Stabilised soil and the built environment

Low cost durable housing is one of the basic needs of the low income groups in all parts of the world today. Affordable housing and the climate should be compatible with one another so that the inhabitants of a house in a hot climate should have cool living conditions whilst the inhabitants of houses in cold areas have a warm environment in which to live. To achieve these widely varying parameters it has been found that soil used traditionally as a building material only partly meets these conditions because in its natural form it lacks both strength and durability against the elements. For several decades attempts have been made to improve the soil's natural properties by the addition of binders and stabilisers together with improved manufacturing methods. High energy input in needed to produce fired clay bricks and concrete blocks whereas low energy input and solar heat if used correctlycan produce good quality stabilised soil building blocks. Mechanical pressed stabilised soil products such as blocks and tiles can compete favourably with conventional fired clay bricks and concrete blocks in both quality and durability. Saving of at least 40% have been achieved using stabilised soil blockwork walling against concrete blockwork.