PRE-FREB BUILDING, PROTOTYPE

Pre-cast Fibre Reinforced Earth Blocks, Research and Development at Himalayan Institute of Alternatives, Ladakh. 

Historically Ladakh has been practicing several techniques of  vernacular construction, i.e. traditional rammed-earth, adobe  walls, rough stone masonry, timber roof, etc. Most of these  methods are time-consuming on-site, considering Ladakh  witnesses yearly about 7-8 months of suitable time for  construction work.  

In recent years, RCC being widely adapted, with poor  standards of practice, has created a wave of unruly and  rampant construction across the region.  

The primary aim of Pre-FREB (Pre-cast Fibre Reinforced Earth Blocks) wall system is to be able to modularize any orthogonal building layout with internal grid size of 25 cm and create ease of on-site construction. For the remote mountain regions and especially in this highaltitude cold desert of Ladakh, with added properties such as passive solar and insulation this has a potential to become a locally produced solution for mass housing.

This pilot project, a 2 BHK house with attached bathrooms and a built-up area of 111.5 sqm (1200 sqft), is designed as a prototype using the Pre-FREB wall system, encompassing all stages from design inception and engineering to off-site production design and on-site assembly.

Respecting climate and securing future : 

The 'Pre-FREB' wall system is primarily made with straw-clay.  The clay is locally-sourced, and stubble of straw and wood shaving are waste by-products. When enhanced with a choice  of conventional techniques like concrete, steel, it could be a  solution for a modular multi-storey composite structure with  natural material.  The combination of naturally insulative walls and passive solar  south facade, made with Trombe walls, reduces the need to  burn additional fuel for heating requirements. Thus, keeping  the interiors at around +15 °c, while the outdoors may be at  25 °c.  Together, the floor and South walls made of concrete form  the thermal mass, further enhancing their capacity are the  embedded recycled plastic bottles filled with water. Reducing  waste and need to burn fuel at the same time.  

Empowering local livelihood : 

The 'Pre-FREB' system economizes three crucial aspects,  a) construction cost with pre-fabrication,  b) performance cost with passive solar heating, and  c) environmental cost with a reduced carbon footprint.  Saved cost and time help people with the next stage of  development for a better life.  Reduced burden of on-site construction helps local  contractors manage workload more efficiently.  Systematic pre-engineering and pre-fabrication help regulate  work standards and labour wages.  The array of sustainable methods curbs undesired migration  of locals.

Technical Data:

'Pre-FREB' wall modules made of straw-clay,  Thermal conductivity 0.22 W/m K  Material density 750 kg/cum  Dry weight of 100 cm wall block: 115 kg