PDF Ebook Construction Manual For Earthquake-Resistant Houses Built of Earth
The solutions proposed in this manual concentrate on low-cost single-story houses, built from earth in rural areas of earthquake-prone zones. They are based on research projects carried out at the Forschungslabor für Experimentelles Bauen (Building Research Laboratory) of the University of Kassel, Germany, on the analysis of earthquake damage in Latin America, on studying relevant literature and on the implementation of several test structures in Germany and prototype houses in Guatemala, Ecuador and Chile.
Using locally available building materials as well as the skills of local craftsmen should be considered for the design of seismic-resistant (earthquake proof) houses and it should be proved that the solutions are accepted by the users.
Earth as a building material has lost its credibility mainly because of the fact that most modern houses with earth walls could not withstand earthquakes, and also since earth is considered as the building material for the poor. In this context it is worth mentioning that a census conducted by the Salvadorian Government after the earthquake in January and February 2001 states that adobe houses were not worse affected than other houses.
In many areas of the Andes regions building with adobe (unburned, unstabilized handmade soil blocks) is forbidden nowadays. Nevertheless, the majority of the rural population still builds with this building material, as it cannot afford to build with bricks or concrete blocks.
When designing low-cost houses for rural areas it should be taken into account that structural failures as a consequence of an earthquake have to be avoided, whereas minor damage like small cracks must be tolerated if it can be easily restored.
For more information about the different building techniques with earth, the physical and structural characteristics of earth and the possibilities of improving them, reference is made to the “Earth Construction Handbook” by the author, published at WIT Press, Southampton, UK 2000, or to the “Manual de Construcción en Tierra”, publicadora Nordan, Montevideo, Uruguay 2001.
Contents
Acknowledgement
Introduction
1. General aspects of earthquakes
- 1.1 Location, magnitude, intensity
1.2 Structural aspects
2. Placement of house in the case of slopes
3. Shape of plan
4. Typical failures, typical design mistakes
5. Structural design aspects
6. Rammed earth walls
- 6.1 General
6.2 Stabilization through mass
6.3 Stabilization through shape of elements
6.4 Internal reinforcement
7. Adobe walls
- 7.1 General
7.2 Internal reinforcement
7.3 Interlocking blocks
7.4 Concrete skeleton walls with adobe infill
8. Wattle and daub
9. Textile wall elements filled with earth
10. Critical joints and elements
- 10.1 Joints between foundation, plinth and wall
10.2 Ring beams
10.3 Ring beams which act as roof support
11. Gables
12. Roofs
- 12.1 General
12.2 Separated roofs
13. Openings for doors and windows
14. Domes
15. Vaults
16. Plasters and paints
Bibliographic references
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PDF Ebook Construction Manual For Earthquake-Resistant Houses Built of Earth
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