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Executive Summary
Engineers Without Borders are a non-profit organisation that endeavours to impart
knowledge, resources and technology needed to fulfil self-indicated needs of individuals and
communities. (Engineers Without Borders, 2012) This project is organised by Engineers
without Borders in conjunction with Habitat for Humanity Vietnam. Habitat for Humanity is
a non-profit organisation of Christian origin that endeavours to provide “a world where
everyone has a safe and decent place to live” (Habitat for Humanity, 2010)
The project between these two organisations is one that focuses on waste management,
specifically in the South of Vietnam, the Anh Minh district in the Kien Giang province. This is
an agricultural region of Vietnam; people live on farms with the majority of money coming
through the rice export industry, however poverty is still a major issue in this area, as more
than 90% of impoverished Vietnamese people live in rural areas. (Taylor, 2007) Before
decided upon our design we created a set of criteria to assess our design ideas against to
ensure that the best idea that covered all required outcomes set by Engineers Without
Borders and Habitat for Humanity.
The four designs that were then analysed against the criteria were a human waste disposal
unit, a water filtration system, an education system and a house with walls made from
plastic bottles and cement. The design that was decided upon is one that makes use of
recycled plastics in order to create cheaper building materials for the Vietnamese people
than is currently available. Plastic bottles will be used as a replacement for bricks; they will
be placed next to one another and held in place with cement. The main focus of this design
is the construction of walls and how this could then be made cheaper and more cost
This design will be implemented with the help of Habitat for Humanity Vietnam as an
alternative to normal building methods, in that the local people will be given a choice as to
what sort of house they would like to build so they can compare prices and durability. The
house will be able to be made on site, the cement being mixed by the homeowner and the
wall being able to be built by the homeowner or by a contractor if they wish to hire them.
Habitat for Humanity Vietnam will also be able to offer help to the homeowner in similar
financial and labour ways to what they do now. There are only three base materials that are
required for this project; cement, sand and plastic bottles. Habitat for Humanity Vietnam
will be provided with simple manuals that will make it clear how the house can be
constructed and the homeowners have some instructions to follow when they try to build
their house.
The chosen design was one that utilises materials that take longer to break down and will be
able to withstand the weather of the area with greater strength. This means the
environmental impact will be positive as it will decrease the waste from broken down
houses and also will be able to stand for many years before being replaced. The social
impact would also be positive as it could be seen to bring the communities closer together,
as many small communities already work together to build houses.
The design for EWB’s Waste Management project that has been devised can be seen to
address almost all the issues that were set out in the initial conditions and the result is an
alternative building material for the homeowners of Anh Minh, a material that should be
much more durable and sustainable than what is currently being implemented by the locals.
Possible Solutions........................................................................................................... 10
Decision Making Criteria ............................................................................................................................................ 11
Pros and Cons.................................................................................................................................................................. 11
Human Waste Disposal.................................................................................................................................................... 11
Water Filtration .................................................................................................................................................................. 12
Recycled Materials House ............................................................................................................................................... 13
Education System ............................................................................................................................................................... 13
Our Decision................................................................................................................... 14
Similar Cases.................................................................................................................................................................... 15
Implementation ............................................................................................................. 23
Overview ........................................................................................................................................................................... 23
Materials............................................................................................................................................................................ 23
Equipment ........................................................................................................................................................................ 24
Safety .................................................................................................................................................................................. 25
Materials Cost.................................................................................................................................................................. 26
Environment .................................................................................................................................................................... 27
Education .......................................................................................................................................................................... 27
Construction .................................................................................................................................................................... 28
Phase 1 - Gather .................................................................................................................................................................. 28
Phase 2 - Prepare ............................................................................................................................................................... 28
Phase 3 - Construct ............................................................................................................................................................ 28
Procedure ......................................................................................................................................................................... 28
Wall........................................................................................................................................................................................... 28
Foundations .......................................................................................................................................................................... 30
Other Applications ........................................................................................................................................................ 32
Toiletry .................................................................................................................................................................................... 32
Water Storage...................................................................................................................................................................... 32
Walls ......................................................................................................................................................................................... 33
Recommendations ......................................................................................................... 37
Conclusion...................................................................................................................... 40
Bibliography ................................................................................................................... 82
Figure 5 (Page 15) Plastic Bottle Wall Construction in Nigeria (Hattam, 2011)
Figure 9 (Page 32) Diagram Showing How Prototype Foundations Were Made
Table 2 (Page 22) Table Showing Results of Failure Load, and Calculated Safety Load
Talks that then took between the two parties were unsuccessful, and war broke out again in
1946. This conflict lasted eight years, with the French seeking negotiations to end the war in
1954 due to the number of casualties they had sustained. These talks resulted in the division
of Vietnam into the Communist North and French backed South Vietnam. (History Channel,
2012)
However the Communists soon decided to reunite the country under the one government,
and in 1963, the Vietnam War escalated, as the US backed leader of South Vietnam, Diem
was killed by his own staff. The Communists used the ensuing confusion to push further into
the South of the country, and the involvement of the United States began (History Channel,
2012). The war continued until 1975 (although US troops withdrew in 1973), with the
Communists capturing Saigon, with the Socialist Republic of Vietnam forming in 1976.
(History Channel, 2012)
Since then, the government of Vietnam has attempted to find foreign investment, and also
to improve relations with the United States to improve their growth, and recent policies,
treaties and trade agreements have resulted in Vietnam being well placed for economic
growth in the 21st Century.
The People
Vietnamese people are strongly associated with their family. Family always comes first, as
well as maintaining a strong relationship with their ancestors, through regular worship.
(Kwintessential, 2004). This is strongly linked to Confucian ethics and principles, which stem
from the historical links between Vietnam and China. (Kwintessential, 2004). This system of
beliefs, Confucianism, emphasises the obligation people have towards one another based
upon their relationship. The status of a Vietnamese person depends on their age and level
of education with an emphasis on those with higher educational level deemed as having a
higher status (Kwintessential, 2004).
When considering this project, another aspect that must be taken into consideration is the
poverty rate in the Mekong Delta region. Even though Vietnam has experienced some rapid
economic growth over the past decade, some regions have been left behind, and many of
the people still struggle to live comfortable lives. (Anonymous, Rural Poverty in Vietnam,
2010) The Anh Minh district is an example of this, and many people in the region are
trapped in lives of poverty. Therefore, in the making of a solution to the waste problem, it
must meet these basic criteria involving the context in which it will be built.
