ALTERNATIVE

CONSTRUCTION:
BUILDING SYSTEMS
BUILDING TECHNOLOGY 5
AR NIKKO D CASAS
 Alternative methods of construction
involve a wide range of techniques and
materials, and can be defined as a move
away from traditional construction.
advantages

■ Alternative building systems improve on

standard construction through their use of
high performance materials and accurate
construction techniques.
advantages

■ Although many alternative systems involve

the construction of buildings in-situ, there
are also many that are turning to off-site
construction techniques to improve
accuracy.
advantages

■ Connected with off-site construction, off-site

construction can drastically reduce waste –
by up to 90% over traditional building
methods.
TIMBER
Example 1
■ Timber
Wood is a very low carbon and
sustainable material, as long as it is ethically
sourced and treated.
The two main types of wooden
construction systems are:
1. Timber framing
construction takes completely on-site.
The two main types of wooden
construction systems are:
2. Structural Insulated Panels (SIP)
is manufactured off-site and assembled
on-site.
■ SIPs, are a composite building material.
They consist of an insulating layer of rigid
polymer foam sandwiched between two
layers of structural board. The board can be
sheet metal, plywood, cement or oriented
strand board (OSB) and the foam either
expanded polystyrene foam (EPS), extruded
polystyrene foam (XPS) or polyurethane
foam.
■ SIPs use large sheets of plywood or
chipboard (more or less) to sandwich a rigid
insulting core, with these structurally sound
panels then joined together to construct the
building.
■ SIPs share the same structural properties as an
I-beam or I-column. The rigid insulation core of
the SIP acts as a web, while the OSB sheathing
exhibits the same properties as the flanges.
■ SIPs combine several components of
conventional building, such as studs and joists,
insulation, vapor barrier and air barrier. They
can be used for many different applications,
such as exterior wall, roof, floor and foundation
systems.
■ SIPs are more expensive than standard
timber buildings, are slightly less flexible in
the buildings they produce, but are
generally extremely well insulated and
airtight: zero carbon dwelling is theoretically
achievable.
STRAW BALE
Example 2
Straw-bale construction is a building method
that uses bales of straw (commonly wheat,
rice, rye and oats straw) as structural
elements, building insulation, or both. This
construction method is commonly used in
natural building or "green" construction
projects.
■ Advantages of straw-bale construction over
conventional building systems include the
renewable nature of straw, cost, easy
availability, and high insulation value.
■ Straw is very sustainable, often locally
produced and can have a negative carbon
footprint.
■ Straw bales can be used a little like large bricks
to build a house, but they do need to be pinned
together and anchored to the foundations.
■ They are fairly strong and stable enough to
build a decent-sized, two story house without
any additional support frames. The external
weatherproof cladding will need to be good, as
bales will rot badly if they get damp.
■ Disadvantages include difficulty in
designing for high wind, susceptibility to rot,
potential danger from flammability and high
space requirements for the straw itself.
 HIGH DENSITY
THERMAL BUILDING
Example 3
High Thermal Density. High thermal density
buildings provide an extremely comfortable
living environment, with the temperature
remaining more or less constant throughout
the year.
■ The idea is similar to a storage heater: lots
of really dense matter absorbs heat when
it’s hot and gives it out again when it’s cold.
The dense matter can be the walls, floors or
core of a building (stair well and lift shafts),
but to make it work the building has to be
airtight and heavily insulated on the
outside.
Thermal blocks
RAMMED EARTH
Example 4
Rammed Earth is a technique used in the building
of walls using the raw materials of earth, chalk,
lime and gravel. It is an ancient building method
that has seen a revival in recent years as people
seek more sustainable building materials and
natural building methods.
Rammed earth walls are simple to construct,
incombustible, thermally massive, very strong and
durable.
■ The idea is to compact local soil between wooden
formers to create the walls of the house. The
wooden formers are then removed, doors and
window holes cut out, the roof put on and the mud
walls lime washed.
■ No lintels are needed over the doors and windows
as the mud walls hold themselves up; the roof can
be of normal construction, but a large overhang is a
good idea to stop rain getting into the walls.
■ Rammed earth walls are strong and completely
load bearing, but not good in the wet.
PROCESS

■ Building a rammed earth wall involves a process of

compressing a damp mixture of earth that has
suitable proportions of sand, gravel and clay
(sometimes with an added stabilizer) into an
externally supported frame, creating a solid wall of
earth.
■ A temporary frame (formwork) is first built, usually
out of wood or plywood, to act as a mold for desired
shape and dimensions of each wall section. The
frames must be sturdy and well braced, and the
two opposing wall faces clamped together, to
prevent bulging or deformation from the high
compression forces involved.
■ Damp material is poured in to a depth of between
10 to 25 cm (4 to 10 in), and compressed to
around 50% of its original height. The compression
of material is done iteratively in batches, to
gradually build up the wall to the required height
dictated by the top of the frame. Compression was
historically done by hand with a long ramming pole,
and was very labor-intensive. Modern construction
can be more efficient by employing pneumatically
powered tampers.
■ Once the wall is complete, it is strong enough that the
frames can be immediately removed. This is necessary
if a surface texture (e.g. by wire brushing) is desired,
since walls become too hard to work after about an
hour. The walls are best constructed in warm weather so
that they can dry and harden. Walls take some time to
dry out completely, and may take up to two years to
completely cure. Compression strength increases with
increased curing time, and exposed walls should be
sealed to prevent water damage.
■ In modern variations of the method, rammed earth
walls are constructed on top of conventional footings or
a reinforced concrete slab base.
COB HOUSE
Example 5
Cob houses are built from a mixture of earth, clay,
sand and straw. The ingredients are mixed
together with a little water until they form a paste-
like substance. The paste is then slapped onto a
stone foundation to form walls that are often
around two foot thick, then more and more
slapped on to form a monolithic structural
building. The slap is usually built up in layers
about 18 inches high to avoid slumping.
■ The great thing about cob houses is that
they can be built into more or less any
shape you care to dream up: curves, vaults,
domes etc. This can result in some pretty
funky buildings. The drawback is that it is
very labour intensive and the walls can take
up to a year to fully set.
 MODULAR
CONSTRUCTION
& PODS
Example 6
Modular construction and pods
The idea is to build standard room units in
the factory, then take them to the building site and
fit them together. They can create a complete
house very quickly and cheaply, but the benefits
are really about building large numbers of flats or
houses at the same time. The standard units can
be mass produced, but clipped together in
different ways with different finishes to add variety
to the finished housing estate.
■ Modular design concepts are also good for
‘future proofing’ a house. This is the ability
to change a house as the needs of its
inhabitants change: altering internal layout,
adding rooms, easing access etc. This is
useful for getting the most from a home
when jobs change, kids come along or
inhabitants get old (for instance).