Feasibility Study of Affordable Earth Masonry Housing in the U.S. Gulf Coast Region
Publication: Journal of Architectural Engineering
Volume 24, Issue 2
Abstract
Compressed and stabilized earth block (CSEB) structural systems represent a sustainable low-cost alternative to other construction systems that are common in industrialized countries. The wide availability of suitable soils makes these structural systems attractive for building affordable housing worldwide. Currently, CSEB construction in the USA is mainly used in dry and arid regions and has rarely been used in humid climates. In this work, a structural, architectural, and economic feasibility study for CSEB structural systems in the U.S. Gulf Coast region is presented. The structural feasibility study presented in this paper included the identification of locally available soils for CSEB fabrication; experimental investigation of mechanical properties of CSEB and mortar as function of their composition; durability study for a CSEB wall with and without protective plastering; and calculation of wind resistance for a representative CSEB house. The architectural feasibility study investigated the use of CSEB systems in vernacular housing typologies of Southern Louisiana. Finally, the economic feasibility study compared the cost of a reference house built using CSEBs and other more common construction materials. The results obtained in this study suggest that CSEB systems have the potential to provide a modern, cost-effective, sustainable, hurricane-resistant housing construction system as an alternative to more common constructions systems in the U.S. Gulf Coast region.
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Acknowledgments
Partial support for this research by (1) the Louisiana Board of Regents through the Economic Development Assistantship Program, (2) the Louisiana State University’s Coastal Sustainability Studio through the 2014-2015 New Projects Fund Program, and (3) the National Science Foundation through award CMMI #1537078 is gratefully acknowledged. The authors also thank Dr. Fabio Matta of the University of South Carolina (Columbia, SC) for sharing the data on the parametric design curves for CSEB houses. Finally, the authors acknowledge the help received at the beginning of this work from Dr. Ashok Mishra, Mr. Mirsardar Esmaeili, Chris Doiron, and James Babin.
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Published In
Journal of Architectural Engineering
Volume 24 • Issue 2 • June 2018
Copyright
© 2018 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Jul 17, 2017
Accepted: Dec 8, 2017
Published online: Apr 10, 2018
Published in print: Jun 1, 2018
Discussion open until: Sep 10, 2018
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