In recent years, sustainable building practices have gained popularity and one of the most traditional and eco-friendly building materials is the mud house. This article is focused on modern mud house design ideas driving towards sustainable building.
Mud is a porous material that can retain moisture, leading to mold and mildew. It is a semi-fluid material that can be used to coat, seal, or adhere materials.
Mud can be referred to by a variety of names, such as slurry, mortar, plaster, stucco, and concrete, depending on its composition. It is the major raw material used in building a mud house.
A mud house is a building construction that makes use of soil excavated from the land where the house is built. This soil is enhanced by natural additives that are locally available, like rice husk, paddy straw, etc.
Mud houses have thatched roofs. The insulating effect of the thatch prevents heat from getting in very quickly (cool in summer) and heat from getting out very quickly (warm in winter). As evaporation causes cooling, mud houses feel cooler in the summer.
People in hilly areas build houses with sloping roofs because when snow falls on the roof, it can slip down easily from the roof. All the houses in hilly areas have sloping roofs so that snow will not accumulate on the roof and put excess pressure on it to cause damage to the roof.
Mud houses have been the most sustainable form of living around the world for centuries. A mud house requires only mud and twigs, without needing a professional to design one.
Mud houses have existed for thousands of years, but modern techniques and designs have given them a new lease on life. You can just build a home with your own hands. Sounds easier said than done but this practice has been passed on for generations in some communities.
Modern mud houses are gaining momentum as a sustainable alternative to conventional building materials like concrete and steel.
They are a more sustainable building practice that offers many benefits to homeowners. As more people become aware of the benefits of mud houses, we can expect to see them become a more common sight in communities worldwide.
Just as the mud house has been the most beneficial to people due to its low cost as well as its ability to solve housing issues all over the world.
With other benefits, such as having better insulation than concrete, the most important is the use of local materials, which makes it the most sustainable and environmentally friendly way to live. With this knowledge, we’re going to take a quick look at the design ideas of modern mud houses that are geared toward sustainable building.
Table of Contents
10 Modern Mud House Building Ideas
Contemporary mud houses can be built in different ways, which offers several advantages to the environment. Below are some of the design ideas for a modern Mudhouse for sustainable building.
- Designing with Insulation Properties
- Strawbale Technique
- Use of Conventional Materials
- Use of Soundproof
- Rammed Earth Technique
- Designing with Termite-Resistant Materials
- Use of Waterproof
- Cob Technique
- Use of Proper Ventilation
- Earthbag Structure
1. Designing with Insulation Properties
The insulation capabilities of contemporary mud homes are one of their most significant benefits. Because of its excellent thermal mass, mud can store and release heat slowly, maintaining a stable interior temperature throughout the day.
This means mud houses are warm in winter and cool in summer, reducing the need for heating and cooling systems. As a result, rammed earth houses are energy-efficient, which saves homeowners some money on their utility bills.
2. Strawbale Technique
Straw-bale construction is a building method that uses bales of straw (commonly wheat, rice, rye, and oats) as structural elements, building insulation, or both.
It is a construction method that is commonly used in natural building or “brown” construction projects. Research has shown that straw-bale construction is a sustainable method for building, from the standpoint of both materials and energy needed for heating and cooling.
Advantages of Strawbale Technique:
- Strawbales are made from a waste product.
- Homes insulated with straw bales can have insulation values of R-30 or more. The thickness of the wall helps to reflect sunlight throughout the room.
- Strawbales have low-embodied energy.
- Strawbales are 100% biodegradable when the time comes.
3. Use of Conventional Materials
Unlike traditional mud houses, modern mud houses can incorporate conventional materials to make them fire-resistant. Builders construct a fire-resistant modern mud house with lime, cement, or sand.
They can also be designed with features like metal roofs, fire-resistant doors, and windows made of tempered glass. This helps to increase the durability and density of the walls, making them more resistant to an inferno.
It is vital to note that while contemporary mud houses can be fire-resistant, they still require proper maintenance to ensure their safety.
4. Use of Soundproof
Recent mud houses, like the traditional ones, can provide excellent soundproofing capabilities. The thickness and density of mud walls provide a natural barrier that can block sound from outside, creating a quiet and peaceful indoor environment.
Mud walls can absorb and dampen sound waves, reducing room echoes and reverberation. This makes new mud houses particularly suitable for locations with high levels of noise pollution, such as near busy roads or airports.
