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    Vikas Community: Project Description

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    Suman Bhardwaj
    The Vikas Community in Auroville, India includes 23 apartments built from 1991-1998 using compressed stabilized earth blocks and ferrocement. The buildings were designed to respond to the local hot, humid climate and incorporate sustainable features like rainwater catchment, natural lighting and ventilation, passive solar design, and solar and wind energy systems. The project aims to reflect the spiritual values of the community through communal spaces and building dimensions.

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    Vikas Community: Project Description

    Uploaded by

    Suman Bhardwaj
    305 views2 pages
    The Vikas Community in Auroville, India includes 23 apartments built from 1991-1998 using compressed stabilized earth blocks and ferrocement. The buildings were designed to respond to the local hot, humid climate and incorporate sustainable features like rainwater catchment, natural lighting and ventilation, passive solar design, and solar and wind energy systems. The project aims to reflect the spiritual values of the community through communal spaces and building dimensions.

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    Vikas Community

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    The Vikas Community in Auroville, India includes 23 apartments built from 1991-1998 using compressed stabilized earth blocks and ferrocement. The buildings were designed to respond to the local hot, humid climate and incorporate sustainable features like rainwater catchment, natural lighting and ventilation, passive solar design, and solar and wind energy systems. The project aims to reflect the spiritual values of the community through communal spaces and building dimensions.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    305 views2 pages

    Vikas Community: Project Description

    Uploaded by

    Suman Bhardwaj
    The Vikas Community in Auroville, India includes 23 apartments built from 1991-1998 using compressed stabilized earth blocks and ferrocement. The buildings were designed to respond to the local hot, humid climate and incorporate sustainable features like rainwater catchment, natural lighting and ventilation, passive solar design, and solar and wind energy systems. The project aims to reflect the spiritual values of the community through communal spaces and building dimensions.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    of 2

    Vikas Community

    India / Auroville, Tamil Nadu


    79.813736, 12.000980
    Client Name: Auroville
    Project website: http://www.earth-auroville.com/vikas_community_en.php
    249,99,58,0.6

    Project Description
    The Vikas Community was built in Auroville from 1991 to 1998. It includes 23 apartments and
    communal spaces like a community kitchen, sports grounds, and landscaping incorporating
    rainwater catchment systems. The buildings were built using Compressed Stabilized Earth
    Blocks (CSEB), ferrocement elements and other appropriate building technologies.

    Building Details
    Type of Building
    Residence complex

    Type of project
    New Building Project

    Number of Floors
    2 and 4

    Type of unit
    Studios, 1 BHK, & 2 BHK

    Number of units
    23

    Net floor area


    1448 m²

    Non Air-conditioned area


    1448 m²

    Year of completion
    1998 for the last building

    Year of occupancy
    1993 for the first building

    Project Team
    Organisation
    Auroville Building Centre / Earth Unit

    Architech
    Satprem Maïni

    Climate Analysis
    Describe the local climate
    Vikas Community is located in Auroville, an international township in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, close to the
    city of Pondicherry. The climate is hot and humid, with the bulk of rain coming during the North-East Monsoon (October-
    December) and to a lesser degree during the South-West Monsoon (June-August). The town is located close to the sea, on
    a plateau. Significant reforestation efforts have created large swaths of forest throughout Auroville, which has significantly
    improved the micro-climate of the area during hot seasons. This allows passive ventilation strategies to be a very effective
    mode of cooling.

    Design Approach
    Site integration
    The natural layout of the Vikas site informed its design, maintaining existing greenery and topography. Solar and wind
    energy were harnessed through photovoltaics and a wind pump for water infrastructure.

    Building design
    The buildings were designed to respond to environmental factors such as wind direction and heavy rains, but also to reflect
    the spiritual aspirations of the community through the communal features and the incorporation of Sri Aurobindo's symbol in
    the dimensions of the buildings.

    Special Feature
    Natural Lighting
    Large windows for light and ventilation

    Water efficiency
    Landscaping incorporates rainwater catchment systems and decentralized wastewater treatment systems (DEWATS) for
    reuse of water for gardening purposes.

    Passive heating/cooling
    Windows with sunshades and pronounced overhangs; improved ventilation with the increased velocity of wind through pier
    walls; a solar chimney that creates a natural stack effect draft inside the apartments through the temperature differential
    inside the chimney.

    Cost effective features


    Earth building technologies & ferrocement used extensively throughout the buildings, soil from the site excavation used for
    CSEB block production.

    Energy systems
    Interior Lighting
    According to occupant

    Exterior Lighting
    Energy-efficient lighting

    Ceiling Fans
    According to occupant

    Air-conditioning
    N/A

    Lift
    None

    Energy efficient systems


    Building designed and executed to be entirely run on solar power, Windmill-operated borewell

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