Dan, your comment about different climate and geology intrigued me, i had a quick look and found this about a complimentary building system that is half adobe half rammed earth - because of your initial interests i thought i would highlight this to your attention.
I am confident you might have heard of this before, i have not, and maybe thought we could discuss it further?
Compressed earth block - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
some typical examples of its advantages over most other techniques:
Other advantages:
- Non-toxic: materials are completely natural and do not out-gas toxic chemicals
- Sound resistant: an important feature in high-density neighborhoods, residential areas adjacent to industrial zones
- Fire resistant: earthen walls do not burn
- Insect resistant: the walls are solid and very dense, discouraging insects
- Mold resistant: there is no cellulose material - such as in wood, Oriented Strand Board or drywall - that can host mold
hope to hear your your opinion on the matter?