This home uses a central spine wall made from Rammed Earth to regulate internal temperatures. The beauty of the wall is also visible from outside the house as the walls are parapet type walls, thus they extend beyond the roof line.
The borrow pit clearly visible, where the soil used for the walls was excavated from. Walls were stabilised with Portland Cement to NHBRC specification.
Wall Dimensions: 54m long x 5.5m high x .45m wide.
The construction of the Rammed Earth walls was done by InSynch Sustainable Technologies (Pty) Ltd.
The soil science on this project was challenging due to blinkered view by NHBRC on structural tolerances and crush tests expectancies for Rammed Earth.
Never the less the walls are compliant with the project engineering specification and with NHBRC regulations.
Albeit the cement content is way over what it could have been.
Project completed Feb 2011.
For more info on Rammed Earth or InSynch: info@insynch.co.za
Alastair
What a great project and a very big wall too....Rammed earth is truly both a functional & aesthetic building method. Would love to see pics of completed house. Well done on another great project. Claire Venter
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