Alternate materials used in BCIL Townsend
Alternate Technology as a Frontier
Alternate materials used for buildings in Townsend include:
1.Stabilised Compressed Earth Blocks.
2.Composite Ferro cement System.
3.Reclaimed Timber.
4.Non Forest Timber.
5.Reduced usage of ceramic and extreme process ...based finishing materials.
6.Usage of MS sections for window.
Stabilized compressed earth blocks
¨ SCEB are made of mud, stabilized with 5% cement and compacted in a block making machine, and naturally baked by the sun.
¨ It is as good a walling material as burnt bricks and is economical, stronger, energy saving and simple to make.
¨ The sheen on the walls is a protective uv-resistant poly coat that keeps the walls from eroding.
¨ SCEB have compressive strength of 30Kg/sq.cm.
¨ At this strength the erosion on the blocks is greatly reduced.
Other special building techniques:
• Twisted piers that add structural strength and lend to aesthetics.
• Walls raised without mortar and with concrete bands at sill, lintel and roof levels.
• Hollow clay block walls saving on downstream costs and labour.
• Final overcoat of a polycoat wash that is U.V. resistant and enhances life
• Exposed brick work with dry masonry traditional mud scaffolding and screed concrete.
• Mud plastering for external walls that last minimum 4-5 years.
• The only improvisation is use of the U.V. resistant polycoat wash to enhance life
Traditional aesthetics with contemporary materials
• The walls are stone butch.
• The columns are RCC .
• The tie beam is of ferro cement.
• The column brackets are in steel.
• The roof is of kadapa slabs
• Blends of terra cotta, ferro concrete rafters, and stone are good examples of the old blending with the new.
• Stairways in dressed or rough-hewn stone with no risers, cost less, and take elegant forms
• Neem and jackwood railings, in place of steel
Greening the different parts of buildings:
Floors
Traditional, natural materials make least environment impact . no energy in manufacture Bethamcherla . tandoor . kotah . shahabad . oxide floors executed the traditional way with
egg white and iron oxide and cement .athanagudi . also indian pine wood with cashew
oil or linseed oil treatment. Replace energy-inefficient industrial ceramic tiles with natural slate or terra cotta . ensure that the slate is water-resistant with surface treatment that enhances performance.
Roofs
6 variations of these roofs can be tried. They save 30% on roof costs. Structural steel used is minimal. It can deal with spans up to 15 feet. The screed concrete needed is only 2-3 inches
You can stack two more floors .These roofs are with Kadapa slabs and ferrocement rafters in place of wood Hollow clay blocks for roofs.These can be executed at as little as Rs 70 per sft.
Single tiled roofs and double tiled roofs. Where you are not building above,use double tiles with steel truss or wood truss
Vaults
Composite ferrocement systems
¨ CFS is simple to construct and made of ferrocement i.e. rich mortar reinforced with chicken and welded wire mesh. These reduce the thickness of roof slabs while allowing larger spans.
CFS are trough shaped and are integrated to any vertical structural system. They act as a permanent skin.
¨ Ferro cement channels and shells provide an economic solution to the RCC slab by providing
30 . 40% cost reduction.
All these options are sensitive to land they belong to. They meet criteria of durability and cost .
Make sunshades in granite . avoid RCC
Mud plaster will hold due to surface treatment
Stone and steel pergolas
Non Forest Timber
¨ Areca Poles are used as compound walls, which not only enhances the aesthetic value, but provides a new insight into alternate use of material.
¨ Since these poles are treated it increases life span of the material.
¨ It also adds to renewable factors.
¨ Here Bamboo is used as a pergola, offering great light and shade quality, which very easily replaces any concrete or steel form.
¨ These are forms that are demonstrated here primarily to excite TownsEnd-ers to try these tested options for their own homes.
Non Forest Timber
¨ The Entire spa has been constructed using Pine wood, which again is non-forest timber.
¨ Pine wood has great structural strength and is least affected by termites.
¨ Pine wood weathers very well, and has the least contraction and expansion coefficients.
¨ Cane has been used as a semi roof covering, which again lends itself to great flexibility in design.
¨ When cane is given a slight curvature it attains greater structural strength.
¨ These are elements, again, that you could use in homes with dramatic impact.
Reclaimed timber
Columns reclaimed wood:
. They don.t warp, they take polish,
. Avoid encouraging demolition of sites of heritage value
¨ Use of renewable timber goes a long way in protecting felling of forest lands.
Non process-based or zero energy finish materials
¨ Rough hewn stone is used as column supports, which add greatly to visual quality.
¨ The entrance bay is highlighted with perforated paver blocks, granite trims and traditional
stone butch work and mud plastered walls.
¨ Clay tiles with a coat of PU is used for the wet areas.
¨ The high-energy-using ceramic tiles are used only as highlights.
¨ Kadapa Floor with composite granite grit trims has been used.
¨ Kadapa has a versatile outdoor and indoor use property which can be left
as cut hewn or polished.
¨ Silver oak billets have been used as corbels on the exterior walkways alongside the
pool, after treating them with bitumen for termite resistance. The patchquilt of wood, turf-grass and pebble lends a new aesthetic dimension.
Roads & walkways
¨ - Enzyme based roads.
- Sand based clay block paving.
- Sand based stone or corbelled paving.