Building a Rammed Earth Wall

Our guests often ask us about the unusual feature wall behind the bed in the studio.

The wall is hand-made from soil and clay, sourced locally. Using the same materials as the compressed earth blocks or mud bricks, the mix was compacted inside the formwork which acts like a mould; similar to the method used for concrete pours. Vegetable oil was used to coat the inside of the formwork to prevent the mix from sticking to the sides. The oil also ensures a smoother surface on the wall.

A manual timber ram was used to pound the mix inside the formwork, until all the air was removed and the mix was tightly packed. The ram was made from a long wooden handle and a piece of round green wood, cut from wattle growing on site. A flat plate was attached to the base.

As the studio wall needed to be approximately four metres long, it had to be made in two sections. Lengths of formwork were bolted together to make sections of 400mm high, which were then filled with 200mm of the earth mix. You can see from the wall that it was constructed in layers. Once the mix was compressed and dry, the bolts were taken out of the formwork and the completed section of the wall was carefully revealed!

‘Leap-frogging’ up the wall frame, the process was repeated until the desired height was achieved. The studio was built around the free-standing rammed earth wall.

Constructing rammed earth walls can be a slow and time-consuming process, but for us, they are a great addition to off-grid living. The thickness of the walls mean that they retain heat in the winter, and coolness in the summer. They are also fireproof and absorb noise.

Apart from being both practical and environmentally-friendly, we really love their natural, organic look!