“Clay house” model impresses Malaysian architects

MABINI, BOHOL, Philippines — Malaysian architects, along with their local counterparts and engineers, were impressed of the eco-friendly “clay house” or “earth house,” designed and built by the Malicse family at Barangay Aguipo of this northeastern town.

Architects Ar Gan Hock Beng and Tan Hiap Hong of the G & A Architects from Malaysia were amazed upon seeing for themselves everything about the house. “It’s cozy,” Gan said when he entered the house and then sat on the sofa with Boholano architect Terry Malicse, the designer and innovator of the earth house.

Gan and Tan were accompanied by Terry Malicse and daughter Sheelah Malicse to Mabini, the latter’s hometown where the clay model house was built.

Terry told The FREEMAN he found an abundant source of clay at an area near the Aguipo Elementary School and he used this as building materials by molding these into blocks to construct the house.

Employing the heritage house model concept, Terry said the model is a housing design concept consisting of the vault house and an emergency shelter. The vault house is liveable, comfortable with a floor area of 28 square meters (4 meters X 7 meters), with a 14-sq.m. mezzanine and a 10-sq.m. terrace. It also has a 5-sq.m. kitchen and emergency shelter with an area of 57 sq.m.

“It is an affordable house structure using the earth materials available in the area. Heritage house is a reminiscence of the past with the use of the latest construction technology. Old buildings and churches that lasted 300 to 400 years were built generally using this concept employing the best of technology at that time,” said Terry.

Terry and Sheelah said the materials can still be used with the availability of the present technology. Using the Terfast compressed earth blocks made this earth house possible, they said.

“This block is composed of earth materials excavated from the ground at the location of this house model, which is composed of natural sand and clay, mixed, compacted and compressed with a minimal amount of cement, Fibrian 23, and a propriety additive of Tertex international Phils. Inc,” they said.

“The result of the mix is hardened earth blocks that is workable within a few hours after molding, resist erosion and can be used as walls of houses and buildings known for a long period of time. Each block weighs 48 kilograms and measured 12 x 12 x 12 cubic feet. Compressive strength developed is from 480 to 680 PSI, with a density of 1,680 kilogram per cubic meter,” said Terry.

The composition is typical to an adobe stone, a luffaceous stone generated from volcanic dust that has been subjected to sedimentation with high temperature and pressure. Adobe is a typical construction stone material that was commonly used in old churches in northern Philippines,” he said.

Terry, citing the technology he used, encouraged barangay residents and teachers to join hands in the construction of the “clay house,” which he declared as environment-friendly, and resilient against earthquakes and super typhoons.

Education and barangay officials in this town said the "clay house," aptly located at an elevated portion of the school's lot, can also be used as refuge during downpour and typhoons.  (FREEMAN)