Las Malvinas Botica Popular 2015: Difference between revisions

Pozzolan

Pozzolan's strengthen and seal concrete mixtures, and are efficient in reducing the cement content. A 'Pozzolan' is defined as "a siliceous or siliceous and aluminous material, which in itself possesses little or no cementing property, but will in a finely divided form--and in the presence of moisture-- chemically react with calcium hydroxide at ordinary temperatures to form compounds possessing cementitious properties." ^[9] Types of Pozzolan's available:

• Rice Hull (or husk) Ash
• Fly Ash (from coal)

Gypsum

Gypsum; “which is a soft grey mineral consisting of hydrated calcium sulphate occurs chiefly in sedimentary deposits and is used to make plaster, fertilizers, and in used vastly in the construction industry for its strength, malleability and accessibility as a common mineral ^[10]”. Gypsum is important because it can be found at a low cost due to it being a biproduct of flue gas desulfurization (FGD), a process used by coal-fired electrical power plants to limit emissions of sulfur dioxide ^[10]. "This artisan method of manufacturing results in a finished product with exceptional binding capacity, making it suitable for use in outdoor environments ^[11]". As a soft material, Gypsum should be mixed in order to have cement properties. The ratio of water to gypsum in flooring is 0.8:1 in order to achieve a 6MPa ^[12]. This ratio is not valaube in flooring until it is strengthened with a fibre.

Fibre

Potential

• Natural cork from cork Oak--lightens mixture ^[12].
• Wool, provides considerable improvement to compression

layers in terms of mechanical behaviour. "Contrary, wool provides significant improvement, particularly in terms of compression and elasticity. Furthermore, this material is 100% ecological and whose cost is significantly lower than that of the artificial fibres previously indicated ^[12]".

Traverntine

This is a relative material because the mineral Travertine is found abundantly in the Dominican Republic. Travertine is a natural stone such as Marble, Granite, Onyx, Limestone, Slate etc. "The key difference between Travertine and other natural stones lies in the formation of the rock, the hardness of the stone and the appearance. Travertine is formed in hot springs and/or limestone caves. Travertine is not the same as Marble or Limestone which falls in the metamorphic rock category. Key characteristics of Travertine stone are the holes within the stone which are caused by carbon dioxide evasion ^[13]". Below the picture indicates an abundance of Traverntine in blue and Gypsum in green.

Level Technique

Thomas from Ghetto2Garden's suggests after the concrete mixture is set, use a towel to even the layer. This technique is cost and labor efficient.

Installation

For installing a concrete floor, some considerations must be taken into consideration such as protecting the inner walls of the room(s) and also laying out the floor in a leveled fashion. Some research shows the steps for installation in the following manner:

• step 1: level the floor in which the cement will be poured upon with gravel and sand.
• step 2: forms should be made to keep the cement contained in the desired area (the walls of a room may be sufficient)
• step 3: pour the concrete mixture into the form and smooth/level with shovels
• step 4: leveling- a piece of ply wood can be dragged across surface to level, or hand towels can be used as well.

These are the recommendations to installing the floor in the botica popular ^[14]

Plaster

About

Before delving into the specifics of plaster, it is beneficial to first know what plaster actually is. Plaster is “a material used to cover walls-- often both interior and exterior. It provides protection as well as texture and color”. There are many types of plasters, which will function better with different building materials, and some kinds of plasters are more environmentally sound and beneficial than others. For instance, earthen plasters- which include lime, gypsum, and clay are said to be "water resistant". ^[15]Below, different types of plaster will be presented and discussed.

Types

Lime and clay plaster types were mainly researched below as viable options; however, gypsum and cement mixtures were added to provide information about alternative plaster types that could be an option in building projects in general.

Clay

There are a variation of different clay-based plasters. Generally, they share similar components: about 20% clay, sand, fiber, and any additional/optional ingredients. The clay is sticky- having one of its sole purposes being to hold all of the ingredients together in a mixture. The sand not only provides strength, but it also prevents the plaster from cracking. The fiber ingredient, which could be: "hair, straw, hemp, cattail fluff, [or] manure, adds reinforcement and strength to the structure as well. Additional ingredients could include flour paste (flour and water), prickly pear juice, lime, mica, or fine fiber. ^[16]

As mentioned previously, earthen plasters like clay are considered water resistant. The specific reason behind why clay plaster contains this property is because of its molecular make up. "According to soil scientists, clay consists of tiny flat plates. When moisture comes into contact with an earthen plaster, it binds to clay molecules and forms a bridge between them, causing the clay to expand. The binding of water molecules to clay also prevents water from migrating into the deeper layers: the plaster self seals"^[15].

