In Situ Characterization of Rammed Earth Wall Renders

The Algarve region in southern Portugal has one of the most significant rammed earth construction legacies in the country. This construction method is characterized by its high susceptibility to water damage and external renderings are essential to the longevity of these constructions. This study collects and organizes data that provides the basis for the conservation and repair of renderings. Five earth buildings from western Algarve were selected to represent this heritage and its diversity of composition and susceptibility to water damage. Some of their commonest anomalies result from the interaction between the earth substrate and the traditional external renderings, given their distinct characteristics and behavior. The selected sample is described and the mechanical strength of the rammed earth walls and their renderings are evaluated through in situ tests. Samples of the external renderings and earth substrate of the five buildings comprising the sample were also collected and characterized in the laboratory. The characteristics of these two materials and their behavior as an assembly were analyzed. The results of the in situ and laboratory tests are compared and the viability of using a method based on in situ tests for the wider characterization of the type of construction under analysis evaluated.