Perth house

This house was for sale in Perth, Australia. If I didn't live in the U.S. I would buy it...I guess if I had the money I would just build one here.

Nice lift lines

Rick Joy uses the contemporary approach. If you have a nice rammed earth wall outside, you may want to make the side of your house all glass so you can fully appreciate it.

More from Australia

As I said last post they get it . These pics are from Rammed Earth Constructions.

Australia- where they get it!

The Aussie's are lucky, why you say? It's because they have to build with rammed earth or else the sun will cook them to death. In case you did't know rammed earth keeps you cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter because of the thick walls. These houses are from Ramco Perth in Australia

Rammed earth with insulation

Insulation inside the walls is a good idea in Canada, this should make the house warmer than an igloo. The builders making this are Clifton Schooley and associates.

In New Mexico

This home was made by Huston rammed earth in New Mexico.
This is more of a modern style desert home, rammed earth is great in the desert because it shields from the excessive heat outside.















If you have any old wagon wheels laying around this is a good way to use them.















An entrance gate of rammed earth is very welcoming.
I like Huston's work it's very desertie.

Artstar Pottery Studio

This pottery studio was is in Austin,Texas. Rammed Earth is fireproof of course, so it's great for a the fire risk of the kiln. So all you potters out there get a rammed earth studio!

U of U Home Ready for Takeoff

This affordable home was built in Bluff, Utah, designed and built by U of U graduate architecture students. article

Sliding Doors

School in Namje

rammed earth laboratory and library additions for an existing school in Namje (where?). The structures are of course bamboo and the walls are 45cm thick rammed earth Designed by ABARI.

A University Get's Smarter

The University in Kobe, Japan is getting smarter and here is the proof, they built this little beauty on their own campus. There is hope for a university education after all...well at least in Japan!

Modernist rammed earth

Blending modernism with rammed earth is a good idea it adds some feeling to a otherwise cold type of building, good to see variety. This is a building was designed by ChistoperChris PTY Ltd in Australia.
Those Aussies sure love their rammed earth.

How Rammed Earth is made

It all starts with a dream.. and then this is generally how it goes.
You get a pile of earth haveing a mixture of stone, sand and clay that has been screened to the desired size. Ideal mixture is 70 % aggregate and 30% clay. Make a pile add some color and cement, mix it around, start spraying it with water and keep mixing untill material is damp, it is important to get the right consistency. The material is brought and dropped in the forming system. The forms are usually made from plywood or steel. Some people use fancy forms which are generally a waste of money I'm told, why not just go to the lumberyard make your forms and reuse the wood on the house after you are finished? The rammed earth mix is then poured inside a form which may or may not have insulation in the center.
A layer of material around 8-10 inches thick is then compacted by mechanical tampers or by hand tampers,used traditionally . Once compacted hard a new layer is added and the rammed earth wall rises layer by layer until finished. Pull off the forms the next morning and you have a beautiful and durable wall for the ages.

Thatch roof on rammed earth

Maybe not the best type of roof for rammed earth or any home but it looks cute. This building is in Australia.

Definition : Rammed Earth

Rammed Earth walls are made of stone(gravel), sand and clay that is pounded layer upon layer by hand tamping or mechanical tamping. The walls are typically 2 feet thick and are essentially man made stone.

To make strong and durable walls approximately 70% of the mix is stone and sand with 30% clay.

Bourough House North Carolina, U.S.

This House is a historic Home on the national register, it was built over 100 years ago in North Carolina, USA

Rammed Earth Church built in 1842

This church was built in 1842 it is in Ontario, Canada.
A great testament =) to the durability of rammed earth construction.

This blog is now reactivated!

The plan is to post lots of rammed earth pictures and random rammed thoughts. fairly regularly. So keep checking back.

and be sure to bookmark.