In the districts that do have rubbish collection, the urban areas, the people of Vietnam
“place their waste out on the open gutters of the street in front of their dwelling for
URENCO (Urban Environment Company) employees to pick up, a process that occurs a few
times daily” (Nguyen T. , 2005), the waste is then taken to a URENCO truck that takes all the
rubbish collected to a dumpsite or landfill.
As the main source of rubbish disposal is landfills, rubbish in generally just discarded in
landfills and left there to decompose. As the economic wealth of Vietnam slowly grows,
more and more cities disregard wastage as a key issue and focus on economic growth. This
in turn leads to most landfills not having the necessary covers and linings (Nguyen T. , 2005).
These landfills with inadequate tops are usually located relatively close to residential areas,
e.g. 200 – 500 metres away (Nguyen T. , 2005) and these can cause health risks to both
humans and the native wildlife. Waste is also disposed of by incineration but on a larger
scale. Recycling and reusing materials is becoming more prominent in Vietnam, this is due to
many families giving away items or selling them back to used/repair shops (Nguyen T. ,
2005).
This year, EWB has selected two communities as focal points for the EWB Challenge. These
are the Pitchandikulum forest in India, and, in our case, the Anh Minh region in the Mekong
Delta, Vietnam. In the case of the Anh Minh region, the challenge is supported by Habitat
for Humanity Vietnam. (Engineers Without Borders, 2012)
Habitat for Humanity strives to achieve this through their core principles of:
Prevention, minimisation and reuse are the more preferred options in regards to waste
management, following the suggestion that prevention is better than cure. By reducing
wastage, it is also reducing the environmental problems, as opposed to managing the
impacts. Therefore, the project will be mainly targeting reuse through the use of plastic
bottles.
In designing the waste solution, the first thing to consider is the general context of the
Vietnamese people. This ensures that something is not built that is not going to be able to
fit in with the Vietnamese culture. An example of this would be if something was built on
the basis that the Vietnamese people have all the tools and expertise we have in Australia
and using top of the range equipment. If this were the case, the project would not succeed
as there are two very different types of resources and skill levels prevalent. Therefore,
before attempting a project, the general context of Vietnam, the Mekong Delta, and its
people, must be understood.
Government EWB
Least affected
Local People LL
Stakeholder Description
Government The Vietnamese government has to approve of our building material, which could
also result in financial benefits for the country, as it is cheaper than current
building methods, leaving more money in the pockets of the people, and the
government.
Local People Both landowners and landless peoples are included in this group, although landless
people are not directly affected by our project until they can afford to build a
house with our material. Landowners are directly affected due to the change in
building materials available at a lower cost, and as such have a different option
when building on their land.
Recycling Companies These businesses often make profit from collecting plastic bottles, and as such,
could be competition to our project.
Habitat for Humanity At the moment, Habitat for Humanity offers finance and labour for building in
Vietnam. We are suggesting that they help implement our design.
Engineers Without EWB are the mediators between engineers in Australia and Habitat for Humanity.
Borders Australia They organise and assess projects for use by Habitat for Humanity.
Tourism An area that may be affected by our project, although most likely indirectly. If
Vietnam is able to develop its rural regions using our material, it may help improve
income through tourism, as more facilities are available at a lower cost to the
Vietnamese people.
Project Goals
Working together in accordance with Habitat for Humanity’s vision and goals, the goal for
this project is to design a waste solution for the increasing waste problems faced by the
people in the Anh Minh district. As sustainability and equality is an ever-increasing issue in
the globalised world, the waste solution must be beneficial in all aspects of providing a safe
and sanitary place to live.
Therefore, the goal for the project is to provide a better way of living in whatever way
possible, through improving waste management and reducing wastage to the people of
Vietnam, in conjunction with Habitat for Humanity’s Vision and Goals.
Design Considerations
The design considerations that were decided upon for the design were from research into
the goals of Engineers without Borders and Habitat for Humanity Vietnam that are given
below. The design considerations are key in ensuring that the goals below are covered in
their entirety and as a result the project was completed in alignment with the design
briefing. The goals were:
Align with Habitat for Humanity’s goals and values, supporting their key business of
housing, construction and sanitation.
Be innovative, low cost, small-scale, affordable and appropriate.
Take into account cultural customs, local norms and religion.
Be sustainable through considering the way that local materials, skills and knowledge
of the local community are used.
Be durable and take into account the natural environment, including disasters and
climate change and sustainable land management. (Engineers Without Borders,
2012)
After reading through these goals the research that was done then broadened the
considerations we thought were integral to the project in order to formulate the best
solution to the problem and fulfil the most areas of the design brief. It was found that
Possible Solutions
Brainstorming of ideas yielded some interesting ideas:
Water Filtration
This system would reduce the levels of salt, heavy metals, microorganisms in drinking water
through the use of locally sourced materials such as rice husks, limestone etc. and would be
sturdy and have a relatively long life.
Water Filtration
Pros:
Cons:
Does not solve any waste issues in the Anh Minh region.
The device could potentially be very complicated to produce/maintain.
Potential for a short lifespan of the device resulting in more waste.
Education would be needed on how to use and maintain the device.
Cons:
If the plastic bottles are burnt it could release toxic fumes into the atmosphere,
increasing pollution.
Cement has some health risks if used improperly
Education System
Pros:
Might be hazardous from floods, composting bins could spread germs into water and
other bins may be tipped over and rubbish will spread from the flooding,
Might not be accepted by Vietnamese people as an ‘easy and simple’ idea.
May not be appropriate in the area – could be hard to have a system in houses if
they are very small with only one area.
Customs could be conflicted.
Durability could be an issue.
Our Decision
The waste management toilet was not chosen as it was seen to not cover too many of the
criteria, or another option covered this particular criterion in a better manner. The criteria
that were not covered by this option were the overall cost, it would be hard to implement
successfully into the society, it only addressed the disposal of organic waste, and could pose
significant health risks to the individuals due to the potential infestation of insects and
disease in the composting area.
