Boots on the Ground: Why doesn't everyone build with rammed earth?
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- Опубликовано: 19 мар 2020
- Part of "High Performance Design Meets Boots on the Ground" - Toronto Ontario, March 11, 2020.
Presenter: Sylvia Cook, Aerecura Sustainable Builders
A decade ago, Sylvia made a shift from teaching Physics to sustainable building, following a lifelong passion for environmentalism. Rammed earth now forms the core of that passion as she works to use its potential for changing the building industry to incorporate sustainability, energy efficiency, low embodied energy and fundamental social justice.
“Why doesn’t everyone build this way?” is the most frequently asked question by visitors who come to tour our rammed earth home. This talk explores answers to this question, including: unfamiliarity with this material, despite its ancient history and widespread global use;;concerns about ‘dirt’ being susceptible to our climate, rather than the stability of re-created stone
fears about building a ‘mud hut’ instead of a modern building with upscale potential;beliefs that any form of sustainable building involves sacrificing comfort, whereas rammed earth provides comfort far beyond the usual standardwith consistent temperature, humidity and excellent indoor air quality; alternative building methods, including rammed earth, are expensive, without consideration of the total human, societal and environmental cost of projects.
Syvlia Cook is a rammed earth builder: A decade ago, Sylvia made a shift from teaching physics to sustainable building, following a lifelong passion for environmentalism. Rammed earth now forms the core of that passion as she works to use its potential for changing the building industry to incorporate sustainability, energy efficiency, low embodied energy and fundamental social justice. 
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I live in Texas and nearly all of the RE builders will tell you banks will not fund this because they cannot get the appraisal data. You need 3 comps in the last 6 months within 15 miles of where you will build. So unless you have all the cash to complete the house, you will be building this yourself. Its a shame that they all say they want sustainability but they're not willing to finance it.
This is inspiring and makes me want to enter this world and begin at once to impact my community with this information.
Thank you very much for sharing this. I'm from Turkey and I'm very much interested in natural building materials. We have a very diverse type of natural building culture across Anatolia but unfortunately, they are being replaced with concrete nowadays. I appreciate any work and effort to spread natural buildings around the world. I hope more people will get back to this type of building system.
Rammed earth is like getting the beauty of natural-looking layers which formes in millions of years in nature. It looks amazing.
It's cheaper too!
Turkey is prone to earth quakes. Rammed earth has a great attitude in those areas ! I seen tests conducted in france with really good results.
@@petersieben8560 rammed earth buildings survived last year's 7.8 magnitude earthquake in southeast Türkiye. With no damage at all.
Very good, appreciated 👍🏻 thank you for such a wonderful message 👍🏻
I've been trying to get my head around ths for a while, but now you've used the analogy of sedimentary geology, I get it. Thankyou.
I love earth and wood colors so I love the natural look of rammed earth. I didn’t catch where in Canada you are, but I’m in Fairbanks Alaska, and it can routinely get -40 here with much colder extremes. Do you put a core of foam insulation in the walls? And what do you use for the water resistance and the strength stabilization you mentioned? Even more than the cold I wonder how well it would resist earthquakes. Thank you!
Its hurricane and tornado resistant,the reason is people in central Kentucky lost so much, and mow we are in a weather apocalypse
Can it handle a green roof? How about repairs or moving an outlet?
Excellent presentation and insight 👏👌👍. Do you have website and other similar videos?
The material of my dreamed house
Awesome work, thanks for sharing. Please how well would rammed earth wall do in Nigeria with a wet-tropical type climate with mean annual temperatures of 27-34 degrees?
Already being done there and in Ghana and all over Africa
watching here from the future, where the price of traditional wood building has skyrocketed, but this has stayed the same
Statistics and figures would be helpful in making a decision
beautiful walls!
Thanks for the great information. I wonder about the seismic design of the rammed-earth building. In this video, you only mention that it is ductile. Ductility is not enough to resist lateral forces during a massive quake. You need a perfect shear wall design for lateral loads. Is there any study for the seismic design of rammed earth structural systems?
More than you can imagine...start with Cal-Tech
What is the axial capacity under compression strength for this type of walls also where is the steel reinforcing for lateral stress . Is there any study or test performed on this type of walls .
