How to make a Filler Slab Roof

In this new series titled Sustainable Home, we will take you through a series of videos on how to build a sustainable home. At Aanandaa, we are building an innovative and creative home, which is as sustainable as possible. We have explored several construction technologies and designs to ensure we have the most natural, resilient and energy efficient home.
In this video, Manisha, Jitesh and Lallan take you through an overview of how to make a Filler slab roof, its benefits and aesthetics.
A filler Slab roof is a small attempt to reduce the amount of concrete used in a 'slab roof' (lentil) which is the most common type of roof made in India. It entails scooping out bits of the concrete, and replacing them with earthen pots instead.
The grid drawing of steel & pot placement is made basis the position of the beams and steel on the inside of the slab, but also the placement of the electrical lights & fans on the inner side of the ceiling, such that the end result is both functional and aesthetic.
A filler slab needs many identical pots. These pots are roughly 12 in in diameter and 3 inches in depth. For better results, you can get some ridges on the outer surface of the pot, so that it grips the concrete better. The pots will have to be custom made by a potter.
The roof is cast with the steel or wooden shuttering. The shuttering is mounted 2 inches lower than the desired finished level to allow for a levelling plaster to be spread before the concrete & pots are cast. This levelling plaster allows for a smooth and neat look on the underside when the shuttering is removed.
The grid for the pots placement can be made with some string and indigo powder. After that the pots are kept in place, and steel is tied around them. Once the electrical pipes are overlaid, the concrete can be poured on the top.
After about 15-20 days of curing, the shuttering is removed. At this moment, the levelling plaster (made with loose sand & some cement) falls down. Any remaining bits are removed with a trowel. The roof is cleaning from inside and now ready for use!
Sustainable architecture at Aanandaa is directed by Ar. Jitesh Malik from Studio Aureole. The integral design practice at their studio combines a commitment to environmental sensitivity with a contemporary design language and a pedagogical process. At Aananda, Jitesh creatively contextualised a diverse range of sustainable practices to collaboratively work towards an aesthetically enriching experience.
Studio Aureole team: Prabhjot, Richa, Mandav, Harshita and Tanvi
Collaborators/Experts: Lallan, Ashumi, Malvika (Mlime), Narayanji (Rohtak domes)
To know more about Studio Aureole see www.studioaureole.com or email [e-mail]
Subscribe to our channel to stay tuned into more videos around sustainable home.

[@sangeet358]

I really liked your initial comments about "going sustainable is a journey". Let not perfection be the enemy of good or good-enough. Many congratulations Manisha madam, looking forward to more lessons from your experience.

[@farmaanandaa]

So glad my thoughts resonated with you.

[@kaninilinnett]

Have really been following your work love it from Kenya 🇰🇪 Africa with love happy to see sustainable building solutions

[@design4you873]

Queen of Organic beauty.

[@anjalisen810]

This is amazing Manisha. Your efforts are inspiring for anybody who wants to follow the sustainable way. Waiting to come and see your farm!

[@farmaanandaa]

Come for a farm tour someday. And later i will start sustainable house tours too

[@deepalihebbare8660]

Seeing such roof fr 1st time,really innovative,its looking beautiful,🌹

[@farmaanandaa]

Thanks for liking

[@shahithashafeeq7643]

All the methods are there in your house... I really appreciate your efforts... and the mindset to experiment all these methods for a sustainable living. I am eagerly waiting for the vedios from you...

[@farmaanandaa]

Thanks a lot. It has been quite a journey. Not without stress and sleepless nights!!!

[@Jk-123-]

Why can't everyone have as noble thoughts as yours, so this world will be so peaceful and a much much better place to live.

[@farmaanandaa]

We can all make a difference. I am not special

[@anandmanurkar]

wonderful creation and epic planning and execution. You rightly said, to go 100% sustainable one needs to spend lot of energy and time. Making wise choices like this one is always best way of doing the things.

[@farmaanandaa]

Yes! Thank you!

[@archbharat]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/nJraZoqNormbl9E

[@mafelfanai]

I see your point on slabs having lesser tensile stress at the top and hence the requirement of concrete minimal at the bottom. Fascinating experiment, would like to try it out myself have I the money, with my own version. The con is that it is time consuming and more problematic on the global scale as creation of earthen pots or other inert materials is more difficult than just buying good old cement. Also, it might not be ideal for places with high earthquake zones. Still, an interesting idea for sure.

