Environmental effects and sustainability [ edit ] Rammed-earth trombe wall constructed by Design Build Bluff Xujie, Liu; etal. (2002). Steinhardt, Nancy Shatzman (ed.). Chinese Architecture. New Haven, CT, USA: Yale University Press and Beijing, China: New World Press. pp. 12–14, 21–2. ISBN 978-0-300-09559-3. OCLC 186413872.

Insulating a rammed earth structure can require careful thought. Often designers would like to keep the external face of the rammed earth exposed for aesthetic reasons. Insulating the structure in the inside of the building will lose all thermal mass benefits. It is more beneficial to insulate the structure on the outside of the building which will protect the rammed earth but also allow the building to benefit from thermal mass. a b c d e Cassell, Robert O. (17 December 2001). "A Traditional Research Paper: Rammed Earth Construction". Ashland Community and Technical College. Archived from the original on 22 March 2017 . Retrieved 4 February 2012. Earth Rammer Manufacturer in Chennai, Earth Rammer Dealer in Chennai, Earth Rammer Shop in Chennai, Earth Rammer Supplier in Chennai, Earth Rammer Price in Chennai a b Meyskens, Covell F. (2022). "China's Cold War Motor City". In Altehenger, Jennifer; Ho, Denise Y. (eds.). Material Contradictions in Mao's China. Seattle: University of Washington Press. ISBN 978-0-295-75085-9.The compressive strength of rammed earth is dictated by factors such as soil type, particle size distribution, amount of compaction, moisture content of the mix and type/amount of stabiliser used. Well-produced cement-stabilised rammed earth walls can be anywhere between 5 and 20 MPa. Higher compressive strength might require more cement. But addition of more cement can affect the permeability of the walls. Indeed, properly constructed rammed earth endures for thousands of years, as many ancient structures that are still standing around the world demonstrate. Rammed earth walls are reinforced with rebars in areas of high seismic activity.

Soil mix is poured into the formwork to a depth of 10 to 25cm (4 to 10in) and then compacted to approximately 50% of its original volume. The soil is compacted iteratively, in batches or courses, so as to gradually erect the wall up to the top of the formwork. Tamping was historically manual with a long ramming pole by hand, but modern construction systems can employ pneumatically-powered tampers. Edifices of the Borough House Plantation, Stateburg, South Carolina, erected in the 1820s. Holy Cross Episcopal Church in Stateburg, South Carolina, erected between 1850 and 1852 Craterre - This French institute provides training in earth construction techniques and in conjunction with UNESCO seeks to disseminate scientific and technical know-how on earthen architecture. Making rammed earth involves compacting a damp mixture of subsoil that has suitable proportions of sand, gravel, clay, silt and stabilizer, if any, into a formwork (an externally supported frame or mold).

Keable, Rowland. "Rammed Earth – Pollution and Cement". Rammed Earth Consulting. London . Retrieved 4 February 2012. a b Hou, Li (2021). Building for Oil: Daqing and the Formation of the Chinese Socialist State. Harvard-Yenching Institute monograph series. Cambridge, Massachussetts: Harvard University Asia Center. ISBN 978-0-674-26022-1. Rammed Earth Construction". Earth Structures. Victoria, Australia. Archived from the original on 24 January 2018 . Retrieved 4 February 2012. During the Third Front campaign to develop strategic industries in China's rugged interior to prepare for potential invasion by the United States or Soviet Union, Planning Commission Director Li Fuchun project leaders to make do with what was available, including building rammed earth housing so that more resources could be directed to production. [19] :207 This policy came to be expressed through the slogan, "First build the factory and afterward housing." [19] :207 Nk'Mip Desert Cultural Centre in Osoyoos, British Columbia, Canada, completed in 2006 "Pisé" houses of rammed earth in Tabant, Morocco; the technique is called " tabut" there. Rammed-earth walls form part of the entrance edifice of the Eden Project in Cornwall, England, UK See also [ edit ] Rammed earth can effectively regulate humidity if unclad walls containing clay are exposed to an internal space. Humidity is regulated between 40% and 60%. [ citation needed] The material mass and clay content of rammed earth allows an edifice to breathe more than concrete edifices, which avoids problems of condensation but prevents significant loss of heat. [6]

Under its French name of pisé it is also a material for sculptures, usually small and made in molds. It has been especially used in Central Asia and Tibetan art, and sometimes in China. [2] An outstanding example of a rammed-earth edifice in Canada is St. Thomas Anglican Church in Shanty Bay, Ontario, erected between 1838 and 1841.The French term "pisé de terre" or "terre pisé" was sometimes used in English for architectural uses, especially in the 19th century.