Why don’t we make use of eco-friendly and budget-friendly construction materials in today’s era? In today’s fast-paced world, mankind is the sole destroyer of the lush greenery in order to construct smart cities. Various architects over the years have been known to construct homes which are cement free.
Dhruvang Hingmire who is a young architect has been focusing on this concept for the past five years. He goes on to explain that when a house is constructed excluding plasters and cement, then the cost of building the home is cut down by 20%.
At the same time, he also feels sad about the fact that most of the architects, despite being taught how to build sustainable homes, are not at all following the trend.
Using natural materials for your house like mud, lime, wood, and stones will not only cut down your costs but also make the products reusable. He also mentioned construction examples from architects in pre-historic times when cement didn’t exist.
Eco-Friendly and Budget Friendly Construction Materials:
Coconut shells are one of the newest discoveries by many researchers with the help of which new age houses can be constructed. A coconut is usually rough and tough because of its layers.
It is made up of three layers. The layer which is on the outer side of the fruit is generally leathery in nature. The middle section is fibrous in nature. The inner layer is miserably harder. This particular layer protects the fruit of the coconut.
Constructing Huts Out of Coconut Shells:
Image Source : thebetterindia.com
Manish Advani – who is a marketer by profession, and Jayneel Trivedi – who is an architect by profession, came up with an idea to construct huts out of delicate shells of coconut. At the same time, the duo also used coconut shells to fight against the stoppage of dengue.
Manish has been trying hard to eradicate the problem of Mumbai’s garbage for a longer period. A notion hit his mind after his son faced breathing issues.
Doctors were of the opinion that the child was undergoing breathing problems only because of the heavy trash which is almost unbearable for a human body to tolerate. The task of composting waste was already started hence.
One day his wife gave him a coconut shell in order to compose it. He was shocked after receiving the shell in his hand as it was very difficult to break down the shell of the coconut, which turned into a breeding ground for mosquitoes and flies.
With the help of the green construction materials, the very first thing which Manish did was to construct planters. The bottom of the shells was cut in order for the water to flow and the shell was filled with mud. This was a natural pot in which people could grow their plants very easily at home.
Such an innovative idea was utilized by most of the corporate houses. At such a point, he happened to come across Jayneel Trivedi who on the other hand gave him brainstorming ideas about building houses with eco-friendly and budget-friendly construction materials.
How Was the Coconut Home Constructed?
In order to build the model of the coconut house, twenty students from Somaiya College in Mumbai were asked to volunteer. The coconut shells were dried up in eighteen days before starting the construction.
Fragments of metal and wood were also put to use while constructing the framework. The walls were constructed out of wood, bamboo, and coconut.
The outer walls were decked up in the form of gardens so that the family residing inside it will be able to provide for themselves. Eco-friendly and budget-friendly construction materials helped the society in such a gala way.
Just to stamp out the requirement of air conditioners and air coolers, the walls and the roofs were constructed out of coconut shells. The temperature, in this way, happens to drop down to 4-5oC. The model cost just INR 10,000; so we can say that eco-friendly and budget-friendly construction materials have helped.
Why Should We Use Mud Bricks as Green Construction Materials?
Mud houses are termed as “kuccha” houses; whereas houses constructed out of cement are termed as “pukka”. While we do understand the need for development. But that shouldn’t happen at the cost of harming the environment.
The cement which we use to construct our homes has harmed the environment in a variety of ways. One such example can be the giant earthquake which hit Nepal and millions of lives were lost in a fraction of seconds.
The Himalayan mountains have been damaged to a great extent due to the usage of cement.
The Western countries are conducting vigorous research on using natural materials for your house. They understand the requirement of sustainable houses and now they want to stop the harm caused to the environment by the humankind for so many centuries.
How Much Will It Cost You to Construct A Mud House?
Eco-friendly and budget-friendly construction materials like mud help you to cut down your costs to a huge extent. It will cost you a lot of time while getting your mud house done. One needs to plan certain things beforehand. What will you require to get a mud hose done? Will they be available nearby you?
Start thinking about the time taken for construction and arranging for it 6 months prior to the construction. Are you aware of the labors who can help you build your eco-friendly home?
You will acquire most of your costs on the roof of your mud house. Taking everything into account, a mud house will cost you around one and a half lakhs. Pretty economical, isn’t it?
CONCLUSION:
Eco-friendly and budget-friendly construction materials will certainly help us in saving the environment to which we have already caused a harm.
Start going green in order to stop any kind of destructive natural calamities. Natural materials and eco-friendly and budget-friendly construction materials do not cost you a lot of money.
In fact, if you get your home done by using eco-friendly products like coconut, mud, and lime, you will be setting an example to all others living inside fancy homes constructed of cement which causes nothing but harm to the environment.