Water filtration was immediately ruled out because it was seen to barely cover any of the
criteria required in the design. It would only improve water quality and was not a long-term
solution to the waste problem, because it would only utilise waste when the filtration
system was first constructed. As it would be designed to be durable, the level of waste
removed by this project would only be a small amount.
The recycled house, our preferred design option, was seen to cover every criterion except
for one. This one criterion was the disposal of organic waste in the district.
The education scheme for waste management was almost decided upon over the recycled
house but had one more criterion that was not satisfied in the design that was put forward.
It did not address Habitat for Humanity’s values and goals as well as the recycled house as
housing is a major part of their vision and a satisfactory solution to the non-recycled
materials could not be found.
Similar Cases
A plastic bottle house or use of plastic bottles for the foundations and walls has been
implemented around the world, and has been a great success. The recycled plastic bottle
houses are popular as they have similar
strength to conventional construction.
These houses are a “sturdy, well-
insulated, and inexpensive three-room
structure that is resistant to both bullets
and earthquakes (Hattam, 2011). A plastic
bottle house was constructed in Nigeria
where they have experienced similar
waste management problems to that of
Vietnam. Many plastic bottles were
Another similar waste management project on a much larger scale is that of a plastic bottle
building in Taiwan where 1.5 million bottles were used to build the ‘ecoARK’. The goal of the
building was to “reduce, reuse and recycle” (Messenger, 2010). Plastic bottles are a problem
in Taiwan - “4% of the nation’s plastic bottles are recycled and reused-and with 2.4 billion
bottles used annually, that adds up to a lot of waste to clutter landfills or worse, make it out
to sea” (Messenger, 2010).
Final Design
The rationale for the final design solution was based upon the background information
outlined in this report, which identifies local requirements in terms of housing. Analysis of
each design option against the evaluation criteria has successfully enabled the outline of
each in terms of their environmental, social, and economic attributes. It has been
determined from this process that the chosen design is the plastic bottle bricks.
The Human Waste Disposal, Water Filtration and Education System design options did not
meet the requirements necessary to fulfil the design brief from the evaluations conducted.
Therefore, they will not be researched further as potential solutions for the final report.
The chosen project design - plastic bottle bricks - is simple and cost-effective. Instead of
using bricks for the walls, as a typical house would, it uses sand filled plastic bottles. It is
environmentally friendly as it uses recycled materials (the plastic bottles), instead of
bamboos or red clay bricks which essentially promotes sustainability and reduces plastic
waste. The proposed design of house is much more energy efficient, durable and cheaper in
comparison to the current typical houses in Vietnam. The housing development project will
provide long-term environmental, social and economic benefits and these benefits will
significantly contribute to the overall improvement of living standards within the
community.
Construction
The construction of a plastic bottle house is relatively simple, with the use of simple tools
and well-understood techniques. The manual can easily be followed by the local people of
Anh Minh. The manual to construct the house is visually orientated and translated into the
local dialect so that the local people won’t have any great difficulties in following the
manual. However, mutual cooperation amongst various castes, cultures and hierarchies
throughout the community is required in order for a smooth construction of the house. It is
important that the community actively get involved in the implementations, throughout the
design and construction phase for a fast, easy and smooth implementation.
The equipment required to construct/complete a build using sand filled plastic bottles will
be similar to that required to build a regular house made from bricks. The equipment
needed is: a wheelbarrow, thick wood/shovel, wooden boards, trowel, thin wood and
facemask. Special equipment will be provided by Habitat for Humanity Vietnam (Turner,
Habitat for Humanity Vietnam Participants Discussions: Building Equipment, 2012).
For a general idea on how to construct a plastic bottle house, the basic simple steps are
shown below.
1. Get all the equipment ready for use and obtain all the materials required i.e. plastic
bottles, sand and cement.
2. Fill the collected bottles with sand and prepare the ground in which the construction
will take place.
3. Follow the manual provided to complete the construction.
The detailed procedures on how to construct a plastic bottle house are included in a later
section of this report.
Maintenance
The maintenance for a house made with our material is similar to the maintenance for a
normal house. The house needs to be checked yearly, as this will help save money by
reducing the possibility of major repairs and failures, extend the life of the home as well as
improving the house’s appearance and appeal. Depending on the homeowner, maintenance
checks could also be performed more regularly.
1. Check for cracks on the house structure, these will be vertical cracks running
between the bottles.
2. Check the roof for missing or cracked tiles. In this case, it would be depending on the
roof materials used. Repair as necessary.
3. Clean the gutters and drain pipes to prevent leaves clogging them and be sure they
drain away from the house.
4. Seal doors and windows and replace seals as needed.
5. Look for cracks and holes in house paint and repaint if necessary to seal surface and
patch up any cracks or holes. Our suggestion is to repaint the walls of the house once
every two years.
If the homeowner decides to render the sides of the walls, it is best to wait for at least seven
days until the cement is set and dries completely before rendering. This will ensure that the
render has something to stick to, as wet cement is not porous enough for the render to
stick.
Empty bottle foundations or walls are made from cement with the ratio of sand to cement
powder being 3:1. The sand-filled bottle foundation or wall was made from concrete with
the same ratio of sand to powder as the empty bottle prototypes. However the ratio of
Vietnam is known to be one of the most disaster-prone countries in the world (Nguyen H.
N., 2007), as such the compressive strength for walls and foundations of the houses must be
high in order to endure the commonly occurring floods and disasters.
The following tests are usually conducted to establish the engineering properties of cement:
1. Compressive Strength
2. Splitting Tensile Strength
3. Flexural Strength
4. Abrasion Resistance
In this case, however, the only test that could be carried out for this design project was the
Compressive Strength Test as the time wasn’t sufficient in conducting the other three tests.
The computer controlled hydraulic compression testing machine consists of load frame, oil
source control cabinet, computer and printer. It adopts a hydraulic load, oil pressure
transducer to measure load, as well as PC-hydraulic proportion technology to auto control
the testing process. Specialised software realises the display of testing load, peak value, and
load-time curve, with data analysis, storage and print function. (Waters, 2012)
The compressive strength test was carried out for each prototype. The surface area of which
the load/stress (measured in kilo newtons) was applied to is known as the bed face area
(measured in mm2) (National Ready Mix Concrete Association, 2003). The bed face area for
each prototype was covered with a wooden board to ensure the load was spread evenly
across the prototype when it was compressed. The prototype to be tested was placed in the
compressive testing machine, and load was applied at a rate of 0.1 seconds. For safety
reasons, those involved in the test were required to wear fully enclosed shoes and safety
glasses.
