Auroville_Satprem_pt1.pdf

COMPRESSED STABILIZED EARTH BLOCKS
AND STABILIZED EARTH TECHNIQUES
RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT BY THE
AUROVILLE EARTH INSTITUTE (AVEI)
Satprem Maïni
Architect
Boulder 5 to 7 th
November 2010

SUMMARY
Introduction
Auroville Earth Institute & Resources
Management
1. Compressed stabilised earth blocks (CSEB)
A. Research on CSEB: Equipment and
products
B. Data on CSEB
C. Disaster resistance with CSEB
D. E’Block project
2. Stabilized earth techniques
A. Stabilized rammed earth foundations
B. Various composites techniques
3. Diversity of earthen buildings with CSEB
A. Projects by various architects
B. Architectural research and building
methods by AVEI
C. Projects' case studies of AVEI
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INTRODUCTION
THE AUROVILLE EARTH
INSTITUTE
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�AVEI was founded in 1989 by HUDCO, Government of India
�Thirteen awards: two international awards and eleven Indian ones
�Representative and Resource Centre for Asia of the UNESCO Chair
“Earthen Architecture, Constructive Cultures and Sustainable Development”
�BASIN South Asia (Building Advisory Service and Information Network)
Applied
Researches
Training &
Education
Publication
(33 today)
ACTIVITIES
Consultancy
worldwide
Constructio
n worldwide
�Researching, developing and promoting earth-based technologies
�Disseminating and transferring earth architecture worldwide ⇒ 30 countries
�Training more than 6,500 people from 67 countries
Heritage
conservation
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The Auroville Earth Institute attempts to link the ancestral
tradition of raw earth building with the modern technologies
of stabilised earth.
The Auroville Earth Institute attempts to giving people the
possibility to build themselves their own habitat with earth.
The Auroville Earth Institute shows that earth, as a building
material, can be used for creating a modern, progressive,
eco-friendly and safe habitat.
Compressed Stabilised Earth Blocks (CSEB)
is today the technology used the most in Auroville.
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Actions in 30 countries:
1983: Tunisia – 1986: Egypt & Germany – 1987: France, Somalia & Ivory Coast – 1988:
Australia, Haiti & Saudi Arabia – 1989 to 2009: India – 1990: Zaire – 1993: Eritrea – 1996:
Turkey – 1997: Brazil – 1999: Sri Lanka & Tibet – 2000: Niger & Burkina Faso – 2003: Saudi
Arabia – 2004: Iran – 2006: Israel, Portugal & Colombia – 2007: South Africa, Ethiopia,
Mexico & Texas – 2008: Nepal & Libya – 2009: Tanzania & Nepal –
2010: Algeria, Haiti, Egypt, USA
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Actions in 30 countries:
1983: Tunisia – 1986: Egypt & Germany – 1987: France, Somalia & Ivory Coast – 1988:
Australia, Haiti & Saudi Arabia – 1989 to 2009: India – 1990: Zaire – 1993: Eritrea – 1996:
Turkey – 1997: Brazil – 1999: Sri Lanka & Tibet – 2000: Niger & Burkina Faso – 2003: Saudi
Arabia – 2004: Iran – 2006: Israel, Portugal & Colombia – 2007: South Africa, Ethiopia,
Mexico & Texas – 2008: Nepal & Libya – 2009: Tanzania & Nepal –
2010: Algeria, Haiti, Egypt, USA
Trained more than 6,500 people from 67 countries
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Office of the Auroville Earth Institute 8

Office of the Auroville Earth Institute 9

Exhibition room of the Auroville Earth Institute on appropriate building technologies 10

INTRODUCTION
MANAGEMENT OF
NATURAL RESOURCES
Respect and worship
our Mother Earth!
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No management of resources creates ecological disasters
Never do this !!!
Eroded land due to
miss management of resources
Quarry not planned
It will become a garbage dump
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Wastewater treatment
Underground rainwater
tank
Half underground reservoir
Wastewater treatment &percolation
Appropriate and
sustainable
development requires
first proper
management of natural
resources.
Rainwater percolation
system
Wastewater treatment
Completed building, on 4 floo
Basement floor
Rainwater percolation system
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INTRODUCTION
MANAGEMENT OF
HUMAN RESOURCES
Training people and
giving them a livelihood
insures sustainable
development
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AVEI has trained thousands of people from 67 countries
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1. A. RESEARCH ON CSEB: EQUIPMENT AND PRODUCTS
AVEI has done R&D on machinery and products since 1989.
The Auram equipment for building with earth is sold worldwide.
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The Auram press 3000 is a multi mould manual press – Productivity: 125
Block/hour
It can fit 17 moulds for doing ~ 75 blocks
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Research on products to propose materials adapted to every cases.
Several series of blocks have been developed for various uses:
� Solid and hollow blocks for load bearing masonry
� Hollow interlocking blocks for disaster resistance
� Round blocks for � Hourdi for floors & � Tiles and special 18

