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Site: Rammed Earth is for Everyone

Web Ring: Building with Earth

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Site: Green Home Building

Welcome to greenhomebuilding.com where you can find a wide range of information about sustainable architecture and natural building.

Site: Cob In Cornwall

Site: Outta The Box

Cob and Natural Building Workshops, edible landscaping, urban community building.

Earth Walls Photos 1
Earth Walls Photos 2

Site: Construdobe

Site: Kassel - Building Research Institute

Start | Research | Publications | Galerie | Facts | Kontakt

Improving the indoor climate

General
In moderate and cold climates people usually spend about ninety per cent of their time in closed buildings. So the indoor climate is very important for their well-being. Their comfort depends on room air temperature, air movement, air humidity, radiation to and from surrounding objects, and the pollution of the air.
If the temperature is too high or too low, it is realised at once by the inhabitants, but the negative influence of too high or too low humidity is not common knowledge. The air humidity inside rooms exerts a significant influence on the health of the inhabitants, and earth has the ability to balancing indoor air humidity like no other building material. This recently investigated fact is described in detail later in this section.

Air humidity and health
From the research done by Grandjean (1972) and Becker (1986) we know that a relative humidity of less than 40% over a long period may dry out the mucous membrane (slime film) which can lead to decreased resistance to colds and related diseases. This is because normally the mucous membrane of the epithelial tissue within the trachea absorbs dust, bacteria, viruses etcetera and returns them to the mouth by the wavelike movement of the epithelial hair. If this absorption and transportation system is disturbed by drying out, these foreign bodies reach the lungs and may cause health problems. (See fig.)
A high relative humidity of up to 70% has many positive influences: it reduces the fine dust content of the air, activates the protection mechanisms of the skin against microbes, reduces the life of many bacteria and viruses, and reduces odour and static change on the surfaces of objects in the room.
A relative humidity of more than 70% normally feels unpleasant probably because of a reduction in the oxygen intake of the blood in warm-humid conditions. Increasing rheumatic pains are observed in cold humid air. Fungus formation increases significantly in closed rooms when the humidity rises above 70% or 80%. Fungus spores in large quantities can lead to various kinds of pain and allergies. From these considerations, it follows that the humidity content in a room should be a minimum of 40% and not more than 70%.

Downloads

Minke, Gernot: Erdbebensichere Häuser aus Lehm,
Moderner Lehmbau 2003, Stuttgart, 2003 (PDF, 624 kB)
Minke, Gernot; Mahlke, Friedemann: Experimentelles Bauen mit Strohballen,
Forschungsbericht, Kassel, 2002 (PDF, 718 kB)
Minke, Gernot: Construction Manual for Erthquake-Resistant Houses Built of Earth,
(PDF, 3,02 MB)
Minke, Gernot: Manual de construcción para viviendas antisismicas de tierra,
(PDF, 3,82 MB)
Ein Auszug der Veröffentlichungen in chronologischer Reihenfolge
ist als Portable Data File (PDF 34 kB) abrufbar

Site: Earth Architecture

Books on Earth Architecture
Technology

Site: Hassan Fathy

A selective biography

• 1900 Born in Alexandria to an Upper Egyptian father and Turkish mother
• 1926 Graduated from Cairo University, where he started studying agriculture but switched to architecture
• 1928 Talkha Primary School, first recorded project Fathi completed after graduation; neo-classical style with engaged columns, pediments and acrotyrion executed in precise detail
• 1938 Hayat Villa, for famous artist Hayat Mohamed
• 1940-41 Rural Hospitals, built using the Nubian construction techniques Fathy discovered in Upper Egypt
• 1946 New Gourna, Luxor, Commissioned by the Egyptian Department of Antiquities to solve the problem of tomb-robbing in the Valley of the Kings, Queens and Nobles nearby
• 1950 Mosque, Punjab, India
• 1957 Harraniya weaving village, Imbaba
• 1957 Arab Refugee Housing, design for a prototype of temporary housing for Palestinian refugees
• 1967 New Bariz Village, Kharga, Fathy's best known community project
• 1971 Nasser Mausoleum
• 1973 Chicago Press publishes Architecture for the Poor (variation from French Architecture with the People), which catapulted Fathy's work to international fame
• 1980 Dar Al-Islam Village, Abiquiu, New Mexico
• 1980 Received Aga Khan Award for Architecture
• 1984 Received Medal of the Union of International Architects
• 1984 Received first-ever honourary Doctorate awarded by AUC
• 1989 Died

Site: Rammed Earth

All about our Rammed Earth house
Photos of other Rammed Earth buildings
Frequently Asked Questions

Site: Rammed Earth Construction

Site: Earth Building Association of New Zealand

Straw Bale
Straw bale houses have enormously good insulation values, and you can build them with relative ease and speed. They may be load-bearing, but more often they incorporate a post-and-beam frame. The bales are finished with a coat of plaster - often earth-based.
The design issues are similar to earth buildings, but the need to avoid moisture and weathering is even more crucial. The bales must be dry before installation and remain dry throughout their life, as once wet they are more likely to compost than dry out. The construction detailing and plaster coatings make or break straw bale construction.
Straw bale houses were developed in America and are rising in popularity. However the Earth Building Standards Committee declined to write a straw bale standard at this stage because of the very small number of built examples in New Zealand or Australia to "standardise". If you wanted to build a straw bale house you would need to engage an experienced designer, and do the analysis to apply for a building permit as an "Alternative Solution" under the Building Code.

Photos
Build In Earth
Links & Services

Site: Down to Earth Building Bee: Cob Building

The Down to Earth Building Bee (DTEBB) was formed in 1996 to help develop proactive alternatives that will lead towards ending the clearcutting of the ancient temperate rainforests of the Pacific Northwest.

The DTEBB is currently working with the Stanley Park Ecology Society and the Vancouver Parks Board on the building of a small cob demonstration structure in Stanley Park. The project will commence building in Spring 2004.

What is Cob?
Stanley Park Cob project (photos)
Vancouver Cob Project
Cottonwood Gardens Cob Project
22 Reasons for Building Naturally
Links