January-December 2020 Issue 47

As 2020 quietly started, little did we expect AVEI NEWSLETTER that a few months later the COVID-19 pandemic would send all of into one of the strictest In this issue: lockdowns in the world. Despite projects being underway and a full schedule of training courses • AVEI Projects & Consultancy Abroad 2 in progress, the Earth Institute was required Partnering with AKAH in Syria 2 Structural study for a vault in Mauritania 3 to close its doors at the end of March and only Developing CSEB capacity in Mauritania 4 began to resume its activities in late May. To date, many of the Earth Institute’s activities • AVEI Projects in India 5 have been affected, including training, external Structural study for a dome in Gujarat 5 project consultancy, and technology transfer.

• AVEI Projects in Auroville 6 But the team continues to push forward 6 Aureka, Petite Ferme, The Colours of Nature with projects within the community, and has started three online courses – AVD Theory, • AVEI in Conferences, Presentations, & Webinars 7 CSEB Theory, and CSEB Design – so that it can • AVEI Communications & Dissemination 9 continue to reach students unable to travel to Auroville for training. We are also happy to report • AVEI Training 10 the promising early stages of two international Starting online courses at AVEI 10 technology transfers. Revisions to the AVD manual 11 Please feel free to share this newsletter with 12 • AVEI Team your friends and colleagues as we spread the knowledge of earth architecture to the world! • Colophon 13 AVEI training course schedules for 2021 13 Earthily yours, The AVEI Team January - December 2020 Issue 47 AVEI Projects & Consultancy Abroad Partnering with the Aga Khan Agency for Habitat in Syria

A rendering of the model house to be built in the village of Barri

The Earth Institute was contacted in the first familiarized with CSEB and AVD through the half of 2020 by the Aga Khan Agency for Habitat online courses with a smaller subgroup of 30 (AKAH) to collaborate on a project to promote students working through AutoCAD exercises the use of compressed stabilized earth blocks and soil identification tests to give them deeper in Syria, a region which has a long history of expertise. The soil identification done by the adobe construction. In spite of the constraints students has been particularly important in on travel and the uncertainty of the pandemic, giving the Earth Institute team an idea of the the project was able to go forward with those soil types available Syria and how suited they elements as could be completed remotely. will be to CSEB. As a critical first step to introducing CSEB in the region, the Earth Institute proposed a Concurrently, and the rest of the combination of online courses to introduce architecture team worked on the design of a architects and engineers selected by AKAH to demonstration house and detached workshop the concepts of CSEB construction and the to be built in the Syrian village of Barri, near use of arches, vaults and domes (AVD), followed Salamiyah. The house will be constructed by hands-on training courses once it would be primarily with CSEB, and feature various AVEI- possible for Satprem to travel. developed technologies such as the composite lintel, column, and staircase, as well as arches, So far, approximately 55 participants have been various vaults, and a cloister dome. Earth

2 A 38 January - December 2020 Issue 47 59 914 59 15 AVEI Projects & Consultancy Abroad Institute associate Omar Rabie contributed 110 crucial inputs on the bioclimatic design of the building for the particular climate of that area of 7 Syria. The team is now developing the working B B

drawings for these buildings. 507 650

26

Satprem plans to travel to Syria in February for 406 a preliminary visit and will return for hands- 289 263 on training on block-making once the Auram machinery arrives, most likely toward the end of March. Subsequent visits will be made over the course of the year to give practical training on construction with CSEB and with arches, vaults, and domes and to guide the construction of the demonstration house.

38 90 38 30 590 30 38 90 Through the combined effort of widespread 128 650 128 training and building a house that demonstrates 906 the adaptability and possibility of the CSEB A technology, the Earth Institute hopes that this 1032 project can inspire Syrian building professionals PLAN COUPE AA to utilize the low-carbon and low-cost technologies of stabilized earth as they rebuild into the future after this tumultuous decade of Further 3D renderings of the house and detached workshop war.

