Rammed Earth
From Wikipedia:
Rammed earth, also known as pis de terre or simply pis , is a type of construction material. It is an age-old building method that has seen a revival in recent years as people seek low-impact building materials and natural building methods. Traditionally, rammed earth buildings are common in arid regions where wood is in scarce supply.
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Toolbase.org- Rammed Earth Summary
Homes made from soil based materials have been called various names; adobe and cob are terms often used to describe sun dried clay materials. Rammed earth and soil-cement brick refer to a popular method used today, with a cement additive and pressure to mold the blocks or bricks.
Earth building techniques are practiced in many parts of the world. While most people might associate this construction practice with third world countries, there are earth building standards in China, Peru, Turkey, New Zealand and Australia. A renewed interest in green building materials has also kept the technique visible in the United States, mostly in the southwestern area of the country.
Toolbase.org- Rammed Earth Summary |
Wikipedia- Rammed Earth
Using it involves a process of compressing a damp mixture of earth that has suitable proportions of sand, gravel and clay (sometimes with an added stabilizer) into an externally supported frame that molds the shape of a wall section creating a solid wall of earth. Traditional stabilizers such as lime or animal blood were used to stabilize the material, but cement has been the stabilizer of choice for modern times. However the use of cement is contentious as its manufacture creates 10% of man made carbon emissions[1]. After compressing the earth the wall frames can be immediately removed and require an extent of warm dry days after construction to dry and harden. The structure can take up to two years to completely cure, and the more it cures the stronger the structure becomes. When the process is complete it is much like constructing a hand made wall of solid rock.
Wikipedia- Rammed Earth |
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