The document discusses rammed earth construction techniques used at Aloha Ranch and Organic Farm in the Philippines. Key points include: - A rammed earth house called The Nebraska House was constructed without steel reinforced cement columns, using monolithic rammed earth walls. - Rammed earth mixes used include 3 parts rice hulls and 2 parts clay loam soil with small amounts of cement and limestone for stabilization. - The house has sustainable design features like rainwater catchment, herb gardens, and a rocket stove made of rammed earth. - The ranch uses permaculture principles and earth building to promote sustainable living through workshops and hosting visitors.

1. Tamped or
Rammed Earth
Rocket Stove
Low Thermal mass rocket stoves
https://web.facebook.com/pg/AlohaRanchAndOrganicFarm/posts/?ref=page_internal

2. The Nebraska House Project
by Keith Mikkelson and Brian Shafer
https://web.facebook.com/pg/AlohaRanchAndOrganicFarm/posts/?ref=page_internal

3. The Nebraska House
The Tea House
2 Story Earth House
https://web.facebook.com/pg/AlohaRanchAndOrganicFarm/posts/?ref=page_internal

4. Mushroom
Culture House
Bench
EH 3
The Nebraska
House
Tool shed
Retaining
walls
EH 2
Charcoal
kilns
EH 1
Cow shed

5. Aloha Ranch and Organic Farm is an Eco-village with sustainable practices
integrated into the entire design. The farm is certified Organic in the
Philippines and supplies local chefs, restaurants and families in the
community. The featured building in this article is a structurally self-
supporting rammed earth house without any steel reinforced cement
columns. The monolithic rammed earth walls are the columns! A team of four
builders on Aloha Ranch completed this third house on the site during the
fall months of 2015. Rocket stoves were made of the same materials.

6. Tool shed Goat shed
Flower box
Lavatory/Sink
Tree House

7. Aloha Ranch and Organic Farm
An Ecological Village for Permaculture Enthusiasts
Vision
See entire communities empowered with sustainable living by the grace of God
Mission
Equip people and develop sites that utilize and practice permanent agriculture at
the household and community level with a shared land ethic
Goals
Develop a highly productive ecological system on a 7 hectare site
Integrate people by building hybrid earthen housing for residents and visitors
Equip the neighboring community to participate in the prosperity of the system
Living with a Land Ethic that builds people,
soils, food, ecology and the planet!

8. Earth as a building material comes in many different compositions and can be
processed into a highly insulative lightweight material for tropical living. Rice husk
(hull) is 50% of the wall material offering amazing insulative qualities. Loam as a
clayey soil has different names when used in various applications. Rammed earth,
soil blocks, mud bricks and adobe are all ancient earth building methods. Often
sand and clay is balanced with straw for cob construction. Our building technique
utilizes a moistened blend of 3 parts rice hull and 2 parts clay loam (20% clay)
with 3% stabilization using Portland cement and rice hull ash with inert agricultural
limestone added to keep termites out. It is one of the few earth building
techniques that can be done successfully with a cement mixer.
3 parts rice hull and 2 parts
clay loam (10-20% clay)

9. We design for earthquake and typhoon resistant structures. Our structures are
hexagonal to withstand lateral forces during earthquakes or tidal wave / tsunami
intrusion. The hexagon has strengths that are unique in structural design. Our
design is based on Dr. Gernot Minke’s research conducted continuously at the
Forschungslabor fur Experimentelles Bauen (Building Research Institute) at the
University of Kassel in Germany since 1978. We utilized his book Building with
Earth: Design and Technology of a Sustainable Architecture for our design. The
inner living space measures 19 sq. meters (203 sq. ft.) and the house has an out
door kitchen and patio area of 20 sq. meters including the shower and composting
toilet. A rammed earth rocket stove utilizes sticks from the forest to efficiently
produce heat for cooking. Poured concrete pavers were chosen for their durability
and treated with an acid stain of iron sulphate (a fertilizer) and sealed with slate
sealant.

10. Other sustainable design features include gutters for rainwater catchment with the
over flow maintaining a small fishpond. A rammed earthen herb spiral and
vegetable garden is included as well as a small green house nursery. Bottle lights
were installed to bring in natural light to the out door kitchen. An evaporative cooler
(Zeer cooler) was built to keep produce fresh and cheeses from over ripening. A
Pompeii dome rammed earth rocket oven was added 2 years later to supply fresh
baked bread, pizza and other roasted foods. Insect screening will be added for our
next houseguests and solar power will be retrofitted. Electrical conduit was rammed
into the wall as it was built.
The structure integrates with
our Permaculture Master Plan
and will serve many students
and guests in the coming years.
Low Thermal mass rocket stoves