Structural study for a vault in Mauritania 238 8.5

Indispensable de poser les blocs de béton à l'envers et de les remplir de sable 6 4 8.5

In May, the Earth Institute was contacted 15 6

I 4 HT Forme de pente béton: 2000 kg/m³ W1 = 42.21 15 by Mathieu Hardy, the director of Al-Mizan 15 Dalle béton armé: 2200 kg/m³ W2 = 70.26 W3 = 40.33 W1 W4 = 73.28 W3 W5 = 40.33 Adobe: 1700 kg/m³ W5 W2 Sahel – an organization providing sustainable W4 W6 = 85.16 W7 W7 = 40.33 110 W6 LP' W9 110.8 W8 = 99.47 W8 W9 = 40.33 architecture solutions based out of Béton armé: 2200 kg/m³ 110 110 W10 = 110.88 W11 W11 = 40.33 W10 7 7 W13 W12 = 119.76 Nouakchott, Mauritania – for a structural study W13 = 40.33 38 26 W14 = 122.36 W15 = 40.33 W14W12 W16 = 40.33 7 for a classroom to be built using the traditional W15 I COUPE SUR CHAINAGE ARC, VOUTE ET TOITURE W16 HT W17 = 116.22 Contrainte dans l'arc W17 W18 = 40.33 26 Poids: 3133.38 kg/m W18 W19 = 40.33 - Sommet = 11.65 kg/cm²

W19 507 Nubian vault-building technique. The aim of W20 W20 = 99.16 - Sommier = 16.82 kg/cm² W21 W3 W1 W21 = 96.75 W5 W4 W2 W7 W6 W9 W8 bringing in the Earth Institute’s expertise was to 1 cm = 50 kg/m HT = 11514.83 kg/38 cm HT' = ~1.3 W 144 W11 W10 W1 = 45.43 W22 = 306.77 W13 W12 W2 = 875.15 W3 = 45.43 optimize this model classroom design to reduce W15 W14 W17 144 W4 = 875.77 W16 W5 = 45.43 R374.2 LP' W19 W6 = 873.59 the use of reinforced concrete by eliminating W23 = 381.47 W18 W7 = 45.43 W21 W8 = 870.76 296 W20 W9 = 45.43 the inverted T beams on which the vault W23 W10 = 866.64 W11 = 45.43 W22 W12 = 860.80 295 W13 = 45.43

would be built and to replace them with adobe 119 W24 = 535.26 W24 W14 = 852.97 W15 = 45.43 T = 16614.29 kg/38 cm sur le sommier arches. Satprem undertook a detailed stability W16 = 842.24 W17 = 45.43 119 W18 = 828.54

96.6 W19 = 45.43 W = 3501.91 kg/m study and provided his recommendations for Poids et pression à la base du contrefort (158 x 38 cm): r = Adobe = 1,700 kg/m³ 2.6 W20 = 810.76 r = Forme de pente béton maigre 2% = 2000 kg/m³ 17681.21 kg = 2.94 kg/cm² W21 = 45.43 W25 = 646.90 r = Dalle béton armé 6 cm = 2200 kg/m³ W22 = 788.45 the design and construction of the building. W23 = 45.43 LP 231.2 25 W24 = 761.55 W25 = 45.43

W26 = 1157.56 70 Stability study done for the vault of the classroom 70 T = 23725.38 kg/38 cm poussée totale Poids et pression à la base de la fondation du contrefort (225 x 60m): W27 = 1004.52 17681.21 + 2079 kg = 19760.21 kg = 1.46 kg/cm² 59 200 38 200 38 200 38 200 59 W25W24W23W22 W33 W32 W31 W30 W29 W28 W27 W26 W25 3 LP 17.95 W28 = 1446.78 914 59 W29 = 764.67 51 90 38 30 15 W30 = 845.57 1032 90 Note: Le diagramme funiculaire est basé sur la largeur de l'arc et des reins de 38 cm, W31 = 930.17 130 60 35 surchargé du poids de la voute et toiture, calculé en kg/m W32 = 1019.21 Système voute, reins et murs porteur de 59 cm: Non stable 158 W = 20743.76 kg/ 38 cm Arc avec mur, contrefort et poids des voutes: stable et sûr W33 = 1113.15 r = Adobe = 1700 kg/m³ 215

