What are Sustainable Constructions? by Wajeeha Rehan

The construction industry is one of the most prominent consumers of minerals and natural resources by its very nature. The need and significance of sustainability in construction have become a debated topic due to the growing concerns over global warming and the finite nature of resources. This conventional truth caused increased pressure on construction firms to reduce their environmental impact.

What is Sustainable Construction?

Sustainable construction involves using renewable and recyclable materials on building projects to reduce energy consumption and toxic waste. The primary goal of this initiative is to decrease the industry’s impact on the environment by utilizing sustainable construction procedures, practicing energy efficiency, and harnessing green technology.

Hand-On Experience with Sustainable Construction

It was a sunny morning, a hectic routine and tired students busy with tedious architectural work, when suddenly their lethargy turned into a wave of excitement, invitation to the LOG workshop had been announced. The award-winning LOG Shelter formed part of the Barefoot Social Architecture initiative taken by renowned Pakistani Architect and Environmentalist, Madam Yasmeen Lari. Not only would it have a zerocarbon footprint and be constructed using ustainable materials like mud, lime, and bamboo but also serve as affordable housing for the low-income populace.

Contrary to our expectations of learning bamboo-cutting techniques from this three-tofive-day workshop, what the program actually entailed took us by surprise. We had to build a bamboo log from scratch. In a society that undermines our gender, I feel many of us have started to underestimate ourselves too. We are equally capable of performing work that is usually handed over to the men, provided an open mind and an unbiased platform. The team consisted entirely of women and we handled every aspect of the project ourselves. From purchasing and procuring material from street vendors to the construction, it was all done with the utmost vim and vigor. We learnt to work with sustainable materials such as lime, thatch, and bamboo. It gave us exposure to the on-field challenges faced by Architects and enhanced our team-management skills. As a team leader, I feel I came out of the experience as a more confident version of myself.

Yasmeen Lari’s Octa-Green Housing Structures

The Lari Octa-Green is designed to have a zero-carbon footprint: it uses no industrial materials such as steel or concrete. It is an eight-walled structure made of bamboo panels lined with date palm matting. The conical roof is inspired by the traditional chaura construction of Pakistan’s southern regions, while the bamboo frame is drawn from the cross-braced dhijji structure used in the north. Unlike traditional homes, however, this shelter is built of bamboo, a light and renewable material. The roof joists are foldable for easy delivery, and are covered in matting lined with tarpaulin. Families are encouraged to apply insulation using mud or lime on the outer walls and roof. The structure of the shelter is designed to be disaster risk reduction or DRR-compliant. The octagonal form is inherently strong and, unlike concrete, the light bamboo frames pose no danger to life. The mud exterior both provides ballast to prevent the shelter from overturning, and acts as insulation. Bamboo, though light-weight is a long-lasting material and the structure, though intended as transitional, can be used as quasi-permanently if needed.

Thanks to its simple construction methods, even unskilled workers can quickly and easily learn how to fabricate the shelter, while the roof panels are stitched by rural women, providing a potential source of livelihood to economically marginalized communities. The entire structure takes less than an hour to assemble. The low cost, ease of manufacture and erection, means that it could be dispensed through nodes in disaster-affected union councils, and delivered by trained artisans who can bring the product to market. Each structure has enough room for five people sleeping on the floor or two charpoys (string beds) with some space to walk around. This can be expanded by clustering structures together and leaving internal openings. The designers have devised tweaks to this basic technique for structures which can be used as toilets, kitchens, schools and a host of other functions.

It was a lifechanging experience for all of us, but with the constant guidelines from Madam Yasmeen Lari, it become possible for us to build such structure. Although the workshop was done and dusted with, the process we went through and the challenges we overthrew with our keen
dedication could never be forgotten. Our efforts led us to a stage where we saw ourselves as strong competitors to any challenge that awaited us in the future. May Madam Lari Live Long as she had provided housing to many of incapable ones!