water to flush the WCs and kitchen waste to nourish the small garden and green landscape around the buildings. The key elements of this project were use of locally available mud and thatch so that a climate suitable shelter could be constructed. The promotion of local skill was an important consideration in this project. One major and perhaps unique feature of this shelter was application of local art forms through shelter. Resource mapping (search for local materials, technologies and skills) revealed that sabunga (decomposed Dolerite) available at the outskirts of the village could be used for block making to act as a substitute for walling material, which was otherwise brought from Cape Town (900 kms from the village). Laboratory testing of cement stabilized (7%) block showed strength of 6 Mega Pascal (MPa), which was adequate for a two storey building. Roof was constructed with locally available thatch and blue-gum poles. Blue gum was fast growing tree and hence, renewable. A NGO by name Van De Lewis Foundation was in Eastern Cape promoting cement stabilized compressed earth block for wall. The NGO was contracted to provide the technical support for the production of stabilized blocks. Their technical people were trained in CRATERRE, France in stabilized mud block production. A local institute by name Eastern Cape Appropriate Technology Unit (ECATU) was identified as the local nodal agency who was envisaged to be the champion on cost effective, environment friendly and livelihood supporting technologies evolved through the progrmme. The School Management Committee was the client. How the above was achieved? e.g. –
How was greening achieved? Was there cost saving as well? The Venda houses in the Northern Province of South Africa are made of rammed earth and thatch roof. It is constructed artistically that the ambience suited the local Venda pattern of living and its culture. Mud and thatch being local materials made such houses the most affordable option. Since the locallevel masons were traditionally trained in these technologies, maintenance was assured. Therefore, these buildings had low whole life-cycle cost. Thatch was grown everywhere in the Northern Province abundantly and earth was available as well. This made the buildings least embodied energy and CO2 emission intensive. The project was situated in a high-wind zone. Round plan-form, used traditionally with roof angle more than 30 deg, is a time tested safe building against high wind. Vendas are comfortable with it and such shelter form and technology have not changed over centuries. However, when the system of construction was studied it was identified that the only short coming of the system was in the roof thatch. While high wind could never damage the buildings, sometimes extreme high wind blew off thatch around the lean-to of the roof, which the traditional builders repaired with least effort. The project has developed an alternative detail to overcome this problem. Apart from this, high wind also caused loss of walling material which was gradual to be noticeable in three to five years. Local timber glue, which had the same effect of lacquer, was used to insulate the wall surface reducing surface abrasion. The building was 40 percent cheaper than that of one built in reinforced cement, concrete roof and brick wall.
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What and whose capacities were built and how The construction workers were trained to use some of the modern construction tools and techniques for improved quality and durability of the traditional system. A blind local sculptor, did all the artistic work in the Venda house. She had been training the local people in this trade.
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How were green outcomes defined and measured for monitoring (e.g., specific indicators) There was no attempt to define or measure greenness objectively. It was done intuitively. However, in retrospect, one can gather data and analyse it to create credible database to address the three balancing issues – social, economic and environmental.
204 Greening The National Rural Housing Scheme: Indira Awaas Yojana