A Case Study on Technical and Social Aspects of Earth Houses in Rural India
Yask Kulshreshtha (TU Delft - Materials and Environment)
Phil J. Vardon (TU Delft - Geo-engineering)
N.J. Amorim Mota (TU Delft - Public Building and Housing Design)
Mark C M van Loosdrecht (TU Delft - BT/Environmental Biotechnology)
H. M. Jonkers (TU Delft - Materials and Environment)
More Info
expand_more
Other than for strictly personal use, it is not permitted to download, forward or distribute the text or part of it, without the consent of the author(s) and/or copyright holder(s), unless the work is under an open content license such as Creative Commons.
Abstract
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. As an outcome of the survey, a low societal image of earth houses and durability issues, such as termite infestation and poor resistance to rain water, were the main reasons behind the choice of low-income households in favour of modern building materials over earth construction.