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RAMMED EARTH CONSTRUCTION
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Rammed Earth
Background:
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Rammed earth dates back as far as 5000 BC where it was used commonly in China.
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Rammed earth is still a common building material in parts of North Africa, like Yemen and Morocco.
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This technology became very popular in parts of France in the 1700’s where it became known as Pisé de Terre as well as in the USA in the early 1800’s.
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Rammed earth was widespread in Zimbabwe after the 2nd world war.
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In 2012 the SADC Bureau for the Harmonization of Standards adopted the Zimbabwe code for rammed earth Construction for all SADC countries.
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Many buildings exist nowadays in all climatic regions of the world.
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Benefits:
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This material is very durable.
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Offering very good levels of thermal comfort.
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Materials can often be sourced from the site itself saving on transport costs.
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A raw off-shuttered wall gives a smooth beautiful finish itself and these days is typically left without further plastering or painting.
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Technical information:
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A formwork is first built, usually out of wood or plywood, to act as a mould for the desired shape.
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A moist mixture of clay, sand & gravel is poured into the formwork in layers of 10-15cm & is compacted by ramming.
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Rammed earth using re-bar, wood or bamboo reinforcement can prevent failure caused by earthquakes or heavy storms.
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Without mechanical tools rammed earth construction can be very time consuming.
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This method of construction lends itself to high levels of mechanization and can be done very speedily, however it requires extensive testing at the beginning.
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Company Track record/examples of work:
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House Klipspringer, Wild Rivers Estate, Hoedspruit, Mpumalanga, 2020-2023
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House Botes, Agte Paarl, Western Cape 2014.
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OR Tambo Narrative & Enviro Centre – Leeupan, Johannesburg, for Oddessy Architects and the Ekurhuleni Municipality, 2010 – 2012