Filmed in Valparaiso, Indiana in the late 1930’s, William Urschel demonstrates his “Wall Building” machine in this video. According to his patent application in 1944, this invention is a machine operable to mold a solidifiable material into the form of a strip and deposit the same as a course or layer in the formation of … Read more
Clay, sand and a little bit of straw. Add some water, pack the mixture into bricks and let them bake under the hot summer sun. Adobe is an ancient building material that has become more popular in recent years because it is environmentally friendly, according to the Earthbuilders’ Guild, an organization that promotes and aims … Read more
There is a construction materials company based in Austria that looks to the forgotten practices of the past for inspiration and Sami Akkach, who works as an architect there, tells us what they have been doing lately. PURE Walls are Prefabricated Stabilized Rammed Earth elements, giant blocks that can be used to build structural, load-bearing … Read more
It took 2 years and 3.5 million pounds of dirt just to create the two-foot-thick rammed-earth walls of this 6,000-square-foot home designed by Lake Flato Architects for Ashlyn and Dan Perry outside of Marfa, Texas. “Part of the reason that rammed earth was the chosen construction method was due to the thermodynamic properties. Because of … Read more
David Easton passed away in February this year at 72. Since the ’70s, he advocated for and experimented with earth as a building material. In a 2018 interview he described how he learned about Rammed Earth and why he chose to try it. “I found a book on the rack of a natural food store … Read more
Building with adobe — a material created by mixing clay-rich soil with straw, sand, and other organic materials — has been in use since 8300 BC. It is popular in arid and semiarid places where wood is scarce. The word “Adobe” derives from the Arabic “al ṭūb” meaning “the bricks.” Adobe buildings are low energy, … Read more