11. Zone 1 & 2
Zone 3
Zone 4
Zone 5
Key
SPRING FED
Nebraska
House
House Integration
for Zone Planning

13. 1 Binder
2 clay soil
3 Ricehull
5-10 liters water

14. Bamboo & Nipa
thatch roof
EH 3

15. Rammed earthen floor
EH 3
Lived in

16. Rammed earthen floor
EH 3
Zeer cooler

17. Hybrid Earthen Homes
Soil Audit: 20% clay
EH 3
clay
silt
sand

18. Community kitchen
EH 3
Lived in

19. 120 watt
Bottle lights Water catchment
Shower/com
posting toilet

20. Rammed earthen floor
EH 3
High Thermal mass rocket stoves
Low Thermal mass rocket stoves

21. Rammed earthen
rocket stove
EH 3
Rice hull gasifier

22. Bamboo Furniture
Varnish free: Tung oil in the tropics!

23. Pure Tung Oil comes from cold pressing of the seeds or nuts of the Tung tree. Tung trees mainly
grow in the mountainous regions of china away from industrialization and pollution. Climate, soil and
air quality are essential for a high quality oil. Our 100% Pure Chinese Tung Oil or China wood oil is a
all natural finish manufactured by pressing the tung nut, no petroleum distillates or other additives -
just Pure Tung Oil. All Pure Tung Oils are not the same. Some low priced marketers will package
South American Tung Oil (dark, greenish in color) and sell its as the higher quality Chinese Tung
Oils. Chinese Pure Tung Oil is available in 3 grades, we only offer the best available, Grade 1 yellow.
A better quality Pure Chinese Tung Oil will offer superior color, faster drying and a long term elastic
finish. Elasticity is a important factor as the oil must continue to flex with the expansion and
contraction of the substrate on which it is applied.

24. Citrus Natural Solvent, a paint thinner alternative, is used as a direct replacement for mineral spirits and
odorless mineral spirits. Citrus Solvent can be used wherever paint thinner or mineral spirits are required as
a natural, safer alternative. Citrus Solvent is not the same as any of the other "citrus-branded" cleaning
products on the market, including Citrus Solve or Citri-Solve. It is, however, an excellent degreaser, paint
thinner alternative, and can be used to replace petroleum chemicals such as mineral spirits. Citrus Solvent is
98% pure citrus peel oil extracted from the peel of the orange fruit; the other 2% is water. This small amount
of water is emulsified in the solvent and will not raise wood grain but is released into the air as the solvent
evaporates.

25. After
Varnish Free Living
Before

26. Natural Sealants
Varnish Free Living
Tung oil
Tung oil
Tung oil
Stained Concrete
Stained Concrete

27. Aloha Ranch
Macarascas
“Rammed”
Rocket Stove
Efficient Low Thermal mass rocket stoves
Removable chamber molds
External plywood and
2x2 corners (use
cordless driver with
screws or clamps for
easy removal)
Ram or tamp material
level then add
removable chamber
Removable chamber
forms

28. Remove External
plywood and 2x2
corners (use cordless
driver with screws or
clamps for easy
removal)
Ram or tamp material
level to top
Aloha Ranch
Macarascas
“Rammed”
Rocket Stove
Efficient Low Thermal mass rocket stoves
Removable chamber molds

29. Aloha Ranch
Macarascas
“Rammed”
Rocket Stove
Efficient Low Thermal mass rocket stoves
Removable chamber molds
Optional skirt for
efficient heating

30. Tamped or
Rammed Earth
Rocket Stove
Low Thermal mass rocket stoves

31. High Thermal mass charcoal stoves

32. Thermal Mass Wood
Chip or Charcoal
Rocket Stoves
Rammed
rocket stove

33. Charcoal
Rocket Stove

34. Charcoal Rocket Stove
Rammed
rocket stove

35. Cast iron
cooking

36. Herb spiral
Rosal

37. Proven Design
Conservation bat house

38. Materials and paid labor in USD
Documented cost for
Earth House Three
The Nebraska House

39. Natural Living
Score card- critical and financial considerations
 Material sources: on site bamboo and
hardwoods_
 On-site – labor cost
 Local – delivery cost
 Trucked – delivery cost
 Plinth height __30 cm_____
 Plinth width____20 cm___
 Lintel height 260 cm
 Window
 Tie beam
 Wall thickness width____________
 Wall height ___240 cm_____
 Structural support
 Wall only h:w _12:1______
 Columns h:w _____________
 Material
 Clay 40%
 Sand
 Lignin –rice hull
 Stabilizer
 Finish
 Plaster
 Painted clay -Albuminate
 Raw
 Roof material___thatch –nipa palm____
 Roof overhang __120 cm__
 Roof overhang ratio RO:WH _2:1___
 Roof slope __40 deg._____
x
xx
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x