Cardboard-confined rammed earth towards sustainable construction

Environmental concerns regarding the widespread use of cement and concrete in the construction industry have intensified in recent years. As the industry seeks sustainable alternatives, cardboard—a mass-produced, recyclable material—has gained accelerating popularity for temporary buildings and structures with adequate durability. Simultaneously, renewed interest in the traditional rammed earth technique has emerged due to its extremely low embodied carbon and nearly zero cost. This study introduces an innovative cardboard-confined rammed earth (CCRE), integrating low-cost cardboard tubes with unstabilized rammed earth. CCRE cylinders with cardboard tube thicknesses ranging from 1 mm to 4 mm are fabricated and tested for compressive strength. Additionally, an analytical model is developed to predict the compressive strength of CCRE cylinders with varying dimensions. Comprehensive assessments of carbon footprints and life cycle costs are conducted to evaluate the environmental and economic advantages of the proposed composite. The results reveal that rammed earth core significantly enhances the structural performance of cardboard by more than tenfold, surpassing the strength of widely used cement-stabilized rammed earth. The CCRE not only offers substantial reductions in carbon emissions but also provides competitive life cycle costs, making it an appealing solution for sustainable low-rise building applications.<p></p>