Rammed Earth walls samples
Beqaa, Lebanon, 2018
Led by: Angèle Keserwany in collaboration with the American university of Beirut, AUB.
Team: José-Pascale Zeidan, architect; Elie Kareh, civil engineer; Aram Yeretzian, architect and Mounir Mabsout, civil engineer.
Objectives: Test the rammed earth technique with local lebanese soil supported by laboratory tests.
After initiating the first rammed earth trials in Lebanon in 2017, I endeavored to broaden my exploration through partnerships with architects and civil engineers from the American University of Beirut. This collaboration led to the construction of fourteen rammed earth wall samples in two different regions with varying climates in Lebanon.
The earth used to make the walls was extracted from the Beqaa Valley, traditionally known for earthen vernacular architecture. Before constructing the walls, soil characterization tests and mixture design were conducted at the university laboratories.
Seven walls were built in the dry climate of the Bekaa Valley, and seven walls with the same mixtures were constructed in the humid climate of Beirut. Humidity sensors were integrated inside the walls. These tests are documented and monitored over time to better understand and compare the walls' behavior in different climates and with different mixtures.
