page_title: Rammed earth
hierarchical_section_title: Rammed earth
caption_attribution_description: The ruins of an ancient Chinese watchtower from the Han Dynasty (202 BC - 220 AD), located along what was the old line of rammed-earth fortifications in Dunhuang, Gansu province, China, that once stretched from the Hexi Corridor (in Gansu) to the Tarim Basin (in modern Xinjiang).
context_page_description: Rammed earth, also known as taipa in Portuguese, tapial or tapia in Spanish, pisé in French, and hāngtǔ in Chinese, is a technique for constructing foundations, floors, and walls using natural raw materials such as earth, chalk, lime, or gravel. It is an ancient method that has been revived recently as a sustainable building method.
  Edifices formed of rammed earth are on every continent except Antarctica, in a range of environments including temperate, wet, semiarid desert, montane, and tropical regions. The availability of suitable soil and a building design appropriate for local climatic conditions are the factors that favour its use.
context_section_description: Rammed earth, also known as taipa in Portuguese, tapial or tapia in Spanish, pisé (de terre) in French, and hāngtǔ (夯土) in Chinese, is a technique for constructing foundations, floors, and walls using natural raw materials such as earth, chalk, lime, or gravel. It is an ancient method that has been revived recently as a sustainable building method.
  Edifices formed of rammed earth are on every continent except Antarctica, in a range of environments including temperate, wet, semiarid desert, montane, and tropical regions. The availability of suitable soil and a building design appropriate for local climatic conditions are the factors that favour its use.
caption: The ruins of a Han dynasty (202 BC – AD 220) Chinese watchtower made of rammed earth in Dunhuang, Province of Gansu, China at the eastern end of the Silk Road.
exif: {"Image Make": "Canon", "Image Model": "Canon EOS 350D DIGITAL", "Image Orientation": "Horizontal (normal)", "Image XResolution": "72", "Image YResolution": "72", "Image ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Image Software": "Adobe Photoshop CS2 Windows", "Image DateTime": "2014:01:10 14:12:57", "Image Artist": "Dennis Mark Mulhall", "Image YCbCrPositioning": "Co-sited", "Image Copyright": "Dennis Mark Mulhall", "Image CustomRendered": "Normal", "Image ExposureMode": "Auto Bracket", "Image WhiteBalance": "Auto", "Image SceneCaptureType": "Standard", "Image ExifOffset": "340", "Thumbnail Compression": "JPEG (old-style)", "Thumbnail XResolution": "72", "Thumbnail YResolution": "72", "Thumbnail ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormat": "1074", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormatLength": "4316", "EXIF ExposureTime": "1/80", "EXIF FNumber": "11", "EXIF ExposureProgram": "Aperture Priority", "EXIF ISOSpeedRatings": "100", "EXIF ExifVersion": "0221", "EXIF DateTimeOriginal": "2007:08:02 08:13:28", "EXIF DateTimeDigitized": "2007:08:02 08:13:28", "EXIF ComponentsConfiguration": "YCbCr", "EXIF ShutterSpeedValue": "207157/32768", "EXIF ApertureValue": "453435/65536", "EXIF ExposureBiasValue": "-1/3", "EXIF MeteringMode": "Pattern", "EXIF Flash": "Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode", "EXIF FocalLength": "75", "EXIF FlashPixVersion": "0100", "EXIF ColorSpace": "sRGB", "EXIF ExifImageWidth": "2561", "EXIF ExifImageLength": "1704", "EXIF FocalPlaneXResolution": "1728000/437", "EXIF FocalPlaneYResolution": "384000/97", "EXIF FocalPlaneResolutionUnit": "2"}