RAMMED EARTH

CONSTRUCTION
Walling Technique
INTRODUCTION
Rammed earth has been used in construction for thousands of years, with
evidence of its use dating as far back as the Neolithic Period. Commonly
used especially in China, the technique was applied to both ancient
monuments and vernacular architecture, with the Great Wall utilizing the
technique. Though interest in rammed earth declined in the 20th century,
some continue to advocate its use today, citing its sustainability in
comparison to more modern construction methods. Most notably, rammed
earth structures use local materials, meaning they have low embodied
energy and produce little waste.
 Auroville Earth Institute

The great Wall of China

 • Rammed earth construction is the process of ramming a mixture of aggregates, like
gravel, sand, silt and clay into a formwork to create walls.
• When the earth is dry the formwork is removed to reveal solid monolithic walls.
• Rammed earth is an ancient form of construction, generally seen in drier hotter parts of
the world.
• Although many rammed earth structures exist in this basic form, a new ‘stabilized’
rammed earth variant has been developed which adds a small amount of cement (5-10%)
to the mixture to ensure strength and durability.

• The process is labour intensive, but is

considered to have a low
environmental impact depending on
materials used (cement content) and
source of those materials.
BASIC MATERIALS
• Earth
• Stabilizer (cement or lime where required)
• Insulation (where required)
• Water-resistant finish (where required)
• Control layers:

-Water — The finished rammed earth is typically the water control layer. It is possible to use vapor-
permeable, water-resistant finishes on the rammed earth surface or to include water-resistant additives in
the earth mix before ramming. Additional cladding over the rammed earth is feasible but rarely done.
- Air and vapor — Solid, continuous and dense, rammed earth is an effective air and vapor control layer.
- Thermal — A rammed earth wall requires an additional thermal control layer in hot or cold climates (see
Thermal Mass vs. Insulation sidebar). This layer can be on the interior, exterior or center of the wall, and is
typically a rigid insulation.
RAMED EARTH CONSTRUCTION
What does rammed earth construction look like?
• The appearance of rammed earth will depend on the earth and aggregate used, in terms of colour and
texture.
• However, rammed earth has a horizontal layered appearance which demonstrate the process used to
construct the walls.
• Some like this feature of rammed earth, however it is possible to control it so that the layers are not
visible. Rammed earth is often seen in a red/orange tone colour
How do you Build Using Rammed Earth?
• While rammed earth can be molded into individual building bricks, more traditionally it is compressed into a mould to create
entire walls.
• A wooden supporting frame is created, before the damp earth mixture is poured into a depth of less than 10 inches, then
compacted to around 50% of its original height.
• The name comes from the labour-intensive process of tamping the mixture down using a long ramming pole, although today
pneumatically-powered tampers are more commonly used.
• The process is then repeated until the entire wall is built. Everything is held together by pipe clamps to ensure it doesn’t bulge
or deform, and these can be loosened or tightened as the form is created.
• In modern rammed earth constructions, the walls are typically built on top of a more conventional foundation such as reinforced
concrete slabs
• Then the frames need to be removed immediately, particularly if any surface textures, such as carving or mould impressions are
to be applied, considering the walls become too hard to work within roughly an hour.
• Once the form is dismantled, it can be moved on to the next section and repeated. Windows and doors can also be added by
ramming earth around individual forms and it’s important that exposed walls are sealed to prevent any water damage.
 Advantages of Rammed Earth Construction
• One of the main advantages of rammed earth building is that soil is widely available and a sustainable resource, while at
the same time being far more affordable than other building materials.
• The soil used is typically a subsoil low in clay, meaning that the top soils can still be kept for agricultural purposes. When
using locally available earth, the energy required to build using rammed earth is dramatically reduced when compared to
more conventional building methods, together with the costs of transportation.
• It can be built using largely unskilled labor and the formwork used to build using rammed earth can also be reused again
and again
• One of the most favorable properties of rammed earth is that its compression strength actually increases as it cures. While
its strength is less than that of concrete, it’s still strong enough for domestic building purposes and can be reinforced using
wood, bamboo or rebar, particularly useful in earthquake and storm-prone regions.
• Cement can also be added to some clay-poor soil mixtures to increase the overall load-bearing capacity of the building.
 THERMAL MASS
The external walls of our rammed earth buildings are a minimum of 300mm (1 ft) thick, providing excellent protection from
extremes in climate. The thickness and density of the material means that heat (or cold) penetration of the wall is very slow and
the internal temperature of the building remains comparatively stable, with the end result of it feeling warmer in winter and cooler
in summer than the outside temperature.

