Thinking of building a house or addition? Want to save money on heating and cooling costs? Want to use technology that dates back 10,000 years? No, I'm not suggesting anyone go crawl into a woolly mammoth carcass and hang up the home-sweet-home poster. I'm talking about what some hope is the next big thing in modern building practice, rammed earth. This simple and ancient technique has been refined and updated for 21 st century use and utilises only natural (and local) building materials - sand, clay, gravel, and cement.
The preferred material of the Romans in Europe, rammed earth is fireproof, earthquake resistant and clearly very long lasting. It can also be quite pretty. Widely and consistently used in China for centuries (one third of the Great Wall is rammed earth), the practice of building with hardened soil fell out of vogue in other parts of the world with the rise of the brick and lumber industries.
Something to consider for your next home....and it only costs 5 to 15 percent more than building with "conventional" materials.
Check out the links below, including one to David Suzuki's "The Nature of Things".
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