PINEDALE -- The new wing under construction at the Sublette County Library represents a groundbreaking project for the community -- literally.

The $5 million addition is being built out of dirt.

Dirt from nearby Cora, to be exact.

The first-ever rammed-earth public building in the nation will complement Pinedale's decade-old library when the expansion project is completed in March 2009, library officials said.

Rammed-earth building is a construction technique that has been used for thousands of years. The green-building process involves compacting moist earth into pre-set molds to form walls and ceilings.

"It's true ... we're building an addition out of dirt," county library director Daphne Platts said with a laugh. "We are very excited about it."

Platts said several of the wing's walls have been completed, including a test wall that will become a permanent architectural feature of the library.

"I was expecting these (first) walls to be very nice, but they are much more than that," Platts said. "The are truly beautiful. I am extremely pleased with the result."

The new library wing was designed by Carney Architects of Jackson and is being constructed by Terra Firma Builders of British Columbia. Terra Firma owner Meror Krayenhoff and son Joss are considered the top experts in the field of rammed-earth construction.

Carney architect Matt Thackray said the project has gone better than expected thus far.

"It's a lot crisper finish than I was honestly expecting, and that's pretty nice," he said. "It's a great time to be up there on the job site because there's nothing but rammed-earth walls right now, so it has a real sort of ancient feel to it."

Planning for the new wing began more than three years ago, and final approval for the project was given by the Sublette County Commission in late spring 2007.

Platts said the current library was constructed in 1998 with mostly private funding. Budget constraints at the time forced library officials to reduce the size of their original plans. But over the years, the large meeting room proved too small for the meetings being held there.

"Due to the (oil and gas industry) tax monies that have become available in recent years, it seemed this was the ideal time to complete our original vision for the library," she said.

Following a regional search, the contractor decided to use soil from Cora for the project, Platts said.

"They tested the dirt in several different places ... and found a guy that could sell us a high-grade dirt," she said. "This is the best dirt they could find."

Southwest Wyoming bureau reporter Jeff Gearino can be reached at 307-875-5359 or at gearino@tribcsp.com.