A construction technique in which layers of moist earth, sometimes stabilized with lime or cement, are compacted within temporary formwork to build solid, monolithic walls. Used for millennia in vernacular construction, sections of the Great Wall of China among them, the technique has been revived in contemporary sustainable architecture for its thermal mass and low embodied energy. In the United States, the Borough House Plantation and its adjoining Church of the Holy Cross in Stateburg, South Carolina, begun in 1821, form the oldest and largest surviving collection of rammed-earth buildings in the country and are both designated National Historic Landmarks. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
Facts
Element Kind First Used EraNeolithic; evidence reaches back to sites in the Fertile Crescent, dated to the ninth to seventh millennium BC, and to the Yangshao and Longshan cultures in China, dated to 5000 BC, with historical use widespread across China, North Africa and Europe. 1 Era
Era (category) Connections
Associated With
Source Wikipedia
Additional Source Rammed Earth (Wikipedia)
Source Wikipedia
Additional Source Rammed Earth (Wikipedia)
Seen In
Source Borough House Plantation (Wikipedia)
Source Butantã's House (Wikipedia)
Source Casa do Sítio da Ressaca (Wikipedia)
Source Casa do Sítio Tatuapé (Wikipedia)
Source Fazenda Velha (Wikipedia)
Source Fujian Tulou (Wikipedia)
In the Other Atlases
Era Of Origin
Also in History Atlas: the era this subject comes from.
Sources
1. Rammed Earth (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationWikipedia: Rammed earth, History section
Evidence of ancient use of rammed earth has been found in Neolithic archaeological sites such as those of the Fertile Crescent, dating to the 9th-7th millennium BC, and of the Yangshao and Longshan cultures in China, dating to 5000 BCE.
Wikipedia: Rammed earth, United States and Canada section, Borough House Plantation
Constructed in 1821, the Borough House Plantation complex contains the oldest and largest collection of 'high style' pise de terre (rammed earth) buildings in the United States.
Wikipedia: Rammed earth
Rammed earth, also called pisé, is a technique for constructing foundations, floors, and walls using compacted natural raw materials such as earth, chalk, lime, or gravel.
English Wikipedia, Rammed earth, lead section, third sentence
Edifices formed of rammed earth are found worldwide, in a range of environments including temperate, wet, semiarid desert, montane, and tropical regions.
- In Category: Elements and Materials
- Associated With: Vernacular Architecture
- Associated With: Sustainable Architecture
View the Source 2. Wikipedia
Wikimedia FoundationWikipedia: Rammed earth, history sectionQuote, Wikipedia: Rammed earth, history section
Evidence of ancient use of rammed earth has been found in Neolithic archaeological sites such as those of the Fertile Crescent, dating to the 9th-7th millennium BC, and of the Yangshao and Longshan cultures in China, dating to 5000 BCE.
Wikipedia: Susa
Seen In: Susa, Article bodyQuote, Seen In: Susa, Article body
The Apadana was enclosed by 6 metre thick walls of rammed earth
Fujian Tulou (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationSeen In: Fujian Tulou, Wikipedia leadQuote, Seen In: Fujian Tulou, Wikipedia lead
The fortified outer structures are formed by compacting earth, mixed with stone, bamboo, wood and other readily available materials to form walls up to 6 feet (1.8 m) thick.
Borough House Plantation (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationSeen In: Borough House Plantation, Article textQuote, Seen In: Borough House Plantation, Article text
The second house was built in 1820 of rammed earth by William Wallace Anderson, M.D.
Butantã's House (Wikipedia)
Seen In: Butantã's House, Article textQuote, Seen In: Butantã's House, Article text
It is notable for its construction in taipa de pilão (rammed earth) and its high ceilings.
Casa do Sítio Tatuapé (Wikipedia)
Seen In: Casa do Sítio Tatuapé, LeadQuote, Seen In: Casa do Sítio Tatuapé, Lead
Built in 1668 and 1698 by Mathias Rodrigues da Silva, it was erected using the rammed earth technique and contains six rooms and two attics, which distinguishes it from other examples from the colonial period by having a gable roof (inclined planes for water drainage).
Fazenda Velha (Wikipedia)
Seen In: Fazenda Velha, Article textQuote, Seen In: Fazenda Velha, Article text
The oldest part of the headquarters is made of rammed earth walls, a construction technique that uses moistened clay compacted between wooden forms to create continuous panels of structural walls.
Casa do Sítio da Ressaca (Wikipedia)
Seen In: Casa do Sítio da Ressaca, LeadQuote, Seen In: Casa do Sítio da Ressaca, Lead
Built with rammed earth, the house adopts an asymmetric plan, not very common in the Bandeirista residences.
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