What Makes Cow-Dung Stabilised Earthen Block Water-Resistant?

The water-resistance of cow-dung has made it a widely used stabiliser in traditional earthen structures in several Asian and African countries. Multiple studies have shown an improvement in water-resistance with the addition of cow-dung, but none provides insight into this behaviour. The present study investigates the water-resistance behaviour...

Biological Stabilisers in Earthen Construction: A Mechanistic Understanding of their Response to Water-Ingress

Earthen construction is re-gaining popularity as an ecological and economical alternative to contemporary building materials. While building with earth offers several benefits, its performance due to water ingress is a concern for its widespread application. This limitation is often solved by adding chemical stabilisers such as Portland cement...

The potential and current status of earthen material for low-cost housing in rural India

There is an enormous demand for rural housing in India that needs to be catered for within a short span of time. Building with earth (mud) is proposed as an economical and environmental friendly alternative due to the rising costs of conventional building materials. However, the construction of earthen houses has significantly declined in...

A Case Study on Technical and Social Aspects of Earth Houses in Rural India

With rapid industrialisation and the increase in popularity of concrete and brick constructions, a decline in earth houses has been observed especially in the rural areas of India. A survey was carried out in five regions of India to understand the technical and social factors favouring/limiting the construction and everyday use of earth houses....

A case study on technical and social aspects of earth houses in rural India

Earth houses are considered sustainable and affordable as compared to houses built with concrete or fired clay bricks. Moreover, it preserves the vernacular social and spatial traditions (cultural identity) of the community. With rapid industrialization and the increase in popularity of concrete and brick constructions, a decline in earth houses...

CoRncrete: A corn starch based building material

Starch is a natural polymer which is commonly used as a cooking ingredient. The renewability and bio-degradability of starch has made it an interesting material for industrial applications, such as production of bioplastic. This paper introduces the application of corn starch in the production of a novel construction material, named CoRncrete...