Cheap, Tough, And Green

Ever heard the expression, “dirt cheap?”
. . . Of course you have, because dirt is cheap.
. . . It’s everywhere.
. . . No matter where you go, there it is.

As a building material, rammed earth is cheap, tough, and green.
. . . So why is not used more often in construction?

If you think nothing made of dirt can possibly be durable, consider this.
. . . Both the Great Wall of China, and
. . . the iconic Alhambra palace in Spain are made of rammed earth, and
. . . have been around for more than 1,000 years.

The first advantage of rammed earth is low cost.
. . . Dirt is available everywhere, and is usually inexpensive if not free.
. . . Since it is available locally,
. . . the cost of transporting building materials is eliminated.

Usually, only one trained worker is required.
. . . The majority of the form building,
. . . and mixing can be done by unskilled local workers.
Once again, that keeps costs low.
. . . The finished walls have a unique beauty of their own, and
. . . require no exterior or interior finishing.
05-11-2015 Source:  Cheap, Tough, And Green