Rammed Earth is an over 2000 years old technique of wall construction in India. It is mainly used for building walls and floors of the Indian mud houses, with raw materials of the earth, lime, clay, gravel and sand. These materials are proportionately mixed together and then rammed manually in a form work. Beautiful result, a strong, durable, breathing wall that last for centuries or longer adds feature and a warm feeling to the structure.
Rammed earth wall has a high thermal mass index which means that it absorbs heat well without releasing it into the interior. Hence these walls provide a strong thermal insulation. This evens out daily temperature variations and reduces the need for air conditioning and heating in rammed earth mud houses.
The ingredients include lime, gravel, sand, clay and minerals. The stones provide the structure, and lime & clay is the glue that binds the mix together. If done correctly rammed earth walls are load bearing walls. They can carry the load of a roof or other floors above without reinforcement of concrete or steel.
The clay used, comes from the subsoil, leaving the topsoil for agricultural uses. Ideally the soil from the construction site should be used for rammed earth mud house, thus reducing cost and energy of transportation. When the building is demolished, the earth walls return to the soil or can be recycled easily.
Therefore rammed earth is a prime example for sustainable architecture and sufficiency even in contemporary life style.Rammed earth as load bearing material in combination with bamboo as material with superior tensile strength has proven the material of choice for customers who want to avoid the high carbon footprint of steel and concrete.
UrbunHut Vernaculars combines various natural construction materials for a sustainable living environment. Using mainly manual labour instead of machines distributes our money directly to the poorest of our society. It also helps to integrate with the local communities and utilizes whatever local resources are available.
