Mudwalled

Mudwalled refers to walls built largely from earth-based materials rather than fired bricks or concrete. The binding medium is moist earth, often reinforced with straw or other fibers. Common forms include adobe bricks set in earth mortar, rammed earth walls formed by compacting damp earth in molds, and cob, a hand-sculpted mix of clay, sand, and straw. Some constructions use a timber frame covered with mud plaster (wattle and daub).

Construction methods vary by tradition. Adobe bricks are formed and dried in the sun; rammed earth uses temporary formwork to tamp layers of earth; cob is built up by hand; wattle and daub relies on a lattice of wood with mud plaster. Finishes are usually plastered for weather protection and aesthetics, with lime, cement-lime, or earth-based plasters.

Advantages include low material cost, use of locally available resources, and high thermal mass that helps regulate interior temperatures. Mud walls are adaptable and relatively easy to repair. Disadvantages include sensitivity to moisture and erosion, limited structural capacity in earthquakes, and the need for ongoing maintenance and protective detailing to prevent water ingress.

Historically widespread in arid and semi-arid regions, mud walls appear in Mesopotamia, the Indus Valley, the American Southwest, and parts of Africa and Europe. In modern architecture, earthen walls are used in sustainable building and vernacular restoration, often with stabilizers or reinforcement to meet contemporary codes while preserving the earth-based aesthetic.

Related topics include adobe, rammed earth, cob, and wattle and daub, all part of broader earthen construction practices.