From Mud Houses to Multistorey Concrete Structures

In the early stages of  human life, people took shelter on tree tops and caves. Gradually they started constructing huts and moved there. During the Indus valley civilization period (2700 BCE to 1700 BCE) houses were constructed using bricks. Mud houses were prevalent in India, China, USA, Egypt, Algeria, Gulf countries also. 

USA

The above house was constructed in 1836 in clay puddled with straw and then rammed it. It was a 7.3 m x 11.6 m rectangular building with gable roof. The house is a historic one situated at Penfield, New York. It is a surviving example of rammed-earth construction. It was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.

Log cabin of (ex) president of USA  Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln spent his early childhood in this log cabin. His parents were very poor and as such they could meet the expenditure for his education . He borrowed books from his  fiends and privately studied. His father was a carpenter.

China

The above house was constructed using stones, mud, lime and surkhi mortar. Small private homes of ancient Chinese were usually built from dried mud, rough stones and wood. The most ancient houses are square, rectangular or oval in shape. They had thatched roofs supported by wooden poles.

India

Siddavatam Fort

This is situated in Cuddappa district of Andhra Pradesh. This was constructed in 1303. Fort is a famous archiological structure. It is situated on the banks of river Pennar. Originally it was constructed in mud, but later it was remodeled with stones. The fort extends over 30 acres of land.

Tajmahal (Agra)

Tajmahal is located at Agra, Uttar Pradesh. It stands by the side of river Yamuna.  The construction of Tajmahal was started in 1632 and completed in 1648. Emperor Shah Jehan got this constructed in memory of Queen Mumtaz. White marble stones imported from Persia were used for the construction. The mortar was surkhi.

Red Fort(Delhi)

This was also got constructed by emperor Shah Jehan. Red sand stone was used for the construction.

The work was started in 1639 and completed in 1648. Shah Jehan decided to shift the capital of Mughal empire from Agra to Delhi. It stands by the side of river Yamuna. Ustad Ahmd Lahouri was the architect of Red Fort. The construction of the fort took almost ten years .

Padmanabhaswami Temple (Trivandrum)

The Shree Padmanabha Swami temple  is a Hindu temple located in Trivandrum, Kerala. The temple is an intricate fusion of the Chera style and the Dravidian style architecture. The principal diety of  the temple is Padmanabha swami (Vishnu) .

Tali temple ( Calicut)

Tali Mahashetram  is a Hindu temple dedicated to the diety Shiva. It is situated in the city of Calicut
(Kozhikode),Kerala. The temple was built in 14th century by Zamorin of Calicut.

Mishkal mosque  (Calicut)

This mosque is located in Calicut, Kerala. It is an important cultural, historical and architectural monument. The mosque was built by a rich muslim merchant in the 14th century.

Banasura sagar Dam

Banasura dam is the largest earthen dam in India and the second largest in Asia. It impounds the waters of the river  Karamnathodu , a tributary of river Kabini. It is a one kilometer long structure. The dam was constructed in 1979. The water from the reservoir is used for drinking and irrigation. The dam is located 21 km from Kalpetta, Wayanad, Kerala. Banasura dam is made up of mud and boulders.

Revolution in the construction field

Cement Concrete

The development of  cement has actually revolutionized the  construction field. The credit goes to a mason, Joseph Aspidin of England. In 1824, he first mixed lime and clay, heated to a high temperature and after cooling , powdered  the residue. This was called Portland cement. Concrete was then made by mixing cement, sand and ballasst (broken stone) and water in correct proportion to get the desired strength.

Bhurj Khalifa (Dubai)

This is the tallest structure of the world. It is in Dubai (UAE). It is 828 m tall and has 163 floors. The construction started in 2004 and was completed in 2009. The tower was opened for public in 2010. The primary structure is by reinforced concrete. Bhurj  Khalufa was designed by  a group led by Andrian Smith of Skidmore, Owings and Merrill.

Back to Nature

             Mud house in kannur

A couple residing in Kannur, Kerala desired to live in an eco-friendly house. They got a house constructed in mud and other natural materials. The house is of 960 sq.feet in area.

The cost of construction was only Rs four lakhs. The construction was completed in 2010.

There is no fan, AC or Fridge in that house. Their average consumption of electricity is only four units/month. For cooking, bio-gas is being used instead of LPG.

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