scope:

The scope of this Standard is limited to unfired earthen wall building materials defined herein as adobe, pressed brick, poured earth or rammed earth and which contain clay and silt and which rely on the clay and silt particles present to achieve satisfactory performance with or without chemical stabilization. Earth building materials to which this Standard applies shall comply with NZS 4298 Materials and workmanship for earth buildings.

This Standard sets minimum criteria. Parties are at liberty to set higher standards for any matters referred to in this Standard.

Earth construction in accordance with this Standard shall not exceed 6.5 m in height from the top of the footing to the top of the earth wall.

Design using procedures and/or material properties not described in this Standard may be carried out when it can be shown by one of the following methods that the elements so designed have adequate performance at the serviceability limit state and at the ultimate limit state:

(a) A special study; or

(b) Experimental verification; or

(c) Rational design based on accepted engineering principles; or

(d) Verified service history.

Aspects of designs which rely on any of (a) to (d) above are outside the scope of this Standard as a means of compliance with the New Zealand Building Code and must be treated as alternative solutions.

The purpose of this clause is to acknowledge new design practices and the use of newly developed material properties that may go further than this Standard permits, provided that the acceptability of such methods or approaches can be clearly demonstrated by way of the options listed.

Alternative design methods, material properties or structural systems must be supported by one or more thorough experimental studies, or demonstrated service history.

Compliance of alternative solutions with the New Zealand Building Code may be required to be demonstrated when seeking a building consent.

Cement as a stabilizer may contribute substantially to strength in mixtures with a high proportion of sand. Where strength is almost entirely reliant on cement or other stabilizer, the masonry standard or the standard appropriate to that material should be used.

This Standard applies to earth wall items including house and building walls, boundary fences, outbuildings, garden walls, furniture, footings, fireplaces and such like. This Standard also covers components of any of the foregoing including bricks, pieces and such like.

Retaining walls are excluded from this Standard.

This Standard applies to New Zealand and its offshore islands.