Rammed-earth construction in Southern Morocco: A reappraisal of the technology

Rammed-earth or pise wall construction is the most common technique used in constructing load-bearing walls in the vernacular architecture of Southern Morocco. The technique is alive in many rural constructions in the High Atlas and the Pre-Saharan valleys, where a number of other traditional construction systems exist as well, contemporary technologies included. This paper is a part of the scientific research project: Paisaje y patrimonio en el Sur de Marruecos: Propuesta para el desarrollo de modelos de turismo responsable (AP/050921/11), granted by the Spanish Agency for International Cooperation and Development, and describes in detail how a rammed-earth wall is built in the Mgoun Valley (Southern slope of the High Atlas, Morocco). Raw materials, tools and the components of the formwork are identified. The number of workmen participating in the construction process and their specific tasks are described, and the time needed from the installation of the formwork to the finishing of the wall is recorded. Finally, the cost of constructing a rammed-earth building is compared to that of constructing with reinforced concrete.