{"schema":"https://ver.cy/schemas/card/1.0.0","id":"vr.tr.earth-structure","code":"thing-q5327174","url":"https://ver.cy/models/thing/q5327174/","name":"earth structure","alternateNames":["rammed earth building"],"kind":"thing","status":"published","version":"0.2.0-wave.3","language":"en","classifiers":{"family":"Thing Registry","category":"Physical world and living systems","entryKind":"thing","plane":"PHY","domain":["PHY.BLT"],"industry":[],"navPath":"","tags":[],"facets":{}},"whatItIs":"A structure built mainly from unfired earth, including rammed earth walls compacted in formwork, adobe of sun-dried mud bricks, cob of hand-formed earth and straw, wattle and daub, and earthen mound structures, used for housing, fortifications and monuments from ancient times to today across arid and temperate regions; earth structures have low embodied energy, good thermal mass and are regulated by modern earth building codes. Earth-sheltered buildings qualify only when the structure itself is made largely from soil, rather than merely covered with it.","purpose":"Let an agent explain earth structures and their techniques, relay properties, standards and examples from building and heritage sources, describe modern earth construction, and distinguish earth structures from fired-brick, stone and concrete construction while recognising that adobe and other earth-block construction can also be masonry.","scope":{"in":[],"out":[],"boundaries":[]},"distinguishingFeatures":["Unfired earth material","High thermal mass","Low embodied energy","Ancient and modern use"],"structure":{"bundles":[{"id":"understand","name":"Understand","description":"What an earth structure is.","layers":[{"id":"definition","name":"Definition","description":"Definition and techniques.","findings":[{"id":"definition-finding","name":"Definition","description":"Definition.","questions":[{"text":"What is an earth structure, and how do rammed earth, adobe, cob, wattle and daub and compressed blocks differ?","kind":"definition"},{"text":"Is the question about earth buildings, masonry, concrete or earth-sheltered construction?","kind":"boundary"}]}]},{"id":"properties","name":"Properties","description":"Properties.","findings":[{"id":"properties-finding","name":"Properties","description":"Properties.","questions":[{"text":"What thermal, structural and environmental properties do earth walls have?","kind":"definition"},{"text":"Which entry fits the specific technique?","kind":"action"}]}]}]},{"id":"build","name":"Build","description":"Building with earth.","layers":[{"id":"construction","name":"Construction","description":"Construction.","findings":[{"id":"construction-finding","name":"Construction","description":"Construction.","questions":[{"text":"How are earth buildings constructed, stabilised and protected from water and earthquakes?","kind":"action"},{"text":"Which references are standard?","kind":"provenance"}]}]},{"id":"codes","name":"Codes","description":"Codes and standards.","findings":[{"id":"codes-finding","name":"Codes","description":"Codes.","questions":[{"text":"What earth building codes exist, and how do they address strength and seismic safety?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which entry fits the specific code?","kind":"action"}]}]}]},{"id":"heritage","name":"Heritage","description":"Heritage and examples.","layers":[{"id":"examples","name":"Examples","description":"Notable examples.","findings":[{"id":"examples-finding","name":"Examples","description":"Examples.","questions":[{"text":"What are notable earth structures, from Djenne and Shibam to Chan Chan and earthen sections of the Great Wall?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which sources are cited?","kind":"provenance"}]}]},{"id":"conservation","name":"Conservation","description":"Conservation.","findings":[{"id":"conservation-finding","name":"Conservation","description":"Conservation.","questions":[{"text":"How are earthen heritage sites conserved?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which entry fits earthen architecture conservation?","kind":"action"}]}]}]},{"id":"context","name":"Context","description":"Sustainability and history.","layers":[{"id":"sustainability","name":"Sustainability","description":"Modern earth architecture.","findings":[{"id":"sustainability-finding","name":"Sustainability","description":"Sustainability.","questions":[{"text":"How is earth construction used in sustainable architecture today, with positions attributed?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which entry fits sustainable architecture?","kind":"action"}]}]},{"id":"history","name":"History","description":"History.","findings":[{"id":"history-finding","name":"History","description":"History.","questions":[{"text":"How have earth structures been built across cultures and periods?