Architectural Presentation-RAFT FOUNDATION

FOUNDATION
MAIN FUNCTION IS TO CARRY THE LOAD OF THE SUPERSTRUCRURE TO THE SUBSOIL .
SELECTION OF FOUNDATION
THE TYPE OF THE FOUNDATION IS MAINLY DEPEND UPON THE FOLLOWING THINGS :-

TYPE OF CONSTRUCTION.
LOAD BEARING CAPACITY OF OF SOIL.
WHEN STRUCTURE HAS ONLY LIGHT LOADING SUCH AS DOMESTIC DWELLING HOUSE,THE RAFT OR MASS CONCRETE STRIP FOUNDATION IS SUFFICIENT.
THE PLAN SIZE OF A FOUNDATION IS DERIVED FROM
LOAD/
BEARING CAPACITY OF SOIL
TYPES OF THE FOUNDATIONS
STRIP FOUNDATIONS.
ISOLATED OR PAD FOUNDATIONS.
RAFT FOUNDATIONS.
COMBINATION OF ABOVE FOUNDATIONS.
PILED FOUNDATION.

STRIP FOUNDATIONS
REINFORCED CONCRETE STRIP FOUNDATIONS ARE USED TO SUPPORT AND TRANSMIT THE LOADS OF HEAVY WALLS.

ISOLATED OR PAD FOUNDATIONS
THIS TYPE OF FOUNDATION IS USED TO SUPPORT AND TRANSMIT THE LOADS FROM PIERS AND COLUMN.

RAFT FOUNDATION
THE PRINCIPAL OF ANY RAFT FOUNDATION IS
TO SPREAD THE LOAD OF THE ENTIRE AREA OF THE SITE.
A RAFT FOUNDATION NORMALLY CONSISTS OF A
CONCRETE SLAB WHICH EXTENDS OVER THE
ENTIRE AREA. IT MAY BE STIFFENED BY RIBS OR
BEAMS INCORPORATED INTO THE FOUNDATION.
THEY ARE MADE UP OF CONCRETE AND HEAVILY REINFORCED WITH STEEL,SO ENTIRE FOUNDATION WILL ACT AS A UNIT
THE RAFT FOUNDATIONS HAVE THE ADVANTAGE OF REDUCING DIFFERENTIAL SETTLEMENTS AS THE CONCRETE SLAB RESISTS DIFFERENTIAL MOVEMENTS BETWEEN LOADING POSITIONS.

WHERE RAFT FOUNDATIONS ARE USE ?
THE RAFT FOUNDATIONAS ARE USED WHERE THE COLUMN LOAD ARE HEAVY AND THUS REQUIRING LARGE BASES.
WHERE THE BEARING CAPACITY OF SOIL IS LOW, RESULTING IN THE NEED OF LARGE BASE.
THEY ARE USED ON SOFT COMPRESSIBLE SUBSOIL SUCH AS SOFT CLAY OR PIT.
TYPES OF RAFT FOUNDATION
RAFT FOUNDATIONS CAN BE CONSIDER IN THREE TYPES

SOLID SLAB RAFTS.
BEAM AND SLAB RAFTS.
CELLULAR RAFTS.
SOLID SLAB RAFT FOUNDATION
THESE ARE CONSTRUCTED OF UNIFORM THICKNESS OVER THE WHOLE RAFT AREA.

THE EFFECT OF THE LOAD FROM COLUMN AND THE GROUND PRESSURE IS TO CREATE AREAS OF TENTION UNDER THE COLUMN AND THE AREAS OF TENTION IN THE UPPER PART OF THE RAFT BETWEEN THE COLUMN.

OFTEN THE NOMINAL MESH OF REINFORCEMENT IS PROVIDED IN THE FACES WHERE TENTION DOES NOT OCCUR TO CONTROL SHRINKAGE CRACKING OF THE CONCRETE.

BEAM AND SLAB RAFT FOUNDATION
BEAM AND SLAB RAFTS ARE ALTERNATIVES TO THE SOLID SLAB RAFT AND ARE USED WHERE POOR SOILS ARE UNCOUNTERED.
THE BEAMS ARE USED TO DISTRIBUTE THE COLUMN LOAD OVER THE AREA OF THE RAFT, THAT RESULTS IN THE REDUCTION OF THE SLAB THICKNESS.
THE BEAMS CAN BE UPSTAND OR DOWNSTAND DEPENDING UPON THE BEARING CAPACITY OF SOIL NEAR THE SURFACE.
DOWNSTAND BEAMS WILL GIVE A SAVING ON EXCAVATION COSTS WHEREAS UPSTAND BEAMS CREATE A USABLE VOID BELOW THE GROUNG FLOOR IF A SUSPENDED SLAB IS USED.

