Rammed Earth

I have always wanted to do a blog on natural housing techniques, or Earth building... Actually any type of environmentally friendly housing techniques...Not only because I find it fascinating but beautiful as well when it can be pulled off in a practical way...If successful this blog will be a learning process for myself and maybe anyone who passes through my world and pauses long enough to check it out. Lets see what I can come up with...

SUNDAY June 07 2009:

Start my search of earth building and am hit with rammed earth so lets go with that as a starting place....

What is rammed earth?
Lets see what wiki' ed info we can come up with...

PART ONE:

*RAMMED EARTH BUILDING

Wiki definition

Well that was nice for a general explanation....A good starting place anyways, to get an idea, but I want more....Of course I am a woman... I Always want more...( I can say that and get away with it since I am a woman....and when it comes to learning its usually true woman or not)

Lets see where I ramble to next...

Links I found fascinating, Its a never ending link-athon of information....

This is pretty cool. Father and son take a course in rammed earth building in Texas....Has lots of links to follow...

http://www.diyrammedearth.com/

I am hit with a question though...Is rammed earth only suitable for drier areas such as Texas and Arizona and the Midwest? I will have to check that one out..I like the style but not keen on moving to the mid west...Been there done that..Its beautiful but I am a tree hugger love my woods and lots of em....

Let me see if I can answer that before I move on in my quest.

A site with a bit of history on the technique, Very informative. enjoyed it a lot, and answers my question nicely...

From the page: (website link)

No doubt alterations took place as methods were traded, but rammed earth was pushed as far as England, and today, almost every European country as a history of rammed earth construction. One may drive through the Phone Valley of France and on into Northern Italy and see hundreds of farmsteads and walls of rammed earth or pise de terre, as the French call it. Germany had documented the craft with typical efficiency and today, there are lots of examples of rammed earth homes and buildings, some five or six stories high. Indeed, the French and Germans were the main exporters of the technique to the American colonies.



Next!

From the page: (website link)

Walls built of raw earth in China, Africa, and even the cold wet climates of northern Europe continue to provide shelter after several hundred years of use. With the addition of modern stabilizers, concrete foundations, and steel reinforcing, we can say in total confidence that our earth walls will last for many centuries. And like all other masonry wall systems, whether they are brick, stone, or concrete, exterior maintenance is virtually eliminated.

OK onward! Question answered...

Links I found interesting:


www.greenhomebuilding.com

USC website: (has some links to adobe worksheets on building process)

Mother Earth News : How to on rammed earth (one of my fav websites and magazines)

Encyclopedia.com

Youtube search

Amazon.com: books and related articles

TreeHugger.com

How stuff works.com

OK obviously as with anything there are advantages and disadvantages to rammed earth building...Its not all a rosy picture...And although you can build rammed earth in any climate the best climate seems to be an arid one for energy efficiency. In my reading I gathered that it was completely practical yet it had some insulating challenges against colder climates. I am sure there are more disadvantages here and there with this building process but Its a step in the right thought direction...Its all about taking a step back and realizing where we lost our way in our "progress" as mankind. New is not always better and somethings should not be lost and have to be relearned. History can teach us lessons no doubt.



(I don't know why, I have no clue. When I am alone in nature my thoughts just lead to you)