Semester - X

Environmental Studies

Thesis topic - Disaster Resilient Housing at Sundarban, West Bengal

- Dakshata Koli - 17020

1. INTRODUCTION

Vietnamese studio H&P Architects has built a prototype bamboo house

designed to withstand floods up to three metres above ground. H&P Architects
used tightly-packed rows of bamboo cane to build the walls, floors and roof of
the Blooming Bamboo Home, along with bamboo wattle, fibreboard and
coconut leaves. Elevated on stilts, the house is accessed using wooden ladders
that lead to small decks around the perimeter. The area beneath can be used
for keeping plants and animals, but would allow water to pass through in the
event of a flood.

2. BUILDING DATA

I) Name - Blooming Bamboo House

II) Size/area - 44 mt2

III) No. Of floors - Ground+1

IV) Occupants - 6 members

V) Types of Spaces -

1.Waiting room
2. Bedroom
3. WC
4. Bathroom
5. Kitchen
6. Stairs
7. Washing and Drying
8. Uncovered Terrace
9. Covered Terrace
10. Cultivation Area and Animal Breeding
11. Steel anchor / tensioner

VI) Construction period - 25 days

VII) Date of occupancy- September 2013

VIII) Consultant team- H&P Architects

3. PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Its potential is explored in this prototypical project for a modular, flood-resistant bamboo
house in Vietnam where around 500 people are killed in inundations each year. The
basic module is 3.3 x 6.6m and modules are simply bolted and bound together to form
the structure. Walls are infilled with local materials such as bamboo wattle, fibreboard
and coconut leaves.

The straightforward construction process enables users to assemble a single house in 25

days and the aim is to mass-produce the system, reducing costs to an estimated $2,000
per unit. To repel floodwater, the structure is elevated above the ground on stumpy
pilotis. The architects calculate that it can withstand a 1.5m high flood and are
experimenting with a version that could resist up to 3m.
4. DRAWINGS
5. REVIEW AND ANALYSIS

I) Architectural elements

• Climate adaptation
• Regional materials
• High resistance to traction of the material.
• The cubic shape of the house

• Roof inclined with vernacular restraint.

II) Functional and technical performance

• Building orientation to solar radiation.

• Cross ventilation.
• Rainwater catchment.
• Reuse of waste water.
• Growing area.
• Water purification system.
• Vegetation, which in summer produces
shadows and in winter allows sunlight to pass
through.
• Rain Collection Pond
• . Filtered Water Pond
• Liquid Waste Pond
• Water for Irrigation
• .Discharge of Treated Water
• Filtered Rainwater
• . Purified Water returned to Environment through the Sub
ground

III) Sustainability

• Low cost building.

• Promotion of vernacular architecture.
• Material from the region.
• Functionality based on supporting phenomena
naturally.
• Modular design.
• Ecological
• Low-income population.
• Construction in 25 days
6. RECOMMENDATIONS
 Features Evaluations
Bamboo Usage Can easily get dents or
scratches
Heavy furniture dragged along
the floor, pets scratching the
floor can easily lead to
scratches.
Structure stability is also a
question
Humidity issues Bamboo develops a problem
commonly known as cupping
due to high humidity and
moisture levels. This causes the
bamboo to bloat and look
unnatural. Bamboo flooring
should therefore be avoided in
bathrooms where water can
seep into the flooring.
Construction cost 2000 us dollars i.e
1,50,242.00 Indian Rupees
Views
1. Bamboo could be used
as a secondary material
for example cladding.
2. This could be the
learning for the next
project.
3. Ref. Image a,b,c,d,e
and f.
Using boric power as a
preservation technique can
reduce the damage of the
material.
Budget is one of the major
factors in the field of
construction. Especially in
sundarban region, where the
average family income is Rs.
8000
7. CONCLUSION

Strong, light and geographically abundant, bamboo is an infinitely versatile yet still
under exploited building material. Easy to plant and cultivate, it grows with astonishing
rapidity. Bamboo canes reach sufficient maturity to be used in construction after only
five to eight years, compared with timber, which takes between 25 and 50 years to
mature. Across Asia, bamboo is used for buildings, furniture, paper, medicines, musical
instruments and food.

Designed according to effectiveness, modernity and elegance criteria, to solve

problems of great social and environmental impact in Vietnam, the Blooming Bamboo
house is a solution that can be adopted in many countries for ecological construction
plans or for territories which are exposed to natural emergencies. In fact Bamboo grows
in its different varieties in several countries with different climates, from Asia to Northern
Australia, India and the Himalayas, in sub-Saharan Africa and in the Americas from the
south of United States to Argentina and Chile.