Rammed earth also has a high thermal mass, absorbing heat during the day and releasing it at night, reducing the need for air
conditioning and heating. It also ‘breathes’ far better than concrete structures, and provided cement renders or artificial sidings
aren’t applied, the walls can naturally desorb moisture and avoid any condensation issues. Rammed earth is non-combustible,
making it fireproof, as well as being non-toxic and termite-resistant. The thickness of the walls also make rammed earth
structures ideal for sound proofing and they can easily be patched using exactly the same material.
 FIRE PROOF
Earth doesn’t burn. This is an ideal material for bush settings and leafy suburbs. 250mm earth block wall achieved a 4
hour fire resistance rating. A 150mm earth block wall achieved a rating of 3 hrs 41 minutes. Rammed Earth walls are
stronger, being 300mm thick and of monolithic rather than block construction (so they have no vulnerable mortar joints).

Noise Reduction

The thickness and density of the walls mean that noise transmission is very much reduced. This is particularly useful if you want to
keep out the noise of traffic or in party walls between townhouses. The muting of external noise provides a quieter, more sheltered
ambience, particularly evident in bad weather. Rammed earth internal walls are also extremely useful in providing sound insulation
between areas with different needs — for instance between living and sleeping areas, or between a public or family room and a
study area. CSIRO tests quoted in Bulletin 5 Earth-Wall Construction indicate a sound transmission rating of more than 50 decibels for a
rammed earth wall of 250mm. Thicker walls, such as standard load bearing walls of 300mm, provide even better sound insulation
 ASTHETICS
Aesthetically, rammed earth structures are also quite pleasing, with a color and texture comparable to that of natural earth. Other elements,
such as bottles, tires and timber features are often included to add a creative flair to the structure.

Strong and Durable

As CSIRO research (and centuries of years of use worldwide) has proved, rammed earth is extremely durable and weather resistant This, together with
modern technologies, backed up with scientific testing and a strong attention to quality control, ensure maximum strength and durability for every project
Low Maintenance
Rammed earth walls are extremely low maintenance. Once they are built and sealed, they shouldn’t need any further
attention for at least 10-20 years. At that point exposed walls may benefit from a second coat of sealer, which is an easy
process. Rammed earth walls are features that stand alone and don’t need finishing with plasterboard or render, inside or
outside. There is no need to ever again spend time and money painting. However, if you do want a different finish,
rammed earth walls can be treated in the same way as other masonry walls. You can cover them by applying plaster or
render, or paint directly onto the surface.

LOAD BEARING
Rammed earth walls at 300mm thick are load bearing, so you are unlikely to need other structural framing for your home, reducing
fire and pest susceptibility. Rammed earth also provides substantial bracing to buildings — usually well in excess of the legal
requirements achieved by most timber framed homes
ENVIRONMENTALLY SPEAKING
To start, the materials used to create rammed earth walls are non-toxic, locally sourced, locally produced; they’re the
least environmentally detrimental construction material available today for solid masonry.
Rammed earth walls carry a low embodied energy (the impact a building has on the environment from the processes
associated with the production of a building, from the mining and processing of natural resources to manufacturing,
transport and product delivery).
And finally, its thermal mass contributes to passive solar energy efficiencies – the density of the material results in a
slow penetration of hot or cold temperatures, where many occupiers of rammed earth wall dwellings have little need to
use cooling or heating systems, reducing energy emissions (and saving costs)
DISADVANTAGES OF RAMMED EARTH CONSTRUCTION
RATINGS OF RAMMED EARTH WALLS
Stabilized Rammed Earth Walls
Auroville

This technique has been introduced in Auroville only in 1995, for the construction of Mirramukhi School, which has been renamed
as Deepanam School later on.
A slipping type formwork has been designed and developed. The panels are lifted up and the walls are built like piers walls. Our
process is similar to the modern rammed earth system practiced in USA or Australia, but adapted to the local context of a
developing country. We ram by hand and we have developed also some peripheral equipment.
Some sand is always added: 25 to 30 % according to the soil quality, so as to reduce shrinkage. Cement percentage will vary
with the soil quality, but in Auroville, we always use 5 % by weight of cement.
-Aditi Sharma
-Kirti Khera
-Neha Lachhwani