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Introduction
The provision of housing is a challenge around the world,
especially in developing countries. Thespiralling growth of
population, low Gross National Product and the general lack of
purchasingpower are factors that contribute to the progressive
deterioration of the housing situation indeveloping economies. An
impediment to the solution of the problem of housing is the
scarcityand/or the high-cost of building materials. Ideally,
building materials for low-cost housing must beproduced from
locally available raw materials. Furthermore, these raw materials
must beabundantly available or they should be renewable in nature.
The more popular constructionmaterials such as clay bricks and
concrete blocks are of good quality but are energy intensive
inproduction, expensive and are usually based on heavy
industries.
The utilization of earth in housing construction is one of the
oldest and most common methods usedby a larger percentage of the
developing countries population. It is the most readily available
andcheap material found everywhere. It is easy to work with,
requires less skills and as such, itencourages and facilitates
unskilled individuals and groups of people to participate in their
housingconstruction on self-help basis. It offers a very high
resistance to fire and provides a comfortablebuilt living
environment due to its high thermal and heat insulation value.
It also offers other important factors all of which attribute to
the achievement of a good houseplanning/design and construction
solution. Compressed Stabilized Earth Brick (CSEB) refer toblocks
that are comprised of a mixture of angular sand aggregate (40-70%),
clayey soil (30-60%),water (OMC percentage),lime(2%), and Portland
cement (7%). This predetermined soil mix is addedto a block mould
and pressed. Identifying the availability of a suitable soil or
soil mix for use in CSEBproduction is the first step to starting a
successful project. The major parameters having
controllinginfluence on the characteristics of soil-cement blocks.
Among others, the characteristics of blockscould include strength,
stress-strain relationships _elastic properties_, absorption
characteristics
_saturated water content, rate of water absorption, initial rate
of absorption_, and durabilitycharacteristics _response to cyclic
wetting and drying, expansion on saturation. Block
characteristicscould in turn influence the development of bond at
the block-mortar interface and behaviour ofmasonry.
Uses in social and economical.
Earthen building techniques offer more than just a proven
construction material. Because of theirrelatively low production
cost, earthen block production can offer a variety of secondary
benefitssuch as: (i) stimulating economic growth and create jobs in
the local community; (ii) regulatingindoor conditions such as
humidity and air quality; and (iii) producing quality structures of
which thebuilders and owners are proud. Changing demands regarding
energy use, growing populations, andresource depletion will
ultimately bring more attention to applying earthen building
techniques inmodern society. However, the process of implementing a
successful, earthen building planinvolves multiple disciplines
including human resources, geologic constraints, and resource
deliveryand processing, access to a skilled labour force, quality
control testing, approved building plans, etc.These and numerous
other factors are an inherent challenge when applying earthen
building
technology.
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Perhaps the most concerning issue regarding CSEB technology may
be public acceptance in regionswhere earthen building is seen as
inferior to more contemporary building materials, such as
timber,concrete and steel. While several exceptions exist, earthen
building techniques are typically limitedto one story structures.
In large cities, where often the most cost effective option is to
buildvertically, earthen building technology is highly restricted.
Additionally, the percentages of thepopulation living in earthen
homes today tend to be among the poorest. Because of this, there
existsa social stigma around living in an earthen structure in many
developed communities.
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