Well-Being Achieved from Earthen Residence

Urbanisation in developing countries commonly uses building materials that pollute the environment, which combined with transportation and industrial activities is leading to increasing levels of air pollution. At the same time, buildings in developing countries are increasingly reliant on active air conditioning systems to provide comfortable indoor conditions but such systems add further pollution and widen the gap between social classes. The WAFER project seeks to engineer earth building materials to deliver improved indoor environment, resulting in better occupant health and well-being. Although earthen construction has low environmental impact, and can improve indoor air quality, it remains unpopular in developing countries due to a wider aspiration for ‘modern’ construction materials. This project thus aims to also investigate the ‘stigma’ of earthen materials and how they can be developed for enhanced properties.

Research Team: Dr Daniel Maskell, University of Bath; Dr Juliana Calabria-Holley, University of Bath; Professor Monto Mani, Indian Institute of Science; Dr Venkatarama Reddy, Indian Institute of Science; Professor Peter Walker, University of Bath; Professor Sarah White, University of Bath