Building with earth - Gernot MINKE (1)

Lightweight loam blocks
So-called lightweight loam blocks or green
bricks have a specific weight of less than
1200 kg/m 3 and consist of clayey soil with
light aggregates such as straw, saw dust,
cellulose fibres, cork, perlite, pumice or
expanded clay. Due to their good thermal
insulation effects, they are used for exterior
walls in cool or cold climates. Illustration
6.25 shows some of these unburned bricks
that are produced industrially in Germany.
6.23
6.25
Fixing fasteners to walls
Nails can be driven into an earth block walls
more easily than into those constructed of
baked bricks. The more porous and humid
the material, the easier one can drive a nail
through it. Green bricks tend to split more
easily than soil blocks and adobes. If very
thick nails are used, it is advisable to drill a
hole into the block. Heavy shelves or wallhung
cabinets can be fixed to the wall easily
using screws and dowels. Dowel holes,
however, should be drilled large enough to
prevent blocks from cracking. In 6.24, heavy
bookshelves are fixed to a green brick wall
using dowels and screws.
6.24
67
Working with earthen blocks