Modern mud houses can add insulation to the walls for additional soundproofing effects.
5. Rammed Earth Technique
Rammed earth is a method of building walls on-site by compacting a selected mixture of earth, sand, and aggregate in layers between the forms. Each layer is approximately 15cm deep. As each form is filled out, another form is placed above it, and the process begins again.
Until the desired wall height is reached this process is continued. A wider range of soils are suitable when a small amount of cement is added to the mix. The result, known as ‘stabilized rammed earth’, is an extremely durable and attractive masonry product with numerous benefits.
From an environmental standpoint, reducing or eliminating Portland cement is advantageous because it lowers the energy embodied in the final product. Using soils directly from the site represents an environmental advantage for the same reason.
Over 7% of global CO2 emissions come from the production of cement. Stabilized rammed earth creates beautiful and unique buildings while at the same time providing a swathe of benefits to meet the varied demands of homeowners, artists, industry, architects, and engineers.
Advantages of Rammed Earth Walls:
- Rammed earth walls contain excellent thermal mass.
- Buildings made from rammed earth have more durability.
- It has a high fire-resistance rating and the walls are water-repellent.
- These walls are load-bearing walls; you can make a multi-story house.
- The nature of rammed earth is that it is non-toxic.
6. Designing with Termite-Resistant Materials
Mud homes are particularly vulnerable to termite damage. Termites often feed on mud walls, leading to structural damage and safety concerns. To prevent termite damage, mud houses can be built with termite-resistant materials or treated with pesticides.
7. Use of Proper Ventilation
Proper ventilation prevents moisture build-up and promotes air circulation. Use exhaust fans and open windows to ensure adequate ventilation throughout the house.
8. Cob Technique
Cob is an earth-building technique based on a mixture of clay, sand, straw, and water. The mixture is kneaded with hands, feet, or simple tools; subsequently, lumps are made that are then compressed together and shaped by hand, forming foundations and walls.
The walls of a cob house are generally about 24 inches (61 cm) thick, and the windows are correspondingly deep-set, giving the home a characteristic internal appearance.
The contents of subsoil naturally vary, and if it does not contain the right mixture, it can be modified with sand or clay. Cob is fireproof, resistant to seismic activity, and uses low-cost materials, although it is very labor intensive.
It can be used to create artistic and sculptural forms, and its use has been revived in recent years by the natural building and sustainability movements.
9. Use of Waterproof
Lime plasters are waterproof in the sense that they do not get soft when soaked, but they are also very breathable. They can be used in the design of modern mud houses.
10. Earthbag Structure
Earthbag construction is an inexpensive building method using mostly local soil to create structures that are both strong and can be quickly built.
It is a natural building technique developed from historic military bunker construction techniques and temporary flood-control dike building methods.
The technique requires very basic construction materials; such as sturdy sacks filled with organic material usually available on site.
Standard earthbag fill material has internal stability. Either moist subsoil that contains enough clay to become cohesive when tamped, or a water-resistant angular gravel or crushed volcanic rock is used.
In this construction technique, walls are gradually built up by laying the bags in courses, forming a staggered pattern similar to bricklaying. The walls can be curved or straight, domed with earth, or topped with conventional roofs.
Curved walls provide good lateral stability, forming round rooms and/or domed ceilings like an igloo. The structure is typically finished with plaster, either cement stucco on a strong mesh layer or an adobe or lime plaster, to shed water and prevent fabric Ultra Violet (UV) damage.
Earthbag construction uses very little energy compared to other durable construction methods, making it more sustainable and environmentally friendly. Unlike concrete, brick, or wood, no energy is needed to produce the earthen fill other than gathering soil.
If on-site soil is used, little energy is needed for transportation. Unlike rammed earth construction, only human labor energy is required to tamp the soil lightly.
Buildings last a long time when maintained. However, if “raw” or unstabilized soil is used as fill when the building is no longer useful, the earthen fill can be recycled into either garden areas, backfill, or new earthen buildings.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the design ideas above validate the fact that modern mud houses are a sustainable and environmentally friendly practice that offers many benefits to homeowners.
As more people become aware of the benefits of mud houses, we can expect to see them become a more common sight in communities worldwide.
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Ahamefula Ascension is a Real Estate Consultant, Data Analyst, and Content writer. He is the founder of Hope Ablaze Foundation and a Graduate of Environmental Management in one of the prestigious colleges in the country. He is obsessed with Reading, Research and Writing.