Picsetion - 2

One night of snow fall and Flagstaff has gone in white meadows.. Fall season makes the trees look more bare exposing their structure and there they get the help of snow which covers it, hiding the textures and colours, leaving its own identity.
Snow fall is a nightmare for the infrastructure specially commuting... Thanks to the prompt government here which let us enjoy the scenic beauty although some of the roads were closed :)

Picsetion - 1

Hello Friends..
Thought of sharing my Photography with you... I am not that good Photographer like you guys. These are hand picked ones from the several clicks, ya and the ones that I felt are good.
May not be from your perspective..
I welcome you all to have a glance at this gallery of mine and please do drop by your comments and suggestions.





During Sedona trip this December, it was a wonderful experience to see the white snow capped red rocks. Snow always adds a beauty to the dry landscape of rocks. The bare and barren red rocks were looking totally awesome with the white creamy topping of Snow.

Bamboo

Bamboo is one of the most amazingly versatile and sustainable building materials available.

Botanically classified as a grass Bambusa guadua, bamboo is one of the fastest growing and easy to harvest plant on the earth. It grows remarkably fast and in a wide range of climates. It is exceedingly strong for its weight (stronger, in fact, than steel) and can be used both structurally and as a finish material. Bamboo is alternately flexible or stiff (depending on the application) both functional and decorative. The dried stems are extremely sturdy and lend themselves to a multitude of uses. The canes are beautiful when exposed and because of this it enhances appeal of building (with natural material) for the modern eye. And they can be cut in such a way as to be re-combined into useful products such as flooring, lining the ceilings or walls.

There is a long vernacular tradition to the use of bamboo in structures in many parts of the world, especially in more tropical climates, where it grows into larger diameter canes. One tricky aspect to the use of bamboo is in the joinery; since its strength comes from its integral structure, it cannot be joined with many of the traditional techniques used with wood. This is where the old ways of building with bamboo can be especially informative. In Mexico, Brazil, Ecuador, Panama, and Colombia, this product has been used as a traditional construction material for centuries.

Bamboo is beautiful but not so delicate that it cannot be used in commercial structures. Bamboo is an extremely strong fiber; with twice the compressive strength of concrete and roughly the same strength-to-weight ratio of steel in tension. In addition, testing (Janssen '97) has shown that the hollow tube shape gives a strength factor of 1.9 over the equivalent solid. The reason is that, in a beam, the only fibers doing work are in the top (compression) and bottom (tension). The center is dead weight.

We see Bamboo bridges often made in north-east part of India and Asia to span the rivers or water-streams. The strongest of the Bamboo fibers have greater shear strength than structural woods and so Bamboo has a tendency to bend but not to break. And this is the quality which makes it very much useful for spanning the bridges. Automobile bridges with spans up to 150 feet have been built of bamboo by Jorg Stamm in Colombia. The auditorium-size pavilion (20,000 Sq. Ft.) was built for the Hannover Expo 2000 in Germany by architect Simon Velez. Here is the website that describes the pavilion, as well as the low-cost house Velez designed for the Grow Your Own House book http://www.zeri.org/projects/growyourownhouse.htm

Bamboo has been documented with over 1,500 different uses. In the area of building, that includes fences, gates, trellises, and every part of a structure. Bamboo tools, utensils, and buildings are an important part of life for half the world's population. In temperate climates around the world, bamboo supply can be maintained indefinitely while maintaining erosion control, watershed integrity, soil health.
I expect that the value of bamboo as a building material will only become more apparent as we move toward a time of wood scarcity and high costs of energy.


Read the link below for more details of Bamboo Construction :-
http://www.koolbamboo.com/Modern%20bamboo%20architecture.pdf

Strawbale Construction - 2

Watch the Strawbale house as one of the world's Greenest home. This was constructed in Scottsdale, Arizona, US by Architect Kevin Edwards where he himself stays with his family.




Watch the Strawbale Construction Benefits in the following video:-



Following Video is a time lapse of the creation of a straw bale geodesic dome. It is located in the newly created 'Bustan Neighborhood' on Kibbutz Lotan in the Arava Valley, Israel. The Neighborhood is designed to house the students of the Ecovillage/Permaculture Design course, The Green Apprenticeship.

