And it is that before architecture with earth we started with the caves in our beginnings. Subsequently, whoever had stone, based his constructions in this noble material although many do not it seems to them, others, without stones at hand to build, opted for what else they had under their feet, land and adobe.
Over the years, many of us have been forgetting the protagonism of the construction with earth, the clay, marl (sedimentary rock composed of clay and limestone) in large buildings, which has come to form part of an inconspicuous element in modern architecture current.
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Inside the multiple constructions with earth, there are three, which we can identify and that stand out in the world of construction with earth and “ecological brick”:
They are prismatic elements used in masonry works, they are obtained from applying pressure to the earth inside a mold, thus improving the mechanical properties of the material. They are usually used stabilized with lime, cement or and so. The characteristic of this type of blocks of land, as its name indicates, is that the land that composes them is compacted, by manual or mechanical means.
The adobe is a block formed by a mass of unfired clay. It is made with earth with a high percentage of clay, by means of a mold, and it is left to dry at sun. To prevent it from cracking on drying, they are added to the mass straw, dry hay etc. the right dimensions They must be such that the mason can handle it with ease, They are approximately 10 x 24 x 34cm.
The rammed earth architecture may be a of the oldest constructive typologies even that are still They can be seen in many buildings. The technique of rammed earth is based on the compaction of the earth wet in batches by tamping in situ. HE uses a removable wooden formwork (caisson) of various dimensions for example: 150x90cm with a width of 60cm. Its construction process includes three phases: assembly of the box or filled formwork and compaction of the same and disassembly or stripping.
The compaction process is traditionally performed with a tamper, manual compactor being that at present it is they use vibrators and as we will see later on other techniques of interest to achieve the tapial modern in a constructive typology that respects the environment in all its characteristics as well as having admirable thermal properties. (More information from Tapial from HERE)
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Once we have a general idea of its advantages and the way of building more extended from the Study of prestigious architecture Herzog & de Meuron before a commission from the famous brand of Ricola candies that needed expand its facilities in Switzerland, mainly warehouses industrialists, began a project with an important premise, build – as far as possible – respectful buildings with the environment, sustainable and with innovative techniques.
The Herzog & de Meuron team decided to change their form to understand a construction project typical" of industrial warehouses before a commission that put them at proof. With the challenge, use materials from the area and sustainable were on their way to an important goal taking into account the height and dimensions of the buildings (Over 100 meters long x 11 high)…. What if Are the walls made of dirt?
How to answer the question, overnight They set up a earth processing center. Stolen from the same place where the buildings, where the process of drying, cutting, mixing and storage of the walls that would form the ships would be in the same location obtaining a cheaper in costs forcefully entering the world of adobe architecture.
In the following image we can highlight the walls of compacted earth based on large blocks that will form the walls of the industrial warehouse.
“Thick walls have with a large amount of thermal mass cause stability in temperature and humidity, which reduces significantly the need for air conditioning. The materials are local, less than 10 miles away, prefabricated in a temporary factory in a nearby town. Only in the composition of the walls there is natural and organic earth. Whose direct effect of this type of construction is that we have obtained a very energy efficient building taking into account account the very adverse conditions that Switzerland has in winter.
The materials; Clay, marl and excavated material on site is mixed and compacted into a formwork that later by means of layers the blocks are obtained to build the walls. Thanks to the plasticity of the marl, the seams can be touched up giving the structure overall homogeneous appearance. To stop the erosion caused by wind and rain, a mortar achieved mix volcanic tuff with cal»…. Comment the Study.
Of course the result is spectacular project of natural earth as you can see in the images following after 16 months of construction in front of a building which is the “largest in Europe built with earth earth walls« with a modern character.
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