Reviving Rammed Earth as a Sustainable Construction Technique

Hota Gangarao
David Johnson
Ray Liang
West Virginia University

Mike Blanford
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

The status quo for single-family home construction has been wood frame construction, commonly called “stick framing” because of the dominant use of 2” x 4” dimensional lumber. Wood frame construction has served the homebuilding community well; however, alternative building approaches are beginning to catch on. The alternative discussed in this article—rammed earth—is actually a historical construction technique that practitioners are reviving.