The Ancient Art of Rammed Earth

Some of the world's most enduring structures are made simply from compressed dirt. This technique, called pise, turns soil into walls as hard as concrete without using modern industrial materials.

Builders create these structures by tamping damp mixtures of subsoil into temporary frames until they become incredibly dense. The Great Wall of China and parts of the Alhambra were constructed using this method. Because it uses locally sourced materials, it is now seeing a massive revival as an eco-friendly alternative to carbon-heavy cement. It is truly remarkable that simple earth can stand for centuries.