EART-SOIL AS BUILDING MATERIAL

 “The thing that hit me in the eye,

right from the beginning, was that an
enormous amount of use was made of
mud! The first thing I discovered was
that mud is one thing in one place and
a different thing in another. It is used
for different purposes and is used in
different ways! There are different
techniques of sticking it together and
making it into a wall or whatever. This
varied considerably, even sometimes in
a matter of a few miles, from one
district to another”
Laurie Baker
 EART-SOIL AS BUILDING MATERIAL
• Mud as a construction material has been
extensively used since Neolithic times.

• Mud construction is mainly found in

places which are
•relatively dry and
• have mud in abundance.
 EART-SOIL AS BUILDING MATERIAL
WE PREJUDICED?
•Why isn’t mud considered modern?
• Is it true that mud is not as strong as cement
and steel?
•Are concrete and steel perceived to be better
simply because they are seen to be the result of
modern scientific and technological processes?
• Is this a problem of mud itself or is this merely
a problem of the modern mind?
 SOIL SOURCE
• Mud required for building can be taken from
the plot itself.
•The soil is collected after depth of 60cms
only.
• As the top layer is full of organic matter, it isn’t
used.
•Below it is sand and clay which are dug out in
heaps.
•Do not use hard rock.
• Soil to be used should be devoid of organic
matter.
•Top should be replaced after excavating.
 SOIL TYPES

• Gravel: Small pieces of stone varying from the

size of a pea to that of an egg.
• Sand: Similar small pieces of stone (usually
quartz), which are small but each grain, is
visible to the eye.
• Silt: The same as sand except that it is so
fine
that you cannot see individual grains.
• Clay: Soils that stick when wet - but very hard
when completely dry.
•Organic Soil: Soil mainly composed of rotting,
decomposing organic matters such as leaves,
plants and vegetable matter. It is spongy when
wet, usually smells of decaying matter, is dark in
color and usually damp.
 SOIL USABILITY

•Gravel: alone is of no use for mud wall building

- the tiny lumps of stone have nothing to bind
them together.
•Sand: similar to gravel, it is of no use for wall
making by itself - but if mixed with clay, it is the
ideal mud wall building soil.
• Silt: by itself is also no good for building walls.
It will hold together but is not strong.
Furthermore, it will not compact so it is also of
no use for pressed blocks or rammed
earthwork.
• Clay: can be rammed or compressed but
in drying out they often shrink. During
the
monsoon they get damp and expand again and
crack form.
• Organic Soils: are mainly useless for wall
building.
 TEST
S
Field tests
•Colour tests
•Touch and smell test
•Biscuit test
•Hand wash test
•Cigar test
•Adhesion test
Lab tests
•Sieve test
•Sedimentation test
 COLOUR TEST

•Procedure -Observe the colour of soil.

