Building Homes - Brick by Brick
The existing house building practices do not place much importance on the skill involved in building with bricks. A 2004 study identified an inventory of building elements based on regional brick architecture in Bundelkhand
India has a rich heritage of craftsmanship in building practices. Apart from the well recognized potential and skill in crafting stone for buildings, a similar mindset has not been adopted for brick masonry. The prevalent house building practices do not place much importance on the skill involved in a seemingly commonplace activity of building with bricks. A 2004 study conducted by Development Alternatives and Vinyas - Centre for Architectural Research and Design and supported by the GTZ identified an
inventory
of building elements based on regional brick architecture of Bundelkhand.
Subsequently, as part of a training programme, a demonstration building
was constructed at Datia to showcase improved brick practices integrated
with alternative and cotemporary brickwork in rat trap bond. The approach
is being carried forward by DA through construction of houses under the
government of India, Indira Awas Yojana (IAY) scheme.As part of the larger programme of habitat development in Bundelkhand, DA's commitment to capacity building of masons and artisans in the region has found an important opportunity in the IAY house construction. DA was approached by zila panchayat, Tikamgarh, to train masons and supervisors through parallel IAY house construction. This would create a local pool of skill from which trained masons could take up construction of future IAY houses. A four day training programme was held in Pajanpura village from November 29 - December 2, 2006, where, masons being trained built a house for Ratan Saur, an IAY beneficiary. Supported by the zila panchayat, DA provided habitat design support and all technical resources for the training. The main objectives of the training were imparting the skill for rat-trap masonry, RCC choukhat and Micro Concrete Roofing (MCR) technology to the masons and their application in house construction. The trainees included 15 men with varied level of prior experience in masonry work, the majority being semi-skilled masons.
The training began with distribution of individual toolkits to each trainee and a detailed discussion on the basics of rat- trap bond. All practical issues related to rat-trap masonry were addressed in house construction - this lasted the entire duration of training. Main areas of learning with respect to rat-trap masonry included: selection of bricks; details of forming junctions, corners and openings in rat-trap bond; benefits of rat-trap bond; the significance of good craftsmanship in masonry; concept of rat-trap modules; use of customized tools for good quality rat-trap masonry; integrating in-built elements in rat-trap masonry like storage spaces and diyat (lamp alcove).
One of the highlights of the training was a collaborative approach adopted for in-built elements in masonry where trainees were guided to work out their own solutions in keeping with requirements of rat-trap masonry. In one instance, bricks were chiselled by trainees to take the shape of a diyat, when laid in the wall. An expert from TARAgram, DA's technology resource centre at Orchha, demonstrated the production of RCC choukhats and MCR roofing tiles in which the trainees also received hands-on experience in their production. In addition, the trainees also learnt correct installation of RCC choukhats in on-going masonry work. Although roof laying using MCR tiles was discussed in a separate session, it could not be practiced due to time constraint. The trainees were shown an orientation film made by DA about various appropriate building technologies and user perception about their application in actual housing.
The main achievement of the training has been skill enhancement in brick masonry using rat-trap bond which was visible in the work done. The trainees showed great interest in learning the new techniques. In fact, when the house owner had reservations about the new technique of laying bricks, it was the trainees who took the call and emphatically explained to him its merits and resource saving potential. Although all trainees showed potential for good quality masonry, a few also showed suitability for a higher level of training for work supervision. It is planned that under this scheme, more training programmes will be organised in 2007. This is significant because the IAY construction is a viable demand for the skill gained by masons. Secondly and more importantly, this is an opportunity to upgrade quality of houses in one of the poorest parts of India and an attempt to create living examples which are a testimony to the craft of brickwork.