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A review of Earth Architecture from Australian The Age newspaper.

Rammed Earth By Design is a rammed earth building company located in Western Australia that provides a complete experience in fully finished residential home design, administration and construction. They offer over 50 predesigned home packages that they can constructed throughout Australia and globally.

You are invited to the first full meeting of Earth Building UK, a new national organisation established to represent, support and promote earth building in the UK. This is an opportunity to influence EBUK’s organisation and operation from its beginning. EBUK’s first meeting will take place at the University of Bath on Friday 16th January 2009. Further details, including the process for registering, can be found here: http://www.bath.ac.uk/ace/ebuk-meeting/. Aseries of high quality presentations are lined up as part of the day. For more information contact:

Enrico Fodde
Lecturer
BRE Centre for Innovative Construction Materials
Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering
University of Bath
Bath BA2 7AY
UK
Tel: +44 (0) 1225 383185
Fax: +44 (0) 1225 384495
Email: E.Fodde@bath.ac.uk
http://www.bath.ac.uk/ace/

Pete Walker,
Director BRE Centre for Innovative Construction Materials,
Dept. Architecture & Civil Engineering,
University of Bath,
Bath BA2 7AY,
UK.
Tel: 01225 386646
Fax: 01225 386691
http://www.bath.ac.uk/bre

ISBN 9781568987675 8.5 x 9 inches (21.6 x 22.9 cm), Hardcover, 208 pages 222 color illustrations; 96 b/w illustrations; A PAPress publication. Pre-Order Earth Architecture if you live in the following countries:

[ U.S. | Japan | Germany | U.K. | France | Australia ]

Synopsis
Currently it is estimated that one half of the world’s population—approximately three billion people on six continents—lives or works in buildings constructed of earth. And while the vast legacy of traditional and vernacular earthen construction has been widely discussed, little attention has been paid to the contemporary tradition of earth architecture. Author Ronald Rael, founder of Eartharchitecture.org provides a history of building with earth in the modern era, focusing particularly on projects constructed in the last few decades that use rammed earth, mud brick, compressed earth, cob, and several other interesting techniques. EARTH ARCHITECTURE presents a selection of more than 40 projects that exemplify new, creative uses of the oldest building material on the planet.

An engaging narrative addresses the misconceptions associated with earth architecture. Many assume that it’s only used for housing in poor rural areas—but there are examples of airports, embassies, hospitals, museums, and factories that are made of earth. It’s also assumed that earth is a fragile, ephemeral material, while in reality some of the oldest extant buildings on the planet are made of earth. The book also touches on many topics that pervade both architecture and popular media today, such as the ecological benefits and the politics of building with earth, particularly in developing nations where earth buildings are often thought of as pre-modern or backward. With captivating discussion and more than 300 images, Earth Architecture showcases the beauty and simplicity of one of humankind’s most evolved and sophisticated building technologies.

Earth Architecture was listed among the Top 30 Design Blogs & Resources For Architects.

“One of my favourites, this site is a great resource on sustainable earth architecture happenings worldwide.” – TreeHugger.com

The VII Seminário Ibero-Americano de Construção com Terra and the II Congresso de Arquitetura e Construção com Terra no Brasil takes place November 3-8, 2008 in São Luís, Maranhão, Brasil. For more information visit www.terrabrasil2008.com.br or email terrabrasil2008@gmail.com

Earthen architecture, the world’s oldest and most widespread existing type of building, has been used in some of the world’s simplest shelters and most impressive monuments, such as the Great Wall of China, the missions of the American Southwest, and the city of Timbuktu. Nearly one half of the world’s population—about three billion people on six continents—lives or works in buildings constructed of earth. 

Grand or humble, earthen structures are threatened by encroaching development and changes in the environment – including the introduction of modern building materials and an exodus of residents from traditional villages and towns into large cities – as well as by natural disasters such as earthquakes and flooding. Not only are the buildings disappearing at an alarming rate, so is the traditional knowledge of how to build and conserve these important structures.

Significantly, roughly 20 percent of the architecture on the World Heritage List today is constructed of earth, but the public is largely unaware of these historic treasures.

The 10th International Conference on the Study and Conservation of Earthen Architectural Heritage, titled Terra 2008, is organized by the Getty Conservation Institute (GCI). It will bring together more than 300 international experts from the fields of conservation, anthropology, architecture and engineering, scientific research, site management and sustainable development of earthen architectural heritage to assess the state of earthen architecture worldwide and the latest scientific research in this field.

Terra 2008 will be held February 1–5, 2008, in Bamako, Mali, at the Centre International de Conferences de Bamako, a modern facility located in the city center.The conference is co-sponsored by the Ministry of Culture of Mali and will be held in French and English.

“Traditionally, earthen architecture has received less attention in the conservation field than structures made from more robust materials. Ironically, in most places in the world, earth is the conventional building material,” said Tim Whalen, director of the Getty Conservation Institute. “For more than 20 years, the GCI has advanced thinking and practice in the conservation of earthen architecture. The beauty and vulnerability of these structures demands our attention.”

Whalen further added, “The Getty Conservation Institute is delighted to work with the Ministry of Culture of Mali to host the Terra 2008 conference.”

Mali’s earthen buildings are renowned worldwide for their aesthetic beauty and diversity—architecture that brings with it major preservation challenges. The conference provides a unique opportunity to discuss these problems in situ in sub-Saharan Africa, and is the first time the earthen architecture professional community has met in Africa.

In conjunction with the conference, public programming also will be offered, highlighting the beauty and significance of earthen architecture in Mali and around the world. Outreach activities will include exhibitions at the National Museum of Mali and at the Memorial Modiba Keita, film screenings, and live construction demonstrations by Mali’s celebrated masons.

This is the 10th conference to be organized by the earthen architecture community since 1972. Terra 2008 is organized by the GCI and the Ministry of Culture of Mali, in collaboration with Africa 2009, the Centre International de la Construction en Terre- Ecole Nationale Supérieure d’Architecture de Grenoble (CRATerre – ENSAG), International Council on Monuments and Sites South Africa (ICOMOS South Africa), International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (lCCROM), and the World Heritage Centre, under the aegis of the International Scientific Committee for Earthen Architectural Heritage of the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS). Numerous international organizations will also facilitate the participation of specialists from all regions of Africa as well as Latin America, Asia, and the Middle East.

For more information on the conference, visit: http://www.getty.edu/conservation/field_projects/terra/mali_conference.html

http://www1.accorhotels.com.au/Novotel-Ningaloo/default_en.aspx

http://www.emediawire.com/releases/2007/11/emw570973.htm

The Wild Bird Discovery Centre at Saltholme, Teeside, United Kingdom, fuses 21st Century architecture to both modern and traditional materials and sustainable construction principles. Architect Alison Thornton-Sykes of JDDK designed the futuristic bird center for the The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, which will incoporate aircraft construction techniques and rammed earth construction.

AKTerre is a French construction company specializing in rammed earth construction that promotes the ecological, historic and aesthetic qualities of earth construction.