EXPLORATIONS IN RAMMED EARTH

Promising Practices

The Naatsilid Initiative is an Indigenous-led Coalition operating in the Navajo nation. Their sweat equity model addresses issues of homelessness, overcrowding, access to water, electricity, and food cultivation sites. Their program guides homeowners through financing, permitting construction, and management support of their homes. The program is an exchange of paid labor for housing. The diagram shown depicts their sweat equity process.

The Department of Housing and Construction in Queensland, Australia researched how rammed earth can sustain up to 2100 degrees Fahrenheit. And a study at the University of Melbourne shows the relative affordability of rammed earth. Tony Johnson with Earth House Holdings took these concepts of rammed earth and applied them to a colder climate of British Columbia, Canada. Johnson emphasizes structural insulated

Conceptual Soil Requirements for Panels and Local Soil Information Map

Charelle Brown + Halle Sago

rammed earth walls, shown in the images to the right. And because rammed earth has little heat loss, his design included a detailed ventilation system which we will address in constructability.

The recommended soil combination for rammed earth is 70% sand and 30% clay. Rammed earth uses 140-150% of soil per cubic foot of wall. According to the USDA Web Soil Survey, it is possible to find a specific soil that contains 70% sand and 30% clay, it is more likely to use different types of soils in the following areas.

References:

2019-2020 Australian Bushfires. Center for Disaster Philanthropy. (2022, June 9). Retrieved March 7, 2023, from https:// disasterphilanthropy.org/disasters/2019australian-wildfires/

Dernier, D. D. L. (2014, October 13). Finding the Right Soil. Rammed Earth WorksManufacturing Rammed Earth Panels. https://www.rammedearthworks.com/ blog/2010/07/11/finding-the-right-soil Heat resistant building material. Stabilised Earth Adelaide. (2020, October 22). Retrieved March 7, 2023, from https:// www.aseg.net/rammed-earth-fireresistance/

Sirewall - Fireproof. SIREWALL USA. (2023). Retrieved March 7, 2023, from https://www.sirewallusa.com/fireproof United Stated Department of Agriculture. (n.d.). Web Soil Survey. Web soil survey. https://websoilsurvey.sc.egov.usda.gov/ App/WebSoilSurvey.aspx Zernike, K. (2015, October 25).

YouTube. (2021). Building with Rammed Earth - An Impressive and Super Durable Natural Material. YouTube. Retrieved March 8, 2023, from https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=HaGFrVGMzb4. Our Projects. Nááts’íilid Initiative. The Sweat Equity Homes Project. naatsiilid.org/ projects.