[@Mindy56743]

The whole point is not to do away with technology but to use it in a way that is sustainable. We don’t need to go back to the cave to live in a home that is sustainable. Your home is beautiful and has the technology but used in a way that the earth will not be destroyed. People need to understand that each step in that direction is positive. My goal is zero waste but so far I have only cut it to 50 percent. That is not much when you think about the tons we throw away each day but if more people did it the change would be huge! Your house has a small amount of concrete instead of the whole house being built with it. This would make huge difference if more people did this!

[@farmaanandaa]

Thank you Mindy. This kind of positive feedback really motivates us to do more!

[@armcanara8418]

Very nice and eco friendly house……mam give us a house tour.

[@jayeshpatel2101]

Very Nice Manusha Ji

[@farmaanandaa]

Thank you Jayesh ji!

[@WME460]

Seeing your video after sometime… while I have been researching on sustainable living maybe before you, you’re a step ahead in practising it, be it starting permaculture farm, rammed earth housing, Rohtak roofs 😊… great to see and learn from you. Hope to start on it in my ancestral farm when I return to India (when being the biggest Q). The roofing I have in my native home is wooden beams ceiling, over it is attic and then mangalore tiles roof. Just stumbled upon madras roofing recently which uses lime plaster and it is similar to Rohtak domes… while theses roofing techniques are more from the south, thought of sharing with you about it.

[@farmaanandaa]

Good luck with your plans! We have made a Madras roof too!! Will be sharing a video on it shortly.

[@WME460]

Thanks! Oh that’s great… Looking forward to see the video.. if possible do mention about the people who did it.

[@vinwilder707]

Really innovative. I wish you had also tried Madras roofing. It uses Lime as a replacement for Cement.

[@farmaanandaa]

We have made a Madras Roof .. Will share a video soon. But our masons made it with cement. They were just not confident of making it with lime :-(

[@vinwilder707]

@@farmaanandaa That's great! Look forward to the video.

[@StephenCoorlas]

Beautiful! So the leveling plaster was just a sacrificial layer that also allowed for the edges of the pots to protrude below the ceiling surface? How did you remove the leveling plaster?

[@farmaanandaa]

Yes a sacrificial layer. It never really sets, because it has higher amount of sand and very less cement. When the shuttering ia removed, it just falls off.

[@StephenCoorlas]

@@farmaanandaa Very cool - thanks for the reply!

[@riturajsandhupeasant4885]

You are practicing very innovative ideas. Just like Laurie Baker. 💚🙂🌼

[@farmaanandaa]

Glad you think so!

[@pyniarphangmawri1630]

"LAURIE BAKER " was the first to introduce this method Filler slab construction

[@farmaanandaa]

Absolutely. This is not our idea for sure!

[@ThoneJones]

Very cool. Is there any sort of insulation on top?

[@farmaanandaa]

Not on this roof.

[@SachinKumar-je7dl]

Lime can use instead for cement and wooden beam can replace steel to make more sustainable and eco friendly

[@user-fe1ci5me1t]

Wow very smart work👌👌👌🌹🌹

[@Majoofi]

I’m curious about the hat your architect was wearing wha is is made from does it help with the heat?

[@farmaanandaa]

Haha you will have to ask him! He is tagged in the description.

[@priyankajoshi6121]

Very informative video! Can you elaborate a little more on the levelling plaster layer? What are the steps and materials involved, they mentioned something called 'neru'. Is it the same as neru lime powder? I am using this technique in a residential project and wanted to understand more. There we are using ms shuttering, not ply shuttering Based on the video and reading comments, this is what i have gathered: Step1: apply diesel/oil to the shuttering plates Step2: mix sand+neru lime powder and make a layer as thick as 1.5-2". Step 3: Insert the pot in the mix such that the collar/lip is completely inside the levelling plaster. Request you to throw some light on this :) Really nice content

[@farmaanandaa]

Priyanka why don't you connect with architect Jitesh Malik on [e-mail]. He will be able to share more technical inputs

[@farmaanandaa]

Neru is not lime powder. It's a thin cement slurry

[@Babsji04]

Is it possible to have terrace garden in filling slab roof?

[@farmaanandaa]

You can make a terrace garden anywhere after doing some solid waterproofing

[@iloveuall007]

What happens when the pots break? How do you replace it or what's the substitute?

[@farmaanandaa]

They are not expected to break. But if they do, and we find a qay to replace them, we will let you know

[@adlinnavyapalanna5040]

Does this system of roofing work on pure load bearing walls?

[@farmaanandaa]

It does. Our walls are also load bearing. We only added some pillars for earthquake proofing.