60
Foundation - No Sand
50
40 Foundation - Sand
30 Wall - No Sand
20 Wall - Sand
10
0
1
225
113
337
449
561
673
785
897
1009
1121
1233
1345
1457
1569
1681
1793
1905
2017
2129
2241
2353
2465
2577
2689
-10
Time (milliseconds)
The compressive strength was calculated using the following equation (Mishra, 2011):
When load is constantly being applied on a structure, it will eventually become large enough
to cause the member to become unstable. Significant unpredictable deformations can then
also be caused when further load is being applied, which might lead to complete loss of
load-carrying capacity. When this occurs, the member is said to have buckled or to have
deformed. (Wright, 2005)
Load at failure is the load value at the failure point where a sharp drop in the load occurs
after the main part of deformation and energy absorption. Depending on conditions such as
temperature, state of stress and loading rate, most materials can fail in a brittle or ductile
manner or both. In the case of our prototypes, our failure will be in a brittle manner as
cement is a non-elastic material. The maximum load is denoted by the highest peak, as
shown on the graph above (Figure 6). However, it is safer to choose a load value slightly
before the maximum value of load to provide a safety margin. This means that anything
Table 2 - Table Showing Results of Failure Load, and our calculated Safety Load
The average weight of a house roof is 40 lb./ft2, which when converted to kg/mm2, would be
1.94 x 10-4 kg/mm2 (Anonymous, General Construction Dead Loads, n.d).
The compressive strength of the sand-filled bottle wall is 0.162 N/mm2, which is when
converted to kg/mm2, would be 1.59 kg/mm2. This means that it is able to hold a weight of
1.59 kg/mm2. Since the average weight of a house roof is 1.94 x 10-4 kg/mm2, it is evident
that the sand-filled bottle wall would be strong enough to hold an average house roof.
Implementation
The project’s plan is to reduce the social, environmental and economic cost of building a
house in the Anh Minh district. This is to be achieved through a simple community
emphasised approach to the implementation of the plastic bottle bricks.
Overview
The project is to be implemented in conjunction with Habitat for Humanity Vietnam (HFHV)
and proposed as a cheaper alternative to the current red clay bricks and a more durable and
long term option than the thatched building materials currently used. The project will
primarily be suggested as a building material for locals to use in the design of long term
houses however it will also be suggested as a more viable means to construct toilets and
water tanks.
The housing material will be made on site; by the home owner themselves and with help
from HFHV through their current schemes of providing finance and/or labour to local
families.
Materials
The simplicity of the plastic bottle brick design means that it only requires three core
materials. These are cement, plastic bottles and sand.
Cement is locally available in the Kien Giang province and can be supplied for a cost of 1800
VND ($0.09 USD) per kg (Engineers Without Borders, 2012). Through research and
Equipment
The equipment required to complete a build using plastic bottle bricks will be similar to that
required to build a regular brick house. This may be an issue for the local community to gain
access to this building equipment, because of this common household items have been used
to replace more complex building equipment where possible. All of the equipment required
that locals cannot gain access to will be available from Habitat for Humanity Vietnam
(Turner, Habitat for Humanity Vietnam Participants Discussions: Building Equipment, 2012)
Equipment Use
The amount of risk involved in the build can also be calculated. A risk assessment of the
construction of foundations/walls is shown below.
Category Score
To evaluate the table above the three scores are simply multiplied together, this gives the
construction of foundations/walls a risk score of 150. This score places the activity in the
medium risk category. This means that safety procedures will need to be in place before any
construction begins and all precautions should be made to minimise the risk that the project
involves.
A job safety analysis work sheet has also been completed for the build. This covers each
step in construction and goes through potential hazards and risks. The work sheet will
Materials Cost
The key driving point behind the plastic bottle bricks is their affordability. The design will
provide the local people buildings that are equivalent to bricked homes only a fraction of
the cost. Table 4 summarises the costs of materials used in the design, and Table 5 shows
the costs for a typical brick house in the Anh Minh district:
Material Cost
Material Cost
Hollow clay bricks (7x7x18cm) 1000 VND (0.05 USD) per piece
Solid clay bricks (4x7x18cm) 800 VND (0.04 USD) per piece
Table 5 indicates the affordability of a building made out of plastic bottle bricks. With plastic
bottles replacing the clay bricks the design will be very attractive to locals due to the
Environment
The natural environment in the Anh Minh district must be taken into account for the design
of a plastic bottle brick building. The Anh Minh district, being a part of the Mekong River
Delta, experiences frequent flooding, high tides and seasonal tropical storms (Nguyen H. N.,
2007). These events have become increased in frequency and magnitude in recent years
(Nguyen X. H., 2011). The design of a plastic bottle brick building must be able to stand up to
the effects of strong winds, exposure to sea water and flooding. Salt can affect the longevity
of cement by causing cracks in cement if frequently exposed to sea water. (Portland Cement
Association, 2012). To minimise this effect, high quality cement mix will be recommended
(as can be seen in the manual) as this reduces the size and frequency of pours on the
cements surface (Anonymous, Will Salt Break Down Concrete?, 2012). Flash flooding in the
Anh Minh district is rare (Nguyen H. N., 2007), therefore a plastic bottle brick house will not
have to withstand strong forces from water flow, it is suggested however that the houses
are lifted off the ground and onto stilts in areas where flooding is common place to protect
the durability of the house.
Education
The local people who wish to use the design will need to be educated on how to successfully
implement it. To achieve this, a simple manual with minimal writing will be distributed to
interested locals with the help of Habitat for Humanity. These manuals will show the locals
how to construct foundations and a wall using the plastic bottle bricks. Locals will also be
able to obtain support and guidance through Habitat for Humanity on how to use plastic
bottle bricks in construction. The manual can be found at the end of this report. The manual
will have an emphasis on being easy to understand and follow logically.
Phase 1 - Gather
The gathering phase is the simplest, requiring the homeowner to calculate the number of
bottles they will require and to then collect the bottles and necessary equipment.
Phase 2 - Prepare
The prepare phase then requires the homeowner to fill the collected bottles with sand and
prepare the ground upon which the construction will take place.
