The good earth

It is a saucer shaped structure, where children can get imaginative with papers and blissfully filthy with the clay.

Aiming at neo-conventional construction practices, this foundation releases Earthbags, a guide that offers techniques to responsible construction

It is a saucer shaped structure, where children can get imaginative with papers and blissfully filthy with the clay. This dome shaped learning space that cultivates the creativity of the children of Aman Setu, the pre-primary and primary school, is named Kaleidoscope and has been made using earth bag and bamboo structure. Designed by architects and former students of Aman Setu, the learning space now has a sequel. The Madhavi Kapur Foundation has published its first booklet, Earthbags that is a follow up to the construction of the Kaleidoscope.

Says Kapur, founder of Aman Setu, 8220;The booklet is an effort to offer an alternative to neo-conventional construction practices and provide sustainable techniques, which could be accessible to all. Kaliedoscope stands as a demonstration of the design executed by my students. The intention of sharing this idea with anyone who wants to create something on similar lines led to the book Earthbags. By creating a learning space like Kaleidoscope it lives the message that schools should remain places to inculcate strong values and awareness in students.8221;

Earthbags depicts a technique where prolypropylene bags are filled with earth mix, sealed and stacked in running bond with a barbed wire acting as a velcro mortar between courses and consolidated by tamping. Soarabh Phadke, the author, has been one of the key participants in the building of Kaleidoscope. 8220;Earthbags along with its Marathi counterpart named Maati-Poti pertains to several issues like resource consumption and appropriate construction technologies. The booklet is an on-field guide for builders and for all those interested in responsible construction even in remote areas,8221; he adds.

The book was released at the Manney8217;s Bookstore in Camp by activist Sujit Patwardhan and architect Rahul Rawat on the occasion of the bookstore8217;s 60th birthday. Keeping in mind the preventable use of paper the publication has allowed free download of the booklet through our website mkf.in. 8220;We wish to spread the concept and have thus made the copy accessible and free of cost. We would request people to resort to printing only if they are likely to apply the techniques practically. We plan to create a chain of knowledge transfer,8221; adds Phadke. Here8217;s to an initiative that8217;s certainly been thought thorugh well.