Engineers Investigate Building Materials Made Of Earth to Understand Wellbeing
Engineers at the University of Bath and the Indian Institute of Science are jointly set to investigate how to create bricks, paints and other building materials from earth, in an effort to make our homes more sustainable with improved indoor health and wellbeing. The Wellbeing Achieved from Earth
Published -
Sep 18, 2020 4:46 AM
Engineers at the University of Bath and the Indian Institute of Science are jointly set to investigate how to create bricks, paints and other building materials from earth, in an effort to make our homes more sustainable with improved indoor health and wellbeing. The Wellbeing Achieved from Earthen Residences (WAFER) project, run by academics in the University's BRE Centre for Innovative Construction Materials and IISc's Centre for Sustainable Technologies, have started work to investigate the viability of earth as an environmentally benign and affordable building material, with the aim of reducing carbon emissions associated with the construction industry. While earthen materials have a low impact on the environment and can improve indoor air quality, they are rarely adopted in the modern world as social status is associated with materials considered 'modern or developed', such as concrete, glass and steel. Such materials, however, are highly carbon-intensive and do not promote indoor wellness. The WAFER project team, based in Bath and the Indian Institute of Science, will investigate the cultural and social sensitivity associated with earthen materials. With scientific scrutiny, their potential health, wellbeing and environmental performance would reinstate faith in their adoption for modern constructions, particularly housing demands. Dr Dan Maskell, a lecturer in the Department of Architecture & Civil Engineering and the project's principal investigator, says that if they can be effectively marketed, natural materials could become a well-respected trend in house building and design. He says: "When people hear of this project, they might think we're recommending people live in mud huts. That incorrect perception is something we'll investigate, so it can be overcome. Potential market appeal is critical to the new products created through the WAFER project. This will be investigated through the collaboration with colleagues at the Indian Institute of Science - as Indian consumers' views of earthen materials differ from those of Western consumers. In India, expensive, high-end new properties are being marketed as using earthen materials as there is a greater familiarity and understanding of their benefits. Exploring the mindset of homebuyers and housebuilders in relation to these materials is important to promoting them effectively, says Dr Maskell.
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