Mosman 3:Progress Development

This week, we concentrated on materials.

Selection of materials

For windows,we've decided (and it was also suggested by our tutor, Sean) to install double glazed windows in all areas so that it could keep the house warm during the night

For the roof,we've tried a couple of materials like mudbricks, strawbale and rammed earth.
And we have difficulties in choosing due to the shape of our roof.

For walls and floors,we've decided to use concrete because its high capacity in thermal mass.

This is a picture of a rammed earth wall

Rammed Earth Construction

Rammed earth is a simple construction technique based on compacting earth between formwork to make a homogeneous mass wall. It has recently become popular in Australia, the USA and other parts of the world because it is recognised as a sustainable building material. Few realise the full extent of historic rammed earth construction and the varied techniques used in the past.

To construct a rammed earth wall, a formwork box is constructed using two parallel timber sides, supported on two or more horizontal timbers. Vertical timbers are then placed through holes in the ends of the horizontal timbers thereby restraining the formwork. These vertical timbers are connected at the top using rope, forming an open box.

Soil is taken from the ground and if necessary sieved to remove larger particles. Additives such as straw or lime may be mixed into the soil, which is then dropped into the formwork in layers, usually around 150mm high. The layer is then compacted using a heavy rammer. Upon compaction of one layer, another layer of earth is placed in the formwork and the process repeated until the formwork is full.

The formwork is then removed and placed on the next set of horizontal timbers where the process is repeated. Once the formwork has been moved on, the horizontal timbers are removed from the wall leaving characteristic holes. Upon completion of one horizontal level the formwork is moved vertically, the mass of standing wall being known as a lift. A rammed earth wall can thus be constructed using very little manpower and crucially without recourse to temporary works such as external scaffolding.

http://images.search.yahoo.com/search/images/view?back=http%3A%2F%2Fimages.search.yahoo.com%2Fsearch%2Fimages%3Fei%3DUTF-8%26p%3Drammed%2Bearth%26fr%3Dytff1-wdgt%26fr2%3Dtab-web%26fr%3Dytff1-wdgt&w=242&h=234&imgurl=www.dur.ac.uk%2Fp.a.jaquin%2Fimages%2Frammed_earth_formwork.gif&rurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dur.ac.uk%2Fp.a.jaquin%2Frammed_earth.htm&size=9.4kB&name=rammed_earth_formwork.gif&p=rammed+earth&type=gif&no=1&tt=8,101&oid=99f992e0c5077a9a&ei=UTF-8