Rammed Earth Structures
A Code of Practice
Ramming earth has been a method of construction for centuries in many parts of the world and the technique can produce buildings that are strong, durable, safe and desirable. Because earth is an abundant and cheap resource, rammed earth buildings are often very economical. To achieve the best results the right techniques for the selection and testing of soils must be used to protect walls from water damage and shrinkage. This book aims to show how high standards can be achieved and the criteria on which rammed earth structures and building techniques can be judged. Since the fi rst edition of this book was published, the standards described in Rammed Earth Structures has been adopted as a Building Standard in Zimbabwe. Further progress is being made extending the use of rammed earth as an offi cially sanctioned building material across all SADC countries. This book is now therefore becoming an important guide and resource for those wishing to employ this economical and low-carbon building material in the construction of public as well as private buildings in Africa and elsewhere.
Published: 2011
Pages: 128
eBook: 9781780440668
Paperback: 9781853397271
| Prelims (Praise for this book, Contents, Tests, About the authors, Acknowledgements, Preface to the Second Edition) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Introduction | |||
| 2. Materials | |||
| 3. Formwork | |||
| 4. Groundworks | |||
| 5. Superstructure | |||
| 6. Stability | |||
| 7. Details and finishes | |||
| 8. Earthquake areas | |||
| Back Matter (Appendix 1, Appendix 2) |
‘An essential reference guide for anyone interested in the practice of rammed earth construction. This new improved edition includes updated photographs from recent projects.’
Professor Pete Walker, Director, BRE Centre for Innovative Construction Materials, University of Bath
‘You might say that rammed earth construction is a sort of tonic offered to a world still mindlessly addicted to fuel-intensive building, a breath of fresh air and reason that is so badly needed. Julian and Rowland Keable are the administering doctors, and with this lucid volume make rammed earth construction safe and easy for everyone. If you've thought of building a home from this most local of materials, you would do well to own and consult this guide.’
Bruce King, Director of Ecological Building Network, author of Buildings of Earth and Straw
‘As an architect and builder who has designed and built in rammed earth in both Zimbabwe and Australia I wish I had had this document long ago. It is a true working manual which is demystifying, credible and well illustrated. The most important process with rammed earth is selecting, grading and mixing the material miles out in the bush without a testing lab down the road. With this book you can now do it yourself and build up your own knowledge base and methods using visual and physical testing with your hands and eyes. Well done to the two Keables! I would now like a similar manual for all the other building trades.’
Mick Pearce AADipl (hons) RIBA MIAZ, architect with global experience
Julian Keable
Julian Keable was an architect who initiated the use of rammed earth for projects in Africa in the 1970s and continued working in the field until the end of the 1990s.
Rowland Keable
Rowland Keable has been working with rammed earth and building rammed earth structures since the mid-1980s.
FACHWERK NEU GEDACHT – Entwurf eines Wandelements aus Holz und Lehm für die industrielle Vorfertigung
Henninger, Joël
Acker, Ludwig
ce/papers, Vol. 8 (2025), Iss. 1 P.69
https://doi.org/10.1002/cepa.3292 [Citations: 0]Second RILEM International Conference on Earthen Construction
Unsaturated Behaviour of Material from a Vernacular Eastern Croatia Rammed Earth House
Perić Fekete, Ana
Augarde, Charles
Hughes, Paul
Kraus, Ivan
2024
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-62690-6_29 [Citations: 0]Earthen Dwellings and Structures
Bond Strength of Rebars in Cement-Stabilised Rammed Earth
Lepakshi, R.
Venkatarama Reddy, B. V.
2019
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-5883-8_4 [Citations: 0]In-plane seismic performance of rammed earth walls: an eastern Croatia reconnaissance based study
Perić Fekete, Ana
Kraus, Ivan
Grubišić, Marin
Dokšanović, Tihomir
Bulletin of Earthquake Engineering, Vol. 22 (2024), Iss. 3 P.1359
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10518-023-01826-4 [Citations: 2]Shear strength parameters and Mohr-Coulomb failure envelopes for cement stabilised rammed earth
Lepakshi, R.
