Soil - Building Materials and Construction

Building Materials and Construction Techniques in Architecture

1. BUILDINGMATERIALSAND CONSTRUCTION01
BUILDINGMATERIALSANDCONSTRUCTION01|PRESENTATIONBYAR.GEEVACHANDANA1

2. UNIT03:SOIL
BUILDINGMATERIALSANDCONSTRUCTION01|PRESENTATIONBYAR.GEEVACHANDANA2
Sand -properties, uses and bulking ofsand. Types of soils, Soil formation, grain size
distribution,classificationsystem.Characteristicsofcore,PrinciplesofSoil
Stabilization, TypesofStabilizers,Earth techniques& types,Treatmentofsoil.
Mud architecture: through the ages, advantages & disadvantages, Requirements and
Typesofmudwallbuildingandsurfaceprotection.Detailingofwalls,roofs,flooringand
foundationsusingsoils(rammed earth,compressedblocks).

3. SOIL
A layerofnaturalmaterialsontheearth’ssurface
containingbothorganicandinorganicmaterialsand
capableofsupportingplantlife.
Thematerialcoverstheearth’ssurfaceinathinlayer.
Itmaybe coveredbywater,oritmaybeexposedto
theatmosphere.
BUILDINGMATERIALSANDCONSTRUCTION01|PRESENTATIONBYAR.GEEVACHANDANA3

4. SOIL
Soil,ontheaverage,consistsof
45%mineral,
25%water,
25%airand
5%organicmatter.
BUILDINGMATERIALSANDCONSTRUCTION01|PRESENTATIONBYAR.GEEVACHANDANA4

5. SOIL
Inorganicmaterialconsistsofrockslowlybrokendown
intosmallparticles.
Theorganicmaterialismadeup ofdeadplantsand
animalsvaryinginstagesofdecay.
Thepercentagesofthefourmainsoilcomponents
variesdepending on thekindofvegetation,amount
ofmechanicalcompaction,andtheamountofsoil
waterpresent.
BUILDINGMATERIALSANDCONSTRUCTION01|PRESENTATIONBYAR.GEEVACHANDANA5

6. SOIL
Soilisformedveryslowly.
Itresultsfromnaturalforcesactingonthemineraland
rockportionsoftheearth’ssurface.
Therockisslowlybrokendowntosmallparticles
resultinginsoil.
BUILDINGMATERIALSANDCONSTRUCTION01|PRESENTATIONBYAR.GEEVACHANDANA6

7. SOIL
BUILDINGMATERIALSANDCONSTRUCTION01|PRESENTATIONBYAR.GEEVACHANDANA7
Therearethousandsofdifferentsoilsthroughoutthe
world.
Fiveimportantfactorsinfluencethespecificsoilthat
develops.
ParentMaterials|Weathering|OrganicMatter|
Topography|Time

8. PARENTMATERIAL
BUILDINGMATERIALSANDCONSTRUCTION01|PRESENTATIONBYAR.GEEVACHANDANA8
Soilparentmaterialsarethosematerialsunderlying
thesoilandfromwhichthesoilwasformed.
Therearefivemajorcategoriesofparentmaterial:
mineralsandrocks,glacialdeposits,loessdeposits,
alluvialandmarinedepositsandorganicdeposits.
Mineralsaresolid,inorganic,chemicallyuniform
substanceoccurringnaturallyintheearth.
Somecommonmineralsforsoilformationare
feldspar,micas,silica,ironoxides,andcalcium
carbonates.

9. WEATHERING
Whenmineralsareexposedto weather,theybeginto
breakdownintosmallerpieces.
Thisismostlydonebyheatingandcoolingofthe
mineralsandrock.
Somemineralsarewatersolublewhichmeansthey
dissolvewhenexposedtowater.
Somerocksmaycontainsomemineralsthatarewater
solubleandonlythatpartoftherockwilldissolve.Ex:
somecaves.
BUILDINGMATERIALSANDCONSTRUCTION01|PRESENTATIONBYAR.GEEVACHANDANA9

10. WEATHERING
Whenatreeorothertypesofplantsbegingrowing
inthecracksofrocks,thismayspeedupthebreak
downoftherockbecauseofthepressuretheroots
mayexert.
Icecanalsospeed up the weatheringprocesson
rocks.
Ifarockhasacrackthatcanfillup withwater,when
thewaterfreezes,itcanliterallycrumbletherock
intosmallpieces.
Rocks canalsobebrokendownbymechanical
grindingsuchaswindblowingsandathighspeedsor
glacierscausingrockstogrindeachother.
BUILDINGMATERIALSANDCONSTRUCTION01|PRESENTATIONBYAR.GEEVACHANDANA10