Although erosion may occur on the surface layers of an earthen plaster due to rain and change of temperature/weather, the deeper layers will still protect the wall through it all ^[15].

Lime

Lime plaster is "typically made from lime and sand" and it's sufficient in exterior or interior wall use. Oftentimes, however, lime plaster is "usually applied on exterior walls where it provides excellent protection against the elements"- these elements perhaps being sun, rain, wind, etc ^[15]. Lime differs to other earthen plasters due to the fact that it takes an somewhat energy-intensive process to get the lime from its naturally occurring source, such as limestone. To create lime, a type of powder, called quicklime (heated and crushed limestone) must be hydrated in a process called "slaking", which is basically the calcium oxide and magnesium oxide reacting with water to create a lime paste used for making a lime-based plaster. This process works best over a larger time frame of sitting. If lime plaster dries too quickly, it can destroy it completely as an efficient plaster. Lime plasters are also not only aesthetically pleasing, but they are also "vapor permeable" ^[15].

While lime is caustic and can cause extreme damage upon touching skin or being inhaled, there are many advantages to using lime. It is also important to note that lime plaster requires a lime wash every 4-5 years. ^[17] The wash is needed to allow the building to breath. Though it is expensive, it improves the condition of the underlying plaster. Lime plaster is best composed of high calcium and low amounts of magnesium. When stored it’s vital to have a one to two inch of water on top to prevent carbonation by being exposed to the air just like in the process of making the plaster and must be fully slaked before the application may begin. Lime plaster is best suited to be applied one to three times where not all coats are of the same composition, and made using a mortar mixer rather than a cement mixer so that the material does not stick to the walls of the drum. The first two coats use one part lime putty and two to three parts sand while the last coat has a higher ratio of sand from one and a half parts to three. Sand within the plaster adds tensile strength and it’s important to be aware of the type of sand being used. Small grains can cause the plaster to crack or rub off because of the lack of strength, and as well, uniformly sized particles cause cracking due to the ability of the material to shear along many edges. The best sand to use is one that has non uniformly sized particles as well as particles not having smooth edges that, as well, may shear easily. It’s important to note that beach sand must be cleaned prior to use because of the salt content and it’s tendency to move out from the plaster, which creates patches of white salt. ^[15].

Gypsum

In addition to requiring heat to create the Gypsum plaster it is also not suitable for outdoors in humid environments. ^[17] Gypsum plaster is "a more delicate wall plaster. It is rather soft and water soluble, and is therefore typically reserved for interior work" ^[15].

Cement Stucco

In cement stucco, which is actually different from plaster, cement is the binding agent. This type of mixture is generally containing "cement, sand, and (frequently) lime". Cement stucco, also known as "portland cement", "wicks moisture into the walls and it tends to crack", which can ultimately allow moisture into the building ^[15]. Concrete made of portland cement is usually composed of 15-20% portland cement- and for each pound of cement produced, one pound of carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere originating from the machines needed to produce it as well as the chemical reaction.^[18]

Past Projects

Las Malvinas Schoolroom

With a coffin manufacturer in the area, obtaining sawdust is easy and should be considered as a viable option to make plaster. In 2012 the Ecoladrillo school room was constructed using “3 layers of sawdust plaster” where the layers are composed of different ratios of cement and sawdust as previously discussed. The final layer does not contain sawdust for possible aesthetic reasons, but a tint was added to eliminate a need to paint ^[19]. To make the plaster 16 parts water with 1 part lime were added to a container to dissolve the lime, then 16 parts sawdust are added and let to soak for one hour. According to the past project reviews, this mixture should be added to 12 parts sifted sand to be mixed on a tarp on the ground. Then, add 8 parts cement and water as needed for the desired consistency ^[19]. For the final layer of plaster wait for the second layer to be mostly dry then apply a “long thin piece of wood to plane the wall, scraping off bulges and filling in holes with more plaster.” Apply the final layer and water as needed to create a smooth surface ^[19].

2013 Las Malvinas Botica Popular

To test the initial plasters it was decided to add a layer of paper outside of the chicken wire to allow the plaster to adhere to something other than the chicken wire and water bottles. The first layer of plaster was composed of “18 shovels-full of sand and 1/3 of a bag of cement.” The second layer was made to be thinner and again, less sand with the last layer. ^[20].

Construction

Very complete description of how final project is made. This large section should have lots of pictures. Please consider making a timeline in addition or instead. Use the Help:Images#Galleries and probably Template:How_to (e.g. Barrel O' Fun Worm Bin Instructions).

