FACULTY OF ARCHITECTURE AND PLANNING

AKTU, LUCKNOW

SUBJECT:- VERNACULAR ARCHITECTURE

TOPIC:- MATERIAL DETAILS FOR VARIOUS BUILDING
ELEMENTS

SUBMITTED BY-
SAURABH
B.ARCH 2nd YEAR “B”
MATERIAL:- RAMMED EARTH
REGION:- KUTCH, GUJRAT

ABOUT THE MATERIAL:-

• Rammed earth is known with different names in different
places like- “TAIPA” in Portuguese, “PISE DE TERRA” or
simply “PISE” in French, “TAPIA” in Spanish etc.
• It consists of a mixture of clay, silt, sand, gravels, chalk and
lime.
• The important factors in the revival of rammed earth are its
high aesthetic quality, low embodied energy and the
opportunities to use locally sourced material.
• Rammed earth is very strong in compression and can be
used for multi-story loadbearing construction. 
• Most of the energy used in the construction of rammed
earth is in quarrying the raw material and transporting it to
the site. Rammed earth gives limited insulation but
excellent thermal mass.
PROPERTIES:-
• The many advantages of building with Rammed
earth include superior thermal mass, temperature and
noise control, strength and durability, low
maintenance, fire proofing, load bearing and pest
deterrence, as well as its beauty and the pleasure of
building with a natural and environmentally sound
material.
• The colour of rammed earth walls is determined by
the earth and aggregate used.
• Rammed earth behaves as heavyweight masonry with
a high thermal mass. Thermal mass absorbs or ‘slows
down’ the passage of heat through a material and
then releases that heat when the surrounding ambient
temperature goes down.
• Rammed earth has many properties it has Insulation,
Sound insulation, Fire and vermin resistance,
Durability and moisture resistant.
CONSTRUCTION PROCESS OF
RAMMED EARTH:-
• Stabilised rammed earth is made by compacting a mixture
of Gravel, Sand, Silt, Clay (and often cement) between
formwork in a series of layers approximately 100mm
thick.

• The traditional rammed earth was just that, and was

often dug from the same site as the building it was
destined for, but the materials for modern stabilised
rammed earth come primarily from quarries.

• LOAD BEARING WALLS:-Rammed earth has fair-to-good

compressive strength and it is common to make rammed
earth a loadbearing construction.
FORMWORK OF RAMMED EARTH:-
Marine grade plywood and steel sheets are both used in making formwork.
JOINTS AND CONNECTIONS:-
• Walls are built in panels of approximately 3.5m in
length with flexible joints to comply with building
rules requirements for masonry structures. When a
wall consists of more than one panel a recess is
built into the end of the first wall. The second wall
then moulds into this to lock the walls together for
lateral stability.

FINISHES:-
• The off-form finish of stabilised rammed earth
generally requires no additional finish.

• A clear water-repellent coating may be needed in

some instances and non-stabilised rammed earth
walls should be protected by eaves, overhangs or
render, as they are more prone to erosion.
CLIMATE DATA OF KUTCH, GUJRAT:-
KHAMIR CRAFT PARK, KUTCH

DESIGNED BY:- Prof. N D Chaka

CONSTRUCTED BY:- Hunnarshaala Foundation

ABOUT:-
The craft park is a campus that facilitates the handicraft artisans in Kutch with designs,
technology, and marketing support. The design is organic which plus together of independent
buildings that make interlocking courts and streets. The materials are a combination of Random
stone, Earth and Lime technologies. The roof is covered with Country and Mangalore tiles. The
walls are made of Rammed earth, Wattle and Daub and recycled china clay waste bricks. The
doors and windows are made of local wood with metal work. Rain water harvesting system is
present.
SITE PLAN
SECTIONS
CONSTRUCTION DETAIL:-
• Here we can see the typical wall section of KHAMIR
CRAFT PARK in which the rammed earth material is
used.

• Using local materials and appropriate construction

techniques, the finished surfaces (built as infills in a
steel frame of the buildings) receive and reflect a
familiar light.

• The mud walls when sprinkled with water, emanate a

known fragrance and the thick rammed earth absorbs
the sounds of working tools.

• The Rammed earth walls rise from the plinth, with

visible layers of ‘making’ thus lending the landscape
vibrancy and scale. In parts, however, the walls are
plastered with a mixture of mud and dried cow dung,
to keep the interiors comfortably cool.
Here are some pictures of Khamir craft park in which rammed earth wall is construct.
SARDAR NAGAR HOUSING, KUTCH

DESIGNED BY:- Hunnarshaala foundation

LOCATION:- Sardar Nagar Relocation Site, Bhuj, Gujrat, India

ABOUT:-

Sardar Nagar is a relocation site developed for the earthquake affected poor families of Bhuj
city.
Hunnarshaala developed the master plan for the 21 acre site and has built 280 homes and a
waste water treatment system this far. The master plan to house 1200 homes is developed as
an adaption to the falia (cluster) and seri (street) concept of the old city of the Bhuj. The
homes are made of stabilized Earth blocks and Rammed earth from recycled China clay
waste.
WALL SECTION SHOWING THE DETAILS
Here on the right side picture is
showing Rammed earth houses .

Here the left side picture is showing Rammed earth wall

finish.
RAMMED EARTH USED IN ROOFING:-

Rammed earth in roofs can be cited as an example, where stabilised soil cement block

or rammed earth walls are already a part of the building. ... After all, the wall can be
visualized as a slab kept vertical and if so, these slabs can be kept horizontal also as floor
or roof.

RAMMED EARTH USED IN ROOF GRASS ROOF RAMMED EARTH

RAMMED EARTH USED IN FLOORING:-
Rammed earth is also highly durable and moisture resistant. While you need to prevent
continued exposure to water at the top and bottom of walls - just as with clay brick - most
Australian Rammed earth walls do not require additional waterproofing. The non-toxic nature
of rammed earth is one of its main attractions.

Process:-

First the floor was dug and leveled with

a layer of 3 to 5cm of sand.

Next, a 10 cm of cork board was laid for

insulation purpose. 
The building heating system is done The earth mortar is the final layer. It
through the floor. Pipes are fixed on top is around 1.5 to 2cm thick and is
of the cork and will be “Trapped” in the composed of 4 volumes of calcareous
slab to get the best inertia. sand (0/4) and 1 volume of earth.
Linseed oil is then applied 4 to 5 times It is impressive to see that after applying
to give rigidity to the floor surface and the layers of oil, you can wipe the flour
to make it water proof. with a wet mop without altering the
surface at all. Here is the final result.
THANK YOU