ETUDE DE STABILITÉ, VOUTE ET TOUTE LA STRUCTURE ETUDE DE STABILITÉ, ARC ET TOUTE LA STRUCTURE COUPE BB Satprem SALLE DE CLASSE VOUTE NUBIENNE AVEC ARCADES ÉTUDE STRUCTURELLE Maïni January - December 2020 Issue 47 AVEI Projects & Consultancy Abroad Developing CSEB capacity in Mauritania

Aerial view of Selibaby, one of the potential sites of intervention (© 2021 CNES / Airbus)

The Etablissement d’Exécution de Travaux include a mosque, a social housing project, Réalisés en Matériaux Locaux (ETR-ML, school facilities, and a health center. which can be translated as the Institution for the execution of works carried out with We look forward to seeing how this project local materials) in Mauritania reached out the develops after Satprem’s visit to Mauritania. Auroville Earth Institute in October to ask for technical assistance in promoting the use of compressed stabilized blocks across the Northwest African country. While the project is still in its nascent phases, Satprem will be making a preliminary visit during January to Nouakchott and the other towns that the project targets to evaluate the suitability of CSEB for those areas.

As this project goes forward, the Earth Institute is expected to offer training – both online and in- person – on the use of CSEB and arches, vaults, and domes, but is also likely to guide the design of several demonstration buildings, which may Construction practices in Mauritania (© ETR-ML)

4 42'-11"

195PERS. MEDITATION SPACE 179'-2"

MEDITATION AREA 108'-0" X 108'-0" 115'-2"

115'-2"

January - December 2020 Issue 47 17'-11"

139'-10"

DOME CONCEPTUAL PLAN AVEI Projects in India Structural study for a dome in Gujarat 2280

BRICK DOME 18252 15972

114'-8"

STONE PEDESTAL 3395 108'-1"

STONE 16309

revision project t Concept of the 33 m dome for the Oshodhara Meditation Centre e R0 - DD.MM.YY drawing title w First Issue

The Earth Institute is offering technical Satprem has begun the study of the domescale anddrawing no. date assistance for the design, structural analysis, will train a local contractor to producedrawn by CSEBapproved by checked by drawing is for and construction of a dome for the Oshodhara for the construction. Once the building begins, Meditation Center, to be built in the Bhavnagar a team of masons from the Earth Institute will district of Gujarat for the Shree Osho travel to Gujarat. Krishanganga Dharmodhyan. The concept design for this meditation center has been done by Dinesh Suthar and it will feature a 33 m dome Blocks 240, 1/2 size, 5 cm thick Blocks 240, 1/2 size, 5 cm thick (~340 blocks) (~340 blocks) 5 Courses that will cover a platform floating on a pool of 5 Courses Blocks 240, 3/4 size, 5 cm thick Blocks 240, 3/4 size, 5 cm thick (~340 blocks) 5 Courses (~340 blocks) 11.5 11.5 11.6 11.6 5 Courses 11.9 11.9 12.4 12.4 13 13 Fill with earth concrete Fill with earth concrete water, thereby allowing the dome to form a Cut blocks Cut blocks 17.5 17.5 Blocks 240, full size, 5 cm thick 13.9 13.9 4 Courses Blocks 240, full size, 5 cm thick (~205 blocks) 19 19 Fill with earth concrete 14.9 14.9 Fill with earth concrete (~205 blocks) 4 Courses Cut blocks Cut blocks complete circle. 16.7 16.7

24.5 20.7 20.7 24.5

26.7 22.5 22.5 26.7 Bond pattern with Fill with earth Fill with earth blocks 240, 5 cm thick concrete concrete 29 260 29 Bond pattern with 240-3/4-5 (~340 Nos.) 323.3 5 Courses blocks 240, 5 cm thick 240-1/2-5 (~340 Nos.) 238.8 238.8 31.4 323.3 31.4 240-3/4-5 (~340 Nos.) 212.6 240-1/2-5 (~340 Nos.)

