Rammed Earth

[@butopiatoo]

Clifton and his guys rock! Worked on a wall project on Salt Spring Island in 2010. Great stuff! Thanks for sharing.

[@florentcourtois3813]

The rendering is beautiful.

[@flyinima]

Glad I found this, great video on the use of rammed earth. I find Clifton's technique with the edges quite remarkable and will definitely want to incorporate that in my build. Just need to figure out a way to teach myself!

[@freshimpactco.8698]

Rammed earth is strong structurally, and withstands weathering very well. Some formulas will include a 10% cement mix for the stability of the substrate. It's quite common for the top and bottom layer of rammed earth to have approximately 30 - 40% cement to increase its resistance to moist conditions. As mentioned in the video, rammed earth is compressed and because of this is very dense. There are number of advantages to earthen walls and rammed earth is the most weather resistant method. It is an alternative to concrete as it's more environmentally friendly and absolutely gorgeous and cheap based on materials readily available onsite. The down side of this method is the time it takes to construct the forms and because of this can be a deterrent to novices.

[@veen88]

Instead of cement can we use lime?

[@davejones4269]

Why do you use Portland cement rather than lime? Lime being moisture permeable whereas Portland cement is the opposite?

[@TheNomadic69]

This is the best video on rammed earth construction!

[@NomadicBullFilms]

Thanks for the positive feedback. Glad you enjoyed it.

[@tlatoanimachi]

Thank you for this video. Perfect for explaining to anyone who doesn't know.

[@harrisedgar]

What a beautiful video... Thank you Scott....

[@mattbranham1105]

Great look at the process and final shape!

[@jaandel1]

who knows if we have to seal these wall to prevent erosion or how doing maintenance to keep looking like new mainly the outside wall... this guy do a great job I am pretty sure those wall are not cheap at all because of the intensive labor compare with the concrete wall that you can polish and make it look like natural , also there are several paint techniques that you can use for similar looks, in construction every is about budget and people desires

[@TheBaconWizard]

Sealing is not required, but if you don't seal and are in a temperate climate then damp will get in.

[@MrRecklessryan]

That is absolutely stunning.

[@nicolamocci7480]

Hi brother. I wanted to ask, I don't understand English much, do they put lime or cement in the earth mixtures? How are the walls waterproof? thanks. greetings from Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain

[@nicolamocci7480]

@Warrior Rising thank you

[@MJ-pt4lk]

Love this thanks for the share Scott... Its a very organic construction method and the look is amazing. These guys are highly skilled at this technique and the skill shines thru in the finished product amazing...Thanks again

[@MJ-pt4lk]

😆😎

[@laurabenevelli6783]

I love the different colors and textures.

[@baduong2538]

Làm ơn, anh có thể đến và quay lại toàn cảnh ngôi nhà này, hiện giờ như nào rồi

[@etienne7774]

What does the finished house look like?

[@dailyxp1037]

That's beautiful.. i wonder will it works in the tropical climate? Will the rain and heat loosen the wall integrity?

[@florentcourtois3813]

Why wouldn't it work? Just respect the sacred rule: Good Boots and a good hat ! Don't put directly the earth on the ground or the water will come up and destroy the wall. Build a good roof for the same reason, to protect from the rain. Instead of using concrete made of out cement for the base I recommend to make a cyclopean foundation, made out of stones and lime concrete. Good luck.

[@savvase.9809]

What is the base made of? Is sit on a concrete?

[@colinhall87]

Thank you Scott

[@rich3821]

Can you add chipped up plastic as a layer to a wall? Mix into the earth in order to recycle or could you only use it as a decoration layer? Thank you.

[@tonyt7912]

would love to get you guys to Panama, starting a sustainable project in23 !

[@andromehwang4596]

5:05??

[@rafaljankowski2807]

how about a cost?

[@jakob5643]

If I'd be doing a very small scale, say 30x30cm sculpture in rammed earth, would I use more water or concrete as to make the corners and edges hold together better and not have them crack?

[@anitamitchell3452]

Very informative and very beautiful. Lucky people.

