Natural Building

Natural building is based on a philosophy that places the highest value on social and environmental sustainability. Natural building is about integrating our built environments into their local ecologies and communities with a minimal amount of adverse effects on local and distant environments. It is believed that natural building improves lives in many ways. It allows us to show deep respect for our immediate environment and gives us the chance to make responsible decisions regarding distant environments. Our goal is to use minimally refined and manufactured, non-toxic, natural materials.Natural building is not new, but it is revolutionary. Most of our grandparents, including those of us from the industrialized North, practiced natural building. Before the advent of standardization, mass production, and long-distance transport, people relied on locally available materials to house their family. During the last century there has been a shift towards the import of building materials, causing disastrous effects on ecosystems, cultures, and communities. But we have a choice. By exchanging earth and straw bale for concrete and cement, by choosing locally milled lumber and roundwood over lumber that has been unsustainably harvested, and opting for natural clay plasters, washes, and paints instead of dangerous chemical varnishes, stuccoes and paints, we can exert a force to affect change in our economies and in our lifestyles.

Cob
Cob is the Old English word for an earth building technique that combines clay sediment, sand, fiber, and water, which is hand sculpted to form walls, benches, ovens, and fireplaces. Variations of this technique are found around the globe and through the millennia. Cob building makes use of readily available, affordable, non-toxic materials to build beautiful, organic structures. Historical and anecdotal evidence has proven cob buildings to be long-lived, weather-resistant, earthquake-resistant, and comfortable. As pressure to continue manufacturing toxic building components while degrading our environments for building materials increases, cob provides an excellent, affordable alternative.

Straw Bale
Straw bale building was common in Nebraska during the early twentieth century. The renaissance of this building material began in the late 1970s and early 1980s and is even stronger today. Straw bale building makes use of an underutilized waste product of agriculture. Straw bales are stacked like giant masonry blocks, usually pinned together with rebar, wooden or bamboo stakes. The massive straw bale walls provide a high insulation value. Building with straw bales can decrease the amount of lumber needed for a building, lower its energy costs, and can be more affordable than conventional stick frame buildings. Marrying the insulating properties and speed of straw bale construction with the thermal mass and compressive strength of cob is a concept currently under research.

Slipstraw
This is also known as light-straw or straw-clay. Slipstraw is a building material made by coating straw with clay slip. Slipstraw combines a readily available, affordable material that has good thermal retention, namely earth, with the excellent insulating abilities of fiber. This creates a lightweight, insulative building material that is resistant to fire, insects and rot. It can be packed between forms to build freestanding walls. It can also be used to insulate walls and roof spaces. Recently, people have been experimenting with wood-chips and clay slip to create a similar material to slipstraw.

Roundwood Carpentry
A timeless, natural approach to the use of wood, timber is used without being squared by sawing or hewing. The integrity and strength of the wood are maintained by retaining its natural shape. The forest is a supermarket of sizes and geometries for posts, beams, and rafters.

Finding and Using Recycled Materials
The use of recycled and refurbished materials is in harmony with the philosophy of natural building. Windows, glass, doors, fixtures, lumber, bricks, and more are being brought to landfills every day. Thankfully, many places have set up collection and distribution sites where the thrifty and aware can pick up these types of materials either for free or for a minimal fee. Hunting for, repairing and refurbishing, and finally using recycled materials helps us to break out from our society's 'throw-away'

For Me to Learn

Natural Hazards and Site Selection
Many regions of world are vulnerable to natural hazards such as floods, cyclones, volcanic erruption, landslides or earthquakes. It is important to understand the effects of these natural phenomena to decide where and how to build safe houses.
A very interesting discussion that triggered last week among a very strong group of conservationists in http://in.groups.yahoo.com/group/andamanicobar/ is on topic that said "Mangroves 'do not protect against tsunamis".the report published in http://www.scidev.net/en/news/mangroves-do-not-protect-against-tsunamis-.html [CHENNAI] Claims that coastal forests can protect communities from the impact of tsunamis have been dismissed in a new report.
There are still many other reputable scientists who differ in their viewpoints.
The only statement that striked me in the discussion where someone said " science is rational, unlike conservation which is sensational", i really valued that expression.
Growing of mangrove as understood is a natural phenomenon mainly functional to prevent soil erosion, buffering is an extended feature.
Take the case of River Koshi or the deltas of Bengal with the changing courses of rivers almost every year it is really difficult to identify a safe location for resettlement and is still uncleaver to design a permanent shelter programme in such site by implying ideas like Reclamation of land or what is called bandhs or barriers. in anycase we are far incapable to fight the mother nature. "Change is the law"and we need to learn to adapt it!
The Communities need to understand it for themselves to save their own lives more than the external aid agencies disseminating informations to them. it need to be more sensational will responding the needs of the community and mother nature.
Engineering can make safe structures but has its own limitations.
A very good example of engineering sucess is from the Tsunami: when Andaman and Nicobar Islands experienced the earth quake of 8.9 ritcher scale and a negligible amount of buildings were damaged in Port Blair Town, the Islands being in the Seismic Zone IV category the RCC structures were designed to the Std Bldg Codes, but it may not survive repeated shocks of similar magnitude forever. so the Message is quite clear.
I need to learn the future.