CELLULAR RAFT FOUNDATION

THESE TYPE OF FOUNDATIONS ARE USED ON SOFT COMPRESSIBLE SUBSOIL SUCH AS SOFT CLAY OR PIT.

SO DURING CURING PROCESS THE REINFORCEMENT AT THE BOTTOM SHOULD BE PROVIDED TRUE LEVEL SURFACE FROM WHICH THE REINFORCEMENT CAN BE POSITIONED.

A BLINDING LAYER OF 50 TO 75mm THICK OF WEAK CONCRETE OR COURSE SAND SHOULD BE PLACED UNDER REINFORSED CONCRETE (RAFT) FOUNDATION.

THE FUNCTION OF THIS LAYER IS TO FILL IN ANY WEAK POCKETS ENCOUNTERED DURING EXCAVATION.
REINFORCEMENT DETAIL OF RAFT FOUNDATION

Material Presentation- QUIET BOARD FOR SOUND INSULATION

DESCRIPTION:

IT is comprised of porous expanded polypropylene beads, which are formed into a semi rigid,water resistant panel.
The cylinder shaped beads are nonporous,but the hollow cores and cracks between adjacent beads allow sound to travel into the panel where it is absorbed.

APPLICATIONS:

IT can be installed as a wall panel, ceiling tile and hanging baffle.

Due to its water resistant properties, it may be used in marine applications.

Practical applications are:
indoor swimming pools, locker rooms, auditoriums, gymnasiums, classrooms,
arenas/stadiums, laboratories, computer rooms, clean rooms, food preparation areas, manufacturing facilities, machine shops, gun ranges and machine enclosures (i.e. compressors, pumps and air conditioner units).


PRODUCT AVAILABILITY:

1 x 24 x 48 inch white panels
2 x 24 x 48 inch white Panels


1 x 24 x 48 inch charcoal panels
2 x 24 x 48 inch charcoal panels

•Custom sizes available

SOUND TRANSMISSION LOSS

Freq. Hz 125 250 500 1000 2000 5000 STC

1“ (dB) 6 5 7 8 10 15 9
2“ (dB) 9 8 10 10 17 22 13

INSTALLATION:

Panels are placed directly on walls for sound insulation.
The surface on which the panels are placed is made rough for the panel to get stuck to the surface.
Placing of the panel starts from the bottom of the wall.
The panels are stuck to the wall with the help of adhesives.
The top panel sizes are cut according to the required dimension with the help of knife.

CUTTING METHOD:

Mark the QUIET BOARD panel at the desired dimensions.

Place the panel on the edge of a table or work bench. Doing this provides adequate space for the serrated knife to travel totally through thickness of the panel.

Using a straight edge as a guide, cut the panel with the serrated knife using a sawing motion.

Firmly hold the serrated knife at a 30 – 45 degree angle as you cut.

ADHESIVE


Loctite Power Grab:
IT is an advanced construction adhesive technology for multi-surface usage. It eliminates the need for nails and screws.
IT dries in approximately 24 hours.
Use 1 Tube per three 4 ft. x 8 ft. sheets (MEANS 2 PANELS IN 1 TUBE).

Trip to Wai and Dhom...

Hi friends..yesterday i had been to Wai and Dhom , very old villages, having historical backgroung and rich heritage culture..Dhom is my native place,its a very small village.I visited own old Wada at Wai and rice field ,poltry farm at Dhom.
so.. here r some of the reviews from the architectural angle..

Wai is one of the important town in Satara district. It is 88 Kms. from Pune on the way to Panchgani.
Wai is situated at the banks of Krishna river. It is famous for temples.
This place with heavy rainfall - 701 meter high from the sea level.
There are 7 ghats here:

Gangapuri
Madhi Aali
Ganpati Aali
Dharmapuri
Brahmanshahi
Ramdoh
Bhimkund

On the Brahmanshahi ghat there are 4 temples Chakreshwar, Chimneshwar,Kaunteshwar/Harihareshwar and Kaleshwar. Near Brhmanshahi there are Vitthal and Ganpati temples.

Ramdoh ghat has Rameshwar temple, Ramkund and Chilavali Devi temple. On Gangapuri ghat there is Lord Shiva, Dwarka, Bahiroba, Datta Temple. On Ganpati Aali that there are Ganpati temple. In Dharma puri there are Lord Vishnu temple & Mahalaxmi temple.