[@stevewilkins5004]

Rammed Earth is beautiful and will last many lifetimes. It doesn't need aggregate (stones) to be structurally sound. You don't want external walls with rough exposed stone "cracks". It will create a wound that weathering can erode over time. Internally it's an "aesthetic" personal choice. Building Columns is an excellent architectural design strategy. It requires good planning and if used with prefabricated fill-in-in sections that includes windows and doors it will make for quick and efficient construction. Most internal walls, often requiring complex twists and turns don't need to be rammed earth, typical framing will suffice - again a personal choice. If the clay content is high + 20% cement mix can be as little as 5%. A well organized and managed build program competes very favorably with traditional construction costs. I am working with an engineer to create a fully mechanized process that will speed up construction. Also developing adjustable form-work to offer maximum versatility and reduce the labour requirements. The plan is to build a whole village complex based on this type of construction while also utilizing many of the Earthship environmentally-sensitive passive-sustainability principles I.E. To rewrite the book of "Best Practice"... Offering a truly holistic off-grid solution combined with incredible architectural potential.

[@nokia6630videos]

Still looking for a clear quick step by step video showing how to make a house out of rammed earth all the vids I find here end up with these wierd random separated columns ...

[@NomadicBullFilms]

I know. Rammed earth is a labour intensive process so a lot of times it is used as accent walls.

[@Thoracius]

To do an entire house you're probably best doing it with a form for the entire structure. The Build Show has a video showing how it's done. That's a lot of form-work!

[@rambabualwaru1404]

Superb friend

[@Sitiveni12]

It's a little hard to hear with the background music fyi

[@NomadicBullFilms]

Good point. Thanks for the feedback and Happy New Years!

[@OlllOHD]

Are there any multistorey buildings out there built this way ?

[@johnmbaijm]

Several

[@dragondan9]

Quite a few 2-4 storey buildings of SRE. Telenor 345 head office complex by SIREWALL is currently the tallest and also has a tower 100ft tall.

[@rickc5566]

Greeting from vancouver. Great video

[@magatism]

Please show us testing of these walls under shock, water and sun's heat. It looks good but does it stay up, how much maintainance it requires and how.

[@freshimpactco.8698]

Rammed earth is strong structurally, and withstands weathering very well. Some formulas will include a 10% cement mix for the stability of the substrate. It's quite common for the top and bottom layer of rammed earth to have approximately 30 - 40% cement to increase its resistance to moist conditions. As mentioned in the video, rammed earth is compressed and because of this is very dense. There are number of advantages to earthen walls and rammed earth is the most weather resistant method. It is an alternative to concrete as it's more environmentally friendly and absolutely gorgeous and cheap based on materials readily available onsite. The down side of this method is the time it takes to construct the forms and because of this can be a deterrent to novices.

[@magatism]

@@freshimpactco.8698 Since then, i have watched a number of videos and recommend it highly for people specially in dry states.

[@megaswenson]

So, is this the method used for much of The Great Wall of China? Or, was that more of a poured-mud sort of construction?

[@nokia6630videos]

Basically smth close to this, the wall of China was built with a shitload of materials depending on what's available in the area it's passing in, I remember the part in the desert and some planes used rammed earth.

[@MyUsernameIsAlsoBort]

What is the texture like? They don't need to add some kind of lacquer or wax or some kind of finish on the surface to maintain smoothness/prevent flaking?

[@dragondan9]

Basically like a concrete wall with a bit of texture/feel to it. It wont flake away or anything as it is stabilised and most of the smoothness comes from the formwork used (like concrete).

[@matthewfrench2871]

great film, such a helpful video thank you

[@benditosan2789]

What's the legality of this in philadelphia

[@soniaasuncion3353]

can I ask a question is that typhoon and earthquake proof

[@samrichards8251]

Stunning

[@TheBebelehaut]

What holds these walls to the ground?

[@TheBebelehaut]

@Warrior Rising That won't work for our building code. We'd still need a concrete Foundation with rebar into the Earth work.

[@TheBebelehaut]

@Warrior Rising I never claimed that. Just that SOMETHING has to hold the wall in place. Rebar at the bottom to a rigid structure or a connection to the other walls so it is next to impossible to flip forward or backward. Just not comfortable with free floating walls.

[@MarquisVonLion]

where can I get a print to make the form , thanks...

[@danelobe2524]

There is some maintenance to be done on these walls, there not as hard or strong as concrete. Also they have to be sealed good, or they decay. There also labor intensive so there not cheap. You can do the same thing with concrete with the colors and layers of aggregate. I did a 10" layer all around my forms every 2 hours, using a cement mixer, It turned out awesome.

