A Short History of Rammed Earth – Natural Building Blog

From the earliest times the only way for humans to build shelter was to use locally available raw materials. Rammed earth is estimated to have been used since around 5,000 B.C., often enclosing a wooden framework with a mixture of raw earth combined with plant fiber. Thin wooden sticks can be driven into the ground or attached to the foundation and tied to thinner horizontal pieces of wood, creating a grid pattern onto which the earth is applied on both sides.

A Brazilian technique emerged through the combination of methods employed by Portuguese colonizers and enslaved African populations. It was often used for the interior walls of larger houses due to its lighter weight and in the construction of slave quarters, reinforcing the social hierarchy through architecture. Hand-rammed earth became…