No full-text available
To read the full-text of this research,
you can request a copy directly from the authors.
The Sandford Inventory of Earth Buildings as a Conservation Aid
... The possibility of sustainable walls for new buildings to meet current standards has been discussed above. Before addressing the upgrading and repairing of existing cob walls, it is important to note that in one parish in Devon, Sandford for example, there are over a hundred listed earth structures, including dwellings in use [19]. For the upgrading of existing earth walls, there are two simple strategies that can be explored, one external and one internal. ...
The thermal conductivity and diffusivity of un-fired clay bricks, a straw clay mixture and straw bales have been measured using a thermal probe technique, with an iterative method for data analysis. The steady-state air-to-air thermal transmittance, or U-value, and the time-dependent thermal properties of some proposed sustainable earth wall constructions are presented. Sustainable cavity walls of un-fired clay bricks with paper, straw or wool cavity insulation have thermal transmittances less than 0.35 W/m2 K, and therefore meet the current United Kingdom Building Regulations. A review of possible methods for thermally up-grading existing earth walls, by adding an internal insulated timber frame construction, again demonstrates possible compliance with the current UK thermal regulations.
... However, the time and effort required to establish the Sandford Inventory was considerable, but the field study information did allow errors and omissions in the Listing of buildings at risk to be identified. Moreover, having established the Inventory, the patterns of data have been explored to investigate the potential of the Sandford Inventory methodology to predict sites of unrecorded and previously unknown cob structures [30]. The modern developments in GIS software, together with the greater availability and penetration of GIS, into Local Authorities for example, and with relevant digitised data sets the Sandford methodology would be simpler. ...
The Sandford Inventory of Earth Buildings documents over 140 earth constructions. The Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England recording methodology is followed. The inventory has been constructed using (1) the historical context of the building and site, (2) the topographical data for the building site and its immediate surroundings, and (3) the architectural characteristics and details of the building. A geographical information system (GIS) integrates this information to produce some conclusions important to the conservator. To illustrate the Inventory, three farm buildings are described in depth, including results from field studies, and it is significant that two of these buildings are non-Listed. The GIS is used to explore the location of the earth buildings in relation to the archaeological sites, the contours, water systems, road systems, field boundaries and the geology of the area.
In the European Union, most of the wastes from the building sector are composed of earths. Earth construction may be an interesting outlet for the re-use of these wastes, while meeting the challenge of circular economy: in particular, it involves low-embodied energy processes and earth material can be re-used for building by end-of-life. Nonetheless, the identification of suitable earths for construction remains an issue. To overcome this problem, an option may be to analyse earth building heritage, which is at least one-century old in Europe: indeed, earth employed in these buildings can be regarded as “time-tested”, and thus suitable for construction. In this paper, more than 20 different earths collected in rammed earth heritage building in France are presented. The results are confronted both to literature and to several classifications employed in soil sciences. A classification system based on granularity and clay activity will be relevant to address the convenience of earth for building purposes.
In the present climate of financial restrictions, the importance of identifying those buildings that are of greatest value has increased. Identification necessitates knowledge, not only of the architectural and historic worth of a building, but also of its role and contribution to the history and landscape of its location. This paper aims to demonstrate the relevance of Geographical Information Systems (GIS) in aiding historic research and analysis of vernacular architecture.Related work in the development of GIS technology to assist in reconstructing and visualizing historical geography has been described by Southall1 and the role of GIS in managing and analysing spatial data in the field of archaeology has also been well documented.2 By using a Unix-based Arc/Info GIS and incorporating geo-referenced spatial and textual data, a more comprehensive and contextual method of recording buildings can be developed. This allows better informed judgements to be made when evaluating individual buildings or preparing conservation strategies.