UPDATE - Rammed Earth building code - Urgent support needed

UPDATE: It is confirmed that a further extension until December 2011 has been granted. This gives everybody another opportunity to send their letters of support to the SABS. This is important as the SABS have already indicated that the technical committee will be voting against this code. The reasons for this have not been clarified and we therefore appeal to all to maintain the pressure.

In terms of the SADC process for adopting this code into the entire region is currently in its 5th round of votes and the deadline for submissions was meant to be for the end of June (Now December). Once this round of votes has gone through there will be a 6th and final round of votes, so it is a good idea to keep the pressure up with letters of support regardless of the deadlines. Please still do send your email / letter of support.

If any of you are interested in assisting the planet in a small but significant way you are more than welcome to assist by sending an email in support of SA adopting a green building standard, to be more precise a Rammed Earth building code. Currently in SA we cannot raise a bond to by any form of newly constructed earth building – so this would be a significant step in the right direction. See below….

There has been the UK’s leading expert in very low embedded energy building technology, rammed earth – Roland Keable – here in Cape Town earlier this week and we have been asked by him to drum up as many emails/letters of support for the adoption of Zimbabwe’s rammed earth building codes into all the SADC countries including SA’s building codes.

A letter of support is urgently needed from local stakeholders for the adaptation of Zimbabwe’s rammed earth building code of practice (already 10 years old) into all 15 of the SADC countries. This requires a majority vote in the SADC standards summit scheduled for the end of June 2011.  (Now extended to December 2011 - No exact date is yet known...)

To assist this process we need any potential stakeholders/individuals to write to The Senior Standards Officer for the SABS in support of SA voting YES for the SABS to adopt the Zimbabwe Code SADCSTAN TC1/SC5 Code of Practice for Rammed Earth Structures.

The letter/email of support should be forwarded to:

- Solly Peter, Manager - Construction Standards SABS, peterm{at}sabs{dot}co{dot}za

-  Suraiya Adam, Senior Manager Standards Division SABS, adamsa{at}sabs{dot}co{dot}za

-  Sazi Zangqa, Senior Manager Compliance and Development SABS, zangqasl{at}sabs{dot}co{dot}za

- Jacob Ramatsetse - Construction Standards SABS, ramatsjj{at}sabs{dot}co{dot}za

In the letter please quote SADCSTAN TC1/SC5 Code of Practice for Rammed Earth Structures and copy Roland Keable (rowland {at} rammed-earth{dot}info) and Andy Horn (andy{at}ecodesignarchitects{dot}co{dot}za) in please.

MOTIVATION – WHY SUPPORT SA ADOPTING A RAMMED EARTH BUILDING CODE:
Getting codes for natural building methods regularized is hugely important in assuring such structures are soundly built and that building bonds can then be made easily available.
Rammed earth structures make beautiful durable walls and are an ideal green building material as they have a very low carbon footprint and from a passive design perspective offer buildings high levels of thermal mass and humidity control. They can also be relatively inexpensively built with the help of local communities using simple locally available resources. Sophisticated concrete formwork systems as well as simple low-tech timber formwork systems can be employed making it ideal for both ends of the economy.

As such your letter of support of this initiative is of tremendous importance to helping get this motion to be adopted, certainly within your own capacity if not also from the DBSA as well.

CALL TO ACTION:
In this regard please feel free to forward this information to others you think could lend their letter of support so that we can drum up as much support for this initiative as possible.

For more info on Rammed Earth, please go to www.rammed-earth.info.