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Rammed Earth: An Ancient, Sustainable Construction Material

By Camille LeFevre, Home Feature Editor
Last Updated: Apr 13, 2025

Years ago, while suffering from a seasonal head cold, I booked a room for several days in a rammed-earth house in Tucson. While I managed to get out and explore the desert landscape a bit, I spent most of my time relaxing and recuperating in the house, admiring its cool and quiet ambiance, the sunshine on the patio, and the way in which this residence seemed much like any other—except the occasional place in which I could study the house’s striated, earthy construction of rammed earth. 

Throughout the world, not just in the American Southwest, rammed earth is a sustainable, sturdy material used to construct buildings. Below, we share some highlights to show how pervasive this “alternative” construction method actually is.

Table of Contents

  1. Examples are Everywhere
  2. Rammed Earth Defined 
  3. The Construction Process
  4. Beautiful and Sustainable Benefits
Olnee Rammed Earth
Photo Credit: Olnee Construction

Examples are Everywhere

Olnee and EarthHouse Australia specialize in high-end, modern homes constructed with rammed earth. Vo Trong Nghia Architects designed a house in Hanoi featuring walls made from different types of rammed earth and gabled roofs incorporating planters used to grow fruit trees.

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Feldman Architecture
Photo Credit: Feldman Architecture

CCS Architecture in San Francisco designed and constructed a Palo Alto residence using rammed earth. An exterior wall formed from soil excavated on site is visible below the ipe-wood-clad volume on the second level. Throughout the interior of the house, exposed rammed-earth walls display their unique “coursing” or horizontal striations. In some places, clerestory windows were set into the earth walls, bringing earth and air together to frame views and allow in light.

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Article By

Camille LeFevre

Camille LeFevre is an architecture and design writer based in the Twin Cities.

Camille LeFevre