Humanitarian interventions through Architecture

LEARNING SPACES Interventions for child friendly spaces June 6th, 2018, New Delhi

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Interventions for a Child Friendly Space

Safer communities innovation Lab

06

Package Overview

08

Emergency and Learning Centre

10

Disasters & Resilience

12

Interventions for a Child Friendly space

14

Objective

14

Design and details

14

Comfort

17 Overview

18

Physical and psychological comfort

18

Cool Roof

20

Concept & Theory

20

Case studies

22

Economics of Cool roof

24

Design and Deployment

26

Upcycling Trends in Roofs

28

Material Performance Matrix

30

Mixed Mud Panels

44

Concept & Theory

44

Case studies

46

Economics & Design

48

Upcycling Trends in Roofs

50

Safety

55 Understanding safety

56

Safety as a community Stance

56

Safety and education

56

Water Safety

58

Overview

58

Economics and upcycling

58

Design and Deployment

60

Disaster Resilience

62

Case studies

62

Design and Possibilities

64

Play

67 Education and Play

68

Play Window

70

Concept and Design

70

Design and Deployment

70

DIY Furniture Concept and Design

70

Design and Deployment

70 70

Others Concept and Design

70

Design and Deployment

70

Conclusion

Bibliography

70

73 Integrating Interventions

74

Recommendations

74

76

SAFER COMMUNITIES INNOVATION LAB

Innovating Solutions Appropriate to Local Context

Our Story

The Safer Communities Innovation Lab seeks to scout and support ideas for building safer communities. It is a part of the broader DFID-Start Network Disasters and Emergencies Preparedness Programme (DEPP) Labs, which aim to identify and support contextualized solutions to local emergency settings.

SEEDS is a consortium member of a project ‘Innovations on the interface of health and the built environment’ taking place in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The project is managed by Dhaka Community Health Trust (DCH) and involves University of New South Wales, CRED at the University of Louvain, and the Asian NGO network ADRRN. The project is one of four ‘innovation labs’ within the DEPP programme, https://startnetwork.org/depp-innovation-labs The lab focuses on the interface of emergency health and the built environment. It examines the direct, yet seldom recognised impact of built environment on emergencies as well as chronic stresses and quality of life.

- Health: Innovations that address health risks, including nutrition, day-to-day stresses and disaster epidemiology.

- Built environment: Innovations around the entire human settlement. This includes houses, public buildings, lifeline structures, roads, infrastructure and open spaces.

- Social enterprise: Entrepreneurship will be our strategy to test and build a demand driven innovations approach, and to ensure sustainability of successful innovations beyond the intervention period.

- Communications: Innovations around building knowledge and awareness. Communications is also a critical element for ensuring effective outreach to target communities, practitioners and aid organisations towards replication and scaling of successful innovations.

The main lab is based in Korail, Dhaka (the largest slum in Bangladesh). Slums are a microcosm of the country’s population, helping understand vulnerabilities that have driven these families to migrate. Innovations are sought in the wisdom and capacities that they bring with them, and how these transform to adapt to the urban setting. These allow for drawing transects to communities in other geographic contexts. For this, three satellite labs run in the coastal area of Galachipa, the mountain area of Rangamati and the river basin area of Habiganj. Drawing on ideas of effective diffusion, these innovations will be applied to similar contexts in regionally, tentatively across India, Nepal and Myanmar.

As part of the consortium, part of the work is being carried out of India by SEEDS. The intent of this assignment is to develop and project the work of the lab though innovative methods.

INTERVENTIONS FOR CHILD FRIENDLY SPACES

Classrooms at disaster struck Korail 7

PACKAGE OVERVIEW EDUCATION SeedsIndia

Born in 1994, SEEDS (Sustainable Environment and Ecological Development Society) had one ultimate goal: protecting the lives and livelihoods of people exposed to disasters. Today, we persist along the same path, continuing to focus on integrating locally based approached into each of our programs. Behind this work lies a diverse SEEDS team consisting of young professionals from various development- related fields. It is governed and advised by a board of eminent academicians and practitioners from international organisations.

Over the years, this team of committed individuals, has reached out to families affected by earthquakes, floods and cyclones; restored schools and homes; and has invariably put its faith in education to build long term resilience of the communities. SEEDS continues to advocate for and work with communities across Asia to build a safer and more sustainable world.

Innovators & Pilot projects:

The next step of the project is to find potential innovators and support them.

DEPP Lab Bangladesh has identified potential innovators in Korail and the surroundings areas for kick-starting several pilot projects. Zhantu Chakma from Khagrachi, Chittagong aims to build a Digital School for the indigenous people of the area. This school would potentially be a multifunctional school-cumDRR education and health facility that will be used to raise and develop environmental and social awareness within the indigenous community and also to provide basic services like health and education. This ‘Community Development & Education Center’ will be used as an effective platform and instrument for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) within this vulnerable populace. Here, the innovator and the content of teaching are in place. The infrastructure required for such pilots still remain in question. Through SEEDS, we not only seek to support the innovator socially, and communally but also to increase the accessibility, infrastructure and scale through necessary interventions.

The package involves identification of potential innovators in disaster prone areas(In this case Korail), train them to make them potentially ready for managing the disasters.

To help school going girls gain access to toilets and safe drinking water facilities, by SeedsIndia

Zhantu Chakma from Khagrachi, Chittagong in the digital school 9

EMERGENCY LEARNING CENTRES EDUCATION & PLAY Overview:

One of the widely used first responses to children’s needs in emergencies are Child Friendly Spaces. They also function as an entry point to begin working with affected communities. These spaces respond to children’s rights to protection, psycho-social well‐being, and non‐formal education, and are therefore used as temporary supports that contribute to the care and protection of children in emergencies. They can also be established very quickly, and are suitable for multiple uses, which makes them suitable for transitional structures that serve as a bridge to early recovery and long‐term supports for vulnerable children. This universality of their function has made them adoptable by many agencies, and each of them call it by a different name - Safe spaces, child centered spaces, child protection centres or emergency spaces for children— all of these interventions are part of a common family of supports for children and young people. In this current context, this paper will refer to these related interventions as Child Friendly Spaces, for convenience.

Guidelines:

The following five principles are essential and should be built into all the actions outlined below(Source: Guidelines for Child Friendly Spaces in Emergencies, INEE,IASC, GEC, 2011): 1. Take a coordinated, inter‐agency, and multi‐sectoral approach 2. Use CFSs as a means of mobilizing the community 3. Make CFSs highly inclusive and non‐discriminatory 4. Ensure that CFSs are safe and secure 5. Make CFSs stimulating, participatory, and supportive environments In using the Guidelines, it is essential to take an approach that is contextual and culturally appropriate.

Social Interventions & Architectural translations:

CFS would comprise of multiple units and stages, each building over one another, and starting from the most basic of the necessities for the user group.

The first and foremost step is a Child-friendly toilet and second would be availability of first aid. These two stages would secure the survival necessities for the children and the next stages which would enrich their learning experience would include - Interactive windows according to the age groups, confined compound, soft edges to sit and lie down and interactive/ centered seating.

The next phase would be to further expand their scope of learning and make the space engaging. These would include involvement of community and parents, music and art workshops and doctors classes.

Plotted from INEE Guidelines for a Child Friendly Space

School Safety Programme, Uttarakand by SEEDSIndia 11

DISASTERS & RESILIENCE

OPPORTUNITY OF LOW COST RESILIENCE

Global overview:

According to a statement released by the Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters and the United Nations in January 2009, the average number of natural disasters reported each year went up by more than 60 percent from 2003 to 2005, compared to 1996 to 1998. The World-Watch Institute reported that in 2007 alone there were 874 weather-related disasters worldwide, a 13 percent increase over 2006 and the highest number since systematic record keeping began in 1974. As a result, developing the tools, processes and best practices to manage natural disasters more effectively is becoming an increasingly urgent global priority.(Source: govtech.com/emergency management)

Local perspective:

Korail slum faced and continues to face a myriad of disasters, recurring one after another. Accidents related to fire, floods, earthquakes and heatwaves have derailed the community in the region and continue to deprive the people of safe and comfortable spaces throughout the year. The scenario in Delhi is not much different either, with the extreme summers brining heatwaves that claim a few lives each year. Heatwaves have been a significant reason for closing down schools, hampering with the learning process of the students and depriving the learning spaces of decent, comfortable environments.

