Building materials & construction

technology
CONSTRUCTION TECHNOLOGY
• Simple trabeated system of construction with
horizontal beams over vertical columns.
• walled construction: houses very heavy (creates
time lag by storing the heat during the day in the
walls and radiating it during night time).
• Wall thickness 1.25 feet and up.
• No damp proofing used.
• Roof as angled element
FOUNDATIONS
• Plinth acts as a stepped foundation for the whole building
instead of just for the walls.
• 9-pit foundation (not structural) is laid below the plinth as a
ritual element. 9 pits represent 9 planets. E.g. Foundation at
Handigaon
• Longitudinal foundation, 100cm deep, 60cm wide.
• Comprises of layers of stones over which bricks are laid

GHAH Small vessel enclosing money and paddy which is placed

under the foundation by house owner on the occasion of the
foundation ceremony
Kaulelvaha Base stone of the foundation ( lit. tortoise0-fig base of the
astalvaha First stone of the foundation ( base of the property-to sell
everything down to the astalvaha )
Jagal vaha Foundation stones
Maapa Bricks
Duthaappa Brick fragments
IMPROVEMENTS IN FOUNDATIONS

Improvements in the technique of laying foundations on a

rubble bed of the stone taken from the river , well tested strip
foundations instead of natural stone or brick is relatively
expensive but gives much better base. It not only helps to
prevent settlement crack in the masonry but also reduces
earthquake damage as a result of the perimeter anchor effect.
 PLINTH
 Made of solid brick core and mud mortar
 Lined with stone in temples, palaces and some residential
houses to protect the mortar from rainwater and also from
abrasion.
 Goes less than a meter below the ground level in temples
 Multiple plinth in temples and single plinth in residential
houses
 Steps (generally made of stone) in front of doors lead to the
ground
FLOOR SYSTEMS
 WALL SYSTEMS
Made in three vertical layers of different types of bricks. Total
thickness >70cm and <2m.
• Three layers:
I. Outer layer of chikan appa
II. Middle leaf of broken bricks or brickbats
III. Inner leaf of ordinary burnt or unburnt brick

 such a way that very little of the mud mortar is exposed.

 glazed and less porous character gives it a
 resistance to rain penetration.
 3-parallel wall construction. Sidewalls thicker than the central.
 Central wall continue as posts in second floor and go up to
support the ridge of the roof.
 In between two houses is a single common wall.
ROOFING SYSTEMS
IMPROVEMENTS IN ROOF STRUCTURE

ECONOMIC SOLUTION COSTLY SOLUTION

IMPROVEMENTS IN ROOF STRUCTURE
ROOFING DETAILS
STAIRS
DAMP PROOFING
JOINTING MATERIALS
• Cements should only be used where no other similar building material is available.
• brick mortar for walls should , in most case be chalk or may , where there are heavy loads be combined with cement.
• Only in exceptional cases i.e where there are extremely heavy stresses on parts of building, should one consider using cement mortar.
• Reintroduction of clay , with its different quality gradings should be considered . Most especially for reasons of low cost.
• As compliment to this , protective measures such as overhanging eaves and raised plinths to protect against shower water are
indispensable.
 Mud mortar is used to bind the bricks together.
 At the end of the joint, pointing is done with Gaja or Mhasu cha (yellow clay).
 It functions just like Black cotton soil. It expands when it comes in contact with water and contracts when dried. So on expansion, it
stops the penetration of rainwater into the wall and when dry it comes back to its original shape.
IMPROVEMENTS IN JOINTING
SEALING TECHNIQUES
• Time consuming and costly procedure . It is therefore considered only for important building
conservation work.
• With the traditional products it is possible to achieve partial protection against rising damp.
For example , with a layer of tightly packed natural stone.
• One should look further into the possibilites of using the somewhat expensive but
dependable jointing material “ Gaja “ a resinous substance also suitable as a damp proof
membrane
• The traditional method of construction requires only the addition of a layer of plastic foil or
roofing felt embedded between two layers of mortar .
OPTIMIZATION OF TRANSVERSE SECTIONS
FURTHER DEVELOPMENTS
 Wood preservatives , timber jointing and
optimization are important basic
prerequisites for the further development
of timber constructions.
 Especially for roof truss construction, a
simpler but more stable systems must be
developed
 Triangulation effect of rafters , purlin and
floor beams which is often overlooked
could help prevent many building defects.
 For new buildings with wide spans,
techniques of timber such as peg joints and
so forth should be considered . This should
be irrespective of whether or not expert
guidance and supervision is guarranteed.
BRICKPAVING & BRICK PLATFORMS
KASHTHAMANDAP
TEMPLE CONSTRUCTION DETAILS
CONSTRUCTION DETAILS
TYPICAL WINDOW FRAMES