The Owner Built Home & Homestead
(Page 6 of 23)
Centuries of privation, of social and economic inequality,
have conditioned vast numbers of human beings to endure
surroundings that can only be called sub-human. Today,
architects, engineers and planners are called upon to show
that a pleasant, healthful, human environment need no
longer be the monopoly of a fortunate few.
RELATED CONTENT
What you need to know about locating your rural water supply, from the Have-More Plan....
One of the most overlooked sources of shop project raw material here in the U.S. and Canada is the ...
A barrel and sink make an excellent place to wash tools and work materials, includes materials list...
You can construct the home built cistern for relatively little expense and with a weekend's work....
How to build this accurate, helpful gauge, including diagrams, blueprints, instructions....
It is a rarity of the first order when a dean of an
architectural college takes it upon himself to build houses
out of woven split bamboo between two layers of treated
clay! These readily available materials were artfully used
by Professor Stein in his creation of two demonstration
low-cost homes. In his own words, the design
was worked out so that under proper conditions of community
organization, such buildings can be built by village
families with their contributed labor, without dependence
on extra-village materials— on the basis of a
program of guided self-help. The skill required for
this type of construction is readily acquired; a
two-months' apprenticeship is usually considered time for
man to become a skilled bamboo worker.
If properly used, bamboo and clay construction can be
expected to last as long as many manufactured materials
that are considered to make permanent industrial housing.
Standard materials for urban construction, such as
corrugated iron sheets, poorly burnt, inferior bricks, or
unseasoned wood can hardly be expected to last 25 years
under average urban conditions. Yet even in the extremely
hot humid climate of West Bengal and Assam, there are many
clay and bamboo structures of 40 years of age. When
replacement or repair is required due either to accident or
deterioration of age, the materials are readily at hand,
and the householder himself can do the work. The roof is of
such a design that repairs can be made to any portion
without affecting, or having to break up, the remaining
part.
(The rural house) . . . is constructed of only three
materials; it utilizes wood for the roof framing; the
remainder of the construction is of earth (clay) and
bamboo. In villages where wood is not readily and cheaply
at hand, bamboo can be substituted. The sole purchase from
outside the village is creosote, or other preservative
materials; desirable to prolong the life of the structure.
Some of the world's "underprivileged" countries maintain a
caliber of low-cost housing research which surpasses that
of the far more wealthy countries such as our own. More
significant research material is coming out of the South
African Research Institute, for instance, than from all the
HHFA, FHA, FPHA agencies combined. A recent housing
development in South Africa (illustrated above) made use of
such construction features as "no-fines" concrete (crushed
stone and cement) for surface beds, and single thick brick
internal walls—plastered on both sides. Detailed
investigations were made on every item of expense that went
into the experimental house.
Page:
<< Previous 1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 | 6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
10 |
11 |
12 |
13 |
14 |
15 |
16 |
17 |
18 |
19 |
20 |
21 |
22 |
23 |
Next >>