Upcycling and management:

On the other hand, both the aforementioned spaces face a similar problem of unregulated waste management and disposal as well. This hints at a possibility for a common solution for both these spaces, something that can be replicated with relative technical ease and skill. This kind of intervention can be a far more effective one as it doesn’t include the mobilization of large quantities of materials for the problem, but would instead use informational and skill to create solutions from material that is readily available and undesirable. Can these two problems be linked in terms of solution? In other words, can disaster be managed with waste?

Worldwide, the total number of disasters reported each year has been rising steadily in recent decades, from:

78

in 1970

to

348

in

2004

Source: The international Disaster Database, www.emdat.be/

2017, a year of disasters!

Given below are the major disasters that struck Asia in the past year.

April- May: Heatwave, India

Heatwaves in India claimed over 4,620 in the last four

June- July: Flooding, China

Major flooding in southern and central China affected

years. (HindustanTimes, 2017)

more than 14 million people. (CNBC, 2017)

August:

Flooding, India

The flood hit Gazole, West Bengal on August 22 affecting nearly 800,000 people. (First post, 2017)

Hundreds of thousands of mostly Muslim Rohing-

September: Flooding, Bangladesh yas have fled into Bangladesh since late August

during the outbreak of violence in Myanmar’s Rakhine state. (CNBC, 2017)

The typhoon killed scores of people and caused more

November: Vietnam typhoon than $1 billion in damage. (CNBC, 2017)

News Headlines CNBC, 2017

13

INTERVENTIONS FOR CHILD FRIENDLY SPACES Interventions for child friendly spaces

Objective:

Design:

The project aims to intervene in the existing learning center module and make it safer, more resilient and more engaging with the community. It aims to also, through materiality, reuse of waste, and other innovative methods, understand the universality of these interventions and their applications in other places and for other purposes as well. These interventions are each explored individually and are finally brought together in the design of the Learning Center. Even though there are several aspects to consider, here we concentrate on comfort, safety and play for a learning space that engages children as well as the community.

The design is to begin with a temporary structure which could be flat packed to where the camp will be located. The sustenance of the camp into a community for more than 5-10 months brings the need for transitional structures. School will be a mandatory part for bringing the community together and therefore there we add in flexible elements to make it merge into community activities as well as into play. Safety and comfort are inherent factors as we delve into the details of design. Finally these ideas will be reflected upon when the transitional school finally becomes part of the society that is formed; into a permanent structure. The materials and other features of interventions which happened throughout the way can be used for erecting the permanent structures with minor waste generation, which underlines the need of sustainability.

The concept of having a temporary Learning centre which is transformed into transitional in a few months and attaining permanency in afew years. THe materials are re-used in all the stages.

INTERVENTIONS FOR CHILD FRIENDLY SPACES

Sheathing(GI Sheet)

Cross Bracings(GI wire)

Purlins, Tie Beams & Rafters (Secondary members)

Beams & Posts(Primary members)

Bamboo partition & Bamboo mats( This could be changed according to the availability at the site)

Plinth

The existing design for Transitional Learning Centre 15

COMFORT

Physical and psychological comfort in a learning space

COMFORT

COMFORT IN LEARNING ENVIRONMENT

Overview:

Comfort of a space is an essential ingredient in making the space liveable and workable in. With the kind of focus and prolonged concentration on ideas and concepts that is needed in the classrooms, the comfort level is an classroom is therefore, of utmost importance.

However, most for most of the spaces, comfort is considered as an added luxury, a quality that doesn’t serve any direct purpose, but only enhances it.

However, while this is true for factories and other places, for a classroom, the lack of comfort beats its purpose. In places where there cannot be further economic investment towards comfort, the technologies and innovations like the cool roof, mud panel walls and recycled plastic tiles prove to be vital in terms of cost, usability, durability and most of all, in their provision of comfort in that space.

Physical and psychological comfort:

Physical environment refers to the level of upkeep, ambient noise, lighting, indoor air quality and/or thermal comfort of the school’s physical building and its location within the community. The physical environment of the school speaks to the contribution that safe, clean, and comfortable surroundings make to a positive school climate in which students can learn.

Children do not see, sense or touch passively, they feel, look and act actively.

Every aspect of a school starting from the colour of the classroom to the windows and furniture used to sit influences the ability to learn of a student. The school must have elements to adapt to a child’s expectations. Thus physicality can be improved in order to enhance the psychological comfort of a student.

A stiflingly warm environment may hinder the children from processing or receiving information. Thus physical and psychological comfort can elicit positive responses from the children and to facilitate interaction, engagement and collaboration, sharing and learning.

Rooftops of chandni chowk adorning the cityscape. Adopting cool roof on top can bring the heat as well as energy concumption considerably down. Photo: Siddharth Behl

Paver tiles made of construction waste and recycled plastic. These could be the new generation building materials. Courtesy: Recycling Plant Burari & Shayna Eciofield 19

1. COOL ROOF

CONCEPT & THEORY

Concept

Cool roofs decrease heat absorbed at the Earth’s surface and thus can lower surface temperatures. This decrease in surface temperatures reduces the energy consumption and cost savings. 30-40% heat enters through a dark and uncovered roof into a building. Thus altering the roof means reducing one third of the heat gain in a building. Also, roof is something which can be easily retrofitted/ changed without causing any physical interference for the neighbors/ context.

This reduction in temperature gain in a building can reflect in the less energy required for cooling the interior spaces which in turn can enhance thermal comfort even on a hot day. Extreme changes in surface temperature can damage roofs and the expensive equipment on them. Cool roofs reduce temperature fluctuations and will likely lengthen the life of roof equipment and material.

Cool Roof Theory:

It’s simple. Cool surfaces are measured by how much light they reflect (solar reflectance or SR) and how efficiently they radiate heat (thermal emittance or TE). Solar reflectance is the most important factor in determining whether a surface is cool. A cool roofing surface is both highly reflective and highly emissive to minimize the amount of light converted into heat and to maximize the amount of heat that is radiated away. Every opaque surface reflects some incoming sunlight and absorbs the rest, turning it into heat. The fraction of sunlight that a surface reflects is called solar reflectance or albedo. White roofs reflect more sunlight than dark roofs, turning less of the sun’s energy into heat. Increasing the reflectance of our buildings and paved surfaces—whether through white surfaces or reflective colored surfaces—can reduce the temperature of buildings, cities, and even the entire planet.

Within 50 years an estimated 80 percent of the world’s population will live in an urban area(www.un.org). This would result in rapid deployment of air conditioning, making cool roof a mandatory factor for cooler and energy efficient cities.

• Most roofs are dark and reflect no more than 20 percent of incoming sunlight while a new white roof reflects about 70 to 80 percent of sunlight (i.e., these surfaces have a reflectance of 0.7 to 0.8).

• New white roofs are typically 28 to 36 degrees Celsius cooler than dark roofs in afternoon sunshine while aged white roofs are typically 20 to 28 degrees Celsius cooler.

GO WHITE FOR GREEN Reflect Heatwaves with a cool roof Children are the most Susceptible to heatrelated illness especially when homes and schools are not been able to cool from the extreme day time heat.

Accuweather 2018

Delhi schools ordered to close early for summer as Temperature

rises above 44oC.

school roof with cool coatings

Cover the

to reflect heat and unwanted radiation throughout the year.

Inside temperature decreased by 8oC -10oC reducing the chances of heatstroke.

Heatwaves affect 330

Spend two months electricity cost for installation, Start saving on Electricity Bills thereafter!

out the nation, forces to

Save energy! A cool roof can

TheGuardian 2016

million people through-

Shut down schools.

