Appropriate technologies

Jit Kumar Gupta
Chandigarh
Jit.kumar1944@gmail.com

Context of
Buildings--
Resources/
environment

 Buildings-- integral part of human history, growth, development
 Buildings – definer of future journey of human growth
 Buildings-- a manmade environment
 Buildings-- vital for human growth
 Buildings – living organism
 Buildings – structures catering to all human activities
 Buildings --valuable - 80% human life spent in buildings
 Buildings- full of dualities and contradictions
 Buildings -- largest consumers of energy
 Buildings - largest consumers of resources
 Buildings – largest generators of waste
 Buildings- largest polluter of environment /ecology
 Buildings --- responsible for largest carbon footprints
 Buildings -- responsible for global warming
 Buildings -- major determinant of global sustainability


 Buildings– provide optimum/worst living conditions
 Buildings -- make people healthy/sick
 Buildings -- vital to overcome human/ ecological concerns,
global warming, reducing carbon footprints
 Making Buildings Sustainable-- essential to make value
addition to -- resources, environment ,ecology
 Researches made/Studies carried out revealed —
 Green buildings-- create win-win situation for owners,
occupants & users
 A Green School-makes learning easy & more meaningful
 A Green House--makes people happy, healthy, productive
 A Green Hospital-- cures patients quickly
 A Green Shopping Mall-- increases sale / profits

BUILDINGS --AS CONSUMERS OF RESOURCES
•Built environment-significantly impact environment and consumption of
resources:
16% of world’s fresh water withdrawal.
25% of wood harvested.
30% of consumption of raw material.
50% of global energy consumption.
35% of world's CO2 emission
40% of Municipal solid waste.
50% of Ozone depleting CFC’s still in use.
30% of residents having sick building syndrome
• --70% of global warming outcome of ;
•--built environment & transportation
-- Majority of existing buildings
--- low concern for energy conservation.

-- Initial Cost
- Life Cycle- cost

Operating Cost 89%
Maintenance/
Consumables 1%
Initial Cost
10%

WHAT CONSTITUTES INITIAL COST OF
BUILDING
 Cost of building includes:
I Cost of land
ii Cost of construction
iii Cost of maintenance and
iv Cost of operations
 Building cost viewed --in both -- short term & long term
 Building cost also evaluated -- Initial Cost & Life Time Cost
 Short Time Cost includes-- Initial Cost of Construction of building
 Long Term Cost component --- whole life cost.
 Whole life Cost of building includes:
 --initial design cost
 --construction cost,
 -- on-going operations and
 -- maintenance cost ,
 -- parts replacement cost
 -- disposal cost or salvage value, and
 -- useful life of the system or building
 To promote economy in building– Life cycle cost of
building will be critical

-SDGs
-Green Buildings
--Principles for designing
-Integrated Approach
-Climate
--Orientation
-Planning

 --Adopting integrated approach to Green building design
 --Design based on Climate
 Macro Climate – Regional climate;
 Meso Climate– local climate
 Micro Climate--Site climate -- based on site characteristics,
 --Orientation -- to optimize light , heat gain/ heat loss
 Sun movement-- to maximizes use of free solar energy for heating /lighting
 --Wind direction---using air movement for ventilation/ cooling
 --Planning of Building-- optimize site, size, shape of building, planning of spaces, allocating uses, placing
rooms, circulation, promoting building efficiency, promoting natural sunlight, air / ventilation
 --Designing Building Envelop--– Mass – space relationships/ solids/voids, positioning –openings/projections,
shading devices, height, shape of building, natural lighting and ventilations etc
 --Materials- Materials used for buildings -- low embodied energy materials; locally available; used in
natural form, lightweight –
 --Technology- cost effective/material efficient/speedier/energy efficient
 -Indoor Air Quality-Creating optimum living conditions for occupants
 --

Daylighting
Local materials
 Rediscovery of the Indian ethos
 We worship 5 elements of Nature (Panchabhutas)
Prithvi (Earth) Sustainable Sites
Jal (Water) Water Efficiency
Agni (Energy) Energy Efficiency
Vayu (Air) Indoor Environmental Quality
Akash (Sky) Daylight
Views
Water body

