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MYOO.com, the online home for fresh and compelling content that’s geared towards kickstarting a smarter 2.0 way of living, features a discussion with Earth Architecture author, Ronald Rael.

Photography: ©Harrison Photography

Saint Bartholomew’s Chapel, designed by Kevin deFreitas Architects, was constructed to replace a very small and intimate historic chapel that was ravaged by wildfires in 2007. From that fire, only the original adobe bell tower survived, which became the anchor element in the redesign planning.

Photography: ©Harrison Photography
The new design was conceived to reverently knit together “past” and comfortable traditions, while acknowledging and offering something relevant to current and future generations. Thus, emulating or recreating the past literally was not a project goal. Drawing from a limitless well of Native American and Catholic symbols and metaphors, design elements in plan, section, and elevation were conceived to reference and infuse meaning into the chapel, such as the; rammed earth walls, radial walls, butterfly roof, and extensive use of locally sourced materials.

[ via: archdaily.com ]

Photography: Bruno Augsburger and Laura Egger

Over two decades ago, the last cinema closed in Ilanz, an Alpine town in the Swiss canton of Graubünden. To satisfy the locals’ cinephile needs, a group of people interested in film and culture formed the Filmclub Ilanz in 1989 and, after staging screenings in makeshift locations (including the town hall), they had a stroke of luck in 2004 in the shape of a 19th century former forge, which had just become vacant. After several years of screenings, they decided to revamp the space, with the help of fellow club members Capaul & Blumenthal Architects, to create a fully fledged cinema, which opened last September.

The ETH Zurich graduates have retained the raw character of the building, creating a cosy screening room and bar on a shoestring. Using local clay and a rammed earth construction method – a sustainable, low-tech building technique with sound-proofing benefits – the project was completed with the help of members of the Filmclub, who also conveniently included a rammed-earth specialist and a stonemason. Seating in the auditorium is padded by sheep-skin covered cushions stuffed by Filmclub members. Meanwhile, paint on the walls of the bar and stage area has been stripped back to reveal the original lime plasterwork of the building and floors are kept bare. The bar itself can be lifted by a manual forklift to make space for a dance floor when there are concerts – just one part of the Cinema Sil Plaz’s rich programme of events.

[via Wallpaper]

The San Isidro Labrador Chapel is a collaborative effort of many people, the tangible demonstration of the cooperation of architects, engineers, craftsmen, peasants, creative people and students.

João Caeiro e Capurso Fulvio got together with Benito Guzman Canseco (President of the Consejo y Oaxaca Nopal Tuna, e Mayordomo de San Isidro in the years 2009-2010) to organize a series of courses to endorse people with the ability to build houses with noble materials from the region.

These courses, mostly hands-on, are addressed to people seeking to build their own houses, within a philosophy of low cost, high quality and contemporary design.

The first opportunity emerged in San Bartolo Coyopec, for the construction of a chapel for the saint patron of the cultivated fields, annually celebrated. The building was finished in may 2010.

The Wales Institute for Sustainable Education (Wise), designed by architects Pat Borer and David Leais, uses “Basically plants and earth,” to quote Borer. Also animals, as in addition to a timber frame, rammed earth walls and a coating of lime and hemp, it uses sheep’s wool for thermal insulation. Wise is part of Cat, the Centre for Alternative Technology.
[ Architects Journal ]

The Decembery/January issue of the French language magazine, ecologik, is devoted to the subject of Architecture en Terre.

