My son, little Varun, had to write about the impact on plastic on humans as part of his school assignment. As we were going through various resources to research about the subject, many facts were shocking. Being a non-biodegradable material it poisons water, air, soil and therefore the food that we consume, the air that we breathe and the water that we drink! There are micro-plastics in everything around us that eventually finds its way into our bodies. And therefore no wonder these are linked to so many lifestyle diseases and terminal ailments that humans are currently grappling with.
This got me thinking to my own work as an architect and the constant challenge I face when I try to create awareness about the materials we use in design and construction that are not natural and therefore have a high embodied energy. The more we use synthetic materials the more the negative impact on the environment and resources available. Natural materials last forever, are healthy, have a very low to zero embodied energy, can be reused even at the end of its life and therefore have near negative impact on the environment.
In the 20 years of my practice of designing and building homes and institutions I find an increasing number of clients who are becoming aware of this and are consciously wanting to create and own homes that are more natural, sustainable, energy efficient and therefore more eco-friendly. In fact new clients first ask if we can be a mud or a no concrete house! How does one do this? How can you and I design and build a home that is more natural, green, sustainable, live longer for generations to use and do justice to the current climate crises staring at us in the face and one that has been an outcome of our own carelessness?
I have always drawn inspiration from the way animals build in nature. The crow uses twigs like most birds to build its nest in the tree, potter’s wasp uses mud and likewise the swallow (bird) uses field mud to build its beautiful bulb shaped nest on the underside of rocks and buildings. The tailor bird, baya weaver ant and weaver ant stitch/weave leaves or grass blades together to build their nests. The caddisfly (insect) larvae use sand, shells, and such found material to make it’s ‘portable’ case using silk secreted from its salivary glands! No wonder they are called the underwater architects in the animal world! Termite nests build with mud are fantastic examples of community housing and naturally cooled structures. They all use materials found in nature, and these are reused by other species over time. At the end of its life the nest material can be reused or it simply biodegrades and goes back to nature. And like these architects in nature, humans too built their homes traditionally drawing from these examples.
Even more than a century ago, people built using materials that were more sustainable. They simply sourced all the material that was found in their backyard and built using systems that were economical. Load bearing, handmade was the mantra.
So let’s understand these local, natural materials. In Goa you will find houses built with lateritic mud, laterite stone for walls, basalt stone for foundations, wooden frames and shutters, wooden roofs and clay roof tiles. Why mud? And why lateritic mud? Mud simply because it is available within one’s plot of land. Lateritic soil because it has the right composition of clay, sand, murrum (pebbles)/aggregate and no additives are required to increase its binding capacity like other soils. Did you know that the rich and famous are turning to mud too? Rammed earth homes are making a comeback and these are built with all the modern comforts and conveniences. How about stone? Yes basalt stone or the grey stone that one finds in Goa is very hard and 7 times the strength of concrete! It is crushed and used as road ‘metal’. It is crushed fine and used for RCC/reinforced cement concrete. No wonder this basalt stone was traditionally used for foundations, and large structures like old monuments and palaces. So it makes for a great item for use in retaining walls, foundations, columns and walls. It would be foolish to use any other material in its place least of all concrete! Why? Because RCC has a very short life (approximately 50-70 yrs) compared to stone or any natural building material. So you mean a concrete structure will not even outlive us? You mean it is more economical to build with alternative material? Absolutely!
But what about floors and sloping roofs? Traditionally how were floors made? They were made with stone using systems like vaults and domes! They were made with wood, twigs and mud. Slowly wood was replaced with mild steel sectional beams with wood planks for flooring. Have you heard of jack arch floors? I have begun building with these systems. Simply because clients today insist on not using concrete! Jack arch floors are built using metal beams placed at approximately 1 meter centre to centre and then filling the gaps in between with shallow vaults in mud blocks, bricks or stone. And these last forever and can take heavy loads. They are more economical and look absolutely stunning!
But why all this fuss? Why should one care about the environment? Why should I care about the long life and energy efficiency of the house? Simple. If we don’t build with nature as if our home is our life support system, we will have to use life supporting systems that will need to mechanically keep us alive.
(Tallulah D’Silva is a practicing architect in Goa and has recently taught at the Goa College of Architecture as adjunct professor)