STACK EFFECT
PROPER ORIENTATION

Architectural design and Planning
– Best option to reduce cost—Site planning based on optimum utilization of the land/available resource
Minimizing area under roads, services, parking etc
 Adopting optimum design solutions- architecturally, structurally, Services etc
 Adopting Simple form, ;
 Optimum utilization of spaces- both within/outside ; Multiple uses of spaces,
 Minimizing area under walls, circulation etc,
 High building efficiency (high carpet area/covered area ratio),
 Low rise- avoiding lifts;;
 Minimum wood work-- minimum doors
 Minimizing variations in the sizes of doors and windows,
 Avoiding large openings
 Room/corridors sizes based on the available sizes of tiles /marbles for avoiding wastage when laying flooring etc.
 Using windows/ glass opening sizes based on available sizes of wood/glass in market
 Making simple safety provisions for disaster management
 Promoting Standardization; Reducing Building Load- self/ occupied, Designing thin and lean structures
 Minimizing PH fixtures/toilets ; Clubbing/planning all public health services in close proximity.
 Adopting efficient structural system
 Avoiding large spans; Avoiding large projections ; Avoiding large area under balconies and projections.
 Making optimum use of day lighting
 Making optimum use of prevailing wind direction for cross –ventilation, where required; Designing with nature
 Making optimum use of Panchbhutas while designing- Prithvi, Agni, Vaayu, Jal and Aakash
 Making optimum use of orientation;; Making optimum use of sun for heat and light
 Adopt integrated approach to design
 Minimize single loaded corridors, promote doubly loaded corridors to minimize area under circulation
 Minimizing building footprints ;; Designing compact buildings
 Designing Green Buildings –to reduce cost of electricity/water and generating its own energy

Stabilized Earth
RURAL HOUSING

Bamboo and Brick houses
Bamboo & Thatch
RURAL HOUSING

APPROPRIATE
Technologies

APPROPRIATE TECHNOLOGY
 a movement representing ;
 --technological choice made applicable locally on;
 --small-scale,
 -- which is affordable ,
 decentralized,
 labor-intensive,
 energy-efficient,
 environmentally sound and
 people-centric.
 Involving locally autonomous solution to solve local issues / work
 -- originally articulated as intermediate technology --by economist Ernst
Friedrich "Fritz" Schumacher-- in his work Small Is Beautiful
 Outcome of -- energy crisis of the 1970s
 focuses-- on environmental / sustainability issues
 Mahatma Gandhi -- often cited --"father" of appropriate technology movement.

PREFABRICATI
ON-Technology for
BUILDINGS

 Prefabricated buildings are buildings,
 -- designed /constructed in factories in parts,
 -- as per modular design,
 - Transported and placed on site
 --joints taken care through in-situ concrete or
anchors.
 numerous prefab technologies used in India/ in
different countries.
 National Building Code of India,--
 -- has prepared design standards for
 --various prefab Technologies being used in India.

 Majority of construction in India follow;
 -- traditional on-site pattern of construction.
 --Known as linear construction,
 -- where every component not only constructed on site,
 -- but also completed before project moves to next phase.
 --Such construction has major implications in terms of
 -- time;
 -- cost,
 --quality,
 safety,
 noise,
 pollution,
 manpower

 Highly time consuming-time intensive
 Generating large scale waste- material inefficient
 Construction largely dictated by prevailing weather conditions.
 Pollution intensive; Unsafe for workers deployed in construction.
 Large manpower needed for making /supervision-manpower intensive
 Large inventory of material-material intensive/Storage facilities
 Creation of accommodation for workers deployed at construction
 Loss/theft of material- Constructed/Individual/human oriented
 Large variation in quality- dependent on work force deployed
 Use of lot of water/energy – resource intensive- Grey Buildings
 Increased initial cost of construction- cost inefficient
 Uneconomical in cost/resources- cost overrun
 Delayed return on project Unpredictable project schedule- Construction
inefficiency
 Limited application in hazardous areas
 Large site disruption ; Adverse impact on surroundings

