Living in houses made of sand, gravel and clay is an age-old tradition, but in today's era of advanced technology and sleek architecture, why choose a basic rammed earth home? Peace Appau Obeng tells you why.
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00:00Living in houses made of sand, gravel and clay is an age-old tradition, but in today's
00:08era of advanced technology and sleek architecture, why choose a basic ramped-earth home?
00:15I believe that the ramped-earth technology is one of the ways we can use to minimize
00:20the house deficit because of the availability of the light rail, especially in Ghana.
00:25So I opted to go into this to make more houses available and affordable to the indigenous
00:31and to the world beyond.
00:35Peace Apau Obeng is one of the few builders who are reviving ramped-earth construction
00:40in Ghana.
00:41Before we find out what it really feels like to live in an earthen house, let's find
00:46out more about building with earth as such.
00:50Rampant has a lot of benefits because the materials are locally sourced, it's also
00:54energy efficient because it gives a very good temperature to the room, it has a very
00:58low maintenance required in future, it's also fireproof, sandproof, well I can say
01:04it's waterproof because of the thickness.
01:08Peace is currently building a wall using the ramped-earth technique for the Museum of West
01:14Africa Arts in Nigeria.
01:16Not only is the size remarkable, the wall is 320 metres long and 4.4 metres high, but
01:23also the involvement of workers from the local community.
01:26Why?
01:27In all of our projects we do have a ratio where about 50% where we acquire the local
01:34source labour and we add them to our team throughout the projects and by then we transfer
01:39the skills to them and add them to our team for future use.
01:43I am not just the only one who has benefited from this ramped-earth technology.
01:48Other school dropouts have received a promising career through the knowledge we transfer once
01:53we get into the communities.
01:55This has empowered the youth and created more job opportunities.
02:01Born and raised in Ghana, Peace developed a keen interest in sustainable practices from
02:07a young age while accompanying his late dad on various surveying works.
02:12So why is it crucial for him to build his career on sustainability?
02:17I believe there are still more gaps to be filled, there are a lot of things that sustainability
02:21comes with.
02:22Human beings' bodies were formed by the earth, so living in the earth is very beneficial
02:27to the body.
02:28Therefore, it adds up to the sustainable goal for the future.
02:33Ramped-earth construction is one of the oldest building techniques in human history.
02:38Many indigenous tribes in Africa made their homes from raw materials like clay, gravels,
02:44earth and cow dung.
02:46In Ghana, ramped-earth structures are deeply rooted in traditional building practice.
02:52Ramped-earth buildings are biodegradable and recyclable.
02:56But why is it important for Peace to reinvent this forgotten construction method?
03:01It's very crucial for me to reinvent this method that has been forgotten because a lot
03:06of our houses that are made of clay is something that I believe this method is going to make
03:13it more modern and more appealing for the tenants or the occupants to live in.
03:18And by so doing, it will help solve the house deficits that is massive in Ghana and Africa
03:24in all.
03:25My leader really inspired me because he gave me the opportunity to see a lot of rare apartments.
03:32By seeing those courthouses, I felt like there's a burden and there's a responsibility to transform
03:38into something better.
03:39And that led me to discover the ramped-earth technology.
03:43Before we finally find out from one of Peace's clients what it feels like to live in a ramped-earth
03:48house, he explains exactly how the compaction of the earth walls work.
03:55We use litrite, which are naturally sourced, or sand.
03:59Then we use between five to ten percent of cement.
04:02Depending on the type of soil we meet in the environment, there's a formwork, a rigid
04:06formwork that we normally do, depending on the cases, according to the shape that we
04:10want to achieve.
04:12Then we do pour the mix into the board in layers.
04:16Then we compact it, or we call it ramp it, to achieve different layers uniform.
04:21So for a one-bedroom apartment, including the foundation all the way to the roof and
04:25completion, should take about two to three months to complete.
04:29So this is completely eco-friendly.
04:32The house, it doesn't have any columns or anything like that.
04:37It's all rammed earth.
04:38Think of the Great Wall of China.
04:41Parts of that is rammed earth, and that's lasted for centuries.
04:45I don't know if you can notice it, but my hair's like blowing in the breeze.
04:49There's like this great crosswind, because it's always breezy.
04:55It's that durable.
04:56I mean, it'll stop a bullet.
04:59The walls are that thick.
05:00Today, Peace has finished about 20 different projects.
05:04Could ramped-earth building be the key to a more sustainable future, offering solutions
05:10that resonate with today's concerns for a greener environment?
05:14Rammed earth holds a key to the sustainable future, because in the rammed earth, we use
05:19largely natural materials to build, in few cases where we use pigment or other adhesives.
05:25And also, with our team, we are very mindful of not disturbing the nature and the environment,
05:32such as trees and other things.
05:34In heat-stricken areas, rammed-earth buildings can be an environmentally-friendly alternative,
05:40especially as they do not heat up like concrete walls or glass facades.
05:45Rediscovering the insulating power of the earth, building in harmony with nature, respecting
05:51the past, that can secure the future.