Venkatarama Reddy, B.V.
Construction and Building Materials, Vol. 249 (2020), Iss. P.118708
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2020.118708 [Citations: 38]Bond behaviour of bamboo splints in cement-stabilised rammed earth blocks
Tripura, Deb Dulal
Sharma, Richi Prasad
International Journal of Sustainable Engineering, Vol. 7 (2014), Iss. 1 P.24
https://doi.org/10.1080/19397038.2012.757671 [Citations: 21]Shrinkage characteristics of cement stabilized rammed earth
Woyciechowski, Piotr
Narloch, Piotr Leon
Cichocki, Damian
Jemioło, S.
Zbiciak, A.
Mitew-Czajewska, M.
Krzemiński, M.
Gajewski, M.
MATEC Web of Conferences, Vol. 117 (2017), Iss. P.00178
https://doi.org/10.1051/matecconf/201711700178 [Citations: 11]Hydric Behavior of Earth Materials and the Effects of Their Stabilization with Cement or Lime: Study on Repair Mortars for Historical Rammed Earth Structures
Gomes, Maria Idália
Gonçalves, Teresa Diaz
Faria, Paulina
Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering, Vol. 28 (2016), Iss. 7
https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)MT.1943-5533.0001536 [Citations: 58]Structural Capacity of Rammed Earth in Compression
Maniatidis, Vasilios
Walker, Peter
Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering, Vol. 20 (2008), Iss. 3 P.230
https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)0899-1561(2008)20:3(230) [Citations: 106]Optimum water content tests for earthen construction materials
Smith, Jonathan Chase
Augarde, Charles
Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers - Construction Materials, Vol. 167 (2014), Iss. 2 P.114
https://doi.org/10.1680/coma.12.00040 [Citations: 8]Stabilizing rammed earth using xanthan gum or animal glue as bio-binder
Abdelaal, Ahmed
Ma, Jiaming
Gomaa, Mohamed
Giustozzi, Filippo
Xie, Yi Min
Frontiers in Built Environment, Vol. 11 (2025), Iss.
https://doi.org/10.3389/fbuil.2025.1535947 [Citations: 1]Las normativas de construcción con tierra en el mundo
Cid, J.
Mazarrón, F. R.
Cañas, I.
Informes de la Construcción, Vol. 63 (2011), Iss. 523 P.159
https://doi.org/10.3989/ic.10.011 [Citations: 38]Second RILEM International Conference on Earthen Construction
Overview of Codes of Practice for Earthen Construction Around the World
Boumezerane, Djamalddine
Djeffal, Houcine
2024
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-62690-6_36 [Citations: 0]Cement stabilized rammed earth as a sustainable construction material
Kariyawasam, K.K.G.K.D.
Jayasinghe, C.
Construction and Building Materials, Vol. 105 (2016), Iss. P.519
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2015.12.189 [Citations: 142]Assessing Cement Stabilized Rammed Earth Durability in A Humid Continental Climate
Narloch, Piotr
Woyciechowski, Piotr
Buildings, Vol. 10 (2020), Iss. 2 P.26
https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings10020026 [Citations: 24]Architectural Features and Soil Properties of Traditional Rammed Earth Houses: Eastern Croatia Case Study
Brkanić Mihić, Ivana
Kraus, Ivan
Kaluđer, Jelena
Perić Fekete, Ana
Buildings, Vol. 14 (2024), Iss. 7 P.2049
https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings14072049 [Citations: 0]A review of current construction guidelines to inform the design of rammed earth houses in seismically active zones
Thompson, David
Augarde, Charles
Osorio, Juan Pablo
Journal of Building Engineering, Vol. 54 (2022), Iss. P.104666
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jobe.2022.104666 [Citations: 25]Properties of unfired, illitic-clay bricks for sustainable construction
Muheise-Araalia, D.
Pavia, S.
