UNSW Canberra's research into rammed earth construction helping with Dairy Road precinct

Soil from Dairy Road that would usually be trucked away will instead form part of the residential neighbourhood that includes 12 buildings, ranging in height from three to four storeys.

UNSW Canberra researchers have been engaged to test the viability of using lime or other stabilisers in the rammed earth blocks, to replace carbon intensive cement.

A team from UNSW will conduct testing of soil from the Dairy Road site to investigate the structural capacity, cost effectiveness and material conduction capacity of reducing reliance on cement.

Prior studies conducted by the CSIRO found poor insulation from at least two-commercially available rammed-earth techniques.

Jianfeng Xue, UNSW project leader, said rammed-earth had recently increased in popularity due to its environmental and economic benefits.

Dr Xue said the adoption of on-site soil in rammed-earth structures significantly reduces the disposal of waste soils produced from site excavation and the use of imported materials for the construction of new structures.

"The outcomes of this project will provide a greater understanding of stabilised rammed earth material, which will hopefully see this method of construction gain traction," he said.

"It will also hopefully lead to a reduction in the amount of cement being used as a stabiliser, along with a reduction in construction costs.

"A really positive outcome of using rammed earth in buildings is that it reduces environmental impacts and greenhouse-gas emissions."

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About 700 residents will one day call Dairy Road home, housed in 500 dwellings in the 13 buildings arranged around a new wetlands ecosystem. The project is being lead by engineering consultancy company Indesco.

Aaron Hazelton, Indesco's Director, said they'd recently seen an increased interest in the use of rammed earth in medium-rise buildings.

He said the collaboration with UNSW Canberra would give them the knowledge required to provide more reliable and environmentally-friendly rammed-earth structures.

"The engineering industry needs more efficient testing methods and reliable mathematical models to determine the required design parameters for rammed-earth structures," Mr Hazelton said.

The research project has been enabled through funding from the federal government's Innovation Connections program.

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