TheGuardian 2016

Cool roofs have the ability to reflect and reject heat because the roofs are prepared with materials which have properties of high solar reflectance.

New Delhi Chief Minister, Sheila Dikshit, Indian-Express.com, January 20, 2011

Save Cooling Energy Load by decreasing the ambient temperature.

Increases the lifespan of a building and Cut down the

maintenance costs.

SCHOOL ROOF with COOL Coating Top your roof with mineral-surfaced sheets or paint consisting of solar reflective coatings. Another way is by growing plants over the roof.

This could be easily adoptable at a school as most of the existing school roofs are flat and devoid of insulation.

Cost: 7000-10000/- per classroom

Cool roofs decrease heat absorbed at the Earth’s surface and thus can lower surface temperatures. This decrease in surface temperatures reduces the energy consumption and cost savings. Source: Adapted from data from LBNL Heat Island Group. Numbers do not sum to 100 percent due to rounding.

21

1. COOL ROOF CASE STUDIES

Office building, Hyderabad:

The complex houses two identical buildings with a roof area of 700m . The roof of one building was coloured black while a white reflective cool roof coating was applied to the roof of the other building.

Weather towers, temperature sensors, current transducers, and data-loggers continuously monitored the weather, energy-use, and temperature data for the two buildings.

The average summertime daily roof surface temperature was reduced by 20 C degrees. Cooling energy savings due to cool roofing (from grey concrete to white roof coating) can vary largely, for example, ranging from approximately 15% to 20% during hot summer days.

Madras roofs, Madurai:

This study is an evaluation to the indoor thermal performance of various roofs in thermal performance of the residential buildings in the Warm humid climate Madurai, Tamilnadu, India. The field measurements were carried out in indoor of residential buildings using different roof solutions: Standard Reinforced concrete slab with lime concrete terracing, Madras Terrace roof, Thatch roof, Reinforced concrete slab with filler materials and Reinforced concrete slab with roof shading by clay pots and clay tiles.

The Madras roofing was found to be most effective with over 15oC-18oC difference before and after the intervention. The thatch roof, clay filled and earthern pot filled roofing showed considerable 5oC-8oC throughout the year.

Almeria, Spain:

The semi-arid AlmerĂ­a region of southern Spain has the most dense concentration of greenhouses in the world. In preparation for the hot summer months, farmers whitewash the roofs of the greenhouses to help lower inside temperatures. Over the last 20 years, temperatures in the AlmerĂ­a region have fallen by 0.3 degrees Celsius, in contrast to a 0.5 degree Celsius increase in temperatures in surrounding regions that do not have highly reflective greenhouses.

Office building, Hyderabad(Source: Cool Roof Manual, Delhi)

Madras roofs, Madurai (Pictures: Auroville Wikipedia.com)

Green House Rooftops, Almeria, Spain (Pictures: Google earth, Wikipedia.com)

23

1. COOL ROOFS

ECONOMICS OF A COOL ROOF

Life-cycle Approach Roof cost should be evaluated using a life-cycle approach that accounts for the upfront costs, as well as the savings and the expenses incurred throughout the roof’s service life. Roof lifetime, expected maintenance, disposal, and replacement costs should be evaluated for each viable roof option. Cool roofs may degrade more slowly and last longer than similar non cool roof systems.

Conversely, some roof roofs in hot, humid and moist environments may be susceptible to molds or algae growth which needs to be cleaned off regularly for the roof to maintain its reflective properties and to be able to function efficiently.

The cool roof can account for an overall low life-cycle cost due to the following factors: 1. Save on annual electricity bills by reducing summertime air condition costs 2. Reduce the peak electricity demand costs.

3. Reduce roofing waste added to landfills.

4. Reduce heat island effect in cities and suburbs.

5. Energy savings as increasing the reflectance from 0.1 to 0.6 can cut net annual cooling energy use by 10%-20% on the floor of the building and therefore reduced the need for air conditioning.

Coating roof with lime (Calcium hydroxide) can bring down the temperature by 10oC-11oC (the reflectivity of lime is 0.88) which could result in a 26.3% reduction in the energy cost for cooling the interiors. The following is the calculation for a roof with 100 sq.m. with and without cool roof: Without cool roof: Consumption Part 1 : 5500 * 4 /1000 = 22 units (AC 4.5 RT) Consumption Part 2 : 80* 10 /1000 = 0.8 units(AC FAN FOR 10 HOURS) Total Consumption : = 22.8 units Bill for a single day : = 22.8 * 6(Rs/unit) =136.8 Bill for a month : = 136.8 * 30 = 4104 Rs With cool roof: Consumption Part 1 : 4000 * 4 /1000 = 16 units (AC 4.5 RT) Consumption Part 2 : 80* 10 /1000 = 0.8 units(FAN FOR 10 HOURS) Total Consumption : = 16.8 units Bill for a single day : = 16.8 * 6 =100.8 Bill for a month : = 100.8 * 30 = 3024 Rs Reduction= 26.24% Cost of application of double coat lime wash=5000 Rs (can be retrieved in less than 5 months)

INTERVENTIONS FOR CHILD FRIENDLY SPACES

Cool Roof can reduce the indoor temperature by 10oC-15oC and thus reduce the energy bills by more than 25%. (Refer to the calculations mentioned)

On a city level, this can bring the entire urban heat by 2oC-3oC 25

1. COOL ROOFS

DESIGN & DEPLOYMENT

Temporary solutions: Coating the roof with normal lime with no adhesives: Coating lime with adhesives makes the intervention permanent. Here we tend to intervene in a temporary manner by letting the lime coating wash away by itself after 3-4 rains.

The school this was tried was in Acharya Niketan EDMC School, Shashigarden, Mayur Vihar Phase 1, Delhi.

The quick lime was made into paste and added into water such that every 1kg lime was mixed with 5l of water. This emulsion was strirred continously and sieved through a screened through a clean coarse cloth. This was applied on the roof top cleaned of all dust, dirt, mortar croppings and other foreign matter. Gum was avoided inorder to retain the impermanence. The temperature difference observed was between 10oC-11oC. Gunny bags: Periodically wet jute bags provides excellent insulators from the heat providing a temperature difference of upto 10oC-11oC. The are insulators as well as slow the evaporation of water when wet. This provides gradual evaporative cooling over the roof and thus help keep it cool.

Permanent solutions:

Sandwich panels/ filler slabs: Materials such as vermiculite, perlite, earthen pots, clay tiles, coconut shells, coco peat, light weight clay aggregates, etc. are mixed or used individually as sandwich layers above the slab. (Care should be taken about the dead load over the structure) Many of the following structures have very high specific heat because of which they require higher temperature to increase the surface temperature of the sandwich panel. Thus they act as strong insulators from heat. Also as they do not let the heat to travel in or out, the thermal mass within the building can be retained during winters making such sandwich layers ideal for both the seasons.

Upcycled solutions:

Bottle roof panels: The cool roof idea was then tied up with upcycling and these panels were made. The simulations showed more than 15 degree difference in temperature, right after installation. Now we are trying how to increase the efficiency as well as reduce plastic degradation by painting, using different samples etc.

