MUDHOUSE

Associate Professor Kusuma Dhammadamrong School of Architecture, King Monguts Inst. of Technology Ladkrabang, Bangkok, Thailand.

Abstract:
In our role of architects as creator of actual physical environments, we have to be both cautions and practical in selecting building technologies and materials. They have to be good and harmless to our natural environments. Nowadays all around the globe, people, communities, and counties are committing themselves to appropriate technologies, discovering that they can use native talent, resources, and financing to solve their own problems. And, they can do so today. Appropriate technology encompasses far more than just energy production. Most of the material now throw away could be reused without significant lifestyle changes. With the designed construction material for durability and recycling ease, like mud house construction, can dramatically save our natural resources and reduce energy demand. The mud house construction uses only simple natural materials, which are any digging soil from the earth mixed with water and added up with paddy or hay or any dried fiber or even recycling garbage. That means our scare natural resources like cement, rocks, metal from the mountains, and wood from the forests not to be used. The mud house uses minimal energy, is comfortable year round. The building is massive construction technique, mainly because of the temperature extremes and its unique earth sheltered design. All exposed mud walls are built like a thermos or burnt earth bottle. A passive air conditioning system supplies cool air to the house through these massive mud walls. Moreover, it is easily to build. Anyone can create any shape of their own buildings or community can participate without constructor payment bills. In summary, mud-house construction is an appropriate technology that can offer us the basis of a sustainable civilization, and provide an environment hospitable to man, which should be environmental friendly design.

Figure1: Mud-house at Satiendhamma-satan,Bangkok, Thailand

Figure 2: People participation in building mud-house, Chiangrai, Thailand

Introduction:
In a hundred years ago, there were quite a lot of forests, which were our main material resources for constructed the buildings. But now a day, our forests have almost gone, woods are rare and valuable materials, because of rapidly increasing of population and their dwelling demand, and advancing in building technologies. The present buildings are much stronger more than the past but at the same time, they are greater environmental ruining. In the retrospective vision, we will be so sorry about what we have destroyed to our natural resources. Even though we gain pretty high technologies, but we can not bring back our fruitful resources. The universal recognition of natural resources damage leads us to protect and consume them as simple and valuable as they are.

Mud-house construction:
Mud is the natural building material, that is absolutely different from wood, rock, cement or metal. Owing to durability and recycling ease, mud can be formed for our shelters and it can be reformed back to nature, to be simple soil on earth. Moreover, mud is harmonized with all environments and good for being a passive air-conditioning system. Thus living in mud-house is comfortable year round. Frugality and reuse in mudhouse construction can create tremendous saving in environmental impact, energy use and capital expenditure. Mud from earth or soil is one of the most widely used traditional building materials throughout the world. Now a day, one-third of world population stills live-in mud-house. It can be found mostly in hot-dry and arid area like some parts of India, Nepal, China, African continent and even in the West Side of North and South American continent. Mud brick vaults and domes are common in countries like Iran and Egypt. [1 ] Many communities in the north and northeast of Thailand also live-in and build their dwellings with mud. All mud-house constructions use just simple local materials, mainly are soil and water, added up with paddy husky or rice straw or local fiber weed. The subordinate materials can be anything from garbage recycling, such as bottles, cans, newspaper, etc. Besides that, the mudded walls are mostly massive, which help a yearround stabilize temperature inside houses of about 24c to 26c. [ 2 ]

Construction techniques:
Basically, there are roughly seven types of mud-house construction. 1. Adobe: Sun-dried brick [soil & water & local fiber materials] bonded with clay mortar; wall baring system.

Figure 3: Bonding sun-dried brick with clay mortar

2. Cob: Fresh lumps of mud [soil & water & local fiber materials] stacked on each other; wall baring system.

Figure 4: Stacking lumps of mud 3. Wattle and Daub: Woven work of sticks intertwined with twigs or bamboo covered with mud; framework system.

Figure 5: Mud covering on bamboo wattle wall 4. Cordwood or Stone: Left over materials like slender shoot of a tree or tiny stone bonded with mud [soil & sand & paddy husk]; wall-baring system.

