RAMMED EARTH IS:
ANCIENT: Rammed earth as a building technique goes back thousands of years and has been modified and improved upon by cultures all over the world.
LOCAL: Local soil, sand, clay and gravel are used for the mix, thus minimizing the transportation footprint and costs. The supply and cost of the earth materials are not influenced by, and are immune to, commercial or political fluctuation.
ADAPTABLE: The earth mix required to build: floors, walls and structures, can be made out of many different colored organic clay, sand, aggregate materials, depending on local availability.
ENERGY EFFICIENT: The energy needed to create rammed earth building applications is a fraction of the energy required to produce, say, standard building materials, such as fired bricks or concrete. Other than the transportation of materials, most of the rammed earth fabrication steps are done manually by people.
SIMPLE TO LEARN: Rammed earth building technique is two thousand years old. Creating the mixture is much like creating a recipe for cooking or baking and is easily taught and learnt. A single week is needed to learn how to build a basic rammed earth structure. And like cooking, developing the recipe for the earth material is about having a feeling for it. The compaction process is based on common sense building technique.
LIBERATING: Rammed Earth creates a unique independence—especially suitable for remote areas where employment is low and transportation cost of materials is high. Using natural resources liberates communities from worldwide set prices of materials like steel and cement. Rammed earth allows people to act and build locally.
LABOR-POSITIVE: The technique puts a large number of people to work; Especially for areas where employment is low and people have to travel long distance on a daily base to reach their workplace.
STRONG: With a high density (approx. 2,3t/m3) approximating concrete, rammed earth has the highest compression strength amongst the earth techniques and is ideal for load bearing wall and flooring elements.
COOLING: Due to the thickness of rammed earth walls, the daytime heat created by the sun gets is buffered and stored in the walls. This prevents the indoor rooms from overheating. Indoor temperatures remain balanced.
WARMING: Rammed Earth walls give the stored daytime heat back in the evening, creating balanced indoor temperatures at night as well.
BALANCE: Rammed Earth walls have a very low humidity content when dry (approx. 6-7%). Rammed earth walls absorb humidity when the surrounding levels are high, and release it again when the humidity falls.
NATURE: Rammed Earth walls are made-up of 100% organic natural materials: Clay. Sand. Gravel. The result is an environment surrounding and comforting people by mother nature.
PROTECTING: Considering the ever growing usage of mobile phones and WiFi stations, the exposure to electromagnetic fields is at all time high. Rammed Earth structures and components shields electromagnetic fields and bears the brunt of the negative effects of electromagnetic impact to people.
MATURE: Rammed Earth walls need no plaster or paint. The final surface is the finished surface. As it hardens over time, the aged earth has its own character. Maintenance costs stay low.
FUTURISTIC: Benefits of Rammed Earth demonstrate a growing awareness: Rammed earth is an ideal solution for innovative buildings of the future.
GLOBAL: From Asia to Australia, Africa to Europe and America, Rammed Earth has been proven suitable for various climates and is easily adaptable to local conditions.