 | Appropriate Building Materials: a Catalogue of Potential Solutions (SKAT, 1988, 430 p.) |
 |  | Examples of roof materials |
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Soil brick roof
KEYWORDS:
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Special properties |
Simple self-help prefabrication system |
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Economical aspects |
Low to medium costs |
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Stability |
Good |
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Skills required |
Average construction skills |
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Equipment required |
CINVA-Ram block press, formwork for beams |
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Resistance to earthquake |
Low |
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Resistance to hurricane |
Good |
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Resistance to rain |
Depends on finishing coat |
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Resistance to insects |
Good |
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Climatic stability |
Hot climates, highland climates |
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Stage of experience |
Experimental, numerous houses built in Tunisia |
SHORT DESCRIPTION:
· This roof construction method was developed by the Swedish Association for Development of Low-Cost Housing, Lund University, Sweden, for a pilot project in Rohia, Tunisia, based on "organized do-it-yourself building".
· Apart from the self-help aspect, the aim was to design a strong roof (that could be walked on), using local materials other than timber, which is in short supply and expensive.
· The principal material chosen was the local soil, called Torba, a finely grained soil, containing 60 % CaO (lime). This was used to make soil-cement blocks with a CINVA-Ram block press.
· The slightly sloped roofs were constructed with precast concrete beams placed very accurately in parallel, at a distance just sufficient to place two soil-cement blocks such that they lean against each other (for which the blocks were made with one short end slanting). The block pairs were bonded with a lime-cement mortar. The completed roof received a coat of cement slurry and later a roughly 5 cm thick layer of compacted soil-cement, which was finally whitewashed.
Further information: SADEL, Arkitekrur 1, P.O. Box 118, 221 00 Lund, Sweden, Bibl. 00.01.
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