Ground and structure
Plinth
housingschoolurban facadeinterior
It is the lower band of the wall, stronger or wider than the rest, that separates it from the ground.
What it solves
It protects the base of the wall from splashing rain, rising damp and knocks. In earth or timber walls it makes the difference between lasting centuries or only a few years.
Today
Build the plinth with a material that does not absorb water and raise it above splash height. Combine it with a generous eave and a damp-proof barrier between the plinth and the wall.
Common mistake
Covering an earth wall with a waterproof finish that traps moisture inside the wall.
Tomorrow
A plinth of river stone or recycled concrete, laid by local masons, protects earth and timber walls for generations. It is a craft worth teaching again.
Fact In a test with adobe walls, a concrete upstand 30 cm higher than the expected water let moisture rise only 9 cm and protected the adobe.
Where it comes from
- 1Adobe house Costa Rica, 18th and 19th centuries
On the sides exposed to rain the wall widened into a plinth. Some houses painted a dark band at the bottom to hide the splashes. - 2Earth construction Iran, the Maghreb and Europe, more than 4000 years in Iran
Earth walls were built on a stone base, and they last in rainy climates if that base is high and the roof overhangs well.
Appears in the routes
See also
Also in Ground and structure
Diagrams and texts by LDB Arquitectura. They are shared under the CC BY 4.0 license, which allows them to be used and adapted with credit to the source.