Lilypad : Floating, Eco, Refugees Architecture...

There are very few urban design solutions that address housing the inevitable tide of displaced people that could arise as oceans swell under global warming. Certainly none are as spectacular as this one. The Lilypad, by Vincent Callebaut, is a concept for a completely self-sufficient floating city intended to provide shelter for future climate change refugees. The intent of the concept itself is laudable, but it is Callebaut's phenomenal design that has captured our imagination.

was clearly the inspiration behind the design. The Lilypad, which was designed to look like a waterlily, is intended to be a zero emission city afloat in the ocean. Through a number of technologies (solar, wind, tidal, biomass), it is envisioned that the project would be able to not only produce it's own energy, but be able to process CO2 in the atmosphere and absorb it into its titanium dioxide skin.

Each of these floating cities are designed to hold approximately around 50,000 people. A mixed terrain man-made landscape, provided by an artificial lagoon and three ridges, create a diverse environment for the inhabitants. Each Lilypad is intended to be either near a coast, or floating around in the ocean, traveling from the equator to the northern seas, according to where the gulf stream takes it.

The project isn't even close to happening anytime soon, but there is value in future forward designs like the Lilypad. They inspire creative solutions, which at some point, may actually provide a real solution to the climate change problem.

Disaster Cycle and Sustainable Sheltering

The main focus of this discussion is to clearly identify shelter as an integrated and centrally placed need of the depriving disaster hit communities in the whole disaster cycle beyond technical assistance.

"Development starts with a safe and secure household, don’t neglect it"!

The concept of sheltering the disaster affected communities being a process of transition from a state of no shelter to permanent rehabilitation in a disaster cycle is well understood by the humanitarians in practice. The process of sheltering is not just technical assistance of reconstruction, talking about the move towards sustainability there are certain key drivers of a sustainable growth that I am trying to identify and focus here.
In any Natural Disaster the affect is both on the human communities and the built natural environment, where both the human communities and the natural environment are expected to heal each other by understanding each other’s needs and extending the best possible approach.
It is important to identify the active and passive drivers of the impact and its extent due to disaster to both communities and environment.
In many remote communities living closely with nature and surviving repeated disasters it is studied that both environment and society has degraded extensively over the last few decades with increased frequency of disasters and less gaps between the consecutive disasters for self environment restoration. Case studies from many such communities have shown that due to environment degradation the self recovery capacity of the communities have gone down typically.
Earlier the communities use to recovery comparatively much quicker than today because of the easy access to indigenous building material. In the case of today with the degraded environment the communities have to depend upon external assistance for building the shelter homes. But the environment today has very limited warriors. Contextualizing Habitat shall primarily focus on a broader framework of restoring environment to build back better shelters, clearly not violating the laws of biodiversity.

Shelter and Environmental restoration
Key elements of environment restoration programme for building back better.
1. Identifying the biomass that provides building material and the biomass that buffers the impact during disaster on community settlement.
2. Calculating the impact on the environment since last sustainable status and gap

3. Planting indigenous building material and buffers ( biosheid restoration) to meet the future need
4. Estimating the time span for restoration.
5. Finding a transitional reconstruction solution considering best practice and appropriate building types/ recycling material-energy.
6. Building environment awareness in communities.
7. Exiting in restoring mode to development.

The other identified drivers of sustainable sheltering programme in a disaster cycle are:

• Best Practice in Reconstruction and knowledge tranfer
• Integragion of socio economy and cultural components
• Integration of crosscutting components
• Safe and dignified shelters as strong basis of a public health intervention

most of the donors today see shelter as an independent component of providing technical assistance only and are hesitant to support the programme, but an appropriate and integrated shelter intervention shall help reform the development process towards sustainability....

Shelter Needs Assessment

Short, Medium and Long Term Shelter and Settlement Needs
In Humanitarian Practice the Sheltering of the homeless disaster affected people shall be considered as a process of transition from a state of no shelter to a permanent settlement mode.

The following points should be taken into consideration in relation to process and transition of the settlement planning and shelter provision.
(Assar, 1971; United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, 1999; Sphere Project, 2000):

• People sleeping on beds or mats should have a minimum of 3.5m2 of floor area or 10m3 of air space. In rooms with high ceilings, double bunk beds may be used.


• Beds or mats should be separated by a minimum distance of 0.75 metres.


