WEBSITE UNDER CONSTRUCTION
EARTHEN FLOORS
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Earth Floors
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Background:
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Earth floors of various designs and applications can be found throughout history.
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Locally earth floors were used by early settlers where timber could not be sourced or afforded.
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Local vernacular architectures still use earth floors.
Benefits:
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If well-built can provide viable warmer alternative to concrete using local materials.
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Earth floors provide excellent thermal comfort to building interiors.
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Can be easily repaired.
Technical information:
Ground Slab construction:
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Adobe bricks or cast clay slabs are laid on a thick bed of gravel.
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Then various layers of earth, straw, dung and sometimes lime is used to screed over.
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Normally sealed by burnishing with mix of beeswax and linseed oil, casein.
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Good perimeter french drains are advised to divert all moisture.
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Vulnerable in floods.
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Easily damaged, but also easily and inexpensively repaired.
First Floor Construction:
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There are many variations of this construction.
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Typically a slab of clay straw is laid on criss-cross layers of reeds and bamboo or timber ceilings spanning between timber rafters.
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Earth bricks can be used forming mini vaults between rafter supports.
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Company Track record/examples of work:
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House Klipspringer – Wild Rivers Estate, Hoedspruit, Mpumalanga, 2021
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OR Tambo Narrative & Enviro Centre – Leeupan, Johannesburg, 2010 - 2011
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Mamre Info Centre Project, Mamre Western Cape, 2010, first floor construction
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House Davids, Zeekovlei, Cape Town, 2000
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