For Eco-friendly Architecture · Examples of Eco Friendly buildings built by the Auroville Earth Institute ... 13 apartments on 4 floors at Vikas Community

COMPRESSED STABILIZED EARTH BLOCKS

(CSEB)

For Eco-friendly Architecture

1D

D

D

d

SUMMARY

2

1. Introduction on CSEB

2. Basic data on CSEB

3. Comparison with other materials

4. Examples of Eco Friendly buildings built by the

Auroville Earth Institute

INTRODUCTION1

3

WHAT ARE CSEB?

4

� CSEB are a mix of soil, sand, a stabilizer (often 5% of cement), and water.

� They are compressed in a press (manual or motorised) and cured during 28 days.

� CSEB are also called E’Blocks, as Eco-friendly, Economical, Earth block…

� The term “block” is used to differentiate from “brick” which is usually fired.

� Top soil is removed and only the deeper soil is extracted.

� CSEB are used on all continents.

� CSEB has been a major tool for the renaissance of earth architecture worldwide.

� It is today the earth technology which is used the most worldwide and in Auroville.

� The Auroville Earth Institute became one of the world leader for the research and

development of CSEB technology.

MACHINERY FOR CSEB

5

Terstara

mAuram 240 Auram 3000

Altec Pact 500 Terrablock Hydrafor

m

Unata Elson block

Master

Cinvara

m

� Many manual or motorised presses have been researched and developed worldwide.

MACHINERY FOR CSEB

6

� The Auram press 3000 can produce about 75 blocks with 17 moulds.

Variety of blocks produced by the Auram Press 3000

Several series of blocks have been developed for various uses:� Solid blocks for load bearing masonry

� Hollow interlocking blocks for disaster resistance

� Round blocks for columns� Hourdi for floors & roofs � Tiles and special blocks

�Hollow blocks for load bearing masonry

7

MANUAL PROCESS

8

BASIC DATA ON CSEB2

9

TECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICS WITH 5% CEMENT

10

� Dry compressive strength σc : 5 to 7.5 MPa

� Wet compressive strength σc : 3 to 4 MPa

� Embodied energy per m3 of raw material : 572.58 MJ / m3

� Carbon emission : 51.53 Kg (CO2)/ m3

� Thermal lag of 50 cm thick wall : 12 hours

� 1 MPa = 9.81 Kg/cm2

� All data with Auroville soil, after 28 days curing.

� These mechanical characteristics are influenced by:

- Soil quality, manufacturing process and the quality and percentage of stabilizer.

COST EFFECTIVE

11

� CSEB are generally cheaper than fired bricks.

- No plaster is needed in most of cases

- Less mortar is required

- 5% of waste against 10% for fired bricks

A finished m2 of CSEB wall 240

is in Auroville

~25% cheaper than country fired

bricks

Cost in Rs./m2

Cost comparison per m2 of CSEB and fired brick wall (Auroville, July 2011)CSEB wall 24 cm thick = 861 Rs./m2 - Country fired brick wall 23 cm thick = 1076 Rs./m2

COST EFFECTIVE

12

� CSEB is a very labour intensive technology

� 13 people per press for manual pressing

� This gives job opportunities

� This gives livelihood to people

� This insures sustainability

Labour represents more than 40%

Cement and equipment are about 30%

Raw materials are less than 30%

COMPARISON WITH OTHER MATERIALS3

13

INITIAL EMBODIED ENERGY

14

CSEB are environmentally friendly as:

- No firing is required, but only curing (4 weeks with cement stabilization).

- Less transportation is required and production is most of the time manual.

� The initial embodied energy of CSEB is in general less than other building materials.

CSEB consume 10.7 times less energy than country fired bricks

572

6,122

Value: Pondicherry area

CARBON DIOXIDE EMISSIONS

15

���� CSEB emit 12.5 times less carbon dioxide than fired country bricks !!!

���� 50 tons of wood burnt for 100,000 country fired bricks !!!

���� Opportunity for Carbon Credits Revenue

� Carbon dioxide emissions are in general less than other building materials.

� They are mostly coming from cement stabilisation.

51.5

643

Value: Pondicherry area

EXAMPLES OF ECO-FRIENDLY BUILDINGS BUILT BY THE

AUROVILLE EARTH INSTITUTE4

16

Visitors Centre – 1992 Hassan Fathy International Award for Architecture for the Poor

A FEW BUILDING EXAMPLES BUILT IN AUROVILLE

17

13 apartments on 4 floors at Vikas Community

Vikas Community was a finalist for the “2000 World Habitat Award” 18

Deepanam School near Matrimandir – CSEB vault 10.35 m span, 2.25 m rise 19 House at the Auroville Earth Institute 20

Realization Housing with 17 apartments

- Wastewater biological system

- Rainwater harvesting

- Earth tunnel for natural air conditioning

- CSEB and stabilised earth from foundations to roof

� 4 times less initial embodied energy

� Low emission for construction and use

than conventional buildings and systems

� 3 times less operating energy

21

Realization - 5 Apartments completed 22

Realization - 8 Apartments under finishes 23

A FEW BUILDING EXAMPLES BUILT AROUND AUROVILLE

Shakti Vihara School at Pondicherry, for 700 children 24

Shakti Vihara School at Pondicherry, for 700 children 25 Chinnakalapet near Auroville – “Hermitage” for a priest 26

27“Hermitage” for a priest “Hermitage” for a priest School and community centre at Marakkanam 28

Sri Karneshwar Nataraja Temple near Auroville

Pointed cloister dome 6 m span and pyramid, built in 6 months 29 Sri Karneshwar Nataraja Temple 30

A FEW BUILDING EXAMPLES BUILT WORLDWIDE

1990 – Kinshasa, Zaire – School built in 2 weeks 31 1996 – Istanbul, Turkey – House built in 8 days 32

2008 – Jantanagar, Nepal – School built in 20 days with community participation 33

2004 – Riyadh, Saudi Arabia – Al Medy Mosque built in 7 weeks

420 m2, 18.05 m high minaret

First prize

“2010 Award For Urban Heritage”

Al-Turath Foundation, Saudi Arabia

34

AUROVILLE EARTH INSTITUTE

UNESCO Chair "Earthen Architecture"

BASIN South Asia

Auroshilpam, 605 101 Auroville, TN India

Tel.: +91 (0) 413 - 262 3064 / 262 3330 Fax: +91 (0) 413 - 262 2886

Email: [email protected] Website: www.earth-auroville.com

35