School buildings in developing countries
Practical Action
an angle the same as the top of the roof, then nailed to the tops of the sheets and the purlin
below.
For information on vaulted, domed or corbelled roofs the reader is referred to Bonner & Das
(1996) and Joffroy & Guillaud (1994) - further details in the Reference section below.
Information Sources
1. Bonner, Roger R.M. & Das P.K., Vidyalayam, Cost Effective Technologies for Primary
School Construction, Overseas Development Administration, New Delhi, 1996
(Department for International Development, British Development Cooperation Office, 50
M Shantipath, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi - 110 021, India)
A very useful and practical guide on school building with some emphasis on innovative
technology and practice to reduce costs, especially of roofs. This includes use of arches,
corbelling and precast elements. Although some of the technologies presented have been
little used outside India, others have more widespread application. Main headings cover
Understanding Cost Effective Technologies, Foundations, Walls, Opening Supports,
Roofs, Non-structural Items, Methodology for Ranking and Selecting Cost Effective
Technologies, and Contact Organizations and Bibliography.
2. Stern, Peter (Ed.), from an original work by F. Longland, Field Engineering, An
introduction to development, Practical Action Publishing, 1983
3. A useful practical text on general civil engineering and building covering surveying tools
and methods, site levelling and earthworks, earth as a building material, making and
building with bricks, stone, lime mortars and plasters, cement and concrete, timber,
steel, roofing materials, miscellaneous materials and components, design of buildings,
construction of foundations, walls, floors and roofs, and water supply and sanitation.
4. TOOL, Rural Building Course (Vol. 1 - Reference, Vol. 2 - Basic Knowledge, Vol. 3 -
Construction, Vol. 4 - Drawing Book), Practical Action Publishing, 1995
A comprehensive four volume set covering many aspects of small-scale construction.
Details included on tools for building, building materials, building components, masonry
and carpentry techniques, foundations, floors, walls roofs, finishing, wells and sanitation.
Drawings of the construction details are presented in Volume 4, focusing mostly on
housing construction.
5. Gut, Paul, Roof Structure Guide - Basics for the Design and Construction of Lightweight
Sloped Roof Structures (FCR / MCR Toolkit - Element 24), SKAT / ILO, St. Gallen /
Geneva, August 1993, ISBN 3-908001-27-7 (SKAT) 92-2-109005-1 (ILO)
The guide covers how roof structures carry load and resist forces, types and shapes of
pitched roofs, design principles, use of timber, bamboo, pole timber, metal and concrete
as roof structure materials, the roof structure construction process and maintenance.
6. Schwitter, Daniel (Ed.), Roof Truss Guide - Design and Construction of Standard Timber
and Steel Trusses (FCR / MCR Toolkit Element 29), SKAT, St. Gallen, Switzerland, 1999,
ISBN 3-908001-85-4 -
Detailed design guidelines and drawings for roof trusses.
7. Gut, Paul, Roof Cover Guide - Design and Construction of FCR / MCR Roof Covering:
Principles, Detailing (FCR / MCR Toolkit Element 25), SKAT / ILO, St. Gallen / Geneva,
August 1993, ISBN 3-908001-27-7 (SKAT) 92-2-109006-X (ILO)
This guide gives details about laying tiles on various types of pitched roofs, including
details of more complicated areas such as ridges, valleys and pyramids. Ceilings are also
discussed very briefly.
16