Building with earth - Gernot MINKE (1)

14.10 14.11
A
14.12
B
14.13
A
B
C
D
14.14
Rammed earth decks
Illustration 14.10 shows three different ways
of using rammed earth as infill between
or on top of wooden beams. The ceiling is
formed of exposed timber boards, on top of
which moist earth is compacted. A layer of
straw is laid onto the boards to prevent
loam from falling through gaps. Nowadays,
oilpaper is used for the same purpose.
”Spalier“ decks
Illustration 14.11 shows the traditional German
spalier floor where wooden lathes are
laid at a distance of 3 to 6 cm between the
floor beams. Straw loam is pressed from
above so as to form “tongues” between
the lathes. The tongues are later pressed
to cover the lathes from underneath by a
trowel so as to form an even surface as
shown in the figure. A variation of this floor
was also traditionally used where, instead
of using the trowel, a horizontally moving
formwork was employed.
Straw loam rolls
Another traditional German technique
employs straw loam rolls (German: Wickel)
made in the same way as described in
chapter 9, p. 81. A bundle of straw is dipped
into loam slurry and wound helically around
a stick, forming straw loam rolls. The sticks
in these rolls either rest on top of the beam,
or else are inserted into slots on the sides of
the beams (14.12).
Modern loam floors
Today, instead of earth infill for wooden
beams and board floors, green bricks or
adobes without mortar can be used, which
eliminates drying time. Illustration 14.13 A
shows a favourable design of such a floor,
which provides sufficient insulation against
airborne and structural noise. The design
shown in 14.13 B has the same properties,
but also offers the advantage of lower
structural height and the disadvantage of
being more labour-intensive.
Illustration 14.14 shows various designs for
vaulted loam floors. Designs A, B and C use
earthen blocks, which transfer slab loads to
the beams by vault-action under compression.
Design D shows a non-load bearing
loam vault made by pouring lightweight
loam over a curved reed mat.
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Designs of building elements