Author: Architect Satprem Maïni
Auroville Earth Institute, Auroville 605 101 India earthinstitute@auroville.org.in
ABSTRACT
The development of earthen architecture in Auroville attempts to link the ancestral tradition of raw earth buildings with the modern technology of stabilised earth. The Auroville Earth Institute shows how stabilised raw earth can be used as a building material, from foundation to roof and how quarries for extracting soil for building can be used for rain water harvesting, medium scale wastewater treatment, landscaping, etc.
Since its inception, the Auroville Earth Institute conducts research on appropriate building technologies based on soil, which are saving energy, and are minimising the use of steel and cement. Stabilised earth techniques and especially Compressed Stabilised Earth Block (CSEB) present an embodied energy and carbon footprint about 4 times less than country fired bricks.
Earth, as a building material, plays a major role, but other appropriate technologies like ferrocement, biological wastewater treatment, solar lighting, wind and solar pumping are also extensively used. Natural cooling systems are used, such as solar chimney, earth tunnel and natural ventilation. Today, Auroville shows a wide variety of earthen projects: public buildings, schools, apartments and individual houses
KEYWORDS
Stabilised earth techniques, Compressed Stabilised earth Blocks (CSEB), Energy effectiveness, Cost effectiveness, Resource management