Introduction

The provision of housing is a challenge around the world, especially in developing countries. The
spiralling growth of population, low Gross National Product and the general lack of purchasing
power are factors that contribute to the progressive deterioration of the housing situation in
developing economies. An impediment to the solution of the problem of housing is the scarcity
and/or the high-cost of building materials. Ideally, building materials for low-cost housing must be
produced from locally available raw materials. Furthermore, these raw materials must be
abundantly available or they should be renewable in nature. The more popular construction
materials such as clay bricks and concrete blocks are of good quality but are energy intensive in
production, expensive and are usually based on heavy industries.
The utilization of earth in housing construction is one of the oldest and most common methods used
by a larger percentage of the developing countries population. It is the most readily available and
cheap material found everywhere. It is easy to work with, requires less skills and as such, it
encourages and facilitates unskilled individuals and groups of people to participate in their housing
construction on self-help basis. It offers a very high resistance to fire and provides a comfortable
built living environment due to its high thermal and heat insulation value.
It also offers other important factors all of which attribute to the achievement of a good house
planning/design and construction solution. Compressed Stabilized Earth Brick (CSEB) refer to
blocks that are comprised of a mixture of angular sand aggregate (40-70%), clayey soil (30-60%),
water (OMC percentage),lime(2%), and Portland cement (7%). This predetermined soil mix is added
to a block mould and pressed. Identifying the availability of a suitable soil or soil mix for use in CSEB
production is the first step to starting a successful project. The major parameters having controlling
influence on the characteristics of soil-cement blocks. Among others, the characteristics of blocks
could include strength, stress-strain relationships _elastic properties_, absorption characteristics
_saturated water content, rate of water absorption, initial rate of absorption_, and durability
characteristics _response to cyclic wetting and drying, expansion on saturation. Block characteristics
could in turn influence the development of bond at the block-mortar interface and behaviour of
masonry.

Uses in social and economical.

Earthen building techniques offer more than just a proven construction material. Because of their
relatively low production cost, earthen block production can offer a variety of secondary benefits
such as: (i) stimulating economic growth and create jobs in the local community; (ii) regulating
indoor conditions such as humidity and air quality; and (iii) producing quality structures of which the
builders and owners are proud. Changing demands regarding energy use, growing populations, and
resource depletion will ultimately bring more attention to applying earthen building techniques in
modern society. However, the process of implementing a successful, earthen building plan
involves multiple disciplines including human resources, geologic constraints, and resource delivery
and processing, access to a skilled labour force, quality control testing, approved building plans, etc.
These and numerous other factors are an inherent challenge when applying earthen building
technology.

Perhaps the most concerning issue regarding CSEB technology may be public acceptance in regions
where earthen building is seen as inferior to more contemporary building materials, such as timber,
concrete and steel. While several exceptions exist, earthen building techniques are typically limited
to one story structures. In large cities, where often the most cost effective option is to build
vertically, earthen building technology is highly restricted. Additionally, the percentages of the
population living in earthen homes today tend to be among the poorest. Because of this, there exists
a social stigma around living in an earthen structure in many developed communities.