The tapial, or trodden earth, is a traditional construction technique with earth whose origin dates back to the Neolithic. This legendary construction technique is an excellent alternative for sustainable construction, as it reduces the environmental footprint, uses sustainable materials, favors local consumption and, at the same time, offers great advantages.
It consists of making walls with damp clay soil, compacted with blows with a ram, filling a formwork with different layers. Additives such as straw or horsehair are frequently incorporated into the soil, which provide greater stability.
This technique was used by the Romans in the construction of their walls, characterized by their hardness and stability. 2000 years ago, its use was very common in China, something notorious as evidence of the Great Wall, built largely of mud. Another example is also the Alhambra in Granada. And it is that the tapial was also a technique widely used in the past throughout the Mediterranean Sea basin.
Features
Some of the advantages of brick construction are the following:
- – Excellent thermal behavior, great thermal inertia.
- – Acoustic isolation.
- – Incombustibility against a fire.
- – It is a very economical and ecological method, because thanks to the characteristics of bioclimatic architecture, it takes advantage of available resources and optimizes the climatic conditions of its environment to the maximum.
- – It prevents condensation due to its breathability.
- – It favors interior comfort and health thanks to the balance between humidity and temperature that occurs between the interior and the exterior.
- – Its demolition is also ecological, as it is harmless land that can be used again.
(From: https://arquitectura-sostenible.es/tapial-tecnica-construccion-sostenible/)
