Indigenous Construction Material

This article appeared in monthly Techno Biz Magazine Sep-Oct 2010 issue

We are very familiar with straw and mud. Explore the countryside and you will see dried stalks of threshed grains, especially wheat and rice everywhere. Straw is used as a fodder, for covering floors, and thatching roofs, and in weaving mats, screens, baskets, ornaments, hats, fans and more. You can also see mud houses dotting the countryside landscape.

Building homes and other living structures with straw is also tradition dating as back as to the start of civilization. Since prehistory, human beings are using straw as a construction material. The incorporation of machine compressed bales seems to have started in early last century though. Compressed straw bales are being used like bricks in the buildings.

Having grown up in the rural Punjab myself (I come from a rustic village situated on the bank of River Jhelum where it passes along the foot of the Salt Range), straw and mud have a special place rooted deep in to my cultural perceptions and this personal bond encourages a more intimate relationship between the straw and me.

Earlier we have discussed how mud engineering is reviving in Pakistan. Thanks to Dr. Norbert Pintsch and his mud housing projects that focus on architecture constructed of mud brick, rammed earth, compressed earth block and other methods of earthen construction. The proliferation of concept to use mud and improved techniques in order to raise the level of living in the population was discussed here on these pages some time ago. Now we have a look at straw as indigenous construction material.

Straw engineering has been introduced (I say re-introduced) in Pakistan after the devastating earthquake of 2005. Remember MW 7.6 quake that killed an estimated 100,000 people, razed over 780,000 buildings and rendered more than 3.5 million homeless mainly due to poorly constructed buildings in the area. Some 11 straw bale houses have been built in earthquake hit areas of Pakistan. A project to compress straw into bales is also working in village Jabbori – a heaven like village on the bank of River Siran in district Mansehra that suffered severe damage and loss of life in the 2005 earthquake. The awareness about the straw engineering and appropriate technology is growing fast.

What is more, Builders Without Borders (BWB) - an international network of ecological builders who form partnerships with communities and organizations around the world to create affordable housing from local materials and to work together for a sustainable future - believe the solution to homelessness is not merely housing, but training of local population to make houses for them. With the help of non-profit groups, BWB is offering help in the form of educational materials and has donated books and training materials for use at local level.

Renowned engineer Darcey Donovan is the spirit behind the concept of promoting straw engineering in Pakistan. Donovan has a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford University, an M.S. in Civil Engineering from the University of Nevada, Reno, and is a licensed Professional Civil Engineer practicing since 1986. She is very keenly working to see straw engineering takes off in the earthquake affected areas in northern Pakistan.

There are many reasons to use straw as a building material. Close examination of eco-architect Laurie Baker’s straw buildings reveals that “using natural materials and showing them off will lead to a greener building. Such strategies reduce the use of energy-guzzling materials such as cement, steel, aluminum and glass.” Straw engineering is earthquake resistant, consumes less energy and produces lesser emission. Straw (wheat, rice) is locally available in abundance.

Straw is economical, practical, functional and attractive alternative. It is easy to work with. Straw is especially useful in hot climates like we have in Pakistan and in earthquake prone areas. Straw is a natural material that is found everywhere, especially where other building materials such as bricks, stone or wood are scarce due to affordability and or availability.

Straw engineering is a construction method that uses compressed straw bales as structural elements, building insulation, or both. There are two major types of construction with compressed straw bales: load bearing and non load bearing. A pillar and beam framework that supports the basic structure of the building, with the compressed bales of straw used like normal bricks, is the most common non-load bearing method. On the other hand there are many load- bearing compressed straw bale buildings that are standing just fine. It is estimated that “the method and materials (mud, straw) can produce buildings at half the cost of conventional earthquake-resistant buildings in Pakistan.

Some unfounded myths say that that straw building have a greater risk for fire, can be easily infested by pests and straw gets wet and ultimately decompose? Empirical observations and laboratory tests show that this is not true. Canadian and American materials laboratories have found that “the straw bale structure wall has proven to be exceptionally resistant to fire.” What is more, walls can be mud plastered as early as possible to increase their fire resistance. Similarly, pests are more of an imagined concern than a real threat. Once the walls are properly mud plastered or sided, there is no way for bugs or rodents to get into the bales.

Moisture threats can be handled easily with proper design and construction methods. So long as the dry compressed bales are installed and are properly sealed with the plaster and protected from water infiltration, they will perform well. With proper construction techniques, water will not enter the building thus making decomposition impossible. Rice straw, in particular, has a high silica content which increases its resistance to decay.