Lime wash: 5Rs/sq.ft | Heat Reduction: 10oC-15oC

Earthern Pots Sandwiches: 15-20 Rs/sq.ft | Heat Reduction: 12oC-16oC

Recycled Plastic bottle panels: 4 Rs/sq.ft | Heat Reduction: 15.6oC at 1 PM on 30th May ‘18 27

1. COOL ROOF

UPCYCLING TRENDS ON POTENTIAL COOL ROOF MATERIALS

Newspaper Wood: This design comes from Norway, where over 1m tonnes of paper and cardboard are recycled every year. The wood is created by rolling up paper and solvent-free glue to create something not dissimilar to a log, then chopping it into usable planks. The wood can then be sealed so it’s waterproof and flame-retardant, and used to build anything you would normally build with wood. Source: Building with waste, Compilers: Dirk E. Hebel, marta H. Wisniewska and felix heise

Mycellium biocomposite:

This is a way to grow wall insulator and packing materials using mycelium, a bacteria found in rotting organisms like tree trunks and agricultural by products. If placed in a mold, these organic matters grow to the desired shape within a couple of days, and can then be stopped using a hot oven. This is particularly useful because traditional insulating and packing materials tend to be non-biodegradable, or, in the case of asbestos, poisonous. Source: Building with waste, Compilers: Dirk E. Hebel, marta H. Wisniewska and felix heise

Smog Insulators:

One of our biggest waste receptacles is the air, which isn’t great for our lungs, or for the human race’s chances of survival on a planet that’s rapidly getting hotter. “Dustyrelief”, a system created by the City of Bangkok and design firm New-Territories, involves placing an electrically charged metal mesh over a building, which attracts large smog particles and sticks them together. Eventually, this creates a kind of silvery fur over the building’s surface. Not particularly attractive, perhaps, but much better than a similar shag forming on the insides of your lungs. Source: Building with waste, Compilers: Dirk E. Hebel, marta H. Wisniewska and felix heise

Plasphalt:

Plasphalt is made up of grains of plastic produced from unsorted plastic waste, which replaces the sand and gravel traditionally used in asphalt production. In testing, it was found that plasphalt roads were far less vulnerable to wear and tear than traditional asphalt, because the asphalt emulsion bonded better with the plastic than with gravel or sand. ource: Building with waste, Compilers: Dirk E. Hebel, marta H. Wisniewska and felix heise

INTERVENTIONS FOR CHILD FRIENDLY SPACES

Newspaper Wood Source: Building with waste

Mycelium Biocomposite panels Source: Building with waste

Smog Insulators Source: Building with waste

Plasphalt (plastic+ Asphalt) Here the road to the left is covered in plasphalt and the right with only asphalt according to the traditional methods. Notice the wear and tear to the right in 5 years. Source: Building with waste

29

1. COOL ROOF

MATERIAL PERFORMANCE MATRIX

No

Cost

Time of Density installation (kg/m3)

Thermal Conductivity (W/mK)

Roof type

Weight

Thickness

1

Green Roof

50‐150 kg/m2

100mm‐ 6000‐ 10000 / sq.m.

150mm thick

2‐3 Weeks

different layers

different layers

2

Mangalore tiles filler slab

80‐140kg/m2

150‐200mm

8000‐10000 /sq.m.

2‐3 Weeks

Depends on the clay

0.52‐ 0.69 (Depending on t layers)

3

Hourdi Terracotta blocks

80‐150kg/m3

180‐ 220mm

10000‐12000/sq.m.

2‐3 Weeks

Depends on the clay

0.52‐ 0.69 (Depending on t layers)

s

the

the

Specific heat)Kj/KgK)

different layers

Effectiveness

Can reduce upto 5 degrees of heat in tropical climate zone.

Composite zone?

Construction techniques

Maintainance

Pros

Cons

• Increases the roof life • Increases solar reflectivity • Increases thermal emittivity Consists of Engineered soil with • Increases energy efficiency plantings, Filter fabric, Moisture • Increases fire resistance retention layer, Aeration layer, • Reduces surface runoff Thermal insulator, drainage layer, • Can be installed on a roof with • Structural Root barrier, waterproof membrane any slope consultaion over the structural deck. It 1st year maintainance • Increases biodoversity as well required can be constructed from wood, metal, and then can have 2 • Leaks if not as aesthetics in an urban concrete, plastic, gypsum or checks per every year scenario properly installed composite. To protect the roof • • Reduces heat flux via membrane from aggressive plant evapotranspiration roofs, mats with enhanced water • Acts as an insulator storage and capillary are preferred for • Minimizes the use of air some green roofs. conditioners • Prevents heat escape in winter

First the roof is cleaned and the first coat of cement based waterproofing is applied. Polyurethene sheet is laid over which the second coat of waterproofing is done. A layer of mortar is layed over this and left to dry for 24 hours. Cement slurry is poured when the layers beneath are Can reduce upto 5‐6 No maintainance degrees of heat in warm dry and the pots are placed and and humid climate zone. pressed inorder to fit into the ground required and to enhance the adhesion to slurry.

Composite zone?

Cure for another 24 hours. Cement mortar is filled within the voids and left for another 24 hours. This is levelled with IPS layer using an aluminium screed. White paint is applied for enhancing the performance.

Consumes less concrete and steel due to reduced weight of slab by the introduction of a less heavy, low cost filler material like two layers of burnt clay tiles. Slab thickness minimum 112.5 mm.

• Enhances thermal comfort inside the building due to heat‐ Structural consultaion resistant qualities of filler materials and the gap between required two burnt clay tiles.

• Makes saving on cost of this slab compared to the traditional slab by about 23%.

• Reduces use of concrete and saves cement and steel by about 40%.

Can reduce upto 5‐6 degrees of heat in warm same process as above and humid climate zone.

Composite zone?

same as above

No maintainance required

same as above

31

10000‐12000/sq.m.

2‐3 Weeks

(Can vary depending on 0.093‐ 0.240 the clay)1500‐ 2400

180‐250kg/m2 250‐300mm

10000‐12000 /sq.m.

3‐4 weeks

1820

0.811

80‐150kg/m3

8000‐10000 /sq.m.

2‐3 weeks

Depends on the clay

0.52‐ 0.69 (Depending o layers)

4

Hollow bricks

100‐180kg/m4 180‐ 220mm

5

Coconut shells

20‐50kg/m2

6

Bricks

7

Matka pots

100‐150mm

250‐350mm

on the

Can reduce upto 5‐6 degrees of heat in warm same process as above and humid climate zone.

Composite zone?

No maintainance required

same as above

First the roof is cleaned and the first coat of cement based waterproofing is applied. Polyurethene sheet is laid over which the second coat of waterproofing is done. A layer of mortar is layed over this and left to dry for 24 hours. Cement slurry is poured when the layers beneath are dry and the coconut shells are placed No maintainance required and pressed inorder to fit into the ground and to enhance the adhesion to slurry. 2‐3 layesrs are laid. Cure for another 24 hours. Cement mortar is filled within the voids and left for another 24 hours. This is levelled with IPS layer using an aluminium screed.

White paint is applied for enhancing the performance.

0.88

same as above

Structural consultaion required

Bricks are laid with lime mortar (inclined as well as diagonally in plan) over the structural slab. A layer of stretcher bond is layed on top of this.

Brick jelly, lime and regional Can reduce upto 5‐8 No maintainance degrees of heat in warm fruit/plant sap/ cellulose are mixed required and humid climate zone. and layed as a layer 10‐15cm thick.

Lime mortar is applied and a layer of Composite zone? terracotta tiles are laid inorder to seal the insulation, thermal reflectance as well as to enhance the usability of the roof.

•Efficiently enhances the thermal comfort inside the building due Structural to heat‐resistant qualities of filler consultaion materials and the gap between required two burnt clay tiles.

Weight is too high • Makes saving on cost of this Slab thickness slab compared to the traditional should be slab by about 23%. minimum 112mm • Reduces use of concrete and or above. saves cement and steel by about 40%.

First the roof is cleaned and the first coat of cement based waterproofing is applied. Polyurethene sheet is laid over which the second coat of waterproofing is done. A layer of mortar is layed over this and left to dry for 24 hours. Cement slurry is poured when the layers beneath are Can reduce upto 5‐6 No maintainance degrees of heat in warm dry and the pots are placed and and humid climate zone. pressed inorder to fit into the ground required and to enhance the adhesion to slurry.

Composite zone?

Cure for another 24 hours. Cement mortar is filled within the voids and left for another 24 hours. This is levelled with IPS layer using an aluminium screed. White paint is applied for enhancing the performance.

Structural consultaion required Consumes less concrete and steel due to reduced weight of slab by the introduction of a less heavy, low cost filler material like two layers of burnt clay tiles. Slab thickness minimum 112.5 mm. The weight also can be considerably high.

