“Mixing and applying mud plaster to adobe brick is more than a skill; it’s a tangible reconnection to the land – and the past.” Read about the restoration of the Casa de Estudillo, a historic landmark in Old Town San Diego State Historic Park.
Earth Architecture and Wine
Many wineries and residences among vineyards employ earth in the construction of buildings. Often, the same earth to grow grapes is ideal for use as a building material.
Margan Tasting Room and Restaurant
The list goes on and on: [ Fetzer Winery Administration Building | Moorooduc Estate | Texas Hills Vineyard | Adinfern Estate | Wing Canyon Vineyard | Home Hill Winery ]
Benally House
Design Build BLUFF has completed another house. This time a compressed earth block house called the Benally House. Visit the project blog to learn about the entire construction process. [ previously ]
Historic Adobes of Los Angeles County
The book, Historic Adobes of Los Angeles County
TK-Pad
Ward+Blake’s TK Residence outside Jackson, Wyo., adapts rammed earth building techniques by grafting post-tensioning rods into the foundation’s walls, thereby making them nearly as strong as pure concrete, a much more environmentally intrusive building material when compared to green-friendly rammed earth. Article: Digging Deep, Building Strong—Rammed Earth for the Ages
Adobe Alliance Seeks Intern
The Adobe Alliance, a Texas based non-profit organization whose aims include to apply cooperative building techniques in earth architecture is seeking a resident intern to work in Santa Fe, New Mexico or from a distance. Responsibilities will include research, image scanning, simple bookkeeping, assisting with workshop organization, website maintenance, and telephone management. The ideal person is a graduate student in architecture, art/art history, public policy or related fields. To learn more, please contact Ms. Simone Swan at simoneswan@gmail.com or visit www.adobealliance.org
Juana Briones House Preserved on Film
As demolition looms, scholar moves to preserve historic Juana Briones house on film.
[ Save the house | Research Paper | Previously ]
Casas del Sol
An innovative home design by UNC Charlotte students has won the The Casas del Quinto Sol Housing Development National Design Competition for affordable housing. Their winning entry, which combines rammed earth with photovoltaic panels, could eventually become the model for a 21-home desert community to provide housing for recent immigrants along New Mexico’s southern border.
Nk’Mip Desert Cultural Centre
Nk’Mip Desert Cultural Centre by Hotson Bakker Boniface Haden Architects was recently completed and featured in the April issue of Canadian Architect Magazine. The cultural center is constructed of the largest rammed earth wall in North America measuring 80 metres (262 feet) long by 5.5 metres (18 feet) high made of layers of colored stabilized soil.
Juana Briones House Slated for Demolition
The oldest house in Palo Alto, California is a 160-year-old building constructed of a unique hybrid system that combines techniques found in rammed-earth and cob, traditionally known as encajonado. Known as the Juana Briones House, this historic work of earthen architecture is now slated to be demolished. After nine years of legal battles, the city of Palo Alto has agreed to issue a demolition.