General Introduction

Abstract

AbstractEarth is a building material excavated from the subsoil which is employed by Mankind since the Neolithic time all over the world. Various building techniques are used with earth, to build monolithic walls, to produce bricks, as infill of walls or as plasters or mortars. Earth architectures undergo a rebirth since the 2000s because they are a way to save natural resources and energy and to provide a good indoor comfort and a good social impact. Nonetheless, earth building sector faces many challenges to be considered as a contemporary material. This book, which is produced in the framework of the TC 274, will focus on the estimation of the parameters which are necessary to properly design earthen constructions. After a general introduction on earthen materials and constructions, the state of the art on the material characterisation techniques, the assessment of hygrothermal performance, the mechanical and seismic behaviors and the durability will be presented, each in a dedicated chapter. A critical review of the standards which are used for earthen material will be presented in the last chapter.KeywordsEarth materialResourceHistoryBuilding techniquesEnvironmental impactSocial impactModern construction