Illustrations
4 pages
Publisher:
CSIRO Building, Construction and Engineering
Earth-wall construction in Australia has a history dating from the earliest buildings of ‘wattle and daub’ and extending to two-storey contemporary dwellings and even to three-storey blocks of flats. Earth wall construction has now been used for large public constructions including visitor centres, hospitals and community facilities. There are earth-wall buildings here over 100 years old that can be expected to give many more years of service if adequate maintenance is continued. The strength of earth walls increases with their age.
The heavyweight construction is conducive to comfortable thermal conditions indoors, particularly in regions where the climate is predominantly hot and dry. There has been some improvement in the methods, structural details and equipment used in present-day earth-wall construction, so that a reliable result is ensured provided that good workmanship is employed and suitable earth material is used. This Building Technology File (BTF) compares the methods of construction and discusses the choice of soil.
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