MATERIAL AND CONSTRUCTION SYSTEM OF A POST-TRADITIONAL HOUSE

Construction of the ‘Post-Traditional’ House began on September, 2004 and was completed in seven months and occupied on May, 2005. The chief materials used in the construction are laterite stone for load bearing masonry and reinforced concrete for floor slabs and the pyramidal roof profile.

LATERITE STONE AS MATERIAL SYSTEM

Laterite (Latin later= brick) (Buchanan, 1807)[i], is a highly weathered, red, earthy, rock-like but soft material enriched in iron and aluminium.

Laterite is abundantly available locally and has been traditionally the main material for construction in this region because of some of its unique quality of ease of cutting and shaping and increasing strength and deepening of color and texture with weathering. However, wide variation is often noticed in the compressive strength of laterite from the same region and hence there is a need for testing laterite before putting for architectural applications.

The unique property of hardening of laterite due to oxidation on atmospheric curing was utilized in traditional built-forms very effectively. Laterite was used in exposed conditions for ancillary structures annexed to residential buildings like steps, paving, and well and tank linings.

Exposed structural forms like arches, vaults, pillars, buttresses and paving are common in laterite. Steps are often cut into Laterite landscape to form non -slippery surfaces, which become irreversibly hard even by wetting and drying.

Laterite is used in its natural form without any manufacturing process and hence is a sustainable building material. Since there is a restriction imposed on mining of clay and sand for construction activities innovative ways of using laterite can reduce the consumption of these materials during construction. Laterite is thus cost effective, energy efficient and environment friendly material when compared to other masonry materials in this region of Kerala. Hence it can fulfill several functions including structural, thermal insulation, and sound protection.

The cost of masonry units using different materials for housing construction (superstructure construction up to 5 meters) is shown in table below. It is evident from the data that laterite is cost effective compared to other masonry materials (PWD Manual, 1980).