Rammed earth is an ancient building technique. It's not new. I'd think there'd be loads of data on it from them internets. If the load bearing capacity of it weren't high enough to hold a roof I'd think it would have been phased out by ancient peoples who got tired of a roof falling on themselves while they slept. As a non engineer who has done far more construction in my life than I like to remember I'd think the two foot thick rock wall would provide more than enough lateral strength. They build them all over the world with no steel in them and have been for thousands of years so they must.
@@twistedpixel2558 well said, matter of fact you get a standing ovation. You just made me laugh with how simple you explained it.
Some builders say it's about 20-30 MPa (depending on cement agregate and compression). There are recent public buildings with this technique in Mexico (lateral stress is their second name, haha). But I'm still trying to find such studies cause I want to build like this in seismic region. If you do find a paper on the matter, please let me know.
How do you hang pictures on the walls? Can you patch the walls from like nail holes etc.?
The same way you hang paintings on masonry walls.
Patch is made from the same material you built the home with, only you use a putty knife instead of a tamper. Soil, powdered dye to whatever color you need to match, and 10% portland, or lime, or chalk as the binder. (and water to hydrate the mix).
I like it - very beautiful. But what about excess radon issues?
I would think you could deal with radon like any other house: a perforated pipe under the slab venting to the roof, through internal framing. As far as radon from the gravel in the walls..? no idea. but people live in concrete structures the world over, and I think concrete has more rock in it than rammed earth. Should we be worried about radon coming from the rocks in the concrete?
Material cost of rammed earth is Only 25-30% but labour costs is exorbitant in India hence we don't prefer it...
Could the labour costs be reduced by using machine tools like pneumatic hammers ?
@@AdithyaReddy15 Most probably. I'm really put off by seeing that it is expensive to build with. It should be cheaper!
If labor costs makes it too expensive in India (1.4 B people) then no way this technique will be economical in the West.
Machine costs would be too great unless machines are used 18 hours out of 24 hrs.....but then you need 2 shifts of workers. Double the labor costs
@@willbass2869 it’s raw labor not skilled why would it be expensive?
It's certainly very enticing.
Does it support multiple levels?
Yes
What about the foundation of the house!!!!
Roofing options ?
How much is to bill 6 bedroom duple
Is it really possible for an earth wall not to absorb humidity without putting chemicals into the mixture. Doesn't seem possible to me.
There are probably things like stucco you could use I imagine. I am no expert here. Never done rammed earth.
👍Мне очень понравилось .Но есть вопросы .Каков состав глины ? К чему крепят крышу ? Какую влажность выдерживает стены ? Живу в Украине .
привет. в основной объем можно встраивать деревянный брус к которому крепятся рамы окон и дверей и обвязка для крепления стропил. влажность регулируют автоматически, важно предусмотреть свесы чтобы исключить прямое регулярное попадание осадков, что увеличит срок службы
@@webuildchanges а как создаётся неровномерность слоев разных цветов, ведь по сути смесь имеет один и тот же состав?
Это не глина, а земля из-под ног, как я понимаю (с небольшим процентом глины). Вот ролик от человека, которые делает машины по производству кирпичей из того же материала. Он рекомендует 10-30% глины и 7% цемента. ruclips.net/video/fx7tI67-8d0/видео.html Женщина упомянула о какой-то добавке, чтобы водой не размывало.
What do you do when children color on your walls with markers?
I would like to really work with you, as I'm into CSEB Blocks production
Can we exchange info . Am also into cseb bricks and am trying to introduce it to my region
how can it be 5 storeys?
What about the temperature fluctuations? Extreme hot and cold. Humidity?
I live a region with very hot summers and cold winters, with extreme humidity.
In hot climate, it actually keep your house approx 12 degrees below the outside temperature .
@J Austin They didn't address humidity, did they?
@@thesanfranciscoseahorse473 Jesus Christ, you're either terrible at listening or you were distracted. She literally addressed the heat (both hot and cold climates) and humidity issue. She also addressed acoustics (sound performance) just in case you're about to ask.
@@kim1570 Thanks. I'm glad you're so concerned with my lack of attention to detail. Let me throw another one at you?
My concern was never hot or cold climates. It's the fluctuation between extreme heat and extreme cold causing expansion cracks in this material because it easily gets over 110F where I live in the summer, and down below 20F in the winter.
It's also very humid and rainy, so without sealers I'd imagine this could have negative effects on this material. It has its limits and I was asking about the challenges in my specific area that I didn't feel were addressed in the video. Thanks for your insightful, brilliant input though.
I don’t see any pictures on the wall. Outlets in the wall?
