Leppo: Talonpoikaistalot •Risto Vuolle-Apila: Hirsitalo •Mikael Westermarck: Luonnonmukaiset rakennusaineet INTERNET SOURCES AND LINKS: http://www.dmoz.org/Science/Agriculture/Crop_Plants/ http://www.arch.mcgill.ca/prof/schoenauer/arch528/lect03/n03.htm http://blog.architectureaddiction.com/index.php/a/2010/02/ http://tribes.tribe.net/greenbuildings/ www.saviry.fi www.earthflow.com www.simondale.net Raul Reunanen
Raul Reunanen - Department of Architecture - Tampere University of Technology
raul.reunanen@tut.fi