Dholya Ganpati temple is one of the prime temples in Maharashtra. The idol of Lord Ganesh is very big - As name suggests- and is situated on the beautiful ghats of river Krishna.

Pandavgadh is very famous fort near Wai that is certainly very difficult to trek from this side. But trekkers usually go to this fort from Bhor side. Other places worth seeing are Palpeshwar Cave ,Caves of Harya Ramoshi.

Wai is very famous for it's Pedha-Popularly known as Kandi Pedha.


Aali means lane..a single 10' to 15' road and houses on its both the side..
ghatis a constructed river bank generally in stone..used for washing clothes,utensils and bath in olden days..

From Wai i went to 'Dhom'..Showing some photos of Wada..
Wada is a typical or u can say Maharashtrial house having 5 to 15 rooms , including courtyard ( i.e. Angan )a well ( Vihir)and Gotha.

This is the Main Entry door having Teak wood framing with small beautiful carvings..this is the typical door type found in villages in Maharashtra.

The niche made in the wall which is used as a storage place..this is known as 'KONADA.the structure is load bearing and the wall r made with stone and mud , plastered with mud or dung .The normal wall thickness is about 500mm to 600mm somewhere it is about 1200mm also.
This is a 'Khunti',used to hang clothes or ropes or...hmmmm many thing and its very strong..

The ceiling made up of Wood...

This staircase leads to the first floor which is builtin the wall itself.here, the wall thickness is about 1800mm including staircase..

The old structure from outside..u can see the sill and lintel lvls.at first floor...
The shingles r replaced by Gi sheets these days..so not loking so good..

The small window openings at lower level..

Another type of 'KONADA'..

Typical window..beam itself used as lintel ,mud plastered wall..and khunties..

Another type of window, this provides more sunlight inside..the thing that affect the window design most is wall thickness..

Temple complex at Dhom..

So thats all..
if u want more info.just ask me..
bye tc,keep in touch..

THERMAL INSULATION USING FIBRE BOARDS

Introduction

The primary purpose of building’s thermal insulation is to control heat transfer and thereby protect a building from excessive heat loss during cold seasons and heat gain during hot seasons. This comfort effectively reduce the amount of energy required by a building’s heating and cooling equipment to maintain condition for human comfort.

Requirements for insulation
Insulations main function is to keep the heat in. To be effective, insulation must be the following:
resistant to heat flow

able to feel the space evenly and completely
Durable, and

For some location able withstand exposure to heat for moistures

Several different insulation materials may be used at different locations in the house envelope, depending on the space available for the insulation, ease of access and other installation requirements.
One of the type of these materials is fibre board, which often used for thermal insulation.

Section of the basement wall, with vertical metal supports for fibre board and soil sloped away from the wall .

Fibre boards are often used for the basement insulation treatment.Exterior basement insulation can play a number of roles within the basement envelope system.
Since heat-loss control and ground-water management are the critical roles that any exterior insulation must play.

Properties:
High heat resistance
Low density
Low thermal conductivity
Low heat storage
Structural strength
Excellent electrical insulation
Excellent sound absorption
Fast and simple installation

Glass Fibre Board

Glass fibre board is also a semi-rigid draining fibrous insulation, but it is less dense than the mineral fibre product, and shows more compression under the same load. The manufacturer compensated for this by providing additional R-value in the uncompressed state, to achieve a claimed R-value for in-ground placement where it would be compressed.

The in-situ thermal performance of this product was similar to that of adjacent products that experienced less compression. Substantial water movement at the outer face of the insulation was documented, confirming that drainage was taking place.

Types of glass fibre board:





Mineral Fibre Boards
Mineral fibre board is a dense, semi-rigid material that provides a drainage function because of the stratification of fibres and the voids between these fibres. The research showed substantial water movement at the board's outer face, which was in contact with the ground during periods of heavy rain and thaw.

The steady thermal performance of the board throughout these periods of water movement suggests that only the outer fibres of the insulation are involved in managing the water.

Advantages of fibre board :

Non-combustible.
Good insulation properties
High temperature resistance
Thermal stability and high mechanical strength.
Easily fabricated.
Cost effective
Non-corroding
Electrical resistance at high temperature.

