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EARTHEN ARCHITECTURE IN
AUROVILLE

Building a sustainable future

 SUMMARY
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1. AUROVILLES INTRODUCTION

2. MAJOR BUILDINGS BUILD BY AVEI IN AND AROUND

AUROVILLE

3. DIVERSITY OF EARTHEN BUILDINGS IN AUROVILLE

2.1 Houses
2.2 Apartments
2.3 Public buildings

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1 AUROVILLES INTRODUCTION

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 1. AUROVILLES INTRODUCTION

Foundation of Auroville on 28th February 1968:

People from 124 countries dropped a handful of earth in an urn, as a testimony of Human
Unity

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 1. AUROVILLES INTRODUCTION

AUROVILLE CHARTER

Auroville belongs to nobody in particular. Auroville belongs to humanity as a whole. But to

live in Auroville, one must be the willing servitor of the Divine Consciousness.

Auroville will be the place of an unending education, of constant progress, and a youth
that never ages.

Auroville wants to be the bridge between the past and the future. Taking advantage of all
discoveries from without and from within, Auroville will boldly spring towards future
realisations.

Auroville will be a site of material and spiritual researches for a living embodiment of an
actual Human Unity.
28th February 1968
The Mother
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1968: A land devastated by the cutting of trees

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For years: Healing the earth by an extensive reforestation

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Since 1968: A few millions trees planted 8
Matrimandir, the meditation chamber and soul of Auroville 9
 1. AUROVILLES INTRODUCTION

Auroville attempts to link the ancestral tradition of raw earth building

with the modern technology of stabilised earth

Earth, as a building material, can be used for creating

a modern, progressive and eco-friendly habitat

Compressed Stabilised Earth Blocks (CSEB)

is today the technology used the most
worldwide and in Auroville

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2 MAJOR BUILDINGS BUILD BY AVEI IN AND AROUND
AUROVILLE

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2. MAJOR BUILDINGS BUILT BY AVEI IN AND AROUND AUROVILLE

Visitors Centre 1992 Hassan Fathy International Award for Architecture for the Poor12
Visitors Centre 1992 Hassan Fathy International Award for Architecture for the Poor13
Visitors Centre 1992 Hassan Fathy International Award for Architecture for the Poor14
Visitors Centre 1992 Hassan Fathy International Award for Architecture for the Poor15
Apartments at Vikas Community 16
 13 apartments on 4 floors at Vikas Community
Vikas Community was a finalist for the 2000 World Habitat Award
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Apartments at Vikas Community 18
Section of the third building 19
Kitchen at Vikas community for 50 people CSEB 20
Water tank and reservoir at Vikas community CSEB 21
Shakti Vihara School at Pondicherry, for 700 children 22
Shakti Vihara School at Pondicherry, for 700 children 23
Shakti Vihara School at Pondicherry, for 700 children 24
Showroom in Shakti Vihara School at Pondicherry 25
Showroom in Shakti Vihara School at Pondicherry

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Showroom in Shakti Vihara School at Pondicherry 27
 Deepanam School near Matrimandir
- Stabilised rammed earth walls and CSEB domes - 28
 Deepanam School near Matrimandir
- Stabilised rammed earth walls and CSEB domes - 29
 Deepanam School near Matrimandir
- Stabilised rammed earth walls and CSEB vault 10.35 m span, 2.25 m rise - 30
 Deepanam School near Matrimandir
- Stabilised rammed earth walls and CSEB vault, 10.35 m span - 31
Segmental vault at Deepanam School, completed in 3 weeks with 4 masons
10.35 m span, 2.25 m rise, 30 tons, built with the Free Spanning technique 32
School and community centre at Marakkanam 33
Community centre at Kilianur 34
 1st prize of a national competition
Tsunami house at Anumandhai 35
 Disaster resistant built after the tsunami Disaster resistant built after the tsunami
Community centre at Bommarpalayam for Community centre at Annavali for UNDP
UNDP

Community centre at Nadukuppam for UNDP Community centre at Kadapakam for 36

Moveable & disaster resistant house at Realization Community, built in 64 hours
Cost effective house at Suryanivas community Stabilised rammed earth & CSEB 38
House at Nalla Farm, Pondicherry CSEB 39
House at Utility community CSEB and straw bale 40
 Equilateral vault, the vault of the European cathedrals

House at the Auroville Earth Institute, built with the Free Spanning Technique CSEB41
House at the Auroville Earth Institute CSEB 42
Chinnakalapet near Auroville Hermitage for a priest 43
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 Sri Karneshwar Nataraja Temple near Auroville
Pointed cloister dome 6 m span and pyramid, built in 6 months
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 Sri Karneshwar Nataraja Temple near Auroville
Pointed cloister dome 6 m span and pyramid, built in 6 months

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Sri Karneshwar Nataraja
Temple 47
 Realization Housing project with 17
apartments
- CSEB and stabilised earth from foundations to
-roof
Rainwater harvesting
- Wastewater biological system
- Earth tunnel for natural air conditioning

Low emission for construction and use

than conventional buildings and systems
4 times less initial embodied energy
3 times less operating energy

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Realization 5 Apartments completed 50
Realization 8 Apartments completed 51
3 DIVERSITY OF EARTHEN BUILDINGS

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 2.1 HOUSES

House at Revelation community Raw rammed earth 53

House at Samasti community Adobe 54
Kitchen at Anapurna farm Adobe 55
House at Newland community Wattle and Daub 56
House at Discipline community Wattle and Daub 57
House at Revelation community CSEB 58
Experimental house at Kottakarai village CSEB 59
Cost effectives houses at Kottakarai village CSEB 60
House at Dana community CSEB 61
House at Dana community CSEB 62
House at Auromodele community CSEB 63
House at New Creation Field community CSEB 64
House in the Green Belt CSEB 65
House in the Green Belt CSEB 66
House at Certitude community CSEB 67
House at Aurobrindavan community CSEB 68
House at Samasti community CSEB 69
Cost effective house at Vikas community CSEB 70
Cost effective house at Vikas community CSEB 71
Cost effective house at Vikas community CSEB 72
Pavilion Gayatri Dome at Suryanivas Community CSEB 73
 2.2 APARTMENTS

Apartments at Djaima Community CSEB 74

Apartments at Prarthna Community CSEB 75
Housing at Prayatna Community CSEB 76
Housing at Prayatna Community CSEB 77
Apartments at Aspiration area CSEB 78
Kailash Youth Centre CSEB 79
 2.3 PUBLIC BUILDINGS

Pitanga hall at Samasti community CSEB 80

Solar community kitchen for 1000 people CSEB 81
Electronic workshop at Auroshilpam community CSEB 82
Office of Aureka, the steel workshop producing the Auram equipment CSEB 83
Multipurpose hall at Vrit community CSEB 84
Isaiambalam School CSEB 85
Boarding at New Creation School CSEB & RCC frame 86
Kindergarten at Centre Field area CSEB 87
Udavi School CSEB 88
 AUROVILLE EARTH INSTITUTE
UNESCO Chair "Earthen Architecture"
BASIN South Asia

Auroshilpam, 605 101 Auroville, TN India

Tel.: +91 (0) 413 - 262 3064 / 262 3330 Fax: +91 (0) 413 - 262 2886
Email: earthinstitute@auroville.org.in Website:
www.earth-auroville.com