SOMMAIRE #12 – décembre 2009/janvier 2010

ACTUALITÉ: réalisations – concours – expositions – les forêts, un marché de dupes ? – lumière : perspectives urbaines – livre, de la lutte des classes à la lutte des places
SOCIÉTÉ: la ville durable et connectée
URBANISME ET PAYSAGE: métamorphose d’une autoroute
PROCESSUS ET TECHNIQUES: les nouveaux dilemmes du patrimoine
DOSSIER EN TERRE: sur les traces d’un patrimoine mondial – manifeste pour le droit de construire en terre crue – le CRAterre, l’expérience made in France – retour d’expérience sur le Domaine de la Terre – la physique des grains – terre contemporaine : hôtel Amankora au Bouthan, maison d’habitation en pisé en Colombie, workshop structures en terre au Bangladesh, architecture d’intérieur à Paris, centre culturel du désert Nk’mip au Canada, maison Palmer-Rose aux Etats-Unis, maison Rauch en Autriche, école de Maosi en Chine, école des Arts au Mexique
INNOVATIONS: eaux de pluie, eaux usées : collecter, assainir et valoriser
BÂTIR SAIN: l’air est-il plus respirable dans un bâtiment LEED ou HQE?
SUISSE: passif en plein massif
PROSPECTIVE: accessibilité : et si on osait le pragmatisme ?

The undulating Banasura Hills in Wayanad stand as sentinels to the biggest earth dam in India, the Banasura Sagar dam. Just a few kilometres away, in rugged hilly terrain, stands the Banasura Hill Resort, said to be the biggest earth resort in the country. The rammed earth walls of the resort is built with mud from the very site that it stands on. Earth scooped out from the hill slope to create a plain was used to build the resort. Local tribals were called in for the labour and their expertise in building with mud was also tapped.

The Royal Institute of British Architecture is hosting a series of earth architecture related lectures in their series: The Art of Mud Building: Heritage and Sustainability. Here is the lineup:

Down to Earth, Paul Oliver
Talk Tuesday 2 March, 18.30
RIBA
Join Paul Oliver, acclaimed academic and Emeritus Professor at the International Vernacular Architecture Unit, Oxford Brookes University, for a stimulating talk about the future of vernacular building traditions and their role in creating sustainable, culturally vibrant, people orientated places to live.
Part of the International Dialogues talks programme.
Tickets: £8.50/£5.50

The Future of Mud: Tales of Houses and Lives in Djenné
Film Monday 8 March, 19.00
SOAS, Russell Square, London WC1H
A documentary film that explores the challenges and choices faced by a mason’s family, raising vital questions about heritage and changing traditions. French and Bamana with English subtitles.

Restoring Mud Mosques in Mopti, Djenné and Timbuktu
Talk Thursday 11 March, 20.30
The Ismaili Centre, Cromwell Road, London SW7
Join Christophe Bouleau from the Aga Khan Trust for Culture as he talks about the restoration of the extraordinary mud mosques of Mali.

Restoring the Splendour of Djenné
Talk Thursday 18 March, 19.00
SOAS, Russell Square, London WC1H
Join Rogier Bedaux and Annette Schmidt, Volkenkunde Museum and the architect Pierre Maas, to discuss the cooperative venture between Mali and the Netherlands.

Behind the Façade in Djenné
Talk Thursday 25 March, 19.00
SOAS, Russell Square, London WC1H
Join Michael Rowlands, UCL and Charlotte Joy, Cambridge as they discuss how to create local value for cultural heritage through sustainable architectural tradition.

Economic and Environmental Sustainability
Talk Thursday 29 April, 19.00
SOAS, Russell Square, London WC1H
Join Rowland Keable, Ram Cast CIC, for an expert presentation on structures, standards and models for earth building in the 21st century.

A Standard Guide for Design of Earthen Wall Building Systems, ASTM E2392 – 05, has been announced and can be purchased by clicking here.

1. Scope
1.1 This standard provides guidance for earthen building systems that address both technical requirements and considerations for sustainable development. Earthen building systems include adobe, rammed earth, cob, cast earth and other earth technologies used as structural and non-structural wall systems.

1.1.1 There are many decisions in the design and construction of a building that can contribute to the maintenance of ecosystem components and functions for future generations, that is, sustainability. One such decision is the selection of products for use in the building. This standard addresses sustainability issues related to the use of earthen wall building systems.

1.1.2 The considerations for sustainable development relative to earthen wall building systems are categorized as follows: materials (product feedstock); manufacturing process; operational performance (product installed); and indoor environmental quality (IEQ).

1.1.3 The technical requirements for earthen building systems are categorized as follows: design criteria, structural and non-structural systems, and structural and non-structural components.

1.2 This standard does not provide guidance for structural support of roofs made of earthen material.

1.3 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety and health practices and to determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.