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Light clay construction / Leichleim
Background:
- Used for many 100’s of years in Germany & medieval northern Europe
- The 300 year old double storey town museum in Genadendal near Greyton in the Western Cape is made of clay straw roles.
- It can be used for both internal and external walls as well as for ceilings, and is commonly compressed between a frame.
Benefits:
- Materials can be sourced from the site itself and is easy to work with.
- Simple tools are required.
- Offers very high levels of insulation for relatively thin walls.
Technical Information:
- The timber framing structure, Shutter work is constructed and fixed in position.
- A mixture of clay, straw and sand is mixed together and placed between a shutter framework and compressed.
- 2 layers of shuttering are compressed and then the shutters are successively leapfrogged over each other panel by panel.
Track record and examples of work:
- Production of light clay straw panels & clay straw panel repair work for restoration Guga S’thebe Theatre (after fire damage), in Langa, Cape Town 2021
- Staff housing for Organic Farm Shehaan, outside Lusaka, 2008
- Stanford Valley Conference Centre workshop 2006 made partial use of light clay straw panels.
- Eco Design held a light-clay construction workshop at the Cob Colloquium in December 2006 for the McGreggor’s Centre for Alternative Technology.
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