MUD

Reasons behind using Mud as a Building Material

• Energy Consumption

• In mud construction, minimum fossil fuel energy is consumed and is naturally abundant throughout
the world. Where as in brick construction fossil energy is consumed for manufacturing process and
transportation.

• Recycling

• Recycling of modern materials for building construction results in high cost. Recycling of soil does
not need fossil fuel, labour require is also less. The characteristic of recycled soil for construction
remains the same whereas in modern building material situ acquires inferior character after
recycling.

• Abundance

• The abundance availability of soil in large areas helps the economically weaker section of the society
to afford the mud construction. It is easily adaptable and the technology can be transferred easily.

• Housing Demand

• A huge deficit of housing demand in urban and rural areas linked with limited resources on all fronts
make it absolutely essential that the housing solution have to be best effective, through optimal and
efficient use of all resources of land, finance and building material.

SOIL TYPE

• Gravel: Small pieces of stone varying from the size of a pea

to that of an egg.

• Sand: Similar small pieces of stone (usually quartz), which

are small but each grain, is visible to the eye.

• Silt: The same as sand except that it is so fine that you

cannot see individual grains.

• Clay: Soils that stick when wet - but very hard when
completely dry.

• Organic Soil: Soil mainly composed of rotting, decomposing

organic matters such as leaves, plants and vegetable matter.
It is spongy when wet, usually smells of decaying matter, is dark in color and usually damp.
 SOIL USABILITY

• Gravel: alone is of no use for mud wall building - the tiny lumps of stone does not have anything to
bind them together.

• Sand: similar to gravel, it is of no use for wall making by itself - but if mixed with clay, it is the ideal
mud wall building soil.

• Silt: by itself is also no good for building walls. It will hold together but is not strong. Furthermore, it
will not compact so it is also of no use for pressed blocks or rammed earthwork.

• Clay: can be rammed or compressed but in drying out they often shrink. During the monsoon they
get damp and expand again and crack form.

• Organic Soils: are mainly useless for wall building.

In short for construction purpose,

 Gravel - Not Good

 Silt alone - Not Good + stabilizer - Good

 Sand alone - Not Good + Clay - Good

 Organic Soil - Not Good

 Clay alone - Not Good - Plus Sand - Good

SOIL TESTS:

There are two kinds of tests:

• Field tests
• Colour tests
• Touch and smell test
• Biscuit test
• Hand wash test
• Cigar test
• Adhesion test
• Lab tests
• Sieve test
• Sedimentation test
COLOUR TEST

• Procedure
• Observe the colour of soil.
• Interpretation
• Deep yellow, orange and red, ranging to deep browns indicate iron content which is good as
building mud.
• Greyish or dull brown, ranging to dirty white indicates more clay.
• Dull brown with slightly greenish colour indicates organic soil.
TOUCH & SMELL

• Procedure
• Rub small quantity of dry soil on palm to feel its texture.
• Moisten the soil and rub again.
• Interpretation
• Soil that feels course when dry but sticky when wet contains lumps of clay.
• Soil that feels course when dry but gritty when wet contains sand.
• Soil that feels course when dry but little gritty when wet contains silt.
• If the wet soil gives off musty smell then it contains organic matter.
BISCUIT TEST

• Procedure
• Make a smooth paste from the soil removing all gravels.
• Mould it into a biscuit of 3cm diameter and 1cm height.
• Leave it to dry and observer for shrinkages or cracks.
• Break the biscuit to noting how hard it is.
• Interpretation
• If biscuit cracks or leaves gap from the mould then it
contains more clay.
• If it is very hard to break then soil contains more clay.
• If breaks and reduce to powder then the soil has more sand or silt.
• If it breaks easily and can be crumpled between fingers then it has good sand-clay
proportion.
HAND WASH TEST

• Procedure
• Play with wet soil till your hands get thoroughly dirty.
• Wash your hands to see how difficult it is to clean.
• Interpretation
• If hands get cleaned quickly, then soil contains more sand.
• If it takes little time to clean and feels like flour then soil
contains more silt.
• If it is soapy/ slippery & takes time to clean then soil contains more clay.
CIGAR TEST

• Procedure
• Make a smooth paste from the soil
removing all gravels.
• Roll it on palm to make a cigar.
• Slowly push it outside your palm.
• Measure the length at which it breaks.
• Interpretation
• Length below 5cm - too much sand.
• Length above 15cm - too much clay.
• Length between 5cm to 15cm - good mixture of sand and clay.
ADHESION TEST

• Procedure
• Make ball out of wet soil.
• Pierce a knife into it and remove.
• Observer the knife after removing.
• Interpretation
• If little soil sticks on the knife then it has more silt.
• If lot of soil sticks on the knife then it has more clay.
• If the knife is clean after removal than the soil has more sand.
SIEVE TEST