•Interpretation
• Deep yellow, orange and red,
ranging to deep browns indicate
iron content which is good as
building mud.
• Greyish or dull brown, ranging to
dirty white indicates more clay.
•Dull brown with slightly greenish
colour indicates organic soil.
 TOUCH & SMELL
Procedure
Rub small quantity of dry soil on
palm to feel its texture.
Moisten the soil and rub again.
Interpretation
Soil that feels course when dry but
sticky when wet contains lumps of
clay.
Soil that feels course when dry but
gritty when wet contains sand.
Soil that feels course when dry but
little gritty when wet contains silt.
If the wet soil gives off musty smell then
it contains organic matter
 BISCUIT TEST
 Procedure
 Make a smooth paste from the soil
removing all gravels.
 Mould it into a biscuit of 3cm
diameter and
1cm height.
 Leave it to dry and observe for shrinkages or
cracks.
 Break the biscuit to noting how hard it is.
 Interpretation
 If biscuit cracks or leaves gap from the
mould then it contains more clay.
 If its very hard to break then soil contains
more clay.
 If it breaks easily and can be crumpled
between finger then it has good sand-clay
proportion.
 If breaks and reduce to powder then the soil
 HAND WASH TEST
•Procedure
• Play with wet soil till your hands get
thoroughly dirty.
•Wash your hands to see how
difficult it
is to clean.
•Interpretation
•If hands get cleaned quickly, then soil
contains more sand.
•If it takes little time to clean and feels
like flour then soil contains more silt.
•If it feels soapy or slippery and takes
time to clean then soil contains more
clay.
 CIGAR TEST
Procedure
Make a smooth paste from the soil removing
all gravels.
Roll it on palm to make a cigar.
Slowly push it outside your palm.
Measure the length at which it breaks.
Interpretation
Length below 5cm - too much sand.
Length above 15cm - too much clay.
Length between 5cm to 15cm - good mixture
of sand and clay.
 ADHESION TEST
•Procedure
•Make ball out of wet soil.
•Pierce a knife into it and remove.
•Observe the knife after removing.
•Interpretation
•If little soil sticks on the knife then it has
more silt.
•If lot of soil sticks on the knife then it
has more clay.
•If the knife is clean after removal than
the soil has more sand.
 SIEVE TEST
•Procedure
• Pass soil from series of standard
sieves set on top of on another
with finest sieve at bottom.
• Observer the soil collected in
each sieve.
•Interpretation
• Silt will be collected in
lowermost sieve.
•Gravels will be
collected on top.
•Sand and lumps of
clay will be
collected in
 SEDIMENTATION TEST
•Procedure
• Take a transparent cylindrical
bottle or jar of 1Lt. Capacity.
•Fill it with ¼ soil and ¾ water.
•Shake well and allow it to settle
for 30 min.
•Interpretation
•Coarse gravels will be settled at
bottom, followed by sand, silt and
clay on top.
•Measuring the layers will give us
the approximate proportions of
each content.
 STABILISERS
•When the available soil is not suitable
enough for construction then the soil can
be used by manipulating its composition
by adding suitable stabilizers.
• Stabilizing enhances the given
property of the soil type.
•Increase Tensile and Shear
strength.
•Reduce shrinkage.
 STABILISERS
•Most common and effective stabiliser is Soil
itself.
•Cement, is the best example of a modern
contemporary stabiliser.
•Various other indigenous stabilisers include
•Straw
•Plant Juices
•Gum Arabic
•Sugar Or Molasses
•Cow Dung
•Animal Urine
•Tannic Acid
•Oil
 STABILISERS
•Most common and effective stabiliser is Soil
itself.
•Cement, is the best example of a modern
contemporary stabiliser.
•Various other indigenous stabilisers include
•Straw
•Plant Juices
•Gum Arabic
•Sugar Or Molasses
•Cow Dung
•Animal Urine
•Tannic Acid
•Oil
EARTH TECHNIQUES
 EARTH TECHNIQUES
• Cob
• Pise or Rammed earth
• Adobe
• Pressed bricks
• Wattle and daub method
• SYSTEMS OF BUILDING
• COB is good for anything except height.
It is particularly good for curved or
round walls.
• PISE OR RAMMED EARTH is strong and
ideal for solid, squat, single storey
houses.
• ADOBE or SUN DRIED BRICKS can easily
cope with two storey houses.
• PRESSED BRICKS smooth and very strong
and can build three storey.
• WATTLE & DAUB is elegant and fine for
Seismic Zones.
 COB

• Cob or cobb or clom (in Wales) is a building

material consisting of clay, sand, straw, water,
and earth, similar to adobe. Cob is fireproof,
resistant to seismic activity,[1] and inexpensive. It
can be used to create artistic, sculptural forms
and has been revived in recent years by the
natural building and sustainability movements.
• The walls of a cob house were generally about
24 inches thick, and windows were
correspondingly deep-set, giving the homes a
characteristic internal appearance. The thick
walls provided excellent thermal mass which
was easy to keep warm in winter and cool in
summer.
• Walls with a high thermal mass value act as a
thermal buffer inside the home.The material
has a long life span even in rainy climates,
provided a tall foundation and large roof
overhang are present.
 COB

