A recent article in London’s Evening Standard newspaper reports on the growing uptake of earth as a great interior product. It is all well and good that it looks beautiful, but this trend also gets me excited as internal earth and its thermal mass features have the best thermal performance attributes.

Having the thermal mass internally, means it is isolated from the outside and makes it easier to store the coolth or warmth in the thermal mass. It operates like a thermos stores warm (or cold) water. if it is keep sealed the water will stay warm (or cold) for quite a long time. If you take the lid off the water will cool very quickly. If we use good cross ventilation on these walls in summer and good  solar passive design to allow for heat gain in winter, the building envelope will perform exceptionally well!

Temperature regulating thermal mass with good cross ventilation in the Hunter Valley NSW

Externally isolated thermal mass, Smiths Lake, NSW

At work: Cadji’s rammed earth counter at Roots and Bulbs (Picture: Sodium Ltd)

Rammed Earth Kitchen Bench, Pacific Palms, NSW

Rammed Earth Fire place in the Hunter Valley, NSW