• Procedure
• Pass soil from series of standard sieves set on top of one another with finest sieve at
bottom.
• Observer the soil collected in each sieve.
• Interpretation
• Silt will be collected in lowermost sieve.
• Gravels will be collected on top.
• Sand and lumps of clay will be collected in intermediate sieves
SEDIMENTATION TEST

• Procedure
• Take a transparent cylindrical bottle or jar of 1Lt. Capacity.
• Fill it with ¼ soil and ¾ water.
• Shake well and allow it to settle for 30 min.
• Interpretation
• Coarse gravels will be settled at bottom, followed by sand, silt and clay on top.
• Measuring the layers will give us the approximate proportions of each content
STABILISERS

• When the available soil is not suitable enough

for construction then the soil can be used by
manipulating its composition by adding suitable
stabilizers.

• Stabilizing enhances given property

of the soil type.
• Increase Tensile and Shear strength.
• Reduce shrinkage.
RURAL STABILISERS:

Traditional building has used many other stabilizers. There is a list of common, well-tried ones:
Straw: There is no chemical quality about this stabilizer. In clay soils the straw seems to minimize
cracking, and in blocks the presence of straw tends to make the damp blocks more handle able. Similar
to straw, people in different areas use chaff (bhusa) and various fibers.
Cow Dung often contains a lot of fibrous material and traditionally is often used in all sorts of mud work.
Urine is also used. Probably this is because of the urea content and the urea acts as a ‘binder’ - a sort of
glue.
Gum Arabic and other gums and resins are used, also as binders and water proofing agents. Sugar and
molasses is used. The crude waste jaggery is a binder and it often contains fibrous materials, which is
also useful.
Tannic Acid and its wastes, used in other rural industries have proved often to be a good stabilizer.
Oil is used. In such places as Kerala - coconut oil was used, mainly with the intention of water proofing
the surface of mud walls. Almost any oil is useful in this way and the modern counterpart is waste
engine oil or sump oil. This works well as a waterproofing in cement concrete as well as in mud walling.

Plant Juices Stabilizers from

plant juices: sisal, cacti etc.

Many plants have sticky white sap, as from poinsettias, various cactus plants, sisal, and so on. These
seem to act as both binders and water proofers. Many of the saps from trees are also resinous and are
good water proofing but often very difficult to use as they will not mix with water and it is not easy to
get then well mixed in with the mud. Local “tricks of the trade” often supply simple answers.
The most common and effective stabiliser is Soil itself. If your soil’s too sandy clay is the best stabiliser
for it. If it is too clayey, sand is the best stabiliser for it. A modern contemporary stabiliser, the best
example is cement, which is costly and has used excessive energy in their manufacture. Most of the
older indigenous stabilizers are natural local waste products, which are costless, or almost so, and most
important, almost no Energy has been expended, except simple manpower.
DIFFERENT TECHNIQUES USED IN MUD ARCHITECTURES

Different materials are employed for different construction techniques.

• Cob
• Adobe
• Wattle and Daub
• Pressed Earth Blocks
• Rammed Earth Blocks

SYSTEMS OF BUILDING

• COB is good for anything except height. It is particularly good for curved or round walls.
• RAMMED EARTH is strong and ideal for solid, squat, single storey houses.
• ADOBE or SUN DRIED BRICKS can easily cope with two storey houses.
• PRESSED BRICKS smooth and very strong and can build three storeys.
• WATTLE & DAUB is elegant and fine for Seismic Zones.
COB

Cob "A mixture of straw, gravel, and unburnt clay; used esp. for walls.

Cob wall "A wall formed of unburnt clay mixed with chopped straw,
gravel, and occasionally with layers of long straw, in which the straw
acts as a bond COB is not good for height. It is
particularly good for curved walls.
• With only a little water to form a very stiff mud, a large lump is roughly moulded into the shape
of a huge elongated egg.
• The usual size is anything between 12 to 18-inches, (30 to 40-cm) long and about 6-inches (15-
cm) in diameter.
• A row of these cobs of mud are laid neatly side-by-side - preferably somewhat pressed together.
• Then another row of cobs is laid on top.
• When three or four courses have been laid, one above the other, the sides are smoothed over
so that the holes and cracks disappear. After laying two or three courses of cobs all-round the
house wait until it has hardened and set a little before carrying on with the next rows.
• Openings for doors and windows are a problem, which can be solved by using temporary
vertical planks or shuttering.
• Another very simple shuttering for openings is to use empty kerosene tins.
ADOBE

• In India we know it as sun dried bricks. This is probably the most popular form of mud walling
because the mud blocks or bricks can be made by anyone and after drying, they can be stored until
there are enough of them and the right time to build has come.

• Bricks are made in an open frame, 25 by 36 cm (10 by 14 in) being a reasonable size, but any
convenient size is acceptable. The mixture is molded into a frame, and then the frame is removed
after initial setting. After drying a few hours, the bricks are turned on edge to finish drying. Slow
drying in shade reduces cracking.