5 Courses 32 212.6 178.9 178.9 32 1 cm thick mortar joint (SEM 1: 2: 4) 1 cm thick mortar joint (SEM 1: 2: 4)

119.4 32 32

29 119.4

32 108.5 108.5 32 4 courses with mortar joint ~2.8 cm 4 courses with mortar joint ~2.8 cm (SEM 1: 2: 2: 2) (SEM 1: 2: 2: 2) 8.2 8.2 32 32

R349.7 30.9 676 89.7 30.9

SEM mortar 1: 4: 2 for laying blocks free spanning = 1 cement: 4 soil (2 mm): 2 sand (2 mm) SEM mortar 1: 2: 2: 2 for vertical joints = 1 cement: 2 soil (2 mm): 2 sand (2 mm): 2 gravel chips SEM mortar 1: 2: 4 for vertical joints = 1 cement: 2 soil (2 mm): 4 sand (2 mm) Earth concrete: 1 cement: 2 soil: 2 sand: 2 gravel 1/2" 1320 1872.75 1650

CSEB dome R1691.25 CSEB dome Drawn by: Satprem Scale: VAULT - HALF DOME Ref: Dome study forPRAVEEN ATHMAKUR'S a HOUSEhouse:Modified by: SatpremSatprem also 1: 25 MASONRY WITHOUT FORMWORK 04 - 04 Modified: 08. 11. 20 consulted on the structural design of a dome Stone wall Ø 3300 Stone wall 99 99 for a private house designed by Auroville 330 330 330 Floor level architect Suhasini Ayer. The house features 41.25 300 Springer line of the dome Ø 3300 300 119.2 Ø 3382.5 119.2 an over 6 m dome and Satprem proposed a Preliminary section of the Oshodhara dome done by AVEIDimensions in cm Drawn by: Satprem segmental dome form to keep the base slim Scale: Ref: Modified by: Satprem PRELIMINARY SECTION TO STUDY OSHODHARA MEDITATION DOME 1: 100 01- Se Modified: 24. 02. 20 while maintaining safety.

5 January - December 2020 Issue 47 AVEI Projects in Auroville On-going projects around Auroville

Compound wall at Aureka: The Earth Institute’s masons worked this year (interrupted partially by the lockdown) on a boundary wall around the campus of Aureka, a local steel workshop that has been collaborating with the Earth Institute since the 1990s on the development and manufacture of the Auram earth-building 402.7 29.5 281 Existing house equipment, most notably the Auram presses 261 for CSEB production. The wall has a length of almost 400 m with a thickness of 24 cm and a North Elevation East Elevation height ranging from 1.5 to 2.6 m. AVEI masons working on the compound wall at Aureka 9 House extension in Petite Ferme: The Earth 37.5

Institute has undertaken the design and 50 50

26 26 26 26 26 26

25 25 25 25 25

24 24 24 24 24

23 23 23 23 23

22 22 22 22 22 construction of a house extension in the 21 LRB 21 LRB 21 LRB 21 LRB 21 LRB 21 LRB 21 LRB 20

19

18

17 Existing house Existing house

16

15 320

14 270 Auroville community of Petite Ferme for a 270 270 13 281 280 282

12

11

10 10 10 10

09 09 201 09 09

08 08 08 08 small attached apartment so that the mother 07 07 07 07 06 06 06 06

05 05 05 05

04 04 04 04

03 03 03 03 02 02 ±00 -01 -03 ±00 02 -01 ±00 02 01 01 01 01 of the residents can live in proximity to them. It 0 PRB 0 PRB 0 PRB 00 0 PRB 0 PRB -01 -01 -01 -01 -01 -01 -01 -01

-02 -02 -02 -02 -02 -02 -02 -02

-03 -03 -03 -03 -03 -03 -03-02 -03

-04 -04 -04 -04 -04 -04 -04 -04 comprises almost 40 m² of new interior space, -05 -05 -05 -05 -05 -05 -05 -05 with a 15 m² covered terrace, all designed with Section YY poured earth concrete and CSEB, and vaults Section XX Section ZZ and ferrocement channels for roofing.

Drawn by: Radhika Scale: Ref: Modified by: Radhika SECTIONS AND ELEVATIONS ADELE HOUSE, PETITE FERME 1: 75 01- 02 Modified: 11. 08. 20

Construction on the Petite Ferme house extension

Washroom facilities for The Colours of Nature: The Colours of Nature, an Auroville- based commercial unit specializing in natural dying processes particularly using indigo, contacted the Earth Institute to build new washroom facilities for their campus. The detached building will feature PEC and CSEB construction.

