Rammed Earth (pisé) rammed earth walls are constructed by ramming a mixture of selected aggregates, including gravel, sand, silt and a small amount of clay, into place between flat panels called formwork. Traditional technology involved repeatedly ramming the end of a wooden pole into the earth mixture to compress it. Modern technology replaces the pole with a mechanical ram. Stabilised rammed earth is a variant of traditional rammed earth that adds a small amount of cement (typically between 5 and 10 per cent) to add strength and durability. Stabilised rammed earth walls need little added protection but are usually coated with a permeable sealer to increase the life of the material – this varies with circumstance and there are thousands of unstabilised rammed earth buildings around the world that have given good service over many centuries. Most of the energy used in the construction of rammed earth is in quarrying the raw material and transporting it to the site. Use of on-...
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