Rammed Earth Architecture with Architect April Magill

GOD made DIRT and DIRT don't HURT!

This was a fun one. My old architecture pal April Magill of Root Down Designs has designed a rammed earth house that is currently under construction on Johns Island. Danielle and I went out to visit with April and learn about rammed earth and to see this kick-ass project. I have also created a separate post about April and her work with Root Down Designs at:

http://www.buildingsarecool.com/new-blog/april-magill

Front elevation of the Walters Residence on Johns Island. Photo Credit: Danielle Ramos.

I had studied rammed earth construction a little while in graduate school and I have seen these buildings in glossy magazines like Architectural Record, but I have never seen one in person. There are not many rammed earth projects on the East Coast so April is definitely a trail-blazer. Which is a bit ironic because as we will find out in the interview, rammed earth construction has been around forever!

In this blog, I interview April on the basics of rammed earth construction and learn about Charleston South Carolina's first rammed earth building: the Walters Residence.

Not all of my readers are architects so before we get into the interview I thought I should answer the question:

So what is Rammed Earth Construction?

The very dumbed down Steve Ramos definition:

Rammed earth construction uses dirt to build walls.

Ok...so there is a little more to this.

Rammed earth is like the hippie cousin of concrete construction. Similar to concrete, rammed earth consists of a mixture of cement, large aggregates (usually gravel), small aggregates (sand) and water, except that rammed earth also includes earth.

This is the mixture used in the construction of the Walters Residence by April Magill. Photo Credit: Danielle Ramos

Of course earth is a more sophisticated way of saying dirt!

The dirt is usually a composition of clay and silt. Concrete has a consistency that is similar to a milk shake whereas rammed earth is much more dense and dry like brownie batter.

Like concrete, the rammed earth mix is poured in between temporary formwork. The mix is then rammed or tamped to make it more dense and compressed. This is done in layers. The rammed earth wall will cure just like a concrete wall and the result is a wall with a very high compressive strength. .. i.e. it is as strong as a mofo.

And that is my dumbed down explanation of rammed earth. There are a ton of benefits to this type of construction, which April will explain in the interview below.

Without futher adieu.......Rammed Earth Architecture with April Magill

Architect April Magill standing in the doorway of the Walters Residence currently under construction. This house is the first rammed earth building in Charleston. Photo Credit: Danielle Ramos

1. How did you ever convince your client to consider rammed earth construction?

AM: On this particular project (the Walters Residence), the builder (Joe Faust) actually had the conversation with her (Sue Walters, the client) first.

The Walters Residence on Johns Island in South Carolina. The house sits on a very rural site as you can see. . Photo Credit: Danielle Ramos

Joe and I have known each other for years and we've shared a common interest in earthen construction, specifically Rammed Earth. Joe met Sue through a common friend and Sue was researching affordable options for housing on her land; she found that she could put a trailer out there for $40k. Joe heard this and said,' Sue, I'll build you a Rammed Earth home for $40k!' (It will cost more than $40k.)

The Walters Residence. The exterior walls are rammed earth up to the top of the windows where there is a continuous concrete header. The walls sit on a concrete foundation. Photo Credit: Danielle Ramos

Joe brought me in and the 3 of us sat and discussed Rammed Earth and I think we were pretty convincing. I left the room and called the Charleston County Building department and spoke with Bob Howell about our potential plans; he assured me that with proper engineering and architectural plans he did not see problems with permitting this home. This was the selling point for Sue and she was all in!

On other Rammed Earth projects I've designed, the client has contacted me as they already had the interest and I did not need to convince.

The Walters Residence. Photo Credit: Danielle Ramos

2. Can you tell me about the design of the Walters Residence? And provide some detail on size, cost, etc?

AM: The home was designed with affordability in mind, therefore, it is a very simple plan: a 600sf rectangle with a 12:12 metal gable roof and 2 shed roof porches on each end.

Rendering of the Walters Residence by April Magill of Root Down Designs.

The dimensions are designed to work with the formwork, as to re-use the forms over and over and reduce any waste. The kitchen & living space is set in an open floor plan with cathedral ceilings. There is a bedroom and bathroom/laundry space with a 200sf loft above. The total square footage when adding in porches and loft comes to 1200sf.