6 January - December 2020 Issue 47 AVEI in Conferences, Presentations, & Webinars Presentations at conferences and seminars around India

Presentation at Aayojan School of Kanyakumari, in the south of . He Architecture and Design: In January, Radhika gave a presentation on “30 years of research, traveled to Pune, Maharashtra to give a development, promotion and education presentation at Aayojan School of Architecture in earthen architecture” to an audience of and Design as a part of “Dialogues: a series approximately 100 students. of information conversations with young professionals”. Radhika presented about her journey from Sir J.J. College of Architecture in Mumbai to Auroville and her experience working at the Earth Institute and promoting earthen architecture.

Seminar at IIT Roorkee: Satprem traveled to the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Roorkee on 3 February to take part as chief guest at a seminar on the subject of earthen materials and design-build procedures. This event took place as part of the “Towards an Indo-German Centre for Experimental Architecture and Material Culture (EAMC)” Project, which is a collaboration between IIT Roorkee and RWTH Aachen University in . The project

Aayojan School of Architecture and Design, Pune. 2019-20 aims to look at sustainable design-build D I A L O U G U E S procedures, with a specific focus on earth and stone as building materials. AAYOJAN SCHOOL PRESENTS

During this seminar, Satprem presented to ‘DIALOGUES’ - A SERIES OF INFORMAL CONVERSATIONS WITH YOUNG PROFESSIONALS a group of fifty students and professionals.

The feedback was very promising from this FIRST OF THE SERIES: interaction, with representatives from IIT ARCHITECT RADHIKA SONI - ‘MY JOURNEY’ Roorkee and CSIR-CBRI Roorkee expressing Architect Radhika Soni is graduate of Sir J. J. College of Architecture, Mumbai. A their admiration for the work of the Earth passionate learner and an enthusiast. Her explorations took her to ‘Auroville’. She has been working at the ‘Earth Institute’ founded and headed by Er. Satprem Maini Institute. This positive momentum may well at Auroville for last three and half years. She specialises in design, execution of building using clay/ Mud/ soil lead to future collaborations. To know more about ‘Earth Institute click http://www.earth-auroville.com

She will be sharing with us her journey, her exposure and experience in earth Architecture. Conference at the Sigma College of When: Tomorrow 3rd Jan 2020 at 9:45 am Architecture: On 27 February, Satprem was Where: A/V Room invited to be the keynote speaker at the First Who can attend: All and only those are interested International Conference on Architecture, Planning and Sustainable Engineering, File: iCloud-\ASAD\RESIDE\RESIDE Aayojan Report -Housing stock.dox 1 held at Sigma College of Architecture near

7 January - December 2020 Issue 47 AVEI in Conferences, Presentations, & Webinars Online presentations and webinars

After lockdown and travel restrictions were implemented across India to slow the coronavirus pandemic, the AVEI team sought online opportunties for awareness building.

With Auroville-based AGP Workshops, Satprem gave a series of webinars during the period from September to December, including three one-hour webinars on the subject of “Earthen architecture for a sustainable future” and two two-hour webinars on “Building with arches, vaults, and domes for a sustainable future”. Each of these webinars were attended by 40 to 60 students and professionals.

Satprem also was invited by The Institution of Engineers (India) in September and October to offer two webinars on “Compressed Stabilised Earth Blocks for a sustainable future” and “Building with arches, vaults, and domes for a sustainable future” for groups of 432 and 376 professionals respectively.

In October, Satprem gave a webinar on “Compressed stabilized earth blocks for a sustainable future” to a group of 200 students and faculty members from VESCOA School of Architecture.

In December Satprem was invited to give a web-casted convocation speech for the graduating class of the School of Architecture and Planning Bhopal. He encouraged the graduates to develop their skills as fully as philosophy under Sashikala Ananth. The online possible and to keep the question of who they event featured interviews with four traditional would be building for firmly in mind. builders and sculptors from around South India.

