About Us
The Auroville Earth Institute was previously named the Auroville Building Centre / Earth Unit, which had been founded by HUDCO, Government of India, in 1989. The development of the former building centre evolved in such a way that the Auroville Earth Institute came into existence in 2004.
The Auroville Earth Institute is researching, developing, promoting and transferring earth-based technologies, which are cost and energy effective. These technologies are disseminated through training courses, seminars, workshops, manuals and documents. The Institute is also offering various services, and provides consultancy within and outside India.
The emphasis is focused on the research and development of earth based technologies and their dissemination through training courses. The most promoted technology today is Compressed Stabilised Earth Blocks (CSEB).
One of the aims of the Auroville Earth Institute is to give people the possibility to create and build for themselves their own habitat, while using earth techniques.
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 Office of the Auroville Earth Institute
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The Auroville Earth Institute is part of a world network with CRATerre (The International Centre for Earth Construction), ABC Terra in Brazil, and a number of Indian NGOs. A training convention has been passed with the School of Architecture of Grenoble, France, for giving long-term training courses to their students.
The Auroville Earth Institute is today the representative for Asia of the UNESCO Chair "Earthen Architecture, Constructive Cultures and Sustainable Development". This Chair aims to accelerate the dissemination of scientific and technical know-how on earthen architecture amongst the higher education institutions, in the following three domains: environment and heritage, human settlements, and economy and production.
The Auroville Earth Institute is also partner of BASIN South Asia – Regional Knowledge Platform and it provides information and guidance to whoever asks for it.
The training course activities and the endeavour to promote raw earth as a building material for sustainable and cost effective development has brought since 1989 thirteen awards: Two international awards and eleven Indian awards.
The Auroville Earth Institute plan to develop its activities in the future and we are seeking to offer, after some time, a one-year curriculum to students of various levels which would be granted with these diplomas:
- Post diploma "Specialisation in earth architecture" to architects and engineers
- Diploma "Bare foot earth architect" to educated people, for setting up entrepreneurships
- Diploma "Master mason earth builder" to uneducated people
This syllabus will be organised in the following years, the time for the Auroville Earth Institute to be reorganised and developed.
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HOW TO REACH THE AUROVILLE EARTH INSTITUTE
Map of Auroville
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- Reach Chennai (Madras is the old name of the city), by flight or train.
- Auroville is 150 Km south of Chennai and 8 Km north of Pondicherry.
- There are two possibilities for reaching Auroville:
- By taxi. It is the simplest mean and it will take ~3 hours to reach Auroville:
- A taxi from Chennai airport would cost Rs. 2,500 to 3,000 and you will have to bargain. Taxi drivers from Chennai would take some time to find the Institute. You should ask to be dropped at CSR, Auroshilpam at Auroville.
- We can send a taxi from Auroville. There are very reliable. They know our place and it will cost Rs. 1,700 -1,900. Please give your train references (Train No. and name / Coming from / Day and arrival time) or flight details (Flight No. / Airline / Coming from / Day and arrival time).
- By bus. It is cheaper but more complicate and it will take ~4.5 hours:
- Take a taxi or an auto rickshaw (3 wheelers) at Chennai up to Coimbad Bus Terminal (150 - 200 Rs.)
- Take a bus for Pondicherry. Ask for a bus point to point by the East Coast Road and go up to the main bus stand (± 60 Rs.)
- Take a taxi or an auto rickshaw from the bus stand to Auroville (180 - 200 Rs.) and ask to be dropped at CSR, Auroshilpam at Auroville.
- In case of any problem, you can phone to (0) 413 - 262 3064 / 262 3330
- Address: Auroville Earth Institute - Auroshilpam, CSR, Auroville 605 101 TN, India
- Note: 1 USD = ~ 44 Rs. – 1 Euro = ~ 64 Rs. (Value August 2011)
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