Straw Bale Construction

Building with bales of straw has become almost mainstream in some parts of the country, especially in the Southwestern United States. Some says this technique we have been following since Palaeolithic period. Records shows this was pioneered in Nebraska. While reading the Nebraska settlers story – I thought as we know the Pauranic history of India, we know the Rishis and even our gods Rama and Krishna has also stayed in the huts made of grass and as they were staying in the jungle, keeping the Gaushala and horses, definitely this grass was not the food for the animals. Then it must be the straws which doesn’t have the delicious leafy parts for the animals.
Lets talk about the straw bale construction advantages and disadvantages, short comings and techniques.

Straw is a renewable resource that acts as excellent insulation, super energy efficient, environmentally friendly, attractive, and can be designed to match the builder's personal space needs, aesthetics and budget. It is a cheap and easy-to build option for self-builders, and even large-scale structures can be erected using timber framework filled with straw. The thick walls provide excellent insulation and are about 75 percent more energy efficient than conventional homes [source: Morrison]

There are two major categories of building with strawbales: load-bearing and non-load bearing. A post and beam framework that supports the basic structure of the building, with the bales of straw used as infill, is the most common non-load bearing approach. This is also the only way that many building authorities will allow. While there are many load-bearing strawbale buildings that are standing just fine, care must be taken to consider the possible settling of the strawbales as the weight of the roof, etc. compresses them.
Erecting bale walls can go amazingly quickly, and does not take a lot of skill, but then the rest of the creation of the building is similar to any other wood framed house. In fact strawbale houses typically only save about 15% of the wood used in a conventionally framed house. The cost of finishing a strawbale house can often exceed that of standard construction, because of the specialized work that goes into plastering both sides of the walls. The result is often worth it though, because of the superior insulation and wall depth that is achieved.

This kind of construction is gaining attention as a natural building method. In 2001, a British firm estimated that about 1,000 new straw bale structures were being built each year around the world

With the rising price and decreasing availability of lumber, straw has gained attention as a renewable resource that is regularly available as the byproduct of growing grains. Farmers use a little straw to fertilize the ground, but most straw otherwise goes to waste. Each year, 200 million tons of straw go unused in the United States [source: U.S. Department of Energy]. Straw is available in most parts of the country, which reduces transportation costs of construction. With more than 50 percent of all greenhouse gases produced by the construction industry and the transportation associated with it, these savings can be significant [source: Amazon Nails].

Although straw is cheaper than building materials, such as brick or lumber, constructing a straw bale home will usually cost the same as a conventional home because the wall budget is only about 10 percent to 15 percent of the total building budget [source: Magwood, Mack, Therrien]. When you factor in other expenses, such as the foundation, the roof, and the doors and windows, the price of straw bale houses rises in line with more traditional houses.

However, you can squeeze out some cost savings depending on who builds the house. Straw bale raising parties, similar to barn raising parties, are a chance for a bunch of people to stack bales like building blocks. Little experience is needed to participate in building a straw bale home, and it can go fast. Many Web sites and DVDs are available to teach you how to build your own straw bale house, but it's important to realize what you can do on your own and where you might need a contractor's help.

The real cost savings of straw bale building relate to energy efficiency. The straw bales, finished by plaster, have a high R-value. The R-value measures the insulation resistance of the wall; straw bale walls provide an incredible insulation that can easily keep heat in or out, depending on your needs. A straw bale home can save up to 75 percent on heating and cooling costs annually [source: Morrison, Amazon Nails]. This represents a huge savings over the life of the house. These thick walls also provide excellent soundproofing. Straw bale building has been used for recording studios and for homes near busy highways.

It might seem like straw bale houses pose a tremendous fire hazard, but they provide roughly three times the fire resistance of conventional homes [source: Morrison]. Loose straw is indeed flammable, but the bales are so tightly packed that they actually increase fire resistance. In a tightly packed bale, there's no oxygen, which reduces the chance for combustion. The plaster coating of the walls adds an additional fire-resistant seal. The National Research Council of Canada conducted testing where straw bale walls withstood temperatures up to 1,850 degrees Fahrenheit (1,010 degrees Celsius) for two hours [source: Magwood, Mack, Therrien].
¬The main threat to straw bale homes is moisture, as it is for many homes. Moisture in the bales causes mold, which causes the straw to rot. You have to take precautions from the moment you buy the bales. A rainy day of construction could ruin exposed bales, so it has to be stored off the ground and under tarps.

