Member
City of Austin
Green Building Program
Green Building Program
Cast Earth
The first two Cast Earth homes in Austin have been completed, the Cope Residence in June and the Johnson/Chronister Residence in December 2005, both rated five-star by the City of Austin Green Building Program.
Cast Earth is similar to Rammed Earth, produces an 18"-24" thick earthen wall with less labor and expense than Rammed Earth, yet producing an equally attractive exterior.
Cost
Architect, Elliot Johnson, in
association with Rich D. Cope, has established Whole Earth
Construction, which is pioneering the use of Cast
Earth construction in Austin, Texas.
The first two Cast Earth homes in Austin have been completed, the Cope Residence in June and the Johnson/Chronister Residence in December 2005, both rated five-star by the City of Austin Green Building Program.
Cast Earth is similar to Rammed Earth, produces an 18"-24" thick earthen wall with less labor and expense than Rammed Earth, yet producing an equally attractive exterior.
Cost
All alternative wall construction
techniques
have a higher initial cost than conventional framed construction;
however, Cast Earth homes are more efficient and require less
longterm maintenance than their conventional counterparts.
In Cast Earth homes the interior and
exterior walls are
'finished' walls and require no paint or alternative finishing.
If desired
by the client, on the exterior, stone or stucco veneer can be
applied, and the interior can be plastered.
Although each project is
unique, Cast Earth is approximately half
of the cost of Rammed Earth.