Phase 3 - Construct
The construction phase is the most difficult and requires the homeowner to closely follow
the manual provided to them. This phase is also where the help of HFHV will be provided.
Procedure
The following outlines the information present in the manuals on how to construct a wall
and foundations using plastic bottle bricks.
Wall
The construction of a wall using plastic bottle bricks is relatively simple and very similar to
that of constructing a wall out of regular clay bricks.
Phase 1- Gather
The first step is for the local people to gather the required amount of water bottles. The
locals can calculate the total number of bottles they will require for walls using the formula
provided in the manual. The formula is as follows;
Therefore by calculating the total volume of the walls the locals will easily be able to know
how many bottles to collect.
Phase 2- Prepare
Phase two requires the homeowner to prepare the area in which the wall will be built and
the plastic bottle bricks. The plastic bottle bricks will need to be filled with tightly packed
sand before building can commence. The manual suggests that walls be built on
foundations. In these cases as long as the foundations are in place the prepare phase is
completed. Otherwise the homeowner will need to ensure that the build occurs on flat and
solid ground*.
*NB. This is not recommended, as it will greatly affect the durability of the wall (Engineers
Daily, n.d).
Phase 3-Construct
A wall using plastic bottle bricks is constructed in the same way as a wall made out of
regular bricks. The manual details exactly how a wall should be constructed using plastic
bottle bricks. The process is also detailed below, and our prototype is seen in Figure 7.
1. Lay, 2cm (3/4 inch) of cement onto the foundations of which the wall is being built.
2. Place plastic bottles on top of this cement with a 1cm (1/3 inch) space between bottles.
3. Pour cement on top of these bottles being careful to fill in all gaps, ensuring that the cement
is 2cm (3/4 inch) above the top of the bottles.
4. Place the next layer of plastic bottles in between the bottles below, as shown in Figure 7
(over).
5. Pour cement on top of these bottles being careful to fill in all gaps, ensuring that the cement
is 2cm (3/4 inch) above the top of the bottles.
6. Repeat steps 1-5 until the wall is at the desired height.
7. Once the wall is built and dried completely render the sides to achieve the desired outward
aesthetic look.
Bottles
It is important to note that the wall should not be rendered to make the sides smooth in the
initial stages. This is because unlike bricks, plastic bottles are not made of a porous material
and therefore applying excess cement to the sides of the wall will result in the cement
falling off as it has nothing to “hold onto”. The wall can still be rendered however once the
initial cement laid has dried, as the dry cement can then act as the porous material allowing
the wet cement to stick to the sides of the wall.
Foundations
The foundations will provide a solid footing for a house. The benefit of plastic bottle brick
foundations is that they can be built to any height.
Phase 1- Gather
The water bottles for the foundations will need to be gathered. The locals can calculate the
total number of bottles they will require for foundations using the formula provided in the
manual. The formula is as follows;
Therefore by calculating the total volume of the foundations the locals will easily be able to
know how many bottles to collect.
NB.* this relationship was calculated using the prototype model which used 9 bottles in
0.01296m3 as is shown in Appendix No. 4.
The foundations require all plastic bottles used to be tightly packed with sand. The housing
example provided in this report suggests the foundations to be what is known as “strip”
foundations. Strip foundations, as seen in Figure 8, are foundations that only support the
walls of a building.
Wall
Wooden floor
Ground level
For the foundations to be durable, the ground on which they are built must be flattened and
compacted to reduce the possibility of structural damage occurring (Engineers Daily, n.d).
The foundations of the house can be built to any height depending on the area in which the
house is built and how much the homeowner is willing to spend. For example in low lying
areas the foundations will need to be higher to provide better protection against floods than
in relatively higher areas.
Phase 3- Construct
Construction of the strip foundations is fairly straight forward. The first step is to dig a hole
in the ground that follows all of the walls and has a consistent depth. The second is to put
up wooden “moulds” in these holes for which the cement can be poured into. Note that it is
possible to pour the cement straight into the hole dug however to preserve structural
integrity this is not recommended. The wooden moulds should be 40cm wide and 20cm high
as outlined in the manual. Once the wooden moulds are in place cement is poured to fill the
moulds up to a quarter of their depth (i.e. 5cm). The plastic bottles are then placed firmly
rd
Wooden boards 3 fill the rest of the mould
with cement
nd
2 firmly place bottles (upright) into
cement
20cm
st
1 fill mould ¼ of its depth with cement
40cm
After one layer of foundations has been laid and the foundations have dried it is then
possible for another layer to be built on top using the exact same process. In this way the
foundations can be built as high as is necessary.
Other Applications
Although the suggested use of plastic bottle brisks is for house construction it would also be
possible to use the design in many other contexts. Plastic bottles bricks serve as a direct
replacement for conventional bricks and can therefore be implemented in any situation that
conventional bricks are used. This makes the design extremely flexible and useful to the
community at large as the design is not restricted to one specific use.
Toiletry
Human sanitation in the Anh Minh district is a major issue (Engineers Without Borders,
2012) and the plastic bottle bricks could help to alleviate this. Currently a toilet is often too
expensive for local people to afford, however if a toilet was made of plastic bottle bricks
then this would significantly reduce the financial burden on a family and hence increase the
number of households with permanent toilets.
Water Storage
Another major issue in the Anh Minh district is the quality of water (Engineers Without
Borders, 2012). Locals often struggle to have a continuous supply of clean drinking water
(Engineers Without Borders, 2012). The current method of water storage involves using
Walls
Plastic bottle bricks can be used in the construction of walls in the same way that brick walls
are made. The only difference between the two would be the price, with plastic bottles
available for free. Therefore the option of building a wall out of plastic bottle bricks will be
far greater than out of conventional bricks.
Design Impact
The housing development project, devised for the Anh Minh district, intends to provide
long-term environmental, social and economic benefits. These benefits will significantly
contribute to the overall improvement of living standards within the community, along with
cultural, health and educational expansions.
Environmental
The current houses in Anh Minh are usually built from bamboo or from red clay brick and
mortar. Often thatched coconut leaves or galvanised steel are used to build the roof but
both materials need to be replaced every 3 – 7 years (Engineers Without Borders, 2012).
This creates inconvenience for the locals, as not only is their time being wasted on replacing
the roof, it costs them money and they are wasting natural resources.
