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HB 195

The Australian earth building handbook

 THE
AUSTRALIAN
EARTH BUILDING
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HANDBOOK

by

Dr Peter Walker MIEAust, CPEng.

and

Standards Australia
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COPYRIGHT
© Standards Australia International
All rights are reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or copied in any form or by any
means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, without the written permission of the
publisher.
Published by Standards Australia International Ltd
GPO Box 5420, Sydney, NSW 2001, Australia
ISBN 0 7337 4000 6
 Preface

This Handbook was prepared jointly by Dr Peter Walker, University of Bath, and
Standards Australia. It sets out principles of accepted good practice and
recommended design guidelines for lightly loaded, primarily single and two-
storey, buildings constructed using unbaked earthen walls and floors. Source
material for the Handbook has been taken from a variety of publications,
knowledge of accepted good practice, results of recent research and development
work, and out of the work of Committee BD-083, Earth Building.
Whilst some contents of this Handbook are derived from the work of Standards
Australia Committee BD-083, the Handbook has not been published under the
auspices of the committee, and therefore it should not be taken as representative
of the views of committee members. However, thanks are due to those committee
members and others who contributed their views, in particular Stephen Dobson,
David Baetge, Kevan Heathcote, Chris Howe (EBAA) and David Oliver.
Throughout the Handbook reference is made to a number of Australian Standards,
and extracts taken from AS 2870 and AS 3700 are included. Readers are,
therefore, advised to consult the latest edition of the Standard or referenced
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material.
The contents of this Handbook will be kept under regular review. Any comments
from readers on how it may be improved would be most welcome.

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 Contents

CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION

1.1 Scope of Handbook 1

1.2 History 2

1.3 Why earth construction? 8

1.3.1 Advantages 8
1.3.2 Limitations 11

1.4 Forms of construction 12

1.4.1 Loadbearing wall construction 12
1.4.2 Post and beam construction 13

1.5 Passive solar design 14

1.6 Definitions 16
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CHAPTER 2 EARTH BUILDING MATERIALS AND TECHNIQUES

2.1 Materials 21
2.1.1 Soils 21
2.1.2 Stabilisation 24
2.1.3 Water 26
2.1.4 Soil suitability 26

2.2 Mud brick construction 30

2.2.1 Scope 31
2.2.2 Materials 31
2.2.3 Manufacture 32
2.2.4 Construction 34
2.2.5 Characteristics 35

2.3 Pressed earth block construction 36

2.3.1 Scope 36
2.3.2 Materials 36
2.3.3 Block manufacture 37
2.3.4 Construction 39
2.3.5 Characteristics 40

2.4 Rammed earth construction 40

2.4.1 Materials 41
2.4.2 Formwork 41
2.4.3 Construction 44
2.4.4 Characteristics 45

2.5 Other forms of earth wall construction 45

2.5.1 Poured-earth construction 46
2.5.2 Cob construction 48

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 Contents

CHAPTER 3 DETAILING, CONSTRUCTION AND MAINTENANCE

3.1 Wall layout 51

3.1.1 Openings 51
3.1.2 Design for earthquakes 52
3.1.3 Provision for wall movement 53

3.2 Protective coatings 55

3.2.1 General 55
3.2.2 Function and form 56
3.2.3 Surface coatings 57
3.2.4 Renders 58
3.2.5 Cladding and facing 59

3.3 Damp proofing 60

3.4 Termite protection 62

3.5 Earth floors 64

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3.6 Lintels 65
3.6.1 General 65
3.6.2 Earth lintels 68
3.6.3 Reinforced concrete lintels 70
3.6.4 Steel lintels 70
3.6.5 Timber lintels 72

3.7 Top plates and bond beams 72

3.7.1 Function 72
3.7.2 Timber top plates 73
3.7.3 Reinforced concrete bond beams 73

3.8 Services 74

3.9 Door and window frame fixings 76

3.10 Non-structural wall fixings 76

3.11 Fireplaces 78

3.12 Quality of work 78

3.12.1 General considerations 78
3.12.2 Materials 78
3.12.3 Quality of construction 79
3.12.4 Tolerances 84
3.12.5 Compliance testing 84

3.13 Maintenance and repair 85

3.13.1 Maintenance 85
3.13.2 Repairs 87

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 Contents

CHAPTER 4 DESIGN OF EARTH BUILDINGS

4.1 Performance requirements 91

4.2 Durability 91
4.2.1 Durability testing of materials 92
4.2.2 General design considerations 94
4.2.3 Eaves projection 95
4.2.4 Footing detail 96