During design and construction, special care has to be taken to keep water out of the home. Just as the toe-ups on the foundation provide protection from moisture below, roof designs that incorporate overhangs will provide protection from above. Windowsills and joints must be carefully sealed. These methods will keep out the liquid dangers posed by rain or snow, while using the natural, breathable plasters. Cracks in these plasters are the primary maintenance issue for straw bale homes so that moisture doesn't accumulate in the walls.
Other possible concerns with straw-bale walls are infestation of rodents or insects, so the skin on the straw should resist these critters.

Many localities have specific codes for strawbale construction, In an area in which they're not common, one might have to work more closely with building officials to get plans that will meet codes and pass inspection. and though some banks now a days are willing to lend on this technique.

As for reselling a straw bale home, little data exist, maybe because straw bale owners don't leave them. Some evidence suggests that straw bale homes might receive a lower resale value estimate than conventionally built homes [source: Magwood, Mack, Therrien]. However explaining to a potential buyer the value of a well-insulated home may help someone decide to pay more than the appraised value.

Like in the story of the little pig who threw some straw together and called it a house, only to have the big, bad wolf huff and puff and blow the structure down. But applying the plaster techniques makes this house sturdy to even be unaware of tornado raging outside.[source: Hammett].

Rocks

Rock structures have existed for as long as history can recall. It is the longest lasting building material, and is usually readily available. There are many types of rock throughout the world all with differing attributes that make them better or worse for particular uses.

Rock is a very dense material so it gives a lot of protection, its main draw-back as a material is its weight and awkwardness. Rock walls have very good thermal mass, which means that they absorb the outside temperature, hold it in and then radiate it through the home. Thermal mass is best used in desert climates because of the difference in day and night temperatures, and the release of heat is cyclical. During a hot day, walls with thermal mass will absorb and store the sun's heat while the inside of the house remains cool. At night, when outside temperatures drop, the daytime heat stored in the walls radiates inward to warm the home. Thermal mass can be energy efficient since the house heats and cools itself, instead of relying on a furnace or air conditioner.

It's much easier to build with perfectly shaped bricks or slabs of concrete, but it's possible to build beautiful homes with locally available rocks. Dry-stone walls have been built for as long as humans have put one stone on top of another. The rocks can be mortared with earthen plasters such as sand and clay or lime. Eventually different forms of mortar were used to hold the stones together, cement being the most commonplace now. Mortared stone structures are less durable than dry stone, because water can get trapped between the stones and push them apart.

Traditional stone masonry is rarely used today, because stone is expensive to quarry, cut and transport, and the building process is labour and skill-intensive. Instead, most modern stonework utilises a veneer of stone (thin, flat pieces) glued against a wall of concrete blocks. This is known as veneered stone or stone cladding.

Slipform stone structures are a cross between veneered masonry and traditional masonry. Short forms (around 2 feet tall) are placed on either side of the wall, to serve as a guide for the structure. Stones are placed inside the forms with the flat face out, and concrete is then poured behind the rocks to hold it together. Stone buildings can be constructed quickly and easily with this method.

Circular huts were constructed from loose granite rocks throughout the Neolithic and early Bronze Age, and the remains of an estimated 5,000 can still be seen today. The pyramids in Giza, burial chambers in the UK and temples in Malta were all built from stone over 4000 years ago and are still standing. Granite continued to be used throughout the medieval period and into modern times. Slate is another stone type, commonly used as roofing material where it is found.

Rocks are extremely durable, artistic, versatile building material with high thermal mass, can be used for walls, floor, roof, arches; blends with natural landscape, can be easily recycled.... BUT... very labor-intensive and expensive now a days. To meet sustainability standards, steps must be taken to ensure that the stone is found on site, reclaimed from nearby demolished buildings or sourced from a local stone quarry. Only then can stone be considered a true example of a sustainable building material.

- compiled by blogger.