According to Engineers without Borders Australia, the houses are commonly built upon the
ground without any foundation that would otherwise hold the house. It is also said that
construction on stilts is common in Vietnam but further research shows that only 30 - 35%
of the number of houses in Vietnam are using stilts for the foundation of their houses
(Engineers Without Borders, 2012). Stilts are sunk into cement and treated with oil.
However, this is a problem, as Vietnam is known to be one of the most disaster-prone
countries in the world. Disasters that occur with most severe damage are caused by water
disasters or climate-related disasters such as tropical storms, floods, drought, inundation,
salt water intrusion, landslides, storm surge and flash floods (Oanh Luong Nhu, 2011). Water
The impact on human loss and the economy as a result of these natural disasters are indeed
very concerning. According to (Oanh Luong Nhu, 2011), Vietnam suffered an estimated
annual economic loss equivalent to 1.3% of GDP or USD3.85 billion from 1990-2009.
Therefore, it is important to develop a house that is durable and could minimize the effects
of the commonly occurring natural disasters in Vietnam. The proposed house would be
much preferred than the existing houses in Vietnam as it is durable and does not have to be
replaced every 3 – 7 years. This will have a positive impact on the environment as land
resources for the construction of houses would no longer have to be wasted.
The project, utilising mainly sand filled plastic bottles (recycled materials) are as strong as
bricks and would be much better at enduring strong winds and seasonal flooding when
compared to the current houses in Vietnam. Hence, not only are they strong and can resist
rising water table along with the high salt concentrations that it brings but our design of
house is also environmentally friendly as it uses recycled materials instead of bamboos or
red clay bricks. It promotes green, sustainability and reduces plastic wastes in Vietnam that
was a major concern.
Economic
The economic impact from the proposed design due to its sustainable nature and the
opportunity it provides to produce profit means that it is a cost effective alternative for
homeowners.
The main materials used for the house include cement, plastic bottles and sand. Whilst
cement is cost-effective and plastic bottles are durable and readily available, sand can
The economic situation of the Kien Giang province has been well researched and taken into
consideration. Materials are available locally and can be easily obtained. Sourcing materials
from local distributions and environment minimises transport and total cost. Our proposed
design of house is very cost-effective – 9.7 million VND or $464 USD - with it being
approximately 85% cheaper than building a house made out of regular bricks in the Ah Minh
district. This is a significant reduction in the cost of permanent and long term housing which
will enable many more people in the Anh Minh district to enjoy the benefits of a safe and
secure home. According to Vietnam Travel & Living Guide (Anonymous, Vietnam Average
Salary and Income, 2011), the average wage per person in Vietnam is around 3.2 million
VND ($150) a month. This means that a person who is earning an average income in
Vietnam has now greater chance of buying a house. The manual to build the proposed
design of house is user-friendly meaning that the steps to construct the house are easy for
the local builders to follow. This has a great economic impact on Vietnam in the long term as
it increases the education levels and formal design skills of the local builders that could
potentially create employment and as a result, decreasing the unemployment level in
Vietnam. It is very likely that our proposed design of house will increase the standards of
living of the people in the Anh Minh district.
Social
The proposed design had the aim to educate and encourage individuals to use recycled
materials for a better and sustainable environment. The people in Vietnam should be aware
how serious waste issues are in their country, but perhaps do not have the tools or
knowledge to fix these issues. Therefore, helping to change the habits of these people will
revolve around an improved standard of living. Health is important and insight is needed
that inadequate waste management practices will create serious health and environmental
problems. In general, community awareness must be brought out and raised.
To increase awareness, it means that our design must be socially acceptable and able to
provide difference. Education is the key, particularly in the designs use but also its
maintenance. In essence, an object of this design will affect the way people run their lives.
Rather than being community based, the design for a house revolves around individual
households.
Implementation of the house is very simple and time efficient. Simple steps can easily be
followed by the locals to construct the house. Educating and training the locals using a self-
explanatory manual will increase employment opportunities and would also increase basic
skills in those areas. The phases of implementation are required to be applied and
effectively integrated throughout the community. It requires mutual cooperation amongst
the various castes, cultures and hierarchies throughout the community. This can then
develop further to allow the people within the community to corporate with each other,
On a society scale, ownership of the system and development of skills are resulted from the
involvement of the community to enhance the standard of living in these small villages. The
house design requires construction, which means labour is needed, and jobs are created as
a result. As a result, the skills which are developed can be adapted into other activities.
Recommendations
After building the project design, and after compression testing, there were several things
that could be changed. These things include different designs, different testing or just
increased experience.
Testing it at the UWA facility, the prototype was merely tested for compression, e.g. the
amount it could withstand before crumbling. These showed promising results but if there
were more time, more testing would have been done to better understand all facets of the
plastic bottle brick. Other testing included water testing, placing the plastic bottle brick and
measuring the capacity of water it could withstand. This would be beneficial as Vietnam is
subjected to slow rising floods many times during the year. Even though there is a relatively
low chance of a flash flood instead of the usual slow rising floods, the testing against water
would still be beneficial.
During the compression test, it was recommended by UWA staff that in future, we should
encase a bottle in a cement slab created using a mould and test the compression capacity of
that. This would enable the maximum compression capacity to be better recorded.
Some other tests that we recommend, but were not able to carry out ourselves, are wind
and buckling strength tests. Wind testing would be beneficial as the climate of Vietnam has
many heavy storms and typhoons, 6-8 per season. This would mean heavy winds would
constantly affect building walls. Therefore, if the wall is not able to withstand high winds, it
Another change that could be made is the building process of the plastic bottle bricks. When
the prototype was built it was completed with very little building experience or experience
with cement. This forced guessing to occur when mixing all the cement, sand and water.
Therefore, it can be said that through inexperience, the optimal and strongest cement may
not have be used in our prototype. This would in turn give differing results during the
compression test. If there were more time, another plastic bottle brick would most likely
have been made that did not have all the uncertainties and inexperience as the first one
that was made. More accurate results of compression could then be made.
Another change that can be made is the ratio of cement used. If the strength of the plastic
bottle brick was the same as a regular brick, then this would be more beneficial as it would
cost less and less cement would be needed. (Oanh Luong Nhu, 2011)
Design wise, the plastic bottle bricks only took into account two types of modifications. One
without anything in the bottles and only filled with sand. Another modification that can be
tried and tested is bottles filled with water instead. This would probably be stronger than
plastic bottles with nothing filled in them and could possibly be stronger than plastic bottles
filled with sand.
