Rammed Earth Construction
Rammed earth construction compacts moistened local soil, in layers, inside temporary formwork until it cures into a solid load-bearing wall. RCCL engineers the mix, the compaction ratio, and the wall section to meet the same structural standards as concrete or block — while cutting embodied carbon and holding a stable indoor temperature through Juba's heat.
Low embodied carbon, sourced from the site
A rammed earth wall uses the soil already on site, so most of the embodied carbon a concrete or block wall carries — extraction, firing, cement manufacture, haulage — simply doesn't happen. Only the stabilizer fraction, typically 5–8% by volume, needs to travel any distance at all.
Built for South Sudan’s heat
Thick compacted earth has the thermal mass to absorb daytime heat and release it slowly overnight, flattening the indoor temperature swing that a thin block or sheet-metal building tracks almost in real time with the outside air — without a generator running to compensate.
Ideal project types
- Residential clients building a family home meant to last generations, not just a mortgage term.
- Institutional and NGO builds — clinics, offices, training centres — with public accountability for sustainability spend.
- Low-carbon developments where embodied carbon is tracked and reported, not just implied.
How RCCL builds a rammed earth wall
Soil testing
We test local soil composition, grain size, and moisture content to confirm suitability and set the stabilization mix.
Structural engineering
Wall thickness, footing depth, and reinforcement are calculated against local building code and load requirements.
Formwork setup
Reusable steel or timber formwork is set to the engineered wall geometry on site.
Layer compaction
Stabilized soil is placed and mechanically compacted in 100–150mm lifts until the wall is fully built.
Curing and finishing
Walls cure over 2–4 weeks under controlled conditions before openings, lintels, and finishes are completed.
Handover inspection
An independent structural check and a full documentation package are delivered with every handover.
The compaction technique, in plain terms
Moist, engineered soil is placed in shallow layers inside rigid formwork and compacted — mechanically, under controlled pressure — until each layer reaches its design density before the next is added. That layer-by-layer compaction is what gives the finished wall its structural strength and its visible striated texture. Every layer is a load test the wall passes before the next one is poured.
- ■Locally sourced subsoil (low organic content, engineered grain distribution)
- ■Cement or lime stabilizer at 5–8% by volume, per structural spec
- ■Reusable steel/timber formwork system
- ■Mechanical pneumatic rammers for consistent compaction density