[@green.frugal.minimalist1316]

In normal concrete roof you first placed steel/iron bar and then fill the steel bar structure with concrete mix with vibrator so that no air bubbles create and even distribution of concrete mix. In this filler slab process how you fill the steel bar structure with concrete mix buy putting filler slab material before and how you use vibrator? Or you just first made the concrete roof thn create hole on it to put filler material like these matkas? And if it is so thn whats the point first built concrete roof thn hole it to create more wastage?

[@farmaanandaa]

Obviously the pots are not stuck later. The concrete is poured around them, and settled with a vibrator as you described. Wherever there is a pot, that much concrete you save

[@green.frugal.minimalist1316]

@@farmaanandaa thank you so very much for the clarification. I actually read about Becker architecture and also bought a sustainable guidebook to house consctruction by TERI for my house construction. I am fascinated about filler slab design. But there is no proper guide videos on filler slab on youtube so I can see how it done like from placing and binding iron bar, thn placing filler and pouring concrete mix. Thank you so much once again.

[@shaktisehgal9777]

Has anyone calculated or checked the difference it makes in temperature when compared to outside temperature?

[@farmaanandaa]

Yes we have. When it's 45 °C outside it's 32°C inside

[@bharatbatham8963]

i find it very hard to understand certain bit of your videos in this series due to echo. May i request you to do the voice over later pls. I am learning from you & want my next house to be as much sustainable as possible.

[@farmaanandaa]

Are you sure there is an echo? Pls try to use headphones. Sorry for the bother

[@jaypardeshi178]

Why diesel was used ? & after how many days shuttering was removed?

[@farmaanandaa]

Diesel or any oil is used so that the earth doesnt stick to the shuttering. The shuttering is removed the next day

[@jollykumar803]

@@farmaanandaaHi! Very interesting! Would it be safe to remove the shuttering the very next day? Also, does it no create a problem with curing the concrete

[@farmaanandaa]

Yes it's safe to remove next day or day after. There is no concrete to cure. The wall has earth and lime only.

[@AtoZ12345all]

Can anyone explain me what is the use of this ( in Hindi) ??? I

[@farmaanandaa]

Isme thoda kam cement lagta hai

[@NishantTravelTalesx]

i wld request to plz use a mic while recording. that wld add much more value to ur content and viewership..

[@farmaanandaa]

We got a mic now. Will use for sure. Thank you for the feedback

[@Aagya683]

Pls isee hindi m samajna h ki ye roof kaise banai gai h pls pls dub this inhindi

[@farmaanandaa]

Koshish karenge

[@rathourd322]

Good work I am natural house tell me my help I am in Indian I am for family

[@RS-lm1fg]

Pls get an ext mic,that will help to enhance the audio a lot.

[@farmaanandaa]

Sure will do that. Any specific model you recommend?

[@RS-lm1fg]

I wud recommend Rode wireless go 2 ,though a bit expensive,but for the quality and ease of use is worth spending.

[@sampathkavin]

Pot cost 200 to 250 cement is 300 ..so cement is cheaper and need less effort. We should use only used mangalore tiles to save cost

[@farmaanandaa]

You've missed the point completely

[@sampathkavin]

Explain pls

[@shankarraaj9604]

Anybody doing this near to hassan . Mysore or Bangalore Karnataka state pls give i formation

[@farmaanandaa]

You could reach out to folks in Auroville

[@brijeshmandavi6795]

but mam what purpose these filler slab has ????

[@farmaanandaa]

PLs see the video,. It is explained there

[@niyatipatel7264]

how can someone join you? is there any option if someone wants to join?

[@farmaanandaa]

Join us as an employee?

[@niyatipatel7264]

@@farmaanandaa yes any email address? where we can discuss about it…

[@PremKashyap]

What if the terracotta breaks or cracks

[@farmaanandaa]

It shouldn't matter. The roof is not dependent on the pot

[@PremKashyap]

@@farmaanandaaNot from the stability point of view. But wouldn't it let rain and sunlight in

[@premvirdhanda3664]

U are a architect?

[@farmaanandaa]

Jitesh Malik in the video is the architect.

[@YogeshRajput-qx4ho]

काश ये सब हिंदी में बताते बहुत मुझे दुख हो रहा हे कितनी बाते सीखनी जैसी थी जो छूट गई

[@farmaanandaa]

यह वीडियो ज़्यादा architects के लिए बने हुए हैं। इस लिये वह english में है।

[@chandansahani2442]

Please Hindi me vdo banaye not english

[@farmaanandaa]

Hamare darshak vishwa bhar se hai. Iss liye hum English mein banate hain

[@networkngos2681]

6 inch concrete roof sustainability 🤦‍♀️👎🏽

[@farmaanandaa]

It will be good if you see all our roofing systems and the entire project