This scoping
study into the potential for new earth construction was carried out for
the Scottish Executive Central Research Unit and published in 2000 ( ISBN
0 7559 3008 8).
The report assesses the legacy of Scotland’s heritage of earth building, the potential environmental benefits of new earth construction and analyses development opportunities and impediments.
It concludes that there is significant potential for earth materials
in a modern, sustainable construction industry. Case studies illustrate
how earth building techniques have developed in the specialist niche
of ecological construction. For earth construction to transfer to mainstream
applications barriers including the lack of skills, proprietary materials
and industry standards will need to be addressed.