The plastic bottle bricks in our project consisted of building foundations and walls, but
another that can be build may be columns instead of walls or also including all three,
foundations, walls and columns, made from plastic bottle bricks in the one house. This
would enable better stabilisation of the house and again, more wastage in plastic bottles
being reused.
After building the prototype walls and foundations, in wet conditions, it was set aside to dry
for around 3 weeks before testing for the compression started. For the cement to
completely settle, a minimum of 30 days must be allowed for the cement to be the
strongest. The prototype walls and foundations constructed for compression testing was
Team Reflection
Our team was structured so that there was no team leader; or one person who was in
charge of organising everyone, this allowed our team to find the dynamic of our group that
was the most effective, in which one or two people took control at different stages of the
project. Generally the person who lead the meetings was the person in charge of the
progress report for the week, to make sure we got everything done in our team meetings.
Our team was well balanced in that no one had any particular strengths or weaknesses; we
were all happy to do what was required of us each week and do it well in the time frame
required. The level nature of our team structure meant that there was no hierarchy
established that might put different cultures in positions of power that could cause
dissatisfaction of other team members. There were no major problems that had to be
handled within the team other than things such as punctuality.
In regards to our project, the only major issues that were faced was that our design was not
looked after in the storage room by other people who were not in the course (UEC storage
area also), which then probably affected our testing as it weakened the structure of our
walls. Making the model was also a big issue for the group as none of us had any experience
in making cement or making walls. As a result, the models that were made were perhaps
not of the highest standard, which may also have affected our testing. All of these problems
were worked though, as our team was able to overcome differences to ensure the success
of the project. We were frustrated by the breakages, but realised that we couldn’t control
this, and that there was no way to fix it, and as such, had to carry on with the resources
available. Overall our team worked very well together, and due to not having a hierarchy,
our team was very well functioning and made decisions effectively and swiftly.
Appendix 6 Group
House Design
The house design was selected to reflect a typical house in the Anh Minh district due to the
following information.
- Typical house in the Anh Minh district will have two rooms (living and sleeping)
- A 40m2 house currently costs approximately $65million VND in the Anh Minh district
(Engineers Without Borders, 2012)
- 30-35% of houses are built on stilts (Turner, Habitat for Humanity Vietnam
Participants Discussions: Stilts, Mud Bricks, Number of Houses, 2012)
8m
Window
0.8m
5
m North
Door
1.5m
4.5m
2.5m
Window
0.5m
1m 2m
Door 1.9m
0.4m 0.6m
Wood Flooring
The following is a list of the cost of materials required to build this house. All costs
are relevant to the Anh Minh district.
- Cement, 1800 VND ($0.09 USD) per kg. (Engineers Without Borders, 2012)
- Sand (cement), 150 000 VND ($7.20 USD) per m3. (Engineers Without
Borders, 2012)
- Cajuput palm, 42-60 000 VND ($4-5 USD) per m3 (Francisco & Glover, 1999)
- Corrugated Bamboo sheets, 32 000 VND ($1.54 USD) per 1.6m2.
(International Network for Bamboo and Rattan, 2006)
Cost of Foundations
Strip foundations will be used. This means that they will only cover the walls of the house.
The foundations will be mostly (40cm) in the ground and as such the house will only be
slightly above ground level (20cm). This was done due to the majority of houses in the Anh
Minh district (65-70%) not being on stilts (Turner, Habitat for Humanity Vietnam
Participants Discussions: Stilts, Mud Bricks, Number of Houses, 2012)
Dimensions:
8m
0.4m
5m
Volume of Cement
Now using the volume of cement required it is possible to calculate its cost. The ratio of
cement to sand that will be used is 1:3. This has been chosen, as it is a common ratio used in
house construction. (The Engineering Toolbox, n.d)
First the volume of cement (VCe) and the volume of sand (VS) are required:
Now as the cost of cement is in kg using the density of cement as 1500kgm-3 (The
Engineering Toolbox, n.d) the mass of cement required can be calculated:
Cost of Cement
Cost of Sand
Dimensions:
2m
2m 2.5m
0.2 0.2
0.2
5m 8m m 5m m
m
NB: There are two lots of the first two walls
Therefore the total volume of cement (VC) required can be calculated using the previous
calculations (on pg. 58 - 60) on the percentage composition of plastic bottle brick walls:
Now using the same cement to sand ratio as with the foundations (3 sand to 1 cement), the
total volume of sand (VS), and cement (VCe) can be determined:
And then the cost of both the cement and sand required can be calculated.
Cost of Cement
Cost of Sand
Dimensions:
5m
8m
Dimensions:
0.5m
Outside walls
6m
≈0.5m
4.5m
However the bamboo sheeting will overlap each other and so allowing an overlap of 16m 2
the total surface area of sheeting required will be 70m2.
It can therefore be concluded that a house made from plastic bottle bricks will be
approximately 85% cheaper than building a house out of regular bricks in the Anh Minh
district. This is a significant reduction in the cost of permanent and long term housing which
will enable many more people in the Anh Minh district to enjoy the benefits of a safe and
secure home.
NB- it is important to note that this is a simplified model which excludes the windows and
doors. It would therefore be an overestimation of the cost of a house made of plastic bottle
bricks.
Foundations
Dimension of prototype:
20cm
24cm
27cm
This prototype contained 9 (600ml) plastic bottles so the total volume of all the bottles is:
Thus the foundations will be made up of 41.9% plastic bottles and 58.1% cement.
Walls
Dimensions of the prototype:
20cm
20cm
49cm
Thus the walls will be made up of 52.0% plastic bottles and 48.0% cement.
- Plastic accounts for 7.69% of total waste in the Kien Giang province (Nguyen X. H.,
2011)
- People living in rural areas of Vietnam produce on average 0.3kg of waste a day
(Nguyen T. , 2005)
- People living in urban areas of Vietnam produce on average 0.7kg of waste a day
(Nguyen T. , 2005)
- Overall each Vietnamese person produces 0.4kg of waste a day (Nguyen T. , 2005)
- 1.7million people live in the Kien Giang province (Habitat for Humanity, 2012)
- The mass of a standard 600mL plastic bottle is 23.83 grams (Anonymous, Plastic
Bottle Stats with Calculations, 2012)
From the above information it is possible to calculate an estimate for the number of plastic
bottles thrown out each year in the Kien Giang province.