• Adequate ventilation is required. The amount of fresh air needed is approximately 20–30m3 per person per hour. It may be necessary to provide mechanical ventilation. Whenever possible, smoking and the use of cooking fires in the shelter should be strongly discouraged.


• An ambient temperature of 15–19 °C is desirable, but lower temperatures can be tolerated with warm clothing. In cold climates, buildings may need extensive repairs and modifications for winter conditions, particularly in conflict situations where windows and insulation material may have been removed or destroyed.


• To avoid very high temperatures in hot climates, buildings can be modified to increase shade, ventilation and thermal capacity, it is required to consider suitable building materials and the cross ventilation while designing the roofs and shades of the shelter.


• Buildings should have emergency exits and fire escapes; the flues of stoves used for space heating should extend outside the building; overloading of electrical circuits should be avoided; lanterns and lamps should be placed or suspended so as to avoid dangers; and liquid fuels should be stored outside the building. Clear instructions on fire hazards and safety practices should be displayed in conspicuous places and drawn to the attention of residents; fire-fighting equipment should be available and properly maintained. A group of volunteers from among the survivors should be taught about the possible fire hazards and trained in the use of fire-fighting equipment.


• Access to sufficient water for drinking, cooking, and personal and domestic hygiene should be provided.


• One wash basin should be provided for every 10 people, or 4–5 metres of washbench for every 100 people; there should be separate benches for men and women, and waste receptacles at each bench. One shower head is needed for every 50 people in temperate climates and one for every 30 people in hot climates. Floors must be disinfected daily.


• Arrangements must be made for human waste disposal. Water-flushed toilets may be available in existing buildings if the water supply has not been interrupted. Outside latrines should be located within 50 metres of the building, but at least 20 metres away from the kitchen, dining hall and water supply.


• One refuse bin of capacity 50–100 litres should be provided for every 12–15 people. The bins should have tightly fitting lids. Special arrangements for the collection of refuse may be needed if the normal collection service is interrupted.

Short Term Shelter Needs

· Evacuation Centre
· Self settled/ grouped camps.
· Safe location
· Control over secondary hazards.
· Safe short term reception Area.
· Tanker /Running water and some toilet facilities for men and women.
· Community Kitchen Space and cooking facilities
· Adequate light and ventilation.
· Weather proofed and insulated resting sleeping provision.
· Changing Space.
· Registering office and desk
· 3.5m2 of floor area or 10m3 of air space
· Medium and long term need assessments

Medium Term Shelter Needs

· Safe and dignified family living space
· Appropriate intermediate shelters
· Long term need assessments
· Community / family temporary Toilet facilities.
· Camp settlement water points within easy reach
· Community meeting Space
· The site should be free of major water-related hazards
· The topography of the land should permit easy drainage and the site should be located above flood level. Rocky, impermeable soil should be avoided.
· Ideally the camp area should be naturally protected from adverse weather conditions.
· Service areas (30 Sq Mts per person, or 45 Sq mt. per person allowing for small gardens, but not for full-scale agricultural activities).
· Food distribution areas should be organized so as to create safe conditions for people collecting food, as well as for those distributing it.
· To facilitate the management and control of communicable diseases, camps should hold no more than 10000–12000 people, or should be subdivided into independent units of no more than 1000 people.
· The site should be provided with at least two access roads for reasons of security and to reduce the risk of the site being cut off due to floods or other problems with roads.
· Shelters should be arranged in rows or in clusters of 10–12 on both sides of a roadat least 10 metres wide to permit easy traffic flow and access by ambulances or fire-fighting vehicles. In tented areas, there should be at least 2 metres between the edge of the road and the tent pegs.
· Built-up areas should be divided by 30 metres wide firebreaks approximately every 300 metres. Firebreaks can be used for locating roads and recreation areas.
· There should be a minimum of 3.5m2 per person inside the shelter in warm climates where cooking is done outside, and 4.5–5.5m2 per person in cold climates where cooking is done inside the shelter.
· Separate accommodation is necessary for unaccompanied children, with provision for adults (welfare staff and/or community volunteers) to stay with them; there should be at least one adult per shelter or room.
·
· Kindergarten
· Medical Sub centre
· Rehab office space
· Value addition effort to meet the minimum shelter standards.
· Easy safe access to the settlement sites and camps
· Planned drainage facility to the siteProvision for water disposals and management

Long Term Shelter Needs

· Provision of Safe and dignified permanent shelter in accordance with the state building byelaws
· Easy access or Establishment of essential civic and public facilities and services available within the neighborhood settlement or as per the state or international standards of settlement planning
· Easy access to water and sanitation facilities at per household basis.
· More sustainable and durable water-supply and waste disposal system
· Provision of Community based development and livelihood related infrastructure facilities.
· Provision of essential village / neighborhood infrastructure.
· Land ownership documents and establishment of an address
· Regular monitoring and maintenance schedule of the public infrastructures established and managed by the local authorities.
· Provision of a safe and well defined children play and recreational areas ensured.A safe guard to environment and its conservation is ensured.

