posted 4 years ago
I've lived in rammed earth for about 25 years and I love it, but honestly it's not that fast to build and move in to. I imagine earth bag might have the same issue: It takes a lot longer to build rammed earth than you expect. And it takes a LOT longer to dry than you expect, especially if (as ALWAYS happens to us here) you end up finishing construction in a big hurry as fall turns to winter. In fact, good thick rammed earth walls, 1.5 or 2 feet thick (45 to 60 cm) can stay damp through the first winter in my experience. The second winter in a new rammed earth house is always warmer, in my experience.
Adobe bricks are actually faster, both to build with and to allow moving into a dry house. But that may be because they are the most common building material here, so they are available by the truckload, or can be made on site. They do require the additional steps of shaping them and turning them as they dry, but then that means when the wall is built, it's only the mud mortar that is wet and needs to dry.
Works at a residential alternative high school in the Himalayas SECMOL.org . "Back home" is Cape Cod, E Coast USA.