Uses of fibre board



1 Fill air spaces particular in frame walls, floor and roofs

2 Wall sheathing or cavity fill, to increase strength as well as reduce heat loss:rigid roof insulation, perimeter slab insulation

3 Fill wall cavities and flat areas above ceilings.

Insulation boards reduce overheating


Mineral fibre or plastic board and glass fibre insulation boards add considerable thermal mass to a lightweight construction, preventing or reducing overheating in summer.
Insulation is designed to prevent heat loss from a building, but it can do more than this. They do this by acting as a thermal sink that absorbs heat and and prevents overheating on warm days.

Architectural Presentation-CEMENT CONCRETE FOR HEAT OR THERMAL INSULATION

THERMAL INSULATION
THERMAL INSULATION CAN BE DEFINED AS RESISTANCE TO THERMALTRANSMITANCE OVER A GRADIENT OF TEMPERATURE
IT CAN ALS0 BE TERMED AS THERMAL INERTIA OR THERMAL RESISTANCE.
IT CAN BE EXPRESSED IN BTU PER HR SQ FT DEGREE F.

MODES OF TRANSFER OF HEAT
CONDUCTION, the most common means of heat transfer in solids,
CONVECTION the most common means of heat transfer in liquids and gases, is the transfer of heat via a combination of conduction and fluid flow..
RADIATIONRadiation is the only form of heat transfer that can occur in the absence of any form of medium – through a vacuum., a net transfer of heat occurs from the hotter materials to the cooler materials.
THUS ,
THERMAL INSULATION =1/HEAT TRANSFER COEFFICIENT
(VALUE RANGES FROM 0.85-2.98)

Specific heat describes a material's ability to store heat energy. The specific heat of concrete and masonry can generally be assumed to be 0.2Btu/lb·°F. )Heat Capacity (HC) is the amount of heat energy required to raise the temperature of a mass one degree Fahrenheit. Heat capacity is per square foot of wall area (Btu/ft2·°F) and includes all layers in a wall. For a single layer wall, HC is calculated by multiplying the density of the material times its thickness (in ft) times the specific heat of the material. HC for a multilayered wall is the sum of the heat capacities for each layer.

CEMENT CONCRETE FOR HEAT
Concrete has an inherent capacity (related to its mass) to absorb and store thermal energy. This quality is referred to as 'thermal mass'
Thermal mass is a property that enables building materials to absorb, store, and later release significant amounts of heat. Buildings constructed of concrete and masonry have a unique energy-saving advantage because of their inherent thermal mass. These materials absorb energy slowly and hold it for much longer periods of time than do less massive materials. The thermal mass of concrete has the following benefits and characteristics
Delays peak loads
Reduces peak loads
Reduces total loads in many climates and locations
Works best in commercial building applications Works well in residential applications
Works best when mass is exposed on the inside surface
Works well regardless of the placement of mass Mass
works well in commercial applications by delaying the peak summer load, which generally occurs around 3:00 pm to later when offices begin to close.

CEMENT CONCRET IN Summer


In summer, energy from direct sun and from warm circulating air is absorbed by the cooler concrete mass thus reducing the air temperature within the home. As the air temperature decreases in the evening, stored energy within the concrete mass re- radiates ~ providing consistent comfortable temperatures within the home. This cooling effect of thermal mass is especially beneficial in very warm climates. Eaves should be designed to shade windows from high angled summer sun and there should be sufficient opening windows to allow cross ventilation.

CEMENT CONCRETE IN Winter



Capturing the free energy of the sun is relatively simple with a concrete home. This energy is most efficiently captured if the sun shines directly onto concrete surfaces, although reflected radiation will also be absorbed by concrete surfaces not directly exposed to sunlight. Convection and conduction also play a part.
Solar gain can be achieved by maximising the glazing that faces north ( ± 20° off north is best) and using low insulation floor coverings such as tiles on a concrete slab. Coloured concrete systems are also ideal. Carpet will insulate the concrete floor slab, which reduces its ability to absorb solar energy. Likewise plasterboard lining on concrete walls will reduce solar gain compared to hardwall plaster. Eaves and verandas should not prevent winter sun penetrating the glazing.

Thermal Performance of High Mass [Concrete] Houses

ACCORDING TO Research work undertaken by the Cement and Concrete Association of New Zealand (started in 1997) into the benefits of building a house from concrete ARE
The amount of glazing, and its orientation to the sun, has a significant effect on the performance of a home.
The concrete building used 15.5% less energy than the identical timber one for similar comfort conditions.
The concrete house was more comfortable when a large window was fitted, the timber home overheated significantly.
The concrete home was more than 5oC cooler than ambient on a 30oC day, while the temperature inside the timber home approximated the outside temperature.
Overnight, the timber home was on average, 1 degree cooler than the concrete one.
The minimum temperatures for the concrete and timber buildings were 15.6oC and 12.8oC respectively.
The timber home required four times the shading needed by the concrete home (to control overheating).

