Thursday, 9 August 2012

Rammed Earth: An Eco-friendly Solution For Home Construction

By Simon Tenley


Timber products are commonly used by a number of industries world-wide. The timber industry supplies everything from plywood products to dressed wood panels to veneers to structural timbers. In Australia, half of the income created by its timber wholesaling industry is obtained from sales of timber used for building structures and also manufacturing cabinets as well as furniture.

Sadly, the strong need for timber and wood products is a major cause of harmful and illegal logging in countries with rainforests from which these products are acquired. In large scale operations, illegally sourcing large quantities of these products contribute to losing rainforest biodiversity and climatic change. To avoid adding to worsening environmental conditions, the construction industry promotes another way of lessening the growing need for timber: use rammed earth in creating quality structures instead.

What exactly is rammed earth? This building material is a mix, or perhaps cross-grade, of soils which is rammed towards a complete plywood structure which forms the foundation of the house or building. Ramming is done manually or by machine; after firmly packing the soil, a stable wall is created. The forms of the home are then taken off and the process of ramming earth is repeated until the structure is done.

Progressively more people searching for greener practices that may be applied to the construction of their houses are turning to rammed earth as a solution. Around Australia, where timber could be costly and restricted in quantity, this material is great for use. There's no questioning the credibility of rammed earth structures-they are as solid and stable as stone, and they've got an appearance of stone also. They're also extremely flame-resistant due to the lack of flammable elements inside it (that's extremely important in hot and dry environments where fire is a type of threat). Rodents and also insects will also find no natural materials that can serve as meal, thus the walls are protected from deterioration by bugs.

Individuals who have tried living in homes of rammed earth recommend an indescribable atmosphere of peace that pervades the home-perhaps it is from being so near to nature, with the natural materials in the house. Others attribute it to the thermal properties of the soil walls. These absorb heat from the sun during the day and discharge it hours later on in the evening, hence offering a natural heating system which is pleasantly comfortable.

Rammed earth homes can be carried out with details like paints, pavers, or even sidings, but some home owners decide to leave natural soil colour and gradient surface styles alone to get a totally natural appearance. Featuring its breathable walls, environment-friendly properties, and functions and utilities that are exactly like those of traditional homes, folks trying to find a home which pays homage to nature can discover what they are searching for in a house of rammed earth.




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