RAMMED EARTH - NATURAL & TRADITIONAL BUILDING MATERIALS

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Rammed earth building is an evolution of cob building. Rammed earth relies on a mixture of damp earth, gravel, cement and sand which is formed into a mould of the desired shape. This is then compacted down eliminating all space in the mixture and creating a solid strong wall.

Rammed earth offers huge environmental advantages over other building materials, as the bulk of the material needed is earth that can be dug on site or locally. This reduces the ecological cost of transporting the material compared to say concrete, which needs to be transported from external locations.

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Rammed earth also has a good thermal mass which helps regulate the temperature within the building by heating up slowly during the day (and slowing the rate that a building heats up). It reaches a peak temperature as the sun descends allowing the rammed earth wall to slowly cool back down overnight, with the heat being released slowly providing heat for the building when it needs it.