I understand why nobody put the pictures on the wall is Beautifu wall
This is great information. I am from Kenya and highly contemplating of building my home. In Kenya this is basically unknown and would like your guidance in doing this
I'm in Botswana, the art was lost 5 generations ago... Our people mastered using this now modernized method.
Have you heard of the Mali empire?? Mali in Afrika 🤔
I am going to build mine in Ghana, West Africa. I love it!!!!
It’s available in Kenya too..
This concept..."Rammed Earth" is origin to Africa. Know yourself!!!
Mam what is the water holding capacity , mam i m planing to implement in fishery tank and i want ur opinion plz reply i dont want that costly pond liner
I love the rammed earth concept and follow it's progress with great interest, but I think you are being a bit disingenuous when you speak at 4:24 about it not being just like concrete. To my knowledge all rammed earth structures incorporate a percentage of cement in their mixture - Cement, sand and stone is exactly what concrete IS. Rammed earth may not have exactly the same proportions as conventional concrete, but it uses very similar components as well as internal rebar in many cases to give strength, just like concrete. There is no shame - and many similarities- to concrete structures.
I haven’t heard the speech yet, but concrete is usually extremely chemically induced. Natural building is called it for a reason. As you clearly state, cement usage is the clear discrepancy.. not the earth
She said waterproofing agent about 7 mins in I may retract my statement regarding this particular individual and what I stated 😂
Cement is optional, it depends on the circumstances where the rammed earth is being used and for what purpose.
You can used cement or lime
Hi there! I need advice.
I've FINALLY CONVINCED MY MAN that rammed earth is the most economic and environmentally friendly way to go. We are going to start building - probably - some time before December of this year. I've been watching so many videos on this concept that its getting a bit overwealming, but no one seems to be covering certain topics..
1) Could you please give some guidance on how one goes about installing electrical wiring within a rammed earth wall? Or is there another way? Do I need to run cables along specially made grooves or cracks?
2) We intend on installing airconditioning - so this is something I'm wondering about as well.. Will modifying an existing wall to accommodate an A/C later on compromise the strength and integrity of said wall? O know that A/C's will probably not be necessary, but my man is adamant on this.
Really, any advice or suggestion would be greatly appreciated.
Hello, i am from Africa and i have seen several projects done with rammed earth. to answer your questions, when it comes to electrical installation, its a matter of installing electrical conduit pipes into the walls before are rammed. as for ac i dont know about that since here ac isnt used much. u can also check out this link about a company that specializes in rammed earth in australia. www.rammedearthenterprises.com.au
@@brinohosey7498 Thank you very much for the information, I will have a look at the link as I am also from Africa, and the only construction company that I'm aware of that specialises in rammed earth is located in Ghana. That is too far from here. This means that I will be basically on my own and that is why I'm relying so much on information from RUclips.
@@slipknotenthusiast6541 Rammteck is a really great company in South Africa, if that is closer for you?
@@dragondan9 It's our neighbor. I honestly didn't know about this company and will look in to it. Thank you very much
@Chant I'm from pakistan...i want to work on Rammed earth type project....is there any Opportunity?
How does this stand up to an earthquake?
👍
No you can’t patch walls without spoiling the look. Plus it is incredibly expensive. I built one feature wall, 20 feet long, 12 inches thick, 12 feet high. Cost $60,000.
Wow just do it yourself at that point.
That’s a bit steep. It’s not like you’re using highly skilled craftsmen. I would assume it’s time consuming. I’ve seen it done before and after the worker got into a rhythm it took about 2 or 3 times longer than frame. When you factor out all of the processes you’ve eliminated it becomes more reasonable. It is not going to be something you do with expectations of saving money tho.
Yes you can. You can patch walls like any other walls.
It's not expensive. It's actually a "dirt cheap" fix.
You can save soil with dye mix from your original build in a can, or bag, and when you nee to patch, you mix the binder with it and fill the hole with a putty knife.
Althea Hanson this message is for you. Go on RUclips and put Rammed earth houses in Ghana and you will get their details
Answer: I live on a volcano and the ground is solid rock.
Ram it
Everything can be rammed if you try hard enough. EVERYTHING.
Sand?
My area is filled with clay, and sand. Mostly sand.
14:51 anybody saw the hand? 🤭
Just like how the megaliths that ancient cultures made.
