Earthen construction dates back over 10,000 years ago, with examples
found all over the world. Even nowadays, a significant portion
(> 30%) of the world’s population lives in earth-based dwellings.
Earthen construction provides several advantages over other ordinary
housebuilding methods (e.g., fired masonry and wood construction),
as it is affordable and locally appropriate, energy and
humidity efficient, and environmentally friendly.
The need for affordable and sustainable alternatives to traditional
housing construction is clear: by the end of this century, due to the
expected increase in the world’s population and improvement of
living conditions, two billion new homes will be needed to meet the
future housing demand. However, traditionally-built earthen structures
(i.e., non-engineered cob, rammed earth, or adobe construction)
are often inherently brittle and not capable of resisting extreme
loads from natural hazards such as earthquakes and strong winds;
therefore, they are inadequate for mainstream modern construction.
In the last few decades, significant research has been devoted
to developing engineered earthen composites as a more affordable
and ecologically-friendly alternative to other building technologies.
This presentation will focus on recent research on the use of compressed
and stabilized earth block (CSEB) construction for affordable
and sustainable housing, including a feasibility study for
houses in hurricane-prone regions, novel numerical approaches for
finite element analysis of earthen masonry, the use of natural fiber
and recycled soil, and an investigation on the effects of high temperatures
on the mechanical properties of CSEBs. Finally, other recent
and ongoing research efforts will also be briefly discussed.
7 July 2026
Location
Aula Riunioni 329
Dipartimento di Ingegneria Strutturale e Geotecnica
Via Eudossiana 18, Roma