[@TheBaconWizard]

They don't decay, that's utter bullshit. Although damp can pass through if not sealed. While not as strong as concrete, they are plenty strong enough and stronger than many other materials. This is ideal if you want to do your own build, spending time rather than money for a beautiful result.

[@aaronf7175]

You might want to look into how RE construction curing processes differ from that of concrete. Concrete is a strictly chemical curing process where RE is a combination of chemical and pressure curing. The result is that RE has more in common with naturally occurring bedrock which is one aspect of why it lasts so long *and doesn't necessarily need to be sealed*.

[@Daffodil956]

Beautiful

[@swagatamandal7183]

Hlw sir can I contact with you...I want to know details about this construction method..I am a student of architecture...my thesis project is cultural hub and I want to use this method in this project... please sir I need your help

[@hambatuhan5751]

Can it survived a rain?

[@justgivemethetruth]

This looks really cool. Is there a way it can be used as a vertical load bearing structure and how would you determine how much load it can take, and how it might fail if something went wrong?

[@digitsdigitsdigits808]

Simple answer: yes, if you do it professionally. Rammed-earth contractor Sirewall managed to build a 100-foot-tall rammed earth building in Islamabad a few years ago. sirewall.com/project/telenor-headoffice-islamabad/ As for determining the load, look up "compressive/tensile strength test." The same test is used for just about any material, be it aluminum, concrete, or rammed earth. It depends on the mixture, but rammed earth with nothing added maxes out at 4.3MPa, roughly a quarter that of concrete used in most residential projects. Sirewall claims their method has a compressive strength of 30MPa, which is what you see in very large-scale and specialized industrial projects. Obviously, for small homes 30MPa is complete overkill; stabilizing with cement and rebar and putting insulation inside is far more than enough. Don't trust me though read up on this stuff yourself

[@justgivemethetruth]

Interesting thanks.

[@stedmans4christ]

Why would insulation be added??

[@veen88]

If your area get snow in winter then insulation will help to keep it warm inside i guess.....

[@doneown503]

he is an artist!!

[@munirabdulazeez2021]

what a great job don, but can this be applicable to a duplex of 1,2,3, or 4 storey building ?

[@graceserenachristie2914]

Really nice. I might do this for some inside walls. Some of the Chinese ancient walls were built a few thousand years ago and still up.

[@NomadicBullFilms]

Great for inside walls, just make sure they’re well supported!

[@florentcourtois3813]

@@NomadicBullFilms What to you mean by: "well supported"?

[@AACCcologne]

​@@florentcourtois3813 A proper foundation, because those walls are extremely heavy compared to wood framing.

[@harrysollmer1644]

Nice i will be doing same in Philippines Australia German blooded Ozzy going off-grid 100% in Philippines

[@olhafilimonova4396]

E in lingua Italiana?

[@clivemossmoon3611]

If he's using so much gravel (I'm guessing up to 35%), I wonder why it is not presenting on the surface.

[@compadrelucas]

incredible finish. these guys got it together. i bet it is expensive though….

[@veen88]

If you have Man power and time then this will cost you like half of it compare to regular construction....

[@williamuhl252]

Outstanding!!

[@jeffbingaman2754]

Why not use suction hoses/auger or other mechanical lifting methods and mixers? Using a mixer sounds like it would combine the ingredients better. Or is it all about the labor...

[@gordontataryn6026]

Clinton's schools are great.i highly recommend them.

[@alecu739]

So how do you go about putting wires in the wall

[@TheBaconWizard]

The way he said in the video you just watched.

[@imiy]

I wonder of you make the same but with pure brown clay?

[@ryanmccue8180]

Need cement straw rebar something needs sand with clay

[@upward_onward]

Will water drain it away ?

[@dragondan9]

Not at all. It has similar properties to concrete as it is stabilised and is therefore is essentially impervious to rain/water.

[@anthonylemkendorf3114]

I love it , but , the designs are fairly static. It all more or less looks the same and what few exceptions I’ve seen,tend to be trivial. Keeping my mind open though.Any suggestions are examples?

[@tammyfinch5469]

How does the wall stay in one piece or standing up when there's a level of cinder. It can't be compacted

[@vineofearth]

cement. technically the wall is concrete and not rammed earth because of the use of cement.

