DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.22466#0164
^ J|H»u*.ya» *«■»•• APril 27> 1958
»CENTRAL BUILDING RESEARCH INSTITUTE
In an effort to give
the maximum comfort at
the minimum price He*
the story of the Central
Building Researoh insti-
tute, Roarkee, the first
major national building
research institute in the
tropicj established in 1950
in the chain of national
laboratories.
It is common know-
ledge that the most essen-
tial need of man, after
food and olothing, is
shelter—a home to live
in for rest and reoreation.
His decision to prefer
one house to another ie
influenced by two factors—
its cheapness and its
comfort.
Materials and methods
of oonstruction have been
. in use for thousands of
years But, beoause these
traditional ways are now
found to be inadequate
to bring the goal of good
living within the reach of
the masses, it has beoome
neoessary to adapt them
in the light of- modern
technological develop-
ments.
Ualform Codes
The aim of the Ins-
titute is to develop new
and cheap tools and techni-
ques of oonstruction, the
better utilisation of indi-
genous materials and in-
dustrial wastes, 'the study
of soil engineering and
soil stabilisation which
will go to make houses
cheap, and at the same
time to assess factors that
govern comfort and make
buildings efficient under
the looal conditions
An equally important
task before the Institute
is to assist in the drawing
up of uniform building
oodes to guide construc-
tion agencies under publio
control such as Publio
Works Department, muni-
cipalities, railways, mili-
tary engineering bervioes,
etc. Until quite recently,
the British or American
standards formed the basis
of designs and material
speoifioations, and the
British oodes of practice
were used for construction
' purposes.
Rural Housing
On* of , the major
researoh work of the Ins-
titute is to effect impro-
vements in the physical
properties of mud, the
prinoipal building material
in the country. Eighty
par oen~. of the 37 ororea
of the country'* popula-
tion live in more than
5,50,000 villages, where
housing i* a titanio prob-
lem. More *o, in view of
the knowledge, ai contai-
ned in the Planning Com-
mission's report on the
Second Plan, that a large
proportion of 54 million
houses in these villages
need to be rebuilt.
The protection t* mod
walls of these hutment*
by water-proofing coats is
one important and signi-
ficant development. Village
house* are badly damaged
by rains during the mon-
soons a* a result of the
disintegration of mud
plaster. This plaster has
been rendered uon-erod-
sble and waterproof by
methods evolved at the
Institute. The result* of
the trials indicated that
the methods are situable
and their cost is within
the reach of an ordinary
villager.
Of the three method*
developed, one i* based
on the application of a
piaster made of 'cut-back'
(prepared, by diluting, bi-
tumen with kerosine oil
and paraffin wax) and mud.
In the second method,
mud plaster, is prepared
as previously and applied
on the walls in the usual
way. When it is dried,
it is painted with a slurry
prepared by mixing oe.
ment, hydrated lime and
»CENTRAL BUILDING RESEARCH INSTITUTE
In an effort to give
the maximum comfort at
the minimum price He*
the story of the Central
Building Researoh insti-
tute, Roarkee, the first
major national building
research institute in the
tropicj established in 1950
in the chain of national
laboratories.
It is common know-
ledge that the most essen-
tial need of man, after
food and olothing, is
shelter—a home to live
in for rest and reoreation.
His decision to prefer
one house to another ie
influenced by two factors—
its cheapness and its
comfort.
Materials and methods
of oonstruction have been
. in use for thousands of
years But, beoause these
traditional ways are now
found to be inadequate
to bring the goal of good
living within the reach of
the masses, it has beoome
neoessary to adapt them
in the light of- modern
technological develop-
ments.
Ualform Codes
The aim of the Ins-
titute is to develop new
and cheap tools and techni-
ques of oonstruction, the
better utilisation of indi-
genous materials and in-
dustrial wastes, 'the study
of soil engineering and
soil stabilisation which
will go to make houses
cheap, and at the same
time to assess factors that
govern comfort and make
buildings efficient under
the looal conditions
An equally important
task before the Institute
is to assist in the drawing
up of uniform building
oodes to guide construc-
tion agencies under publio
control such as Publio
Works Department, muni-
cipalities, railways, mili-
tary engineering bervioes,
etc. Until quite recently,
the British or American
standards formed the basis
of designs and material
speoifioations, and the
British oodes of practice
were used for construction
' purposes.
Rural Housing
On* of , the major
researoh work of the Ins-
titute is to effect impro-
vements in the physical
properties of mud, the
prinoipal building material
in the country. Eighty
par oen~. of the 37 ororea
of the country'* popula-
tion live in more than
5,50,000 villages, where
housing i* a titanio prob-
lem. More *o, in view of
the knowledge, ai contai-
ned in the Planning Com-
mission's report on the
Second Plan, that a large
proportion of 54 million
houses in these villages
need to be rebuilt.
The protection t* mod
walls of these hutment*
by water-proofing coats is
one important and signi-
ficant development. Village
house* are badly damaged
by rains during the mon-
soons a* a result of the
disintegration of mud
plaster. This plaster has
been rendered uon-erod-
sble and waterproof by
methods evolved at the
Institute. The result* of
the trials indicated that
the methods are situable
and their cost is within
the reach of an ordinary
villager.
Of the three method*
developed, one i* based
on the application of a
piaster made of 'cut-back'
(prepared, by diluting, bi-
tumen with kerosine oil
and paraffin wax) and mud.
In the second method,
mud plaster, is prepared
as previously and applied
on the walls in the usual
way. When it is dried,
it is painted with a slurry
prepared by mixing oe.
ment, hydrated lime and