by Svetlana Uranova, Ulugbek T. Begaliev
This building type is widespread in the rural areas of Kyrgyzstan, and also in some urban areas. It is a non-engineered construction. Due to its low cost, it is mainly used by poor people. Various building materials are used for this type of construction, e.g., clay and straw for the walls, wood for the roof structure, and stone for the foundations. In order to achieve adequate flexibility or plasticity, a small amount of clay is mixed with water. Straw is added to achieve an improved consistency. Small panel boards are used as formwork for casting mud walls. The walls are cast in lifts; a new lift is cast after the previous one has set. Windows and doors have wood lintels. Floors are made out of wood planks. Buildings of this type do not have any earthquake-resistant features and are considered to be highly vulnerable to seismic effects.
World Housing Encyclopedia
an EERI and IAEE project