April 19, 2006

Mangalore: Everyone dreams to have his or her own house.... to lead a comfortable and peaceful life. The exorbitantly priced construction activity and construction materials may throw cold water on any such dream. Not to be disheartened, the Dakshina Kannada district has achieved a great feat by adopting alternative technology.
It’s not concrete, nor clay nor mud... it’s iron ore tailing which has been utilised to create magnificent and aesthetically beautiful, yet cost effective, eco friendly houses.

The first of such houses has been constructed within the campus of the Dakshina Kannada Nirmiti Kendra in Suratkal.

The Nirmiti Kendra is a center for cost effective building technologies and takes up designing, planning, estimation, and construction of buildings under single roof.

The iron ore tailing from Kudremukh iron ore factory, which was dumped in the Lakya dam, is the main product here. Both the center and the R&D wing of the then Karnataka Regional Engineering College (KREC) obtained a scheme on innovative houses from the government in 2003-04. After two years of strenuous work, the innovative technology was scientifically implemented in the construction of a two-bed room house with a plinth area of 640 sq feet.

Project director of the center Kalbavi Rajendra Rao explained to Daijiworld that the entire construction cost only Rs 2,56,000 with no wood used. A prototype house, the Kendra has also set up another house using the same technology in National Institute of Technology, Karnataka campus.
This house has Masonry arches, which are used instead of concrete lintels. This saves steel and concrete and reduces the cost and gives a good look to the buildings. The use of Fillar Slab makes the house thermally efficient and also more strong, stable and comfortable.
Ferrocement roofings, interiors are attractive in different shapes and reduce the construction time and cost.

Further exposed laterite masonry, brick arches, pillars have added aesthetic style and eco-friendly dimension to the building structure.
Alternative technologies such as rainwater harvesting are also adopted in this house making it an ideal house.

Rao said that the centre was established during the National Network of Building Centers in India on January 5, 1990.
The center was registered under the societies act 1956 and located in the premises of National Institute of Technology Karnataka, Suratkal. Since then the center has been involved in training for the construction workers and up gradation of their skills, production of cost effective building materials and construction of public, private and government buildings using appropriate technology.

Inorder to withstand the climatic conditions of DK district the building was kept under observation for one year following which it was inaugurated.

The bricks are made from iron ore tailing which needs to be brought from Bangalore and this has been the major hiccup. However, the center is also preparing to build 25 houses for the poor using this technology.

“We try to incorporate innovative techniques right from the construction of the foundation.  The use of plastic or wood is however restricted,” revealed Rao adding that people should have an element of liking to these houses which carry a traditional appearance.

The climatic condition of the coastal region is unique and different from other places. In monsoon the downpour is on an average of 4500 mm. During summer the temperature is around 36 degree Celsius and humidity in weather is around 60 per cent to 75 per cent. The appropriate technology must be used in constructions of buildings. The exposed masonry/rat trap bond walling, proper ventilation, arches, filler slab roofing, avoiding steel and wood etc are most suitable for local weather condition.

The use of alternative technology has made construction of houses within the reach of the common man.

The center can be contacted for further details
Dakshina Kannada Nirmiti Kendra, NITK-Suratkal, Mangalore
Phone Nos 2476727, 2458172, 94482 87534

• Read our earlier report: Mangalore: Eco-friendly, Cost-effective Houses from Iron Ore Waste !

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