readily available resources

As a part of sustainable research, I began looking at materials that were more readily available to reduce costs, and what better material to look for than earth? The project below, designed by Christopher Chris PTY LTD Architecture, consists of many different colors and materials varying in texture that all collide in a rammed earth wall. The wall serves as a unifying element as well as major stability.

Earth ramming is an effective method because the method of construction can vary in complexity, depending on the form; but it allows the homeowner the possibility of constructing it him/herself. Earth architecture has been an effective form of

archiecture for many years, dating back to early Yemen periods. Architecture students at MIT are experimenting with earth ramming methods to test the soils in New England seeing how they stand up to climate conditions over time.

The earthen wall has one primary advantage over concrete -- environmental sustainability, according to Dahmen and Ochsendorf, who say that a conservative estimate attributes 7 percent of CO2 emissions worldwide to the production of cement, the primary ingredient in concrete. By contrast, preparation of a rammed earth mixture produces very little CO2 and uses no toxic chemicals. And, they point out, a building made of rammed earth creates no disposal hazard when demolished.