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Engineering Management Research; Vol. 8, No. 2; 2019 ISSN 1927-7318 E-ISSN 1927-7326
Published by Canadian Center of Science and Education
42
Interlocking Block Masonry (ISSB) for Sustainable Housing Purposes in Thailand, With Additional Examples From Cambodia and Nepal
Jan Bredenoord1, Wutinai Kokkamhaeng2, Pichit Janbunjong2, Ongarj Nualplod2, Suwatchai Thongnoy2, Wasana Khongwong2, Piyalak Ngernchuklin2 & Aparat Mahakhant2
1 Independent urban planner and housing researcher, former research fellow Utrecht University. 2 Researchers and officials of Thailand Institute of Scientific and Technological Research (TISTR) Correspondence: Jan Bredenoord, Housing Research, Amerikaring 26, 3823 TH Amersfoort, The Netherlands. Received: August 8, 2019 Accepted: September 18, 2019 Online Published: September 20, 2019 doi:10.5539/emr.v8n2p42 URL: https://doi.org/10.5539/emr.v8n2p42 Abstract This paper is about Interlocking Stabilized Soil Blocks (ISSB) as developed in Thailand. ISSB are seen as an eco-friendly building material for home building and structures such as water tanks and sanitation facilities. For several decades the Thai R&D Institute TISTR has worked on developing and testing ISSB, which in other countries are called compressed stabilized earth blocks or CSEB. The composition of building blocks and the quality of building structures determine together the structural quality of the house or building. If there is a need for earthquake- and storm resistance, the building blocks and the structures must have specific features. Building stacked houses is an important issue given the growing scarcity of land for housing and the increasing land prices. ISSB is not only applied in Thailand, but also in Cambodia for low-cost housing and in Nepal for home reconstruction after the 2015 earthquake. ISSB or CSEB is also applied in other countries as an alternative building material and technology to replace the use of fired bricks and concrete building blocks for housing. Reducing the use of cement in the materials and structures is important for environmental reasons, but in ISSB/CSEB the use of cement as a stabilizer cannot always be avoided. This is surely the case in areas where earthquakes, heavy storms and floods can occur. Although this paper focuses mainly on technical aspects of sustainable housing and construction, there is also a focus on social sustainability, meaning a strong involvement of local communities in the production of sustainable building materials for walls, newly developed construction technologies, and mutual house and facility construction. Keywords: interlocking block masonry, interlocking stabilized soil blocks, ISSB, Thailand ISSB, compressed stabilized earth blocks, CSEB, low-cost housing, social housing, mutual housing, sustainable house construction 1. Introduction As part of the ASEAN Next 2019 Conference of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the Thailand Institute of Scientific and Technological Research (TISTR), an R&D Institute under the Ministry of Science and Technology, hosted a workshop entitled: ASEAN Workshop on Green Construction Materials for Community and MSMEs in March 2019 in Bangkok. The workshop had the following aims: to exchange knowledge on green construction materials by involving micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) from the ASEAN member countries; to share technology of TISTR on interlocking block production and construction methods; and to establish an ASEAN cooperative network on green construction materials. TISTR’s goal is to further develop and improve the ISSB-technology, in order to promote affordable locally resourced building materials for housing and other structures which are seen as environmentally friendly. TISTR brings the technology to Thailand’s regional and local levels to be used by individuals, communities, and MSMEs. This paper explores the use of ISSB in Thailand, as developed by TISTR since 1967. These interlocking construction blocks are made of local raw materials – earth, loam, or soil – which are mixed in the right proportion with a low percentage of cement, and compressed using simple machinery. The resulting building blocks usually have high compressive strength and are suitable for constructing both outer and inner walls with load-bearing capacity. In addition, there are several other applications, including round water-storage tanks and sanitation facilities for communities. It is widely understood that the use of ISSB for house construction supports green technology, as it is more sustainable than using fired clay bricks or concrete building blocks. The construction processes using ISSB and the associated building technology are not very complicated. Due to the
emr.ccsenet.org Engineering Management Research Vol. 8 No. 2; 2019
43
fact that raw materials can be found locally, the brick laying process and the building of homes can be done (partly or largely) by the residents themselves, resulting in reduced construction time, and high cost-effectiveness. Local communities can use ISSB technology for the construction of (individual) homes of good quality as well as community facilities and structures. This might encourage the establishment of new businesses and the creation of jobs, especially in the rural communities and the smaller cities. Involving local households and communities in housing construction can actually be seen as social sustainability which is achieved by the ISSB technology and the transference of knowledge and equipment to local communities. Although the construction technology is not very complicated, the composition of the mixtures remains a specialized matter that always demands professional investigations of soil types to ensure the strength of the structures. Knowledge must be transferred to local communities, producers of materials, contractors, and construction workers. Some properties of the mixtures for the interlocking building blocks could be improved, for example to increase compressive strength of blocks in order to be able to build in multiple stories, and to reduce the water absorption of the walls. Research is being conducted on aspects such as the use of larger spans in building constructions, the