The total waste produced in the Kien Giang province per year can be calculated as follows:
Now keeping in mind that plastic accounts for 7.69% of the Kien Giang Province’s total
waste, calculations can be made using a low and high estimate for the percentage of waste
that is made up purely of plastic bottles.
If the above assumptions are true then the total mass of waste plastic bottles per year in the
Kien Giang province can be given as follows:
If the above assumptions are true then the total mass of waste plastic bottles per year in the
Kien Giang province can be given as follows:
Now as we know the mass of a standard bottle is 23.83 grams we can see that the number
of waste plastic bottles per year is given by:
Foundations
The total number of plastic bottles required per metre cubed can be calculated using our
prototype.
As discussed in the percentage composition calculations (pg. 58 - 60) the total volume of our
prototype foundations was 0.01296m3. Using this and the fact that the prototype contained
9 plastic bottles we can calculate the number of plastic bottles required per metre cubed as
follows:
Therefore per metre cubed our prototype required 694 plastic bottles. To take into account
any disparities we suggest that per metre cubed 700 plastic bottles will be required.
Walls
The total number of plastic bottles required per metre cubed can be calculated using our
prototype.
As discussed in the percentage composition calculations (pg. 58 – 60) the total volume of
our prototype wall was 0.0196m3. Using this and the fact that the prototype contained 17
plastic bottles we can calculate the number of plastic bottles required per metre cubed as
follows:
Therefore per metre cubed our prototype required 867 plastic bottles. To take into account
any disparities we suggest that per metre cubed 875 plastic bottles will be required.
1 lb. = 0.4536 kg
40 lb. = 18 kg
63
Construction Manual
Appendix 7: Construction Manual (English)
Acknowledgments
ENSC1001
http://www.savoyinstalls.com/foundation
http://www2.worksafebc.com/i/posters/2007/ws%2007_05.htm
CONTENTS
OVERVIEW
64
Plastic Bottle Bricks share many of the great benefits of
Overview 3 a brick construction but are a much cheaper.
Benefits
Durable
Materials 4-5
Cheap
Strong
Equipment 6-8
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Notes 18-20 The manual will also show you all the materials and
safety precautions you will need to make during your
Materials
65
Plastic Bottle Bricks
Plastic Bottles (same volume)
Bagged Cement
Dirt (from the ground)
ENSC1001
Pure (Cement) Sand
EQUIPMENT
66
Plastic Bottle Bricks
Wheel barrow or large bucket
Wooden boards (formwork)
Trowels
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Shovel
FOUNDATIONS
Phase 1– Gather
67
This stage involves gathering the bottles required to build
your foundations.
To do this calculate the volume of foundations to be built
and then use the following formula to calculate the total
number of bottles required.
*
Face mask
ENSC1001
Thin and strong stick
(that fits inside a bottle)
FOUNDATIONS FOUNDATIONS
Phase 2– Prepare Phase 3– Construct
68
1– Fill bottles tightly with sand. 1-Pour 5cm of concrete into mould
ENSC1001
3- Use wooden boards to create a mould for the
foundations.
WALLS
WALLS
Phase 2– Prepare
Phase 1– Gather
69
1– Fill Bottles tightly with sand.
This stage involves gathering the bottles required to build
your walls.
To do this, calculate the volume of walls to be built and
then use the following formula to calculate the total
number of bottles required.
ENSC1001
WALLS
WALLS
4– Lay the next layer of bottles in between the bottles
Phase 3– Construct
below.
70
1– Lay 2cm of concrete where the wall will be built.
2– Place bottles on top of concrete with a 1cm gap
between each bottle.
ENSC1001
SAFETY
SAFETY
Cement
Heavy objects
71
Make sure face mask is worn when mixing cement.
Ensure you lift heavy objects correctly.
Use your knees not your back.
ENSC1001
NOTES
NOTES
73
Xây dựng hướng dẫn sử dụng
Appendix 8: Construction Manual (Vietnamese)
Xác Nhận
ENSC1001
http://www.flickr.com/photos/anneleroy/6475931767/
http://www.need2build.com/foundation/
http://www.savoyinstalls.com/foundation
http://www2.worksafebc.com/i/posters/2007/ws%2007_05.htm
Nội dung
Vật liệu
Khái quát
Gạch bằng bình cao su cũng như gạch bình
74
thườngnhưng rẻ hơn rất nhiều.
Khái quát 3
Lợi ích
lâu bền
Vật liệu 4-5
Rẻ
vững mạnh
Thiết bị 6-8
Nhà làm bằng gạch bằng bình cao su sẽ rẻ hơn nhà
Bình cao su
ENSC1001
Cách 3- Xay dựng
cát si măng
Hướng dẫn cũng sẽ cho bạn thấy tất cả các vật liệu và
Thiết bị
75
Plastic Bottle Bricks
xe cút kít hay thùng lớn
ENSC1001
Xẻng
76
Cách 1– Tự hợp lại
Giai đoạn này liên q
xây dựng cơ sở của
bình bằng cao su. M
mặt nạ
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cay mỏng và mạnh
Nền
Cách 2- chuẩn bị
77
Cách 3– xây d
1– Pha đất cát vào bình cao su
1-pha si
2– Đào ra nền
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3- Dùng tấm ván bằng gổ để tạo khuôn cho nền
Vách tường
Cách 2- chuẩn
Cách 1- Tụ hợp lại
78
1– Pha đất c
Giai đoạn này liên quan đến việc thu thập các chai cần thiết
để xây dựng bức tường.
Trong cách này mình phải đếm sốlượng bình cao su để xay
vách tường
ENSC1001
Vách tường
Cách 3: Xay dựng 4– Để thêm
79
1– Đổ 2cm si măng ngay nơi xay vách tường
2– Để bình cao su ngan 1cm
ENSC1001
Sự an toàn
Si măng Dụng cụ nặng
80
Phải dùng mặt nạ khi trộn si măng. Khi bưng dụ
đừng dùng
ENSC1001
ghi chú
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