ADVANTAGES
Building in Hazardous Area
Assured Quality Construction
Material Efficiency
Cost- Efficiency
Green Construction
Flexibility
 Reduced Site Disruption
Time Efficiency
Safety

 Building in Hazardous Area-----Advantages in remote area/disasters/ areas hit by
disasters where-
 accessibility/manpower/transportation of materials/time available problem --best
option for construction in minimum time /cost.
 --In hill areas with extreme climatic conditions--pre-fabrication help in creating
well insulated structures/least susceptible to extreme outside climate. -Leh,
Ladakh, Lahaul, Spiti
 Assured Quality Construction
 Constructing building components in industrial setting----- under highly controlled
environment -- involving lot of quality checks/ balances, - components produced has
assured uniform quality unlike site-built structures.
 Modular buildings manufactured to code-making owners free from worry of
quality,-- saving of time/energy involved in supervision

Material Efficiency
 Prefabricated buildings-- known for material efficiency --both onsite /off-site..
 -- do not produce waste, since material for construction arrives in finished state .
 -- leave/ create very little waste --during the manufacturing, assembly, disassembly
 ---involves just putting together-- all components as per approved design..
Cost- Efficiency
 Capacity to promote economy /cost- efficiency,
 generally achieved through; large discounts received from material suppliers,
 -- reduction in construction time,
 --- mass production of components and
 -- economy achieved through standardisation,
 ---repetitive nature of operations and large scale operations.
 --Reduction of wastage and in- house recycling of the extra materials
 -- less storage cost ,
 -- less material loss
 -- saving on labour hours /manpower cost in construction
 --without weather constraints and on-site/off-site-- work done simultaneously

Green Construction
 -Modular buildings require less power consumption compared to traditional constructions,
 -- Eco-friendly, both in long / short-term.
 --lower life cycle energy implications as compared to on-site construction
 -- Minimum requirement of water due to --absence of onsite watering of brick/concrete
 -- Energy efficiency-- achieved through using recycled materials
 -- Resource efficient /greener construction process-- due to reduced material waste/ pollution --
increased use of recycled materials
Flexibility
 Flexibility --based on easy dismantling /Relocation of buildings to different sites,
 being made of numerous individual parts-- also permit flexibility in building structure/
design by changing design of specific prefab component.

 Reduced Site Disruption
 Traditional construction-- involves major site disruption
 -- all building processes performed on site
 -- transporting/storage/mixing of materials/water storage/creating residential space for labour etc
 --- In prefab construction much of these disruptions taken away from the site
 -- factory manufacturing reduce traffic, equipment/ material suppliers around final construction site.
 Time Efficiency
 -- Time efficient to build-- taking less than half time when compared to traditional construction
 --due to better planning, reduced site disruptions and quicker fabrication of multiple components.
 -- Permits multiple projects simultaneously -- Reduced on-site construction manpower /supervision leads to construction
efficiency.
 -- Minimum operation for finishing on site including watering of concrete/ brick walls, seasoning of wood, painting and
polishing of wood/door etc, which minimises t time span for construction
Safety
 Promote safety of building after construction including safety of workers at site during construction
 . Risks/ dangers posed by hazardous sites, weather, etc., neutralized
 -- components mostly manufactured in a controlled/ safe environment

Monotony
Restricting additions and alterations
Reduced Resale Value
Roadblock in Financing
Accuracy and Precision
High Transportation Cost
Mass Production
 Skilled Manpower and Cost

133 Houses constructed in solar
colony, Leh in a record of 45 days
only
The material transported in trucks
to Leh-- in lots of 4 units
Plinths consisting of 9 nos. Concrete
stumps were commissioned at site
with help of local contractors and
labor in ahead of arrival of
PUF(Polyurethane Foam) panels.
PUF panels are more warmer than
the mud blocks.
 PUF panel is one of the most effective ways to maintain the energy
efficiency of the building.

