ABSTRACT: Earth has been used historically as a construction material in various regions and cultures for thousands of years. The primitive earth structures consisted mainly of simple wooden frames covered with mud. Earth constructions are usually built in locations where other construction materials are relatively scarce. The process of its fabrications consists of sun-dried mud or adobe bricks with organic material and sometimes require stabilization using lime, cement or sand. A variation of a typical adobe construction is by using compressed earth and straw, and this process can change the material´s nature and physical properties, among other features. The objective of this research is to characterize an experimental prototype built with a manually compressed poured earth construction system (MPE) and compared with a conventional industrialized system (CIS). The dimensions of the two prototypes are 3 meters length, 3 meters width, and 2.40 meters height Important advantages of the earth prototype investigated included its low ecological footprint, low embodied energy and low cost. Then results showed that the MPE presented better thermal performance than the CIS and the economic analysis proved that the MPE prototype has a low-cost to construct relative to the CIS. Likewise, the sustainable analysis realized demonstrated that MPE is a prototype with high potential for implementation in communities aimed at achieving a nearly zero environmental impact. It is expected that the results of this research can be served as a demonstrative example and be applied to generate a multiple effect in other similar regions and that this approach can improve the environment and the quality of living.
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