How To

Below, is a table describing a common method of plastering a wall. This table is built on the assumption that one has already gathered materials/supplies and have already made the plaster being used. Also note that there are many different methods of applying plaster to a wall; however, the following table describes one of these ways.

How to Plaster a Wall
Steps	Instructions
Step 1	Level Wall. This is done often in doorways and the tops of walls so that the applied plaster will be evenly distributed along the wall of interest's perimeter.
Step 2	Water down wall. This can be done easily by poking a hole through the cap of a water bottle and then spraying the wall.
Step 3	Scoop some plaster onto the backside of a trowel and place against wall at an upward, acute angle so that the plaster is in between the wall and the trowel.
Step 4	Apply pressure while pressing upward (sometimes at a diagonal direction) along the wall. Plaster should stick well to the wall.
Step 5	Smooth out small areas of plaster with a flat/rectangular trowel to give the plastered part a smoother/cleaner look and then repeat this and Step 4 until the entire wall is covered in a layer of plaster.
Step 6	When the wall is covered in plaster, let it dry a little bit for approximately 20 minutes. Less, the wall might be a little too wet for the next step; but more time, the wall will be too wet, making the next step difficult to tackle.
Step 7	Use a wet sponge against the wall in circular motion. Little pressure is needed, but it depends upon how wet the sponge is (more pressure if less wet). The plaster should look blended together and well-distributed, giving the entire wall a smoother/leveled look. During this step, the plasterer must uneven indents or spots on the wall and fill them using Step 4, if needed. The entire wall needs to be evened and mixed using this sponge method.
Step 8	When the plaster is dry, the wood levels can be taken down, and the wall can then be admired for eternity.

Tips & Tricks

Plaster

• Use the trowel to mix the water in with the plaster to ensure the correct consistency
• Use the trowel to lift some of the plaster and drop it. Do this three times until you have a smooth consistency, now the plaster should be put on the flat rectangle finishing trowel.
• When smoothing, the wall must be wet to use the wood float, but it's much easier to use a sponge to both wet, and smooth the wall.

Yeso

• Usa la plana para mezclar el agua con el yeso para asegurar la consistencia correcta.
• Próximo, usa la plana para levantar alguno del yeso y después, bajalo. Hace este tres veces hasta tiene una consistencia suave, ahora el yeso debe poner en la llana.
• Para ponerlo liso la pared necesita a estar mojada para usar la flota, pero es muy más fácil para usar la esponja para mojar y poner liso en la pared.

Timeline

The following is a timeline composed of the tasks assigned and achieved as well as the dates.

28 May 2015

Literature review

• Finished 01 June 2015

28 May 2015

Community meeting at Las Malvinas II

29 May 2015

Meeting with Eddie at Las Malvinas II

• Took notes on current state of Destacamento: how many blocks, current square footage
• Took notes on current state of Botica Popular: which walls need plaster, what square footage needs plaster, of what composition are the current blocks and plaster

03 June 2015

Meeting with Gregorio and Enrique

• Made list of materials needed to both purchase and obtain from the community
• Made tentative schedule for following two weeks

05 June 2015

Made first iteration of caliche plaster recipe and applied to an inner wall of the Botica

06 June 2015

UNIBE Architecture camping day

07 June 2015

Research on plaster to decide on materials needed to purchase

08 June 2015

Tested dried plaster on inner wall of Botica and gathered supplies

09 June 2015

Made 6 different plasters to test that all include different materials such as two types of sand, flour, human hair collected from a local barber

• Flour was made correctly this time by first dissolving the flour in cool water before adding it to the boiling water

10 June 2015

Researched on flooring to decide on materials needed to purchase

11 June 2015

Tested 6 plaster tests, gathered supplies for floors and plaster

• Plaster without hair preformed better in the scratch test
• Darker sand preformed better on water test, lighter sand preformed better in scratch test
• Distillery is no longer powered by rice hull, and now uses wood. Will be collecting wood ash tomorrow.