Construction and Building Materials, Vol. 268 (2021), Iss. P.121118
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2020.121118 [Citations: 36]Investigation of intralayer and interlayer shear properties of stabilized rammed earth by direct shear tests
Zhou, Tiegang
Zhang, Huiyuan
Zhang, Zaiyu
Zhang, Liangyi
Tan, Wei
Construction and Building Materials, Vol. 367 (2023), Iss. P.130320
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2023.130320 [Citations: 8]13. Earthen architecture
Geological Society, London, Engineering Geology Special Publications, Vol. 21 (2006), Iss. 1 P.387
https://doi.org/10.1144/GSL.ENG.2006.021.01.13 [Citations: 2]Testing and Characterisation of Earth-based Building Materials and Elements
Characterization of Earth Used in Earth Construction Materials
Aubert, Jean-Emmanuel
Faria, Paulina
Maillard, Pascal
Ouedraogo, Kouka Amed Jérémy
Ouellet-Plamondon, Claudiane
Prud’homme, Elodie
2022
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-83297-1_2 [Citations: 4]A geotechnical perspective of raw earth building
Gallipoli, Domenico
Bruno, Agostino Walter
Perlot, Céline
Mendes, Joao
Acta Geotechnica, Vol. 12 (2017), Iss. 3 P.463
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11440-016-0521-1 [Citations: 92]Influence of additives on the structural performance of cement-stabilised rammed earth
Cárdenas-Haro, Xavier
Todisco, Leonardo
León, Javier
Sarmiento, Nicole
Samaniego, Cristina
Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers - Structures and Buildings, Vol. 176 (2023), Iss. 3 P.163
https://doi.org/10.1680/jstbu.20.00279 [Citations: 1]Earth construction in Algeria between tradition and modernity
Baiche, Bousmaha
Osmani, Mohamed
Walliman, Nicholas
Ogden, Raymond
Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers - Construction Materials, Vol. 170 (2017), Iss. 1 P.16
https://doi.org/10.1680/jcoma.15.00048 [Citations: 7]Comparative compressive strength of stabilized and un-stabilized rammed earth
Khadka, Binod
Shakya, Manjip
Materials and Structures, Vol. 49 (2016), Iss. 9 P.3945
https://doi.org/10.1617/s11527-015-0765-5 [Citations: 32]Shear Strength of Reproduced Soil Mixtures Based on Samples from Rammed Earth Walls from Eastern Croatia
Kaluđer, Jelena
Kraus, Ivan
Perić, Ana
Kraus, Lucija
Applied Sciences, Vol. 12 (2022), Iss. 22 P.11708
https://doi.org/10.3390/app122211708 [Citations: 6]Unstabilized Rammed Earth: Characterization of Material Collected from Old Constructions in South Portugal and Comparison to Normative Requirements
Gomes, Maria Idália
Gonçalves, Teresa Diaz
Faria, Paulina
International Journal of Architectural Heritage, Vol. 8 (2014), Iss. 2 P.185
https://doi.org/10.1080/15583058.2012.683133 [Citations: 48]Role of Stabilizers and Gradation of Soil in Rammed Earth Construction
Honne Basanna, Nagaraj
Hirebelaguly Shivaprakash, Shaivan
Bhimahalli, Arunkumar
Parameshwarappa, Prasanna Kumar
Gaudin, Jeremie
Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering, Vol. 32 (2020), Iss. 5
https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)MT.1943-5533.0003112 [Citations: 4]Self-Compacting Earth-Based Composites: Mixture Design and Multi-Performance Characterisation
Matos, Ana Mafalda
Varum, Humberto
Buildings, Vol. 12 (2022), Iss. 5 P.612
https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings12050612 [Citations: 5]Historic Mortars
The Compatibility of Earth-Based Repair Mortars with Rammed Earth Substrates
Gomes, M. I.
Diaz Gonçalves, T.
Faria, P.
2019
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-91606-4_22 [Citations: 2]A Systematic Literature Review of Rammed Earth Walls
Niroumand, H.
Akbari, R.
Khanlari, K.
Gültekin, A. B.
Barcelo, J. A.
Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering, Vol. 58 (2021), Iss. 4 P.295
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11204-021-09742-y [Citations: 6]You might also like:
