Riverbank Erosion Resilient Design

Project idea

The idea of the project was to focus on the traditional livelihood pattern of the habitats, their self-sufficiency, disaster resilient technologies and community development.
The form of the housing units mainly generated in the way of connecting 2 private zones with a shared service zone and the cluster forms by orienting the units in an irregular manner so that wind flow doesn't get blocked for any housing units. The small clusters are combined with each other and create a curved walkway to have a informal character of movement which helps to grow the sense of community.

Project description

Here in the design we have tried to create the sense of community among the habitats through the masterplan zoning and housing cluster and positioning the amenities and utilities in such manner so that everyone can get an easy access to these functions.
The planning is developed to maintain the community's current pattern of livelihood while also making settlement erosion resistant.
The proposed road network is designed to connect the functions of the site and avail them easy access for the not only for the habitats but also the users outside of the housing.
The primary road directly connects with the kheyaghat which is important for water based transportation and secondary roads from both sides of the site connect perpendicularly.
The proposed landscaping was designed to correspond to the riverbank erosion and for this resilient trees like palm, coconut etc. are selected to plant close to the river. Bushes and herbs are planted beside the housing units to ensure privacy concerns and different types of fruit trees are to be planted in the large open spaces which will help them to grow as a self sufficient village.

Technical information

The proposed home is created with consideration for future expansion, cost-effectiveness, environmental sustainability, reuse of waste materials, indoor ventilation and lighting, and standard living necessities. The project evolves from a square shape form to an “L” shaped building. Simple elements, textures and natural materials are used to give a feeling of “home” to the building.

Structure and Material:
The house will have very low construction and operating costs, providing comfortable spaces year round, security for the residents and should be easy to build using local materials and labor, while integrating indoor and outdoor spaces to offer greater usability of the individual sites. Waste paper and cement are the main ingredients in papercrete. The substance is simply shaped into panels and applied to the building of walls. Papercrete is remarkably energy-efficient and very light weight thanks to its 60% waste paper component. It also contains 20% Portland cement and 20% sand. Paint thinner is added in proper quantity with the soaked papers to make the panels more robust, damp proof, and water resistant.
In the structure, I beams and columns are utilized. The structure uses slabs and I beams that are connected by papercrete walls. There are also wooden joints.
People will be able to disassemble their homes when riverbank erosion occurs because all of the joints are detachable. The structural adjustments made to the panels and I-beams enable the entire house to be torn down, preventing the loss of the people's homes along with the land to the river.