• Enhances thermal comfort inside the building due to heat‐ resistant qualities of filler materials and the gap between two burnt clay pots.

• Makes saving on cost of this slab compared to the traditional slab by about 23%.

• Reduces use of concrete and saves cement and steel by about 40%.

33

8

Kulhad garlands

80‐140kg/m2

250‐300mm

10000‐12000 /sq.m.

3‐4 weeks

Depends on the clay

0.52‐ 0.69 (Depending layers)

9

China Mosaic

20‐50kg/m2

30‐60mm

500‐600 /sq.m.

2‐4 days

2000

1.05

10

Thermo‐concrete

40‐60kg/m2

50‐100mm

4000‐5000/ sq.m.

11

Lime wash

20‐40 kg/m2

10‐25mm

164‐200 /sq.m.

675 (semi 0.189 compressed)

2‐4 days

2420

1.8

Can reduce upto 5‐6 degrees of heat in warm same as above and humid climate zone.

Composite zone?

g on the

same as above

same as above

same as above

Usually laid on top of another insulating layer such as mud phuska/ No maintainance required concrete/ brick bat/ earthern pot filling etc.

• Enhances thermal comfort inside the building due to heat‐ reflecting qualities of ceramic tiles.

Structural • Makes saving on cost of this consultaion slab compared to the traditional required slab by about 23%.

• Reduces use of concrete and saves cement and steel by about 40%.

0.96

Usually laid on top of another insulating layer such as mud phuska/ No maintainance required concrete/ brick bat/ earthern pot filling etc.

• Enhances thermal comfort inside the building due to heat‐ resistant qualities of filler Structural materials and the gap between consultaion the airy concrete blocks.. required • Reduces use of concrete and saves cement and steel by about 40%.

0.84

Usually laid on top of another insulating layer such as mud phuska/ No maintainance required concrete/ brick bat/ earthern pot filling etc.

Used as a filler/ plaster. The natural White colour provides higher solar as well as thermal reflectivity.

0.84

Can reduce upto 1‐2 degrees of heat in warm and humid and Composite zone.

Structural consultaion required

35

15

Mud phuska

90‐140 kg/m2 50‐70mm

1‐2 weeks

16

Thatch Roof

30‐50 kg/m2

1‐2 weeks

17

Vermiculite

1622

0.519

1254 (Large granules)

0.432 (Large granules)

e

0.88

For mud phuska, selected soil which should be good quality brick earth not containing excessive clay or sand, free from stones, kankar, grass roots and such foreign matter, shall be collected and stacked at site. The soil shall not be collected from a locality infested with white ants. Before laying on the roof, the soil shall be made damp by adding water about 12 hours earlier. It shall be turned Less maintainance over with phawras so as to break clods and to pulverize the same. Quantity of required water to be added to the soil shall be carefully regulated so that the soil shall have optimum moisture content at the time of laying and compaction on the roof. The soil shall be laid on the roof to requisite thickness and slope, well compacted with wooden rammers and thappies, to obtain an even surface to correct slope. Average thickness of soil after compaction shall be as specified for the item.

• Enhances thermal comfort inside the building due to heat‐ resistant qualities of filler materials and the porousity of Mud phuska. Structural consultaion • Makes saving on cost of this required energy consumpetion of the building compared to the traditional slab by about 23%.

• Bio degradable, environment friendly.

Structural consultaion required

0.84‐1.08 (Large Granules)

Structural consultaion required

37

18

Mushroom Filler blocks (Mycelium blocks)

19

Cork Filling

20

21

2000‐ 2500/ sq.m.

164

0.043

Coconut pith

520

0.06

Jute fiber

329

0.067

Saw dust and mercilum are mixed and placed in between chicken wire mesh and allowed to grow. The shape it takes can be modified according to our Maintainance required Grows by itself, Light weight need as it is a high density foam. It has high compressive strength and are ideal for furniture. The properties as a retrofit roof have to be looked into.

Structural consultaion required

0.96

Waste cork panels are compressed and made into high‐ medium density No maintainance required panels which are porous and highly efficient insulators.

Ligt weight, fficient insulator.

Structural consultaion required, Expensive

1.09

The coconut pith can be very efficient growing medium for installing an extra layer of green roof/ vegetation spot.

The pith has to be immersed in water Maintainance required. for 3‐4 hours so that it expands by itself and create a light, porous growing medium for any plant or grass.

Light weight, not affected by fungi.

Expensive

1.09

Maintainance might be Excellent moisture retaining required. capacity, Light weight

Degrades fast.

39

22

Saw dust

188

0.051

23

Fly‐ash

700‐900/ sq.m. for a 1‐2 weeks 10mm ‐ 12mm layer

2186

0.067

24

Sof board (Highly cimpressed)

500‐900/sq.m.

320

0.66

25

Polyurethene Foam Insulation

700‐1000/ sq.m

32

0.0242

1

Excellent moisture retaining capacity, Light weight, water proof

Saw dust can be used as filler material.

Degrades , prone to fungi.

Reduces the thermal conductivity Expensive of concrete if mised together.

1.3

0.82

No maintainance required

Structural Light weight, available nationally, consultaion can be easily cut required,

No maintainance required.

Light density attributes to high porousity and therefore high Not insulation capacity. Very effective biodegradable.

In interior insulation. Easy installation,waterproof etc.

41

26

Styrofoam

700‐1000/ sq.m

35

0.027

27

ISO Board

700‐1000/ sq.m

32

0.028

28

Brick tile

1892

0.798

29

Mud Brick

1731

0.75

1.34

0.82

0.88

No maintainance required.

Light density attributes to high porousity and therefore high Not insulation capacity. Very effective biodegradable.

In interior insulation. Easy installation,waterproof etc.

No maintainance required.

Light density attributes to high porousity and therefore high Not insulation capacity. Very effective biodegradable.

In interior insulation. Easy installation,waterproof etc.

easily available

Heavy, structural concultation required, wet construction makes the installation time more.

easily available

Heavy, structural concultation required, wet construction makes the installation time more.

43

2. MIXED MUD PANEL CONCEPT & THEORY Concept The heatwave as well as fire is a common disaster pertaining throughout the country. Bricks and mortar construction hasn’t coped up with it well. Even if it did, it creates a pile of debris in 25-50 years after demolition. This demands a material which can go back into the soil without further piling up as well as uses up the existing waste.

With the current daily discard of 9,000 tonnes of garbage in the Capital, there are no fresh landfills available. By 2020, Delhi needs an additional area more than the entire spread of Lutyen’s Bungalow Zone, to dump 15,000 tonnes of garbage daily. The noticeable fact is that 45% of the daily garbage outlet is from the construction sector from wastage of fresh materials and demolition (HindustanTimes, 2013).

A panel made of mud from the site, grinded construction waste replacing sand and aggregates, using 5%-10% of cement for further adhesion. The insulation and other properties could be further enhanced adding vermiculite, lime, perlite, cork, waste wood shavings, bamboo mat etc

Theory and tests:

Soil composition and analysis through comprehensive tests in a laboratory is very important. This will be required to estimate amount of cement, and other missing native constituents that must be added to the final mix. All soils are made up of three components: sand, silt, and clay. These components are defined on the basis of particle size, sand being the coarsest of the three and clay the finest. Optimum composition of soil for soil cement blocks is made up of approximately 75% sand and only 25% of silt and clay. The clay content should never comprise less than 10% or more than 50% of the soil. Most soils, when reasonably free from vegetable matter, can be satisfactorily with cement or lime.

The soil was procured from closeby to Munirka metro area, which is very close to the office and the following field tests are performed: 1. Wash test 2. Cutting test 3. Ball dropping test 4. Jar/ Sedimentation test And from the following results are obtained: The South delhi sample obtained was a silty clayey loam which had about 65% silt, 25% clay and 10% sand. The further constituents for the panel was decided from these observations.

The field test results are approximate. Perform Lab tests for accurate results.

Sedimentation Test/ Jar Test: The levels of organic matter, silt , clay and sand can be seen.

