Conversations with bricks
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A tête-À-tête with K. Jaisim, Chairman, Indian Institute of Architects, for his thoughts on how age-old bricks still work wonders in construction.
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Innovative: K. Jaisim, Chairman, Indian Institute of Architects
Building materials resemble letters in a language. You put them together efficiently for building appropriate expressions. This is the premise with which architect Krishna Rao Jaisim built his triumphant career that has spanned more than half a century now, witnessing some astounding built expressions across the globe.
Obsessed with anything that is earthy, passionate with every concept that is green, principled about material usage that condenses energy consumption and idiosyncratic about ingenious construction designs, Jaisim, Chairman, Indian Institute of Architects, is today Bangalore’s guru in architecture.
“Modesty in brick and mortar should draw one closer to it,” he says. “That’s when buildings become approachable. After being ruled by kings, Mughals and the British, our minds have been conditioned to accept somebody else’s ideas.”
With a grandfather who was the Palace Architect to the Mysore Kings till the 1940s, the architect genes in Jaisim made him develop far-sighted views on nature-friendly features.
Mud, stone, wood or anything that is natural are your companions in architectural expressions.
From archaeological evidence, the invention of the fired brick (as opposed to the considerably earlier sun-dried mud brick) is believed to have arisen in about the third millennium BC in the Middle East. Being much more resistant to cold and moist weather conditions, brick enabled the construction of permanent buildings in regions where the harsh climate precluded the use of mud bricks. Bricks have the added benefit of storing heat energy from the sun during the day while continuing to release heat for several hours after sunset. The ancient Egyptians and the Indus Valley Civilisation also used mud bricks extensively, as can be seen in the ruins of Buhen, Mohenjo-daro and Harappa.
Can you go back on the brick culture and material availability?
The brick by nature of its definition is something that is easy to handle and is a module which can be made in numbers and can be manipulated together with combinations to form different patterns and expressions. Technically, the matter should be capable of taking loads and also withstand natural and man-made creations, at the same time be made easy to manufacture and be economical.
Historically and culturally this was possible in civilisations that were on river beds with suitable silt and wash. Initially, the bricks were mixed with reeds or straw to make the bind more effective and sun dried to make them portable. Soon it became evident that burning made them stronger and more durable, with textures and colours being added later. The brick continues to evolve depending on emerging technology, manpower, capital and the volume demand, as also the nature of soil available.
Handling and labour?
If one were to observe the brick across the spectrum of the globe, it is evident that each culture evolved a brick most suitable to the region. The physique of the people also had a say, as also the clay type.
Bricks in Europe were larger, where as the bricks which we call the natty (local) ones were usually two inches thick and I have also seen bricks that are 12 inches long and flat — these were on the Ganges plain. So, the physical make-up of a man influenced the shape and size of a brick that necessarily involved factors of handling and carrying capacity.
So, they have now evolved to being technically superior Weinerberger makes…
When the burnt brick evolved to the next stage in the Industrial era, it was a metamorphosis into something more wonderful as a hollow brick. The same content of material was transformed to make a large block. This was possible by following the extrusion process in mechanical kilns. Again, the transformation was such that many types of clay products were made available. The range is large and fascinating which can provoke designers to create many wonderful expressions. With chemical technology, the colour and texture of these products reached new horizons.
Weinerberger is one of the largest manufacturers of burnt clay products and with their new unit in Bangalore now, we will soon see a designer range and quality unheard of before.
Where can we tap the natural resources and identify material not suited for agriculture that can be used for bricks?
Care should be taken to see that valuable alluvial soil suitable for agriculture is not used for this purpose. The soil must come from dredging of lake fills and other areas where the soil is not suitable for agro-products, and there are areas where this is available in plenty. Agriculture not only demands a good soil but also approach for easy harvesting and labour which is economical — if any one of this is denied it becomes unsuitable. Here the brick manufacturer steps in.
You always say that the structural ability of bricks is so versatile that they almost talk to you…
In architectural circles there are well-known stories on how bricks became a favourite with innovative designers. It was one material that one could rest in one’s palm or hand and like a child start a conversation … suggestions that can leave a dreamer well-up with ideas for creating ‘a brick in wonderland.’
How much of market share will bricks have in the coming years? Will the modest makeover get a contemporary avatar?
The more one thinks about it, the more it becomes obvious that the human being is going to demand a whole new range and approach with the earthy brown matter, and with technology stepping in, the future of the brick looks fantastic. New soils and material additives will soon fuse into this historic material and a range beyond the present dreams will become possible. Clay will fundamentally be the core material and others will blend to emerge a product that will make an architects’ dream of realising built spaces more adventurous.
You recommend the use of eco-friendly materials only? Are you against steel and aluminium?
What is glass, it is silica-based, well the answer lies there. Brick used in combination with other products and elements will make the world of habitable spaces more enduring and have depth that can transcend time and space. Technology is the back bone of any built space. To deny it would be foolish. I love any material or element that can express space in a more meaningful ways to reflect human aspirations. When you use a product, it should not have come from energy-guzzling units, but some small-scale entrepreneurs or from units who employ the toiling hand for meeting their daily bread.
Bricks save on material cost or gain values?
Judiciously used there could be a dramatic saving in both resources and time, even while adding to the abstract values which make life worth living.
A material is eco-friendly or disastrous depending on the conscious choice one makes with one’s senses open and makes a resource into a product that can fulfil the dreams and objectives of life on this planet.
The human being is always looking for a value-add in one’s actions and thoughts.
This ambition and inner search can be achieved in the world of architecture and built environment and make it richer with positive and sensitive approaches.
RANJANI GOVIND
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