4.3 Design properties and general considerations 97

4.3.1 Design properties 97
4.3.2 Other earth building components 99
4.3.3 Dimensions and cross-section properties 99
4.3.4 Structural Adequacy 100
4.3.5 Control joints 101
4.3.6 Design for seismic loading 101

4.4 Unreinforced earth walls 101

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4.4.1 Scope of section 101

4.4.2 Design for combined compression and bending 102
4.4.3 Concentrated compression loads 103
4.4.4 Out-of-plane flexural capacity of walls 104
4.4.5 Design for shear 105
4.4.6 Torsion 105

4.5 Reinforced earth walls 106

4.5.1 Materials 106
4.5.2 Form of construction 107
4.5.3 Design and detailing of embedded reinforcement 108
4.5.4 Design of holding-down bolts for top plates 109
4.5.5 Anchorage bond strength in rammed earth 111

4.6 Fire resistance level 112

CHAPTER 5 FOOTINGS FOR EARTH BUILDINGS

5.1 AS 2870 Standard solutions 113

5.1.1 Scope 113
5.1.2 Materials 113
5.1.3 Site classification 113
5.1.4 Deemed-to-comply standard solutions 114

5.2 Detailing and construction 118

5.2.1 Site preparation 118
5.2.2 Drainage 119
5.2.3 Damp proofing 119
5.2.4 Reinforcement detailing 120
5.2.5 Articulation joints 121
5.2.6 Concreting 121
5.2.7 Foundation maintenance 121

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 Contents

5.3 Stabilised earth footings 122

5.3.1 Suitability 122
5.3.2 Materials 123
5.3.3 Footing design 123
5.3.4 Construction 123

CHAPTER 6 FUTURE OF EARTH BUILDING 125

REFERENCES 127

APPENDIX A MATERIAL TESTING

A1 Soil testing 131

A1.1 Sampling 131
A1.2 Sensory testing 131
A1.3 Ribbon test 132
A1.4 Dry strength test 132
A1.5 Sedimentation test 133
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A1.6 Shrinkage test 133

A1.7 Drop test 134

A2 Samples for compliance testing 136

A2.1 Individual units 136
A2.2 In situ cast walls 136

A3 Field tests 137

A3.1 Dry density 137
A3.2 Water absorption 137
A3.3 Strength assessment 138
A3.4 Robustness assessment 140
A3.5 Durability assessment 141

A4 Laboratory testing of earth building materials 144

A4.1 Dry density 144
A4.2 Water absorption 144
A4.3 Compressive strength 145
A4.4 Bending strength 146
A4.5 Accelerated erosion test 147
A4 6 Earth wall compressive strength test 149
A4 7 Earth masonry bending strength by bond wrench test 149

A5 Statistical analysis 151

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 Chapter 1— Introduction

CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

1.1 SCOPE OF HANDBOOK

This Handbook sets out principles of accepted good practice and
recommended design guidelines for lightly loaded buildings built using
unbaked earthen walls and floors. Provisions set out in this Handbook are
primarily, but not exclusively, intended for single- or two-storey earth
wall construction. The Handbook is not a comprehensive treatise on earth
wall construction technology.

The guidance given is the culmination of a long and successful history of

Australian earth wall construction. The Handbook seeks to promote
continuity of this innovative tradition and encourage alternative solutions
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wherever possible. Therefore, in addition to the recommendations set out

below, satisfactory construction may be demonstrated by precedence (with
a verified service history), shown by experimental verification, or proven
in accordance with rational design methods following accepted principles
and undertaken by suitably qualified and experienced professionals.

Guidance on material selection, preparation and use is outlined in

Chapter 2 of the Handbook. Earth walling covers a wide range of
techniques, including masonry and monolithic forms of construction,
which are also described in Chapter 2. Chapter 3 sets out
recommendations for proven construction details for earth walls and
floors. Measures for maintenance and repair are also provided. Design of
earth walls covering durability and strength, together with deemed-to-
comply provisions based on accepted best practice, are given in Chapter 4.
Standard footing solutions for earth buildings are detailed in Chapter 5.
These include solutions taken from AS 2870 [1], and proposals for earthen
footings as well. Appendix A sets out standard test procedures for
stabilised earthen materials and components. Deemed to comply solutions
set out are restricted to design category A1 or H2 domestic structure for
earthquake design and buildings in areas where the design wind speed
does not exceed W41 [37].

The Handbook has been written primarily for a professional readership,

including architects, builders, engineers and building inspectors. Whilst
some parts of the Handbook, Chapter 4 for example, require an
understanding of basic engineering principles, the Handbook is also
intended to be accessible to a more general readership, including the
owner-builder.

1
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HB 195-2002 The Australian Earth Building

Handbook
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