Volontariat Home for Homeless Children

Pondicherry, India

Four clusters of three, domed houses (two larger sleeping areas with an interconnecting dome) were built using three principal innovative technologies: baked-in situ mud construction, ferro-cement and miscellaneous urban waste. The interiors of the domes are filled with mud bricks and fired in a kiln for three or four days. The kiln as the house, a consumer of sustainable building materials, becomes a producer as well. The middle domes use ferro-cement cast in situ using small diameter steel and mesh reducing embodied energy. Bicycle wheels and, cooking utensils served as formwork and window grills; recycled bottles were used for toilet masonry; chai glasses were used for dome tops and inbuilt-terracotta water pots for storage.

Source: Aga Khan Trust for Culture