Compressed Stabilised Earth Blocks (CSEB) by the Auram press 3000
17 moulds for doing about 75 different blocks
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Little embodied energy per m 3 material
�CSEB = 1,257 MJ per m 3
�Wire cut bricks = 3,294 MJ per m 3
�Country fired bricks= 5,447 MJ per m 3
~4 times less than country fired bricks
1. B. DATA ON CSEB
EMBODIED ENERGY
� CSEB are environmentally friendly as no firing is required for CSEB,
But only curing (4 weeks with cement stabilization)
Country fired bricks
00 tons of wood burnt for 250 000 fired bricks !!!
Less pollution per m 3 of material
�CSEB = 113 Kg of CO 2 /m 3
�Wire cut bricks = 296 Kg of CO 2 /m 3
�Country fired bricks= 490 Kg of CO 2 /m 3
~4 times less than country fired bricks
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CSEB wall
(24 cm thick)
� 3,067 Rs. per m 3
� 736 Rs. per m 2
1. B. DATA ON CSEB
COST
� CSEB are generally cheaper than fired bricks and other materials
Cost comparison of walls (Blocks produced on site)
Country fired brick wall
(22 cm thick)
� 4,243 Rs. per m 3
� 934 Rs. per m 2
(Value Auroville, 1 st October 2010)
A finished m 3 of CSEB wall costs in
Auroville
27.7% cheaper than country fired bricks
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1. B. DATA ON CSEB
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS (5% CEMENT STABILISED BLOCKS)
Dry compressive crushing strength σc (At 28 : 5 to 7 Mpa
days)
Wet compressive crushing strength σc (At 28 : 3 to 4 Mpa (after 24 h. immersion)
days)
Dry bending crushing strength σb (At 28 days) : 0.5 to 1 Mpa
Dry shear crushing strength (At 28 days) : 0.4 to 0.6 Mpa
Water absorption by weight (At 28 days) : 8 to 10 % (after 24 h. immersion)
Apparent bulk density (dry) : 1,900 to 2,000 kg/m 3
Coefficient of conductivity : 0.81 to 0.93 W/m°C
Time lag : 10 – 12 hours for 40 cm thick
Embodied energy per m 3 of finished masonry : 1,112.36MJ / m 3
(This value has to be compared with country fired bricks = 4,501.25 MJ / m 3
Carbon emission (CO2) per m3 of finished : 100.11 Kg / m
masonry
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(This value has to be compared with country fired bricks = 441.12 Kg / m3 Notes:
� Compressive strength values are for Auroville soil
(red sandy soil of lateritic origin with iron oxide), compressed with the Auram press 3000
� These mechanical characteristics are influenced by:
- The soil quality, the compression ratio and the force applied by the press
- The quality of manufacturing and especially curing
- The quality and percentage of stabilizer
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Gradation
(Grain size
Distribution)
1. B. DATA ON CSEB
RANGE OF SOILS PROPERTIES FOR CSEB
� The soil quality influences the choice of stabiliser
- Cement stabilisation requires more sandy soil
- Lime stabilization needs more clayey soils.
� Best soils for cement stabilisation are considered to have these proportions of components:
15 % Gravel + 50 % Sand + 15 % Silt + 20 % Clay
Best soils for lime stabilisation are considered to have these proportions of components:
15 % Gravel + 30 % Sand + 20 % Silt + 35 % Clay
Tests Cement stabilization Lime stabilization
Gravel (20 – 2 mm) 0 to 30 % (Ideal= 15%) 0 to 30 % (Ideal= 15%)
Sand (2 – 0.06 mm) 30 to 60 % (Ideal= 50%) 20 to 40 % (Ideal= 30%)
Silt (0.06 – 0.002 mm) 10 to 25 % (Ideal= 15%) 15 to 30 % (Ideal= 20%)
Clay (< 0.002 mm) 10 to 30 % (Ideal= 20 %) 30 to 50 % (Ideal= 35%)
Liquid limit (W
Plasticity
L)
Plasticity Index (IP) Dry volumic mass (Kg/m
20 to 30 %
10 to 20 %
25 to 50 %
20 to 30 %
3 ) Should only be known Should only be known
Proctor Should only be known Should only be known
Sulphate content (based on SO4) Less than 2 % Less than 0.5 %
Chlorate content (based on Cl) Less than 1 % Less than 0.5 %
Organic matter (Humus) Less than 1 % Less than 2 %
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1. C. DISASTER RESISTANCE WITH CSEB
Hollow Interlocking CSEB by the Auram press 3000
Auram Block 295
Auram Press 3000 Auram Block 245 Auram Blocks 245
Auram Blocks 295 (295 x 145 x 95 mm) Auram Blocks 245 (245 x 245 x 95 mm)
�Keys to increase the resistance to shear
�Hollow blocks to create a reinforced masonry
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Aum House - New Delhi, Built in 66 hours
with 18 men
Gold Medal by ITPO
“MINE” house - Istanbul
Built in a week during the
1996 City Summit Habitat
1. C. DISASTER RESISTANCE WITH CSEB
Aum House - Gujarat, built in 62 hours with
20 men
Starting point for the earthquake
reconstruction
“Tsunami” house – Tamil
Nadu
First prize of a national 28

1. C. DISASTER RESISTANCE WITH CSEB
GOVERNMENT APPROVAL
FOR DISASTER RESISTANCE
Our technology for disaster resistance has been approved by:
�The government of Gujarat (GSDMA), India, for the rehabilitation of
the zones affected by the January 2001 earthquake in Kutch district.
� 2 floors buildings are allowed.
�The government of Iran (Housing Foundation) for the rehabilitation of
the zones affected by the December 2003 earthquake in Bam.
� 2 floors buildings are allowed.
�The government of Tamil Nadu (Tsunami Relief and Rehabilitation),
India, for the reconstruction of the zones affected by the December
2004 Indonesian tsunami.
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1. C. DISASTER RESISTANCE WITH CSEB
WORLD
ASSISTANCE
Gujarat, India - Assistance to the Catholic Relief Services for production of hollow interlocking blocks
- Rehabilitation of the zones affected by the severe 2001 earthquake -
More than 8 million blocks produced in 39 Villages, with more than 2000 people, for building 2698 houses
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