Rub Test The soil was removed completely upon rubbing without stickin gon to the ppalm. Infers to low clay content.

Ball Dropping Test: The radius almost turned double which points to high silt content.

Rupture Length Test: Ruptered in less than 6 cm which infers to high silt content, moderate clay and low sand content.

Cross section: Apperance dull which infers to high silt content

45

2. MIXED MUD PANEL CASE STUDIES

Adobe construction, Auroville earth Institute: One had to wait till 1950 in Colombia for a housing research programme to improve the hand-moulded adobe. The result of this R&D was the Cinvaram, the ancestor of the steel manual presses, which could make very regular blocks in shape and size, denser, stronger and more water resistant than the common adobe. CEB technology has been a great mean for the worldwide renaissance and promotion of earth construction in the 20th century.

The input of soil stabilization allowed building higher with thinner walls, which have a much better compressive strength and water resistance. With cement stabilization, the blocks must be cured for four weeks after manufacturing. After this, they can dry freely and be used like common bricks with a soil cement stabilized mortar. Compressed earth blocks are most of the times stabilised, as showed in the examples hereafter. Hence we prefer to name them now Compressed Stabilised Earth Blocks (CSEB).(Source: Auroville Earth Institute)

Poured earth wall, Auroville:

The soil, in a liquid state, is poured like concrete into formworks. The soil characteristics must be very sandy or gravely and should be stabilised.

This technique is a new development and is very seldom used. The reason is that the high water content of the soil will induce a lot of shrinkage when it will dry. Thus the wall will crack and generally a lot. (Source: Auroville Earth Institute) If this shrinkage of soil could be controlled using a sustainable material, the technique could be adopted anywhere in the world with a regional recipe and thumb rules for additives along with mud. Here comes the importance of the survey of common waste produced by every place at a city level. The demolition wastes are one of the major component of the generated waste at a global level. This comes with an added advantage- every regional demolition waste will have a unique style and composition which were used in the past and could be ideal for future construction. Eg: vermiculite from western attics can be an ideal additive to a mud wall increasing the porousity and insulation, laterite block powder and lime mortar obtained from traditional Kerala construction can be added inorder to increase water proofing and colour of the wall, brick and mortar demolition waste can increase the compressive strength etc.

Auroville Earth Institute(Source: AEI)

Poured Earth Wall(Source: Designbuildbluff) 47

2. MIXED MUD PANEL ECONOMICS & DESIGN Economics Mud has been one of most widely used material in vernacular architecture in India and in most parts of the world as well. The usage, properties and applications of these panels made with mud change according to the soil type and composition.

Primarily, clay soil is deemed as the best for use in construction and in particular, mud panel modular construction. Mud is very inexpensive, and the additional materials that need to be mixed with it to make it suitable for construction are lime, cement, clayey soil and fibres such as bamboo, straw etc. which are relatively inexpensive as well. This brings down the overall cost for the material, which is again further saved by the less use of material by the design of the panel.

Design The design of the mud panel has been done keeping in mind a primarily modular usage for walls and roof. The following are the constituents used in the prototype: Mud......................................................200gm Cement...................................................50gm Construction waste(Coarse aggregate)..150gm Construction waste(Fine aggregate).......200gm Lime.........................................................50gm Water.......................................................250ml The above mix is poured into a 6” x 6” mould and left to dry in the sun for 48 hours.

The cement in the mud panels gives it a strength that doesn’t work across large surfaces by itself. These can be in wood or recycled plastic with enhancements like grooves and sliding into one another as per the modular requirements.

The first prototype was made to check the britility as well as to find the additional materials to be added. Fibrous materials are a must when using silty clayey loam as they have the least reinforcement. Addition of soil with high clay content as well as more lime and cement(or traditional replacements such as wheat flour etc.) can help.

However, with the provision of a little reinforcement, the panel can perform surprisingly well in minimal thicknesses. The most basic kind of reinforcement at a small level is the addition of cotton/jute/canvas cloth, either side of which the treated mud material will be applied as per a required thickness.

The strength can be enhanced by using chicken wire mesh or plastic as well, but in terms of quick availability and ease of handling, cloth that is sufficiently porous would do the job as well. This cloth is then connected to a frame that can be of the required size, (although frame smaller than 700mm square would function best with a cloth reinforcement).

INTERVENTIONS FOR CHILD FRIENDLY SPACES

Preparation of 6� X 6� Moulds

The aforementioned constituents are mixed in water and are hand pressed in the mould. THe tile came out perfectly hal dry(after 24 hours) but it turned brittle in the next 24 hours. Therefore, the water content was keeping it intact and the dryer it became, the silt excluded the adhesion it had. The next step would be trial of the same contituents with more clay, reinforcements and more cement content.

49

UNDERSTANDING SYSTEMS - MUD PANELS UPCYCLING TRENDS

Paper Crete Papercrete is essentially a type of industrial strength paper machĂŠ made with paper and cardboard, mud, sand and Portland cement. a. Paper: Usually waste paper such as used newsprint or cardboard. b. Aggregate: Coarse aggregate or fine aggregate such as sand may be used depending in the desired strength of the Paper Crete. c. Cement: It is used as a binder and used to provide strength and rigidity to the Paper Crete. d. Water: Used for mixing

A tried combination is 60% paper, 20% sand and 20% cement. The

method of making Papercrete is very simple. The dry ingredients are mixed with water in a mixer to form slurry. The slurry is cast into blocks or panels and allowed to dry in the sun.

When it hardens up, papercrete is lightweight (its 80 percent air),

an excellent insulator (R= 2.8 per inch), holds its shape even when wet, and is remarkably strong (compressive strength of 260 psi). And, since it contains paper fibers, it has considerable tensile strength as well as compressive strength (Solberg, 2000).

Papercrete is suitable for making low cost homes, community

rooms, sale booths, storage rooms and dwellings for livestock with limited longevity and durability. It can also be used as a plaster, spraying on walls to give them good sound and heat insulating properties.

Benefits of Papercrete:

.

Raw materials are very inexpensive and freely available.

.

Equipment used is relatively low-tech.

.

Has high compressive strength,heat and sound insulating

properties, waterproof and light weight.

.It is easy to mould and smolder in fire(therefore a fire

retardent) Limitations of Papercrete:

.

Poor moisture resistance, susceptible to termite and mould.

.

Disintegrates and low longevity when exposed to water for

prolonged periods of time.

.

Expands and contracts frequently leading to cracks and buckling

.

Poor tensile strength.

INTERVENTIONS FOR CHILD FRIENDLY SPACES

Papercrete blocks have immense compresive strength as well as low carbon footprint (Source: Precastpapercrete.wordpress.com)

The airy insulating cross section of papercrete block Papercrete blocks mash can be moulded using old chairs (Source: halcyontimes.wordpress.com) or chicken wire mesh and made into public furniture.

(Source: bayadaim.org)

51

UNDERSTANDING SYSTEMS - MUD PANELS UPCYCLING TRENDS IKRA Panels: The name Ikra is derived from a reed locally found in the North eastern parts of India. It is a housing typology where this Ikra reed is used extensively in walls and roof of such houses.

The construction of this type of housing takes place in a single phase and is usually done by the owner/dweller only, without requiring any specialised construction skills. Typically, the building is originally designed for its final constructed size.

The Ikra wall system is very light imparting lightness to the overall structure. Due to less mass, these houses perform well during earthquakes. In the recent 18 September 2011 Sikkim earthquake (M6.9), severe damage was observed in reinforced concrete construction. On the other hand, the only damage observed in Ikra houses due to earthquake shaking alone was to additional class rooms of Ikra type constructed on third story of a local Government Secondary School building.

Therefore, such houses may not be suitable for construction on higher stories due to possible amplification of ground motion along of the height. No injury has been reported due to falling light-weight debris of the Ikra walls. On the other hand, damage sustained by the reinforced concrete part of the school building was severe and the building was abandoned.

The strengths that Influence Earthquake Safety of the Ikra Building Typology are . Lightweight structures. . Good wall to wall connections. . Flexible joineries.