In September, Radhika helped to organize In October, Hilary participated with Ravi an online program in honor of Vishwakarma in MoodleMoot USA, an online conference Jayanti, a day that honors traditional dedicated to the open-source learning craftsmen, sculptors, and architects. The event management system Moodle, to share about was hosted by Ritambhara, where Radhika has the experience developing the Earth Institute’s been studying the traditional Vastu building online training courses (see p 10).

8 January - December 2020 Issue 47 AVEI Communications & Dessimination AVEI’s presence around the Internet

New course registration website: The Earth Institute is pleased to have a new site for New Aureka Press 3000 video clip: Aureka, course registration, https://registration. the Auroville enterprise that produces the earth-auroville.com. Developed by Sathish Auram machinery for earthen construction, at the Auroville-based 150dpi, it provides has recently shot a beautiful promotional potential trainees with a slick interface to video for the Auram Press 3000. This video register directly for training courses. demonstrates the easy operation of the press and a sampling of the many molds that can Participants in the online course sessions be used to create different types of blocks. registered with this new website and now The video can be seen at: https://youtu.be/ as the Earth Institute opens to on-campus CYycyiMGoBY courses, those interested can register for the full range of courses on the site.

Mention in The Structural Engineer: The recipient of the 2018 Pai Lin Li Award, Kavinda Isuru Nanayakkara, has recently published an article entitled “Shell structures: lessons in structural efficiency for sustainable construction” in The Structural Engineer journal. The article draws upon the research he did during his year as a Pai Lin Li laureate and this includes several references to the work of the Earth Institute.

As one of the first steps in his journey, Isuru came to the Earth Institute in September 2018 and took part in two weeks of training courses on Arches, Vaults, and Domes. Both his preliminary report and the final article mention this instruction and show illustrations from the Earth Institute’s publication Building with Arches, Vaults and Domes: Training Manual for Architects and Engineers. See The Structural Engineer article at: https://www. istructe.org/journal/volumes/volume-98-(2020)/ issue-4/shell-structures-lessons-in-structural-efficiency/

9 January - December 2020 Issue 47 AVEI Training Starting online courses at AVEI

Ayyappan and Satprem preparing the soil identification video for the CSEB Theory course (© Aurovenkatesh)

In response to the lockdown around India that and Ayyappan recorded lectures and two took place from March to May 2020 and the demonstration videos for the catenary method halting of the majority of travel around the world, and soil identification using sensitive analysis. the Earth Institute has begun offering since July The demonstration videos were filmed by Serena a select number of training courses online: AVD Aurora and Aurovenkatesh of Auroville Outreach Theory and CSEB Design, where the curriculum Media, who brought together multiple camera of the on-campus courses have been directly angles, closeups, and voice-over audio into developed into online materials, and CSEB two very clear and cohesive videos. Then Hilary Theory, an all-new abbreviated course which developed course modules around the pre- introduces students to the basic principles of recorded video lectures and demonstrations, earthen construction and the steps needed to with reading materials, activities, and quizzes, produce and use CSEB. as well as discussion forums and practical exercises. In all these courses, students have The courses were developed using Moodle, the opportunity to receive one-on-one feedback a major open-source learning management from the instructors. system (LMS), with a dedicated site set up at https://auro.one by Ravi Murugesan. Working This shift to offering courses online has been from the presentations given during the on- more than a stopgap for the duration of the travel campus courses, instructors Satprem, Radhika, restrictions, but represents an important

10 January - December 2020 Issue 47 AVEI Training way for the Earth Institute to expand the reach of its educational initiatives. Much of what is taught at the Earth Institute is unmatched in its depth of coverage and authoritativeness, and some of this material is conducive to the online learning medium. For instance, the techniques for analyzing the stability of a vaulted structure that are taught in the Earth Institute’s course AVD Theory are taught nowhere else in this complete and technical way, and yet they are crucial to the usage of complex vaulted roofing systems. By offering this and other courses online, the Earth Institute hopes to be able to offer its training courses to a wider array of students and professionals of earthen architecture around the world.

