Rammed Earth Wall - Oman

The students of Higher College of Technology Muscat are carrying out research in earth-based building techniques under the guidance of Prof Muna Al Farsi and Ar. Shobitha Jacob. Eng Khamis Al souli representing the Society of Engineers has very kindly supported this venture from its inception. Earth based buildings have been traditionally used for construction in Oman and neighbouring regions. However, with the advent of cement and concrete, the use of earth techniques for construction that was traditionally practiced in Oman has been neglected. Higher College of Technology is carrying out research to revive the traditional art of construction using modern techniques that will be an alternative method for building and thereby helping the Sultanate save gas and reduce pollution.

Although Global Industrialization has limited the continuity of vernacular architecture based on local material and skill; today there is a renewed interest among a few architects and enthusiasts to revive the traditional know-how for sustainable methods of construction. Sustainability is a challenging and pressing issue these days. Building with raw-earth is one of the most sustainable construction techniques since it is a natural resource, locally available and can be recycled.

Moreover, building with earth can redefine how buildings are built in arid regions with extremely high temperatures because of their high thermal capacity which enable them to store and re-radiate heat thereby reducing energy consumption and air-conditioning. Earth-based buildings are able to trap in air and water thereby increasing the heat retention of the walls which allows the inside spaces of a building to remain cool during the day. This is a technique very similar to the clay pots used in Oman for water cooling. In Oman, around 57% of the energy consumed by residents is for cooling purpose. Therefore, a reduction in cooling requirement will result in significant energy conservation. 

Higher College of Technology will be conducting further research to assess the performance of these constructions and study the suitability of material available in Oman. This research makes way for continuing the art of traditional construction with modern techniques.

fixing the shuttering

Compressive strength testing of the rammed earth wall  - achieved 23N/sq mm

ANIMATED CASTING

Casting using stretched fabric.

The process began with experimenting with Plaster of Paris and a stretchable mold  to create forms that is decided by gravity and the movement of the mold. 
The above form was created using a stretched Lycra onto which Plaster was poured; the mold was rotated simultaneously to get an even layer of plaster. 

Various models and thoughts later, it was decided to create a pattern with interlocking nodes, from the forms thus evolved. KUKA robots helped in getting the desired form, were one end was fixed and two ends held by robot arms that stretched to fabric to fill in the plaster. 

The final set of individual units with the nodes to interlock to form a pattern. Each unit is unique.

MUD

Why do most people plaster their buildings?

Plastering is done primarily as  protective layer for a brick masonry structure. It also conceals the errors made in the brick-work. Well, master craftsmen like Laurie Baker have shown us that exposed brick work can withstand the test of time and be pleasing to the eye. Although their efforts have positive outcomes, we still continue to use copious amounts of cement, putty and several layers of paint to finish a brick wall.

With increasing demand over resources, it is the responsibility of architects to use materials with very less embodied energy. Mud as a material can be expressed in its true form through various methods like earth blocks, rammed earth, wattle and daub and many more. 

Residence at Kakkathuruttu

The residence at Kakkathuruttu constructed with Rammed Earth walls and Ferro-Cement Shell roof provides a refuge from the urban environment. Flanked on either side by canals, the site is accessible only through catamarans, influencing the design by the inherent constraints, sensitivity of the local nuances and concerns of environmental impact. The debris from a demolished house which stood at the site finds an expression in the present building. Site specific materials are utilised, along with innovative re-use of scrap as building elements.

A zero energy building powered by passive energy sources and carefully planned water management systems. Wind turbine and solar panels are provided on the roof. The remote location makes it all the more important to be self reliant to meet the energy requirements. 

Coonan Cross Church

The church at Mattancherry is a re-invention of the context, constructed entirely of compressed earth blocks (CSEB). The distinct style with catenary vaults, arches and a dome evokes the past, in a way, never seen before. The technique of construction was developed in Egypt, today known as the Nubian Technique. There are 13 vaults and a dome to complete the structure. Though a new construction, the site is historically important for the Koonan Kurishu revolt that happened here. Today, it stands as the second largest catenary structure in South India. The sacred alter is lit with sunlight that filters through the oculus and the space between the sinusoidal walls.

In 2013, an all Kerala workshop was held at the Holy Crescent College of Architecture, Aluva, were an amphitheater was built by the students using compressed earth blocks. /each block was made by students at the college; they worked continuously for 4 days to make their design a reality. 

Vaults and domes in exposed masonry are featured in several projects. The team of masons skilled in this method of construction are from a village in Pondicherry and had worked at the Auroville Earth Institute were they learned this technique. 

The projects are ambitious and exciting placed between ideas and reality. Speaking the language of the site and the materials, the building is reasonable to the maker  and to the nature. 

Sepia Pavilion

A Bamboo Installation for a Photography Exhibition

 - along with Kabilan S

This simple design was born with the idea of reviving and re-inventing a dead space.

Cotton scrolls hung from bamboo poles were used to exhibit the photographs. 

Learning the nature of the materials involved, figuring the knotting patterns, execution was a challenge.

We were able to complete the design in a weeks time.

KATHPUTLI COLONY

THE STREEETS

Walking along the streets and alleys I was greeted by enthusiastic kids playing dholaks, singing the latest Bollywood songs. Kathputly Colony situated in the Capital City of Inida, is one of the oldest slum dwellings in the city. The colony is home to artists that migrated from Rajasthan in the early 1950’s during a famine in search of better employment opportunities and better living conditions. 

