The Hindu

• Traditional houses in Mangalore are safest, says expert 

Mangalore, Jul 15: Ravindra Deshmukh from the TMA Pai Centre for Disaster Management, Manipal, made a strong case for architectural practices of the past on Monday. Stating that traditional South Canara style houses, also called Mangalore style, make for the copybook image of a perfect structure, he said: “These houses have all the ingredients of a stable structure, light roof, robust walls and solid foundation.” He was speaking at a three-day sensitisation workshop on hazard resistant construction for civil engineers at the Deputy Commissioner’s office here.

He said that answers to some of the most perplexing engineering challenges of the present day might be in the past. Dr. Deshmukh repeatedly cited some of the enduring sites and monuments of the ancient world such as Harrappa, Mohenjo-daro, Taj Mahal, Egyptian pyramids and the modern wonders such as the Imperial Hotel of Tokyo, which was built in 1923. Dwelling on earthquake-resistant structures, Dr. Deshmukh again cited the Taj Mahal and said: “A great structure is one which will collapse just the way the structural engineer wants it to.” He stressed the importance of a legal framework to uphold the values of safety and stability of civic structures.

Superintending Engineer of the Public Works Department for Mangalore circle B.S. Balakrishna said that civil engineers were using short-cuts. “I see that engineers are blindly using ready mix concrete (RMC). Almost all companies are supplying sub-standard RMC, yet its use is only growing.” He said some architects were interested in providing flashy safety systems without paying attention to basic structural elements such as the foundation, walls and roofing.