• With only a little water to form a very stiff

mud, a large lump is roughly moulded into
the shape of a huge elongated egg.
• The usual size is anything between 12 to 18-
inches, (30 to 40-cm) long and about 6-
inches (15-cm) in diameter.
• A row of these cobs of mud are laid neatly
side-by-side - preferably somewhat pressed
together.
• Then another row of cobs is laid on top.
• When three or four courses have been laid,
one above the other, the sides are smoothed
over so that the holes and cracks disappear.
• Openings for doors, and windows are a
problem, which can be solved by using
temporary vertical planks or shuttering.
• Another very simple shuttering for openings
is to use empty kerosene tins.
 RAMMED EARTH
• Rammed earth, also known as taipa[1]
(Portuguese), tapial (Spanish), and pisé (de
terre) (French), is a technique for building
walls using the raw materials of earth, chalk,
lime and gravel. It is an ancient building
method that has seen a revival in recent
years as people seek more sustainable
building materials and natural building
methods. Rammed-earth walls are simple to
construct, incombustible, thermally massive,
strong, and durable.
• They can be labour-intensive to construct
without machinery (powered tampers),
however, and they are susceptible to water
damage if inadequately protected or
maintained. The second method has
developed from the cob wall so as to
standardize or regularize the thickness of the
wall.
 RAMMED EARTH
• Building a rammed-earth wall involves compressing a
damp mixture of earth that has suitable proportions of
sand, gravel and clay (sometimes with an added
stabilizer) into an externally supported frame or mould,
creating either a solid wall of earth or individual blocks.
Historically, such additives as lime or animal blood were
used to stabilize the material, whilst modern
construction uses lime, cement or asphalt emulsions.
Some modern builders also add coloured oxides or
other items, such as bottles or pieces of timber, to add
variety to the structure.
• It is also an attempt to increase the strength of the wall
by ramming it. It is known as the Rammed Earth
method.
• Two parallel planks are held firmly apart by metal rods
and clips or bolts, or by small crosspieces of wood.
• Stiff mud is thrown in between these two planks and
rammed down with either a wooden or metal ramrod.
 RAMMED EARTH
• When one section is completed and hard, the two
boards are moved along and the process is repeated
• The two planks are then raised up and a second
course of rammed earth is repeated over the first.
• The compression strength of the rammed earth
Holy Cross Episcopal Church) in Stateburg,
increases as it cures; it takes some time to dry out, as South Carolina,
much as two years for complete curing. Exposed walls
should be sealed to prevent water damage.
• The compressive strength of rammed earth can be up
to 4.3 MPa (620 psi). This is less than that of concrete,
but more than strong enough for use in domestic
buildings.[3] Indeed, properly built rammed earth can
withstand loads for thousands of years, as many still-
standing ancient structures around the world attest.[4]
Rammed earth using rebar, wood or bamboo
reinforcement can prevent failure caused by
earthquakes or heavy storms. Adding cement to clay-
EDEN PROJECT
poor soil mixtures can also increase a structure's load-
bearing capacity
 ADOBE

• Adobe is a natural building material made from

sand, clay, water, and some kind of fibrous or
organic material (sticks, straw, and/or manure),
which the builders shape into bricks using frames
and dry in the sun.
• Adobe buildings are similar to cob and mudbrick
buildings. Adobe structures are extremely
durable, and account for some of the oldest
existing buildings in the world. In hot climates,
compared with wooden buildings, adobe
buildings offer significant advantages due to their
greater thermal mass, but they are known to be
particularly susceptible to earthquake damage.
 ADOBE
• Buildings made of sun-dried earth are common in the
West Asia, North Africa, West Africa,[3] South America,
southwestern North America, Spain
• CompositionAn adobe brick is a composite
material made of clay mixed with water and an organic
material such as straw or dung. The soil composition
typically contains clay and sand. Straw is useful in
binding the brick together and allowing the brick to
dry evenly.{{[9]
}} Dung offers the same advantage and is also added to
repel insects. The mixture is roughly half sand (50%),
one-third clay (35%), and one-sixth straw (15%) by
weight.

• Bricks are made in an open frame, 25 cm (10 in) by

36 cm (14 in) being a reasonable size, but any
convenient size is acceptable. The mixture is
molded by
the frame, and then the frame is removed quickly.
After drying a few hours, the bricks are turned on edge
to finish drying. Slow drying in shade reduces cracking.
 ADOBE
• The same mixture to make bricks, without the straw, is
used for mortar and often for plaster on interior and
exterior walls. Some ancient cultures used lime-based
cement for the plaster to protect against rain damage
• Reinforcement can include manure, straw, cement,
rebar or wooden posts. Experience has shown straw,
cement, or manure added to a standard adobe
mixture can all produce a stronger, more crack-
resistant brick
• An adobe wall can serve as a significant heat reservoir
due to the thermal properties inherent in the massive
walls typical in adobe construction.
 ADOBE

• Blocks shall be kept covered with air tight Image:Iran, Bam.