[@АбрамовВалерий-л1ь]

👍 А как вовремя дождя или после зимы . Ответьте очень интересно .

[@falgunigangele6235]

how is footing and the wall tied together?

[@craigsasscer4994]

Bailing wire and chewing gum

[@NomadicBullFilms]

Same as a normal concrete wall and footing using rebar.

[@TexasBarnRats]

Very interesting. I had never heard of this.

[@checkmatefurries286]

how does it hold vs quake?

[@felipegl1]

As you can see, the foundation is a bond-beam and you'll need a bond beam at the top, in case of a quake, the entire structure moves as one.

[@capitanmission]

what is the wood piece inside the form at 4:55?

[@NomadicBullFilms]

They're just supports to hold the insulation in place while the earth is being added. They're removed once the earth holds the insulation in place.

[@MetalGearMk3]

Does Clifton mention the ratios of soil, gravel,sand, cement?

[@NomadicBullFilms]

I'm not sure. You'd have to drop him a line through his website and ask him.

[@scroogemcduck1462]

Been watching a lot of videos about rammed earth construction and it always seem to vary. Cement is usually 8-10%, clay 10-40% with gravel and sand making up the rest.

[@IvanTuryk_eco]

Amaizing...!!

[@maralevine5801]

The music is way too loud!

[@abhishekbhasin681]

Is it waterproof?

[@scroogemcduck1462]

It's not. There's a company called SIREWALL selling extremely overpriced admixture that will make it water repellent, but you can probably treat it with siloxane for the same result at 10-20% the price.

[@scroogemcduck1462]

@Warrior Rising I'm unsure what you're unsure about.

[@kotarokojima6305]

Have cement ?

[@florentcourtois3813]

Yes, it's said in the video that you add "Portland"! Do you do this? or is it lime? Cement is not a material I would use with earth!

[@shiranduarte]

Thanks for the vid. My graduation study is being based on this topic. I

[@TheTrelp]

Hi Shiran, I am interested in hearing more about your graduation study on rammed earth! Please message me.

[@eeforest7122]

shiran duarte so where can we find out more about your study?

[@yj3088]

I like mostly but I don't like pink insulation inside.

[@drago1007]

whats the mix?

[@vincej4319]

Rammed Earth has been used for longer than Portland cement has existed. This video should be labeled Rammed Portland cement mixture.

[@donaldjohnson3265]

I like this.

[@grahambull5802]

Looks like a lot of wood and other equipment needed ,Why not make mud bricks instead ? In the past in Britain mud dung and straw were mixed and called "cob " .How well does it stand up to rain .

[@robot7759]

Rebar & Portland cement 😾

[@mmart1nez]

I've been reading a lot of rammed earth information and have come up with the term stabilized clay. Where can one get stabilized clay in California?

[@gordonbricker1670]

Thank you for this interesting video but the music is so annoying. (Gordon's wife)

[@harrysollmer1644]

Thankyou i will use this for our First house in Philippines

[@lesleywillis6177]

Good vid. And I can JUST ABOUT hear the interesting and informative comments over the inane compulsory crap music!

[@travelfoodbusinessbestheyyono]

Was that T-Bag?

[@TyrannosaurusMarx]

The "lift" he's doing a slow zoom out from is really sloppy... it might look kinda cool, but the camera guy doesn't realize he's focusing on a mistake, not a design feature. Shit like this comes from doing GIGANTIC lifts and then not getting proper compaction along the edge of the form... come on bro, your lifts could / should probably be half that size... or is that actually two lifts and you took lunch there and cold joined it?

[@scroogemcduck1462]

If you're talking about the lines visible at 5:32 and 6:02 those are cold joints which is where they ended the previous day and they are absolutely fine

[@jukeboxhero1649]

Concrete and rebar are righteous because they come from the earth. Roman's used concrete and the mortar in the great wall used cement mixed with rice starch. The mortar outlasts the bricks! It's a natural product which belongs in this kind of building regardless of the Englishman who doesn't use it. You understand now?

[@HallyVee]

By this logic having slaves mine iron is natural too.

[@savagesteve5894]

His ancestors must have built stonehenge.

[@supersasquatch]

the idea of using rusting bars and powder foams is quite ridiculous

[@emmalitting2208]

I want to build a house out of natural material but no one knows how to do in my place 😭

[@6969smurfy]

Where do you want to build?

