Building a rammed wall with coloured earth-Homes and needs,THE HINDU

Is building with mud an outdated technology? Is it no more practical to do so, considering that a large number of manufactured and marketed materials have flooded our times, claiming better performance and perfection, besides variety?

This is a myth of sorts, which can be felt if we study the properties of mud, its durability and the range of aesthetic expression mud architecture achieves between different regions. With cob, adobe, soil cement block, interlocking mud blocks, rammed earth walls, pigmented walls and such others, the soil of the same place too can have multiple appearances.

Strangely, there are people who believe that natural materials like mud will have supply problem, while factory produces like cement can be supplied for ever. All manufactured materials require raw materials from some sources, mostly taken from nature itself, so they too have their limitations.

Architects, engineers and builders have built a wide range of elements using mud. To list a few, rammed earth foundation, stabilised soil cement block walls, different kinds of arches, corbelled projections, walls with inter ocking mud blocks, vaults without shuttering, flat arch lintels, patterned and differently moulded blocks for parapets or compound walls, perforated walls in jaali, masonry domes without shuttering, mud block filler slab roofs, load-bearing pillars, rammed earth floor finishes, solid cob benches and fixed furniture, facia finishes, surface washes and such others have already proven themselves as doable and durable.

Should we believe that continuous innovation and constant change are the only paths towards a better future? Not really, with the carbon footprint of construction industry ever increasing. Fortunately many people today talk about the need to revive the past wisdom and blend it with modern times. But how many are willing to change the course towards natural materials is the million dollar question, especially if there are business risks associated with real estate and construction investments.

One mode of achieving it can be by value addition to the traditional mud construction. Patterned rammed earth walls have proven to be a pointer here, with increasing popularity. The mud composition needs to be the same as for other mud walls with around 15% of clay and silt each, the rest being sandy soil, but mud of different colours needs to be procured to achieve the layering of earth. Such ideas not only let the skill-sets of the mason continue, but also make them feel proud of their accomplishments.

The challenge is facing each one of us. The ecological advantages of minimising on cement, the financial advantages of faster construction, the life cycle advantages of low maintenance and the visual advantages of aesthetics of earthy construction need to be reached out to the masses.

In promoting mud architecture, each one associated with the construction sector, from the mason to the media, can play a role .

(The writer is an architect,working for eco-friendly designs and can be contacted at varanashi@gmail.com)