12 June 2015

• Removed some of the previous plaster as well as some of the filling and bottles - prepping wall to be plastered, attempting to even out
• Placed some of the wood framing on the walls

13 June 2015

• Bought supplies to get ready for block making and plastering
• Double-sifted caliche, wood ash, and sand
• Placed wood framing on walls that needed it
• Unable to get rice hulls today, postponed to Monday the 15th

14 June 2015

• Plastered three interior walls, window frame, one outside wall and began plastering on two other outside walls

15 June 2015

• Accompanied Enrique to drive to a 2hr away location to obtain rice hulls

16 June 2015

• Plastered over walls whose plaster did not pass our brush and/or water test
• Smoothed many of the walls plastered
• Plaster needed for one entire wall and a small amount to the outer wall then smoothing for both
• Shoveled much of the large waste plaster and dirt out of the building to prep for the flooring

17 June 2015

• Drive with Enrique to get more rice hulls

18 June 2015

• Continued plastering and smoothing in the botica

19 June 2015

• Calculated recipe materials needed to finish the destacamento including the area and the amount of blocks
• Created a timeline with potential future workdays at Vasquez's site to be able to make the blocks we need
• Ordered materials to use for the floor in the Botica since the previously purchased cement was used in plastering

20 June 2015

Beach day, required relaxation

21 June 2015

• Continued plastering the botica, finished the second room's horizontal beam, and began plastering the first room's horizontal beam
• Plastered the doorway

22 June 2015

• Traveled to Las Malvinas to look for wood ash, due to political situation regarding Haitians, and many of the workers being Haitian, nothing was being produced in the factory

Costs

The following table includes all purchases made to contribute to the Botica Popular. Items are listed multiple times according to how many times they were purchased. Some items were purchased at the same location and some were not.

Tests

Plastering Day 1:Recipe

All measurements have been taken using a 5 gallon bucket with a 12 inch diameter. Some measurements are in inches some in cm for greatest degree of accuracy.

Todas las medidads estan echas usando un cubete de 5 galones con un diámetro de 12 pulgadas. Unas de las medidas estan en centímetros mientras otras estan en pulgadas para mayor grado de precisión.

Plastering Day 1: Steps (see Botica Plastering Day down page for more accurate wheat paste plaster instructions)

1.6 GPM or less low-flow shower heads

1.8 Ford indirect injection with Bosch rotary pump

11 core principles for Sharing Cities

12 Lead EKG Interpretation

12 Lead EKG Interpretation Quiz

120V Photovoltaic Microinverter Literature Review

12NA

1973 energy crisis

2 FT Prosthetics

2-stroke Diesel engine

2009 IEEE Toronto International Conference Science and Technology for Humanity

2009 Victorian bushfires

2010 Xinfa aluminum plant protest

215 Accordion photovoltaic portable power

215 Appropedia

215 Cassiopeia solar apocalypse computer

215 DIY solar power box fan air filter

215 Emergency photovoltaic box

215 Mahana solar window fan

215 Solar for low power medical equipment

More results

Plastering Day 2: Instructions

1.6 GPM or less low-flow shower heads

1.8 Ford indirect injection with Bosch rotary pump

11 core principles for Sharing Cities

12 Lead EKG Interpretation

12 Lead EKG Interpretation Quiz

120V Photovoltaic Microinverter Literature Review

12NA

1973 energy crisis

2 FT Prosthetics

2-stroke Diesel engine

2009 IEEE Toronto International Conference Science and Technology for Humanity

2009 Victorian bushfires

2010 Xinfa aluminum plant protest

215 Accordion photovoltaic portable power

215 Appropedia

215 Cassiopeia solar apocalypse computer

215 DIY solar power box fan air filter

215 Emergency photovoltaic box

215 Mahana solar window fan

215 Solar for low power medical equipment

More results

Caliche Plaster One
Steps	Instructions
Step 1	Boil water and mix in flour Hervir agua y sumar harina

Operation

This is how to operate. It should have a brief introduction and very useful images with labels. Also it may work best for your project to use the step by step how to template {{How to}}. See #Troubleshooting for an example.

Maintenance

Introduce this maintenance section.

Schedule

This is when to maintain what.

Daily

• A daily task
• A daily task

Weekly

• a weekly task
• a weekly task

Monthly

• a monthly task
• a monthly task

Yearly

• a yearly task
• a yearly task

Every __ years

• task
• task

Instructions

This is how to use and maintain it. The step by step how to template {{How to}} is most likely best for this part.

Conclusion

Testing results

Describe the testing results.

Discussion

Discuss the testing results.

Lessons learned

Discuss lessons were learned during this project and what you would do different next time.

Next steps

Discuss any next steps for the project as it goes on into the future.

Troubleshooting

This is only how to troubleshoot basic operation. For complex issues, the solution might just say contact ________. It should be a table in this format:

Team

Introduce team and semester in the following format:

• Lonny Grafman
• for each team member.

Grading criteria for the remaining sections:

• Grammar and spelling +1
• Formatting +1
• Depth, breadth and accuracy of content +7
• Project documentation's potential for impact (e.g. reproduction) +1

References

Template:Reflist

Make sure to include other relevant categories at the bottom, e.g. [[Category:Rainater]], [[Category:Upcycling]], etc.