MUD is the secret of our Energy!
Climate change. Global warming. Energy Crisis. Today, these are the words we hear as much as Obama, Osama and corruption. While the big wigs are rattling away ideas and policy changes needed to overcome, or rather slow down this crisis, A bunch of us sit and wonder in what way, however small, we could contribute to save energy.
Before I talk about saving energy, let me describe the different types of energy..
->Embodied energy is the energy that is spent while manufacturing the object. For example, traditional clay bricks require burning in a kiln, which not only consumes a lot of energy, but also pollutes the atmosphere.
->Grey energy is the energy spent for the transport of the materials. The significance of saving grey energy is that it supports local business, and again, the pollution from transport is minimised.
->Induced energy like the stress on the walls, noise, etc are not of much importance.
->Operational energy is the energy spent in day to day house activities.
Now I come to the point. The article "In a mud shell..." tells you how Stabilized Mud Blocks (SMB), Rammed earth walls and Mud mortar are made. Let us look at it from the Energy point of view.
As i've explained earlier, materials like bricks, cement and paint contain a lot of Embodied energy, where as SMBs and mud mortar are prepared by a simple mechanical process, and the walls do not require any coat of paint. The strength and durability of these walls are proved to be as good as, and even better than brick walls. So in additional to the natural look of the building, a lot of embodied and grey energy is saved.
With reference to the article "Reqium for a dream", We see how green roofing can be incorporated on our terraces. This patch of mud which can used to cultivate ragi, rice and many other plants serves more than that purpose.
->When this patch is flooded with semi treated grey water, the water that drains out is crystal clear, which makes it an inexpensive water purifier.
->It adds a lot of ecological value as it supports a variety of life,earthworms and birds, to name a few.
->Most importantly, green roofs keep the room below at 7-8 degrees lower than the outside temperature. This eliminates the use of ACs and ceiling fans, saving a majority of the operational cost.
All this can be done by including a basement in the design, the mud that is dug out is used for the construction. These techniques are nothing new or extravagant, Its just a forgotten art.. Energy can be saved in hundreds of other ways, but here i suffice it to say MUD is the secret of our energy! In Laurie Baker's words, "Treat your mud as you should treat your wife and you will have a wonderful house for life!"
--Vivek Shastry
2nd year Civil Engg
NITK Surathkal
Before I talk about saving energy, let me describe the different types of energy..
->Embodied energy is the energy that is spent while manufacturing the object. For example, traditional clay bricks require burning in a kiln, which not only consumes a lot of energy, but also pollutes the atmosphere.
->Grey energy is the energy spent for the transport of the materials. The significance of saving grey energy is that it supports local business, and again, the pollution from transport is minimised.
->Induced energy like the stress on the walls, noise, etc are not of much importance.
->Operational energy is the energy spent in day to day house activities.
Now I come to the point. The article "In a mud shell..." tells you how Stabilized Mud Blocks (SMB), Rammed earth walls and Mud mortar are made. Let us look at it from the Energy point of view.
As i've explained earlier, materials like bricks, cement and paint contain a lot of Embodied energy, where as SMBs and mud mortar are prepared by a simple mechanical process, and the walls do not require any coat of paint. The strength and durability of these walls are proved to be as good as, and even better than brick walls. So in additional to the natural look of the building, a lot of embodied and grey energy is saved.With reference to the article "Reqium for a dream", We see how green roofing can be incorporated on our terraces. This patch of mud which can used to cultivate ragi, rice and many other plants serves more than that purpose.
->When this patch is flooded with semi treated grey water, the water that drains out is crystal clear, which makes it an inexpensive water purifier.
->It adds a lot of ecological value as it supports a variety of life,earthworms and birds, to name a few.
->Most importantly, green roofs keep the room below at 7-8 degrees lower than the outside temperature. This eliminates the use of ACs and ceiling fans, saving a majority of the operational cost.
All this can be done by including a basement in the design, the mud that is dug out is used for the construction. These techniques are nothing new or extravagant, Its just a forgotten art.. Energy can be saved in hundreds of other ways, but here i suffice it to say MUD is the secret of our energy! In Laurie Baker's words, "Treat your mud as you should treat your wife and you will have a wonderful house for life!"
--Vivek Shastry
2nd year Civil Engg
NITK Surathkal
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