Thin Vaulted Tile Structure as a Sustainable Slab

Abstract

The concept of sustainability for roof structure becomes most effective because slab consumes the highest amount of cement and steel in the building. This increases carbon footprint, which is a measure of the impact caused by the utilization of natural resources, eventually affecting the earth, and it becomes a subject of higher cost also. The objective of the paper is to find a safe, economical and sustainable roofing structure suitable for suburban and rural settlements. The literature survey carried out deeply and the potential is observed in tile vaulted structures. The core reasons behind adopting a vaulted structure are, it avoids using steel and concrete materials in construction, utilizes local labour, and low-cost local materials for construction. This predominantly becomes the primary factor in deciding the construction of an economical roofing structure for multiple dwelling units in rural and suburban settlements to provide a safe, sustainable and maintenance-free roofing system using tile vaulted structure.