Ben Affleck launches ‘Gimme Shelter’

GIMME SHELTER

a humanitarian campaign for victims of the fighting in the Eastern Congo

Renewed violence in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has triggered a humanitarian crisis forcing more than 250,000 people, many of them already displaced, to flee their homes, bringing a forgotten crisis to the world's attention.
In the last three months alone, hundreds of thousands of innocent children, women and men displaced by the conflict have lost their homes, their belongings, their family, their friends and their hope.
Please donate to the 'Gimme Shelter' appeal. Thousands of people need your help today.

Link to the campaign page://www.unhcrshelter.org/

Rammed Earth Construction

Rammed earth, an ancient building technique, may have originally been developed in climates where humidity and rainfall did not permit the production of soil block. For soil block to cure uncovered, there must be at least 10 rain-free days. Soil mixtures for rammed earth are similar to those for soil block. Soils with high clay content may be more suitable for ramming, as they tend to crack in blocks when curing.

Preparation and Transport of Soil

1. Rammed earth soil mixes must be carefully prepared by screening, pulverizing, and mixing. Pulverizing is important to ensure a uniform mix and to break up any clumps.
2. Transporting the soil mix to the forms is a demanding tasks. Large quantities of soil must be moved and transported vertically for placement in the forms. This process is not the same as pouring concrete, because the material is not liquid. Traditionally, workers passed baskets or buckets of earth up to where it was needed. Hoists can also be used effectively for this task.

The Ramming Process

1. Once a soil "lift" of 6 to 8 inches in thickness is in place, the soil is rammed. Ramming can be accomplished manually or mechanically. Manual ramming is an ancient technique using a large, specially shaped tool with a long handle called a rammer. Rammers weigh around 18 pounds, and have heads of wood or metal. Differently shaped heads are designed to perform ramming for various form shapes, especially for corners.
2. Mechanical impact ramming uses pneumatic ramming machines. Only rammers specifically designed for soil are effective (rammers which are too powerful or too heavy will not work). Such equipment is quite expensive, but impact ramming is highly effective, and if the soil mixture is good, creates high quality rammed earth. Rammed earth will begin to cure immediately, and can take from several months to several years, depending on weather and humidity to complete the process.

Design Methods

1. Rammed earth walls have low tensile strength, and should be reinforced by providing a bond or collar beam. Beams can be constructed of concrete, wood or steel. Vertical reinforcing may also be done, and may be required by some building officials.
2. All openings in rammed earth walls, such as windows and doors, must have lintels to span the opening width. Water flow and moisture control is critical to protect structural walls. Special detailing to accommodate manufactured windows may be necessary to accommodate wall thickness. All openings for doors and windows will require a frame. Wood, as opposed to metal, is recommended due to the corrosive action of moisture from the soil material. Lintels can be concrete, stone or wood. Careful attention to both roof and opening details is necessary to protect the structure from water damage.
3. Foundations required by most codes are concrete reinforced with steel. Soil block material may be used as a filler material between piers of a reinforced concrete pier and beam foundation. Historically, many structures built with earth materials had no foundation, or used sand and gravel foundations. The latter are excavated trenches filled with two parts sand to three parts gravel. Trench bottoms should be graded to provide positive drainage. Soil material block should not be used in below grade walls unless supported on both sides. Natural moisture from the ground may infiltrate the block, resulting in reduced compressive strength.

Passive Solar Architecture

Introduction
Solar energy is a radiant heat source that causes natural processes upon which all life depends. Some of the natural processes can be managed through building design in a manner that helps heat and cool the building. The basic natural processes that are used in passive solar energy are the thermal energy flows associated with radiation, conduction, and natural convection. When sunlight strikes a building, the building materials can reflect, transmit, or absorb the solar radiation. Additionally, the heat produced by the sun causes air movement that can be predictable in designed spaces. These basic responses to solar heat lead to design elements, material choices and placements that can provide heating and cooling effects in a home.

Passive solar energy means that mechanical means are not employed to utilize solar energy.

Passive solar systems rules of thumb:

1. 
   The building should be elongated on an east-west axis.
2. 
   The building's south face should receive sunlight between the hours of 9:00 A.M. and 3:00 P.M. (sun time) during the heating season.
3. 
   Interior spaces requiring the most light and heating and cooling should be along the south face of the building. Less used spaces should be located on the north.
4. 
   An open floor plan optimizes passive system operation.
5. 
   Use shading to prevent summer sun entering the interior. The Center for Renewable Energy and Sustainable Technology (CREST) has an online lesson on calculation of Sun angle and overhang calculations.