The 2021 schedule for online courses is available here: http://www.earth-auroville.com/online_ courses_en.php The auro.one login interface with course listings

Revisions to the AVD manual Online course statistics for 2020: So far, the Earth Institute has held three sessions Satprem has been working to update the Earth of online courses: July-September 2020, Institute’s manual on arches, vaults, and domes October 2020 – January 2021, and January- (AVD), Building with Arches, Vaults and Domes: March 2021 (the last of which has just Training Manual for Architects and Engineers, begun). The interest in these courses has to incorporate the new advancements that been encouraging, and so far, the Earth the Earth Institute has made into analyzing the Institute has issued certificates for one structural stability of vaulted structures. New or more of the courses to 33 architects, sections have been added about arches with engineers, and students, including 18 varying thicknesses, the optimization method participants from Syria sponsored by the for equilateral arches, the funicular method Aga Khan Agency for Habitat (see the larger with beams, and other critical areas of study. description of this project on p 2) and one A total of 94 pages and 199 figures have been participant from Mauritania. An additional added, resulting in a manual that now has 209 31 building professionals sponsored by the pages and 385 illustrations. These revisions Aga Khan Agency for Habitat have received will also result in new components in the Earth certificates for completing the lecture Institute’s AVD Theory training course, to component of the courses and thereby better introduce students to these methods of receiving an introduction to the concepts of structural analysis. building with CSEB and arches, vaults, and domes. The manual can be purchased from the Earth Institute and is given to AVD Theory students.

11 January - December 2020 Issue 47 AVEI Team New AVEI team member

The Earth Institute has welcomed a new staff member this year!

Sucheta: With a passion for art and architecture, I pursued my Bachelors in Architecture from KIIT University. My inclination towards sustainable architecture started when I had come for a workshop at the Earth Institute during my college days. I have interests ranging from vernacular architecture and low cost housing to disaster resilient structures and landscaping, and am grateful that the Earth Institute gives me a platform to nurture all of them. In my free time, I have begun training in the ceramic arts as well.

Akash with his partner

Passing of Akash Nandkumar: The entire Earth Institute team is deeply saddened by the loss of colleague and research collaborator Akash, who passed away in October 2020. Akash had first began working with the Earth Institute in 2018 as he pursued the development of hemp-based building technologies, in particular “hempcrete”. He had great hopes for the viability of this technology, which makes use of the woody inner core of the hemp stalk mixed with a binder to produce a low-carbon building material, and had reached out to building professionals and government agencies to create awareness and to gain support. Akash’s family received notification that in fact his project had posthumously received Incubation Support under the Pre-Prototype Category of ASHA-India from the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. We salute the vision and passion that Akash had for hemp A potluck in honor of Pongal at the office as a building material and hope that his push for hemp-based building materials in India will be taken up by others in the field.

12 January - December 2020 Issue 47 Colophon AVEI on-campus training AVEI Newsletter Issue 47 - Jan-Dec 2020 course schedule for 2021 © Auroville Earth Institute

March Editorial Team: 8th to 13th: AVD Theory Hilary D. Smith 15th to 20th: AVD Masonry Auroville Earth Institute April Auroshilpam 19th to 24th: Wind Generator Auroville 605 101 T.N. 26th to 1st May: CSEB Intensive India

May Tel.: +91 (0) 413 - 262 3330 3rd to 8th: AVD Intensive / 262 3064 10th to 24th: Bioclimatic Earth Fax: +91 (0) 413 - 262 2886

June www.earth-auroville.com 31/5 to 5th: Ferrocement 7th to 12th: AVD Theory [email protected] 14th to 19th: AVD Masonry [email protected]

July 5th to 10th: CSEB Design 12th to 17th: CSEB Production 19th to 24th: CSEB Masonry AVEI online training August 9th to 21st: Bioclimatic Earth course schedule for 2021

September First Session 30/8 to 4th: CSEB Production 4th - 30th January: AVD Theory 6th to 11th: CSEB Masonry 1st - 27th February: CSEB Design 13th to 18th: AVD Theory 1st - 13th March: CSEB Theory 20th to 25th: AVD Masonry Second Session November 28th Jun - 24th Jul: AVD Theory 8th to 22th: Bioclimatic Earth 26th Jul - 21st Aug: CSEB Design 23rd Aug - 4th Sep: CSEB Theory December 29/11 to 4th: CSEB Intensive 6th to 11th: AVD Intensive Register at: registration.earth-auroville.com

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