“Unlike plastic, traces of cement are not found in food, nor seen stuck in the bellies of wildlife, fish, and birds. Hence, on the surface, it doesn’t seem as evil. In fact, it’s the favourite foundation material for both urban and rural populations because it’s robust, reliable, can hold water in our dams and keep us safe in our homes. Besides, it’s affordable.
But cement is responsible for almost 8% of the carbon emissions on the planet. Its impact on the environment is conveniently ignored for the larger profit. In fact, by the time you read this article, millions of litres of cement will already have been poured across the globe to create infrastructure that lasts for decades.
But a man from Karnataka is addressing this issue. Since 2005, Mysuru-based architect Rajesh Kumar Jain has been taking concrete steps to reduce carbon footprint. Through his venture, Regional Low Energy Environment-Friendly (RLEEF), the 45-year-old reuses cement from construction debris to build sustainable and zero waste infrastructure. He says he has built around 175 houses using this debris, including his office, which is made entirely of waste material that has been carelessly dumped in isolated parts of the city, or on riverbeds.
‘I was always inclined towards working in sustainable architecture, and academics allowed me to gain better insight into the matter. I learned about the health hazards of cement on human lives and nature, which is why I took up the challenge to reuse cement in my final-year academic project’ he tells The Better India.
‘Construction debris from old buildings is often dumped along the riverside and chokes the water bodies. Local governing bodies have a tough time managing such waste, as there is no robust system in place to tackle the issue. Also, manufacturing cement involves the emission of harmful gases, excess use of water, and extracting natural resources from the quarry,’ he says, adding that careless management of construction debris at times is as hazardous as plastic.
With help from labourers, Rajesh collects debris and processes it manually into fine granules. The method involves identifying the strength and quality of the material. Depending on the usage, the waste is used to make tiles, walls or the foundation. All the buildings constructed in such a manner have rainwater harvesting structures, solar power plants, and kitchen wastewater treatment.
The building is designed in a manner that requires no air conditioning or ceiling fans during summers. Explaining the approach, Rajesh says, ‘The buildings I recommend usually have a cylindrical water tank, light roof with micro-concrete slabs, jaali clay blocks used as parapets, tile cladding blocks and cudappah stone. The walls are built by interlocking stabilised earth blocks in an arched form. The windows and doors are reused from previous construction debris as well.’
The architect says that soil excavated from the construction site is used for making bricks. ‘I prefer rectangular rooms against the square-shaped rooms, because they use less steel and concrete. To further reduce construction cost, I recommend introducing skylights to allow more ventilation and natural light inside the building,’ he says.
Rajesh adds that various interventions take place at every level, from the foundation to the actual construction, to evade plastering costs by using alternative material like stones instead of steel and concrete.”
View the whole story here: https://www.thebetterindia.com/247693/regional-low-energy-environment-friendly-rleef-mysuru-architect-construction-debris-zero-waste-ecofriendly-home-no-ac-durable-cement-him16/amp/