Focus of straw engineering is on architecture with the help of compressed straw bales, rammed earth, compressed mud blocks and other earthen construction materials. The proliferation of concept to use straw and appropriate technology in order to improve the quality of life is a very welcome idea and we in Pakistan need that. This can go a long way not only in the form of changing the look of population centers, rural as well as urban, but also in solving environmental problems related to use of energy and other finite resources. We already have convincing engineering evidence that straw buildings are safe and sound to start.

Identity Access Management

This article appeared in monthly Techno Biz Magazine Mar 2010 issue

The security situation is continuously undergoing profound and complicated changes all over the world. Traditional and non-traditional security threats remain serious challenges to security at all levels. In is in the wake of growing security concerns and fear of terrorism that biometric technology is emerging fast as a security beef up.

The word biometric - combination of two Latin words bio and metric - means life measurement. Biometric is a measurement of physical and morphological characteristics or behavioral traits, some time called biometric identifiers, of human beings for identification and authentication through comparison. Typical biometric identification methods include fingerprint, voice, iris, retina, hand, facial measurements and comparing them with the records already held. Handwriting and signature are not physical traits but are also being measured and compared using biometric techniques.

How biometric technology works? Any of the biometric identifiers of a person is measured. The sensing device checks all possible dimensions like length, width, thickness, and surface area of the identifier. Resultant unique characteristics are processed and stored on computers as a sample. A mathematical representation of the identifier is retrieved when the user’s identification is required and verified by comparison with the pre held records. In addition, the sensor updates the configurations every time identifiers of the same person are read. The results are automatically processed to cater for different changes over time. Database of biometric identifiers may be stored at a central location, or at place where it is to be used, or on electronic devices.

Most of the world is still using more traditional security means (passwords, pins and keys). While these basic methods have been working fine, they are not ideal for all situations. Biometrics, on the other hand, is convenient and reliable security for everyone.

Biometric in desktop computing has been around for some fifteen years now but it still is a relatively newer concept for the general users to grasp. The fingerprint scanning - a century old technology - is currently the leading biometrics computer usage supporting keyboard, mouse and touch screen monitors.

Fingerprint biometrics is the frontrunner in the biometrics arena and it continues to be adopted into new markets and applications at a rapid pace.

The second best widely used biometric technology in computing is hand geometry. “Millions of hand geometry units are being used in identification application throughout the world reading users’ hands each day.” More advanced and sophisticated gimmicks are on the horizon. Other industry standard biometric security hardware and software that enable biometric logon to isolated computers and networks systems are facial recognition devices and iris scanners.

Biometric identification and authentication systems make it easy for network administrators and individual users to access their systems through more secure and reliable methods. It also helps integrate and control various systems - computers, networks, LANs, WANs, and telephone systems - at multiple locations.

The age of new security measures is upon us and it is not very far when biometric inspired solutions, PCs and a whole new breed of tools may be found on sale in Pakistan market at an affordable price.

“Not yet,” Khalid Irfan, Pakistani studying computer science in the United States says, “Market scouting reveals that even in America it will take another decade before the use of biometric ware will be common at grass root level. It may be employed in other security sensitive areas sooner though.”

Sheikh Kamran Aziz, a local software developer, thinks, “Though the security awareness is picking up but local concerns are not ready to embrace biometrics yet. One reason is that return on IT investments has yet not made a strong case here.”

Beyond desktop computing, which remains the take off point for any computer related product, biometrics applications are in use at many places from airports checkpoints and counters to identify unauthorized persons to time offices to cut the administrative costs associated with managing the time offices overseas.

Biometrics is being effectively integrated into a wide range of common access control systems, such as home or office door locks, time and attendance systems and office buildings and at the airports and other entry points. Growing usage is already leading to rapid market expansion and adoption in recent years.

In present times, “Wall Street firm first used the finger print scanner to open its vaults in 1968. Biometric locks already guard the offices of US Vice President,” says a report. But what is getting harder and controversial is the use of biometrics identifiers in passports and visas. This decision to use biometrics identifiers in passports has more civil, political and diplomatic repercussions than just technological or industrial.

Still, biometric is a multi billion dollars industry today. Many industry giants are working to capture focused niches in the world market; spending a lot of money or products, software and services.

No wonders, given the threat perceptions of prevalent security situation in the world, reliable degree of accuracy and convenience combined together in biometric technology, there is a matching demand driven market for biometric solutions in public as well private sectors the world over.

In the past few years, biometric technologies have pushed through obstructions that had slowed their adoption in mainstream computing. Performance and sophistication have increased among all types of biometrics methods and prices have plunged making biometrics an attractive addition to security systems in the digital world.

