200901 - IMARAT EARTH CENTRE (ICEA)

NOTES

The Earth Centre began in 2009 with a simple dwelling. The challenge was to use mud architecture in the challenging climate of the gangetic plains, to build economically and to demonstrate a vocabulary of natural materials. The result was a 2 bed room dwelling, where the lower mezzanine room is the excavated earth used to manufacture mud bricks. For the project, natural systems such as filler slabs, Wood and Bamboo roofs, stack ventilation, Earth berming, Thatch roofing and in the further stages, lime and oxide flooring, Chachra and bamboo roofing and ferrocement roofing as well. The dwelling was built economically at a total cost of just 26,00,000 INR in 2014. Since then, the site has expanded to include 6 more smaller dwellings to cater to the new institution of 'Imarat Centre for Earth Architecture'.