Gabion walls as building foundations?

A saw a video awhile back where the dude saved a lot of money by using gabion walls for his sunken greenhouse. As a bonus the rock also provided more surface area for a sort of earth-battery effect.  Clever!


So I'm just wondering... could gabions be used to replace concrete footings, etc for a house/building foundation?

This site
https://www.gabion1.com.au/gabion-foundation/
seems to show instructions for a foundation, but I think they are meaning just for the wall itself(?)

Also, what do you think about placing rammed earth walls on top?  I found this image:

that seems to suggest it may be possible.
But the website it comes from appears to be in French, which I don't speak (and google translate didn't help).

Are you talking about a rubble trench foundation?


Or something above grade like slip form masonry?

I think I like the idea but I'm wondering what happens when the gabion metal rusts away.  Do the rocks then shift outwards and the foundation settles into itself a bit?

For me, the biggest issue would be snakes, an open invitation to make a family in them

Gabions well made have hot dipped galvanised wire baskets.
They cost a lot if money which would be buried in the ground.
Otherwise as aaron asked, is it really a rubble trench?
I watched the video, its interesting but the gabions seem to be single sided
Some reasons concrete is used, despite some people disliking it are listed;
- maybe less effort involved in getting it
- same thermal mass or better than gabions
- generally readily available
- ready to use, after you have financed it, in a few days
- in some areas the Engineering is better understood