HORTUS

800 modular hybrid wood & rammed earth ceiling panels

Locally sourced rammed earth mixture

Field factory with production machinery for the serial manufacturing of ceiling structures

After several design phases and model building that began in 2021, Lehm Ton Erde (LTE) carried out a first fire test on a test sample and a prototype at the end of 2022. Two years later, LTE developed and implemented a production system to manufacture almost 800 prefabricated hybrid wood and rammed earth ceiling elements in an on-site field factory within 100 production days.

The recipe for the rammed earth material was obtained from the limited excavation on site. Thanks to targeted preparations during the actual excavation and the careful securing and processing of the extracted material, the mixture could be produced directly next to the field factory. As a result, the LEHMIT consortium was founded with a positive forecast for this symbiotic, sustainable combination of materials.

Further information

Category

Trade

Architecture

Herzog & de Meuron

Customer

Senn AG

Time period

2021-2024

Concept

Herzog & de Meuron, ZPF, Lehm Ton Erde Baukunst GmbH

Executiom

Blumer Lehmann & Lehm Ton Erde Baukunst GmbH

Location

CH, Basel (Allschwil)

Production type

Field factory

A temporary production site set up close to the construction area, combining workshop-level quality with the flexibility of onsite manufacturing — ideally making use of locally excavated material.

Services

Advice & planning

We offer comprehensive technical expertise for rammed earth projects, from initial consultation to detailed specialist planning across all project phases.

Feasibility study

A full conceptual study & survey of logistics, production & assembly will enable a well-founded assessment of the feasibility of a rammed earth project.

Recipe development

Customized research & development of rammed earth mixture – from analyzing local sources or excavated material to adjusting the recipe to fulfil pre-defined expectations.

Mock-up creation

Creating a mock-up can be part of the feasibility study or other planning phases, in order to visually & technically assess various aspects of rammed earth construction techniques.

Production techniques & machinery

Planning & provision of the essential infrastructure, machinery rental & production techniques. Services of design & protoyping of customized, project-specific solutions.

Products

Ceiling

Ceilings made of 100% earth - as a combination of wood & clay in modular elements or as a solid, load-bearing vaulted ceiling.

Impressions Building process