Building with Stabilized Mud


Book Description

Building construction using stabilized mud (soil) has been in vogue in different parts of the world for nearly six decades. However, the desirable practices have not been placed on a firm footing due to sporadic nature of the constructions. The situation is complicated due to the highly variable nature of soil as a construction material. This monograph is an attempt to summarise the best practices for the use of stabilized mud. It is essentially based on the experiences at ASTRA (Application of Science and Technology to Rural Areas) and Dept. of Civil Engineering. Indian Institute of Science, for more than three decades.




Building in Cob, Pisé and Stabilized Earth


Book Description

This study is based on experiments in the use of pisé de terre and other earth based materials. Whilst earth building has not developed significantly in the UK, the sustainable architecture movement has stimulated interest in new earthen buildings.




Earth Architecture


Book Description

"The ground we walk on and grow crops in also just happens to be the most widely used building material on the planet. Civilizations throughout time have used it to create stable warm low-impact structures. The world's first skyscrapers were built of mud brick. Paul Revere Chairman Mao and Ronald Reagan all lived in earth houses at various points in their lives and several of the buildings housing Donald Judd's priceless collection at the Chinati Foundation in Marfa Texas are made of mud brick." "While the vast legacy of traditional and vernacular earthen construction has been widely discussed, little attention has been paid to the contemporary tradition of earth architecture. Author Ronald Rael founder of Eartharchitecture.org provides a history of building with earth in the modern era focusing particularly on projects constructed in the last few decades that use rammed earth mud brick compressed earth cob and several other interesting techniques. Earth Architecture presents a selection of more than 40 projects that exemplify new creative uses of the oldest building material on the planet."--BOOK JACKET.




Interlocking Stabilised Soil Blocks


Book Description







Cement Based Materials


Book Description

Cement-based materials have been used by humans nearly since the dawn of civilization. The Egyptians used lime and gypsum cement to bind their aggregate materials, mud and straw, resulting in bricks that are used for building their famous Egyptian pyramids (between 3000 and 2500 BC). Hydrated cement is a cement material bonded together with water and used for building construction; it is characterized by acceptable chemical, physical, thermal, mechanical, and structural stability. It plays a main role in the creation of vessels for storage, roads to travel on, weather-resistant structure for protection, inert hard stabilizer for hazardous wastes, and so on. Due to the composition of these materials and their advantages, it has been practiced in different applications. Cement is an essential component of making concrete, the single most prevalent building material used worldwide for construction, skyscrapers, highways, tunnels, bridges, hydraulic dams, and railway ties. Besides their numerous desired properties, there are some undesirable features. To overcome these disadvantages, several studies were established to prepare, improve, and evaluate innovative cement-based materials. Despite its oldness and deep research, every year several methods and materials evolve and so do cement technology. This book intends to provide a comprehensive overview on recent advances in the evaluation of these materials.







Sustainable Building with Earth


Book Description

This book provides an insightful overview of the current state of earth building. The author approaches the subject from the perspective of the building material’s life cycle, featuring in-depth explanations of the cycle's individual steps: extraction and classification of construction soil; production of earth building materials and earthen structures; planning, construction and renovation of earth buildings; and demolition and recycling of earthen structures. This unique resource provides examples of sophisticated earth building projects and illustrates the diverse applications of earth as a building material. Compared to conventional mineral building materials, earth possesses particularly positive ecological qualities such as its energy balance and recyclability. Architects, engineers, students, manufacturers and distributors of building materials, building contractors, building biologists, public authorities and preservationists will benefit from this book’s ample coverage of restoring, optimizing and building with this material of the past, present and future.




Adobe and Rammed Earth Buildings


Book Description

Earth is the oldest and most widely used building material in the world today. It's abundant, inexpensive, and energy-efficient. But if you're building with earth, simplicity of material needn't be an excuse for poor planning. Paul Graham McHenry, author of the best-selling Adobe - Build It Yourself, here provides the most complete, accurate, and factual source of technical information on building with earth. Lavishly illustrated with scores of photographs and drawings, Adobe and Rammed Earth Buildings spells out details of: ¥ soil selection ¥ adobe brick manufacturing ¥ adobe brick wall construction ¥ rammed earth wall construction ¥ window and door detailing ¥ earth wall finishes ¥ foundations ¥ floor and roof structures ¥ insulation ¥ mechanical considerations. Whether you're designing a new building or renovating an existing structure, Adobe and Rammed Earth Buildings can show you how to achieve better results.




Non-Conventional Materials and Technologies


Book Description

The book presents new research in the area of biobased “green composites”. Biobased materials involve renewable agricultural and forestry feedstocks, including wood, agricultural waste, grasses and natural plant fibers. These lignocellulosic materials are composed mainly of carbohydrates such as sugar and lignin, cellulose, vegetable oils and proteins. Much research is concerned with renewable materials such as bamboo, vegetable fibers, soil composites and recycled materials such as rice husk ash and sugar cane ash. The general aim here is to use renewable and non-polluting materials in ways that offer a high degree of sustainability and preserve the remaining natural resources for future generations. Keywords: Biobased Materials, Renewable Materials, Non-polluting Materials, Sustainability, Wood, Agricultural Waste, Grasses, Natural Plant Fibers, Lignocellulosic Materials, Carbohydrates, Sugars, Lignin, Cellulose, Vegetable Oils, Proteins, Bamboo, Vegetable Fibers, Soil Composites, Recycled Materials, Rice Husk Ash, Sugar Cane Ash, Fiber-reinforced Concrete, Post-disaster Reconstruction, Guadua Fibers, Prefabricated Bamboo Guadua Panels, Multi-Level Bamboo Structures, Alkaline Activated Cements, Polymer Residues Reinforced with Glass Fiber, Composites Reinforced with Vegetal Fibers, Sisal Fibers, Bamboo Arch Structure, Adobe Reinforced with Wheat Fibers, Fiber Reinforced Microconcrete, Cements with High Coal Waste Contents, Natural Composites, Geopolymer Concretes.