COLONIAL ARCHITECTURE
VICTORIA HALL KOLKATA
COLLEGE OF ARCHITECTURE
FRONT FAÇADE ADORNED WITH DEEP SCREEN OF PRE-
CAST CONCRETE, A SORT OF MINIATURE brise-soleil

S.No. SPECIFICATIONS
1 Structure Load Bearing Structure/Framed
2 Wall Thin walls of Panels/Precast
3 Roof Prefabricated with Steel
4 Flooring Sheet/Tiles
5 Skirting/Dado Sheet/Tiles
6 Plaster May/May Not
7 Mud Fuska May/May Not
8 Parapet Prefabricated
9 Joinery Prefabricated
10 CC Gola/Khurrah/Coping May/May Not

• Building Centres developed –for constructing;
• -- affordable housing
• -- employment/ income generation at local levels.- Imparting Training
• -655 (577 Urban + 78 Rural) Building Centres approved -- 442 Building Centres functional
• - Trained on-- cost effective- technologies -- over 3,10,854 artisans
• -introduced technologies in ---production of building components
• --construction of houses & buildings worth Rs1820 crores
• - Saving cost savings from 15 to 4--0% over conventional costs.
--Rated Best Practices -Global 100 List 1998 of the UNCHS (HABITAT)
--Number of Centre achieved sustainable-
-- helping creation of micro enterprises.
-- Introduced;
-- Solid/Hollow concrete Blocks
-- Pavement tiles -- substituting bricks.
-- Ferro Cement,
--FAL-G Products- Flyash lime –Gypsum products
--Wood Substitute Products
-- In southern states, --- ferro cement elements, FAL-G components, MCR tiles,
-Micro –Concrete Roofing Tiles RCC ---doors/window frames-- widely used in construction act
Building Technology

MICRO –CONCRETE ROOFING
TILES

 Building Material
Technology
Promotion Council’
India-BMTPC

 Established 1990,
 -promotion of— cost-effective, environment-friendly & energy-efficient
 innovative building materials / construction technologies
 for housing in urban / rural areas / disaster resistant tech.-Taking technologies from
lab to land.
 Using , mechanization, standardization, dissemination, capacity building /field level
application.
 . introduced building materials / technologies
 –using agro-industrial wastes
 --flyash based bricks/blocks,
 -- cellular light weight concrete,
 -- bamboo based materials, bagasse boards etc.
 -- Partial pre-fabrication / pre-fabricated components,
 -- Constructed houses -- for demonstration purposes.
 For increased productivity /quality, the Council -- developed easy-to-operate
simple machines, used in construction

Use Local Material
In Natural Form
Material

 Housing- Type 12
 Cost-effectiveness -- Adopting design solutions providing for optimum utilization of space
 ; row housing to minimize area under walls;
 common walls between adjoining houses to economize on space and cost;
 using bricks, locally available ;using modular system of optimum grid of 8’-3”;
 using walls as the structural elements to support the roof;
 using pre-cast battens and tiles for the roof
 clubbing of services within house /adjoining houses
 ; extensively using brick jallis for perforation
 minimizing size of openings -to economize on cost of wood and glass;
 using standard battened doors with cross braces;
 bringing large area under exposed brick work to minimize maintenance;
 variety in design achieved through recessed entrances, small square windows, projecting structural walls, exposed roof battens
 using pre-cast gargoyles for draining rain water instead of cast iron rain water pipes;
 maximum height of room placed at 9’-6”;
 using simple floors made of plain cement;
 maintaining high quality of construction using quality bricks ;
 minimizing use of steel ,concrete and shuttering.
 Adopting a clustering approach in layout plan

COLONIAL ARCHITECTURE
VICTORIA HALL KOLKATA
SECRETARIAT

Lawrence Wilfred "Laurie" Baker (1917 – 2007) -- British-born Indian architect,
renowned for cost-effective/ energy-efficient architecture -- that maximized space,
ventilation /light / maintained striking aesthetic sensibility

 With the country having millions of homeless families, it is imperative that what money is
available
 must be used ONLY for essentials, and none of it for fancy frills!
 There are many factors that must be kept in mind;
 MATERIALS – are the materials we want to use for building LOCALLY AVAILABLE? If not
– can we afford transport costs? Can we not use only locally available items as far as
possible?
 Then we must ALWAYS keep the CLIENT in mind.--Remember that the CLIENT is the
beneficiary – not a Government Department etc!--Will he be able to accommodate
comfortably all his dependants?
 Will he be able to extend the house when, later, his sons grow up and earn money?
 Will the house be STRONG and SECURE?
 Can sheds or verandas be added by him for home occupations, like carpentry or
weaving etc?
 Does the plan allow for local cultural and religious ways of living?
 What about water and sanitation? And what about approachability?
 Our aim of “Cost Efficiency” must include all these things.