11. ORGANICMATTER
Bothplantsandanimalshelpcreatesoil.
As they die, organic matter incorporates with
weatheredparentmaterialandbecomespartofthe
soil.
Theactionsofmoles,earthworms,bacteria,fungi,and
roundworms mixandenrichthesoil.
Inmostsoils,theproportionoforganicmatteris
relativelysmall(2-5%).
Itsimportanceinformationandproductionismuch
higherthanthesmall%.
BUILDINGMATERIALSANDCONSTRUCTION01|PRESENTATIONBYAR.GEEVACHANDANA11

12. TOPOGRAPHY
Inmanyregions,moist,poorlydrained soils are
locatedinlowareas.
Theslopeorhillinessofaregioncan haveamajor
influenceonthemoistureanderosionofsoils.
Drier,welldrainedsoilsareoftenfound in sloping
hillsides.Erosionisoftenaproblemhereandcan
leadtoloseoftopsoil.
BUILDINGMATERIALSANDCONSTRUCTION01|PRESENTATIONBYAR.GEEVACHANDANA12

13. TIME
Ittakeshundredsofyearstoformoneinch of
soil fromparent material.
Onlythetopfewcentimetersareproductiveinthe
senseofbeingabletosustainplantgrowth.
BUILDINGMATERIALSANDCONSTRUCTION01|PRESENTATIONBYAR.GEEVACHANDANA13

14. SOILPROFILE
OrganicLayer:Itconsistsofleaflitterandother
organicmateriallyingonthesurfaceofthesoil.
Topsoil:Thislayerisusuallylooseandcrumblywith
varyingamountsoforganicmatter.Themost
productivelayer.
Subsoil:Subsoilareusuallylighterincolor,denseand
lowinorganicmatter.
Transition:Thislayeroftransitionisalmostcompletely
voidoforganicmaterandismadeup ofpartially
weatheredparentmaterial.
Bedrock:BelowtheChorizontheunweathered
bedrockwillbefound.
BUILDINGMATERIALSANDCONSTRUCTION01|PRESENTATIONBYAR.GEEVACHANDANA14

15. CLASSIFICATIONBASEDONPARTICLESIZE
BUILDINGMATERIALSANDCONSTRUCTION01|PRESENTATIONBYAR.GEEVACHANDANA15
Particlesizeisusedbecauseitisrelatedto
mineralogy
e.g.verysmallparticlesusuallycontainclayminerals
BroadClassification
I.Coarsegrained soils
II.sands,gravels-visibletonakedeye
III.Fine grainedsoils
IV.silts,clays,organicsoils

16. CLASSIFICATIONBASEDONPARTICLESIZE
Gravel:Smallpiecesofstonevaryingfromthesizeof
agraintothatofanegg.
Sand:Similarsmallpiecesofstone(usuallyquartz),
whicharesmallbuteachgrain,isvisibletotheeye.
Silt:Thesameassandexceptthatitissofinethatyou
cannotseeindividualgrains.
Clay:Soilsthatstickwhenwet-butveryhardwhen
completelydry.
OrganicSoil:Soilmainlycomposedofrotting,
decomposingorganicmatterssuchasleaves,plants
andvegetablematter.Itisspongywhenwet,usually
smellsofdecayingmatter,isdarkincolorand
usuallydamp.
BUILDINGMATERIALSANDCONSTRUCTION01|PRESENTATIONBYAR.GEEVACHANDANA16

17. SOILUSABILITY
Gravel:aloneisofno useformudwallbuilding-thetiny
lumpsofstonehavenothingtobindthemtogether.
Sand:similartogravel,itisofnouseforwallmakingby
itself-butif mixed with clay, it is the ideal mud wall
buildingsoil.
Silt: by itself is also no good for building walls. It will hold
togetherbutisnotstrong.Furthermore,itwillnotcompact
soitis alsoofnouse for pressed blocks or rammed
earthwork.
Clay:canberammedorcompressedbutindryingoutthey
oftenshrink. During the monsoon they get damp and
expandagainandcrack form.
OrganicSoils:aremainlyuselessforwallbuilding.
BUILDINGMATERIALSANDCONSTRUCTION01|PRESENTATIONBYAR.GEEVACHANDANA17

18. PRINCIPLESOFSOILSTABILISATION
Whentheavailablesoilisnotsuitable
enoughforconstructionthenthesoilcan
beusedbymanipulatingitscomposition
byaddingsuitablestabilizers.
Stabilizingenhancesthe givenpropertyofthe soiltype.
Increasestrength.
Reduceshrinkage.
moresoilpropertiestoSoilstabilizationisdefinedasthealterationorpreservationofoneor
improvetheengineeringcharacteristicsandperformanceofasoil.