Mycelium Biocomposite: Mycelium is mainly composed of natural polymers as chitin, cellulose, proteins, etc,. Due to its unique structure and composition we foresee the production of large amounts of mycelium-based materials. So far mycelia have been exploited principally by a US company, that uses unprocessed biomass glued together by mycelia resulting into foamy structures, but there is still a lot of space for improvement and further development of the mycelium-based materials.

The developed mycelium-materials are natural polymeric composites (chitin, cellulose, proteins, etc.) that require minimum energy for production (self-growing), and their characteristics can be tuned by modifying their nutrient substrates.

Hence, this work can pave the way for the controlled self-growth of a variety of functional mycelium-materials in large amounts with low costs.

IKRA Panels (Source: http://db.world-housing.net/pdf_view/154/)

Mycelium wall (Source: UCB Sala, CA) 53

SAFETY

Safe Learning Spaces

SAFETY

UNDERSTANDING SAFETY

Overview

Safety has always been the primary function of all shelter, and its importance is only enhanced in the setting of a disaster relief architecture. While the underlying aim of safety is to provide and safeguard life, property and possessions from damage and loss, the idea of safety and the way it is communicated through design, architecture and community is a very complex concept to understand and to implement as well. Certain safety measures are un-scalable and exist only at certain scales – such as family, individual and community.

Safety as a Community stance

There are many problems and hazards on an individual and family level which, when scaled up to a community level, are easier and much more effectively solved for. Safety measures when designed for and implemented on the community level solve a much wider gamut of issues such as food and water provisions, child safety, livestock and property safety and also safety of individuals as there can be common functions across the families, making it possible to allot each structure fully for a singular function etc.

Even secondary disasters, like outbreak of certain illnesses and epidemics on top of an already existing disaster like floods, (which increase the possibility of the former) can be averted only through community wide implementation of safety guidelines and standards.

Safety & Education

In the face of disasters, a lot of the accidents that further happen in its wake happen through uninformed decisions and lack of awareness of how to properly respond and behave in such scenarios. A major example would be the spread of diseases through water/airborne means by the improper disposal of food and medicines, open and uninformed toiletry practices. Education of the people and especially parents with regard tot eh necessary restrictions and proper practices as per their immediate specific need would be of utmost importance in these scenarios.

Without the proper awareness and education, even the most effective of solutions will not reach their targeted populace, nor achieve their purpose. It is in this regard that the learning center becomes of utmost utility not only in the long term for the children of the community, but also for the entire population of that community in effectively dealing with and coping with the disaster at hand.

Safety in Schools: Sikkim School Safety (2011), SeedsIndia

Safety as a community stance: Empowering women through skill learning endevours, SeedsIndia 57

1. WATER SAFETY OVERVIEW

Concept

The most important resource for a community struck with disasters is drinking water. This is higher in the priority list than that of food and shelter as well. Unavailability of clean and safe water disrupts the community in ways that are much faster and much more dangerous than most other safety factors concerned. Most epidemic outbreaks spread through water contamination, and contamination of drinking water sources is the most easiest and potent secondary disasters to occur. It is therefore of utmost importance that in cases where there is no provision of bottled drinking water, there must be a secondary measure to safeguard this aspect.

Economics and upcycling: There is a strong connection between the economics of upcycling and sustainability/ease of availability of a material. There has been a huge upsurge in the plastic waste generation all through the last decade and while until now it was economically viable to use and throw the plastic, the waste thus accumulated and the cost of disposing that waste now almost is comparable to the cost of keeping the singular use plastic in circulation in the market. The solution is to upcycle it, and incorporate plastic as a filler material or for some other kind of purpose in the design. The upcycling industry will be a huge one soon, and one that is actually sustainable with a positive impact on both the environment and the economy.

News Headlines 2018. Times of India

59

1. WATER SAFETY

DESIGN & DEPLOYMENT

Play pump:

Groundwater in most parts of the world is a very reliable source of water and it remains unaffected by most contaminants and impurities.

Groundwater can only be used through mechanical means which pump it up from the underlying water levels for use. These require energy and equipment in place. While the equipment is an unavoidable part of the scenario, the mechanical energy that is needed to pump the water from the underground can be integrated into the children’s play area in schools and learning centres. Play pump is one such intervention that uses the mechanical energy generated from merry-go-rounds and other such playtools to pump water from the ground through a connection to a pipe, a pump and a storage tank. The children’s play thus doubles up as an effective means to generate and store water pumped from the ground.

Water filter:

The water filter is the last stand between contaminated or pumped groundwater and the people who are drinking it, and is thus a vital part of the water safety circle. Fortunately, water has some very effective and easy ways to be purified and one such way that can be used anywhere in the world as log as there is heat through sunlight or other means is distillation. There is a very simple design for a water purifier which works as follows: The water that is to be purified – any kind of water, even with physical impurities can be filled in the storage tank at the bottom of the device.

The tank is made in metal, with black colouring in the outside to absorbed the maximum amount of heat possible. The water thus heated vaporises slowly and rises up, where it encounters the metal cone which is at a significantly lower temperature (due to the wet, moist mud placed on top of the cone, open to air, providing evaporative cooling to the cone). The vapour thus condenses onto the cone and trickles to the nose of the cone, and fall into the collector pipe which is connected to the outlet. The water that finally reaches the outlet is clean and clear. However, for water that is heavily contaminated, a membrane of tyvec between the storage tank and the cone will be an extra measure of safety.

(Source: inhabitat.com)

(Source: aemstatic-ww2.azureedge.net)

Scrap metal cylinder for the body.

(Source: http://1.bp.blogspot.com)

Scrap metal sheet for the cone lid.

. An inclined pipe is joined in to a hole on the cylindrical body with the provision of collecting water coming from the tip of the cone. . The body of the filter is painted black. . The lid is kept and filled with wet mud.

Waste water is filled till beneath the inclined pipe. The blackbody which gets heated up evaporates the waste water into vapour and condenses at the cone. the purified water collected at the tip will flow through the pipe and is collected in an external cup.

61

2. DISASTER RESILIENCE CASE STUDIES

Floating Schools, Bangladesh:

Shidhulai has transformed the regions waterways into pathways for education, information and technology. Shidhulai has converted boats into schools, libraries, healthcare and trainings centers to the isolated waterside communities.

During the height of monsoon the riverside low lying area goes under water, and boat school moves from door to door to ensure the continuation of education. The boats follow the same style of construction as the Kerala house boats using coir, bamboo mats, timber and ply for the super structure above the boat. These materials are used due to their long lasting and lightweight properties.

Moving School, Thailand:

Architects: Building Trust + Ironwood Location : Mae Sot, Tak 63110, Thailand Architect in Charge: School 4 Burma competition winners Amadeo Bennetta & Dan LaRossa and Building Trust international Design Team Project Year: 2012 A school building that could be taken down and transported with the community, perhaps one day being able to be taken back over the border into Burma and starting the regeneration of the countries small rural border towns that have been devastated by decades of civil war. To build the schools, they started the charity Building Trust international, held an international design competition, hosted an exhibition in London, led the build, changed the way school land contracts were written and encouraged young migrants to learn and share skills such as woodwork, metalwork and bamboo building techniques with peers and volunteers.

Floating Schools, Bangladesh

Moving School, Thailand

63

2. DISASTER RESILIENCE DESIGN POSSIBILITIES

Float Clip:

Some disasters complement each other while others contrast each other. For example, Drought and flood compliment each other, water harvested and filtered from flood prone areas can be used during summers/ droughts. On similar lines, earthquakes and cyclone contrast each other as making a structure earthquake proof demands a stable and lightweight structure but making the same building cyclone proof demands a heavy structure with strong pivots. Through well thought out design, one can use this fact against the disasters themselves, using one problem as the solution to another one. However, a universal solution is not attainable, but certainly one to aspire for. As we cannot include all the resiliences into a single structure, we can try structures that can withstand a small combination of disasters. Here, I have taken earthquake and flood - a combination that generally occurs together in certain hilly places, or valleys.

