Rammed earth has been around for thousands of years. As a matter of fact, more people are living in earthen structures right now than any other type (I read that somewhere). The point being, if built correctly, they can last literally for hundreds if not thousands of years.
The process is simple in nature, but to form strong walls a good deal of experimentation is required. To build a strong earth wall, you need correct proportions of sand, clay, rock, and a binder which in our case would be portland cement. You mix those up with a small amount of water to activate the cement, and then you pour this dirt mixture into wooden forms, the same as for concrete. You then take a heavy tamper and pound the dirt down until it is sufficiently compacted. Remove the forms and you're done. The wall needs some time to cure, but it is already very strong.
Rammed earth walls need to be very thick. Probably 18 to 24 inches in our case. They are fireproof, soundproof, and have many thermal advantages. And they look amazing. The main costs for rammed earth are the wood for the forms, the cement, and any dirt or sand that needs to be brought in. The rest is just a ton of labor.
One drawback of rammed earth is that is have a very low R-value, meaning it does not insulate well. In our case, we would build insulated walls, with 4" of insulation inside the walls.
Anyway, maybe too much info. Here are the pictures and links:
http://www.rammedearth.info/index.htm#Home
2 comments:
That makes the walls just look so cool!
Hey Brandon,
On some of those links they say that rammed earth walls have a HIGH R-value rating (R-33) and that part of the benefit of using this method is it's ability to soak up the heat of sun to use as natural insulation...??
Post a Comment