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“It is estimated that at least 30 per cent of the world’s population, ,some 1.5 billion people, live in houses constructed of raw (unfired) earth”. 1

“Even today, it is estimated that between a third and a half of the world’s population lives in earthen dwellings.” 2

“40 % of the world population lives in earthen dwellings” 3

1.Earth building in Britain – international context and historical background, by R. Nother, with an introduction by L. Keefe. Earth Building, p. 7
2. Smith, Michael, The History of Cob, http://www.networkearth.org/naturalbuilding/history.html
3. http://www.earth-auroville.com/index.php

this does not take into account buildings that people work or worship in or buildings that are not occupied, such as dove cotes, grainaries, etc.

Paul Revere Mud Brick

http://www.paulreverehouse.org/contact/

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/08/survey_does_des.php

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/08/cob_building_go.php

The Dachverband Lehm e.V. is the German Association for Building with Earth. Every four years the DVL organises an international conference and trade fair on building with earth in a different earth building region in Germany together with an excursion in the region. After the conferences in 1994, 1997, 2000 and 2004, the LEHM 2008 is the 5th such event organised by the Dachverband Lehm e.V. Each of these events has attracted several thousand visitors. In addition to organising a high-profile conference programme, a central aspect is the presentation of new innovations in earth building products and technologies through a trade fair that takes place parallel to the conference. For more information visit the conference website.

Joe Osae-Addo, a Ghanaian-born architect, living in Los Angeles was determined to build with the materials found primarily in rural areas of his native country: timber and mud brick. Because mud brick doesn’t exist in cities in Ghana, Addo had to build his own during the construction of his own home. He coined a phrase for his approach to contextual modern architecture: “inno-native.” Listen to an interview with Joe Osae-Addo where he talks about his inno-native approach.

The R & R Market, located in San Luis, Colorado, is the oldest continuously operated business in Colorado and an historic adobe building that was constructed in 1857. The Business recently celebrated 150 years of operation. The photo above shows the building in 1867. More about the R&R Market can be found at the San Luis Preservation website.

In 1941 Frank Lloyd Wright began the Cooperative Homesteads project in Madison Heights, Detroit Michigan. The homes were to cost $1,400 and to keep the costs low they utilized berm and rammed earth construction. It is said that the would be occupants for the houses were drafted during World War II and construction ceased. Read More [ 1 | 2 | 3 ]

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Architects Anna Heringer and Eike Roswag from Linz and Berlin have realized a beautiful school that is a recipient of The Architectural Review Awards for Emerging Architecture.

Refining the local technique of using very wet loam to build walls, the school has a brick foundation, a damp proof course, and walls made of a mixture of loam and straw, the latter acting as a form of reinforcement. The loam and straw are combined by getting cows and water buffalo to tread them in. The ‘Wellerbau’ technique employed here involves building a 700mm high wall layer, leaving it to dry for two days, and trimming off with a spade. A further drying period is followed by the addition of the next layer.

[ The Architectural Review | Handmade School Web Site ]

The 10th International Conference on the Study and Conservation of Earthen Architecture will be held in February 2008 in Bamako, Mali, West Africa. The conference is organized by the Getty Conservation Institute and the Ministry of Culture of Mali with the collaboration of Africa 2009, CRATerre-ENSAG , ICOMOS South Africa, and the World Heritage Centre, under the aegis of ICOMOS and its International Scientific Committee on the Earthen Architectural Heritage. Three hundred international specialists in the fields of earthen architecture, conservation, archaeology, scientific research and site management are expected to attend.