Materials for the Human Habitat
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Materials for the Human Habitat T.N. Gupta Form ever follows function. —Louis Henri Sullivan One outstandingly important fact regarding Spaceship Earth, and that is that no instruction book came with it. —Buckminster Fuller Operating Manual for Spaceship Earth (1969)
Introduction People have inhabited all regions of the Earth, from the most benign terrain to the harshest climatic conditions. They have made great efforts to remain and master the natural local environment rather than to migrate to more congenial and comfortable climes. The choice of materials for shelter was thus determined by what was locally available, appropriate, and affordable: ice in polar regions; stone and timber in temperate zones; mud, brick, and thatch in warmer areas; soil and stone in arid deserts; and bamboo and timber in tropical regions. The choice and further improvement of these materials run parallel to the development of human ingenuity. Materials available today reflect such historical interaction, initially through experience, and later based on scientific experimentation, evaluation, and technology development. Today’s habitats are monuments that go far beyond societal needs for living, working, public and private congregations or assemblies, leisure activities, commuting, and communication; they are outlets for artistic expression, culture and tradition, prosperity, and for defying the bounds of our previous existence. Materials for habitats have taken two different routes, solely determined by the economy. Poorer areas remain confined to economic compulsions that at best permit use of materials needed for minimum functional requirements. Space is often cramped, not totally protected against the environment and natural calamities such as earthquakes and hurricanes, and often not connected to adequate sanitation facilities or utilities. The prosperous sector, meanwhile, has ridden high on the wave of materials development, using steel, cement, plastics, and glass, as they have been developed, to build structures of comfort, safety, and beauty. The challenge of the coming decades is one of destroying this habitation divide, not 60
only by making the appropriate construction materials available and affordable to all parts of the world, but also by developing ingenious structures using cheap but locally available materials that provide comfort and safety not accessible or affordable before. Another challenge is to stretch the performance of materials beyond what even the most industrialized countries have done: reaching new heights, inhabiting inhospitable locales such as outer space, and adding smart structures to make our surroundings adapt to our needs.
Energy Needs and Environmental Concerns in Developing Countries The principal factors affecting a country’s materials use are the consumption of energy, natural-resource endowments, and the economy. These three factors, coupled with national policies and programs for the development of habitat, govern the demand for materials, the potential for investment in research and deve
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