Perfect for a global pandemic collapse
You need to do a bit more research about thermal mass and how it works, because thermal mass without insulation is not a good idea, specially in climates with long cold winters and short cloudy days. It's similar to a battery and it can be "charged up" with both heat and cold. When the air is hotter than the thermal mass, then it radiates the stored cold, and when the air is colder, then it radiates the stored heat. Basically it acts like a damper to any changes in temperature and it gives a big lag (depending on the thickness) until the changes from the outside can be felt inside. So if you have a month long cold period, in which the sun doesn't have enough power and time to heat the mass enough as to compensate with the loss during the night, your house will get very cold at some point down the line and it will get almost as cold as the outside (it does insulate a bit). If you want to heat it up, well now you have a problem because you need to charge the walls up with heat and that will take allot of fuel and once you got them charged up you need to keep them that way if the sun cant do it for you, because the uninsulated wall will bleed allot of that heat to the outside. The situation is better in summer because you have the shade to help you out, specially if you design the roof in such a way as to block the sun from falling on the walls in summer, but let it through in winter, but the principle is the same. The ideal locations for thermal mass based houses is in climates and areas in which the loss of heat during the night is balanced out by the gain during the day, same goes for loss/gain of cold. If this balance is not struck, then you will have to compensate by heating/cooling the house and the more extreme the unbalance is....the more you have to compensate. Best solution for any area outside the ideal one, is to have insulation on the outside with thermal mass on the inside, in which the thermal mass inside is heated by the sun in winter and shaded in summer. Even so, you're still going to need to "help" things out a bit in winter and possibly even in summer if you get hit by a long heat wave. Thermal mass by itself is not a miracle solution (except the ideal context), but inside a carefully designed system it can be very effective, on par with consecrated contemporary solutions with the added bonus of being friendlier to the environment, by a huge margin.
She is wrong about saying rammed earth is physical process and concrete is chemical process, actually they are both physical and as long as rammed earth use cement they are both chemical as well. Btw I can’t help but notice the heavy usage of wood in this house, speaking of termites.
The wood is not in contact with the floor though? I'd think a termite issue would quickly be spotted vs your standard wood frame construction.
@@thesanfranciscoseahorse473 The wood also doesn’t appear to ever be structural, just decorative. So insect damage isn’t likely at all but, as you pointed out, would be spotted quickly (it’s not hidden in a wall). And, worst case, any damage to the wood parts from any cause could just be quickly replaced.
Termites don't bore through stone. They also don't bore through concrete. The also don't bore through rammed earth.
It's not expensive..
it's the Labour that's expensive
I wish she would just give us the facts and not try to be a comedian/irritated by all those questions and comments people make
Why? Land are expensive that's why and hard to find at the location that you want and majority don't have the time to wait for their house to be build. On top of that not everything she said is truly true and rammed earth aren't that cheap and mostly out of people's budget.
Build it yourself and use the sub soil underneath your feet instead of using imported sub soil, that should cut costs down quite a bit
Cost is too high And the lack of consistent quality of material everywhere. Change those two things then maybe it'll take off. So far I haven't seen anyone propel the technology forward.
Prefabrication of rammed earth kills those two birds with the one stone. It allows it all to be made the exact same so there is no variations in walls, and of course prefabrication lowers labour costs drastically. The only downside to it is the walls don't look quite as unique/individual as manually-rammed walls.
Liz Swedlund Transport isn’t usually much of an issue because it is craned in on-site and the wall sections are usually not that big per piece. They use the same trucks as precast concrete. Yes the reality is rammed earth is still growing and prefabrication is an even newer aspect right now. With time and further development/acceptance it should easily help to fill a gap of providing a cheaper option that an in-situ build.
Do you know any companies that provide this service? I'm curious about how expensive it actually is if I wanted to have a rammed earth wall installed around the yard perimeter.
I have built a couple of these houses, and I'm about to start my third, we have heaps of them in Australia they are great buildings.
I wonder how well this house would perform in a typical saskatchewan winter where -40 below is not uncommon. A few yrs ago we actually set a record for something like 88 days in a row where it was more than -22 C
###fyi; CLIMATE CHANGE IS A CRUEL JOKE on the GULLIBLE###
Probably the cost. Very expensive to build with rammed earth.
Which part is expensive?
All the labor.
Plus soul when you don’t have it.
@@RVBadlands2015 What a load of malarkey. What do you think builds all the other kinds of buildings? Leprechauns?
How about making rammed earth with a machine like the 3D printing companies? Looking for serious investors only, contact me for details.
Hard to pronounce. Hard to promote.