ARC5011 26 February 2018

Raja Sharavana – 15BAR0005

Assignment 2 – Sustainability Practices in Auroville
Based on my visit to Auroville a year ago, a few sustainable practices that are followed by
them are as below:

1. Community based living: Auroville promotes the concept of ‘Equality’ amongst the
residents of the place. Therefore, a community of people come together and indulge in
activities that makes the place a self sustaining environment. It focuses on reducing
the need to make a place self sustaining by being intra-dependant on each other. For
example, the residents of auroville are from diverse backgrounds with a different skill
sets – Architects, writers, teachers, etc. People come together and help each other out
with the best of their abilities.
2. Use of natural materials: Most of the materials used for construction are sourced
from within the village of auroville. Therefore, soil and mud belonging to that place is
used in constructing buildings in the form of ‘Mud plastering’. This reduces the use of
cement based products that generate heat and increase the embodied energy of the
building.
3. Renewable energy: Auroville tries to use renewable energy to generate power to
meet the demands of the buildings and residents. Abundantly available ‘Solar energy’
is harnessed by using photovoltaic panels. One such case is the use of solar energy in
kitchens to cook lunch for the visitors in one of the canteens.
4. Compressed Stabilised Earth Blocks (CSEB): The earth present in Auroville is
stabilised and compressed using a steel mould to make CSEB blocks. These blocks do
not require curing by fire thereby reducing the air pollution caused and the embodied
energy of the building altogether. CSEB blocks are more durable, strong and have a
higher compressive strength than the regular bricks. These blocks therefore allows the
user to build stronger and larger buildings at a lower cost that may not be possible
with the regular bricks.
5. Vaulted structures: Vaults are continuous arches running in a certain direction. Due
to its shape and form, vaults are inherently stronger as compared to other support /
load bearing systems. They help in increasing the span of the roof without any support
in between with thinner walls. It also allows the user to create multiple shapes and
forms of the building.

References:
1.www.auroville.org
2. Auroville, A case study from www.slideshare.net/sslele456/auroville-architecture
3.Auroville Earth Institute Retrieved on February 24, 2018 from www.earthauroville.com.