strength of load-bearing walls and columns, and the use of (bio-)alternatives to cement as a stabilizer in mixtures for blocks. Box on Thailand Thailand has a population of over 68 million inhabitants. The urbanization rate is 50.4 percent and 12.6 percent of the population is living below the poverty line. Public housing has been provided in Thailand for low-income households mainly in urban areas, for example in the Bangkok Metropolitan Region. The urban housing shortage is huge and for a long time low-rise (4-5 story) apartment buildings were built among others by the National Housing Authority. ISSB is not applied there because stacked housing in high density areas demands different building structures, and soil for ISSBs is not available within urban areas. The housing issues in rural areas, villages, and smaller cities differ from those in the urban areas. Outside of urban areas, houses – modest and middle class – are mostly built by individual households. The ISSB building blocks are most conveniently used for 1 or 2 story houses. This is shown in a book of TISTR containing illustrations of home types on offer. In addition to homes, also schools, community centers, hotels, industrial buildings, etc. can be realized with the ISSB building blocks. The ISSB building blocks are also suitable for families building homes on private land. The modest housing type is model Style a 1, with 45 m2 floor space. According to TISTR, the houses built with the first generation ISSB – which are already around 35 years old – are still in good condition. The National Housing Authority (NHA) has developed various housing typologies for people with low and moderate income: condominium housing, as well as small houses on their own plots to be expanded incrementally by the residents. Currently, they are developing Green Housing projects for low-income people, and give grants for home renovations and loans for house building (National Housing Authority Thailand, n.d.). 2. International Focus on Earth Technologies Including ISSB After the first human settlements were founded, the residents started to use earth as a building material. Building earthen walls gradually became a specialized craft in most regions of the world, such as Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Latin America. Earth was also used in North America and in some European countries. Various names were used for earthen building materials, such as adobe, compressed or rammed earth, and mud bricks. Using old techniques and adding new technology and additives makes earth building blocks more durable and sustainable, compared to the ‘common modern' building materials such as reinforced concrete and steel. Adding a little cement (3-4 percent) to the adobe mixtures greatly improves their resistance (Dethier, 1983). A great quality upgrade was made possible by the development of hand-press devices and mechanized presses. The Cinva Ram press was developed in 1952 by Raul Ramirez in Colombia; the blocks produced with the press were stronger and more water resistant than adobe. Since the 1960s many projects were started with earth techniques to realize housing and other buildings, as was the case in most countries in Africa. In India the Auroville Earth Institute (AVEI) and the Indian Institute of Science of Bangalore (IISc) performed research concerning earth technologies such as CEB and CSEB and developed new knowledge and building standards. The Auroville Earth Institute a highly respected expertise center on Earth technologies and architecture. They have successfully built various buildings with CSEB over the years, including high-quality houses and apartment buildings with three and four stories (Auroville Earth Institute, n.d.). Other countries, such as Thailand and Sri Lanka, also developed CSEB or ISSB and developed their own standards, as did New Zealand, Australia, and the USA. In France, CRAterre-ENSAG promotes earth techniques and is a center of excellence of the UNESCO Chair ‘Earthen Architecture, Constructive Cultures and Sustainable development’ (Rocha, 2017).
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ountries, in ordplant and anim with earth, w
Vol. 8 No. 2;
w boost in theects. These proB) and interlocuilding blocks nd medical cenmental benefitsock productionnmental, econoposition of buiildings can be graded technoerformed. ountries like Kpoor commun
micro concretenda, specifically friendly buiurban poor, wlower constru
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3 EB Uganda; (3)hor.
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Management Re
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as sisal, agavoating successfo enhance stabstabilizers as acks by using bin CSEB and
aces including a higher percenot climates, (3)
with technical gructures of the of Chagas. Tharch is being rdable Housingreduce shrinkagrwork and painedenoord, 2017ilized Soil Block that is madeation of the comally; the TISTloped as a loa
horizontal andthe inside, wh
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and has a devethat turned outlike that too muions of the bloeen developedels 3 and 4 are
IB, Model 2 (1
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a herea, usualveral reports s
ronounced if a rth blocks concThe main challThis issue is u
wing are impoe is more shrineas where claysed by hand orh bamboo bars
walls can be buL’s research cing the ratios o
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re compressed
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Management Re
46
TISTR I
TR IB block m
n the next geneomes with mothe new compe houses’ struce TISTR interlthe sale of the
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Thailand (Soument Block L7*20 6
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mechanized pre
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nk-hole depresearing)
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ackage. In 2017very services, aIt shows that I
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and the previod Technopolis
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alls, coming ous . The productio
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ut
on process of I
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coating.
