Satisfaction and representations of raw earth habitat: a case study of Auroville, India

Abstract

ABSTRACT This exploratory study presents, for the first time, an analysis of how residential satisfaction (RS) can be related to earthen building materials. The study utilizes an ongoing world-renowned project in Auroville, India, which aims to promote the environmentally friendly Compressed Stabilized Earth Block (CSEB) as a substitute for non-ecological fired-brick. The research employs the semantic differential (SD) method as a means to examine satisfaction. It seeks to explain the limitations of CSEB usage compared to fired-brick and compares satisfaction levels among different groups of residents. For the first time, it has been proven through our findings that CSEB has a significant positive impact on RS, while fired-brick demonstrates no influence on RS. The restricted use of CSEB cannot solely be attributed to its level of house-building-material satisfaction (HBMS), as CSEB surpasses fired-bricks in HBMS rating. Despite this, houses constructed with CSEB offer equivalent levels of RS to those constructed with fired-bricks, sparking a resourceful discussion on various interpretations related to RS theories. One perspective posits that CSEB technology may not be widely adopted, while others emphasize the importance of supporting its development despite the anticipated positive behavior toward it.