Reasons to see red over green energy, Government apathy sabotages Britain's shift to a low-carbon economy

Engineers fitting solar panels to a roof at Silvertown solar village, Docklands, London.


You'd hope, wouldn't you, that the government department responsible for energy to heat our homes, power our cars and so on would be on top of two key issues - a switch to a low-carbon economy and the possibility that oil might run out sooner than we thought.

Both these issues should concern us greatly and, indeed, there is growing discussion of them everywhere. But, the Department of Business As Usual (DBERR) doesn't seem to be on the case at all.

It spends most of its time pointlessly changing its name (from the Department for Trade and Industry, you will recall) or changing ministers so often that few have time to get their feet under the desk before they are gone.

Ed Matthew of Friends of the Earth puts it bluntly. "BERR [the department has inexplicably even dropped the D] is not fit to govern. They should all be sacked."

That may sound a bit harsh but you have to wonder whether he has a point.

First, renewable energy. The figures we uncovered last week were shocking.

BERR is set to under spend the paltry £18m in domestic grants of its low carbon buildings programme by £10m over the three years to March 2009. This in spite of strong demand for renewables among the general public.

How bad is the situation? Well, BERR handed out grants for part of the cost of fitting solar photovoltaic systems covering only 270 houses last year. The Germans fitted 130,000. We have a total installed capacity (including commercial) of 16 Megawatt peak (Mwp). They have 3,800 Mwp.

But even worse, during the year the pace of grant-giving slowed. Last May BERR simply slashed the grants and made them more difficult to get. The result, entirely predictably, was a collapse.

Throughout much of 2006, for example, it was making 30-40 grants a month for ground source heat pumps. In the last three months of 2007, no such grants were made. There is a similar decline for solar thermal (hot water) and micro wind turbines. Not a single grant was allocated for a domestic solar PV system last month while the Germans installed about 12,000 systems.

Malcolm Wicks, BERR's energy minister, recently acknowledged that Britain needed a "revolution" to have any chance of raising the share of its energy derived from renewables to 15% by 2020, as the EU demanded last month, from 2% - the lowest in the EU after Malta and Luxembourg.

It's important to remember, though, that the EU wants 20% of its energy from renewables by 2020 but allowed Britain to shave that to 15%. Thank goodness the EU has set a demanding target. So why is Wicks still trying to claim that Britain is showing "leadership" on renewables? The UK has about 40% of the EU's wind, yet only 10% of the installed wind capacity of Germany. Sorry to go on about this but it really does bear repeating.

German revolution

I am hearing, though, that many branches of government are fed up with the situation and are putting pressure on BERR to get real with its policies, particularly regarding the feed-in tariff (FIT) behind Germany's renewables revolution that has been copied in so many other countries.

This works by rewarding those who produce power from wind or solar power with an above-market payment guaranteed for 20 years. The additional cost is spread across all power users, since the saving in carbon is shared by all. It is a market-supporting mechanism since the FIT is reduced slightly each year for new projects as increasing scale reduces the cost of the equipment (a solar PV system in Germany, for example, now costs half the UK level).

A properly designed FIT rewards early adaptors, helps kick-start a new industry and creates jobs. The German PV industry added 10,000 jobs last year.

Friends of the Earth want the chancellor, Alistair Darling, to put tackling climate change at the heart of next month's budget. They want a FIT for households and businesses generating their own power and a top-up of the LCBP to £1bn a year to meet half the cost of any renewables anybody wants to fit.

The Treasury, after all, commissioned Lord Stern to write his review of the economics of climate change in 2006. He recommended spending 1% of gross domestic product each year, straight away, to combat climate change. That would be £13-14bn in the UK's case. So £1bn in the LCBP is not a lot to ask.

Another key reason to push for a dash for renewables is energy security.

There is a growing fear among academics and many in the oil industry, that oil may be running out quicker than we thought.

I used to write about the oil industry 15 years ago and more and back then the conventional wisdom was that "peak oil" theories had been right about US oil production but were fantasy for the world as a whole. As soon as the oil price rose, went the argument, producers would spend more on getting oil out of the ground.

Well, oil prices have been rising for about a decade. They've gone up 500% roughly. That's a lot. You might expect that, even allowing for the lags in developing new fields, supply might have responded by now. This is basic economics.

