Rammed earth: An overview of a sustainable construction material

Daniela Ciancio, Christopher Beckett

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

Abstract

Rammed earth is an ancient construction technique that consists of unsaturated loose soil compacted inside a formwork. Through the analysis of a recent project that sees the application of this material in remote communities of Western Australia, this paper discusses the social, financial and environmental sustainability of rammed earth. It shows that its embodied energy is low when compared to other materials like steel or concrete. This work also argues the need of heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) units in rammed earth buildings to reduce the dependence on the energy required by these units, energy that is not always available in remote areas or in under-developed countries. In hot arid climatic zones, by simply applying some traditional design features it might be possible to create a comfortable living space without any artificial air conditioning devices.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationProceedings of the 3rd Sustainable Construction Materials and Technologies Conference
Pages1-9
Publication statusPublished - 1 Jan 2013
Event3rd International Conference on Sustainable Construction Materials and Technologies, SCMT 2013 - Kyoto, Japan
Duration: 18 Aug 201321 Aug 2013

Publication series

NameSustainable construction materials and technologies
PublisherInternational Committee of the SCMT conferences
ISSN (Print)2515-3048

Conference

Conference3rd International Conference on Sustainable Construction Materials and Technologies, SCMT 2013
Country/TerritoryJapan
CityKyoto
Period18/08/1321/08/13

Keywords / Materials (for Non-textual outputs)

  • Embodied energy
  • Rammed earth
  • Thermal performance

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