Rammed Earth Constructions Pty Ltd was born out of the need to create work in the new ecovillage of Crystal Waters, the potential market for this ecological building method in the new settlement and a personal preference.

The founders of the company, John Oliver, Bruce Morgan and Jim Thompson, were amongst the very early members of Crystal Waters Permaculture Village. Jim had already settled in the village, and had a rammed earth home built for him by contractors from the Sunshine Coast. Bruce was an established builder in the area, and had some funds to invest. John, a professional carpenter, was looking for a way to make his move to Crystal Waters financially feasible, and wanted a rammed earth home himself. John also had previous experience with rammed earth — his great grandfather had built with it in central NSW.

John Oliver's Home - built in rammed earth of course!

The market for rammed earth in this area back in the late 1980s was fairly small, but the people moving into Crystal Waters were looking for alternatives, and rammed earth met many of their needs.

The three partners put together a basic set of equipment, starting off with old concrete formwork donated by a local farmer, and an old tractor which was used as a compressor. Since then the equipment has been upgraded, and John has designed new formwork especially for rammed earth. The new formwork and techniques developed by the company have allowed them to create an exceptionally high quality product.

The company has always employed Crystal Waters people, and thus provides employment for others in the community as well as providing them with new skills. John, now a Gold Licence Builder in Queensland, will often take on a whole house contract, and subcontract Rammed Earth Constructions Pty Ltd for the walls. His expertise in the rammed earth has provided him with a market niche in the very competitive building arena.

The company now has just two Directors — John Oliver and Gabor Farkas — and employs up to five other Crystal Waters people on a fairly regular basis, which helps the village's economic viability.

Billabong Surfware Showroom
a mainstream and commercial job.

Interestingly, while the initial expectation was that `alternative' people would be the main market for rammed earth, in the last few years the market seems to have shifted to architect-designed mainstream mansions. There has also been considerable interest from the commercial sector, and the company has recently built the walls for the Billabong Surfwear showroom and headquarters on the Gold Coast and assisted in building the walls for a large brewery in Brisbane.While the company now gets work all over the region (and has been asked to travel interstate and overseas), the ecovillage in which the company is based provided the initial market, ideas and support that was invaluable in getting the business off the ground.

John Oliver,
Rammed Earth Constructions Pty Ltd,
7 Crystal Waters, MS 16, Maleny Qld 4552.
Tel. (07) 5494 4805.
E-mail jvoliver@powerup.com.au