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The block
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ISSB in Thaila
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out of the han
ource: author.
and
itioned carefulMany importailding blocks f
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nd press
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day, a were locks
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48
4
constructing w
rough the years
n (7 MPa) block and cemement ratio an
nt per course sances in full sca
for 3, 4- meterdoor openingder lateral load
umns tested by
ters, more test
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esearch
walls with ISSB
s concerning th
ment ratio nd density
and is 1:2 and ale load test:
r long beams
d
y TISTR
ts under sever
B (1-4)
he next propert
w/c 0.75
re conditions w
Vol. 8 No. 2;
ties (Kokkamh
were performe
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Currently, hollow loaresults on interlockinmust be sa3.3 ArchiteThe wallsapplicable
A 35-year
4. TransfeThe goverpractice. Tespecially training, soby supervisustainable– a populawas done actively heTISTR traCommunitcooperatiogive techn
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there is no spad-bearing conall properties
ng blocks has aid that all testsectural qualitys of houses an for all kinds o
Photos above
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if the soil foro the knowledision over buile development
ation group in tin collaborati
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pecific Standarncrete masonr are much higbeen proven is were executey of ISSB nd structures
of housing type
are taken at th
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ng Knowledgeiland wants tomany areas ofr the blocks isdge is being tralding activitiest of TISTR, prthe North of Tion with the Ktually, that led wledge and toop economic a
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built with ISes, from low-c
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Management Re
49
king Block in and Industrialwable; and a dbuildings, colwho has advan
SSB are of hicost to high-en
ng center wher
R) House in Chcture of realize
try’s Regionswly developed
ISSB interloclly. TISTR progood way, whMahakhant, deg the March 2
uld like to buildhrist Foundatiouction of a watlocal people ahe form of a c
produce TISTs and groups.
esearch
Thailand; therl Standard) hadesign code islumns and walnced equipmen
igh architectund.
re a house was
hiang Rai builted structures
knowledge tocking blocks comotes such p
hile the qualityeputy-governo019 Workshopd a water storaon in Chiang Mer tank and sana Buddhist temcommunity enTR building bl
refore TIS 57-as been applies required. Thlls under manynt to carry out
ural quality, w
s built. Source
t with ISSB. 20
o regions wheran be well use
projects and giy of building stor Research anp two exampleage tank and toMai; the popunitation facilitimple was buiterprise (grouplocks, sell them
Vol. 8 No. 2;
2533 (Standard. Ultimate te
he safety of TIy circumstancall necessary t
which makes I
e: author.
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re it can be puted in communives accompantructures is assd Developmen
es: the Karen go build homes.ulation participies. In anotherilt in Udon Tp). Such a form to the public
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rd for esting ISTR es. It tests.
ISSB
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In other caHere, buildcan be resppackage. Icombined,constructiotechnologyspecific taThe functi5. SuitabilThe ISSB high-incomlow-cost sHousing Aand delivestrong andwhich aimUrban Comexample fohelp them groups hacommunityOrganizatiProviding were devetwo-story Thailand isanitary famight be s6. Future Building bhousing prhomes ovecapable ofis to be exbuilding mTISTR foccement is
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ases, the transding blocks anponsible for prIn addition, th, while the entron blocks and y is good, but
asks in superviioning of technlity of Thailantechnology as
me housing soocial housing
Authority (NHAers financial ad self-reliant c
ms to produce hmmunity Deveor the purchasebecome self-r
ad been formey networks. Inion Developmefor green hous
eloped, such asduplexes. TISTs the same as t
acilities is also supported by NR&D on ISSB
blocks as deverojects. The bler time. In thf delivering suxpected that socmaterials, such cuses, among still used in th
Image 7. Wa
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Management Re
50
nk built with th
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earn a profit frovital. The philmplement it efmaking buildiof local - muniousing itable for all klow-cost houssupport self-c
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housing, and fs who self-builailand’s housi
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Vol. 8 No. 2;
ing blocks facs. The entrepreand offer a houuse many task
over the qualimination of thecal authorities ng building conght be clarified
cost to middleplication of ISSdered. The Natdle-income ean order to devua Arthorn (Bfunction of NHsavings group
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2019
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f the cement. Cxtures of the bas columns; so
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(My Dream Hr at least 15 saambodia. The pom damp soion, as an alteies (Habitat fo
ongngy Hav.