Figure 6: Mud plastering over stones and twigs wall 5. Rammed Earth: Damp earth lay between formwork and mould and compacted by ramming; wall baring system.

Figure 7: Compacting mud in the wall-mould 6. Earthen Bag: Stacking the sags of damp earth hooked up with thorn or barbed wire; wall baring system.

Figure 8: Mud-houses made of earthen bags in Mexico 7. Straw-bale: Plastering the bundle of hay with mud; the structure can be both skeleton and wall baring system.

Figure 9: Mud plastering over straw-bundle wall

The acquisition of such charming mud-house obviously depends on manpower, so people participation is very suitable for constructing. Due to environmental friendly design in architecture, mud-house construction gains excellent advantages on saving our natural resources, building materials, energy and money. In contrary, just a few disadvantages can be aware on humidity and foul odor in a brand-new mud-house.

Advantages:
Environmental impact To save natural resources - Using neither cement nor rock (Save our mountains)

Figure10: Adobe wall making at community center, Chiangrai, Thailand

Figure 11: Mud-house making over bamboo floor

Using just a little wood (Save our forests)

Figure 12: Mud-wall at Janjawa-tai, Chiangrai, Thailand

Figure 13: Mud-wall in Chiangmai, Thailand

To save building materials - Main materials are soil and water, mixed to be mud, if the mud is too sticky, we can add up with paddy husky or rice straw or local fiber weed or bamboo.

Figure 14: Mixing soil with water and rice straw

Figure15: Mud covering on bamboo wattle wall in Chiangrai

- Subordinate material can be any garbage for recycling (bottles, cans, newspaper, etc.)

Figure 16: Using cans and bamboo pipes for light-gap

Figure 17: Using bottles for light-gap

Energy use To save energy - Cool in summer (Inside building temperature is about 24c to 26c)

Figure 18:Leelawadee resort in Loei, Thailand

Figure19: Coffee corner at Satien-dhamma-satan, Bangkok.

Warm in winter (Automatic temperature control by passive cooling system)

Figure 20: Living area in U.K. farmhouse

Figure21: Mud-fire-place in farmhouse at Lake District, U.K.

 Capital expenditure To save money - No air conditioning, no electricity bills

Figure22: Farmhouse in Lake District, U.K.

Figure 23: Information booth at Satien-dhammasatan, Bangkok, Thailand

Easy to build, can do it yourself or people participation, no constructor payments.

Figure 24: People participation in building mud-house, Chiangrai, Thailand

Figure 25: Buddhist novices digging, Chiangrai, Thailand

mud

Long life buildings (Djeme mosque in Mali, Africa was built in 13th century, and Lakeland farmhouse in Lake District, U.K. has been growing steadily since 1603) [ 3 ]

Figure 26: Lakeland District, U.K.

farmhouse,

Lake

Disadvantages:
Humidity - Humidity is the crucial factor, mud-house will easily be fungus.

Figure 27: Satien-dhamma-satan, Bangkok, Thailand

Figure 28: Rice growing inside damped mud wall

Foul odor - The brand- new mud-house may have foul odor of crushed green leaves.

Figure 29: Mud-house in Chaingmai, Thailand

Figure 30: Co-op building at Janjawa-tai, Chiangrai, Thailand

Conclusion:
Mud house construction, making use of the best appropriate technology knowledge, conducive to people participation, compatible with laws of ecology, harmonizes with the environment, gentle in its use of scare resources, and minimal energy. Thus, hoping that Mud house will help open our eyes to an architectural alternative design for preserving the natural world not solely for its own sake but to provide an environment hospitable to man which should be environmental friendly design.

References:
[1] Kenya, A. (1980). Technology and material-Earth. Design Primer for Hot Climate. The Architectural Press Ltd., London, 93 [2] Uthaipattrakul, Dh. (2004). Mud-house construction technique. Building the house with mud. Suan-ngarn-mena Press, Bangkok, 27-50 [3] Hogg, M (2004).Sting in the table. The world of interiors Magazines. December 2004. The Conde Nast Publications Ltd , London ,116-125