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Rammed Earth Homes

Posted in Designs on Jan 27 by admin | Print

Rammed earth homes (or other buildings) are edifices with walls that are built from a mixture of sand and clay. A mixture of sand and clay is poured into “forms” (molds) to build the walls. They are typically constructed on-site, using locally available sand, earth, water, clay, and a little cement. The walls allow for a range of versatility in design of the homes, require only minimum amounts of energy to sustain warmth in the cold season or to keep a home cool in the summer.

Often, these homes are built to utilize solar energy. Prospective owners seeking a comfortable home that can save on energy demands and expenditure in the long run, and offering an environmentally sustainable solution to home ownership, will likely find the concept of rammed earth homes to be very attractive and viable.

The Process of Building These Homes

The walls of such homes are a minimum of 12 inches thick and formed with a process of packing a mixture oaround 15% clay, 50% sand, and 35% silt into the forms with the use of pneumatic tampers. Other components in the mix for the walls may be included in the mix for improved water repellency and load bearing properties. Newly built walls require some time to fully dry out. This method of construction utilizes local resources and is a very strong model of environmentally friendly sustainability since it primarily if not completely utilizes a local resources.

The resulting house is highly energy efficient, requires almost no maintenance, and very comfortable.

The Design of Rammed Earth Homes

The appearance of edifices constructed in this way are quite beautiful, along with true sturdiness. Rammed earth homes offer unparalleled insulation from the elements, in both cold weather and on hot day, since their walls have a high thermal mass.

Adam Fulford enjoys writing articles on a myriad of subjects, ranging from dog agility events to real estate. He has production company to produce dramas, documentaries, and information products for film, video, and TV.

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Entry Details: This entry was posted on Wednesday, January 27th, 2010 at 9:22 pm, by admin, and is filed under Designs. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site. Print This!