The home is set on a true east/west axis, with the entrance facing east and framing the view of a large Live Oak tree. Passive Solar/Cooling strategies are incorporated into the design.

Plan rendering of the Walters Residence by April Magill.

3. What are 5 reasons why rammed earth should be considered?

AM: FIVE?! Can I add a few more?:

rot proof
mold/mildew proof
termite proof
fire proof
healthy, non-toxic air quality void of any chemical off-gassing
above-average thermal/energy performance
low carbon footprint
relatively maintenance free

Interior view of the Walters Residence. One thing to point out is that the rammed earth is the structure of the wall and will also be the finish on both the exterior side and the interior. Traditional wood framing was used above the window headers. Photo Credit: Danielle Ramos

4. What were some of the challenges you have had working with rammed earth construction?

AM: The biggest challenge is convincing the public that RE (Rammed Earth Construction) works in our climate.

There's a misconception that RE only works in arid climates like New Mexico. RE dates back 7,000 years and along side Adobe is the oldest building method in the world, and still being used today.

The Walters Residence. Photo Credit: Danielle Ramos

RE has been built on 6 of the 7 continents and in almost every climate region, including hot and humid. Even more interesting, the southeast of the US, specifically SC, has its own RE history of 150+ year old structures built with RE, which are still standing today and are in good shape.

Clemson even published research on RE construction in the 1950's and rumor has it that Clemson is either currently building with, or plans to build with RE on campus. So the 'proof is in the pudding.'

Interior of the Walters Residence. On the left side of the photo you can see the loft. Photo Credit: Danielle Ramos.

5. What are some other sustainable design strategies that you believe are low-hanging fruit in Charleston?

AM: Whether a client is seeking an alternative/natural structure, or something very conventional, there is always an opportunity to incorporate Passive Solar and Cooling strategies (I like to call this common sense planning), minimizing square footage by designing really efficient spaces, zoning the building into different sections so we are not heating and cooling spaces not in use, and trying to source local/regional building materials as well as tapping into our Charleston artisans and craftsmen.

Check out the depth on those window sills! Photo Credit: Danielle Ramos

6. I grew up hearing that ‘God made dirt and dirt don’t hurt.’

Then I recall the late rapper Ol’ Dirty Bastard saying, “God made dirt and dirt bust your ass.” Well which is it?

AM: BOTH!

Dirt don't hurt, it's true. Dirt is a fun and interesting building medium to work with. Once you begin to understand the properties of dirt and how it works as a building material, and how it can be altered to form different kinds of methods and materials, it's simply amazing!

Detail view of the rammed earth walls on the Walters Residence by architect April Magill of Root Down Designs. Photo Credit: Danielle Ramos.

I lead Natural Building workshops a few times a year, and I have seen stiff, serious white dudes transform into a playful, giggling 'child' when working with dirt! It brings out the inner-child in everyone.

But ODB (RIP) is also correct. Dirt WILL bust your ass! It's heavy, it's dense, and if you are working with it....be it, rammed earth, adobe, plaster work, clay paints.....it will exhaust you.

For eons people have built with dirt by hand and with simple hand tools, luckily we live in a modern world full of heavy equipment and technology which significantly reduces the labor. There are extremely large contractor teams on the west coast and in other parts of the world who are building large commercial projects with Rammed Earth; they are using bobcats, front-loaders, and pneumatic tampers so that the dirt won't bust their asses.

Steve's Wrap Up

Whoa! That was awesome!! What a cool building and an awesome architect!

We spent most of our time talking about the details and the technical aspects of rammed earth. But I was also admiring the architectural and aesthetic qualities of this building.

I especially appreciated the depth of the walls. These walls were 2' thick. 2'! Conventional construction is often less than 12". There is an amazing sense of permanence that is created by this thickness. Not to mention that these deep window sills will be awesome little nooks for seating and whatnot.

Photo Credit: Danielle Ramos

I am very excited to see the finished product and hope that more rammed earth buildings are built as a result of the Walters Residence.

April's passion and work is very inspirational. The world needs more architects pushing the envelope and developing sustainable architecture.

But what is most impressive about April is that she is pushing the envelope while being a mother of two and a solo entrepreneur in a male dominated industry.

April Magill is the real deal!