LOW COST HOUSING

LECTURE 5

Ar. Yatra Sharma

outline

 Approach to low cost housing ?

 Planning of land and land development

 Design of individual house

 Building
materials and construction
technology
Low Cost Building Materials and Construction Technology
Basic Concept

 Efficient use of building materials and construction

technology can reduce considerable cost
 Reduction of labor force and wastage of materials
 Use of locally available materials and labor
 Drawbacks in local materials should be eliminated
scientifically not by replacing it with some
completely foreign materials
Low Cost Building Materials and
Construction Technology In
URBAN AREAS
Building elements and
Construction system in Urban areas
1. Vertical Elements
 RCC frame structure or Pillar system
 Load Bearing wall system
2. Horizontal Elements
 Cast in Situ RCC Works
 Pre-Cast RCC works
 Partial Pre-Cast Works
3. Doors and Windows
 Wooden Door and Windows
 Aluminum Doors and Windows
 Masonry Frames
 Ferro-Cement Door
Conventional Use of
RCC Frame structure in Nepal
 RCC frame structure common even in 2-3 storey. But
load bearing structure is structurally sufficient for 2-3
storey and cheaper as well.
 Structural design of RCC frame structure is not
presented in most municipal drawings
 Construction executed without proper supervision or
skilled workmanship
 9”x9” pillar not sufficient for most spans
 Weak pillar (10-12 mmØ instead of 12-20mmØ) and
over-reinforced slab (12mmØ instead of 8-10mmØ).
Especial event of slab casting day!!!
 Lintel and sill beams missing in most buildings
 Heavy masonry walls creates more dead load
But people still continue building low rise houses
in RCC frame structure system
WHY?

For structural stability?

But isn’t load bearing structure strong enough?

Vertical Elements
Load Calculation for Load Bearing Structure

Load bearing capacity of :

Hollow Cement Block=65kg/sq.cm
Hollow Cement Block Masonry=20.8 kg/sq.cm
Vertical Elements
Load Calculation for Load Bearing Structure
VERTICAL LOAD

Wall load = (8’10”+8’10”+7’0”) x8”x100 = 1644.60 lbs

Slab Load = 1’0” x 8’8” x (dead load+ live load)x 3
= 8.67 x (48 + 40)x3 = 2288.88 lbs.
Total Load = 3933.48 lbs.
Compressive Stress on the wall per sq. in. = 40.97 lbs/sq. in
Or = 2.88 kg/sq.cm
The average strength of the block as per the load test result= 65.00 kg/sq.cm

Hence, the load coming from a 3 storey building is far less than the strength of the
Hollow Block Cement
Vertical Elements
Reinforcement of Load Bearing Structure against
HORIZONTAL LOAD

 For Lateral
forces of
earthquake,
horizontal and
vertical bands
of 12mm are
require to tie
the load
bearing
structure
Vertical Elements
Cost comparison (RCC Vs Load Bearing)

1. Hollow Block Cement Block Masonry

(with reinforcement to resist lateral loads)= 257,410.30

1. Load Bearing Brick Masonry

(with reinforcement to resist lateral loads)= 308,124.12

1. Conventional Pillar System = 308,124.12

Brick masonry 18.3% cheaper &

Hollow Block masonry 31.75% cheaper

Refer:
Shrestha, Bhubaneshwor 2007, “Low cost Housing for Practising Architects and Engineers”
Vertical Elements
Load Bearing Walls

1. Brick Masonry
2. Rat Trap Bond
3. Random Rubble stone Masonry
4. Stone Block Masonry
5. Hollow Cement Block Masonry
Load Bearing Walls
Brick Masonry
• Cost of Cement Mortar is more than cost of brick
Load Bearing Walls
Brick Masonry

• Thinner mortar (10mm) is 25% stronger than thicker mortar

(20mm)
• Vertical joint mortar increases strength considerably
• Addition of lime to mortar increases workability and strength
• Wetting of brick increases strength and does not soak water
from mortar
• Production of brick consumes top-soil
• Brick burning has negative affects on air quality and
firewood consumption
Load Bearing Walls
Rat Trap Bond
• Brick wall with hollow space construction

• Rat trap bond uses 25% less brick per cu.m than the normal
brick masonry
Load Bearing Walls
Stone Masonry

• Stone masonry generally has random rubble

• Consumes more mortar due to unevenness
• Cost of stone is low
• Cost of mortar is high
• Cost of dressing stone (for better finish and
less mortar) is high
• Covers more width (40-45cm thick wall)
Load Bearing Walls
Stone Block Masonry

• Pre-cast stone-mortar block

• Two uneven stones are put into a cuboid mould
and uneven surfaces are filled with cement-
mortar
Load Bearing Walls
Stone Block Masonry

• 30cm long, 15cm high and width varies -20cm,

15 cm, 10cm
• Mortar mix of 1:5:8 with a slump of 15 to 20
mm gives strength of 60kg/sq.cm
• Also special mould of stone block can be
produced for reinforcement.
• Even surface
• Lesser use of mortar than stone masonry
• Environmentally friendly than brick
Load Bearing Walls
Hollow Cement Block

• Pre-cast blocks made of cement, sand and stone

aggregate mixture
• Block has two holes. 50-40% of block is cavity
• Length=400, Height=200, Width=200,150 &100
• 10mm mortar
• Stone Aggregate must be ¼” or less
• Mixture in 1:3:6 can give strength of 50kg/sq.cm
• After pressing in mould, block should be kept moist for
14 days and dried for 4 weeks
Load Bearing Walls
Hollow Cement Block
Load Bearing Walls
Hollow Cement Block

• Cheaper than stone or brick masonry walls

• Vertical reinforcements easier to fit into the holes
• Better insulation due to cavity
• Handling better due to light weight
Horizontal Elements
Cast in Situ RCC Works

• Requires formwork- 20-25% cost of RCC

• Low quality formwork- irregular surface, low strength
• Iron works are costliest but bar bending and tying
workmanship is poor
• Concept of negative and positive moment of load is not
understood by
• Most mistakes in cantilever rod placement
• Concrete mixing is hand-done and proportions mistaken
• Lack of uniformity in each batch
• High water-cement ratio for workability reduces strength
Horizontal Elements
Pre-Cast RCC Works
• Prefabrication allows standardization
• Manufactured in factory, transported and assembled
• Manufactured under controlled environment-uniformity
• Ensures strength of materials
• Waste reduction
• Mass production reduces cost
• Form work is not necessary
• Smooth finished surface reduces plaster cost
• Reduction in manufacture time

• High investment initially

• Cannot be supplied unless high demand
• Standardization does not allow flexibility in design
Horizontal Elements
Partial Pre-Cast RCC Works
• Combination of Pre-cast units (lower part) and cast-in-situ
(upper part)
• Partial pre-cast panels (slab panels) are placed on top of
the partial pre-cast beams
• Place 3/16” Ø rod at 15” c/c in both directions
• 1” thick, 1:2:4 cast in situ concrete on top

• Saves time, cost, labor and skill as by pre cast

• Big factories as in pre-cast not necessary. Few steel forms,
vibrators and 2-4 men are sufficient
• Standardization is not necessary
• 35% cheaper than the cast-in situ
Horizontal Elements
Partial Pre-Cast RCC Works
Horizontal Elements
Partial Pre-Cast RCC Works
Questions?