Tiled roofs back in fashion in B'lore

'Mangalore tiles' have become a generic term for clay roofing tiles, and mechanised tile factories are busy churning out newer patterns and sizes. Take a stroll around the Bangalore cantonment area, and you can still see the occasional 'tiled roof' and 'jack arch roof' trying to peep through the lush greenery within the compound dating back to British era. The tiles are all 'Mangalore tiles', the name giving you a hint of their origin.

But the skylines of Bangalore cantonment and old localities like Malleswaram and Chamarajpet are fast changing and old buildings are giving way to modern concrete, steel and glass structures. The traditional Mangalore tile roof is fast disappearing but, what is fascinating, the Mangalore tile is staging a comeback in diverse and sometimes ingenious ways. Mangalore tiles are made of clay found in abundance in parts of Mangalore in Karnataka and Kasargod in Kerala.

The brand has been in vogue in the country ever since such tiles were first made in 1865 by the Christian missionaries of the Basel Mission. They are made of compressed mud and burnt under controlled conditions, giving them a uniform thickness and pattern.

With tiles making way for newer roofing materials, the 'Mangalore tile' has now taken on a new 'avatar' and acquired an aesthetic hue. People nowadays are going back to them for landscaping, car portico, garden gazebo or 'watchman's shed' in front of the house.

The decline in mainstream use, as opposed to the rise of these niche uses, is because of the high maintenance cost of Mangalore tile roofs. This has led many to choose alternate concrete roof tiles and they are increasingly being used as replacements for Mangalore tiles, asbestos or galvanised sheets. But a few prefer Mangalore tiles because of the high quality and strength.

Thus 'Mangalore tiles' have become a generic term for clay roofing tiles. Mechanised tile factories are busy churning out newer patterns and sizes. "Though their maintenance is an issue, the tile can be used in many creative ways. For instance one could have a cement ceiling covered with Mangalore tiles for aesthetic appeal," says Dinesh Verma, former president of the Practicing Architects Association and principal architect and managing director of the Ace Group.

Despite the maintenance costs, some people "are using tiles in two ways: first, plain tile on top of wooden or metal rafters and second, on top of reinforced cement concrete (RCC) roofing. By using tile on top of RCC roofing it is costing 10 to 15 per cent higher," says Narendra S Reddy, architect, Prospace. But the advantage is that the tiles act as good insulation material.

So if you hate air-conditioning and prefer the cool feel and look, you will a concrete roof hidden by beautiful Mangalore tiles. Architects say it costs anywhere between Rs 12 and Rs 15 per square foot to lay the tiles.

There is a saving initially but due to high maintenance cost it works out higher than the cement concrete. But the urban lot who are environment conscious and have wallet power, have begun to use it extensively along with metal beams instead of wood.

As people frequently travel abroad, many have taken to the Mediterranean landscape and are increasingly using the style for their house or farm houses. "By doing so, the use of Mangalore tiles has increased many folds and the roof tile industry has modernised its production units to cater to this huge surge in demand," said Verma. Verma feels mud is going the aluminium way, that is the extrusion method is being used to create newer patterns.

This has also given birth to the modern clay products that include perforated and hollow clay bricks for walls; bricks and channels for construction of roof and floor slabs; decorative tiles for roofs and walls; terrace roofing tiles for weather-proofing and insulation of RCC roofs.

A group of scientists at the Centre for Sustainable Technologies (CST) of the Indian Institute of Science have improvised on the filler slab version developed by Laurie Baker wherein two Mangalore tiles are placed one above the other to form the "filler".

"Here the group has developed a stabilised mud block (SMB) filler slab. The shape and size of the stabilised mud block is altered to meet the requirement of filler slab strength and to provide aesthetically pleasing ceiling finish. Several buildings have been built using SMB filler slab roof in Bangalore. Filler slab roofs are 15 - 25 per cent cheaper when compared to the solid RCC," said Verma.

According to Verma, "Due to the modern production practices, tiles are produced with a higher strength due to the compact process and are becoming scratch resistant, consistent in colour and are available in colour of mud or blue or green."