Rammed earth & stone
Low-processed, high-mass construction compacts local earth or assembles stone by weight and fit.
Rammed earth compacts soil in layers inside forms. Its thermal mass moderates temperature and its strata become the finish.
Stone performance depends on bonding, dressing, joints, and anchors. Therme Vals is often cited as a modern case where material defines space.
Damp control, raised bases, eaves, reinforcement, and controlled mixes are needed to slow weathering and cracking.
These methods attract renewed interest for carbon and regional identity, but labor, schedule, regulation, and engineering remain barriers.
