IMPROVED ADOBE MUDBRICK IN APPLICATION – CHILD-CARECENTRE CONSTRUCTION IN EL SALVADOR

摘要

Major earthquakes in Latin America, Asia and The Middle East have served as recent reminders of thevulnerability of traditional adobe (mudbrick) dwellings to the force of earthquakes. A host of research,training and construction projects continue to address this precarious situation and there have beenvarious publications describing the developments in improved adobe (mudbrick) design and constructionin recent years. These publications have mostly originated from research institutions and have tended tofocus on the technical and experimental details of a variety of improvement systems. The disseminationof this important information is a vital component in the challenge to promote and build safer homes.Furthermore, these advances in technical detail must be accompanied by practical information, whichrelates to the actual application of the proposed systems, addressing the advantages and disadvantages ofeach technique. This paper attempts to address the current deficiency of this practical information, andthus provide adobe constructors and proponents with a realistic understanding of some of the practicalissues related to improved adobe construction. This paper describes the technical and practical aspectsand 'lessons learned' from a recent improved adobe construction project in El Salvador, as well asdrawing on field investigations, laboratory research and other literature. The paper concludes with aproposed addition to the current technical evaluation of the performance of improvement systems: theassessment of the skill level and resources required to effectively incorporate improved adobe systems.This additional information will be of particular interest and value to supporters of improved adobeprojects, such that training and construction activities may be tailored to meet the skill and resourcecapacities of the organization and beneficiary groups involved.