 Rat trap bond--Architect Laurie Baker introduced --in Kerala in 1970s
 -- brick masonry method of wall construction, in which;
 -- bricks placed in vertical position
 - instead of conventional horizontal position
 -- creating a cavity (hollow space) within wall. -- used extensively
 -- lower construction cost,
 -- reduces material
 -- provide better thermal efficiency
 --than conventional masonry wall
 --without compromising
 - with strength of wall

 -Bricks placed in vertical position,
 - 110 mm face seen from front elevation, instead of 75mm face
 (considering brick of standard size 230 X 110 X 75 mm).
 - width of wall remains 230mm,
 -- internal cavity created.
 -- Saving Apprx 30% Material (brick and mortar)
 --Cavity--Reduces cost of construction
 -- Cavity provides- effective thermal/sound insulation
 --making rat trap bond-- energy /cost efficient building technology
 - resulting in cooler interiors during summer / warmer interiors during winter
 All vertical / horizontal reinforced bands/ lintels (for standard size openings),
 -- electrical conduits hidden inside wall,
 -- better aesthetic appearance without plastering (exposed brickwork)

 Things to consider while using rat trap bond
 Good Quality Bricks used
 with consistent size /straight edges
 First layer (bottom) / last layer (top) of wall—
 should be solid (without cavity).
 Layer at sill / lintel levels of opening /
 sides of opening to be solid (without cavity) for fixing frames.
 Reinforcement bars put in vertical cavities at corners / around openings
 --to improve earthquake resistance. -- Reinforcement bars can be put in horizontally
 --to make lintels / improve earthquake resistance.
 Electrical conduits /plumbing pipes, with prior planning, --can be put inside cavity for better
aesthetics.

FERRO-CEMENT
Ferrocement-- a construction material consisting of;
-- wire meshes / cement mortar.
 - Large Applications in construction due to
-- low self weight,
-- need for lack of skilled workers/ framework etc.
developed by P.L.Nervi,-- an Italian architect in 1940
. Quality of ferrocement works – assured
-- because components manufactured on machinery set up
-- execution time at work site is less.
-- Cost of maintenance is low. .
• Strength depends on two factors-- quality of sand/cement mortar mix and
quantity of reinforcing materials used.

FERROCEMENT-ADVANTAGES &
DISADVANTAGES
• Advantages
• Basic raw materials readily available.; Fabrication into any desired
shape.
• Low labour skill required. Ease of construction, low weight and long
lifetime.
• Low construction material cost. Better resistance against
earthquake.
• Disadvantages-- Structures punctured by collision with pointed
objects.
• Corrosion reinforcing materials-- incomplete coverage of metal by
mortar.
Difficult to fasten to Ferrocement with bolts, screws, welding and
nail etc.
 Process of Ferrocement Construction--Fabricating skeletal framing

 A thin walled composite concrete with a uniform distribution of reinforcement of chicken wire
mesh and weld mesh, encapsulated in a rich cement mortar
 Drastic reduction in section thickness & reinforcement; by using an arch Geometry

Construction of Ferro-cement
Columns and Slabs

 Using cost-effective materials,
 Using pre-cast, prefabricated, re-cycled materials
 Using local materials,
 Using minimum variety of materials
 Using materials in the natural form
 Using recycled materials from demolished structures- bricks etc.
 Using available building components from old buildings- doors, windows, fixtures furniture etc.
 Using materials made from waste- fly ash bricks etc.
 Minimizing use of steel and Cement,
 Using materials requiring minimum maintenance and upkeep/replacement
 Using materials which are light weight
 Using materials which are easy to handle
 Using materials not occupying large space
 Using materials which can be handled by locally available labour and manpower
 Using materials which do not requiring specialized cutting and shaping
 Using materials not requiring special machinery and manpower for handling
 Using materials available in standard shape and size, having little variations
 Using materials requiring minimum fixing and bonding materials.
 Using limited number of variety of materials for flooring, roofing construction to avoid wastage
 Using materials which leaves no wastage.
 Using materials involving less quantity
 Using materials requiring less water for manufacturing/laying/curing
 Using materials requiring less energy for manufacturing- low energy
 Using materials which permit speedier construction
 Using materials involving minimum transportation