The settlement that began as a hub for art and music has been reduced to a state of decay and neglect. The condition of this settlement began to worsen after the migration of people from various parts and also the declining job offers for artists in the city. Today there are 12 major sectors in a colony grouped on a regional basis, working as laborers or daily wage earners in the vicinity. 


Heading HUDCO 2012 of SPA New Delhi, I was able to document the slum and propose a redevelopment scheme for the area. 

THE STRENGTH

Prime Location- Kathputli Colony is situate at a very prime location in the map of New Delhi and is sandwiched between the Kirti Nagar Industrial Estate and the Shadipur housing colonies. The colony is well connected with road and metro rail. The Blue and the Green line of the Delhi Metro Rail meet at Kirti Nagar which is present at a walk able distance from the site.
Human Resources- Manpower which is essential for construction and the redevelopment of the colony is present in abundant as most of the residents work in construction sites as skilled labour when their primary occupation is at a crisis situation.  

THE WEAKNESS

Space Constraint- The total area that comes under the Kathputli Colony is around 5.22 hectare with a population of nearly 60,000.  Therefore the area per resident in Kathputli Colony is less than 1m2. Juggis less than 20m2 house more than 10 10 members.
Lack of Education- The colony mainly consists of migrants from other states who have come in search of employment opportunities. Thus most of the residents are illiterate with one the children of the current generation aiming for education through the Kalakar Sang School and the New Patel Nagar Government High School

The initial migrants from Rajasthan came to the site 50 years who therefore considered the natives of the region itself. Thus they  have a very strong bond to the site and do not wish to be displaced.                                                                                                                                                                              Diversity in the Society- People with various cultural backgrounds reside within the society and have a strong bondage with one another. The Kathputli Colony is currently used as a settlement zone for migrants into Delhi from most places of India.

PRESENT SCENARIO

The census conducted by the Delhi Development Authority(D.D.A)shows that 2800 Juggis with a population of 11500 but the ground zero reality shows that that there are nearly 10000 Juggis with an estimate of 55000 residents.

With the passage of time, the number of people moving into other professions drastically and a 2001 census shows that only 11% practice puppetry. A large section of the population has moved on to other professions like street dancing, drumming ets. A large section of the population has moved on to other professions like street dancing, drumming ets. The artists and drummers within their houses have a common space for their raw materials and in some cases the space is also used a production unit for their work.

Though primary dispensary units and schools are present within the site, the lack of connectivity and corruption have jittered its growth causing problems within the society.

Invisible Cities

                                     

“With cities, it is as with dreams: everything imaginable

can be dreamed, but even the most unexpected dream is a rebus that conceals a

desire or, its reverse, a fear.

Cities, like dreams, are made of desires and

fears, even if the thread of their discourse is secret, their rules are absurd,

their perspectives deceitful, and everything conceals something else.”

To cross mountains and oceans is hard, but making another soul believe you did what u did is yet another task. This task is well accomplished in “Invisible Cities” written by Italo Calvino translated by William Weaver. One could say it is a glorified travelogue, a conversation between two travelers, a confluence of thoughts, a mysterious mind-blowing description of cities. A tale of cities expressed by Marco Polo to Kubhlai Khan or an imaginary city as seen by the latter.

To bring about a connection from what is read and what is perceived ; the reader engulfs into the surreal yet real world the author has inked down. It’s not bricks and mortar but a confusing city with suspended ladders, silver domes, desires , white peacocks under the moon , signs , emblems , naked men ;               a mirage.

In the beginning Marco Polo expresses everything in gestures using objects from the travel and captures the attention of Khan and as the bond between them strengthens or the language understood ,he moves on to words, phrases and tropes. Words proved more useful to express the most important things of every province and city and his thoughts.

From city to city khan moves, there aren’t any events , but he plainly tells us what he saw and rest is left to the reader but beware the memory is so strong that it is bound to take you away to some ethereal place that is never to be forgotten. The cities are well classified and listed appropriately. Some by their function like the city of Chloe where trade dominates well some are pure desires like Zobeide, the white City.

“An hourglass could mean time passing, or time spent, or sand , or a place where hourglasses are made” very cleverly mouthed, an object sited could tell a myriad stories. The book brings a zillion images of various objects in a city indicating its location, habits , the people , their occupation , practices and much more.or it can even be misleading taking the attention of the reader to another land, whether it is done on purpose or not. In yet another case it can be an object of controversy or suffice for idle talk.

Well we rarely think about the void that filled the space in the hourglass! That too is not forgotten here, taking one to the lands unknown, what is beyond the naked eye. The author cleverly levers from one city to another evoking a sense of mystery in the reader.

Through the cities the author compels you to think of one’s own city or one’s perception of a city, nevertheless the image that one creates may or may not strike anything in common to what is read yet the search is never complete.

The attachment a soul has with its city cannot be erased nor can it be clearly expressed. The conversation between the two minds should not be missed on this note ; so are several other.

At end of the read we feel there are few places left on earth to visit or the vice versa .Leafing through it over and over again the cities shall enthrall you never dimming in any aspect. Either way it induces curiosity, a invincible desire to explore, to travel. 

SHOBITHA JACOB

Urban Zoom