May-June 2012

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ARCHITECTURE APPLYING PLASTER: Once all the bag work is complete, the structure shall be plastered as soon as possible to avoid prolonged exposure to the sun. Mud plasters are most commonly used on earth-bag structures, but lime and cement plasters may also be used if you place a mesh over the bags to hold it in place. A final color coat can be applied by painting the plaster. MERITS AND LIMITS: Earth-bag building technology is as much accepted as it has been doubted. Despite the structural testing conducted on earth-bag homes and various prototypes built across the world, the local building codes do not yet support them making it difficult for the home owner. Being an unfamiliar alternative construction method, many banks are not ready to extend financial assistance to the builder. Still, even if a bank and the local building officer agree, there might be other difficulties. To remain structurally sound, these homes are engineered to be small. Bigger structures can be accomplished by building a series of interconnected domes, or by extending underground. One of the oldest uses of earth-bags is in the control of devastating floods. This fact has been well exploited in various examples to make small pond structures using earth-bag building system (bags + barbed wire). But when it comes to waterproofing the homes in heavy rain locations, the system seems to lack a foolproof method. Experiments suggest that covering the structure with cement-rich stucco will do much work. But in rural areas, the cost will be a major hindrance to this method. In some shelters, the structures were covered with plastic sheeting and then plastered with mud. This, if required, can further be painted with roof sealer to increase the resistance to water. Cool in summer and warm in winter, earth-bag homes win over the contemporary way of construction in the level of comfort and thermal insulation they provide. Another succeeding factor is the ‘do-it-yourself’ methodology and easy availability of materials that make this technology very cost effective. Grain bags and barbed wire are available throughout most of the world or can be imported for a fraction of cost. Filling earth can be taken from the site itself or can be brought at the cost of transportation from a nearby source. Some countries have advantage of mechanized gravel yard that produce vast quantities of rejected fine gravels, which can be purchased for a cheap price. The ease of construction also reduces the skilled labor required for the work. The cost of the covering plaster is a critical aspect, where one needs to carefully choose the method and material of plastering. The plastering method can either boost or save cost of your shelter. © CALEARTH INSTITUTE spacesnepal.com 26 May - June 2012
ARCHITECTURE PEGASUS CHILDREN’S PROJECT IN NEPAL Nader Khalili’s innovative earth-bag building technology has also made marks on the beautiful hills of Nepal. Pegasus is a charity for creating loving and ecologically sustainable environment for disadvantaged children around the world. In 2001, Angela McCarty and her son Simon visited Nepal and were touched by the condition of street children. Simon returned to UK, raised funds and started the Pegasus project at Raitar near Kathmandu in 2006. The project included shelters for 80 children 10 staff and a small school. Simon and his team chose Cal Earth’s super adobe building method as they saw it as a good option for the community as it used earth and very little wood. In July 2007, most of the buildings were completed and in August, the children moved into their new Eco-homes. This unusual shelter is getting very popular with the children as it keeps them cool in summer, warm in winter and of course they are so much fun! During its construction, more than 100 local Nepali workers were employed. This project has been an example showing how local unskilled people can bring together few bags of dirt and make durable building for themselves. • © BANSRI PANDEY © BANSRI PANDEY May - June 2012 27 spacesnepal.com
Page 1: MAY - JUNE 2012 ART - ARCHITECTURE
Page 9 and 10: Jorpati,Kathmandu,Nepal Tel: 491170
Page 12: Volume 8 Issue 4 May - June 2012 Co
Page 15: YOUR HOME . . . YOUR STYLE WHAT’S
Page 21 and 22: PRODUCTS 5776 # 1,000.00 ML-0110012
Page 23 and 24: ARCHITECTURE Bags of Dirt to Durabl
Page 25: ARCHITECTURE HOW TO BUILD THE EARTH
Page 29 and 30: ARCHITECTURE IN THE MIST OF Alpine
Page 31 and 32: ARCHITECTURE The block aligned alon
Page 33 and 34: INTERIOR May - June 2012 33 spacesn
Page 35 and 36: INTERIOR The layout of the showroom
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Page 41 and 42: HERITAGE Acquiring, Preserving, Des
Page 43 and 44: HERITAGE Recently maintained sectio
Page 45 and 46: HERITAGE May - June 2012 45 spacesn
Page 47 and 48: HERITAGE Yala Art Gallery - a view
Page 49 and 50: HERITAGE YALA With a tag line of
Page 51 and 52: ART forms expressed, a commonality
Page 53 and 54: ART Tilte: Chaitya Medium: Acrylic
Page 55 and 56: ART Veteran artist Madan Chitrakar
Page 57 and 58: ART The number of the artists for t
Page 59 and 60: ART The project has been a hard wor
Page 61 and 62: OPINION Chaos commotion confusion T
Page 63 and 64: OPINION There are number of solutio
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