Earth construction: Lessons from the past for future eco-efficient construction

Pacheco-Torgal, F.; Jalali, Saíd

doi:10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2011.10.054

Cited by 423 publications

(218 citation statements)

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“…Nowadays, it is possible to calculate the proprieties of earth blocks or rammed earth walls, and discover once again the ancient experimental knowledge. Literature (for example references [7][8][9]) offers many examples of tests conducted on this kind of materials, but the outcomes of real construction are often different to that predicted using test results. This paper studies real homes, selected by material characterization: one is done by adobes (earth blocks), one by tapial technique (rammed earth walls), one is self-construction principally on wood, and the last one is done by concrete blocks covered by asbestos cement on the roof.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Thermal Performance of Traditional and New Concept Houses in the Ancient Village of San Pedro De Atacama and Surroundings

Palme¹,

Guerra²,

Alfaro³

2014

Sustainability

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Earth, wood and others traditional materials are still used in house constructions in many regions of the world, especially in the Andes. San Pedro de Atacama, for example, is a small town where earth blocks (adobes) and rammed earth (tapial) are important ways to construct, an art passed on through generations. Energy properties of earth are very interesting: thermal conductivity is low; heat storage capacity is high; color is variable and can be used to absorb or to reject solar radiation. However, nowadays the government social dwelling service is proposing a different type of construction, which does not maintain any relation with the tradition. This paper presents simulation studies and monitoring of four different San Pedro houses, constructed by using different techniques and materials. Results can be used to discuss the thermal performance needed in desert climate and the reliability of social dwelling service houses, under construction at this time in the town.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Thermal Performance of Traditional and New Concept Houses in the Ancient Village of San Pedro De Atacama and Surroundings

Palme¹,

Guerra²,

Alfaro³

2014

Sustainability

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“…Come evidenziato da Pacheco-Torgal [23], negli ultimi dieci anni quasi un centinaio di articoli riferiti a questo argomento sono stati pubblicati in riviste Scopus. Se è vero che tale quantità rappresenta solo una piccola parte rispetto agli articoli pubblicati sul cemento Portland nello stesso periodo è anche vero che essa rappresenta un aumento di dieci volte rispetto agli articoli relativi alla terra cruda pubblicati nel 1990.…”

Section: L'attuale Ricerca Sulla Terra Crudaunclassified

Sustainable Architecture: The Eco-Efficiency Earth Construction

Sposito¹,

Scalisi²

2017

EJSD

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Abstract:The appropriate choice of building materials can contribute decisively to reduce the energy consumption of the building sector. The increasing worries for the environmental impact of construction materials is witnessed by a lot of studies The mentioned worries has brought again the attention towards natural materials. The use of more sustainable construction materials and construction techniques represent a major contribution to the eco-efficiency of the construction industry and thus to a more sustainable development. Within this frame the renewed interest for a natural material such as the rammed earth is included; the interest has been in continuous growth from the 80s till today. The rammed earth's advantages regarding these requirements are evident: the resource is available in great amounts, the energy needed for extraction, transformation and production of the material is very low and it is a wholly recyclable material. Besides these benefits, the interest is due to its high thermal inertia and hard hygroscopic properties.Keywords: earth construction, sustainability, architecture Introduzione 1Secondo la definizione della Bruntland Commission, lo sviluppo sostenibile consiste nel cercare di soddisfare i bisogni del presente senza compromettere la possibilità delle genera-zioni future di soddisfare i propri bisogni [1]. Il termine sostenibilità, utilizzato inizialmente per definire più eque dinamiche di sviluppo economico, è rapidamente diventato di uso comune ed è stato via via impiegato per caratterizzare non solo il modello di sviluppo, ma anche le singole azioni o situazioni in cui tale modello si applica e si concretizza, da produzione sostenibile a mercato sostenibile, fino a edificio sostenibile (sustainable building): un edificio a cui si chiede di evitare l'impiego di materiali inquinanti, di privilegiare i materiali organici naturali, di utilizzare elementi riciclati, di limitare il ricorso a combustibili fossili, di ridurre la produzione di rifiuti e il consumo energetico nella fase di esercizio.Il settore dell'edilizia ha da diverso tempo mostrato un particolare interesse per le questioni legate alla sostenibilità ambientale e all'efficienza energetica, non solo attraverso l'utilizzo di tecnologie e materiali innovativi, ma anche con la reintroduzione di sistemi di costruzione che utilizzano materiali naturali e tradizionali. L'impiego della terra cruda come materiale da costruzione contemporaneo risponde a questi requisiti. Costruire con la terra significa ripensare, sia a livello locale sia a livello globale, l'impiego delle risorse del nostro pianeta; difendere il diritto di mettere in opera un materiale da costruzione naturale ed ecologico, abbondante, facilmente disponibile e accessibile al

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“…In particular, the focus on raw earth as a material for civil constructions is promoted by its recyclability, local availability, environmental sustainability, low cost and ease of use. Raw earth structures also permit self-construction approaches, especially in developing countries (Pacheco-Torgal & Jalali, 2012;Arumala & Gondal, 2007;Mukerji, 1988;Houben & Guillaud, 1989;Oppong & Badu 2012). Furthermore, the thermal mass of raw earth, due to the capacity of earth constructions to regulate the interior temperature and humidity, is attractive 90 as a means to reduce the building energy demand (Delgado & Guerrero 2006).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Production procedures and mechanical behaviour of interlocking stabilized compressed earth blocks (ISCEBs) manufactured using float ram 1.0 press

Sassu¹,

Romanazzi²,

Giresini³

et al. 2018

10.5267/j.esm

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This paper illustrates an innovative manufacturing procedure for producing handcrafted interlocking stabilized compressed earth blocks (ISCEBs). A comparison of the mechanical properties of ISCEBs is conducted to assess the influence of varying components. The ISCEBs are manufactured by employing different block densities with three distinct mixtures (earth, earth and lime, earth and straw) and by using a human-powered machine named Float RAM 1.0 Press. The manual press was conceived for regions with limited access to technology and allows the production of interlocking blocks via two modes of compaction: mono-directional and bi-directional. A production average of approximately 30 blocks/hour corresponding to the work of three people is achieved. Three-point bending tests and uniaxial compression tests are carried out to investigate the ISCEB mechanical behaviour. The improvements obtained by incorporating additives into the subset of ISCEBs made from a pure earth mixture are tested. The aim of this work is to identify, for this specific technology, the relationship between production parameters and the consequent behaviour of different stabilization methods. A correlation is found between the compaction force and the compression strength of ISCEBs. The addition of lime increases strength and causes the blocks to exhibit a brittle behaviour. Moreover, the incorporation of straw fibres improves the tensile strength and ductility without significantly affecting the compression strength of the blocks. Energy-based parameters are obtained for all the tests, allowing the assessment of the ISCEB mechanical and dissipation properties.

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Earth construction: Lessons from the past for future eco-efficient construction

Cited by 423 publications

References 39 publications

Thermal Performance of Traditional and New Concept Houses in the Ancient Village of San Pedro De Atacama and Surroundings

Thermal Performance of Traditional and New Concept Houses in the Ancient Village of San Pedro De Atacama and Surroundings

Sustainable Architecture: The Eco-Efficiency Earth Construction

Production procedures and mechanical behaviour of interlocking stabilized compressed earth blocks (ISCEBs) manufactured using float ram 1.0 press

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