[@patyp3495]

emma littingpacific solar kits for sal

[@slayercessna9352]

Why cool man.

[@joseph-annaellembanmbaane3782]

😍👌

[@pauliboscola2643]

So at the end of the day your buildings are low-grade concrete rather than rammed earth, and so can’t really claim to be natural or eco-friendly, plus by adding cement you just decreased the earth walls capability of releasing moisture. There are precedents for earth buildings with no cement at all even in Japan where everyday earthquakes shaking the land! Just need to look for it. About building codes - they are guidance only! You need to provide test results to justify that earth wall is just as good structurally as the earth and cement wall and here you go - you get the building permission!

[@jonarmani8654]

Yo that was cool

[@malibudolphin3109]

Can't hear what's being said with stupid background music interference

[@andiarrohnds5163]

Stay in school and don't do drugs, kids.

[@1voluntaryist]

If you are in public school get out as soon as possible (economically feasible) and try to overcome the indoctrination. I recommend lots of quiet time with nature, e.g., the deep forest, a garden, wide open plains, mountains. Learn a trade you can apply anywhere. If you stay in school you will go deep into debt to get more screwed up. Life will instruct you. Live it. Time is too precious to waste.

[@jukeboxhero1649]

Cool looking but waaaaay too involved unless you're a rich bastard

[@jukeboxhero1649]

@@6sfo can a decent and seismic resistant wall be poured into the same mould if there's a rebar or other skeleton inside it and you mix a certain amount of cement with the dirt? Like a big cement and wire reinforced adobe brick but wall size?

[@jukeboxhero1649]

I suppose I could experiment myself but if you already know the answer I would appreciate your advice

[@amerjilani5881]

Background music is annoying

[@rawmark]

disappointing. There are plenty of rammed earth structures going up around the world that do not use portland cement. In fact, you can look up an English builder on youtube that builds rammed earth that traditional way and this does not use any cement.

[@rawmark]

***** Building codes can be changed. A lot of them have been written to include cement because when someone asked to get their building approved the added cement so a default code for rammed earth might include cement in one state and no cement in another. You just need to do your homework to change the codes.

[@flyinima]

Mark I don't think It's quite that simple. Despite the fact that they use portland concrete, what should be noted is that professional rammed earth builders will tend to use a 10-15% mix in concrete. It's helpful to have as a stabilizer and will ensure its longevity. This was done in the pacific northwest that is near a major fault line.

[@rawmark]

Not true. Old rammed earth homes were built with no concrete that still stand today. And there's a guy in England, who builds homes all around the world, and he uses no concrete or cement. I think what has happened is that we have stopped being respectful to mother earth and have taken easy steps for too long and are using cement where it doesn't need to be used. And, I'll give you another example. CEB homes are becoming very popular and I see them as an evolution of Cob and Rammed Earth homes. Do we really need to use cement/concrete in those homes? Anyway, if you want a link to see some of the structures the guy in England has built without concrete, let me know.

[@flyinima]

Mark Gailmor my point still stands. There also isn't a lot of seismic activity that happens in England but somewhere in the pnw that's prone to earthquakes.. A bit of concrete helps

[@rawmark]

It really doesn't and it's not an environmentally friendly product. It cement/concrete was needed then perhaps you can explain to me how Cob, which has no cement, can go through rigorous earthquake simulations and remain standing? And here's something else to consider. Concrete degrades over time while earth lasts for hundreds of years. And we have cob homes standing all over the world. Some have been around for hundreds of years. All built without concrete.

[@nanaoo6270]

my love handsome:))

[@nanabananaraw698]

My handsome Smarter :)),Babe

[@boardwalkbw7130]

Sucks how this guy tries to make it sound so much more complicated....its absolutely red clay from the ground people...

[@boardwalkbw7130]

@warriorrising7776 I have loads of videos and photos of our various projects that we will be posting eventually. Yes, the mixture needs to be a proper mix, but what I specifically took issue with was when I thought I heard him say it is a non organic mix. Where I am located, we have the perfect clay content, silt, etc. I am sure there are areas where this may not be available and must be brought in from other areas. So, maybe he is located in one of these areas.

[@SuperMrYoshi]

you talk like bubbles from trailer park boys