Argument

But it hasn't, not really. We are stuck at about 85m barrels a day in global production. And the output of the oil majors Exxon, Shell and BP fell last year!

I don't want to get into an argument about whether peak oil is upon us but you have to admit that it could be. After all, UK oil production peaked at 3.2m bpd in 1999 and has since halved. Dirty tar sands in Alberta could perhaps produce 3m bpd (Canadian estimates, not mine), but that's not going to be enough. Not that it ever should be dug out - it's filthy stuff that requires huge amounts of energy to produce.

The point is that you may hope BERR would have a plan for coping with oil at $200 or $300 a barrel in a few years' time, or a physical shortage (remember the fuel protests of 2000?). As my colleague George Monbiot noted last week, when asked about peak oil, BERR also quotes the International Energy Agency as saying the peak won't be till 2030. But the IEA doesn't say that any more - it has said there is a great deal of uncertainty about the issue.

So you might think BERR would have a Plan A in case peak oil is upon us. But no, they don't want to work on a contingency plan in case news gets out about what they are doing and causes a panic.

That panic, though, would be nothing compared to the panic if oil starts to run short. If I were BERR I would be having a dash for renewables. They plan to subsidise nuclear power for decades to come so why not bung some money at proper green energy that won't need subsidy for very long?

Chinese cities adopt low carbon initiative

Chinese cities Shanghai and Baoding have joined a new WWF initiative promoting low carbon development in China’s urban areas. The Low Carbon City Initiative will focus on increasing the energy efficiency of buildings, renewable energy and manufacturing more efficient products. WWF aims to break the link between rapid economic growth and increasing carbon emissions.

“Cities are an important segment of China’s economic development but many face the challenges of low energy efficiency and degraded environmental quality,” said Dr. Li Lin, Head of Conservation Strategies at WWF-China. “The Low Carbon City Initiative is about finding a sustainable development mode for China’s urban areas - through studying current energy production and utilisation patterns and developing new economic approaches for cleaner growth. Shanghai and Baoding are WWF’s pilot projects to show how all Chinese cities can have a green energy future.”

Initially the energy consumption of selected public buildings will be monitored. The statistics will be audited and made public, followed by training in ways to increase energy efficiency. Additionally, WWF will foster policy research to promote eco-building and set up demonstration projects in Shanghai.

In Baoding, WWF will work with local organisations to implement sustainable development projects such as a Solar Energy Demonstration City and a production base for renewable energy technologies. In addition, it will support the establishment of an information network to spread knowledge of renewable energy. WWF will promote low carbon development policies, best practice demonstration and energy saving campaigns in other cities throughout China.

“Exploring the path towards a low carbon city development is promising yet challenging, and requires more participation and support from governments, research institutes, companies and international organisations. We hope the Low Carbon City Initiative can forge effective collaboration contributing to China’s goal of reducing 20 per cent of energy consumption by the end of the 11th Five-year Plan,” said Li Junfeng, Deputy Director of the Energy Research Institute at the National Development and Reform Commission.

WWF Asia Pacific Programme Director Isabelle Louis said “With a rapid economic development and increasing energy consumption, China is playing a crucial role in global efforts to reduce CO2 emissions. The Low Carbon City Initiative is an example where government, business and NGOs are already coming together to demonstrate clear actions for climate change solutions.”

Architecture students think outside the box to design low-cost, less-waste housing

February 20, 2008 A non-profit organization has given architecture students a chance to learn about the practical, hands-on elements of their future profession whilst exposing them to the benefits of building low-cost, sustainable housing using materials sourced from the local area.

In 2004, eight students designed and built a home for a single mother and her Navajo family which incorporated a rammed-earth Trombe wall for temperature regulation. Other innovative and alternative building ideas included building the ceiling and roof from recycled pallets, constructing the exterior walls with straw and clear acrylic and cladding the interior with discarded road signs.

Due to a student housing crisis, this year’s focus for the DesignBuildBLUFF team is to design and build a workshop, student housing and bathhouse. The buildings will be designed around three discarded shipping containers and the bathhouse will be partially constructed using partially from the sandstone earth from the Navajo reservation. The housing will sleep eight and the students will be able to use the workshop to prefabricate pieces such as passive solar rammed earth and water reclamation roofs for future housing needs.

The students of DesignBuildBLUFF in partnership with the Ssejinja Foundation, a Utah-based charitable organization, are currently fundraising for their latest housing plan. They have developed an innovative project to design and build a medical housing center for AIDS-orphaned children in the Ugandan village of Bira. The Ssejinja’s Foundation’s director, David Ssejinja sought the help of the students from the College of Architecture & Planning to design and build the structure,

“The students’ commitment to socially conscious projects and their ability to ‘build out of nothing’ made them natural partners for this project, which seeks to provide much needed structural solutions to this ravaged community,” said Ssejinja.

Students are already considering the difficulty of managing this project with the lack of construction materials in Bira and one initial idea is to combine the local rubber trees and the sandy earth to form a building material which will be rain-resistant. The team expect to have their first center completed by December 2008.

Principles of Design in vernacular architecture

The vernacular architecture of our past was based on certain principles of design.
VERNACULAR ARCHITECTURE
Vernacular architecture is wise thought
of generations moulded by culture and
region in which it flourishes. It is region
specific and culture specific. Vernacular
design is seen as a limitation imposed
by the guiding lines of region and
culture….or is learning to live with
these limitations by utilization of its
potentials to the maximum. Therefore,
vernacular design is a result of factors
that frame it.
PRINCIPLES OF DESIGN
In design evolution, Architecture cannot
fulfill its function and generate
its message unless it has some underlying
principles of design…AXIS, SYMMETRY,
HIERARCHY, RHYTHM, DATUM,
TRANSFORMATION; it also includes
FORM, SPACE.
This paper aims to find underlying
principles of design in vernacular settlements
termed as ….orderly geometric
chaos. That Means, there lies an order in geometry of design and chaos
in the same design because of its
organic evolution with time. The guiding
lines of culture specific meansfor
any given situation living style,
activity pattern, customs and traditions.
The region specific means-site,
landform, topography and climate.
Both factors act as generators that
frame the design. The methodology
adopted, is to study, the existing settlements
with the help of documented
drawings. An analysis is carried out with
the sketches of built mass as existed
in past.

PLAN MOHANJODARO
Source - Ancient Indian Architecture.


PLAN OF HOUSES - MOHANJODARO
Source (Base Drawing) - Ancient Indian Architecture.

STUDY -I, MOHANJODARO

Period: 2800BC-2600BC.
Design: The underlying geometry was
Grid Iron Pattern. The design of houses in close proximity to one another. Houses
built around a central courtyard. Facades
solid, all windows openings to the courtyard
and passages. The conclusion - the
design is intovert. The design planned
around the main depression “the tank”,
that acts as a community space. Mud
bricks used for construction. Series of
enclosures for security reasons. The gates
at strategic locations.

Principles: Axis: is a line established by
two points in space. Series of lines cross
each other to form grid iron pattern.

Hierarchy: Articulation by variations of
form and size of space. This principle is
achieved by variation in size of spaces
from street- to passage -to court.

Transformation: Alteration by various
forms manipulated in design can be seen.

STUDY -II, DOGON VILLAGE,
AFRICA

Design: The organising principle is a
central courtyard. The Dogon village is
a hierarchy of spaces, the social and
spatial fabric generated out of few simple
design principles. Design is either
along the main axis or diagonal axis.
Building walls seen at an angle along
the diagonal as perspective with vanishing
points shifting along axis…..an
ever-changing perspective view. The
low ceiling supported by carved pillers.
Spatial character evolved to defend
against warriors. They built their houses
in clusters, act like fortress. Geometry of
design is seen in pure geometric shapes
like square, rectangle and circle used in
dwelling design.

AXIS



Axis is to be terminated at both of its ends by a sisnificant
form /space.notion of edges dfined by well defined edges.

Vertical planes facades enclose a open space.
well defined spaces centralised/regular in form


STUDY -III, DHORDO VILLAGE,
RAJASTHAN.
Design: Street as a space for community,
Street can be narrow, wide opening
to the main court and spaces. It can be
with or without variety. The geometry
can be curves, zig-zag to meet the multiple
needs of culture. Radial pattern, in
terms that the design generates from
one central focal point the welcome
court. Street system of design Bannis
clustered around the axial street. The
lower cast kept away from the main
settlement area. The main court is near
the Head's House.

DATUM
Line datum can organise the elements in the form of line. Line can
cut through and form a common edge for the pattern.
In the village layout-the main open space falls on the line. A regular geometry


PLAN OF DHORDO VILLAGE
Source (base drawing) - Architecture of the Indian desert.
The ‘banni house’ is single cell of body
of settlement. The circular unit is subdivided
in to various zones according to the
functions to be carried out in the house-a
division of space without walls.

STUDY -IV, JAISALMER,
RAJASTHAN
Design: Jaisalmer fort is a traditional
settlement, not exactly a vernacular
settlement. The city is network of
streets, high buildings, narrow
streets the area of fort is taken up for
study. The design layout shows a network
of space in which.
Hierarchy of size: When the space dominates in architectural design by being significantly
different in size from all other
elements, dominance by size of elements
such as -"C-Royal Square"
Hierarchy of Shape: Visually dominant
by the shape from other elements in
composition. A discreet contrast in shape
is critical.
Rhythm: Patterened reoccurrence of elements
in design such as Granary areas in
the design. Repetation as a dense organization
of repetitive pillars.
HIERARCHY

Exceptional size -dominance seen by the size of
the space .form in design.
A unique shape-visually dominant and imporatnt
shape of the space /form in design.



Space and form are visual elements.visual continuity is result of opening up of enclosures in space.generation of form in space is affect of
opening these horizontal and vertical elements in space.it depends on size,number and location of openings.
Main Chowk has full enclosure with two streets opening the visual link.
Neighbourhood Space activity linked to houses opens to the residential streets.
Angan near the house.transition space in house and street.
Main Village Square is village community space,
at intersection of main streets.

SKETCH PLAN
Source - Architecture Kutch.

STUDY -V, BIDADA VILLAGE,
KUTCH
Design: In the Kutch region, the architecture
is a result of hot and dry climate.
Village is situated near a river.
The house has geometric circular form.
The layout of village is based on caste
herirachy-Brahmins, Harijans, Darbari
and Muslims. The network of streets
is organic, resembles the branches
of trees. The underlying geometry
is ring with branches. The streets have ever-changing views. Chowks,
Y shaped junctions make the intersections
of streets.

RESEARCH METHODS

Various research steategies are:
1 Theory in relation to method.
2 Design in relation to research.
3 Interpretive historical research
4 Correlational research.
5 Casestudies and Combined Strategies.
In Design we mean figural schemes
that lead to built form. By design
we mean what architects do
everyday- responding to clients,
requirements, standards, etc. Research
is philosophical principles-scholarly
enquiry. The hypothesis is based
on interpretation of documented
drawings. In the above mentioned
studies, activity as a generator of
function in design has been adopted.
The logic is based on various factors
within the situation.
In design research diagnosis, planning,
evaluation and finding are the
steps taken. The first study was design
and history research - an account of
past event (Mohanjodaro). Design as
qualitative research - in depth
account of social context. Design of
house in the sequence of formal area
(public), central court (public & private)
then backyard (private). Design
and Simulation Research-evaluates
rule of thumb design criteria, mitigating
heat by use of mud, small windows
and shaded court. Design and
logical argumentation: logical argumentation
is embedded in modes of
systematic inquiry which leads to systematic
theory.
The case study is an investigation of
design in real life context. Focus was on
the multiple cases, studied in real life context
with analysis for casual links.

LESSONS FROM THE PAST

The Present is to be seen as a continuity
of the past. The relation of spaces is to
be seen as a functional need. Street
and court as community spaces, an
extension of house/adjoining area. The
study highlighted the axial relations,
articulation of spaces, transformation
in space and hierarchy of space and
size. The various design typologies
such as street, courtyard, hybrid
of street and court are to be seen
a lessons from the past. The contemporary
design as a continuity of the
past vernacular design is the bottom line
of the study.

Sign and symbol-Tabanliogue Architects complete the Nova factory in Turkey

The Nova Factory and Office building is the headquarters of Turkey’s largest manufacturer of large-format illuminated and non-illuminated signage. The ‘L-shaped’ plan utilises a simple orthogonal structure with a three-storey office building incorporating showrooms and staff and visitor restaurants, fronting the flat-roofed production space. A subtle curve is introduced in the main façade, a ‘trace’ of a wheel, alluding to the fact that the founder of Nova was formerly one of Turkey’s most accomplished motor-rally drivers.
Raw materials enter the factory from the western end and exit as finished products from the eastern loading dock. The production space houses a number of assembly lines where a diverse range of materials – plastics, aluminium, GRP and steel – are assembled into individual signs. Rooflights relate to the layout of ‘tezgahs’ or work tables, so that much of the work is done in natural light.
Cladding materials are principally glass and insulated metal panels. It is intended that the logos of Nova’s principle clients should be incorporated on the façade. On the south-facing elevation a combination of horizontal louvres, internal screens, double-glazing and blinds control the internal environment. Office partition walls perpendicular to the façade are rendered in primary colours.
Conceptually the building is itself a sign, a vast hoarding and an advertisement for the quality of the Nova product.