Adobe brick house

KEYWORDS:

Special properties	Improved traditional building system
Economical aspects	Low to medium costs
Stability	Good
Skills required	Traditional construction skills
Equipment required	Formwork for bricks and concrete, building equipment
Resistance to earthquake	Good
Resistance to hurricane	Good
Resistance to rain	Depends on soil stabilization
Resistance to insects	Medium to good
Climatic suitability	All except extremely hot dry climates
Stage of experience	Increasing applications

SHORT DESCRIPTION:

• This building system was implemented in a housing development project in El Salvador, Central America, initiated by GATE and conducted by the Institute for Tropical Building, Starnberg, Federal Republic of Germany, headed by Dr.Ing. Georg Lippsmeier.

• The aim was to improve the earthquake resistance of traditional adobe brick houses, by self-help methods and with little additional costs.

• The improvements were: strengthening of the site-produced mud bricks by adding lime; providing reinforced concrete foundations and ring beams; rigid connection between roof and supporting walls.

Further information: GATE, Postfach 5180, 6236 Eschborn, Federal Republic of Germany; Bibl. 00.18, 24.01.

Construction Details of Wall, Ring Beam and Roof (Bibl. 24.01)