• The same mixture used to make bricks, but without straw, is used for mortar and often for plaster
on interior and exterior walls. Some ancient cultures used lime-based cement for the plaster to
protect against rain damage

Adobe Bricks can easily cope

with two storey houses.

WATTLE AND DAUB

• Wattle and daub method is an old and common method of

building mud structures.
• The bamboo and cane frame structure supports the roof.
• Mud is plastered over the mesh of bamboo cane & straws
• Due to excessive rainfall the Wattle and Daub structures
gets washed off.
• However, the mesh of cane or split bamboo remains intact
and after the heavy rains, the mud is plastered on again.
 Wattle & Daub is elegant and fine
for Seismic Zones

Compressed Earth Blocks (CSEB)

Rammed Earth Blocks

• Has developed from the cob wall so as to standardize or

regularize the thickness of the wall.
• It is also an attempt to increase the strength of the wall
by ramming it. It is known as the Rammed Earth method.
• Two parallel planks are held firmly apart by metal rods
and clips or bolts, or by small crosspieces of wood.
• Stiff mud is thrown in between these two planks and
rammed down with either a wooden or metal ramrod.
• When one section is completed and
hard, the two boards are moved along
and the process is repeated
• The two planks are then raised up and
a second course of rammed earth is
repeated over the first.
• The life of rammed earth walls is very Rammed Earth is strong
long and can carry heavy floors and roofs and ideal for solid, squat,
and be used for 2-3 storey buildings. single storey houses.
COMPARATIVE ANALISIS OF THE MUD WALL CONSTRUCTION TECHNIQUES

Wall speed Skills and Ease of Aesthetic and Maintenance

construction numbers construction finish and renders
techniques
Rammed earth The technique Moderately skilled Formwork Straight and Easy to maintain
requires 4-5 days and unskilled. 2- required smooth finish as the surface
skilled 5- unskilled smooth and even
Cob construction Layers casted Highly skilled and No formwork Rough and Rough texture
only after a unskilled 1-skilled uneven even make it difficult
week 4- unskilled after compaction for maintenance
Composite and Layers casted Moderately skilled No formwork Rough and Patchy surface
mud only after a and unskilled 1- Patchy finish make it look
construction week killed 4-unskilled untidy if not
painted. But
straight

SOME OF PERCEPTIONS

Sr. Issue People Facts

no Perceptions
1 # Mud houses are # Mud houses are strong and gain strength
not strong over passage of time. They have been
# Mud houses durable and have lasted over centuries.
always developed # Cracks and other structural problems
Strength

cracks and other happen due to unskilled labour, or improper

structural soil type or the mixing and compaction.
problems. recently stabilized earth has reduced these
possibilities
Tabo monastery, India 996 AD
The oldest existing mud building
2 # Mud houses do # The finish varies depending on the skill
not give good and technique employed. The finish can
finish. range from rough to a very smooth and
# Mud houses leveled surface. With compressed earth
always have a tiled block the finishes are comparable to that of
roof normal brick
# Mud can be roofed with either tile mud
Finishes

# Mud need to be
plastered with cow or any other material such concrete slabs,
dung wood etc. if mud is used in rainy areas its
needs to be well shielded from rains. Adobe house built in India
# Mud need not to be plastered with cow
dung. Mud can be plastered with any of the
finishing renders available in the market
ranging from transparent sealants, cement
lime, paint to mud plaster.
3 # Mud needs a lot # Mud houses need to be protected against
of maintenance the weathering agents, especially water. If
# Mud houses properly plastered and rendered earth barely
always have to be needs any maintenance.
protected annually # Mud houses do not always have 'zhod'.
with 'zhod' The palm leaf shield is hung on the mud
# Mud id heaven wall which is exposed to the rains. the roofs
for all creepy need to be properly planned such that wall
Maintenance

crawlies is directly exposed to the splashing rains or

# Mud houses have they have to be coated with Waterproof
to be protected layer of plaster. Cracks can be avoided.
from rain water They can be filled in required.
# Termites and other insects attacking the
wall can be kept away by termite proofing Rammed earth construction in
or plastering the wall mud wall has to be Canada
protected from rain water. The roof and
base should be kept free from running
water. wall needs to be have sufficient
overhang and needs to be
Plastered.
4 # Mud houses are Mud has thicker wall. it is a breathing
cool and maintain material. It acts as a good insulator. hence
pleasant the interior remain cooler when hot outside
temperature. they and maintains some warmth during the cold
Health

are healthier nights

The interior of mud house

5 Mud houses are Mud houses are comparatively cheaper as
cheaper but today the material used in form the place.
nobody is there to Expensive materials like cement are not
built used. However, skill and labor is now
Economy

dying, hence it is becoming difficult to

build in mud.

Mud used in combination with

other material in a house design
in Australia by firm working on
stabilized rammed earth