polythene sheets for first 48 hrs with relative
humidity up to 100.
• Polythene sheets shall be removed after 48
hrs and the blocks shall be kept in shaded
area like having enough air circulation.
• Sprinkle water over blocks daily, as many
times needed, during 28 days.
• Write date of production on block corner.
• Cover stacks top with coconut leaves or any
other cover to avoid direct sunlight.
• Principle is that blocks shall not dry for
4weeks.
 COMPRESSED EARTH BLOCK
• Compressed Earth Block often
referred to simply as CEB, is a type of
manufactured construction material
formed in mechanical press that
forms an appropriate mix of dirt,
non-expansive clay, and an aggregate
into a compressed block
• CEB blocks are installed onto the wall
by hand and a slurry made of a soupy
version of the same dirt/clay mix,
sans aggregate, is spread or brushed
very thinly between the blocks for
bonding.
 COMPRESSED EARTH BLOCK
• The advantages of CEB are in the wait time
for material, the elimination of shipping
cost, the low moisture content, and the
uniformity of the block thereby minimizing,
if not eliminating the use of mortar and
decreasing both the labor and materials
costs.
• CEB can be pressed from humid earth.
Because it is not wet, the drying time is
much shorter. Some soil conditions permit
the blocks to go straight from the press onto
the wall. A single mechanical press can
produce from 800 to over 5,000 blocks per
day, enough to build a 1,200 square feet
(110 m2) house in one day. The Liberator, a
high performance, open source CEB press,
can produce from 8,000 to over 17,000
blocks per day.
 WATTLE AND DAUB
• Wattle and daub method is an old and
common method of building mud structures.
• There bamboo and cane frame structure that
supports the roof.
• Mud is plastered over this mesh of bamboo
cane and straws
• Due to excessive rainfall the Wattle and
Daub structures gets washed off.
• However, the mesh of cane or split bamboo
remains intact and after the heavy rain is
over the mud is plastered on again.
 EARTHBAG CONSTRUCTION
• This method was developed from the
bunkers made by the military
• The basic construction method begins by
digging a trench.
• Rows of woven bags (or tubes) are filled with
available inorganic material
• After the foundation is laid, each successive
layer will have one or more strands
of barbed wire placed on top.
• The weight of this earth-filled bag pushes
down on the barbed wire strands,
locking the bag in place on the row
below.
• The most popular type of bag is made of
woven polypropylene.
• Organic/natural materials such
as hemp, burlap or other natural-fiber bags
(like "gunny sacks") can be used.
 FOUNDATION
• Often it is feasible to build the walls of a
home on mud, but some more solid material
is needed for the foundation and basement.
• If stone is locally available it can be used.
• There are times when the topsoil may be
soft and useless but there may be
reasonable harder subsoil capable of
carrying the weight of a single storey mud
house. In this situation remove the soil from
the trench you would normally dig for a
stone or brick foundation.
• Slightly dampen the excavated soil and then
replace a part of it to fill the trench about 6
to 9-inches. Ram this very hard - then repeat
until the trench is full.
• If there is bamboo is available, it can be used
to make narrow rafts of split bamboo. Having
done the first 6-inches infilling and ramming,
a raft of bamboo strips is laid all around.
 MORTAR

• SUITABLE MORTAR FOR MASONRY

• Stabilised Earth Mortar is best suited for
masonry using mud blocks.
• Mud mortar shall be stabilised 1.5 times
more than the mud blocks.
• Add course sand (0.2 to 2mm) to reduce
shrinkage.
• Prepare plastic mix rather than dry mix.
• Ideal mix = soil suitable for mud block + 40%
to 50% of sand by weight + 7.5% cement.
 MORTAR

• Test the mortar before use

• Procedure
– Start with a mix of 1 vol. Cement + 6 vol.
Soil + 6 vol. Sand.
– Apply a layer of 1cm mortar on a block
soaked in water and let it dray in shade.
– Observe the mortar for cracks.
• Interpretation
– If cracks appear, reduce the soil and
increase the sand proportion.
1 cement + 5 soil + 7 sand.
– If mortar is too crumbly, increase the soil
and reduce the sand proportion.
1 cement + 7 soil + 5 sand
• nt.
 TREATMENT AGAINST
TERMITES
• Mud is the natural home of termites
so in areas where they are common
the same precautions have to be
taken as in all buildings to prevent
their moving up into the walls and
eating wooden frames etc.
• A one-inch thick layer of mortar
(one part of cement to 3-parts of
sand) can be laid all over the top of
the basement wall before building
the mud walls above it. This is
helpful in keeping out both termites
and damp.
 TREATMENT AGAINST
TERMITES
• Even better is to construct an apron
of burnt brick or stone (or it can be
rammed earth) all round the
building (to prevent damage to the
walls by splashing, of rain water) and
this too can be plastered over with a
rich cement mortar.
• Any thin sheet metal may be laid
over the basement wall with a 3-
inch downward projection before
starting to build the superstructure
mud wall above. This is expensive
but very effective.
• There are various chemicals on the
market, which can be used.
 WATE
R
• Water and dampness are one of the
major problems for mud as
construction material.
• The best way of protecting any wall
from either rain or sun is to have a
good big overhang to your roof.
• The sloping, or pitched roof is better
because the walls need not be so
high as for a flat roofed house.
• Provide trenches round the house to
receive dripping water and drain it
away.