Building with Earth: Design and Technology of a Sustainable Architecture

en members were totally destroyed by fun-

gus because the drying period of the wood

loam was more than one year.

Tamped, poured or pumped light-

weight mineral loam walls

Lightweight mineral loam can be tamped

into formwork like straw loam. But it can

also be poured or pumped if the consisten-

cy is correct. It also absorbs less water

(therefore drying faster), exhibits less fungus

growth, greater dry strength, higher vapour

diffusion resistance and higher surface hard-

ness than straw loam and wood loam. Vari-

ous mineral lightweight aggregates are

described in chapter 4, p. 49.

85 Tamped lightweight loam

10. 3Settlement of light-
    weight straw loam


11. 4Cut-out from light-
    weight straw loam wall
    with rotted interior


12. 5Lightweight wood
    loam wall, destroyed by
    fungus


13. 6Ramming an earth

Rolls and bottles of straw loam

Pujili, Ecuador
10. 7Shaping a window
sill using a machete
10. 8Mixing lightweight

Thrown loam

10. 9Pouring lightweight

Sprayed loam

10. 6

10. 8

10. 9