Building a sustainable future

EARTHEN ARCHITECTURE IN AUROVILLE

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SUMMARY

1. AUROVILLE’S INTRODUCTION

2. MAJOR BUILDINGS BUILD BY AVEI IN AND AROUND AUROVILLE

3. DIVERSITY OF EARTHEN BUILDINGS IN AUROVILLE2.1 Houses2.2 Apartments2.3 Public buildings

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1 AUROVILLE’S INTRODUCTION

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Foundation of Auroville on 28th February 1968:People from 124 countries dropped a handful of earth in an urn, as a testimony of Human

Unity

1. AUROVILLE’S INTRODUCTION

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Auroville belongs to nobody in particular. Auroville belongs to humanity as a whole. But to live in Auroville, one must be the willing servitor of the Divine Consciousness.

Auroville will be the place of an unending education, of constant progress, and a youth that never ages.

Auroville wants to be the bridge between the past and the future. Taking advantage of all discoveries from without and from within, Auroville will boldly spring towards future realisations.

Auroville will be a site of material and spiritual researches for a living embodiment of an actual Human Unity.

28th February 1968The Mother

AUROVILLE CHARTER

1. AUROVILLE’S INTRODUCTION

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1968: A land devastated by the cutting of trees

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For years: Healing the earth by an extensive reforestation

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Since 1968: A few millions trees planted 8

Matrimandir, the meditation chamber and soul of Auroville 9

Auroville attempts to link the ancestral tradition of raw earth buildingwith the modern technology of stabilised earth

Earth, as a building material, can be used for creatinga modern, progressive and eco-friendly habitat

Compressed Stabilised Earth Blocks (CSEB)is today the technology used the most

worldwide and in Auroville

1. AUROVILLE’S INTRODUCTION

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2 MAJOR BUILDINGS BUILD BY AVEI IN AND AROUND AUROVILLE

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Visitors Centre – 1992 Hassan Fathy International Award for Architecture for the Poor

2. MAJOR BUILDINGS BUILT BY AVEI IN AND AROUND AUROVILLE

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Visitors Centre – 1992 Hassan Fathy International Award for Architecture for the Poor13

Visitors Centre – 1992 Hassan Fathy International Award for Architecture for the Poor14

Visitors Centre – 1992 Hassan Fathy International Award for Architecture for the Poor15

Apartments at Vikas Community 16

13 apartments on 4 floors at Vikas CommunityVikas Community was a finalist for the “2000 World Habitat Award”

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Apartments at Vikas Community 18

Section of the third building 19

Kitchen at Vikas community for 50 people – CSEB 20

Water tank and reservoir at Vikas community – CSEB 21

Shakti Vihara School at Pondicherry, for 700 children 22

Shakti Vihara School at Pondicherry, for 700 children 23

Shakti Vihara School at Pondicherry, for 700 children 24

Showroom in Shakti Vihara School at Pondicherry 25

Showroom in Shakti Vihara School at Pondicherry

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Showroom in Shakti Vihara School at Pondicherry 27

Deepanam School near Matrimandir- Stabilised rammed earth walls and CSEB domes - 28

Deepanam School near Matrimandir- Stabilised rammed earth walls and CSEB domes - 29

Deepanam School near Matrimandir- Stabilised rammed earth walls and CSEB vault 10.35 m span, 2.25 m rise - 30

Deepanam School near Matrimandir- Stabilised rammed earth walls and CSEB vault, 10.35 m span - 31

Segmental vault at Deepanam School, completed in 3 weeks with 4 masons10.35 m span, 2.25 m rise, ± 30 tons, built with the Free Spanning technique 32

School and community centre at Marakkanam 33

34Community centre at Kilianur

1st prize of a national competition

35Tsunami house at Anumandhai

Community centre at Annavali for UNDPCommunity centre at Bommarpalayam for UNDP

Community centre at Kadapakam for UNDP

Community centre at Nadukuppam for UNDP

Disaster resistant built after the tsunami Disaster resistant built after the tsunami

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Moveable & disaster resistant house at Realization Community, built in 64 hours

Cost effective house at Suryanivas community – Stabilised rammed earth & CSEB 38

House at Nalla Farm, Pondicherry – CSEB 39

House at Utility community – CSEB and straw bale 40

House at the Auroville Earth Institute, built with the Free Spanning Technique – CSEB

Equilateral vault, the vault of the European cathedrals

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House at the Auroville Earth Institute – CSEB 42

Chinnakalapet near Auroville – “Hermitage” for a priest 43

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Sri Karneshwar Nataraja Temple near AurovillePointed cloister dome 6 m span and pyramid, built in 6 months

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Sri Karneshwar Nataraja Temple near AurovillePointed cloister dome 6 m span and pyramid, built in 6 months

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Sri Karneshwar Nataraja Temple 47

Realization Housing project with 17 apartments

- Wastewater biological system- Rainwater harvesting

- Earth tunnel for natural air conditioning

- CSEB and stabilised earth from foundations to roof

☛ 4 times less initial embodied energy

☛ Low emission for construction and use than conventional buildings and systems

☛ 3 times less operating energy

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Realization – 5 Apartments completed 50

Realization – 8 Apartments completed 51

3 DIVERSITY OF EARTHEN BUILDINGS

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House at Revelation community – Raw rammed earth

2.1 HOUSES

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House at Samasti community – Adobe 54

Kitchen at Anapurna farm – Adobe 55

House at Newland community – Wattle and Daub 56

House at Discipline community – Wattle and Daub 57

House at Revelation community – CSEB 58

Experimental house at Kottakarai village – CSEB 59

Cost effectives houses at Kottakarai village – CSEB 60

House at Dana community – CSEB 61

House at Dana community – CSEB 62

House at Auromodele community – CSEB 63

House at New Creation Field community – CSEB 64

House in the Green Belt – CSEB 65

House in the Green Belt – CSEB 66

House at Certitude community – CSEB 67

House at Aurobrindavan community – CSEB 68

House at Samasti community – CSEB 69

Cost effective house at Vikas community – CSEB 70

Cost effective house at Vikas community – CSEB 71

Cost effective house at Vikas community – CSEB 72

Pavilion Gayatri Dome at Suryanivas Community – CSEB 73

Apartments at Djaima Community – CSEB

2.2 APARTMENTS

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Apartments at Prarthna Community – CSEB 75

Housing at Prayatna Community – CSEB 76

Housing at Prayatna Community – CSEB 77

Apartments at Aspiration area – CSEB 78

Kailash Youth Centre – CSEB 79

Pitanga hall at Samasti community – CSEB

2.3 PUBLIC BUILDINGS

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Solar community kitchen for 1000 people – CSEB 81

Electronic workshop at Auroshilpam community – CSEB 82

Office of Aureka, the steel workshop producing the Auram equipment – CSEB 83

Multipurpose hall at Vérité community – CSEB 84

Isaiambalam School – CSEB 85

Boarding at New Creation School – CSEB & RCC frame 86

Kindergarten at Centre Field area – CSEB 87

Udavi School – CSEB 88

AUROVILLE EARTH INSTITUTEUNESCO Chair "Earthen Architecture"

BASIN South Asia

Auroshilpam, 605 101 Auroville, TN IndiaTel.: +91 (0) 413 - 262 3064 / 262 3330 Fax: +91 (0) 413 - 262 2886

Email: earthinstitute@auroville.org.in Website: www.earth-auroville.com