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which entry fits vernacular architecture?","kind":"action"}]}]}]}]},"agentConduct":{"may":["Explain rammed earth, adobe, cob and other earth techniques in general terms.","Inspect and report erosion, cracking or damp in an earth building the agent is authorized to survey."],"mustNot":["Declare an unreinforced earth building safe in a seismic zone without an engineer's assessment.","Apply impermeable coatings or repairs that trap moisture in historic earth walls without expert advice.","Demolish or alter a listed earth structure without consent."],"requiresHuman":["Structural decisions on occupied earth buildings in earthquake areas."]},"ethics":{"considerations":["Many people live in earth buildings that collapse in earthquakes.","Earth building is sustainable heritage that is often dismissed as primitive."],"affectedParties":["Occupants","Builders","Heritage communities"]},"owners":{"steward":"The owner of each building; heritage authorities protect listed earth structures.","roles":[],"masterSystems":["Heritage registers","Land registry or cadastre"]},"relations":[{"target":"Q811979","type":"parent","note":"registry parent class"},{"target":"built structure","type":"related","note":"in registry terms"},{"target":"earth","type":"related","note":"as building material"},{"target":"rammed earth","type":"related","note":"as a major technique"},{"target":"World Heritage Site","type":"related","note":"at sites such as Djenne and Chan Chan"}],"interaction":{"identity":{"applicability":"required","items":["Vercy registry: vr.tr.earth-structure","Wikidata: Q5327174 (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5327174)"]},"properties":{"applicability":"required","items":["world population living in earth buildings: about one third share - estimates","rammed earth wall thickness: about 30-60 cm","compressive strength of rammed earth: about 1-3 MPa - unstabilised"]},"recognition":{"applicability":"required","items":["Building made of unfired earth","Rammed earth, adobe, cob, wattle and daub, compressed earth blocks, earth mounds","Fired brick is ceramic; concrete uses cement; earth-sheltered buildings may be concrete covered with earth","Thick earthen walls, often plastered, in warm tones."]},"capabilities":{"applicability":"required","items":["explain techniques","relay properties and standards","describe examples","distinguish from masonry"]},"hazards":{"applicability":"required","items":["Water can cause erosion.","Unreinforced earth structures can be vulnerable to earthquakes.","Treating earth structures and masonry as mutually exclusive categories misclassifies adobe construction."]},"interfaces":{"applicability":"required","items":["Earth building codes such as New Zealand NZS 4297 and German Lehmbau rules","Heritage protection of earthen sites","Seismic design rules for earth buildings"]},"context":{"applicability":"required","items":["Building with earth.","rammed earth buildings","adobe buildings","cob buildings","wattle and daub","compressed earth block buildings","earthen fortifications and monuments such as the Great Wall sections and Chan Chan","modern stabilised earth architecture"]}},"sources":[{"title":"Wikidata item Q5327174: earth structure","url":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5327174","note":"identity and sense of the item"},{"title":"Wikipedia: Earth structure","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earth_structure","note":"general description of the item"}],"openQuestions":["Should rammed earth and adobe be separate primary entries?","How should building codes and heritage sources be linked?","How should the rammed earth alias be recorded?"],"resources":{"spec":"/models/things/publications/thing-q5327174/spec.json"},"provenance":{"origin":"thing registry research (pass 2)","builtFrom":["models/things/publications/thing-q5327174/spec.json"],"providers":["Claude"],"researchStatus":"unreviewed","generatedAt":"2026-09-13T04:27:06Z","builder":"tools/build_cards.py@1.0.0"},"completeness":{"sections":{"classifiers":"filled","whatItIs":"filled","purpose":"filled","distinguishingFeatures":"filled","structure":"filled","agentConduct":"filled","ethics":"filled","owners":"filled","relations":"filled","interaction.identity":"filled","interaction.properties":"filled","interaction.recognition":"filled","interaction.capabilities":"filled","interaction.hazards":"filled","interaction.interfaces":"filled","interaction.context":"filled","sources":"filled"},"notes":{"_gate":"Published through the thing publication gate 1.0 on 2026-10-07T12:16:33+00:00: completeness 1.00; sense: Wikidata description; 2 live sources; review by codex: pass"},"score":1.0}}