Martin Rauch Builds His Dream House (Rammed Earth, of Course)

A good looking home indeed.

We like the underground idea, as large mass equals good thermal properties.

We do prefer a straw bale or an earthship design to rammed earth because:

Earth buildings are costly in terms of labor. The silt and earthen mixture is compressed periodically in horizontal layers and compressed with air compression beaters and vibration rolls. In case of “House Rauch” 41% of the house’s volume is under earth, which results in some subterranean cave-like spaces. The building’s foundation is made of 60cm trass cement – the traditional roman cement, the ceilings are “Dippelbaumdecken” (beam ceilings) and the interior thermal insulation is made from rush mats, which is also a perfect underground for the finishing coat.

via <a href=”http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/03/martin-rauch-house.php”>treehugger</a>

On a side note, to add to our architects suck philosophy, the source for the story, anArchitecture, is an architectural blog.

Guess what is the top link at that said architectural blog? “a guide to architects fees” Do not trust architects. Do it yourself.

Try getting permits to build a green house in your area and see what nice people from the architectural and construciton lobby  you will meet.