The remaining challenges for biometrics are to address the requirements for large-scale commercial adoption and overcoming non-technical controversies in its employment.

The convergence of biometric technology with conventional computing is increasingly regarded as the next frontier for computer sciences, with potentially endless possibilities.

We are poised to see any other shift in digital lifestyle in about decade time. May be the users in our country will also self carry their own biometric identifications by then?

Blogging Makes Money

Read article in Techno Biz, November 2009 issue.

What is a Twitter

This article appeared in monthly Techno Biz, Aug 2009 issue

What is a Twitter? Well, it depends on whom the question is asked. For millions of ordinary people with access to a computer and an Internet connection, Twitter is an easy way to self publish their thoughts, concerns, and feelings or a means of talking to each other and sharing whatever they want to. To some Twitter still is a place to answer simple question; What are you doing? Some others say it is a voice that is being heard in this din. Twitter is an outlet on so many levels for so many people and a real time media (it is not about something that happened yesterday rather it is about what is happening now). Dubbed as microblogging or moblogging, Twitter may be vanity site and a short cut to fame for many as Tweets are ego gratifying sometime. For e-marketers Twitter is a quick tool for building businesses and brands.

From Formless to Form

This article appeared in monthly Techno Biz , June 2009 issue

The future lies in mud architecture. Though this sweeping statement may sound prehistoric, but it is very relevant to modern times. Building living spaces with mud is a tradition dating as back as the start of civilization. Some excellent examples from the Great Mosque - the world’s largest mud building and UNESCO’s World Heritage site – to the oldest surviving mud specimens found in the Harappa, Pakistan, show the continuous use of mud buildings.

Having grown up in mud house myself (before I moved to urban center), mud buildings have a special place rooted deep in to my cultural consciousness and this personal bond encourages a more intimate relationship between me and the mud as the material transformed from formlessness to form. Hence my interest in mud architecture and how I see its future in Pakistan.

Why use Mud? Mud – a mixture of earth and water - is economical, practical, functional and attractive. It is easy to work with, and it takes decoration well. Mud is especially useful in humid and hot climates like we have in Pakistan. Mud is a natural material that is found in abundance, especially where other building materials such as bricks, stone or wood are scarce due to affordability and or availability. In Pakistan, use of mud has evolved from local necessity. Which is why the use of extremely sticky mud deposited found along river banks or elsewhere in Pakistan combined with appropriate technology makes an excellent material to build functional and climate friendly buildings.

Work has already started and many experts are critically analyzing the more purposeful use of mud as a building material. Dr. Gus Van Beek of the Department of Anthropology, National Museum of Natural History is working on a book in which he is examining methods of construction and varieties of designs in contemporary as well as ancient structures found at many places. Dr. Gus Van Beek’s research started when he uncovered arch and vault construction at Tel Jemmeh, Israel. Dr. Gus Van Beek is covering major types of construction in Morocco, Egypt, Yemen, Israel, Syria, Iraq, Iran, India and Pakistan.

At local level, Society for the Promotion of Art and Culture (SPARC), registered in Lahore since 1994, is undertaking the task of revival of much needed mud architecture in Pakistan. SPARC planning to hold workshops at different art and architecture institutions in order to restart the traditional building with mud in rural as well as urban areas of Pakistan. These workshop will not only create awareness and initiate a thought process at gross roots level but will also train SPARC employees in mud architecture. Dr. Norbert Pintsch from Senior Expert Service (Bonn, Germany) is planning to present new techniques of mud building to adapt the construction technique mixed with appropriate technology in Pakistan.

Prof Dr Norbert Pintsch is an experienced architect by profession and mud enthusiast by choice. Since completing first building project as an architect at the age of 18, Prof Dr Norbert Pintsch has been in various activities as an architect and civil engineer all his life. One of the best starting point for Prof Dr Norbert Pintsch may be a mud building that stands in Peerzada Festival Area, Green Acre, Lahore. Renowned Pakistani architect like Ghayyoor Obaid are also keen on mud architecture there. Any other example that I know of is remains of Sher Shah Suri built mud fort in historic village Sher Ghar near Okara.

The mud architecture is a great resource that focuses on architecture constructed of mud brick, rammed earth, compressed earth block and other methods of earthen construction. The proliferation of concept to use mud and improved techniques in order to raise the level of living in the population is a very welcome idea and we in Pakistan need that. This can go a long way not only in the form of changing the look of population centers, rural as well as urban, but also in solving environmental problems and problems related to use of energy and other finite resources.