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be built with bluch possibilitie the building
Housing in CB technology uwing examplenom Penh, Camgned to providovide durable an average sm
chnical assistanaditional housind clay, are alof cement is mHome, n.d.). Tafe, high-qualitproject uses pril compressedernative to ad
or Humanity Ca
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nt use in ISSB lves, and 2) strced with a steas enzymes an
ly follow thoseas organic resof the reinforcea structural stdesired structu
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Cambodia used is compae clarifies thembodia establ
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d to form blodobe to promambodia, 2017
Low-cost hou
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Management Re
51
is twofold: 1) trong cement eel bar and othnd bio-resins e studies, and ources. ed wall consisttrength compaural strength chave to be la
e less compreswhich might a
be re-used late
arable to ISSBe housing praished an ISSB
d affordable grthat can be pu
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s occur regulast 200,000 homny severely hsing local rawssary training aking earthen bu
for the whole
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s determined bssive concrete vided by iron ar and can eveand a lower peto minimize thwhich is not t
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a building mas been develoy construction
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arly. In Nepal mes and damahurt. Build-up
w materials. Toand the machinuilding blocks,house. They e
Vol. 8 No. 2;
rcentage of cezontal cavitiesresearch the uarch is being ations of local
by the verticalwall, which itensile bars t
en be reused ercentage of cehe use of cemethe case in cu
d, but it is nosocial entrepreeloped ‘My D interlocking out building s000 and US$6a dwelling is 2nment. The brenvironment w
ve houses and roject with eain the northweaterial that is moped for lown materials w
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2019
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emr.ccsenet.org Engineering Management Research Vol. 8 No. 2; 2019
52
housing projects, community centers, and schools with CSEBs – comparable to ISSB in Thailand. It is done by community-driven and entrepreneurship-driven reconstruction (Build-up-Nepal, n.d.). Build-up-Nepal has started rebuilding 90 villages in various regions of Nepal, and mentioned the following advantages of earthen brick technology over building with fired bricks: o Earth technology is 25 - 40 percent cheaper, making it affordable for poor rural families. o Utilization of local materials results in 60 percent less CO2 emissions. o The market for the earthen brick construction technology is applicable across Nepal, beyond earthquake affected communities, where many families also live in poor and unsafe housing. o Building method is easy to learn for local people, resulting in many women now actively engaged in the reconstruction, some groups have started their own earthen brick enterprises. This CSEB technology is approved and recommended by the government of Nepal, which established regulations for the use of this and other building materials and construction technologies (Government of Nepal, 2017). In Thailand and India, the same technology was successfully applied earlier and likewise in earthquake-affected areas. 9. Conclusions and Afterthoughts The development of ISSB and related construction technology in Thailand indicates positive results in the field of sustainable construction of homes and other buildings. The technology has spread across Thailand, so that households in the rural areas and smaller cities can make use of it. Application of ISSB is more environmentally friendly than using fired bricks and concrete building blocks. With the ISSB technology developed by TISTR, load-bearing walls can be built with internally reinforced structures or frames, which are not visible from the outside. This technology makes it possible to build earthquake and storm-resistant structures. TISTR, as Thailand's research and development Institute, is capable of further developing these building materials and construction technology, and it can execute all necessary testing in a scientific way. On a practical level, ISSB technology is being propagated across all provinces, with the involvement of many MSMEs. Thailand's development policy is also based on bringing knowledge to local communities also in smaller cities and rural areas. This is happening with the outlined developments with earthen technology ISSB too. In Cambodia, the ISSB technology is also applied, among other things for low-cost housing. In this paper, an example of homes built by a social entrepreneur is described. Habitat for Humanity also uses compressed earthen blocks in a social housing project. The development of ISSB in this country is still relatively small-scale. Entrepreneurs face difficulties in getting funding for their low-cost housing products. In Nepal, ISSB technology was applied after the earthquake of 2015, as is apparent from the efforts of the aid organization Build-up-Nepal. There are many applications of ISSB technology for the reconstruction in villages, such as for homes, community facilities and schools that were built or rebuilt. SMEs were established and started to further apply the ISSB technology in the regions where it is needed. It's a great benefit that the government has approved the application of ISSB for housing projects. Finally, the development of the ISSB technology may benefit from maintaining the ASEAN network for sustainable building materials, including exchange of knowledge and standardization of the materials. Research programs could be set up jointly. Further limiting the percentages of cement in the mixtures and the building structures would be an interesting research question. Some other research questions are described in this paper. It's a challenge to match ISSB technology with the housing programs that are developed by the NHA of Thailand. Acknowledgements The authors thank entrepreneurs Mr. Kongngy Hav and Mr. Menglong Seng of My Dream Home in Phnom-Penh, Cambodia, for sharing information on low-cost housing with ISSB. References Auroville Earth Institute (n.d.) Compressed Earth Blocks. Retrieved from
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