Shuttering

The process of erecting and progressively re-positioning the wooden formwork into which the pisé mix is rammed. Two parallel side boards (lwah) are held apart at fixed wall thickness by transverse stretchers and tightened by ropes or wedges; once a single course is rammed and partially set, the formwork is dismantled, raised, repositioned, and the next course begun. The tell-tale horizontal lines and putlog holes visible on every traditional pisé wall record this incremental shutter cycle. Skilful shuttering — true alignment, consistent course height, careful stagger of vertical joints — is one of the principal craft signatures of an experienced maalem.