SAMYA AWAS

 Background of SPB

The Silica Plastic Block is a sustainable and recyclable building material that is made from plastic waste and harmful foundry dust.

The waste production especially plastic waste is a concerning issue not only in India but globally too. This problem has been increasing each year drastically. With the overwhelming bulk of plastic stuck out in landfills or incinerated (releasing toxic fumes), the problem becomes more challenging. India accounts for 10% world production in casting and forging industry to which silica/ foundry dust and residue from recycled waste forms nearly 4.3 million metric tons of dumped plastic waste proving to be a great threat to our environment as well as society at large. Both industry and community have been contributors towards this waste production process. The Silica Plastic Block attempts to confront this problem one brick at a time. We propose the scheme of shelter built by SPB.

 Process of SPB

This project started with the clear mandate of doing Zero waste. A sustainable building block made form 80% silica /foundry dust and 20% mixed plastic waste. The sole advantage of such a block or material is that not only does it utilizes zero natural resources in its production process, but also accounts for a more sustainable and renewable future life cycle that any other building material. By using plastic as a bonding agent, the need for water during mixing and thereafter curing is completely eliminated, the blocks which are produced in less than five minutes from scratch can be directly used after cooling down from molding process as compared to the lengthy two-week production process of red clay bricks. The silica plastic block is two and a half times the weight of the regular clay brick while, to be consumed they need around 70 to 80% of the foundry dust with 80% lesser use of natural resources.

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) that SPB aims to be tackled are the following:

SDG 8 - Decent work and economic growth

SDG 9 - Industry innovation and infrastructure

SDG 11 - Sustainable cities and communities

SDG 12 - Responsible consumption and production

SDG 13 - Climate action

SDG 17 - Partnerships for goals

Community Participation

The SPB aims to bridge the gap between the society and the environment. It involves both silica dust and plastic, it requires a significant amount of contribution from both industry and community creating a symbiotic relationship. The foundries could set up SPB units and create blocks with the donated plastic waste from the community. It creates a localized material production that not only helps the community in terms of amenities and infrastructures but also removes the harmful materials present in our environments.

Re-Use/ Recycle

The unique property of the brick is that it can be brought down and then sent back to the SPB Unit for recycling and re-purposing. They can be shredded back and re-extruded to make brand new bricks The SPB Units can be set up across the country and can develop and distribute the blocks within their impact zones. the SPBs could be used to build walls, toilets, school campuses, health clinics, pavers, drive ways etc.

Site

The site selected is Sanchi, Bhopal. Over the years Sanchi has had an organic and unorganized development and due to this particular development, there have been numerous causes for concern in terms of housing, social infrastructure and even material usage so much so that it has to been able to sustain its growth and keep up with the modern world. Sanchi has had a significant rich past and culture, in order to sustain this emotion, the settlements of Sanchi have been chosen for affordable, flexible and modular housing. By setting up this infrastructure the process of SPB production can be localized and Sanchi can be given the opportunity to develop and grow while at the same time benefit the environment.

Design Concept

A simple rectilinear vault load bearing structure is chosen as a design module. The idea is to use the Silica Plastic Blocks (The Interlocking Block) in order for easy and fast construction. The advantage of using the SPB block is that it uses no cement mortar and hence reduced the total cost of construction. The blocks can be built without any expertise on construction. One module uses a mere 1500 bricks which are equal to the cost of clay bricks when accounted for the time taken to construct.

The form of the vault is such that it can be replicated and expanded according to design. The walls on the interior a well as the exterior can come up as the roof and form an enclosure. These can be adjusted in length breath and height and hence be part of any type of flexible design for housing. Once the life cycle of the building is over, the built structure can be brought down, these bricks can be restored and sent back to the SPB unit where they can then be shredded back and re-extruded back to a brand-new brick again.