Hollow blocks allow ;
- adoption of thinner walls
- increased floor space,
- air space of -- 25% block’s
total area,
- -- saves material.
- Lightweight
- - less self-load of building- --
- use less material for
jointing
- - Withstand earthquake
better
- - easy to install
- -- Since blocks are precast,
-- surface is smoother
-- requires less plastering
material.
.

i. Strength at par with hard wood--- Bamboo extremely strong
natural fibre, on par with hardwoods-- when cultivated, harvested,
prepared and stored properly
-- Bamboo, like true wood, is a natural composite material with a
high strength-to-weight ratio useful for structures.
--Bamboo has higher compressive strength than wood, brick or
concrete and a tensile strength that rivals steel
 ii High Flexibility - Bamboo highly flexible--during growth trained
to grow in unconventional shapes.
-- After harvest, may be bent /utilized in archways / curved areas.
iii. Earthquake-resistance - Great capacity for shock absorption, --
makes it useful in earthquake- prone areas.
iv. Lightweight - Bamboo extremely lightweight.
 -- Building with bamboo can be accomplished faster with simple
tools than building with other materials.
-Cranes /other heavy machinery rarely required.
 v. Cost-effective – Economical--- especially in areas where
cultivated/ readily available.
 --Transporting cost also much lesser.
 -- Helps achieve cost effective construction.

vi. vi. Durable - Long-lasting --as its wooden correlates, when properly
harvested and maintained.
 ·vii. Fast Growing--Bamboo fast growing species / renewable resource
which can be cultivated in most types of soil. ·
 viii. Simple designing- Designs of Bamboo components being simple,
there is no need of highly skilled labour.
 ·ix Reducing use of wood-- Dependency on natural forests for wood
reduced thus contributing to the protection of the environment.
 ·x Eco- friendly-- As it can grow in many types of soil, bamboo
cultivation is suitable for rehabilitation of degraded forests and other
waste lands thus converting them into fertile lands to some extent.
 xi Promoting Employment– Creating employment opportunities
especially for rural people --as Bamboo manually woven before making
them into Bamboo Mat / Boards, Bamboo Mat Veneer Composites and
Bamboo Mat Corrugated Sheets.
 ·xii Promoting Welfare of society/poor- Promotes overall welfare of the
society, particularly of economically weaker section.
 xiii Reducing GLOBAL warming- Captures 17 mts CO2 per hectare
per year- more than any specie
 xiv Improves indoor air Quality- By removing carbon and adding
oxygen when used as Indoor plant

 Reduced Embodied Energy: using Fly ash- lime-
Gypsum bricks-- 40% reduction in embodied energy of
masonry.
 • Environment Friendly: Fly ash brick uses unfired
Fly Ash technology -- CO2 emissions in
manufacturing process limited..
 • Excellent Thermal Insulation: The buildings using
fly ash bricks -- cool in summers and warm in winters.
 • Fire Resistance: very high-- as these bricks
composed of fly ash as its major constituents, which is
un-burnt residue of the coal fired in a thermal power
plant.
 • No Efflorescence: Fly ash bricks resist salt and other
sulphate attack, ensuring no efflorescence in
structure.

MUD
Mud as a construction
material has been extensively
used since ancient times.
Less embodied energy
Various techniques used
with number of stabilizers to
construct with mud.
Mud construction is mainly
found in places which are
relatively dry and
have mud in abundance.

PRECAST STONE BLOCKS
 Made by using waste stone
pieces .
 Shaping stones enables speedy
construction
 saves on cement,
 reduces thickness of stone walls
.
 Saves Plaster Works.

In rural Nigeria, a few creative visionaries have
created something called bottle brick technology that
allows them to build strong structures using water
bottles and soil.

Appropriate technologies

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