Rammed Earth in the Age of Digital Fabrication: An Architectural Perspective

The environmental impact of the construction industry, driven by the intensive use of energy-intensive materials such as concrete and steel, has increased the search for sustainable alternatives. The traditional rammed-earth (pisé) technique offers a low-carbon solution with promising industrial applications, especially in its prefabricated form. Many internationally renowned architects use it in their projects. At the same time, recent advances in digital fabrication and algorithmic-parametric design are transforming the approach to architectural design, evolving compositional criteria and broadening formal horizons. The aim of this review is to interpret and analyze formal design criteria on the subject of a wall built with the rammed earth technique through the construction of formworks in relation to the digital technologies applied. The research, conducted through the analysis and comparison of thirteen case studies, focuses solely on analyzing the innovation of the purely architectural and compositional aspect of traditional rammed earth (pisé). High customization of geometries, self-shading, and massive, organic shapes are the formal values mostly achieved.