19. PRINCIPLESOFSOILSTABILISATION
A bettersoilresistancetoerosioncanbeachievedinoneormoreofthe
followingways:
byincreasingthedensityofasoil;
byaddingastabilisingagent thateitherreactswithorcementsthe
soilparticlestogether;and
byaddingastabilisingagentwhichactsasawaterproofingagent.
The use of the correct stabilisation method might improve the
compressivestrengthofa soilbyasmuchas400to500percentand
increaseitsresistancetoerosion.

20. Mostcommonandeffectivestabiliseris Soilitself.
Cement,isthebestexampleofamoderncontemporarystabiliser.
Variousotherindigenousstabilisersinclude
Straw
PlantJuices
GumArabic
SugarOrMolasses
CowDung
AnimalUrine
TannicAcid
Oil
LOCALSTABILISERS

21. NEEDFORSOILSTABILIZATION
Effectiveutilizationoflocallyavailablesoilsand
othersuitablestabilizingagents.
Encouraging the use of Industrial Wastages in
buildinglowcostconstructionofroads.

22. METHODSOFSOILSTABILIZATION
•MechanicalStabilization
•Soil
•Soil
•Soil
CementStabilization
LimeStabilization
BitumenStabilization
•LimeFlyashStabilization
•Lime FlyashBoundMacadam

23. MECHANICALSTABILIZATION
•Thismethodissuitableforlow volumeroadsi.e.Village
roadsinlowrainfallareas.
•This method involves the correctly proportioning of
aggregatesandsoil,adequatelycompactedtoget
mechanicallystablelayer
•TheBasicPrinciplesofMechanicalStabilizationare
CorrectProportioningandEffectiveCompaction

24. SOILCEMENTSTABILIZATION
•SoilCementisanintimatemixofsoil,cementandwater,compacted toforma
strongbasecourse
•Cementtreatedorcementmodifiedsoilreferstothecompactedmix
whencementisusedinsmallproportionstoimpartsomestrength
•SoilCementcanbeusedasasub-baseorbasecourseforalltypesof
Pavements

25. SOILLIMESTABILIZATION
•Soil-Limehas beenwidelyusedasa modifierorabinder
•Soil-Limeisusedasmodifierin highplasticitysoils
•SoilLimealsoimpartssomebindingaction evenin granularsoils

26. •COB
•RAMMEDEARTH
•ADOBE
•WATTLEANDDAUBMETHOD
•CORDWOODCONSTRUCTION
•EARTHERNBAG
•STRAWBALE
TYPESOFMUDWALLBUILDING

27. COB

28. •With onlya littlewatertoformaverystiffmud,alargelump isroughlymolded into
theshapeofahugeelongatedegg.
•Theusualsizeisanythingbetween12to 18-inches,(30to 40-cm)long
andabout6-inches(15-cm)indiameter.
•A row of these cobs of mud are laid neatly side-by-side -preferablysomewhat
pressedtogether.
•Thenanotherrowofcobsislaidontop.
•Whenthreeorfourcourseshavebeenlaid,oneabovethe other,thesides are
smoothedoversothatthe holesandcracksdisappear.
•Openingsfordoors,andwindowsareaproblem,whichcanbe
solvedbyusingtemporaryverticalplanksorshuttering.
•Anotherverysimpleshutteringforopeningsistouseemptykerosenetins.
COB

29. RAMMEDEARTH

30. RAMMEDEARTH

31. RAMMEDEARTH

32. •Thesecondmethodhasdevelopedfrom
standardizeorregularize the thicknessofthewall.
thecobwallsoasto
•It is also an attempt to increase the strength of the wall by ramming it. Itis known as the Rammed
Earthmethod.
•Twoparallelplanksareheldfirmly apartbymetalrodsandclipsorbolts,orbysmall
crosspiecesofwood.
•Stiff mud is thrown in between these two planks and rammed down with
eithera woodenormetalramrod.
•Whenonesectioniscompletedandhard,thetwoboardsaremovedalongandtheprocessis
repeated
•Thetwoplanksarethenraised upanda secondcourse oframmedearthisrepeatedoverthe
first.
RAMMEDEARTH

33. ADOBE

34. ADOBE

35. ADOBE

36. •Blocksshallbekeptcoveredwithairtightpolythenesheetsforfirst48hrswithrelative
humidityupto100.
•Polythenesheetsshallberemovedafter48hrsandtheblocksshallbe
keptinshadedarealikehavingenoughaircirculation.
•Sprinklewater overblocksdaily,asmanytimesneeded,during28days.
•Writedateofproductiononblockcorner.
•Cover stackstopwith coconutleaves oranyothercovertoavoiddirectsunlight.
•Principleisthatblocksshallnotdryfor4weeks.
ADOBE

