A review of the contribution of thermal mass to thermal comfort in rammed earth structures

Abstract

Rammed earth is a construction material which has been used to build thermally-comfortable structures in many regions around the world for thousands of years. Despite this heritage, rammed earth is currently considered to be unsuitable for construction by many green-building guidelines due to its low thermal resistance, a property deemed to be necessary if a structure is to reduce its heating and cooling demand. This paper introduces thermal comfort and relates it to thermal resistance and thermal mass. A review of previous work which has investigated thermal comfort in rammed earth structures is then presented. Techniques used to adapt the designs of traditional rammed earth structures to suit their prevalent climate are then briefly discussed and compared to modern construction practices in similar regions to suggest methods by which the thermal comfort and sustainability of modern structures can be improved.