Empty barrels in plastic or wood can be installed beside the stilts which extend till the earthship foundation (recycled tyres). This can counter earthquake as the tyres have higher friction as compared to concrete foundations. They can dampen the vibrations and convert that energy into heat, as types generally do during suspension in vehicles. This quality of theirs enables them to stay intact during erosion or earthquakes.

The main members (primary stilts) can be connected to the base of the structure using a removable clip, preferably through a flexible joint, as they are better at resisting earthquake vibrations. In the unfortunate occurrence of a flood in the same area, this clip can be removed and the empty barrels would help the structure float over the water because of their buoyancy properties. These barrels, during normal times can be used as storage tanks too store water or other resources.

Float Clip

65

PLAY

Play and learn

PLAY

UNDERSTANDING SAFETY

Education and Play

Education and play are complementary for young children and must go hand in hand with equal importance for both. One way to achieve this allocation of equal priority is to integrate them into activities that are a play for children and that also integrates education into them, thereby creating an educative process that children would love to engage in. These activities can also be designed to support and heal the students in a way that they need to be, in the wake of a disaster.

Design and implement creative and beneficial learning settings/opportunities for early ages is becoming a key competence of early educators, that should be consistently reflected in their initial and continuing training programs.

Learning through playing is not a new topic anymore in the pedagogical debate, especially when it comes to early childhood education. Nevertheless, new trends and challenges in the area appeared lately, showing how keeping a learning purpose in mind, young children can really benefit from meaningful learning situations, carefully designed and implemented in practice. In this paper, the inter-changing between learning to play and playing to learn is analyzed, from the perspective of the impact on child development and increase of their learning capabilities at the early age. New life in contemporary societies brought new behaviors and daily practices in children’s life. The professionals working in early childhood education, care and development should benefit from mentioned approaches, but should also be very aware of all the new trends n learning environments at early ages. The new pace of family life, the new technological world, the new games kids are likely to play from very early ages are all bringing into attention specific challenges for adults organizing their learning.

69

PLAY

INTERVENTIONS

1. Play window

The play window is a window frame that is filled with different geometric shapes that fit together along with a negative space into which these shapes can be slid into and out of. This window can be easily made by a carpenter in wood, and can be fixed onto the walls of the learning centre. This will keep the children engaged and will help them simultaneously learn the geometric shapes and their interrelations through this study. The many combinations possible through this device will also enhance creativity and a healthy curiosity for geometric shapes in the young minds. The tangram is fixed on a sliding frame and can be changed with community art or a puppet screen according to the context.

2. DIY Furniture:

Furniture is a huge task that occupies space, time, material, cost and therefore most f them cannot be provided to disaster relief camps and centres. As a solution for this, we have come up with cardboard based furniture design for tables and chairs that can be made from the cardboard packing that most other utilities arrive in. The design is a pyramid that fits into another pyramid that is inverted. This whole system is help in place by a weight that is kept at the bottom, typically a plastic container filled with mud. These can function as both stools and tables, and are easy to build, and can be incorporated into a play.

3. Tracking Beads:

The tracking beads can be an installation on a wall which consists of beads on strings, like a large abacus. Each student will be given a certain string and colored beads, each representing a habit, such as taking care of their personal hygiene, their family hygiene and all such things will be represented by each colour of the beads. The students will come to the school each day and move the beads representing a task that they have done in their family to the done section, thereby making the tasks of vigilance and doing the work a fun game, and also the teachers and others will be able to understand in a glance, the state of the community and their families as a whole.

Play window: A flexible design

Hygiene at home Health at home Food at home Water at home -similar points-

The whole panel, A daily community survey

Inspiration: A cloak hanger

CONCLUSION

CONCLUSION

ANALYSIS & RECOMMENDATIONS

Analysis:

In the time of ever-increasing single-use plastic and similiar waste generation, minor interventions and innovations can create self sustaining systems from upcycling waste to using that waste as carbon banks alongside sustainble and energy saving interventions like the plastic bottle coof roof and the cardboard furniture. The most important design interventions therefore are to identify these systems, and create the connections to form a self sustaining loop.

Recommendations:

The sustainable solution industry suffers from a severe shortcoming in terms of innovations in India. There are a lot of problems which can be solved in an effective and inexpensive way by the right diverting of innovations, ideas and materials. Recycled plastic and other waste generated by the regular economy can be diverted and put into effective and even an up cycled use through meaningful design. It is in these aspects that design plays the most important role and can actually solve multiple problems with one solution.

It is highly recommended that the true value of design as a inter-disciplinary thought system that can look at problems as solutions and vice versa, that can disconnect itself from the mainstream economy and markets, through its contemporary times and look at the big picture with a cohesive and holistic approach, as it should. Design can function as the element that can actually create something from nothing, and nowhere is it more relevant than in the scenarios which re cut off from the mainstream economy. Where it is not about aesthetics and high end materials, and luxury and comforts, but about understanding the necessary tools for a community’s emotional, physical and cultural survival and growth.

75

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Akbari, H. (2008). “Evolution of cool-roof standards in the United States.” Advances in Building Energy Research.

Akbari, H. (2009). “Heat Island Publications.”

Akbari, H., R. Levinson, et al. (2008). “Procedure for measuring the solar reflectance of flat or curved roofing assemblies.” Solar Energy 82(7): 648-655.

Akbari, H., S. Menon, et al. (2009). “Global cooling: increasing world-wide urban albedos to offset CO2.”

Climatic Change 94(3): 275-286.

Al-Homoud, D. M. S. (2005). “Performance characteristics and practical applications of common building thermal insulation materials.” Building and EnviroWnment 40(3): 353-366.

Alvarado, J. L., W. Terrell Jr, et al. (2009). “Passive cooling systems for cement-based roofs.” Building and Environment 44(9): 1869-1875.

Berdahl, P. and S. E. Bretz (1997). “Preliminary survey of the solar reflectance of cool roofing materials.”

Energy and Buildings 25(2): 149-158.

Harrison, H. W. (1996). Roofs and Roofing: Performance diagnosis, maintenance, repair and the avoidance of defects, BRE. Levinson, R., H. Akbari, et al. (2007). “Cooler tile-roofed buildings with near-infrared-reflective non-white coatings.” Building and Environment 42(7): 2591-2605.

Prado, R. T. A. and F. L. Ferreira (2005). “Measurement of albedo and analysis of its influence the surface temperature of building roof materials.” Energy and Buildings 37(4): 295-300.

Rosenfeld, A. H., H. Akbari, et al. (1995). “Mitigation of urban heat islands: materials, utility programs, updates.” Energy and Buildings 22(3): 255-265.

Suehrcke, H., E. L. Peterson, et al. (2008). “Effect of roof solar reflectance on the building heat gain in a hot climate.” Energy and Buildings 40(12): 2224-2235.

Times Online. (2009). “Professor Steven Chu: paint the world white to fight global warming.”

Tiwari, G. N., M. Upadhyay, et al. (1994). “A comparison of passive cooling techniques.” Building and Environment 29(1): 21-31.

US Environmental Protection Agency. (2004). “Energy Star Roofing Comparison Calculator.” Retrieved 06/07, 2009, from http://roofcalc.com/ Rogers, S. (2011). Rethinking Play and Pedagogy in Early Childhood Education. (ed.). Oxon: Routledge. (p. 1).

Dockett, S. (2011). The challenge of play for early childhood educators. In: Rethinking Play and Pedagogy in Early Childhood Education. (ed.: S. Rogers). Oxon: Routledge.

Tapscott, D. (2011). Crescuti digital. Generatia Net iti schimba lumea. [Grown Up Digital: How the Net Generation Is Changing Your World]. Bucharest: Publica.

Nutbrown, C. (2011). Key Concepts in Early Childhood Education and Care. 2nd edition. London: Sage.

Sullo, B. (2007). Activating the Desire to Learn. Alexandria: ASCD.

77