37. WATTLEANDDAUB

38. •Wattle anddaubmethodisanoldandcommon methodof
buildingmudstructures.
•Therebambooandcaneframestructurethatsupportstheroof.
•Mudisplasteredoverthismesh ofbamboocaneandstraws
•Duetoexcessiverainfallthe WattleandDaubstructuresgets
washedoff.
•However, themeshofcaneorsplit bambooremainsintactand
after theheavyrainisoverthe mudisplasteredonagain.
WATTLEANDDAUB

39. EARTHBAGCONSTRUCTION

40. EARTHBAGCONSTRUCTION

41. •Thismethodwas developedfromthebunkersmadebythemilitary
•Thebasicconstructionmethodbeginsbydiggingatrench.
•Rowsofwovenbags(ortubes)arefilledwithavailableinorganic
material
•After thefoundationislaid,eachsuccessivelayerwillhaveoneormorestrandsofbarbed wire
placedontop.
•Theweightofthisearth-filledbag pushesdownonthebarbedwirestrands,lockingthebagin
placeonthe rowbelow.
•The most populartypeofbagismadeofwovenpolypropylene.
•Organic/naturalmaterialssuchashemp,burlaporothernatural-fiber
bags(like"gunnysacks")canbeused.
EARTHBAGCONSTRUCTION

42. CORDWOOD/STONECONSTRUCTION

43. CORDWOOD/STONECONSTRUCTION

44. Cordwoodconstruction(alsocalled"cordwoodmasonry,""stackwallconstruction"or"stackwood
construction")isatermusedforanaturalbuildingmethodinwhich"cordwood"orshortpiecesof
debarkedtreearelaidupcrosswisewithmasonryorcobmixturestobuildawall.
mortarmix byvolumeof9 parts sand:3 sawdust:3 builder'slime(not
cement
Thewoodthenneedstobetransportedtothebuildingsite.
Itisconvenienttohavethesourceofcordwood andconstruction
sitenearby.
agricultural):2Portland
Onceaproperfoundationhasbeenpouredwhichrises12-24inches
splashguard,constructionofthewallscanbegin.
Temporaryshelterscanbeusedtoprotectcordwood fromrain.
Apostandbeamframesuppliesthisshelterforsubsequent
cordwood mortaring.
abovegroundlevelwitha
Acordwoodhouseshouldhavedeepoverhangingeavesofatleast12-16inchestokeepthelog
endsdryandpreventfungalgrowth
CORDWOOD/STONECONSTRUCTION

45. STRAW-BALECONSTRUCTION

46. STRAW-BALECONSTRUCTION

47. Straw-baleconstructionisabuildingmethodthatusesbalesof
straw)asstructuralelements,buildinginsulation,orboth.
straw(commonlywheat,rice,ryeandoats
Thisconstructionmethodiscommonlyusedinnaturalbuildingor"green"constructionprojects.
Strawbalebuildingtypicallyconsistsofstackingrowsofbales(ofteninrunning-bond)onaraisedfooting
orfoundation,withamoisturebarrierorcapillarybreakbetweenthebalesandtheirsupportingplatform.
Balewallscanbetiedtogetherwithpinsofbamboo,rebar,orwood(internaltothebalesorontheirfaces),
orwithsurfacewiremeshes,andthenstuccoedorplastered,eitherwithacement-basedmix,lime-based
formulation,orearth/clayrender.
STRAW-BALECONSTRUCTION

48. •COBisgood foranythingexceptheight.Itisparticularly
goodforcurvedorroundwalls.
•PISEOR RAMMEDEARTHisstrongandidealforsolid,squat,
singlestoreyhouses.
•ADOBEorSUNDRIEDBRICKScaneasilycopewithtwostorey
houses.
•PRESSEDBRICKSsmoothandvery strongandcan buildthree
storey.
•WATTLE&DAUBiselegantandfineforSeismicZones.
SYSTEMSOFBUILDING

49. ADVANTAGESOFMUDBRICKCONSTRUCTIONS
CostSavings
SelfSatisfaction
Aesthetics
ECOFriendliness
HumanHealth

50. COSTFORDARCHITECTS

51. ARCHITECTUREBIOME

52. ARCHITECTUREBIOME

53. ARCHITECTUREBIOME

54. ARCHITECTUREBIOME

55. AUROVILLEEARTHINSTITUTE

56. AUROVILLEEARTHINSTITUTE

57. AUROVILLEEARTHINSTITUTE

58. BUILDINGMATERIALSANDCONSTRUCTION01|PRESENTATIONBYAR.GEEVACHANDANA58